Dell machines -- an opinion

Since everyone does it, I want to add an entry regarding Dell's machines. *feels cool now.*

Anyway, most people ask me, "Dont Dells suck?" And I tell them, "if you want them to." The problem is, not the machine, but the user a lot of the times. I say that because many of the times the user will go out a buy a machine and not know what it has or does and expect more out of it than it is capable of doing. I see it all the time. Or I get asked, "I want a new computer can you help me?" So I say, "well ok, what do you want to do with your new pc?" And they say: "I wanna listen to music, watch movies, play games, burn DVDs and CDs, download fast, draw, make this and that...blah blah blah..." I'm like "ok..." Then they say, "I only wanna spend about $300-$500 bucks though...not over that." And I'm like, "wtf?!" They want a Cadillac for the price of a GeoMetro. Sheesh! Doesn't everyone?

So when I actually bring them back to their senses and tell them, "well dude, for about that much you can probably get a pretty basic machine. You can do some office work, play some low-level intensive games, and maybe burn some CDs." They get all pissed. So then I usually point them to Dell since they have prices they are looking for, for some what decent machines.

Then when they get it, they proclaim after a month, "Dells suck!" That phrase gets tossed around too loosely in my opinion that I think there needs to be some clarification. To put it plainly, Dells suck as much as HPs suck as much as Compaqs suck. However, Compaq has some killer servers, yes their Proliant models are great. HPs make killer printers, and some very nice desktops too. Dells make some pretty good desktops also. They all have their good and bad. If you are only going to pay some chump change and expect a miracle, Miracle Max woulda told you, "I've never worked for so little." tsk tsk tsk.

Or I also hear techs say, "i'd rather build my machine thats the best way!" Yeah, no crap! Who doesn't know that? However, many of the times, it can come out much more expensive for the same configuration than going to a Brand company. Also, many dont consider is that, if you have a large network that needs PCs, what are you going to do? Build 500 machines? Yeah right--your boss will laugh at you. Shoot even building 30 machines is rather ridiculous--just do a proper pc rollout and get yourself a brand name PC.

I run a network full of Dells, and have 2 Dell servers and 1 "whitebox" server. For the most part my Dell machines run very well, and the built one runs ok only. Its not that it was built wrong, its just old.

Anyway, my only complaint with Dell machines are, usually the PSUs. They are usually not very powerful, cheap and if it is a Dimension, tend to go out eventually. I've replaced 2 so far. The RAM could also be of better quality but it ok if you payed a low price. The motherboards can at times seem pretty limited, unless they are servers or workstations, which usually allow more options.

However, as far as scalability and reliability goes, I think Dells do their job, provided you dont get a crappy machine to begin with. I have always admired the scalability though. Back when I was scouting for a NAS server, I checked out HP, SNAP, DELL and none of the other two came close to scalability as the Dell NAS did. Reliability, maybe, but not in terms whether it was scalable or not. Plus, the price was nice too. So I chose Dell.

However, for those that get a Dimension and plan to turn it into a gaming machine have another thing coming. Stay away from the dimensions--at least the entry-level ones ;-).

So I say here again, Dells are fine, they are good for business use and home use depending how you configure it. But in stark contrast, their service sucks. Dont expect them to rollout the red carpet when you arrive.

Outlook and Network keeps asking for Password

I've actually had this issue in my network for several years. Though it has appeared in various different forms and has reacted differently to different "solutions."

My first encounter after a user changed their password, they could no longer access the network, open outlook or get online (since we used a proxy.) So I clumsily did a quick fix, which I knew would work, I hit IE and it prompted me for credentials. Why did I use IE though and not just any other form like Outlook or UNC to access a share--since they would too ask me for credentials with a login prompt?

Well the difference in IE, it actually gives you an option that the other two prompts dont, which can be seen here. As you can see, it has a nice little check box that lets you tell it to SAVE the password so it will stop harrassing you. I discovered that since it was saved there with the login prompt IE gave, it also eliminated the rest of the prompts from appearing in Outlook and while accessing shares. So I said, w00t! I knew it was a dirty fix but it worked and didn't have time to mess with it.

The next time the same users changed their passwords, I had the same issue. Though it was no longer because of the previous issue (which I still didn't know why or what caused it) but now it was because even after changing the password, while they attempted to access any resource, the saved password from before would still be attempted as a login and of course it would fail.

So what I had to do was (from what I remember) is get into the control panel and in the users control panel go to advanced and delete the saved passwords in the "manage password" area. Mind you, sometimes I would see credentials stored on there and sometimes not--which made it much more frustrating.

Now another form of this problem came with only Outlook asking for credentials. The user could access shares and stuff just fine, but Outlook would ask them for a password every time they opened it.

Since the other prompts (IE and shares) did not come up, I could no longer do my dirty work around of telling IE to save the password, so I had to find another way. The way I found was to give the user a new Outlook profile by using the Mail applet in the control panel. You know how to do that so I wont go into it. And just making it default into the new one (or completely delete the older one and re-create their outlook profile). That seemed to work so I kept doing it.

Now recently I've been getting another variation of this same credential issue. Right after the user had changed their password, upon reboot, their mapped drives could no longer connect (because of an authentication problem) and Outlook continued to ask them for credentials. Strangely though, IE would work fine for them (maybe because I removed authentication from the proxy server.)

Anyway, before the new fix I figured out, if they wanted to access their shares or mapped drives, they had to double click on one of the mapped drives that had a X on it and it would prompt them for password and user name. They would enter it and it would let them pass, until the machine was rebooted, same process.

So I finally took the time today to narrow this issue down further since it was springing up like daisies! After several tries at deleted temp files, and weird folders from the users profile, I finally slimmed it down to two folders named, "Credentials."

One is located here:

C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Microsoft\Credentials<---

And the other here:

C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Credentials

I did not have a chance to slim the issue down to just one of the folders though. I was not aware after renaming those folders it needed a reboot so I was merely testing the fix with logoffs. But it is now certain that the problem lies in either of these folders if not both. They contain empty folders that are named after SIDs of specific users. Once I deleted them (or you can rename them to .OLD or whatever) and rebooted, I had the user login, the process re-created these two folders, but with only one folder which I assume is specific to that user. Their mapped drives automatically connected and Outlook opened up smoothly. No more credential prompts.

I am still not sure what is causing this, but at least now I have a simple fix, a much cleaner one than recreating profiles, or saving passwords.

Also, the cause of this very well may still be repercussions of my first dirty fix...I am not sure, but I will keep my eyes peeled for this one. I really couldn't find a solution for this problem of mine. I found many solutions but none of them worked for my situation. So hopefully you will find this documented issue useful.

Dell really DOES suck! (well their service)

I've been doing business with Dell for over 4 years, ever since I made the choice to do my PC rollout with them I've been ordering from them. The only things I've really ordered from them have been PCs, Laptops, Monitors and a NAS. Though I remember, when I first ordered my PCs, which was a nice sum of money for them, I had a pretty cool Rep. She was always quick about ordering things I asked and she had some brains.

Now, I started noticing over the years (and at first it was just theory) but now I feel it is confirmed, the less you buy, the crappier service you get. Not to mention, the stupider Sales Reps you get that usually don't give a flying rats arse if you buy from them or not.

I am serious, ever since I've purchased less, I've had the most moronic service reps I've dealt with. Here, lets start calling out names, my rep, "Fred", sucks monkey arse. Get this, he would email me replies to another email address that I no longer checked at all...though I kindly reminded him about 5 times that I had changed my email and to update his contact list, I would still get emails to that old email address that I no longer checked. You can imagine the confusion it caused on several of our orders. Finally it appeared he got that small task correct, because I actually started getting replies to the correct email address.

But now, its hard for me to even get a response from the Dell reps LOL. I emailed "Fred", (this has happened several times mind you), to get a quote for a couple of laptops (looking to spend about 3-4 K. So I email him on Monday:

I need a quote for two notebooks, for home users.

They need the following:

Windows XP
Internal Wireless
40G HDD
512 MB RAM
Celeron (just for basic usage, not heavy media)
2 Batteries, must last at least 2-3 hrs if not more
All standard ports (usb, pcmcia, ethernet, modem etc)
Flash drive (thumb drive 128mb)
Office 2003 (Excel, Power Point, Word) Student Edition if possible since it is for students
CDRW

And they need a carrying case, one for each.

Thanks.

Ya know, a simple to the point email, the type that says, "I want to order something, I kn0w what I want, send me a quote so I can buy." Well....3 days pass, no reply. I even checked my Exchange Server to make sure the emails were not stuck in queue (I am such a considerate guy!)

So I send another email, to "Fred" just in case--but with a firm tone:

I asked for a quote a couple of days ago. I expected a response from you that same day, is there any reasonable excuse for such a long delay? Also remember, I receive email on this address.

And guess what, no reply. WTF? Is he dead or something?! I highly doubt it--if he were alive anyway he would still neglect his customers--thats whats crazy!

So no reponse, so I send another email. Keep in mind, my boss wanted this quote a few days ago, so I am also working under the gun--but I cant get a freakin quote! I email another sales rep (storage I believe):

Who can I speak with on customer service? I’ve been trying to get a quote for the past 2 days and I can not get my Sales Rep to respond.

Thanks

And guess what....no reponse! Wow, who woulda thunk? So I get pissed off finally and Go to my guy over at PC Connections. Always been there and has always wanted me to buy outside of Dell.

I finally get 3 quotes from him, all on the same day (nice) and I can be an anal mofo--so I'm told, so thats pretty impressive in my opinion.

I finally choose what I want, get them ordered, and I just got all my hardware I asked for, its actually sitting next to me right here. Let me take a picture (pauses):


w00t, take a look Dell, I bought from HP--which was my sworn enemy for merging with Compaq resulting in my layoff! :-O However it was a pretty kick arse laptop(s)....

Anyway, stay away from Dell if you can. They have killer prices, but now you know why, they sacrifice customer service it seems (ugh!). I can't say too many bad things about their machines, I've used Dells for a while now and I've never had a problem with them, they have always been scalable and reliable for me. Its just their service sucks. Their Power Supplies could be better, and also the type of ram, but whatever, I am not here to complain about their machines, I respect their machines (generally) however I have no respect for their crappy service, HP bought my service with a smile and I am good with that. This doesnt mean I am going Pro HP, I've had my share of HP stories, but until then, GO GET MY PC WITH A SMILE LIKE THEY DO IT ON THE COMMERCIALS!!!:@

MotoQ Update

Nothing big--but not sure yet, I have found the MotoQ has been giving me a couple problems. One with reception. With a regular phone you usually get good reception, also with the previous PDA I had I had excellent reception. Though on this MotoQ I've been noticing the reception is usually poor, very rarely I get more than 3 bars. It is usually at 0, 1, 2. I've also had several dropped called inside the building--where as with others I have never had one.

Finally, it happens randomly, I get a lot of, "excuse me , sir? I cant hear you." Or, "hello? Hello?!, hellloooo?!" while I am saying, "Hi!, Yes? Its me! Can you hear me?!" Then all of a sudden they hear me clear, wtf?! Not sure what this is about, gonna play with the sound configurations a bit.

MotoQ -- rocks

So yeah after deciding I hated the Audiovox xv6700 I moved to the Motorola Q CDMA Windows Mobile based smart phone. So far I like it. It has far less features and abilities than the xv6700, but many of them I did not use enough for me to miss them now. Eitherway, the MotoQ makes up for it with its easy of use, easy access to buttons and extremely ease of navigation! Yep, I can now be another addition to the "dangerous driver" category by using my phone while driving, woot!

The resolution is also higher and sharper which makes it very attractive. The slim look also is a cause for joy, where as the bulky fat 6700 made it look horrible.

The keys are well placed, along with the scrolling wheel on the side, very convenient. It can also be used for turning up or down the volume, and works great. It is very easy to get to know the key's functions and ALT options--these are all pluses!

Sound quality is great, even the quality of your ringer is clear. This of course was nothing new in the old phone, which too had good sound quality. It does come packed with a nice bundle of ringtones, and you can tell they tried to appeal to the trendy crowd with hip-hop/r&b type beats and tunes. They also included a couple rock clips, which sounded like a mixture of Static-X and maybe some Rob Zombie? Whatever.

Along with that, I do like some of the packed "themes" for your main menu, they have some nice ones.

The internet browser also works slightly better than the one from my old phone, I like it because it almost displays the page in near full size--but with the scroll wheel, its simple to navigate.

I don't like the battery cover. Its very very thin and very very cheap plastic, if you are not careful, it will break. Also, I dropped it once, not far up, but it fell on carpet and the battery flew out--shows how cheap the cover is.

Also, the casing itself could have been made of better plastic in my opinion--but whatever, its still a nice looking phone.

Of course it has a slot for MiniSD--though one small thing to complain about, the small plastic cover for the opening could have been designed easier to open, and maybe hard plastic rather than soft plastic which makes it much more difficult to get it open.

The speakphone feature in regards to volume works excellent, you can hear the person loud and clear and you can adjust the volume to your liking. Though one thing I did notice--was that I am told more than not, "excuse me sir? I can't hear you very well." It seems they are either deaf, or the phone loses amplification when used in speakerphone--because they can not hear me well unless i speak very closely and clearly into the small hole.

I do like the fact that you can actually turn the damn thing OFF! With the xv6700--you could not do so unless you took out the battery. You COULD tap the "power button" and it would turn off the screen along with the functions of the keys, but the phone was still on, (and no this is not just turning off the backlight, to do that you HOLD the power key).

Finally, one of the coolest features I like about this phone is that when the phone detects appointments or meetings in your calenders marked as "busy," you can set the phone to "Automatic Mode" and it will automatically silence itself during that time period marked in your schedule. Once the time is over, it turns itself back to "normal" mode. You can also edit the modes to your liking, for example--instead of it turning to Silent, you can set it to vibrate instead--whatever you wish.

The voice recognizer works ok. I dont use it much, but when I did, it was able to tell which contact I wanted--or at least a few contacts close to what I said :P.

Overall, I preferr this phone much more over the previous one, easy to use, stable and it looks sexy.

Oh wait--one problem that still seems to not have been fixed. I also saw it on the xv6700, so I think its more of a software specific problem rather than the phone itself. If you plan to use the "Wireless Sync" it seems to cause keys to lock up, malfunction or act sporadically--even dialing numbers at times! Once I uninstalled it, everything worked normal. Yes, the Wireless Sync was awesome, it works great, but after the first day of use and a few syncs, you begin to see problems, it seems more like a buggy Wireless Sync software--who knows. But other than that, the phone rocks.

PS. The speed of switching between menus or applications could be faster IMO. Its not a big deal really, but you do notice it lag every once in a while.

Also, the "memory leak" problem still exists, programs get left in memory causing you to repeatedly kill applications in the task manager (which you have to dig for).

Pocket PC -- PDA -- xv6700 -- Annoying

So anyway, yeah as I said before, I am managing the company's mobile phones, about 50 of them. For the most part there is not much to it except talking on the phone a lot with Verizon, Support or "ESN" changes. Since it is a corportate account, I dont have to worry too much about waiting on hold, the Verizon support usually pick up the line rather quickly.

I had some time to evaluate the Pocket PC XV6700 with the slideout keypad. I used it for about 2-3 months or so. For the most part it was a decent pocket pc, though my complaints grew quickly.

My first intention to use the Pocket PC for was its abilitiy to VPN. I saw it as an opportunity to use Terminal Services to connect to my server and fix small problems. Well here were some things I did not know before hand which I later found from using the feature.

• Terminal Services on the server must be set to a lower encryption setting, at least "medium." (this kinda sucks, otherwise it will not work from the PDA)
• Dialup sucks--it is slow.
• Many tedious steps in order to just make a vpn! For example, you had to first set the name and password for the connection. Sure you could save that information on the settings (but who wants to do that?) And even if you DO save your VPN credentials on the device, it conflicts with the regular internet dialup connection credentials, so then it pops up with another login prompt to supply the correct credentials. For some reason when you just want to use the internet on the device, it will begin connecting but it will attempt to use your VPN credentials. Its rather annoying!

Also, as I began to use it more, I found it difficult to dial numbers. Its no problem (and to be expected with a pda that uses a stylus) that you must use the stylus or just get good and using precision with your fingers to dial numbers or choose options! That was probably the most annoying thing, navigation! If you needed a specific option, it was quicker using the stylus BUT it was a pain, pulling the stupid thing out and using it. Whats worse is when you are driving, its much more difficult to dial a number quickly, it really forces you to focus more on the PDA than on the road. Of course we are not supposed to be dialing and driving at the same time anway but for a busy professional--who has time to stop and pull over to dial a number? A busy person that uses his phone a lot would want a phone with an easily accessible keypad.

Another thing I found that could use improvement is that fact that it holds in storage all applications, programs and tools you use on the device in memory, allowing these to become a sort of a memory leak (even though technically it is not since it is designed that way.) It is designed that way so that the next time you open the specific application or service, it opens quickly. Though it does more harm than good in my professional opinion. Why? Well since it allows programs to clog up the memory it causes the devices to become slow! Also, it does the same to websites you visit, the next time you click on internet explorer (just say a few days later) the same page is open from the last time, talk about a lack of privacy LOL. What is worse, during that time it keeps the connection alive (dialup). If you have a data plan you wont get charged for it until you actually use kbs but still, who wants the connection kept alive for hours?!

As for the cool looking key pad that slides out, I found it useless for the most part. If you are a guy like me that needs to get things done quickly and effeciently, the keypad is useless. For one, you have to slide it out. For two, you have to wait for the PDA to switch views, a few seconds to (landscape). Then you type. It is much quicker if you just pull out the stylus and start using the transcriber or the mini-keyboard on the screen. I prefer the transcriber though.

Yes, there is more. Adjusting the volume is annoying! While you are in a call and you cant hear the person, you first move is to turn up the volume. You do so and it makes a light beeping noise--actually they sound like *tink-tink-tink-tink!* Even seconds after you've let go of the button to turn it up, it continues to tink! Like it qued many tinks LOL! If you have it you know what I mean, it is ANNOYING!!!

One final thing that was annoying. On a Palm TREO 650 for example, if you send/recieve pix or videos, it works great and over the air. On the Pocket PC xv6700 with Windows Mobile 5.0, it seemed to work slightly different. AFTER hitting SEND (pic or vid) it would automatically first connect you (or attempt to if you are using a VPN, remember, credential issue), to the internet. If successful, then it would send it, it would notify you it was sent. Then on the recepients phone, (let us assume he TOO has the same phone), it would automatically dial his dialup and connect his internet connection without the person's permission. Then it would finally begin downloading the file.

So we have two main problems here. Cost and security. Cost if you dont have a data plan with unlimited data access, you will get charged PER KILO BYTE! It gets expensive quickly. There is no way around this, if you want to send pix or receive them and you do this alot, GET A DATA PLAN (about 40 bucks more a month.) Otherwise you will be spending too much money.

Now security, if anyone wanted your device connected to the internet, they would just have to send you a pic or video via email (anonymously) and get you online. Then if they knew your IP they could easily find a way to exploint your crappy phone. Sweet huh?! What is WORSE is that remember how I said it will STAY connected until you reset the phone? And who wants to reset the phone after ever internet use?! So yeah that sucks.

Its like, "oh you're not online!? Let me get you online!"

Now things that didn't annoy me much. Bubble popper was cool. Also, the Transcriber was awesome! It worked great, and if you played a little with it, it would eventually get to know your sloppy arse handwriting that it would get so good at transcribing your crap-slap-happy handwriting into text that it would speed up many of your text msgs or notes.

Yes taking notes was a breeze too, i used it a few times, (i wish i had more notes to take, it was fun to use.)

The convenient button for audio recording worked well too and at a very good quality. This is useful when you want to breach privacy and record people without them noticing! :-O

The camera was ok, it took decent pictures, it did have a cool panorama feature, which I never used--go figure.

Overall this device is "ok" and probably more popular among the teenage groups since it "looks cool." For a professional, I do not recommend it at all, I manage 5 of them, they all complain for various reasons, some are willing to go back to a normal cell phone.

Verizon Cell Phone Management

Well, they finally stuck it to me. Now on top of my other regular duties, I now manage the 50(?) or so company wireless devices, PDAs, Wireless Cards and Cell phones. Technically, I don't mind managing and maintaining PDAs and Wireless cards since they actually use PCs to operate--however I am not to fond of managing Cell phones. "Oh stop whining!" Some of you may say that, however have you ever managed 50 cell phones? In reality it really *is* a pain in the butt! The actual hardware itself is the easy part! The hard part of managing these cells is keeping track of ESN numbers, warranties, technical support calls with Verizon, voicemail passwords, resets, updates and programming.

Also, if your cell or PDA comes with a "data package" it makes things that much more difficult! When we recieved our XV6700 Pocket PCs they all came with an unlimited Data Package (Internet Access.) We figured out later that not all of them needed it since they dont need to get online, only me and another guy. So we removed it from the others--and later after removing it we find that in order for them to recieve pictures or videos, THEY NEED INTERNET ACCESS. WTF?! Talk about scam.

"uh....it should work."

We also have a Treo 650 that is able to recieve pictures and video fine over standard phone service JUST like a cell phone. I called Verizon to get some answers, "why do I need internet access on my Pocket PC and not on the Treo to get pictures?" All they could say was, "uh....it should work." So I said, "yeah I KNOW it should work! :..." So then they said, "well..uh....the Pocket PC is different from the Treo." And I said, "YES I KNOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT!" So they replied, "well so I *guess* the Pocket PC needs to access the internet to download pix." I said, "Gay."

So anyway, I get moved to their "Level2 Support." I figured their English would have at least gotten better :-O. Anyway, after "walking" me through a series of steps to "diagnos" to see what the problem was (after I had already told him what the problem was) he "determines" the Phone is not operating--rather, "functioning properly." Gee--you think?

So he has me delete all settings pertaining to internet connections on the PDA. He guides me to re-create one. Ok, I hit connect. And I get a call on the phone, and Im like "wtf?" So I said, hold on, someone is calling me, let me hit ignore. So I do. Then the connection fails. So I think to myself, "self, well I guess the call interrupted the connection, lets try again."

I hit connect again, a fwe seconds into the connection I get another call. This happens like 5 times in a row and I am pulling my hair out because people "are calling me while I am trying to connect!"

After spending about 2 hrs with support I finally say, "forget it, I will call you another time, just give me a CASE #." After I got off the phone I played with it for a while, and I figured out that for SOME REASON the "new" "re-created" internet connection was calling my phone. :-\....yeah...I dont know, thats a new one on me. Its been about 3 weeks since I talked to support, I dread calling them again--I will keep you updated on this issue....yeah so we can get charged PER KILOBYTE for PIX downloads.

[/rant]