Dell Extremely Poor Service. Will not follow thru to fix computer issues. Online Internet

Thanks,
I did find the pics, not sure how I stumbled upon it, but I did. Thanks for giving me the idea of fumbling thru for them.

Dell still has not rebutted nor contacted me. I stopped at the local Mall last week and talked to a guy working in a Dell kiosk. He told me that the phone techs are jerks and mine had NO BUSINESS doing a "reset" for such a simple issue, and that my explanation of what the tech did showed him, this Mall salesman, that the tech did not know what he was doing. That he jumped to a conclusion without understanding the process of what to do and then the, what I call a, takeover control was a desperate attempt to "figure it out on the fly".

The Dell associate (he claimed to be a REAL DELL employee) at the Mall kiosk (it had a huge Dell sign over it and they only displayed Dell products) told me to just back up everything personal/important and then insert the start up disk to refresh the entire system back to day 1.

I hope that helps. Going to try it by this weekend. Thanks again for the tips. Oh, and I did it allbymyself, no 8 year olds needed, not THIS time at least.

1) Dell lied to you about mcafee. Only reason they push mcafee is for money. ANY anti virus program can run on ANY brand computer.

2) Doing the system restore changed the registry and your photos may still be somewhere on your system, IF you did not format the drive. But may be difficult to find them. Did DELL ask you if you have any data on the system?

3) Dell's outsourcing to india of their customer no service continues to be a big problem.

4) Ever consider buying a computer from a LOCALLY run computer store where they VALUE your business and speak english ?

- From a consultant

Sorry to hear about this horrific experience with Dell, which is very much the norm these days. Most tech support and customer service from most major computer companies is AWFUL, although I hear some good things about IBM, and of course Apple. Your best protection is to be as knowledgeable as possible and try to resolve most software problems yourself, or get an 8-year-old from the neighborhood to help you...
Self-education is your best defense. Plus comb the web for message boards/suggestions/tips.

Regarding your original issue with losing photos because the Dell tech "reset" the computer back a month: if he used the System Restore function in Windows, you should not have lost any files. Here's what the Windows Help files say about Restore:

"System Restore is a component of Windows XP that you can use to restore your computer to a previous state, if a problem occurs, without losing your personal data files (such as Microsoft Word documents, browsing history, drawings, favorites, or e-mail). System Restore monitors changes to the system and some application files, and it automatically creates easily identified restore points. These restore points allow you to revert the system to a previous time. They are created daily and at the time of significant system events (such as when an application or driver is installed). You can also create and name your own restore points at any time.

Notes

Restoring your computer does not affect or change your personal data files."

Thus if Restore was used, no files (such as pictures or documents) would be deleted, even if they were created after the Restore Point you went back to. You might try looking elsewhere on the machine for them; perhaps search for all .jpegs and comb through that list. Maybe they ended up in a Temp folder somehow.

I believe there is a "Reset" function which restores a Dell machine to the exact state it was in when it left the factory. That would be an absolute last-resort fix; it's possible that something like that could wipe out existing files like docs and pics, but I'm not sure.

As for anti-virus programs, Dell sells computers with either MacAfee or Norton pre-installed, with anywhere from 90 days to 24 months of virus data updates included. Either program will work, but they ARE bloatware, and will use a lot of system resources. They also require extensive tweaking to get them to work exactly the way you want (and not interfere with your normal activities). You can also (as I did) UNinstall parts of the McAfee program which you do not use (SpamKiller), thus saving system resources and eliminating unecessary layers.

Another tip on getting tech support from Dell is to use the Tech Chat feature. After going around and around in Dell Phone Hell for several hours, I tried the chat and waited only 4-5 minutes. The language issues are eliminated, plus you have a written record of everything that was said. I have used the Chat three times and found it MUCH less frustrating that the telephone support. On one ocassion the tech actually gave me some very useful info which solved my problem.

Good luck with recovering your photos- hope you can get them back.
The slogan around our house is: "Next time-- A Mac".

-- Gene
Tampa Bay

Dell still has not called me back NOR even offerred a rebuttal to my ROR post.
Just goes to show you who does NOT get my business next time I need a computer, TV, or other electronics.

Jamie and Chris,

Thanks for your input and advice. I was using Avast, as you suggested Chris. The Dell rep told me that doesn't work with thier product and deleted it. I did re-install it.

Still bogged down. I will try your helpful tips.
Thank you.

Oh, and Dell has not yet offerred a Rebuttal to this report, as you can see. Nor have they called about that in home service visit, or even them having wiped out my files and photos.

More than likely you have a large amount of spyware and it is hogging the resources on your computer. Mcaffee is another resource hog and was giving the same problem you have with my mom's computer. This is what I did with hers and how I set up any computer I work on for people:

Uninstall Mcaffee and use a different antivirus. I use Avast Antivirus which is free for home users.

Install and use anti spyware software. I use Adaware from Lavasoft which is free as well.

Make sure you use a good firewall, not the Windows one. Zone Alarm is an exellent free one.

In the Internet options, turn off the Third Party Cookies which mainly come from adds and such.

These steps should be able to keep most computers free of spyware and viruses.

As for Dell, they have some good computers but their service is poor as we can see.

You probably know this but when he said only McAfee works with Dell products obviously he was lying. Dell has a contract with McAfee to pre load their products on their computers if you purchase that at the time of assembly.

I have Norton products on my Dell and it has caused no problems.