AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! Computer companies...

cash78mere · #1 11-16-2001, 11:33 PM

So 3 days ago i come home and my computer is DEAD. i call gateway and after several hours trying to fix the thing they tell me the harddrive is COMPLETELY erased. everything i have ever done--papers, email addresses, projects--is gone. and it's not coming back! i've been on the phone with them the last 3 days a total of about 10 hours.

so here's my dilemna---i'm going to have to buy a new one. i have gateway now--love the technical support and they are cheaper. but friends are telling me how poorly their stock is doing and that i should buy a dell, IBM, compac or hewlett packard. but i know NOTHING about any of those companies! i need good tech support and good prices.

PLEASE...if you know anything good or bad, tell me your experiences. i'm using my aunt's computer now so i won't be able to check the responses for a few days but please keep them coming!!!

Miami1839 · #2 11-17-2001, 12:35 AM

Sorry to hear about your problem. That sucks about gateway. I thought they were pretty good. At least from what I've heard but I've never had them. I've heard bad things for compaq. My brother is a systems analyst and hes said they're not all that. dont know about hewlett packard. I've heard dell is one of the best on the market. If money wasnt an object for me thats what I would get. If you knew someone who was knowledgeable with computers you could get one custom built. That would be even better.

bucutie02 · #3 11-17-2001, 11:33 AM

My parents bought me a Dell Inspiron for my birthday and I absolutely love it. I havent had any problems with it whatsoever, and I recommend getting a Dell. I think they have great prices and wouldnt trade my laptop for anything else!

BeeJae · #4 11-17-2001, 11:51 AM

Do NOT buy another Gateway....

They have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel!

I have been trying to get SOMEONE there to tell me how much it will cost to fix my CRACKED laptop screen...

I just found out that their parts are PROPRIETARY, so you MUST get the parts from them... That's bad news... they can charge whatever they wat... they are charging me more for a SCREEN than I'd pay for a NEW laptop in many places!

As soon as I get the screen fixed, I'm selling the Gateway (it's only 13 months old)...

Dell... also proprietary... but I had a Dell at work for 4 years, never turned it off, and it never stopped working...

But I'd really suggest getting something with INTERCHANGEABLE parts... Don't tie yourself to ONE company... it's too risky.

Tom Earp · #5 11-17-2001, 07:05 PM

Well from the 7 PC's I own, do not buy a propriotory Computer! You can buy the components and have it put togethere. That is if you have a friend! Propritary is you cannot add some things to it so you are screwed! You can add but only on what they say! AH sometimes not!

If you have one build you can a take out and put in other components to upgrade! If crashes you lose all! I have had that happen when I had only on one PC! That ius why I have more than 2. Do Not ask!

Well You must remember I am PC Challenged!

That means STUPID!!!!

But have learned some things!

AlphaGam1019 · #6 11-18-2001, 12:23 AM

Dell is the way to go. They have wonderful customer support and the product seems to be running smoothly

cash78mere · #7 11-20-2001, 08:28 PM

Just to let you know...I have ordered a Dell. I was getting frustrated with Gateway because every time I called, they gave me a different price for the SAME system and then one guy had the nerve to tell me he would only take $50 if I ordered it that day. That did it for me. You don't give ultimatums to customers. Especially returning customers.

So I'm paying a little bit more but I'm getting a ton more for that extra $30. But the system won't be here for at least a week which is frustrating. Shipping was free though!

Thanks y'all for your help!

amycat412 · #8 11-20-2001, 08:37 PM

I LOVE my Dell laptop, but...

The motherboard fried a week ago-- gave me a heartattack because I thought it was the harddrive and everything lost--but new harddrive they shipped me didn't work either--so I had to send the whole thing back to Dell for a new motherboard. Hoping to get it back next week good as new with all my data still on it! But I've had that particular hard drive (different laptops as last 2 something weird happened with the power supply where it would charge the battery or draw power from the ac adapter) for about 2 years. Still, when I called Dell-the new harddrive arrived the next day. When that didn't work, they had airborne express out here immediately with all the packaging to pack up the laptop and take it. A+ for customer service, despite the 1 hour wait for someone to answer the support line!

juniorgrrl · #9 11-20-2001, 10:06 PM

If you're looking for something non-proprietary, stay the hell away from Compaq, HP, etc. Ever try tro reinstall Windows on one of those machines? Its hell on earth because they have so many parts that require special drivers.

I have a gateway I got in 1999. I got mine right before they went sucky. I was able to get all name brand parts in it.

I'm building my next desktop PC

aephi alum · #10 11-21-2001, 12:16 AM

My last computer was a Gateway. Good machine - but I got it back in '93, and I never needed their tech support (being a CS major

)

My current machine is a Winbook laptop. Again, good machine, but it's about 5 years old and the LCD is cracked. (That's what I get for closing it too hard

It's not too sturdy)

At work, I use a Dell running NT for email and web surfing, and a Sun workstation running Solaris to connect to our web servers. Unix rocks.

If I were you, and if you don't want to mess with getting parts and building from scratch, I'd get a Dell. Especially if you want a laptop. At my last job they gave me a Dell laptop - it survived just about anything

If your hard-drive data is critical, and you're willing to spend some $$$, there are places that can recover your data for you. But it's pretty pricey. If the only copy of your thesis is on there, I'd do it, otherwise - probably not worth it.

G8Ralphaxi · #11 11-21-2001, 01:04 AM

Stay the heck away from Gateway! My little brother and I bought our computers from them a couple years ago and I really think we paid too much. Tech support keeps you on hold FOREVER and that stupid machine crashes like you wouldn't believe.

And God forbid you want to upgrade or install anything new. They make it soooo darn hard for you. I installed a SCSI card adapter and a CD burner, but it was waaaaaaay more difficult than it should have been.

I just bought a Dell laptop and I FREAKIN' LOVE IT! Very very reliable, doesn't crash. They have good tech support too and treat their customers right. I haven't had any problems.

A lot of my fellow law school torture victims...errr, I mean, fellow students...use laptops and the clear preference is for Dells. Much better, sturdier construction than other brands, and great reliablility.

Also, the Price is Right! You get a much faster machine for your $ than if you went somewhere else. And they ship it to you soooo fast.

Finally, a hint - make sure to click on the link for education or schools. If you type in your student ID when they ask (UF uses social security #'s), you get the education discount, which can be a couple hundred bucks. Pretty darn sweet.

Good luck!

G8Ralphaxi

(I swear I don't work for Dell, BTW! I did not get any monetary compensation or promotional consideration for this message.)