Beware of All Computer Technicians :-)

[Mitchum22]

I posted here a day or so about this problem, and got some valuable guidance. Also, DVD Flick is an awesome program and, obviously, had nothing to do with the situation.

I installed a program called DVD Flick. It's actually a terrific and
very elegant program designed to convert AVI and MPEG files etc into
DVDs. During the installation I was asked twice whether I wanted the
program to convert a "read-only" DLL file to something else. Sure!
answered me the moron. (Actually, this change did not turn out to have
caused the problem.) The installation completed and when I tried to open
the new program all I got was the program logo. The logo just stayed
there. So I turned off the program using Task Master. Then I again tried
to open DVD Flick. Nothing this time. Not even the logo. So I
uninstalled it. Then tried to reinstall it, but the set-up program
wouldn't open. Hmmmm. I decided to reboot. Immediately I knew something
was wrong. It took an exceptionally long time to shut down, and then on
start-up it just stayed on a screen for 5 minutes, a screen that is
normally viewable for just a few seconds. And then it just froze. Plus
the DVD light was on, non-stop. Well, time to take this down to the
nearest computer shop. They told me they'd do a diagnostic, and give me
a call. When they called, the technician(to use the term very loosely)
named David said that it was computer death. My operating system was
gone. The only possible solution was to reformat the HD and reinstall
Windows. "Well, you can back everything up first, right?" No, said the
plasterer masking as computer technician. He said he be able to save
documents and pictures, but that's all.

Man, was I depressed. I'm sure you know how it is. After you have a
computer for a few years it really gets into perfect shape, sort of like
a car. Thinking about losing that really felt like an amputation. I told
David I needed some time to think about what files I really want him to
retrieve. After about 20 minutes, he called me, to convey some startling
news. The computer rebooted! He wasn't watching it, but after about 20
minutes, there was the desktop. However, don't get too excited, said
David. The computer is dead and if you want to take it back in order to
back things up before re-formatting, then go ahead. But, David says
cheerfully, you will have to re-format. We'll see, I thought.

I took it home figuring he must be right, but at least I'll be able to
get in and see what I can and must save. In turning the computer on, it
did take about 15 minutes to get to the desktop, and then another few
minutes after that for the DVD drive light to go off. But I was in. And
everything seemed fine. The speed was good. Everything opened up fast.
Then I thought, maybe the DVD drive is dead. Maybe that's why it's
taking so long to reboot, because BIOS can't find a workable drive. I
opened up the drive to insert a blank CD to do a test burn, but there
was already a DVD inside the drive. And that was the problem. The
computer on boot-up was trying to find the OS on the DVD and got stuck
trying to read some bad data. I took the DVD out, rebooted, and lickety
split there was the desktop again. Back to normal!

Moral of the too-long story is: if Jughead hadn't noticed my desktop in
the store. Or if he had turned it off instead of leaving it on. If he
didn't decide to give me more time to think of what files I might want
to save. . . Etc. If any one of these things had happened, my computer
would have been wiped out. All because the DVD light wasn't noticed.

It's always better to get a second opinion about anything, I guess. Even
if the second one is your own.

[Armor]

Was it the geek squad?

[Bjs]

Same thing happen's with usb external drive's , and flash unit's .

I was talking to someone the other day by phone , and they phoned me for advise because the so called expert she had contacted said ms never made windows 98 ... wtf , and what planet is this one from I asked ...

She wasn't sure if it was a dell or an optima unit ... I said there is noway I can give her advise without knowing for sure what it was , and to phone back when it arrives so I can call round and make sure of the specifics as most manufacturer's tend to drop support after 5 year's , but the driver's can still be sourced if she needed them for a reinstall .

[davewave]

He's probably on commission, (apart from knowing jack shit).
If he didn't do anything, then you wouldn't need to pay.

If he knew that he could get your pictures and docs off,
he must have known it wasn't 'that dead'.

Was it PCWorld? (do you have them in the US?) BTW I'm in England.

[holistic]

Beware of all computer users :P

I’m not a computer technician by trade, however I do service and build computers on the side and it is my observation there are far more stupid techno ignorant users than technicians. Although, I will agree and say – YES there are computer technicians our there either to lazy, stupid, or inept to troubleshoot a problem or just happy to take your hard earned money to do something that you the user can do…..reinstall an operating system.

I get plenty of questions for computer problems and you’d be amazed how simple most of them end up being.

NO VIDEO (after cleaning behind computer)
… is the monitor cable plugged in.? It wasn’t.

NO SOUND (active speakers)
… did you try plugging the sub in to the A/C. Amplified speakers require power.

COMPUTER FREEZES
…really ?! toss it in the oven and thaw it out. (careful here – I’m sure someone would try this)
NO I mean the MOUSE FREEZES
.. Does it happen to be wireless?
“yes , why.”
…Did you try new batteries?
“Batteries ??? “
*shrug*

……… and an oldie but all time favorite that many here may have come across.

DVD will not play in computer
…Me ???? What ??? When did you get a DVD-ROM? I didn’t install one when I built the computer.
“DVD-ROM. Won’t it work in my CD-ROM?”
*big sigh*


Why did I mention the above, you ask? Well it was just to illustrate that there are a lot of people out there that just buy a computer, take it home, struggle, but do manage to get it turned on and working, then just fail to understand just simple basics of the world.
It is not rocket science that a device needs power to operate or plugged in to complete a circuit.
Honestly it’s a good thing that breathing is an automatic rhythmic process that persists without conscious effort or a lot of people would just drop dead.

Things that YOU the computer MUST understand.

You want your computer fixed. Sure I can do that but I need a place to start.
As an example I fixed a machine for someone a few years back. It would not turn on and the “shop” had suggested a new machine. WELL OF COURSE THEY DID….it’s in their best interest isn’t it.
I looked at it and yep it did not turn on. WTF !!. So when did it stop working I ask. Well, came the reply it shut down when I plugged this 1500 watt heater into the power bar that the computer was also plugged into…………well in case you didn’t guess it, the surge took the power supply with it. Lucky for them the motherboard, cpu, ram, cards and drives survived. $70 later they were back in business.
Point I’m trying to make here is, without that critical piece of information (power bar and heater), I would have just thrown parts at it. Granted, I would have started with the PS first as the cooling fan wasn’t turning (and there was a light ‘burnt electronics’ smell) but had it happened to a higher end PS you wouldn’t know as they are thermostatically controlled and may not run on power up.

Top 5 rules to prevent computer frustration

1. BACK UP all important data (twice) This is the most important of all rules.
2. If running XP, (cannot speak for the Apple group as I haven’t used an apple since the Lisa days) use the system restore feature.
3. Unless you are an uber geek who enjoys a challenge, use an antivirus program.
4. Firewall. Not so much to block incoming as to see what is outgoing.
5. Make an effort to understand just what makes a computer. It’s not the beige box. It’s not the screen….. It’s the sum of all it’s components. Know what a video card is…. A network cat5 cable….This is not hard YOU WILL NOT BE TESTED it is just simple knowledge. I thought of making this #2 as it is one of my pet irritations when dealing with clients, however it does make me good money so maybe it should be keep a trade secret.

Things to consider

1. I’m more than happy to take your money and reinstall your operating system. An easy $60 (and that’s cheap) for me. For me this is a last resort. I prefer to explain to a client what when wrong, why, and show them how to not repeat it. Yes, I don’t get many return customers but I make up for it in referrals. Not that I care as it is just a hobby for me – pocket money.
2. Get an external drive and backup your important data. Put “very important” data also on CD and offsite.
3. Do a little of the research yourself. GOOGLE groups is a good start or a forum like this. There are a tremendous amount (ok less than 100) of good sites out on the web just full of knowledgeable people.
4….. there’s more to add but I don’t feel like writing a novel…………….

FYI – even if your drive is formatted and windows is reinstalled you may have a very good chance of retrieving files. I know I’ve done it for a client with better than 80% recovery of readable files. A few photos were lost ….. so sad…. Refer to RULE 1

Remember, a computer is JUST A MACHINE, an expensive calculator and only as good as the chair to keyboard interface.

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[Mitchum22]

Holistic, thanks for your very interesting and funny response.

Of course, it's made me even more pissed off at the nitwits at the local store. (Who, come to think of it, a few months back when a beta release of IE7 was causing havoc, they recommended a re-install then too!)