So my highly reliable albeit slightly aged Acer laptop which ran Windows XP met it's untimely end in January 2010 due to an accident. I replaced it with a new Dell running Windows 7 a couple weeks later. I think I opened the gates to hell when I tore open the end of the box. It lasted about 6 weeks before it quit working. After jacking around with their offshore customer service department for two weeks, I finally got it shipped off to Dell for warranty repairs. They replaced the memory and sent it back. It worked again, but it looked like they had tied it to the back of a truck and drug it around the parking lot before they shipped it back. The hard drive has intermittently freaked out and started clattering ever since and locking the computer up in the process - usually when I was in the middle of something important. About a month ago, the hard drive finally crapped the bed permanently. I just finished replacing it and reinstalling the operating system here a few minutes ago and it looks like I'm back in business for now - as long as I don't mind being tethered to the wall socket and charger. Did I mention that the battery is shot yet? Yeah, that's broke, too. Gonna have to wait until after Christmas. All this in less than two years. And then there's this God-forsaken POS of an operating system. Every time I turn around it's flaking out over something. "XXXX program has quit responding." is a frequent greeting. Windows Media Player quits working all the time too and I have to restart the computer to get it back. I will often be typing and the cursor will jet off someplace else for no apparent reason. It's done it 3 times in this post so far. Now THAT is seriously annoying. I tried to downgrade to XP, but XP drivers don"t exist for some of the hardware in this thing so I'm stuck with 7.

The bottom line is that I've had a couple Toshiba laptops, a Lenovo, and an Acer before I bought this hunkajunk. Save for one failed hard drive on the Acer, I've NEVER had hardware or battery issues with any of them before I got this Dell. I never had any problems with ins (sorry cursor just warped into the 4th dimension again) tability or any of these other odd Windows 7 quirks with XP, either. If you're in the market for a computer of any kind this Christmas season, DON'T BUY A DELL!!! It's almost impossible to avoid Windows 7 now, but there's no reason to subject yourself to substandard hardware on top of it.

 

I feel your pain.....I have to make sure there are no hammers or heavy objects within reach of the computer.!

i had a good older desktop with XP......but a power spike KO'ed it a couple months ago. Lost all my pics and files. So now I have a HP laptop, which is working so far...
This one has Windows 7, which I really hate.....liked XP way better.

Years ago I had a cr@ppy TV that quit....a buddy and I actually threw it off of a cliff.......I felt much better!

 

I love Microsoft too - You know the dreaded Blue Screen Of Death - Well I got the Gray Screen with diagonal dashed stripes Screen of What The ????? the other day - The last time I saw something like that was back in the 80's and a similar screen with "WILD INTERRUPT" flashing on it appeared as I melted one of Wright Patterson AFB's Main Frames

 

I got an HP laptop from Nicolle last year for X-mas. I like it , but I honestly would prefer no laptop. The desktops are way easier to work on, and my laptop usually sits on the dining room table! Who puts a "lap"top in there lap anyways? I hate trying to use it that way! that dang mouse doesn't roll across the couch cushions very well at all!

 

We have Dells at work (I have been supporting them for years and have had fewer problems with them than any other manufacturer) and I have a new Dell Inspiron laptop with 7 on it. Had it over a year now and no trouble at all.

Every now and then someone gets a lemon. Like Edsels, it doesn't mean they're all bad.

 

same here all the way. heck, I think my own Dell is 5 years old or more.

 

I have a 6 year old Dell Inspiron 8600 and have had no problems yet. And I sit in my easy chair with it in my lap all the time. I just use the touch pad.

 

My experience with Windows 7 has been pretty good. Earlier this year my business computer started acting up. It would turn off at the most inappropriate times, right in the middle of doing a quote or a CAD drawing. Of course I never save things as I'm working on them and would end up losing 15-20 minutes of work. I took it in to the place I bought it from 4-5 years ago and they told me the hard drive was bad. It's a business computer and I can't have it dieing on me so we bought a new computer with Windows 7. I have always dreaded updating operating systems. IT guys seem to like to screw with things that work. I hate having to learn new features in all the updates since my first computer that had 3.0. The transition to 7 was the least painful I've had.

I also don't screw with buying of the net, I go directly to the place I've bought my last 4 computers from. I'm no IT guy, I need some one that I can trust to help me out when there's a problem. A couple of years ago my computer died late one afternoon for some reason right in the middle of an important quote and it wouldn't reboot. I called the store to ask if they could look at it, they told me it would be 3 business days. I explained my predicament and the guy told me to bring it in and they'd try to have it up and running the next morning. Sure enough, they had it ready the next morning and charged me $100. It was worth a lot more than the $100 to have the machine up an running and all of the files saved.They have also helped me free of charge over the phone many times. I really like that. Theyr'e only a ten minute drive away so it's convenient to stop in and talk to them.

 

I agree, Dell has worked well for me on a couple of networks that I have managed over the past several years. Micro Soft's upgrades are another story. My solution for at home at least has been to run Ubunto linux on an old Dell machine. It works great is very stable and the best part is it's free.

Have a great day..

Bob G

 

I feel your pain. I went through 6 Dells in one year. I got so tired of waiting for warranty replacements. Went out to Walmart last year and bought the cheapest Acer on the market. Cost me $295 and has lasted over 16 months. Only issue was the battery wouldn't charge past 70%. Acer sent me a brand new battery, free of charge, never requested the old one back and it still works awesome. Dell use to be something but I think they have given up on quality. BTW, Acer is actually the old Gateway laptop company. Will buy another ACER but never a Dell....

Now don't get me started about how great CRAFTSMAN USE TO BE! The new Crapsman tools are a joke.

 

What a timely post. I got home today, sat down in front of my Dell Dimension 8400 destop with Windows XP and thinks weren't right. No problem, I figured the kids jacked around and the thing has a virus. I started poking around and then restarted it.......keyboard failure (its a little hard to diagnose computer issues without a keyboard). The keyboard just won't respond at all....bummer

I fired up my laptop and started checking around, after trying a bunch of differnt ideas it looks as if the motherboard is shot....ugh.
Of course, since its a Dell you can't just stuff any motherboard in it. It looks like all thats available are refurbished units shipped out of Hong Kong.....I guess I'll sleep on it overnight and hit the ol "buy it now" button on ebay tomorrow to get one coming my way.

Sorry for the hijack
Bobby

 

Hey Rage,
I hate that jumping cursor deal - totally frustrating!
I think it can be fixed by adjusting your mouse sensitivity - but of
course I haven't fixed mine yet.

Ben in Austin

 

i got COMPAQ FROM BEST BUY . Never had any trouble and it has windows vista. norton protection is a must when online !!!!! This is a opion of someone that couldn't even turn on a computor till 08.

 

And I think right there is where the problem lies. I bought a Dell because that's what we had at work and they were supposed to be all that - and a few years ago they were. I think that their quality has slipped in the last couple years and I KNOW for a fact that their customer service is crap now. I understand that every manufacturer builds a lemon now and then and stuff does occasionally break, but 3 separate hardware failures in one lightly used machine in under 2 years is a little ridiculous. I sure hope that you other Dell owners' luck holds out with them, but I'm not taking any more chances!

 

I couldn't keep my XP machine clean of viruses, ended up buying a reman'd Dell Inspiron. Plugged it in and was on-line in 5 minutes, hasn't had a single hickup. I actually like Win7 now that I've learned how to take advantage of new features. IE-9 seems somewhat wonky...