[nfbcs] Brand Recommendations

Bryan Schulz b.schulz at sbcglobal.net
Fri Jul 8 03:54:27 UTC 2016 

Hi,

Many companies order dell because of the included on-site repair warranty.
Just listing what I prefer that doesn't fail doesn't make me a brand snob.
Bryan


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Christopher
Chaltain via nfbcs
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2016 8:20 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Cc: Christopher Chaltain
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Brand Recommendations

I don't consider myself much of a brand snob, but we have Dell laptops 
at the office, and I'm frankly not impressed. I'm on like my sixth 
laptop in less than three years. All but one of those laptops was 
replaced due to issues with the laptop. Meanwhile at home, all of my 
family's laptops are either Asus or Lenovo, where I have much fewer 
problems. I won't say I'll never buy a Dell again, but the next time I 
go laptop shopping, Asus and Lenovo will be at the top of the list.

On 07/07/16 09:57, Peter Donahue via nfbcs wrote:
> Good morning Bryan and everyone,
>
>      Interestingly enough this laptop is also a Dell. Although it
> contracted some viruses and needed to be wiped and reloaded a few times
> the only hardware repair needed was replacement of the hard drive a few
> years ago. Mary's computer has had to have several components replaced
> in the five years we had it. I had an HP desktop that lasted for 10
> years and never had to have components replaced. Other than needing to
> be reloaded after viruses were removed it ran extremely well until
> February of last year. The motherboard finally decided to retire making
> it necessary to press this laptop into full-time service. We'd be
> interested to hear about people's success with different computer brands
> so we can decide whether to get another Dell desktop or if we should
> consider another brand assuming we get another Windows machine. Any new
> desktops we buy will most definitely be enrolled in an MSP to hopefully
> catch problems before they take out our computers.
>
> Peter Donahue
> Bryan Schulz via nfbcs wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Good to hear you found a plan to keep your hardware living.
>> Dell = Don't Expect Long Life
>> Bryan
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter
>> Donahue via
>> nfbcs
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2016 11:31 PM
>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
>> Cc: Peter Donahue
>> Subject: [nfbcs] Power Supply, and Computer Expense Upkeep
>>
>> Good evening again Bryan and everyone,
>>
>>       Although the gentleman who tried restarting the computer after the
>> proper shut-down may not have tested the power supply when I called
>> Computer NERDZ this morning they told me that they confirmed that the
>> power supply was failing when they got it to the shop. By the way
>> although it's spelled Computer NERDZ the name of that company is
>> pronounced "Computer Nerds." Their Website URL is:
>> http://www.nerdz.com/and they have offices in Austin and San Antonio.
>>
>>       They have serviced computers for a number of blind people in these
>> areas and are very familiar with screen access technology. Unlike many
>> other computer repair services Computer NERDZ will service your machine
>> onsite and if necessary will take it to their repair facility to
>> complete extensive repairs and servicing such as replacing a power
>> supply. Upon successful completion of the work they will return your
>> unit to you and will set it up and be sure all is in working order.
>> Their pricing is not bad and they offer a discount for their customers
>> with disabilities.
>>
>>        I'm not sure if other computer repair companies are offering
>> Managed Services Program (MSP.) Given the trouble we've had with Mary's
>> computer we enrolled it in their "Proactive Care" program. They
>> regularly monitor the system for hardware failures as well as scan for
>> viruses and other threats. They will alert the user if potential
>> hardware or other volnurabilities are found so action can be taken to
>> prevent potential disasters. The Proactive Care Program also includes
>> file and program backup and restoration should a computer need to be
>> wiped and rebuilt from the ground up or if one needs to replace lost
>> data.
>>
>>       Since we've had so many problems with that machine breaking down we
>> decided to get Proactive Care coverage on it to hopefully keep it out of
>> the shop. We bought it in 2011. It has been to the shop four times for
>> various repairs including replacement of the hard drive last year.
>> Considering that this is a Dell Computer it strikes me odd that we
>> should be having so much trouble keeping it in ship shape. You feel the
>> heat when you know you have other pressing matters to deal with and all
>> of your funds are going to keep your technology running and up-to-date.
>> The monthly charge for Computer NERDZ'S Proactive Care Plan is $21.00
>> per computer. We'll let you know how this works out. You may want to
>> check with your computer repair service to see if they offer a similar
>> plan. They have higher level managed care plans but they're a little
>> much for our budget for now. It's great to know that Managed Service
>> Plans are available to individuals and businesses to help keep their
>> technology in top performance. Sprint has us covered in the iDevice
>> department where MSP is concerned.
>>
>> Peter Donahue
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Bryan Schulz via nfbcs wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Yep and I bet the tech confirmed it in 30 seconds with his power supply
>> pod
>>> tester.
>>> Bryan
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter Donahue
>> via
>>> nfbcs
>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2016 9:44 PM
>>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
>>> Cc: Peter Donahue
>>> Subject: [nfbcs] Nas Drive Issue, and Failing Power Supply
>>>
>>> Good evening Steve and everyone,
>>>
>>>        A technician from "Computer NERDZ" came yesterday to address this
>>> issue and some other concern's with Mary's computer. It turns out that
>>> Buffalo Technology has a feature on its NAS products that is an
>>> equivalent to the "Recycle Bin" in Windows. Buffalo calls this feature a
>>> "Trash Box" where files and folders deleted from the NAS drive are held
>>> until it is emptied. It took the system about 30 minutes to empty the
>>> contents of the trash box. Now that drive has lots of space and Windows
>>> recognizes it as such. The only thing I need to figure out is how to
>>> access it using the keyboard and JAWS so I can take out the trash
>>> regularly. I'll need to consult the Buffalo user manual for this
>>> product. Their tech support is next to nonexistent.
>>>
>>>        Recall that I mentioned that Mary's computer failed to power up
>>> when it was turned on? I asked the technician to investigate this too.
>>> The same thing happened when the technician powered down the machine and
>>> tried to turn it back on. He took it back to the shop so it could be
>>> investigated further. Our hunch was right. That machine had a failing
>>> power supply. They expect to perform the power supply transplant in the
>>> next day or two as they had to order one from Dell in Austin. We're
>>> hoping to have Mary's computer back by the weekend. Once the new power
>>> supply is installed and the machine is in ship shape I won't need to
>>> worry about Mary having problems with it when I go to North Carolina in
>>> two weeks.
>>>
>>>        We hope everyone enjoyed the national convention and that you all
>>> had a safe trip home.
>>>
>>> Peter Donahue
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Steve Jacobson via nfbcs wrote:
>>>> Peter,
>>>>
>>>> You have likely already thought of this, but check your drive lists
>>>> carefully to be certain that your drive isn't mapped to multiple drive
>>>> leters.
>>>>
>>>> Best regards,
>>>>
>>>> Steve Jacobson
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter
>>>> Donahue
>>> via
>>>> nfbcs
>>>> Sent: Monday, July 04, 2016 12:22 AM
>>>> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>>>> Cc: Peter Donahue <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
>>>> Subject: [nfbcs] Nas Drive Issue
>>>>
>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>                    I have anissue with Windows thinking that my NAS
>>>> drive
>> is
>>>> full when it isn't. According to what I'm seeing in "Computer" I'm
>>>> being
>>>> told that the NAS drive only contains 123MB of free disk space when in
>>> fact
>>>> it has over 100 GB free. I've tried rebooting the computer several
>>>> times
>>> and
>>>> deleted files and folders I no longer need. This does not change the
>>> amount
>>>> of free space on that drive available for storage. What should I do to
>>>> address this issue so Windows 7 reports the correct amount of free
>>>> space
>>> for
>>>> storage. Your help will be very much appreciated.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Peter Donahue
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>
>
>
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-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail

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