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Thread ID: 48860 2004-09-03 04:01:00 there are still PC shop cowboys out there... falvrez (390) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
268787 2004-09-03 04:01:00 How's this for a laugh. Friends took their PC late last year to local PC shop to have new modem installed - fried in lightening. This was before they knew me very well.

Anyway 6 months later they finally realise they have no sound. It is true - they don't use it (the PC) very often.

They take it back to the shop to tell them that since the modem was installed the sound had stopped. Admittedly it was months before but anyway tech says ok she will look at it.

She calls them back in a few days to say that their PC is just about dead, there is no way the sound will work and they should think about replacing it (it's a duron 1100).

They go back to the shop to get their PC, she gives them a bill for $200 for "looking" at the sound card and gives them some prices for new PCs.
So they don't do anything, they just go without sound.

I went to their house for the first time last night and checked out the sound card. The drivers aren't installed. So I look for the drivers on the hard drive. They are in a folder off the root called "drivers". I install the drivers and the sound card now works.

Needless to say they are not impressed with the local shop (to say the very least...). 		falvrez (390)
268788 2004-09-03 04:19:00 :^O

great story - it reminds me of an experience I had with a friend...

My friend got Jetstream and as a result of this new snappy surf-ability he would frequently visit the dodgiest sites on the internet. He was doing this without a firewall or ZA, old NAV definitions and no Windows patches so of course he got flooded with viruses (virii?) and trojans etc. to the point where the PC died and could not be revived. So I sold him a new PC with a CD Writer and all the other gizmo's, helped him set it up, patched XP, installed and updated ZA, spyware & anti-virus software and then I didn't hear from him for a while.

Anyway, I got a phone call about 4 weeks later from my friend saying that he had a virus. I go around there, have a look at his PC and I'm thinking "Whoa! Where did that DVD drive come from?" As it turns out, he took the PC down to a local technician who installed an internal DVD drive (voiding the 3-year warranty on his new PC in the process) and can you believe the technician reinstalled Windows XP to install a DVD drive? That was a beauty but even better, they didn't apply a single Windows patch (right in the middle of the lsass scare) and removed all of the security software so once again I'm looking at this PC with no firewall, no anti-virus, no spyware, no nothing and this guy is back surfing dodgy sites.

The funny part was listening to my friend give it to the technicians over the phone - as far as I know their bill is still unpaid to this day. But between my friend and the technician I'm still trying to figure who is dumb and who is dumber..... 		andrew93 (249)
268789 2004-09-03 04:43:00 > :^O
>
> great story - it reminds me of an experience I had
> with a friend...
>
> My friend got Jetstream and as a result of this new
> snappy surf-ability he would frequently visit the
> dodgiest sites on the internet. He was doing this
> without a firewall or ZA, old NAV definitions and no
> Windows patches so of course he got flooded with
> viruses (virii?) and trojans etc. to the point where
> the PC died and could not be revived. So I sold him
> a new PC with a CD Writer and all the other gizmo's,
> helped him set it up, patched XP, installed and
> updated ZA, spyware & anti-virus software and then I
> didn't hear from him for a while.
>
> Anyway, I got a phone call about 4 weeks later from
> my friend saying that he had a virus. I go around
> there, have a look at his PC and I'm thinking "Whoa!
> Where did that DVD drive come from?" As it turns
> out, he took the PC down to a local technician who
> installed an internal DVD drive (voiding the 3-year
> warranty on his new PC in the process) and can you
> believe the technician reinstalled Windows XP to
> install a DVD drive? That was a beauty but even
> better, they didn't apply a single Windows patch
> (right in the middle of the lsass scare) and removed
> all of the security software so once again I'm
> looking at this PC with no firewall, no anti-virus,
> no spyware, no nothing and this guy is back surfing
> dodgy sites.
>
> The funny part was listening to my friend give it to
> the technicians over the phone - as far as I know
> their bill is still unpaid to this day. But between
> my friend and the technician I'm still trying to
> figure who is dumb and who is dumber..... 		Pete O'Neil (250)
268790 2004-09-03 04:45:00 Opps my mistake

> My friend got Jetstream and as a result of this new
> snappy surf-ability he would frequently visit the
> dodgiest sites on the internet. He was doing this
> without a firewall or ZA, old NAV definitions and no
> Windows patches so of course he got flooded with
> viruses (virii?) and trojans etc. to the point where
> the PC died and could not be revived. So I sold him
> a new PC with a CD Writer and all the other gizmo's,
> helped him set it up, patched XP, installed and
> updated ZA, spyware & anti-virus software and then I
> didn't hear from him for a while.

Im not exactly up with the latest and greatest in terms of virus but i find it hard to beleive that a virus could completely dead. Ive heard of virus's that can damage the BIOS but a quick call to the motherboard manufactuer and you can easily get a new BIOS. 		Pete O'Neil (250)
268791 2004-09-03 05:17:00 "As it turns out, he took the PC down to a local technician who installed an internal DVD drive (voiding the 3-year warranty on his new PC in the process) "

What brand has sick warranty like that? 		PaulD (232)
268792 2004-09-03 05:28:00 > "As it turns out, he took the PC down to a local
> technician who installed an internal DVD drive
> (voiding the 3-year warranty on his new PC in the
> process) "
>
> What brand has sick warranty like that?

My Sisters compaq has a sticker across the back of the case, If removed/damaged etc your warranty is greatly reduced (not voided, but probably would be in effect :)) 		MartynC (5610)
268793 2004-09-03 06:36:00 > "As it turns out, he took the PC down to a local
> technician who installed an internal DVD drive
> (voiding the 3-year warranty on his new PC in the
> process) "
>
> What brand has sick warranty like that?



HP + Dell I'm sure do that, unless you are one of their authorised repairers. 		Shaun Minfie (2961)
268794 2004-09-03 06:47:00 HP Warranties are not voided. Nor are most as far as I know.

Unless you do something that causes the problem to the original hardware.

Even the user instructions for HP used to detail how to open the case, add RAM, drives etc.

Basically if you cause the damage its not going to be under warranty (anyone's warranty). We have laws protecting the consumers rights. 		godfather (25)
268795 2004-09-03 07:48:00 Godfather, sounds like your spot on like usual.

I am assuming you work in IT, what specific area do you work in? 		Captive (3159)
268796 2004-09-03 12:33:00 had a simular experance, a shop told a friend that his mother board was faulty becuase the cdrom didnt work, it was set up as slave on a secondary master channel changed the jumper to master and hey it worked beama (111)
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