Computer HELP please!
Ok, seems like the Alienware saga has come to an end. After 2 years the following has happened:
Got new Alienware computer. Seven-thousand dollar system. Two hard-drives, buttloads of RAM, surround-sound, cordless mouse and keyboard. Fluid-cooled. Hot video card. The works.
Runs well for six months.
Sound goes out
Alienware sends new sound card and has tech come out to install it
During installation machine goes into series of crashes ending in inability to reboot
Alienware sends out new hard drive and has tech come out to install it
Machine runs about two weeks then goes into series of crashes
Alienware sends new mother board and has tech come out to install it
(Insert random hours and HOURS online with tech-support as we install new drivers, benchmarks, diagnostics, virus-scans, and what-have-you)
During the next year one component after another goes sour resulting in FOUR instances of "pack it up and send it back to the plant for work". By now we are on first-name basis with not only the entire Alienware tech support staff (who develop an audible quaver in their voices when they find out who is on the phone with them) but the Fed Ex guy who observes cheerfully, "Didn't I just bring this back to you a couple of weeks ago?" The thing comes in a huge black box and weighs 67lbs so it's the kind of package you remember delivering) During this time these things have been replaced:
Video card (twice)
Audio card (twice)
mother board
hard drives
power supply
Finally, Alienware admits defeat and takes it back and gives me a completely new re-build. No piece of it will come from the old system. The "new" new machine is a bit smaller since the case has been re-designed and it has only one hard drive, but the amount of RAM is actually larger. The video card is a different, newer model.
It runs for two days. Then we start having an issue with connectivity. We can't stay connected to the internet if a data package is being transmitted. It even freezes up at 4% when I'm trying to download a benchmark for testing. Now, take note that during all the time the big machine is gone for repairs, my back-up computer is put into the same spot and runs just fine. Runs World of Warcraft (my main fix) and everything else that's asked of it. Oh, it runs a bit slow because the video card isn't quite up to the task, and the settings have to be cut back, but it runs. It doesn't crash, it doesn't balk. Neither does Cheryl's computer, hooked up to the same router, in the next room. Our cable is Comcast so it's not some rinky-dink ISP, and it's just fine for the other 2 machines.
At this point the tech support people turn us over to a supervisor - Chris. Chris (after some testy words with my at-the-end-of-her-rope roomate Cheryl who has just spent her whole day re-installing software for me only to be told by Chris to "pack it up and send it back for work" which means the hard-drive will be wiped and all her work is for nothing) takes the machine back, promising to "personally supervise the testing himself". Alienware stress-tests the bastard for 16 hours and sends it back with "unable to duplicate problem" note. We hook it up. It runs for about a half-hour and then will no longer maintain connectivity.
Chris has me get a new network card. I do so - the one he suggests. We connect it. Machine runs like new! Whee...it's fixed! Then, the next day I come home from work to a blue screen. Machine has crashed. We have an NV_4 error (continuous loop, dumping data) What the heck - all it was doing was sitting there! We boot it up again, it once again crashes to blue screen. Same thing. I call Alienware. Tech says that all supervisors are gone for the weekend but the crash info says the Nvidia graphics card is bad. But we've only had it for two weeks since it was built.
On Monday, today, Chris says to try a new driver and if this doesn't work they will cancel the system. I ask if they wouldn't have already put in the latest driver and what does "cancel the system" mean? he says this:
"We would have installed the latest Alienware validated driver. Nvidia frequently releases driver updates. The last one was released on May 2nd, and is available here (link). This situation is well outside the norm. A cancellation means we will cancel the system and refund the value of the new system. The only other thing I can think of is bad/dirty power from the outlet you are using. The ALX draws quite a bit of energy."
However, we are ahead of him there. We had been wracking our brains to try to figure out how the hell this could keep going on over and over. So we went to Radio Shack and got a hella expensive "pure-power" box meant to protect fabulously expensive surround-sound systems and the like. It's a huge box and it's the best clean power source we could get. We've had it since the rebuild came. No, dirty power can't be the problem. Chris says:
"If that is the case, please just try the driver. If you still have a bluescreen related to the nv_4 we will start the refund process. I am sincerely sorry for the trouble."
Now at the end of this over-long post I have two questions for the computer-savy of you out there.
1. Does anyone have ANY idea what is going on? Why every other machine works just fine but the Alienware ones have one component after another go bad, over and over and nothing will fix it? I mean, when he says "this situation is well outside the norm" that's an understatement. We simply can NOT come up with any logical reason for all this. Neither can they.
2. When I get the refund (because I have no hope a simple driver update will solve this mess) what do I get to replace this machine? I want to run WoW with the settings turned up so I get the gorgeous color and the no-lag, fast response and the high-end graphics. Other than WoW I do a few other computer games, my email, Word and Excel documents and some online surfing. Do I get a Dell? Do I have my own built by our computer person in St. Johns? If so, what pieces to I get for him to put together?
Got new Alienware computer. Seven-thousand dollar system. Two hard-drives, buttloads of RAM, surround-sound, cordless mouse and keyboard. Fluid-cooled. Hot video card. The works.
Runs well for six months.
Sound goes out
Alienware sends new sound card and has tech come out to install it
During installation machine goes into series of crashes ending in inability to reboot
Alienware sends out new hard drive and has tech come out to install it
Machine runs about two weeks then goes into series of crashes
Alienware sends new mother board and has tech come out to install it
(Insert random hours and HOURS online with tech-support as we install new drivers, benchmarks, diagnostics, virus-scans, and what-have-you)
During the next year one component after another goes sour resulting in FOUR instances of "pack it up and send it back to the plant for work". By now we are on first-name basis with not only the entire Alienware tech support staff (who develop an audible quaver in their voices when they find out who is on the phone with them) but the Fed Ex guy who observes cheerfully, "Didn't I just bring this back to you a couple of weeks ago?" The thing comes in a huge black box and weighs 67lbs so it's the kind of package you remember delivering) During this time these things have been replaced:
Video card (twice)
Audio card (twice)
mother board
hard drives
power supply
Finally, Alienware admits defeat and takes it back and gives me a completely new re-build. No piece of it will come from the old system. The "new" new machine is a bit smaller since the case has been re-designed and it has only one hard drive, but the amount of RAM is actually larger. The video card is a different, newer model.
It runs for two days. Then we start having an issue with connectivity. We can't stay connected to the internet if a data package is being transmitted. It even freezes up at 4% when I'm trying to download a benchmark for testing. Now, take note that during all the time the big machine is gone for repairs, my back-up computer is put into the same spot and runs just fine. Runs World of Warcraft (my main fix) and everything else that's asked of it. Oh, it runs a bit slow because the video card isn't quite up to the task, and the settings have to be cut back, but it runs. It doesn't crash, it doesn't balk. Neither does Cheryl's computer, hooked up to the same router, in the next room. Our cable is Comcast so it's not some rinky-dink ISP, and it's just fine for the other 2 machines.
At this point the tech support people turn us over to a supervisor - Chris. Chris (after some testy words with my at-the-end-of-her-rope roomate Cheryl who has just spent her whole day re-installing software for me only to be told by Chris to "pack it up and send it back for work" which means the hard-drive will be wiped and all her work is for nothing) takes the machine back, promising to "personally supervise the testing himself". Alienware stress-tests the bastard for 16 hours and sends it back with "unable to duplicate problem" note. We hook it up. It runs for about a half-hour and then will no longer maintain connectivity.
Chris has me get a new network card. I do so - the one he suggests. We connect it. Machine runs like new! Whee...it's fixed! Then, the next day I come home from work to a blue screen. Machine has crashed. We have an NV_4 error (continuous loop, dumping data) What the heck - all it was doing was sitting there! We boot it up again, it once again crashes to blue screen. Same thing. I call Alienware. Tech says that all supervisors are gone for the weekend but the crash info says the Nvidia graphics card is bad. But we've only had it for two weeks since it was built.
On Monday, today, Chris says to try a new driver and if this doesn't work they will cancel the system. I ask if they wouldn't have already put in the latest driver and what does "cancel the system" mean? he says this:
"We would have installed the latest Alienware validated driver. Nvidia frequently releases driver updates. The last one was released on May 2nd, and is available here (link). This situation is well outside the norm. A cancellation means we will cancel the system and refund the value of the new system. The only other thing I can think of is bad/dirty power from the outlet you are using. The ALX draws quite a bit of energy."
However, we are ahead of him there. We had been wracking our brains to try to figure out how the hell this could keep going on over and over. So we went to Radio Shack and got a hella expensive "pure-power" box meant to protect fabulously expensive surround-sound systems and the like. It's a huge box and it's the best clean power source we could get. We've had it since the rebuild came. No, dirty power can't be the problem. Chris says:
"If that is the case, please just try the driver. If you still have a bluescreen related to the nv_4 we will start the refund process. I am sincerely sorry for the trouble."
Now at the end of this over-long post I have two questions for the computer-savy of you out there.
1. Does anyone have ANY idea what is going on? Why every other machine works just fine but the Alienware ones have one component after another go bad, over and over and nothing will fix it? I mean, when he says "this situation is well outside the norm" that's an understatement. We simply can NOT come up with any logical reason for all this. Neither can they.
2. When I get the refund (because I have no hope a simple driver update will solve this mess) what do I get to replace this machine? I want to run WoW with the settings turned up so I get the gorgeous color and the no-lag, fast response and the high-end graphics. Other than WoW I do a few other computer games, my email, Word and Excel documents and some online surfing. Do I get a Dell? Do I have my own built by our computer person in St. Johns? If so, what pieces to I get for him to put together?