Monday, October 16, 2017

SLOW BOAT FROM DELL

Electronics just don't work like they should for me. And not just computers. Toilets that are supposed to flush when you stand up; sinks that sense your praying hands and dispense water; motion sensor doors; the touch screen on every device of convenience. I can drain a D cell battery in 6 minutes just by letting it touch my skin.

I spent nearly a year researching and pricing just the right computer to replace my old DELL laptop and finally had the money purchase the DELL Inspiron 11. A two in one tablet computer, Intel possessor, Windows 10, 4 gigs RAM, 500 gigs memory. I will never fill a quarter of that memory, but too much is better than too little. Right?

And I paid $60 for the Office Depot tech to remove all the advertising and start up junk. Four days after purchase I got to take my new electronic baby home to play with.

I was seriously disappointed with how slow it is (even slower than the laptop I replaced), but my Bug assured me I just needed to get used to the Windows 10 desktop. In my opinion XP was  the best ever operating system, but Window 7 was a good upgrade. After two weeks of attempting to load my programs and games, getting no writing done as I'd planned, I returned to the store intent on returning the ffff thing.

Of course the Tech talked me out of it by agreeing it was slower than expected, but could be fixed easily by opening task manager and closing any unneeded programs running in the background. Just don't end task on anything Windows or McAfee programs. Ok . . . .

Now it's frozen, sort of. Never mind. It's useless. I'm posting from my Kindle Fire, and I really dislike typing anything on this limited space. Yep, I'm not ashamed to say I'm attached to a full keyboard and mouse. That aside, the new computer is fubar. My best hope is that I can return it for a refund. Or one of my kids will take pity on me and figure out what's wrong. At the least I will need to buy another laptop (anybody use an Acer?) or continue using the old one. At least it still turns on!

So I'm out of here for the rest of the year. Too many stresses in my life right now that are more important than blogging and writing or a defunct computer.

Congratulations to all the IWSG anthology winners; good luck to NanoWriMo participants; happy New Year.

23 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

It should not be that slow. Yes, programs in the background can slow it down, but not when you really haven't loaded anything. Take it back.
I'm contemplating a Surface Pro next.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

My husband's super power is he can kill a flashlight just by touching it. Fortunately that doesn't carry over into electronics.

It sounds like that one has issues. We have a Dell laptop and while it's a little slow, that sucker still works after almost ten years of use.

Pat Hatt said...

I'd take that sucker back. No reason it should be super slow. Computers sure are a pain, can get a lemon no matter how new they are.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Donna - good luck on the refund ... sounds like a return is in order -hope that goes smoothly ... and don't blame you for switching off til 2018 ... techie stuff is a nightmare ... relax, calm down, have a cup of tea ... and things will sort themselves out .... good luck and all the best - Hilary

A Beer for the Shower said...

As a tech guy, yes, what everyone else said. It shouldn't be that slow. My 4 year old Dell Inspiron, running Windows 8, can boot up in less than 10 seconds and have an Internet browser and Microsoft Word both open in another 10-20 seconds. Just remember: a slow computer will only get slower. Don't let a headache become something absolutely unbearable.

Cherie Reich said...

It definitely sounds like you need to take it back for a refund. I've been using a little 10" Acer I bought back in 2010. It's great for Word. For the internet, not as much. I plan to purchase a Macbook Pro next. It's pricey, but some of the software I want to use is Mac only. Plus, I can get a Windows license and use Windows programs too.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

It sounds like you got a lemon. They should definitely take it back.

Enjoy your break. I hope the stresses are less and less.

Stacy McKitrick said...

If it's a Dell, you should be able to call them. But beware... hard to understand most who answer the phone. And it might take awhile to actually get it fixed. I had to return mine two times before they admitted it was the motherboard (of which I told them it was because, hello! it killed 4 hard drives!). Since it's been fixed, though, it's been running great. Good luck!

Yolanda Renée said...

Return it and speak to someone new, that person who 'fixed' it, FIXED it! But don't stay away too long, we'll miss you!

Denise Covey said...

I have everything open and my computer is flash fast. It's a Sony Vaio, but the Chinese have bought them out and it is no longer available in the super-light option, touchscreen, whiz-bang model I adore. You bought a lemon. Get your money back. The best thing about buying a new computer is how fast it is, not how slow. (I gave up Dell years ago.) Not noted for their speed.

Sorry it's been such a hassle. Yeah. Who needs to be online?
Real life is more interesting.

Love ya

Denise :-)

Botanist said...

That's bad news. Hope you manage to get it returned/replaced/refunded. It never fails to amaze me how all our advances in memory and processor speed get more than sucked up by unwanted crap in the operating systems. It takes just as long now to open up a Word document as it did twenty years ago! Why???

UplayOnline said...

I'm contemplating a Surface Pro next.


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Arlee Bird said...

I also liked XP--still have it on one of my computers that I now only use for playing Solitaire (weird I know).

At my former work we had a Dell desktop in our shipping department. Tech support was always quick and helpful on the few occasions I had to call them. Once when our computer was having problems they over-nighted from Atlanta a new computer to take the bad one's place.

I have a love/hate relationship with techie stuff.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Misha Gerrick said...

I'm sorry to read about your computer woes. I hope you get them sorted out soon!

Nicki Elson said...

Aw man - I hope you've received a refund. Sounds like you got a lemon. I'm typing on a Dell right now - it's got its quirks (including one that requires duct tape - but overall has been decent to me, so yours should definitely not be having all those problems. I've used an Acer, too, and it also served me well.

I'm like you - full keyboard and mouse for the win!

I hope the stressors in your life are calming down. See ya on the blogs next year. ;)

cleemckenzie said...

Sorry, Dolorah. I'm often tempted to return to pen and paper. I know how to deal with that technology.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Reinstall the operating system from scratch. Best way to exorcise those demons.

Chrys Fey said...

I hate having computer problems. I hope you can figure out what's wrong and get it fixed.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'm thrilled I married an IT guy. Wooooo! Otherwise I'd be doomed.
Have a great rest of the year.

farawayeyes said...

Bummer!

Crystal Collier said...

Your first clue there was a problem should have been "Dell." My hubby hates that company--as an IT professional. If you still can, return that piece of junk. And for increased speeds, do not have a virus catcher running 24/7, but rather run your own scan once a month or week or whatever works for you.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I have one of those computers and I don't love it. I agree it's too slow. I like that it's small though. I'm hoping to find something better next time. Hope you work out your computer problems.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Donna, you should take it for a refund. Hope your computer problems get sorted soon.