Dell order

[BrowneIssue]

Has anyone done anything useful or interesting with their old PCs, specifically on the server side?

My very old desktop is what I call my server. It is the PC connected to the internet and is running WinGate. The rest of the network is connected to a network card in that PC and so none are directly connected. That server acts as a firewall. No data is stored on it.

Whenever I download anything, it gets saved on the server and never deleted (until a more recent version of thing is downloaded). That makes rebuilding PCs a lot quicker. In effect, that is a glorified FTP cache.

That PC also drives at least one networked printer. It also has a modem configured for dial-up for when the broadband doesn't work.

It is also the PC that drives the webcam that points out of the window.




On my desk I have two PCs. The fast one has the large screen and is for doing actually work, especially on documents. The other (my laptop) is for research and email: Google, Wikipedia, Thunderbird, DigiGuide and CUK.

I am not looking forward to working at a ClientCo where I only have one screen on the desk - how quaint.

[TimberWolf]

... use 2 old desktops as servers and they never fail...

Hmm, server, that's an idea. I was thinking of whipping out the hard drives and dumping the rest. For one thing the fan needs replacing as it makes an awful racket now. But I could use it as a server and get a new fan. I don't think I have need for a file or print server, but it might be good as a web & DB server, for practise.

Has anyone done anything useful or interesting with their old PCs, specifically on the server side?

[SlimRick]

I ordered an APC Smart UPS5000 from Dell late last year - they sent 2 by mistake (only invoiced for one). Been trying to get them to collect it for 6 months. Now they've sent me an email saying I can keep it as a "gesture of goodwill"

[minestrone]

I got a dell laptop last year and it has been a pain. The screen was shagged (white slodges all over) from out the box which I lived with as I was way too busy having to use it. Then the video card started to fail and the screen would drop every hour for 10 seconds and when it started again would give a driver error.

When I got some time out of working and called dell support I had to argue with the Indian guy for 50 minutes that a screen fault would not cause a driver error. He clearly had no idea how a computer works.

They sent round a technician who on first look at the screen exclaimed "what the feck is wrong with that" Chap was great and replaced screen and motherboard straight away. He told me that now the laptop market is so competitive they cut corners to get as much profit as they can. As you said my old dells are total workhorses, use 2 old desktops as servers and they never fail, seems that the new dells are built to lesser quality.

[TimberWolf]

Okay, the new Dell PC arrived - at last - 1 month after purchase. Looks nice. Set it up and wouldn’t you know it, it wouldn’t boot. “No boot disc”. Okay, back to the set-up guide. No details in there about how to contact Dell, except a USA phone number. Went on-line. Didn’t see a contact number within the first few minutes of looking, but saw a help chat thing, so gave that a whirl. Assistance came much quickness, and the Indian chap said a wire might have worked loose in transit. He directs me to a PDF showing a schematic of the PCs internals. Oh dear. I take the lid off and unscrew the hard drive and slip it out of its bay, and wouldn’t you know it, a blue wire is loose! It is the data cable. Now to figure out where it plugs in. After a bit of fiddling I find and insert it into the correct socket and the system boots into Vista! But I am sceptical about this cable. It seems a bit short. It looks as if it wasn’t designed t be long enough to go around the graphics card that I also bought. Turned the system off so that I could unplug the cable and slide the drive back into its (lowest) bay again and see if the cable will stretch. Using hands and fingers too big for this kind of microsurgery, I manage to just about get the cable to stretch from motherboard socket to drive bay socket without breaking anything. I could probably play a tune if I strummed on this cable, but all is fine! Say ta to help desk guy who has actually been pretty good. He tries to sell me something but gives that up fairly quickness.

My 9 year old Dell has been a real workhorse. It only survived this long because it was high spec in its day, including a high performance graphics card. It was getting progressively slower on the web though and was not really up to modern stuff like .Net, Vista, work, etc. Still 9 years without a hitch is pretty good going on the reliability front. Likewise the old CRT is looking ancient next to the new 22” HD LCD model. 1920*1080 display – loads of space on the desktop now! The new keyboard is carp though; I’m hitting two keys at once. Vista doesn’t seem too bad.

Maybe I can start practising some of the bullsheet technologies I’m putting on my CV instead of just learning the theory now.

[lilelvis2000]

I've always recieved the order earlier than they state...which is a problem in itself. I do believe DELL treats its business customers better in this regard.

[TimberWolf]

You ordered some gadgets, and didn't put it though you Ltd

Closed my Ltd some years back.

[FSM with Cheddar]

I gather business customers get the better service, and come to think of it last time I bought from them it was through my Ltd Company. This time around is a private order which I don't think Dell are so arsed about, and you get the Indian call centres.

You ordered some gadgets, and didn't put it though you Ltd

[TimberWolf]

Service can be good if you have an account manager; avoid the call centres at all costs though, you'll just be passed between departments until someone understands what you're saying and then get told that isn't their department...

I ordered 2 new laptops last year which they kindly cancelled and didn't tell me about. Customer service was useless, they just reordered the stock and doubled the price for a worse spec. My account manager got notified a few hours later and things got resolved pretty quickly after that.

I gather business customers get the better service, and come to think of it last time I bought from them it was through my Ltd Company. This time around is a private order which I don't think Dell are so arsed about, and you get the Indian call centres.

[Smurficus]

Service can be good if you have an account manager; avoid the call centres at all costs though, you'll just be passed between departments until someone understands what you're saying and then get told that isn't their department...

I ordered 2 new laptops last year which they kindly cancelled and didn't tell me about. Customer service was useless, they just reordered the stock and doubled the price for a worse spec. My account manager got notified a few hours later and things got resolved pretty quickly after that.

[TimberWolf]

When I ordered my laptop, they said it would be 3 weeks.

I got it 5 days later.

Very happy.

That's the way they used to work. I was initially quoted 2 weeks, but saw today that its completion has just been put back 2 weeks. A month is a bit long to wait for a bob standard system.

[FSM with Cheddar]

When I ordered my laptop, they said it would be 3 weeks.

I got it 5 days later.

Very happy.

[TimberWolf]

Has just been put back another 2 weeks. FFS. They never used to be this slow. I figured buying from Dell was still worth it despite the risk of having to use their Customer Service, because of the quick turnaround and reliable systems they used to produce. But I have already had to be exposed to their Customer Helpline, as my CC transaction was rejected by the card company on the grounds that the order looked suspicious. First time ever. Apparently they tried to put £1 through before the main order and that raised a flag at the CC company. I had no luck communicating with the Indian on the other end to try again, but they automatically (and successfully in this case) retry transactions 3 freaking days later anyway. I dread having to explain to the helpline that I am moving house soon and at this rate will have to change the delivery address or cancel. Is it worth buying from Dell any more? Is the service just too poor and slow now?