(11-29-2013, 07:01 PM)Saikoray Wrote: Not that this is probably news to anyone, but Dell KINDA REALLY SUCKS NOW! But if it happens to be: take this into heavy consideration before buying ANYthing from Dell from now on. I'm not asking for advice on what was wrong, I'm just sharing my experience and venting because I am pissed. I know everyone tried to steer me away from Dell, but I figured it was simply because custom built is cheaper and probably a little better.
In a nutshell, I wanted a new computer for christmas last year. I'm hopelessly computer illiterate so after much discussion I figured it'd be better to just get Alienware, what could possibly go wrong? Â
First the power button started messing up about 2-3 weeks ago. Then the fans are acting up. We clean it out, not very dusty, start doing routine checks and updates before calling Dell. See a recommended BIOS update through dell.com, so we do it. Prompts to reboot....and it freezes. Stops working, but the fans are going nuts at a frightening rate. So force shut down, turn it back on...and it's gone. Won't even boot up. Call Dell, first thing they say "Never do a BIOS update without calling, your HD just crashed because of it."
....really. Really? Are you fucking kidding me. Not a single warning "THIS MAY CRASH YOUR HARD DRIVE! But it's highly recommended."
So it's busted. Dell guy came out today, and after 6 hours we've determined: The CPU fan was failing for unknown reasons. The parts they sent to replace what they suspected was broke, aren't even the right parts and THOSE parts don't even WORK. This guy was as pissed off as I am, waste of both our days.Â
I think after blowing 2 grand on this piece of shit I'll gladly sit down for a week and learn how to build my own damn computer. So, if anyone would like to share reputable places to get parts I'd love you forever. I'm not convinced my computer will be salvaged to its original state.
I didn't read the rest of this post, but I really can't believe that they told you that the BIOS update will crash the harddrive. If I had to guess, I would say it blew the motherboard, not the HDD.
Newegg has extremely reliable parts, great return policies and instructional videos on how to do everything. I built my first computer on my own, with no complications just by following instructions from Newegg videos.
