[nfbcs] Brand Recommendations

Christopher Chaltain chaltain at gmail.com
Fri Jul 8 04:10:24 UTC 2016 

Oops, sorry, I never meant to say or imply that anyone was a brand snob. 
That wasn't intended for anyone in the thread I replied to.

I was just speaking for myself. I don't usually gush over one brand or 
refuse to consider another. It's only my experience with Dell over the 
last few years that causes me to actually say something negative about a 
particular brand.

Again, no slight was intended, and I profusely apologize if anyone took 
it that way.

On 07/07/16 22:54, Bryan Schulz via nfbcs wrote:
> 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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>>
>>
>>
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>

-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail

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