Vostro 1500 problems customer service lacking

I got my new Vostro 1500 last week and since day 1 i have had problems with it basically. Not in terms of functionality as such but in terms of graphics etc.

I turned my computer on the day after i got it to find a blue screen saying hardware malfunction and then when i reset the computer, when the dell logo bar is loading up at the very beginning i have verticlal and horizontal lines across the screen, so i start to get a bit worried, naturally.

Anyways, it then takes me through a repair process as it has detected a problem. At the end of this wizard it tells me the problem has been solved and lets me go onto windows to access my files etc as usual.

So thats great up until the next morning when i turn it on again, the same occurs, the lines across the screen when the dell logo is loading up. So i decide that its best to ring the Dell team and see what they make of it. I end up speaking to an unnaturally cheerful indian bloke who seems like he wouldnt alter his tone even if you kicked him in he nethers. So he guides me through the process of diagnostic checks etc and when the memory test is complete and there are no obvious problems he tells me to re-install the graphics driver, which i do and then he tells me to wait a few days to see if the problem has been resolved. Lo and behold a few hours later when i come to turn my laptop on again, the lines reappear. So i email the "cheerful indian guy" back and tell him its not been sorted and he says he will ring me back today.

So this morning i get a phone call from another member of the team, who then proceeeds to do for an hour what the guy had guided me through the following day, its only after 20 mins or so when i get fed up of pre-empting what she is going to say that i rather angrily explain to her that i have checked the memory test and re-installed the graphics driver etc.

So then she has me do this extended system test which lasts for over 2 hours, ( yes, another 2 hours wasted of my time... as if i have nothing better to do than sit around waiting for someone to call me back)

So after this she insists on me "updating" my system bios so she takes me through the Dell website and then tells me a file to download and install. What worries me most is that despite her saying i have "upgraded" my bios version , a warning appeared on my screen telling me that what i want to "upgrade" to is an older version to what im currently running.... so i followed her instructions and now i am "observing" the computer for a few hours until she rings back yet again.

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Aside from posting my personal blog which was not my intention, i wanted to ask if anyone knew of any compatibility problems with Vista and older games. I was told that the graphics "malfunction" may have been caused due to incompatibility with software or games i may have installed since i got the computer. The only games i have installed are Football Manager 2007 and Championship Manager 01/02. Now i cant imagine FM 2007 having incompatibility issues as it is a relatively new game, however i was wondering if anyone knew or had experienced any problems with Championship Manager 01/02 when using it with Windows Vista or specifically Windows Vista Business?

Cheers

 

Wow, I am sorry you have been having problems... I wish I could give you the number to the dept I worked in but they were US home/office only. No Vostro help.

I seriously doubt the problem was the game. Have you tried uninstalling it? I would not have down graded the bios per their instructions. They are not supposed to tell you to do that.

Let me explaine a little bit of how Dell support works. Dell has a database that "HAS" to be used on every call and is tracted in their systems if it is being used or not. It is basically a Q&A for the tech. Asks what the customer's problem is, go to next step, try this, go to next step... so on and so forth. Now, I know this isn't true for every single person on overseas support but when you have your support in a country where a computer is still rare. I mean in the US (since I am here) The average household has one or more computers. For example, I have three, my inlaws have 5, my parents have 2.... we know how to use them cause we don't go more then 10 mins with out using a computer! whereas, a country where they only use computers at work and don't have one at home, they are not as keen as troubleshooting by themselves. With that said....

yes, sometimes the support can be laxed.... Last resort is reinstalling Windows without all the Dell Bloatware. If you are keen to doing this, I would recommend it. First thing I do on new retail computers. If that doesn't work, then it has to be hardware. It isn't going to be a driver issue if it is doing it in the BIOS.

 

Ah right, well i rang back in the end as i need it sorting pretty quickly, and i have to say the customer service was great really. I accept that they have to follow the instructions but she continued despite me telling her id done all of this previously!

What difference will it make to my system having an older BIOS?

And also how do i re-install windows without the Dell "bloatware"?

Cheers

 

If you boot your machine, and have these lines before it even starts loading windows...then this problem has nothing to do with windows, drivers, or bloatware...

Most problems that occur before Windows loads is HARDWARE HARDWARE HARDWARE...

I'm shooting from the hip, but from past experience, lines through your logo screen during bootup is a malfunctioning and possibly bad video card...

Usually the lines can be white, green, or blue..

 

You think that's bad? You haven't dealt with Toshiba. You were let off easy.

When you get lines or graphical glitches on the DELL startup logo screen then most likely your having some sort of a hardware issue. Most likely you got a bad video card.

 

so whats the end of this story? You sent it back or fixed it?