Furious at HP

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Overall, I have had very good luck with HP stuff. On my 6th or 7th computer and have nearly that many printers.

Sounds like a fan to me...mine does that too when shut down. Was really concerned it was a hard drive going bad but all the dianostics said no. I just let it run.

Now the negative stuff, today I had a tech tell me I HAD to recover my computer. He failed to tell me I would lose all of the programs loaded since the purchase. Called several times, got the HEAVY ACCENT lady too. Very hard to understand and she was very abrupt to boot. Hmmmm, Das Boot? Anyway, working on reloading all my programs, what a pain in the arse!

Still, all in all, would highly recommend HP...especially the printers! Buy extended warranties on everything. Have a complete back up system including cable modem. We can't afford any down time. Life goes on in the fast lane...with or without us!

 

[Head Surfer]

Caterina, have you considered not shutting your system down. Sometimes the CPU fan does make a noise when starting up. I never shut my computer off. I've been told that leaving them on prolongs their life.

10 years ago this may have been true because starting and stopping hard drives was a big deal and the major wear and tear on a system. With today's hard drives that is not the case. So I am of the opinion now that leaving your system on all the time causes more problems than it saves.

I say if you're not going to use it for two hours or more then cut it off. My reaons:

1. Heat is the enemy of electronics. If it stays on all the time it stays hotter than if it is turned off at night. Each component has a finite lifespan. The more it is on the quicker you will get to the end of that lifespan. Just like your TV. Leave it on all the time and it won't last as many years as it will if you just turn it on when you watch it.

2. Electronics can short out and cause fires if left on. Especially I wouldn't leave a computer on and unattended for long periods of time (such as overnight)

3. Not to mention the performance issues caused by mis-behaving software that access memory and don't let it go and cause conflicts. Of course you can always reboot when this happens but if you just turn your machine off when you're not using it many of these problems are avoided because the memory is cleared when shut down.

Yeah I know that internet web servers run 24/7 but they are designed to do so and are in controlled enviromnents such as strict humidity and temperature controls to keep them cool and dry. But did you ever wonder why they have those elaborate fire suppression systems in server rooms? Just in case!

Just my opinion, sometimes I am right, sometimes I am wrong, I have just done a lot of thinking about this issue over the years (I bought my first computer and got interested in them in 1984).

 

[Caterina Platt]

Excellent points Wayne. I powered her down last night. Fired up this AM with no noises. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed. If something does go, I'll have it looked at by a trusted local computer repairman. Will most likely be cheaper in the long run and I know it will still be MY system with my files and settings. As with Mell's situation, I don't want to get the wrong one back, and I don't really think I want their 'remanufactured unit'.

Incidentally, I did get a call from a very nice service tech yesterday. Was knowledgeable and helpful, but still no better news for us folks who purchase less than business class PCs. No way to upgrade to onsite repair.

Thanks loads all!

 

[Pat Butler]

Have you ever thought of having a backup computer? You can keep the last computer you owned even though it's obviously older technology. Or just buy a used computer for under $500. I always have two computers up and running and networked together. Also have my laptop. Printers are so cheap that they can be replaced rather than repaired.

HP makes great peripherals but not great computers. Stick with the leaders-- Dell & Gateway.

Pat

 

[Robert Dunkle]

If they are going to take a long time to fix your equipment you might enjoy a suggestion that came from a Best Buy employee. I had a CPU under their extended warranty that had a bad drive A. They wanted to send it to Dallas (from Tulsa) and said it could take 4-6 weeks. Let them know I couldn't do without it for that long and he suggested I just buy a new machine and return it for a refund when my machine was returned (as long as that was less than 30 days). If it was longer, just return one and get another one.

It actually makes more sense and takes the higher ground to have an old backup unit. Doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles. Of course, I don't ever buy anything new until the old one folds on me so I would have to go buy an old CPU, monitor, printer or whatever. Just hate to do that!

However, I have had excellent luck with HP products (printers, scanners, etc.) Never had an HP CPU. I sold computers for 10 years and always liked Compaq, which is marrying HP, but Compaq has so many proprietary parts and they are always the highest parts in the market. I personally think that a smart printer company would give away their printers so they could sell print cartridges. Of course, some people would come up with the Dr. Kevorkian setup that Ben showed us and beat them out of the sales of their cartridges. I spend $150-200 per month on cartridges and I'm a one man office. Yes, I know, come into the 21st Century and e-mail them. I'm getting there!!!!

 

[Caterina Platt]

Thanks Pat and Robert,

I've got the back up. Just acting a bit flaky right now. Gotta do some PC doctor work. Ben's set up is pretty ingenous, eh?

 

[Stone]

Wayne's right about leaving your computer on. Windows becomes more unstable the longer it is running. Turning it on and off allows it to reset itself. Most computers that are always on have a limited set of functions that they perform, like a hotel reservation computer, while most home office computers serve many purposes and run many programs. This was explained to me by a couple of tech friends who know far more than I do about this.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

Wayne's right about leaving your computer on. Windows becomes more unstable the longer it is running. Turning it on and off allows it to reset itself.

And the thing will probably be obsolete long before it actually wears out. I have an old 486 that works fine. As long as you stick with the older programs, and don't mind looking at the hourglass icon. :lol:

Save your electricity. :wink:

 

[Stone]

I wish I could use my old Mac with my all of my appraisal software. My wife still uses it, although she will take over my current pc when I get something new this summer. She is dreading making the switch from Mac to pc full time, but her job uses pc's and it isn't practical to buy her a new Mac. The MacOS is so much more stable than Windows. The only good thing about pc's that I can think of, is the ability to right-click.