Experiences with non-techies

[Jimbillroo Digital]

Somebody I know has a subscription to McAfee. They brought a new computer which had a 1 month free trial for McAfee. Firstly, I had to explain to them why they were getting 1 month of free anti-virus. Then when I described why they said they didn't want the free trial on their computer and they wanted to deploy the subscription they had paid for onto that computer instead of just waiting for the free trial to expire. So, I had to somehow 'Cancel' the trial so that I could deploy the subscription they paid for but I could not find an option to do this once in the subscription settings panel. So, we called BT (because they were the ones who were handling the subscription) to cancel the subscription. The first time we called they forwarded our call to the technical support team who didn't pick up the phone because it was Sunday and nobody was in, so our call just ended. When we called them again, they did the same again, still no answer, our call ended. The third time we called, the BT Team decided to forward our call to McAfee. The people at McAfee picked up and no matter how many times I described the situation, they could not understand and they were not sure why BT had forwarded the call to them as we were looking to cancel a subscription that was going through BT. We called BT again and they told us to uninstall and reinstall McAfee and it worked. After, like an hour of uninstalling, re installing and verifying subscriptions. I managed to remove the free trial and deploy the subscription the people had payed for.

The other month we had to reinstall Windows on that PC and we had to go through that whole process over again.

[Jarsky]

Used to work in Tech Support for our countries version of Comcast/AT&T....pretty much seen it all.

 

Supporting fixed line broadband (DSL), fibre, business phones, mobiles and email....you get some daft users.

 

I'm not really going to go into any experiences, but they range from "Why cant I have 4 triple adapters, 3 extension leads, 2 filters, and 8 devices plugged in? Your network must be faulty!" to "My TV wont turn on, can send someone to fix the phone line?" to "My cordless phone has stopped working  (when asking what brand it is, turns out its a Sky remote)".

 

So many face palm stories which will forever haunt my memories.

I recommend no one ever think its a good idea working frontline staff for an ISP/Telco if you want to keep your sanity.

[Jimbillroo Digital]

@Jarsky. Haha. Made my day.

[PC owner with questions]

its not really non-techie related but my grandpa knows alottttttt about computers and I think my aunts and uncles have a little understanding towards computers because we played imaginiff and the card said "if **** was a part of a computer what would he/she be? ..... and ...so ... on ... and .... so .... forth.

[Fgtfv567]

I assume thier CEO is ignoring everyone. Do you remember that Carey Holzman Video where he bought an HP desktop and the sata cable wasn't plugged in.

Or HP doesn't hire experienced people, they just hire people and expect them to read a page of badly written instructions and do it right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVnl4HIHPY

Your brother is lucky, sometimes you come across golden HP computers which are the rare ones that don't die after 6 months. Or, you'd be surprised how much my local computer store (I know several people who work there) how much HP computers come in like 1 day after the warranty has ended.

Also, all HP pavilions running AMD have this issue, never been fixed. The issue is where the CPU runs almost 100c at idle. Hot Hot Hot!

I actually really enjoyed watching that. You got any more videos like that?

[vt3c]

A friend of mine I knew a little while ago. 

"I broke my 1GB DDR RAM Stick in half, now I have 2GB!" 

[vt3c]

I assume thier CEO is ignoring everyone. Do you remember that Carey Holzman Video where he bought an HP desktop and the sata cable wasn't plugged in. 

 

Or HP doesn't hire experienced people, they just hire people and expect them to read a page of badly written instructions and do it right. 

 

 

 

Your brother is lucky, sometimes you come across golden HP computers which are the rare ones that don't die after 6 months.  Or, you'd be surprised how much my local computer store (I know several people who work there) how much HP computers come in like 1 day after the warranty has ended.

 

Also, all HP pavilions running AMD have this issue, never been fixed.  The issue is where the CPU runs almost 100c at idle.  Hot Hot Hot!

In all honesty, I owned an HP from 2006 with an AMD. Ran for 5 years fantastically. Up until 2011, and it was still pretty powerful then too. Athlon 64x2 3800+, 200GB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro, Asus A8M2N-LA. It survived 3 power surges somehow. After that 5 year period, all the caps near the CPU had fried due to them not being solid japanese (Which is a tactic HP has used for ages now). But during that time, it was the best computer I'd ever used.

I mean look at this. Those caps are fucking pathetic.

 

 

I've seen better caps in my TV remote...

[Fgtfv567]

In all honesty, I owned an HP from 2006 with an AMD. Ran for 5 years fantastically. Up until 2011, and it was still pretty powerful then too. Athlon 64x2 3800+, 200GB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro, Asus A8M2N-LA. It survived 3 power surges somehow. After that 5 year period, all the caps near the CPU had fried due to them not being solid japanese (Which is a tactic HP has used for ages now). But during that time, it was the best computer I'd ever used.

I mean look at this. Those caps are fucking pathetic.

I've seen better caps in my TV remote...

We need an anti-HP thread, and it needs to be as popular as this one (OK, fine, 25% of this one's popularity.....)

[vt3c]

We need an anti-HP thread, and it needs to be as popular as this one (OK, fine, 25% of this one's popularity.....)

They're good computers while they last, I have to admit. 

I need to see an HP board with 100% solid caps though. I've worked on my neighbor's PC which has an i5-3330 and 6GB of RAM, and only had like 4 solid caps toward the CPU and that was it. And the ones toward the PCI lanes were already corroded a bit. 

 

HPs always have motherboard issues.

HP STEP UP YOUR MOTHERBOARD GAME AND MAYBE I'LL LOVE YOU AGAIN.

[Nowak]

They're good computers while they last, I have to admit. 

I need to see an HP board with 100% solid caps though. I've worked on my neighbor's PC which has an i5-3330 and 6GB of RAM, and only had like 4 solid caps toward the CPU and that was it. And the ones toward the PCI lanes were already corroded a bit. 

 

HPs always have motherboard issues.

HP STEP UP YOUR MOTHERBOARD GAME AND MAYBE I'LL LOVE YOU AGAIN.

Apparently now they're using laptop motherboards in their lower-end desktops now. Laptop. Motherboards. In a desktop.

[vt3c]

Apparently now they're using laptop motherboards in their lower-end desktops now. Laptop. Motherboards. In a desktop.

Yep. 

(Btw the motherboard issue I had appears to have happened to everyone at the same time http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15285 >2011)

 

Are you talking about the ones with the E2 series processors? A friend of a friend bought one with like 2GB of RAM for $275. No CPU fan on the board at all. I will admit, the caps on it are in the right places, but jesus christ this is an atrocity. 

 

 

JESUS CHRIST MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!

[Aniallation]

In all honesty, I owned an HP from 2006 with an AMD. Ran for 5 years fantastically. Up until 2011, and it was still pretty powerful then too. Athlon 64x2 3800+, 200GB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro, Asus A8M2N-LA. It survived 3 power surges somehow. After that 5 year period, all the caps near the CPU had fried due to them not being solid japanese (Which is a tactic HP has used for ages now). But during that time, it was the best computer I'd ever used.

I mean look at this. Those caps are fucking pathetic.

 

 

I've seen better caps in my TV remote...

I think I had the exact same mobo in my HP that I had from 2006 up till last year when I gave it to a friend to use as an HTPC and is still running perfectly fine to this day.

 

edit: Yep, it is. And mine had a more powerful CPU as well, the Athlon X2 5200+. Maybe you just had bad luck with yours. http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00757531&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=3245032

[vt3c]

I think I had the exact same mobo in my HP that I had from 2006 up till last year when I gave it to a friend to use as an HTPC and is still running perfectly fine to this day. 

 

edit: Yep, it is. http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00757531&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=3245032

Those were some of HPs best. Period. No HP computer will ever be as good as those were.

[Nowak]

Yep. 

(Btw the motherboard issue I had appears to have happened to everyone at the same time http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15285 >2011)

 

Are you talking about the ones with the E2 series processors? A friend of a friend bought one with like 2GB of RAM for $275. No CPU fan on the board at all. I will admit, the caps on it are in the right places, but jesus christ this is an atrocity. 

 

 

JESUS CHRIST MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!

There aren't even any PCI slots and only two SATA ports on that mobo, holy GabeN.

 

Eye bleach.

 

[Fgtfv567]

Apparently now they're using laptop motherboards in their lower-end desktops now. Laptop. Motherboards. In a desktop.

Well they're using laptop power supplies for desktops anyway, might as well super glue a display to the side panel.... And laptops and the desktops you're talking about won't be able to replace the GPU, so.....

[vt3c]

There aren't even any PCI slots and only two SATA ports on that mobo, holy GabeN.

 

Eye bleach.

 

I'll be able to smash the living shit out of the HP board with that, and then proceed to use the Asus for longer than the HP board would last without the beating.

 

God, anyone who buys an HP needs to take a pic of the motherboard once they get it. If they find one with all solid caps, I will applaud them and wish them luck removing the bloatware. 

Holy crap.

[vt3c]

Well they're using laptop power supplies for desktops anyway, might as well super glue a display to the side panel.... And laptops and the desktops you're talking about won't be able to replace the GPU, so.....

Sounds like something modern HP would do.

[Nowak]

I'll be able to smash the living shit out of the HP board with that, and then proceed to use the Asus for longer than the HP board would last without the beating.

 

God, anyone who buys an HP needs to take a pic of the motherboard once they get it. If they find one with all solid caps, I will applaud them and wish them luck removing the bloatware. 

Holy crap.

I remember HP back in 2000. They were actually pretty dependable. One of my longest-lasting desktops was an HP. Lived from 2001 to 2006. Then the HP that replaced it, a Pavilion a6010n, with a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM and a 320GB mech drive we bought in 2007, died two years after. At least the hard drive still works. Last HP we ever bought was a Compaq laptop with a 2.1GHz Athlon II, 3GB RAM, a 250GB mech drive and a 15.6" 1366x768 display for my mom in 2009, never retired it until earlier this year. Still works, but it's been replaced.

[vt3c]

Apparently the new vendor for HP boards is "Pegatron". That sounds like the shittiest name ever. And that's coming from a brony. 

 

 

AAAAAAAA NON-SOLID CAPS ON AN AM3+ BOARD

 

I'm done.

Non-techies buy this shit like crazy. WHY!??!!?!!??!

[Nowak]

Apparently the new vendor for HP boards is "Pegatron". That sounds like the shittiest name ever. And that's coming from a brony. 

 

 

AAAAAAAA NON-SOLID CAPS ON AN AM3+ BOARD

 

I'm done.

Non-techies buy this shit like crazy. WHY!??!!?!!??!

Because they don't know any better?

[vt3c]

I remember HP back in 2000. They were actually pretty dependable. One of my longest-lasting desktops was an HP. Lived from 2001 to 2006. Then the HP that replaced it, a Pavilion a6010n, with a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM and a 320GB mech drive we bought in 2007, died two years after. At least the hard drive still works. Last HP we ever bought was a Compaq laptop with a 2.1GHz Athlon II, 3GB RAM, a 250GB mech drive and a 15.6" 1366x768 display for my mom in 2009, never retired it until earlier this year. Still works, but it's been replaced.

God the HP we owned was pretty reliable I will admit. Just the acid that flowed from the caps... was so gross. It was dangerous to be handled by human hands. My dad had never seen anything like it before, so he took it to a local computer shop to find out what the HELL had exploded on the board leaving this weird ass residue.

The guys at the shop literally felt sorry for my dad, and gave him a 25% discount on a dell with a pentium dual core which appears to still be working today, and is being used as my sister's gaming desktop. 

 

 

And the board for that looks equally shitty, so I'm keeping my eyes open.

[Nowak]

God the HP we owned was pretty reliable I will admit. Just the acid that flowed from the caps... was so gross. It was dangerous to be handled by human hands. My dad had never seen anything like it before, so he took it to a local computer shop to find out what the HELL had exploded on the board leaving this weird ass residue.

The guys at the shop literally felt sorry for my dad, and gave him a 25% discount on a dell with a pentium dual core which appears to still be working today, and is being used as my sister's gaming desktop. 

 

 

And the board for that looks equally shitty, so I'm keeping my eyes open.

To be honest, I'm pretty glad I built my own machine instead of buying an OEM machine. HP's "gaming" desktops have 4960Xs paired with GTX 745s, I'm not kidding. But wait, there's more! Lenovo's marketing PCs with just Intel HD Graphics as "gaming PCs". I'd rather take an R7 240 over Intel HD Graphics for desktop gaming .-.

[vt3c]

To be honest, I'm pretty glad I built my own machine instead of buying an OEM machine. HP's "gaming" desktops have 4960Xs paired with GTX 745s, I'm not kidding. But wait, there's more! Lenovo's marketing PCs with just Intel HD Graphics as "gaming PCs". I'd rather take an R7 240 over Intel HD Graphics for desktop gaming .-.

Jesus god. Lenovo's components are more durable, I will upright admit. But their performance is lackluster. Seriously lackluster. The ones my school uses have i3's and 4GB of RAM. They're more than suffice, but ain't no way nobody buys a lenovo desktop for gaming. 

Their notebooks have rather shoddy quality in their ivy bridge models, but their haswell models are a fuckton better.

[Nowak]

Jesus god. Lenovo's components are more durable, I will upright admit. But their performance is lackluster. Seriously lackluster. The ones my school uses have i3's and 4GB of RAM. They're more than suffice, but ain't no way nobody buys a lenovo desktop for gaming. 

Their notebooks have rather shoddy quality in their ivy bridge models, but their haswell models are a fuckton better.

To be honest, if my family gets any more desktops, I'm building them xP

 

We ain't gonna have another pre-built clunker desktop in this household.

[vt3c]

To be honest, if my family gets any more desktops, I'm building them xP

 

We ain't gonna have another pre-built clunker desktop in this household.

Agreed. Apart from my GPU and my CPU fan issue, my machine has been rock solid stable and reliable. Hell, it's never even crashed. Not that it's related to hardware, but still. 

 

Also, my board has all solid caps. Entirely solid, all throughout. It'll last me 4 more years or more if I give the CPU 100% use daily if the VRMs can handle the abuse.

 

THAT is quality only I can accept. Seriously, I'm not buying a pre-built again either. I can build a system for cheaper than a pre-built with better performance and a software package that costs entirely nothing and increases workflow 100%.