The good: the whole process took less than 4 business days, despite my having been told that it takes 7-10 business days.
The bad: it didn't fix the problem
Update: It took a second, more stressful depot repair to fix the problems by applying the solution I thought of in the first place.
Details:
This repair was the next step in the process of repairing the very mysterious process of BIOS intermittently not recognizing the operating system on the hard drive. When I sent the computer out, I included a note (one page, typed, with informative subheadings for easy scanability) detailing the history of the issue and what we'd tried already, describing my recent observation that the computer was more likely to boot up on a second try if I turned it off and on quickly so it was still "warm" (like an old car that needs to be warmed up), and mentioning my theory that a different brand of hard drive, ideally Samsung, should be tried.
Purolator picked up the computer from me on Monday afternoon. It arrived at the depot first thing on Tuesday. According to the online tracker, it was in "diagnosis" status for an hour, then was moved to "repair" status. On Wednesday afternoon, it was shipped back out via Purolator, and on Thursday morning it arrived back at my door.
The depot report stated that they'd replaced the hard drive (with another Western Digital) and the processor. I booted it up, and found that Windows was in Setup mode from an initial installation, which is how you normally receive a computer from Dell. I completed the setup, then decided to reboot it from a "cold" shut down state three times before I restored my data, just to make sure the problem had been solved. On the third try, it once again failed to detect the operating system. (In subsequent boot ups from a power off state over the next few days, it took two tries, four tries, and one try to boot up successfully.)
I emailed my tech to let him know about this and got an out of office message, so I decided to restore my system image so I could at least have my computer back for the moment. On Friday, my tech emailed me back saying he'd look into what the next step would be. I haven't heard back from him yet (which is fine - I asked him prior to sending it out what happens if the depot can't fix it, and he said he's sure there's some measure to take but that he has no experience with this, so he probably has to escalate it.)
So, long story short, I'm pleased with the turnaround time, but displeased with the fact that they couldn't fix it.
I suspect that their inability to fix it is yet another sign of Dell employee disempowerment. The replacement hard drive I received was Western Digital despite the fact that my notes to the depot tech said that this was the variable that has yet to be eliminated. I suspect that this is because Dell employees are not empowered to provide another brand of hard drive. (Although the ungenerous interpretation would be that it's because they ignored or disregarded my notes.) The fix they applied wasn't properly tested (again, despite my notes) because they didn't finalize the installation of Windows and therefore couldn't possibly have tested it with multiple start-ups from a power-down state. I suspect that this is because they're required to deliver computers to clients with Windows in set-up mode rather than finalized. (Although the ungenerous interpretation would be that they couldn't be bothered to take the time to finalize and test properly.) So, because of this disempowerment, the computer was returned to me without the problem corrected, completely unbeknownst to the technicians.
***
I don't know what happens next. I emailed the tech in charge of my case, he said he has to look into what's to be done next, and he hasn't gotten back to me yet.
This doesn't actually bother me at the moment, because I genuinely don't know what I want from them. Well, that's not completely true - what I want is a single, simple fix, ideally that I can implement myself, that will correct this problem and leave my computer functioning perfectly and meeting my needs at least for the next year. But I don't know what I want from them that's within the realm of possibility.
My best guess is still that the problem is with Western Digital drives and that a Samsung drive should be tried, but the Dell website no longer sells non-SSD Samsung drives (and introducing SSD at this point would be the opposite of controlling for variables). They did sell non-SSD Samsung drives in December, but they seem to be gone now. So I can't reasonably expect them to provide parts that they don't have.
I'm worried that they'll ask me to send it to the depot again so they can try other things, which I really don't want to do. I feel like I've already been cooperative enough by allowing it to be sent to the depot once for a problem that occurred under an on-site service warranty, and like I've already been inconvenienced enough being without my computer for 4 days for something that didn't even fix the problem. I don't know what my response would be if they told me that's what the next step is.
It does occur to me that the next step might be to replace the computer, and I don't know how I feel about that either. Apart from the boot-up problem, my computer still works beautifully, and I've heard that replacement systems are refurbished and therefore sometimes not always particularly good quality, so I'm afraid that I might end up with something worse. My computer was very customized and upgraded, and even at the age of 4 years it still surpasses current entry-level systems. I don't know if they'd even have comparable refurbished systems available, and comparable new ones from Dell retail for close to a thousand.I'm also afraid that if they did replace, they'd want me to send my old computer back before sending me a new one, which would leave me computerless again, for something that may or may not end up being comparable.
So at the moment I'm quite content to wait patiently for their response, avoid shutting down my computer as much as possible, and enjoy my regular everyday life with my regular everyday computer.
Showing posts with label tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tech. Show all posts
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Things I Don't Understand: shiny glass computer screens
My first flat computer monitor (and, in fact, every subsequent monitor) was a 17" LCD monitor with a screen that's made of plastic (or, at least, something softer and less shiny than glass). I don't know what this kind of monitor is actually called, but I like it.
But I've noticed that more modern computer monitors, especially those with wide screens, have screens made out of a shiny glass. If you go into a store and shop for monitors, you find a lot of monitors made out of very shiny glass, and far fewer made out of the less shiny plastic.
I don't understand why they do this. The shiny glass screen greatly increases glare, and seems like it would get dirty far more readily. I don't like it at all, but it seems more and more difficult to get a plasticky less-shiny screenof the style that has far less glare and doesn't get dirty as easily.
Why did they change it? What's the advantage? Why are the less-shiny plasticky screens harder and harder to find?
But I've noticed that more modern computer monitors, especially those with wide screens, have screens made out of a shiny glass. If you go into a store and shop for monitors, you find a lot of monitors made out of very shiny glass, and far fewer made out of the less shiny plastic.
I don't understand why they do this. The shiny glass screen greatly increases glare, and seems like it would get dirty far more readily. I don't like it at all, but it seems more and more difficult to get a plasticky less-shiny screenof the style that has far less glare and doesn't get dirty as easily.
Why did they change it? What's the advantage? Why are the less-shiny plasticky screens harder and harder to find?
Friday, January 09, 2015
Dell needs to empower its employees to keep the company's promises
As I've mentioned before, every computer I've owned has been from Dell, and I've been completely loyal to them my entire adult life, but I've been losing my trust in them during the life of my current computer.
I just realized that this loss of trust can be boiled down to one thing: the employees aren't fully empowered to keep the company's promises.
Here are two recent examples of lack of employee empowerment, how they made me lose trust in Dell, and how they would have won back my loyalty if the employees were fully empowered.
The Warranty Extension Problem
About 2 months before the four-year on-site service warranty I purchased with my computer expired, I got a mailing from Dell offering me the opportunity to extend my warranty. The mailing was customized, with my name, computer type, purchase date, existing warranty details, and even my service tag number. I called the number provided, and spoke to a gentleman who was prepared to sell me a warranty extension for a reasonable price. I agreed, and as he verbally reviewed what I'd just purchased, he mentioned that this extension was for mail-in service. "Wait," I objected, "My warranty is for on-site service!" He insisted that there's no such thing as on-site service for laptops, even though that's what I have and I had successfully had a technician dispatched to my home for a previous issue with this computer. So I told him I had to think about it before paying that amount for mail-in service, and hung up.
Then I reached out to @DellCares on twitter. When I told them the situation, they told me there's no such thing as an extension of a four-year warranty, even though I had a customized mailing offering me just that and the gentleman on the phone had just offered to sell me one, just not with on-site service. I showed them a picture of the customized mailing, and they told me I must have received it by mistake.
Since @DellCares thought warranty extensions didn't exist, I figured I should take what I can get and called the phone number again. But the gentleman I spoke with this time told me this wasn't the number for Canadian service (even though it was printed on my customized mailing sent to my Canadian address and they'd offered to sell me a warranty not an hour earlier) and gave me another number to call. I called that number and got what sounded like a US television provider (I forget the name), saying that they can't accept toll-free calls from outside the US. So I called Dell back and, weirdly, got the same representative. He gave me another phone number that was one digit off what I'd written down. I repeated it back to him and got it confirmed, but when I called it I got what sounded like a fax machine.
I went to the Dell website in an attempt to find the correct phone number and, as I was logged into my account, discovered I had the option to buy the warranty extension online! Awesome! The price was higher than the first gentleman I'd spoken with named, but it included on-site service and was available at the click of a mouse! I bought it, immediately got a confirmation email, and that was that!
Or so I thought.
A month later, when my hard drive began failing, I called tech support, and they mentioned that there was only about a month left on my warranty. Wait, what? I just bought an extension! Long story short, my warranty extension somehow didn't go through. It didn't appear on my account, and my credit card wasn't billed. If the hard drive problem had come just a few weeks later, I would have been out of warranty without even knowing it! Unfortunately, the warranty representative I spoke to wasn't able to sell me the same warranty I thought I'd already bought. She could only sell me mail-in service. I offered to send her the email showing that I'd bought it through the website previously, but she had no mechanism to receive emails from clients. Nor could she put me in touch with someone who could fulfill this promise - the best her supervisor could do was reduce the price on the mail-in service.
So despite the fact that Dell twice promised me the opportunity to buy an extension of my on-site warranty, both times entirely on its own initiative with the promise generated by its computer systems that were well aware of the age and nature of my computer system and my geographical location, I couldn't get in contact with a person who could sell me this promised warranty, even though the price I was willing to pay was more than the cost of an entry-level laptop at a Boxing Day sale.
The On-Site Service Dispatching Problem
As I mentioned before, I'm currently going through some very mysterious technical problems. I've been through extensive troubleshooting over a period of weeks, and had every hardware part that could possibly be involved replaced, yet the problem persists. The technician I've been working with says all that's left to be done is send it to the depot.
The problem is that this technician is not sufficiently empowered. The entire process has been completely logical, and I totally understand from a diagnostic perspective that having it looked at in person is the next logical step, but he has no mechanism to dispatch an on-site technician to make a diagnosis. They can only dispatch on-site technicians to install specific replacement parts that are dispatched as a result of remote diagnosis.
On top of that, he also has no mechanism to dispatch a different brand of hard drive. This is an issue because the boot-up failure only happened with Western Digital drives, not with the previous Samsung drive, so it's a variable that hasn't been eliminated. (Also, it's the only remaining variable to eliminate that either I or the telephone tech can identify.)
So, despite the fact that I cheerfully paid a premium for on-site warranty service back when I purchased the computer, I still have to send it in to the depot (and therefore be computerless for two weeks).
What would have happened if these Dell employees had been empowered
If these employees had been empowered, I would be singing Dell's praises and they would have won back my blind loyalty.
For the warranty issue, if either the warranty rep or the @DellCares person had been empowered to extend my on-site service warranty, I would have been thrilled. It never occurred to me that a warranty could be extended before I got the mailing in the first place, and when I got the mailing I thought "This is the solution to all my problems!" (My problems being that the early signs of hard drive failure were manifesting themselves without my recognizing them, and I don't really want to buy a new computer this year, hoping instead to wait for Windows 10.) If I'd gotten a warranty extension, I would have blogged and tweeted enthusiastically about how awesome Dell is for anticipating my needs.
But because they weren't empowered, I feel tricked and abandoned, and have lost trust in them since a transaction just somehow didn't go through despite my being sent a confirmation email, I got no notice whatsoever that it had failed, and resolving the problem was simply not possible.
For the tech support dispatch issue, if the telephone rep had been empowered to dispatch a different brand of hard drive to rule out that variable, or to dispatch a tech to diagnose on site when it became apparent that we'd eliminated every avenue for remote support, I would take this as a reminder of why I was loyal to Dell in the first place. Even if it took multiple tech visits to solve, I'd be delighted that they're taking such good care of me. Dell's on-site warranty support has saved my ass with every computer I've owned, and if they'd been able to do the same with this one, they'd have completely won me over. I'd be totally loyal to them once again. I'd be blogging and tweeting their praises. When buying my next computer, I'd go to the Dell site without even considering comparison shopping and buy the best gaming laptop available with the best warranty possible. When people are discussing what kind of computer to buy, I'd say "I always go with Dell because their warranty service is so awesome!"
But because the tech wasn't empowered to do anything except have me send my computer to the depot and therefore spend at least two weeks computerless, I'm stressing out, I'm googling for information about Dell's depot service and finding horror stories, and I feel betrayed and tricked and abandoned that I have to send my computer out despite having purchased on-site service.
One Dell innovation that I appreciate is after you call tech support, the tech you speak to is assigned ownership of the issue. You get an email with a tracking number, and you can email the same tech back if you have further problems. They'll give you further support by email or arrange a callback at a convenient time. I love this because it means you only have to wait on hold and explain your problem once. After that, it's just a continuation of the same conversation, occurring at your convenience.
And the telephone tech I've been working with is awesome. He's perfectly polite at all times and above-and-beyond patient. I have no objection to his technical skills - his initial pre-googling knowledge is greater than mine, and there was nothing I could google up that he didn't already suggest. Thanks to Dell's system of having a single tech take ownership of the issue, he's gotten back to me promptly every time I've emailed him, and I've been notified of his expected return on days when I've emailed him while he's out of office. Dell just needs to extend this to its logical conclusion, so my awesome tech has the authority to do everything necessary to solve my problem rather than being forced to leave me with the stress and uncertainty of sending my computer into a void.
I just realized that this loss of trust can be boiled down to one thing: the employees aren't fully empowered to keep the company's promises.
Here are two recent examples of lack of employee empowerment, how they made me lose trust in Dell, and how they would have won back my loyalty if the employees were fully empowered.
The Warranty Extension Problem
About 2 months before the four-year on-site service warranty I purchased with my computer expired, I got a mailing from Dell offering me the opportunity to extend my warranty. The mailing was customized, with my name, computer type, purchase date, existing warranty details, and even my service tag number. I called the number provided, and spoke to a gentleman who was prepared to sell me a warranty extension for a reasonable price. I agreed, and as he verbally reviewed what I'd just purchased, he mentioned that this extension was for mail-in service. "Wait," I objected, "My warranty is for on-site service!" He insisted that there's no such thing as on-site service for laptops, even though that's what I have and I had successfully had a technician dispatched to my home for a previous issue with this computer. So I told him I had to think about it before paying that amount for mail-in service, and hung up.
Then I reached out to @DellCares on twitter. When I told them the situation, they told me there's no such thing as an extension of a four-year warranty, even though I had a customized mailing offering me just that and the gentleman on the phone had just offered to sell me one, just not with on-site service. I showed them a picture of the customized mailing, and they told me I must have received it by mistake.
Since @DellCares thought warranty extensions didn't exist, I figured I should take what I can get and called the phone number again. But the gentleman I spoke with this time told me this wasn't the number for Canadian service (even though it was printed on my customized mailing sent to my Canadian address and they'd offered to sell me a warranty not an hour earlier) and gave me another number to call. I called that number and got what sounded like a US television provider (I forget the name), saying that they can't accept toll-free calls from outside the US. So I called Dell back and, weirdly, got the same representative. He gave me another phone number that was one digit off what I'd written down. I repeated it back to him and got it confirmed, but when I called it I got what sounded like a fax machine.
I went to the Dell website in an attempt to find the correct phone number and, as I was logged into my account, discovered I had the option to buy the warranty extension online! Awesome! The price was higher than the first gentleman I'd spoken with named, but it included on-site service and was available at the click of a mouse! I bought it, immediately got a confirmation email, and that was that!
Or so I thought.
A month later, when my hard drive began failing, I called tech support, and they mentioned that there was only about a month left on my warranty. Wait, what? I just bought an extension! Long story short, my warranty extension somehow didn't go through. It didn't appear on my account, and my credit card wasn't billed. If the hard drive problem had come just a few weeks later, I would have been out of warranty without even knowing it! Unfortunately, the warranty representative I spoke to wasn't able to sell me the same warranty I thought I'd already bought. She could only sell me mail-in service. I offered to send her the email showing that I'd bought it through the website previously, but she had no mechanism to receive emails from clients. Nor could she put me in touch with someone who could fulfill this promise - the best her supervisor could do was reduce the price on the mail-in service.
So despite the fact that Dell twice promised me the opportunity to buy an extension of my on-site warranty, both times entirely on its own initiative with the promise generated by its computer systems that were well aware of the age and nature of my computer system and my geographical location, I couldn't get in contact with a person who could sell me this promised warranty, even though the price I was willing to pay was more than the cost of an entry-level laptop at a Boxing Day sale.
The On-Site Service Dispatching Problem
As I mentioned before, I'm currently going through some very mysterious technical problems. I've been through extensive troubleshooting over a period of weeks, and had every hardware part that could possibly be involved replaced, yet the problem persists. The technician I've been working with says all that's left to be done is send it to the depot.
The problem is that this technician is not sufficiently empowered. The entire process has been completely logical, and I totally understand from a diagnostic perspective that having it looked at in person is the next logical step, but he has no mechanism to dispatch an on-site technician to make a diagnosis. They can only dispatch on-site technicians to install specific replacement parts that are dispatched as a result of remote diagnosis.
On top of that, he also has no mechanism to dispatch a different brand of hard drive. This is an issue because the boot-up failure only happened with Western Digital drives, not with the previous Samsung drive, so it's a variable that hasn't been eliminated. (Also, it's the only remaining variable to eliminate that either I or the telephone tech can identify.)
So, despite the fact that I cheerfully paid a premium for on-site warranty service back when I purchased the computer, I still have to send it in to the depot (and therefore be computerless for two weeks).
What would have happened if these Dell employees had been empowered
If these employees had been empowered, I would be singing Dell's praises and they would have won back my blind loyalty.
For the warranty issue, if either the warranty rep or the @DellCares person had been empowered to extend my on-site service warranty, I would have been thrilled. It never occurred to me that a warranty could be extended before I got the mailing in the first place, and when I got the mailing I thought "This is the solution to all my problems!" (My problems being that the early signs of hard drive failure were manifesting themselves without my recognizing them, and I don't really want to buy a new computer this year, hoping instead to wait for Windows 10.) If I'd gotten a warranty extension, I would have blogged and tweeted enthusiastically about how awesome Dell is for anticipating my needs.
But because they weren't empowered, I feel tricked and abandoned, and have lost trust in them since a transaction just somehow didn't go through despite my being sent a confirmation email, I got no notice whatsoever that it had failed, and resolving the problem was simply not possible.
For the tech support dispatch issue, if the telephone rep had been empowered to dispatch a different brand of hard drive to rule out that variable, or to dispatch a tech to diagnose on site when it became apparent that we'd eliminated every avenue for remote support, I would take this as a reminder of why I was loyal to Dell in the first place. Even if it took multiple tech visits to solve, I'd be delighted that they're taking such good care of me. Dell's on-site warranty support has saved my ass with every computer I've owned, and if they'd been able to do the same with this one, they'd have completely won me over. I'd be totally loyal to them once again. I'd be blogging and tweeting their praises. When buying my next computer, I'd go to the Dell site without even considering comparison shopping and buy the best gaming laptop available with the best warranty possible. When people are discussing what kind of computer to buy, I'd say "I always go with Dell because their warranty service is so awesome!"
But because the tech wasn't empowered to do anything except have me send my computer to the depot and therefore spend at least two weeks computerless, I'm stressing out, I'm googling for information about Dell's depot service and finding horror stories, and I feel betrayed and tricked and abandoned that I have to send my computer out despite having purchased on-site service.
One Dell innovation that I appreciate is after you call tech support, the tech you speak to is assigned ownership of the issue. You get an email with a tracking number, and you can email the same tech back if you have further problems. They'll give you further support by email or arrange a callback at a convenient time. I love this because it means you only have to wait on hold and explain your problem once. After that, it's just a continuation of the same conversation, occurring at your convenience.
And the telephone tech I've been working with is awesome. He's perfectly polite at all times and above-and-beyond patient. I have no objection to his technical skills - his initial pre-googling knowledge is greater than mine, and there was nothing I could google up that he didn't already suggest. Thanks to Dell's system of having a single tech take ownership of the issue, he's gotten back to me promptly every time I've emailed him, and I've been notified of his expected return on days when I've emailed him while he's out of office. Dell just needs to extend this to its logical conclusion, so my awesome tech has the authority to do everything necessary to solve my problem rather than being forced to leave me with the stress and uncertainty of sending my computer into a void.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Contemplating my next computer
All of my computers have been Dells, always because I got at least five years out of the computer and was extremely happy with their warranty support.
With my current computer, I've had a number of experiences (not all of which I've blogged) that have led me to question my loyalty to Dell. These aren't so much technical problems, but customer service problems - not getting call-backs when I'm supposed to, people on the phone who aren't empowered to keep promises made to me by the Dell website or personalized mailings I received, repeatedly getting my call dropped when getting transferred to the person who can allegedly solve my problem, etc.
Because of this, I'm not automatically going to Dell for my next computer. I haven't done comprehensive research yet, but the internet suggests that other brands like Asus/Acer (I don't remember which it was - obviously I'll have to research more) may have better components, so I'm considering looking for higher quality elsewhere.
But, at the same time, my current problems make me realize how much I value warranty support. I'm aware of the economic argument against extended warranties, but, for hardware problems especially, I like having the option of making it someone else's problem. But I haven't been able to find any other companies that have warranties as long or comprehensive as Dell's.
The internet has also suggested the possibility of buying from Dell's "small business" store rather than their "home" store, on the grounds that the "small business" end of things apparently has better user support. I haven't looked into that extensively, but it's on the table.
At this point, someone usually suggests that I build my own. I'm reluctant to do so because I'm clumsy. After observing technicians dismantle and reassemble my current computer, I'm afraid that if I tried to build one myself, I'd use too much force or something trying to snap components together and break some circuit board or plastic bit, rendering the whole thing useless. Paying money for components and putting time and effort into assembling them with the end result being a computer is one thing, but paying money for components and putting time and effort into assembling them only to destroy something and create an expensive paperweight is another thing. My computer is too important to me to put it at the mercy of my fine motor skills.
And, at this point, someone usually suggests that I get a Mac. But I'm reluctant to do so based on my experience with other Apple products. I don't particularly want to pay a premium for something that's soon going to be treated by the manufacturer as obsolete and non-maintainable, at least as compared with my current technology usage patterns.
But another option might be to start treating my computers as disposable, i.e. spend only a few hundred dollars for something that I don't expect to last longer than a year rather than a couple thousand in an attempt to get five years out of it. Doing this may eliminate any bad feelings of regret at spending big money on something that doesn't end up working beautifully for many years, and might even introduce an element of happiness when it comes time to upgrade - "YAY, I get a better computer!" as opposed to the current "WAAH! I have to shop for a computer!" But I don't really feel very good about the idea of deliberately buying lesser quality with the expectation of throwing it out. In general, it seems more ethical and, frankly, classier to buy quality and longevity whenever possible.
Thoughts welcome. I'd particularly be interested in firsthand experience with warranty support from retailers or manufacturers other than Dell.
With my current computer, I've had a number of experiences (not all of which I've blogged) that have led me to question my loyalty to Dell. These aren't so much technical problems, but customer service problems - not getting call-backs when I'm supposed to, people on the phone who aren't empowered to keep promises made to me by the Dell website or personalized mailings I received, repeatedly getting my call dropped when getting transferred to the person who can allegedly solve my problem, etc.
Because of this, I'm not automatically going to Dell for my next computer. I haven't done comprehensive research yet, but the internet suggests that other brands like Asus/Acer (I don't remember which it was - obviously I'll have to research more) may have better components, so I'm considering looking for higher quality elsewhere.
But, at the same time, my current problems make me realize how much I value warranty support. I'm aware of the economic argument against extended warranties, but, for hardware problems especially, I like having the option of making it someone else's problem. But I haven't been able to find any other companies that have warranties as long or comprehensive as Dell's.
The internet has also suggested the possibility of buying from Dell's "small business" store rather than their "home" store, on the grounds that the "small business" end of things apparently has better user support. I haven't looked into that extensively, but it's on the table.
At this point, someone usually suggests that I build my own. I'm reluctant to do so because I'm clumsy. After observing technicians dismantle and reassemble my current computer, I'm afraid that if I tried to build one myself, I'd use too much force or something trying to snap components together and break some circuit board or plastic bit, rendering the whole thing useless. Paying money for components and putting time and effort into assembling them with the end result being a computer is one thing, but paying money for components and putting time and effort into assembling them only to destroy something and create an expensive paperweight is another thing. My computer is too important to me to put it at the mercy of my fine motor skills.
And, at this point, someone usually suggests that I get a Mac. But I'm reluctant to do so based on my experience with other Apple products. I don't particularly want to pay a premium for something that's soon going to be treated by the manufacturer as obsolete and non-maintainable, at least as compared with my current technology usage patterns.
But another option might be to start treating my computers as disposable, i.e. spend only a few hundred dollars for something that I don't expect to last longer than a year rather than a couple thousand in an attempt to get five years out of it. Doing this may eliminate any bad feelings of regret at spending big money on something that doesn't end up working beautifully for many years, and might even introduce an element of happiness when it comes time to upgrade - "YAY, I get a better computer!" as opposed to the current "WAAH! I have to shop for a computer!" But I don't really feel very good about the idea of deliberately buying lesser quality with the expectation of throwing it out. In general, it seems more ethical and, frankly, classier to buy quality and longevity whenever possible.
Thoughts welcome. I'd particularly be interested in firsthand experience with warranty support from retailers or manufacturers other than Dell.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
BIOS sometimes (but not always) doesn't recognize the operating system on my hard drive
The computer: Dell XPS 15 running Windows 7
In early December, one of the built-in diagnostics found that the hard drive failed a "SMART short self test" and a "targeted read test", which meant that failure was imminent.
I'm still under warranty, so I got it promptly replaced by in-home service, successfully reimaged, and life proceeded as normal. I cheerfully chalked this up to my standard "Dell saves my ass with a major repair just before the warranty expires" narrative that's happened with every computer I've owned, and carried on with life.
Two days later, I booted up and it said it couldn't find the operating system. I freaked out and called tech support, and during one of the reboots that happened while they were running me through diagnostics, Windows suddenly booted up normally.
Over the next several days, this happened every time I booted up. BIOS wouldn't find the operating system on the hard drive the first time or two (or three or six), but then it would find it for no discernable reason. And after it did find it and boot up Windows, everything would proceed beautifully.
Over the course of several days, on the phone with a Dell rep whom I've spoken to more than any other human being this month, we ran every diagnostic in the book, repaired the boot sector, reinstalled Windows a couple of times, and manipulated all the potentially-relevant BIOS settings. The problem still persisted. Boot-up failed more often than not, but once it succeeded everything worked normally.
From a technological standpoint, this problem would occur somewhere in the connection between the hard drive and the motherboard. So, finally, they had a tech come in (with the beautiful in-home warranty service I paid a premium for when I bought my computer) and replace my motherboard and my hard drive. I reinstalled Windows, booted up successfully a couple of times, reimaged, and got on with life.
But then, the next morning, the problem reoccurred again! BIOS didn't recognize that there was an operating system on the hard drive, despite the fact that literally everything that might be contributing to this problem had been replaced!
So now they tell me that the only choice is to send it in to the depot, which would leave me without a computer for a total of 7 to 10 business days. This makes me very sad. My computer is central to my social life, play and creativity (fortunately I have another for my work), and is the absolute core of my happy place and self-care. The idea of being without a computer for 2 weeks is a grey cloud lurking over my head. I literally feel like there's something ominous standing behind me. I told the tech (and he agreed) that I don't want to send it out before January so it doesn't incur further delays what with all the statutory holidays this time of year, but even though I get to enjoy my computer during this difficult holiday period, I'm still feeling impending dread about the prospect of 2 weeks without it.
I understand from a diagnostic perspective why they'd want to look at it in person in a depot (I found myself thinking during this process that it would be faster if I could just take it in somewhere and sit down with a tech at a workbench who had a lot of different tools and components and just try stuff out), but it's just disheartening to have to be without a computer for so long when I've already paid a premium for a warranty that includes on-site service.
There's one factor in all this that we haven't been able to test or rule out: the brand of the hard drive. Both replacement hard drives that the BIOS doesn't reliably recognize have been Western Digital (which was also the brand of the external hard drive I used to own that was giving me problems.) The previous drive (which never once had this problem) was Samsung. When I googled around the problem of the BIOS sometimes not recognizing that the hard drive has an operating system, I found Western Digital hard drives were disproportionately represented. But it seems like Dell, like most large companies, buys equipment in bulk, so they have no mechanism for providing me with a different brand of hard drive. I don't know if the depot would be able to do this either.
So that's my current emotional crisis. If you've ever successfully solved this problem of BIOS sporadically not recognizing the operating system on a hard drive, I'd love to hear in the comments how you solved it! If your answer is going to be to buy a different type of computer, please save it for my upcoming post contemplating the purchase of my next computer.
Update: After two attempts at depot repair, Dell finally installed a Samsung brand drive, which, just as I suspected, made the problem go away.
In early December, one of the built-in diagnostics found that the hard drive failed a "SMART short self test" and a "targeted read test", which meant that failure was imminent.
I'm still under warranty, so I got it promptly replaced by in-home service, successfully reimaged, and life proceeded as normal. I cheerfully chalked this up to my standard "Dell saves my ass with a major repair just before the warranty expires" narrative that's happened with every computer I've owned, and carried on with life.
Two days later, I booted up and it said it couldn't find the operating system. I freaked out and called tech support, and during one of the reboots that happened while they were running me through diagnostics, Windows suddenly booted up normally.
Over the next several days, this happened every time I booted up. BIOS wouldn't find the operating system on the hard drive the first time or two (or three or six), but then it would find it for no discernable reason. And after it did find it and boot up Windows, everything would proceed beautifully.
Over the course of several days, on the phone with a Dell rep whom I've spoken to more than any other human being this month, we ran every diagnostic in the book, repaired the boot sector, reinstalled Windows a couple of times, and manipulated all the potentially-relevant BIOS settings. The problem still persisted. Boot-up failed more often than not, but once it succeeded everything worked normally.
From a technological standpoint, this problem would occur somewhere in the connection between the hard drive and the motherboard. So, finally, they had a tech come in (with the beautiful in-home warranty service I paid a premium for when I bought my computer) and replace my motherboard and my hard drive. I reinstalled Windows, booted up successfully a couple of times, reimaged, and got on with life.
But then, the next morning, the problem reoccurred again! BIOS didn't recognize that there was an operating system on the hard drive, despite the fact that literally everything that might be contributing to this problem had been replaced!
So now they tell me that the only choice is to send it in to the depot, which would leave me without a computer for a total of 7 to 10 business days. This makes me very sad. My computer is central to my social life, play and creativity (fortunately I have another for my work), and is the absolute core of my happy place and self-care. The idea of being without a computer for 2 weeks is a grey cloud lurking over my head. I literally feel like there's something ominous standing behind me. I told the tech (and he agreed) that I don't want to send it out before January so it doesn't incur further delays what with all the statutory holidays this time of year, but even though I get to enjoy my computer during this difficult holiday period, I'm still feeling impending dread about the prospect of 2 weeks without it.
I understand from a diagnostic perspective why they'd want to look at it in person in a depot (I found myself thinking during this process that it would be faster if I could just take it in somewhere and sit down with a tech at a workbench who had a lot of different tools and components and just try stuff out), but it's just disheartening to have to be without a computer for so long when I've already paid a premium for a warranty that includes on-site service.
There's one factor in all this that we haven't been able to test or rule out: the brand of the hard drive. Both replacement hard drives that the BIOS doesn't reliably recognize have been Western Digital (which was also the brand of the external hard drive I used to own that was giving me problems.) The previous drive (which never once had this problem) was Samsung. When I googled around the problem of the BIOS sometimes not recognizing that the hard drive has an operating system, I found Western Digital hard drives were disproportionately represented. But it seems like Dell, like most large companies, buys equipment in bulk, so they have no mechanism for providing me with a different brand of hard drive. I don't know if the depot would be able to do this either.
So that's my current emotional crisis. If you've ever successfully solved this problem of BIOS sporadically not recognizing the operating system on a hard drive, I'd love to hear in the comments how you solved it! If your answer is going to be to buy a different type of computer, please save it for my upcoming post contemplating the purchase of my next computer.
Update: After two attempts at depot repair, Dell finally installed a Samsung brand drive, which, just as I suspected, made the problem go away.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Dell XPS 15 / NVIDIA GeForce GT 435M / external monitor issues
I've recently had some curious computer behaviour that appear loosely related to my video card+external monitor combination. I have no idea if they're related to each other, I have no idea if this is the whole story, I have no idea if there's some other underlying issue I can't see. I'm just documenting what I know here for googleability in case it's helpful to someone.
The computer: a Dell XPS 15, running Windows 7
The video card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 435M
The display: a Dell E178FP LCD monitor, connected to the computer via a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter (because the computer doesn't have VGA output and the monitor only has VGA input. However, sometimes I unplug the external monitor and instead use the built-in screen, which has widescreen dimensions.
The monitor blinking out problem
Every once in a while, it seemed randomly, the monitor would blink out, as though it had gone into sleep mode even though I don't have a sleep mode set. Moving the mouse or pressing the keyboard wouldn't work and opening up the laptop wouldn't even work. It would be completely frozen and I'd have to do a hard reboot. The appearance of this problem correlated with appearance of the monitor occasionally flickering when I was shredding paper (about 3 feet away from the monitor) and with difficulty switching back and forth between laptop screen and external monitor - when I connected the external monitor, it wouldn't pick up the picture (even when I pressed Windows key + P). It would take multiple pluggings and unpluggings to make it work, and sometimes even a reboot. And it got worse as time passed.
After this had been going on for some time, I noticed that the monitor blinked out when the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter got jiggled. I therefore bought a new adapter, and the problem stopped happening.
The Windows 7 Action Centre mystery
Shortly after I bought the new Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter that could withstand jiggling, an alert appeared in my Windows 7 Action Centre saying "Solve a problem with NVIDIA Graphics Driver." However, when I clicked on it, it said "This solution could not be downloaded." It's been saying that for months, always when I did in fact have a full and active internet connection. The problem that it claims to be solving correlates with times when the computer crashed because of the adapter problem, so I don't know that there is in fact a driver issue (when this first appeared, my driver was the most recent one available).
The bad Windows Update
I don't routinely install all Windows updates, because in the past I've had problems with them conflicting or causing problems. Once my setup works, I prefer to keep it that way. But, just recently, I noticed an update called "nVidia Graphics Adapter WDDM1.1, Graphics Adapter WDDM1.2, Graphics Adapter WDDM1.3, released in October, 2013". I thought this might be the NVIDIA solution that the Action Centre was trying and failing to deliver, so I installed it.
And it completely disabled my external monitor. No matter how many times I unplugged and replugged and switched back and forth between the monitors, nothing would display on my external monitor.
So I did a system restore, and the external monitor started working again.
The takeaway (to the best of my knowledge):
- If your external monitor is connected using a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter and you lose monitor signal, freezing the computer, try replacing the adapter.
- If this has happened and there's a useless Solve a problem with NVIDIA Graphics Driver" notice in your Windows Action Centre, this might be why.
- If you have installed a Windows update called "nVidia Graphics Adapter WDDM1.1, Graphics Adapter WDDM1.2, Graphics Adapter WDDM1.3, released in October, 2013" and lost the use of your external monitor, try undoing the update.
The computer: a Dell XPS 15, running Windows 7
The video card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 435M
The display: a Dell E178FP LCD monitor, connected to the computer via a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter (because the computer doesn't have VGA output and the monitor only has VGA input. However, sometimes I unplug the external monitor and instead use the built-in screen, which has widescreen dimensions.
The monitor blinking out problem
Every once in a while, it seemed randomly, the monitor would blink out, as though it had gone into sleep mode even though I don't have a sleep mode set. Moving the mouse or pressing the keyboard wouldn't work and opening up the laptop wouldn't even work. It would be completely frozen and I'd have to do a hard reboot. The appearance of this problem correlated with appearance of the monitor occasionally flickering when I was shredding paper (about 3 feet away from the monitor) and with difficulty switching back and forth between laptop screen and external monitor - when I connected the external monitor, it wouldn't pick up the picture (even when I pressed Windows key + P). It would take multiple pluggings and unpluggings to make it work, and sometimes even a reboot. And it got worse as time passed.
After this had been going on for some time, I noticed that the monitor blinked out when the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter got jiggled. I therefore bought a new adapter, and the problem stopped happening.
The Windows 7 Action Centre mystery
Shortly after I bought the new Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter that could withstand jiggling, an alert appeared in my Windows 7 Action Centre saying "Solve a problem with NVIDIA Graphics Driver." However, when I clicked on it, it said "This solution could not be downloaded." It's been saying that for months, always when I did in fact have a full and active internet connection. The problem that it claims to be solving correlates with times when the computer crashed because of the adapter problem, so I don't know that there is in fact a driver issue (when this first appeared, my driver was the most recent one available).
The bad Windows Update
I don't routinely install all Windows updates, because in the past I've had problems with them conflicting or causing problems. Once my setup works, I prefer to keep it that way. But, just recently, I noticed an update called "nVidia Graphics Adapter WDDM1.1, Graphics Adapter WDDM1.2, Graphics Adapter WDDM1.3, released in October, 2013". I thought this might be the NVIDIA solution that the Action Centre was trying and failing to deliver, so I installed it.
And it completely disabled my external monitor. No matter how many times I unplugged and replugged and switched back and forth between the monitors, nothing would display on my external monitor.
So I did a system restore, and the external monitor started working again.
The takeaway (to the best of my knowledge):
- If your external monitor is connected using a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter and you lose monitor signal, freezing the computer, try replacing the adapter.
- If this has happened and there's a useless Solve a problem with NVIDIA Graphics Driver" notice in your Windows Action Centre, this might be why.
- If you have installed a Windows update called "nVidia Graphics Adapter WDDM1.1, Graphics Adapter WDDM1.2, Graphics Adapter WDDM1.3, released in October, 2013" and lost the use of your external monitor, try undoing the update.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
itunes lyrics efficiency
As I've mentioned before, I'm lyric-deaf, meaning I can't always clearly hear all the words of a song I'm listening to. As a result, often when I'm going about my everyday life, I feel the need to stop and google up the lyrics to the song I'm listening to.
But this morning my shower gave me an idea:
Every time I find myself googling up lyrics, I'll paste them into the "Lyrics" tab for that song. (Right-click the song, click on Get Info, choose the Lyrics tab.) Then they'll be available for me on my ipod, and apparently you can also download plug-ins that will show the contents of the Lyrics tab in itunes as the song plays. So if I keep doing this, every song with incomprehensible lyrics will eventually display its lyrics automatically when it plays.
But this morning my shower gave me an idea:
Every time I find myself googling up lyrics, I'll paste them into the "Lyrics" tab for that song. (Right-click the song, click on Get Info, choose the Lyrics tab.) Then they'll be available for me on my ipod, and apparently you can also download plug-ins that will show the contents of the Lyrics tab in itunes as the song plays. So if I keep doing this, every song with incomprehensible lyrics will eventually display its lyrics automatically when it plays.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Teach me how to erase an external hard drive with a dead power supply
As I blogged about before, my old external hard drive (a Western Digital Elements) has gone through two power supplies in just over two years. I was sick of buying new power supplies for it, so I replaced it with a external hard drive that doesn't require a power supply (which I'll blog about after I've used it for a bit).
Now I'm ready to dispose of the Western Digital.
Problem: to erase it, I'd have to connect it to a computer. And to do that, I need a working power supply. And I don't much fancy buying yet another power supply to use only once just to erase a drive I no longer intend to use.
Does anyone know of a way to erase an external hard drive that requires a power supply but the power supply is dead?
Now I'm ready to dispose of the Western Digital.
Problem: to erase it, I'd have to connect it to a computer. And to do that, I need a working power supply. And I don't much fancy buying yet another power supply to use only once just to erase a drive I no longer intend to use.
Does anyone know of a way to erase an external hard drive that requires a power supply but the power supply is dead?
Monday, November 11, 2013
Post your external hard drive recommendations here!
Just over two years ago, I bought a Western Digital Elements external hard drive. I didn't put a lot of research into this - I just had to reimage my computer so I needed something immediately for backup.
It served me well for nearly two years, but then the power supply died. I bought a new one on ebay, but it died just now, after only a few months' use. The internet suggests that this is not an uncommon problem with Western Digital external hard drives.
So I've decided it's time to go for quality. Can anyone recommend an external hard drive that has given them worry-free reliability and longevity?
I don't necessarily need anything with its own backup software or anything, I just need an external hard drive that will work and keep working for years without my having to worry about it.
Suggestions?
It served me well for nearly two years, but then the power supply died. I bought a new one on ebay, but it died just now, after only a few months' use. The internet suggests that this is not an uncommon problem with Western Digital external hard drives.
So I've decided it's time to go for quality. Can anyone recommend an external hard drive that has given them worry-free reliability and longevity?
I don't necessarily need anything with its own backup software or anything, I just need an external hard drive that will work and keep working for years without my having to worry about it.
Suggestions?
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Brother DCP-7060D: a printer that works
I previously bought an inkjet printer simply because I needed a printer-scanner combo immediately and that was the cheapest one readily available that was small enough to comfortably carry home. However, it quickly became apparent that a laser printer would be a better fit for my needs, so I decided that when the inkjet ran out of ink, I'd rehome it and replace it with a laser printer.
I looked through the Consumer Reports recommendations for all-in-one laser printers (fun fact: you can access the Consumer Reports subscriber website with your Toronto Public Library card! All you have to do is log in through here!) and a lot of them were huge. The smallest one (and only one with a remote chance of fitting into the space where I needed it to fit) was the Brother DCP-7060D. It turned out there was an incredibly good deal on it on NewEgg, so I bought it.
I've had it for a month, and I love it because it does its job exactly right every single time with no fussing or drama! I plug it into the computer, the USB detects it and installs the drivers and it's ready to go without any intervention on my part. I press print, it prints. I want two-sided printing, it auto-duplexes. I accidentally press print when it isn't plugged in or turned on, it prints once it's plugged in and turned on. I press Cancel Job, it cancels the job.
It hasn't once given me any stupid error messages or freaked out for no reason or otherwise failed to do exactly what it's supposed to do. This is the first personal printer I've owned that I can say that about!
I recommend it unreservedly if you have the budget and the space and don't need colour printing.
I looked through the Consumer Reports recommendations for all-in-one laser printers (fun fact: you can access the Consumer Reports subscriber website with your Toronto Public Library card! All you have to do is log in through here!) and a lot of them were huge. The smallest one (and only one with a remote chance of fitting into the space where I needed it to fit) was the Brother DCP-7060D. It turned out there was an incredibly good deal on it on NewEgg, so I bought it.
I've had it for a month, and I love it because it does its job exactly right every single time with no fussing or drama! I plug it into the computer, the USB detects it and installs the drivers and it's ready to go without any intervention on my part. I press print, it prints. I want two-sided printing, it auto-duplexes. I accidentally press print when it isn't plugged in or turned on, it prints once it's plugged in and turned on. I press Cancel Job, it cancels the job.
It hasn't once given me any stupid error messages or freaked out for no reason or otherwise failed to do exactly what it's supposed to do. This is the first personal printer I've owned that I can say that about!
I recommend it unreservedly if you have the budget and the space and don't need colour printing.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Machine translation FAIL
One of the things I like to test translation software with is formal French complimentary closings. French uses long, gorgeous, wordy passages where we'd just say "sincerely" in English, so it's useful to determine whether the software recognizes the function of the text. I was recently demonstrating this, and got the following result (click to embiggen):
For those of you who don't read French, the phrase input here is a French complimentary closing, appropriate to a formal business letter. With the exception of one serious error, the English is a reasonable literal translation.
There are two problems here, one macro and one micro.
The macro problem is that the French is a complimentary closing, and the English is not. English complimentary closings are things like "Sincerely," or "Yours truly," and that's how this sentence should be translated. The actual words don't matter; the message is "This is to indicate that I am ending the letter in the prescribed letter, and the next thing you see will be my signature."
And the micro problem is that, on a word-for-word level, it translated the French "Madame" (i.e. Ms. or Ma'am) with the English "Sir", thereby addressing the recipient as the wrong gender. Not only is this clearly unacceptable, it's something even the most simplistic machine translation should be able to handle. Even if an individual text in their corpus got misaligned, they should have some mechanism to recognize that "Sir" is not the most common translation of "Madame". Even a calque of the French ("Madam") would be a better translation than "Sir", which is a sure sign of a particularly bad translation. I'm quite surprised to see this happening in 2013.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Evoluent Mouse-Friendly Keyboard
I was having some mousing-related ergonomic issues, so I went and bought the Evoluent Mouse-Friendly Keyboard.
Ergonomically, it does the job fantastically. I started using it in mid-March (and started working at home in April) and haven't had any ergonomic owies whatsoever!
My only complaint is I really wish the spacebar extended about a centimetre further to the right. In the existing configuration, the right edge of the space bar lines up with the space between the J and K keys, which means that my right thumb lands right on the very end of the spacebar. (Unfortunately, my Grade 9 typing class, which I took for an easy A as I already knew how to type, drilled into me the habit of using only my right thumb for the spacebar, so using my left thumb greatly slows me down and creates hilarious typos.) I understand that the abbreviated spacebar is a result of trying to cram all the assorted crt-alt-delete-insert-windows keys into the bottom row so the keyboard doesn't need extra columns for all those keys like you have in a standard keyboard
One thing that hasn't caused any problems but seems a bit worrisome is that the keys are very shallow and the mechanisms seem kind of delicate. This means that if a crumb gets into the keyboard, you can feel it under the key right away and it's more likely than with a standard keyboard to interfere with typing. This is good in some ways, because you can detect and remove crumbs immediately rather than having them accumulated like they do in deeper keyboards, but it always seems like the keys are so delicate that something might snap when I'm prying them off. Nothing has snapped yet, so I have no empirical evidence supporting this claim, but it is a general feeling I get. I will update this if anything actually goes wrong, so if I haven't updated it's just me being paranoid so far.
However, it does have a one-year warranty, and it seems to have completely eliminated the sporadic ergonomic issues I was previously experiencing, so even if it turns out it is more fragile than other keyboards, I'd say it's still worthwhile overall. (Although I'd still very much prefer that it be made to last.)
Ergonomically, it does the job fantastically. I started using it in mid-March (and started working at home in April) and haven't had any ergonomic owies whatsoever!
My only complaint is I really wish the spacebar extended about a centimetre further to the right. In the existing configuration, the right edge of the space bar lines up with the space between the J and K keys, which means that my right thumb lands right on the very end of the spacebar. (Unfortunately, my Grade 9 typing class, which I took for an easy A as I already knew how to type, drilled into me the habit of using only my right thumb for the spacebar, so using my left thumb greatly slows me down and creates hilarious typos.) I understand that the abbreviated spacebar is a result of trying to cram all the assorted crt-alt-delete-insert-windows keys into the bottom row so the keyboard doesn't need extra columns for all those keys like you have in a standard keyboard
One thing that hasn't caused any problems but seems a bit worrisome is that the keys are very shallow and the mechanisms seem kind of delicate. This means that if a crumb gets into the keyboard, you can feel it under the key right away and it's more likely than with a standard keyboard to interfere with typing. This is good in some ways, because you can detect and remove crumbs immediately rather than having them accumulated like they do in deeper keyboards, but it always seems like the keys are so delicate that something might snap when I'm prying them off. Nothing has snapped yet, so I have no empirical evidence supporting this claim, but it is a general feeling I get. I will update this if anything actually goes wrong, so if I haven't updated it's just me being paranoid so far.
However, it does have a one-year warranty, and it seems to have completely eliminated the sporadic ergonomic issues I was previously experiencing, so even if it turns out it is more fragile than other keyboards, I'd say it's still worthwhile overall. (Although I'd still very much prefer that it be made to last.)
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Things They Should Invent: multiple customizable email alerts
I have visual and audible email alerts for both my personal and my work email. In general I'd rather have the alerts than not, but what I'd really like is to get alerts only for emails that are important.
For example, in my personal email, I'd like to get alerted about personal communications from family and friends, ebay auctions that I've won or been outbid on, and anything from my banks, my apartment building, or my condo that require immediate action. I don't need to get alerted about "Here's our newsletter!" or "Sign this petition!" or "This is to confirm that you made the paypal purchase that you made literally 2 seconds ago." I'll look at those things later, but I don't need to interrupt what I'm doing to look at them.
Similarly, in my work email, I'd like to get alerted about new assignments, emails from clients, and specific personal communication from my team. I don't need to be alerted about "Here's the employee newsletter!" or "This is just to let you know that I will be away Friday." Again, I'll look at them later, but they don't require my immediate attention.
Gmail has a function where they automatically mark certain email threads as more important, and it works reasonably well if you put in the effort to train it (I did briefly and was happy with the rate at which it was learning, but then I got lazy and stopped using it.) So why not pair this up with Gmail Notifier so it notifies you only when you get an email that meets "important" criteria? Or perhaps give you a different kind of beep for the more important emails?
Outlook allows you to create all kinds of finicky rules, so why not allow you to create rules defining what kind of alert the program gives you? You could tell it to give you the "important" alert if you get an email from certain senders or in reply to an email that you yourself have sent. If you can convince your colleagues to use good subject lines, you could get one kind of alert for "FYI" emails and another for "For Action" emails.
Properly implemented, this would allow people to have all the benefits of email alerts with none of the disadvantages. So why don't we have it already?
For example, in my personal email, I'd like to get alerted about personal communications from family and friends, ebay auctions that I've won or been outbid on, and anything from my banks, my apartment building, or my condo that require immediate action. I don't need to get alerted about "Here's our newsletter!" or "Sign this petition!" or "This is to confirm that you made the paypal purchase that you made literally 2 seconds ago." I'll look at those things later, but I don't need to interrupt what I'm doing to look at them.
Similarly, in my work email, I'd like to get alerted about new assignments, emails from clients, and specific personal communication from my team. I don't need to be alerted about "Here's the employee newsletter!" or "This is just to let you know that I will be away Friday." Again, I'll look at them later, but they don't require my immediate attention.
Gmail has a function where they automatically mark certain email threads as more important, and it works reasonably well if you put in the effort to train it (I did briefly and was happy with the rate at which it was learning, but then I got lazy and stopped using it.) So why not pair this up with Gmail Notifier so it notifies you only when you get an email that meets "important" criteria? Or perhaps give you a different kind of beep for the more important emails?
Outlook allows you to create all kinds of finicky rules, so why not allow you to create rules defining what kind of alert the program gives you? You could tell it to give you the "important" alert if you get an email from certain senders or in reply to an email that you yourself have sent. If you can convince your colleagues to use good subject lines, you could get one kind of alert for "FYI" emails and another for "For Action" emails.
Properly implemented, this would allow people to have all the benefits of email alerts with none of the disadvantages. So why don't we have it already?
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Things They Should Invent: needs-based telecommunications technology funding for seniors
As I've mentioned before, I'm watching my grandmothers age and deteriorate and become more dependent on their children and caregivers. And, as I watch this happen, I'm thinking about how I'm going to handle the same situation without anyone to take care of me. And one thing that strikes me is that I could handle it better in some respects because I'm comfortable with technology. If I couldn't manage grocery shopping for myself, I could order from grocery gateway. If I couldn't remember to take my meds, I could set up a series of alerts. My grandmothers aren't up on using today's technology, so they're dependent on their children to do these things.
However, it's not just interest and technological aptitude that keeps them from using technology, it's also cost. My grandmothers retired in the 1980s, calculating their expenses based on expenses that existed in the 1980s. They couldn't have anticipated the eventual need for $40 a month for internet or a data plan, plus the major capital investment of a new computer or device every few years. Even if they'd be interested, they probably couldn't afford it.
If retirement still exists when I'm a senior, the same thing will probably happen to me. If I retire when I'm in my 60s, I couldn't possibly budget for the evolution and cost of technology over the next 30 to 40 years. (And if retirement doesn't still exist when I'm a senior, I'll have to hoard money even more because I have to assume 20 years of incompetence based on my family history of Alzheimer's, so I won't be able to afford to keep up to date.)
So I propose that all senior citizens should get a needs-based financial supplement of some sort (a discount or a rebate or free services or something) to keep them in up-to-date telecommunications technology, by which I mean both devices and data/internet plans. I don't have specific dollar amounts in mind at the moment, but the funding should be enough that it's an absolute no-brainer to keep up to date.
I also think the program should start at age 65, even though 65-year-olds are perfectly capable of keeping themselves up to date if they have any interest in doing so. The reason for this is that elders seem to lose their ability to learn new things as they deteriorate and lose their faculties. They need to form habits and keep current before they start losing their faculties, so they can coast along on their existing knowledge once they lose the ability to learn. For example, my one grandmother lost the ability to learn about 10 years ago. If she had computer skills that were current to 2003, she wouldn't be able to use an iphone, but she could still order her groceries online.
I'm sure it would be an expensive program, but it would help keep people living in their own homes and independently for longer. By any standard, tech is cheaper than housing.
However, it's not just interest and technological aptitude that keeps them from using technology, it's also cost. My grandmothers retired in the 1980s, calculating their expenses based on expenses that existed in the 1980s. They couldn't have anticipated the eventual need for $40 a month for internet or a data plan, plus the major capital investment of a new computer or device every few years. Even if they'd be interested, they probably couldn't afford it.
If retirement still exists when I'm a senior, the same thing will probably happen to me. If I retire when I'm in my 60s, I couldn't possibly budget for the evolution and cost of technology over the next 30 to 40 years. (And if retirement doesn't still exist when I'm a senior, I'll have to hoard money even more because I have to assume 20 years of incompetence based on my family history of Alzheimer's, so I won't be able to afford to keep up to date.)
So I propose that all senior citizens should get a needs-based financial supplement of some sort (a discount or a rebate or free services or something) to keep them in up-to-date telecommunications technology, by which I mean both devices and data/internet plans. I don't have specific dollar amounts in mind at the moment, but the funding should be enough that it's an absolute no-brainer to keep up to date.
I also think the program should start at age 65, even though 65-year-olds are perfectly capable of keeping themselves up to date if they have any interest in doing so. The reason for this is that elders seem to lose their ability to learn new things as they deteriorate and lose their faculties. They need to form habits and keep current before they start losing their faculties, so they can coast along on their existing knowledge once they lose the ability to learn. For example, my one grandmother lost the ability to learn about 10 years ago. If she had computer skills that were current to 2003, she wouldn't be able to use an iphone, but she could still order her groceries online.
I'm sure it would be an expensive program, but it would help keep people living in their own homes and independently for longer. By any standard, tech is cheaper than housing.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Laptop batteries: WTF?
I'm very frustrated by the mixed messages I'm getting about laptop batteries.
My recent computer troubles turned out to be due to my battery being dead (which involved a weird and roundabout diagnosis!). All three Dell techs I spoke to in the process told me that you shouldn't keep your laptop plugged in all the time (which I normally do because most of the time I'm using it at my desk), you should instead allow your battery to discharge fully and then recharge it.
However, Dell's laptop battery FAQ says this is unnecessary and the battery will behave nicely even if you leave it plugged in all the time. But their Alienware battery FAQ says the opposite.
I did start charging and discharging the battery once I got my new battery, but I find it very inconvenient. I also noticed that there's a "Disable Battery Charging" setting, so I was wondering if using this setting and leaving my computer plugged in would save my battery from any negative effects of having it fully charged and still plugged in. I asked Dell's twitter account, but they directed me back to the FAQ that said this was unnecessary. And this right after they posted the Alienware FAQ that said the opposite. (My computer isn't an Alienware, but I believe it has the same kind of battery.)
I also had the idea of just taking the battery out completely and using the laptop on AC power only until I need to move it. One of the Dell techs I talked to told me this would work, another told me it wouldn't work.
The internet contains arguments supporting and opposing every possible approach, including things like "maintain a battery charge of 70% at all times" or "take your battery completely out of your laptop for normal operations, but discharge and recharge it once a month." All of these arguments can be found from credible sources and backed up by scientific explanations. I could write a paper with quality citations in support of any possible approach to battery management.
And I still haven't the slightest idea which approach is actually correct.
My intention when writing this blog post was to put the question out to my readership, but that will just be more sensible people giving soundly-reasoned explanations on the internet. I seriously don't know what to do.
Opinions are welcome, even though I'm tired of opinions. I'm particularly interested in:
- What is your own battery management approach, and what kind of battery lifespan do you get? (By "battery lifespan" I don't mean "how long until your battery drains and you have to recharge it?", I mean "how long until you have to buy a new battery?")
- Would using the "disable battery charging" function while leaving the battery in the computer and the AC adapter plugged in eliminate whatever harm might potentially be caused by leaving the AC adapter plugged in when the battery is fully charged?
- Any experience with just taking the battery out?
Update: I have since learned that the "disable battery charging" function gets better battery lifespan.
My recent computer troubles turned out to be due to my battery being dead (which involved a weird and roundabout diagnosis!). All three Dell techs I spoke to in the process told me that you shouldn't keep your laptop plugged in all the time (which I normally do because most of the time I'm using it at my desk), you should instead allow your battery to discharge fully and then recharge it.
However, Dell's laptop battery FAQ says this is unnecessary and the battery will behave nicely even if you leave it plugged in all the time. But their Alienware battery FAQ says the opposite.
I did start charging and discharging the battery once I got my new battery, but I find it very inconvenient. I also noticed that there's a "Disable Battery Charging" setting, so I was wondering if using this setting and leaving my computer plugged in would save my battery from any negative effects of having it fully charged and still plugged in. I asked Dell's twitter account, but they directed me back to the FAQ that said this was unnecessary. And this right after they posted the Alienware FAQ that said the opposite. (My computer isn't an Alienware, but I believe it has the same kind of battery.)
I also had the idea of just taking the battery out completely and using the laptop on AC power only until I need to move it. One of the Dell techs I talked to told me this would work, another told me it wouldn't work.
The internet contains arguments supporting and opposing every possible approach, including things like "maintain a battery charge of 70% at all times" or "take your battery completely out of your laptop for normal operations, but discharge and recharge it once a month." All of these arguments can be found from credible sources and backed up by scientific explanations. I could write a paper with quality citations in support of any possible approach to battery management.
And I still haven't the slightest idea which approach is actually correct.
My intention when writing this blog post was to put the question out to my readership, but that will just be more sensible people giving soundly-reasoned explanations on the internet. I seriously don't know what to do.
Opinions are welcome, even though I'm tired of opinions. I'm particularly interested in:
- What is your own battery management approach, and what kind of battery lifespan do you get? (By "battery lifespan" I don't mean "how long until your battery drains and you have to recharge it?", I mean "how long until you have to buy a new battery?")
- Would using the "disable battery charging" function while leaving the battery in the computer and the AC adapter plugged in eliminate whatever harm might potentially be caused by leaving the AC adapter plugged in when the battery is fully charged?
- Any experience with just taking the battery out?
Update: I have since learned that the "disable battery charging" function gets better battery lifespan.
Thursday, April 04, 2013
Router update
In follow-up to my previous questions about routers, I ended up getting a Linksys N300 for no especially good reasons, and I discovered a few things:
- Nearly all, if not absolutely all, of the routers currently commercially available are wifi-capable
- You can turn off the wifi from the software
- You can also limit the number of users who connect to the router in the software. The default setting was 50, but I limited it to 2 since I'm only connecting two computers.
These last two things mitigate my wariness of having a wifi router. I don't particularly need wifi, so I didn't really want to deal with having to secure an unnecessary wifi network. But being able to turn it off and to limit the number of users makes me feel more secure.
One thing I haven't figured out: I can change router settings via software by going to a specific 192.*.*.* IP address. However, this only works on my primary computer (i.e. the one I used to set up the router. It doesn't work on my secondary computer, even though it's connected to the router too. Is it supposed to be this way, or should I be able to reach the 192.*.*.* address with my secondary computer too?
- Nearly all, if not absolutely all, of the routers currently commercially available are wifi-capable
- You can turn off the wifi from the software
- You can also limit the number of users who connect to the router in the software. The default setting was 50, but I limited it to 2 since I'm only connecting two computers.
These last two things mitigate my wariness of having a wifi router. I don't particularly need wifi, so I didn't really want to deal with having to secure an unnecessary wifi network. But being able to turn it off and to limit the number of users makes me feel more secure.
One thing I haven't figured out: I can change router settings via software by going to a specific 192.*.*.* IP address. However, this only works on my primary computer (i.e. the one I used to set up the router. It doesn't work on my secondary computer, even though it's connected to the router too. Is it supposed to be this way, or should I be able to reach the 192.*.*.* address with my secondary computer too?
Saturday, January 12, 2013
What bugs me about Apple products
What I don't like about Apple devices is that whenever I have trouble with them, there's very few things to do. With PCs, there's always at least half a dozen options, ranging from rebooting to tinkering in the registry, but with every Apple problem I've had it's always power off and back on, do a restore, and go to the genius bar, who inevitably tell me they can't do hardware support because isn't a new device.
That's my second annoyance - hardware support and spare parts simply cannot be obtained through official channels for non-new devices, not even for money. In contrast, Dell is quite happy to sell me spare parts and tech support for anything I've ever bought from them, even if it's out of warranty. They don't always have the best prices, but they're at least willing to provide it. At Apple that isn't even an option - the best they can do is give you a discount on a new device or a replacement of the same kind of device.
This focus on novelty also extends, most irritatingly, to software and operating systems. If you restore your ipod, it automatically installs the latest software, and there's no possibility of rolling it back. If one of your apps isn't compatible with the new iOS or it's otherwise worse than the previous version, you're stuck. In comparison, Windows lets you uninstall any updates and service packs without even having to do a system restore (although that's totally an option). I could even take my old Windows 98 CD and install Windows 98 on my current computer. Microsoft wouldn't support it any more, but it's not like they have technological measures in place to stop me.
Apple's general philosophy seems to be that the products are intended to just work without the end user having to worry about fixing them. But I've had my fair share of problems, and not being able to get at the guts like I can with my PCs is irritating.
That's my second annoyance - hardware support and spare parts simply cannot be obtained through official channels for non-new devices, not even for money. In contrast, Dell is quite happy to sell me spare parts and tech support for anything I've ever bought from them, even if it's out of warranty. They don't always have the best prices, but they're at least willing to provide it. At Apple that isn't even an option - the best they can do is give you a discount on a new device or a replacement of the same kind of device.
This focus on novelty also extends, most irritatingly, to software and operating systems. If you restore your ipod, it automatically installs the latest software, and there's no possibility of rolling it back. If one of your apps isn't compatible with the new iOS or it's otherwise worse than the previous version, you're stuck. In comparison, Windows lets you uninstall any updates and service packs without even having to do a system restore (although that's totally an option). I could even take my old Windows 98 CD and install Windows 98 on my current computer. Microsoft wouldn't support it any more, but it's not like they have technological measures in place to stop me.
Apple's general philosophy seems to be that the products are intended to just work without the end user having to worry about fixing them. But I've had my fair share of problems, and not being able to get at the guts like I can with my PCs is irritating.
Monday, December 17, 2012
How to slide the edge guide in an Epson Stylus NX130
In the paper tray of the Epson Stylus NX130 all in one inkjet printer, there is a grey slidey thing, apparently called an edge guide. It needs to be slid to the side so the paper will fit in.
In order to slide it side to side, you have to squeeze it while sliding it. It won't move if you don't squeeze it.
I'm blogging this because I had a hell of a time finding this information when I needed it.
(Note that this is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of this printer. I bought it because I needed a scanner and a printer on short notice and didn't have time to research or comparison shop, and this was the cheapest one that was small enough in the box for me to carry. It does the job, but printing is slower and noisier than it could be. I would have preferred to do more research and buy a faster, quieter, better-quality laser printer.)
In order to slide it side to side, you have to squeeze it while sliding it. It won't move if you don't squeeze it.
I'm blogging this because I had a hell of a time finding this information when I needed it.
(Note that this is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of this printer. I bought it because I needed a scanner and a printer on short notice and didn't have time to research or comparison shop, and this was the cheapest one that was small enough in the box for me to carry. It does the job, but printing is slower and noisier than it could be. I would have preferred to do more research and buy a faster, quieter, better-quality laser printer.)
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Teach me how to make my taskbar behave
I'm using Windows 7, and I have a few of my most commonly-used programs "pinned" to my taskbar, just to the right of the Start button.
Previously, when I'd open one of these programs, it the pinned icon would disappear. It would kind of turn into the active taskbar button.
However, this hasn't been happening lately. Now, the icons continue to appear next to the start button in addition to the taskbar buttons.
Here's a screenshot of my taskbar:
I have Firefox, Sims and iTunes open, and the buttons for those programs appear to the right of the pinned icons. Previously, the pinned icons would have turned into buttons, so the icons and the buttons would not both have been present at once.
How do I make it go back to the way it was before, or what can I google to find it out? What's the proper name of this icons turning into buttons phenomenon?
Previously, when I'd open one of these programs, it the pinned icon would disappear. It would kind of turn into the active taskbar button.
However, this hasn't been happening lately. Now, the icons continue to appear next to the start button in addition to the taskbar buttons.
Here's a screenshot of my taskbar:
I have Firefox, Sims and iTunes open, and the buttons for those programs appear to the right of the pinned icons. Previously, the pinned icons would have turned into buttons, so the icons and the buttons would not both have been present at once.
How do I make it go back to the way it was before, or what can I google to find it out? What's the proper name of this icons turning into buttons phenomenon?
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Things They Should Invent: WhichFontIsThis.com
I've been making very good use of Google's reverse image search function lately. It comes in handy not only when people post unsourced funny photos whose backstory I'm curious about, it's also useful for my work. If a text to be translated includes an uneditable diagram of some commonly used model or schema (like Maslow's pyramid or that circly thing from Six Sigma), I can sometimes run it through reverse image search and find an English equivalent that I can then paste into the document I'm translating. Plus, every once in a while, (this function is still rudimentary) I can run a picture through it to find out what the thing in the picture is called, which comes in handy for things like mechanical parts where you can translate them without fully understanding as long as you have the correct terminology.
I'd like someone to invent the same thing for fonts.
Sometimes I receive texts that are faxed or scanned. I'm supposed to duplicate the formatting of the original down to the font, but I can't always recognize which font is being used. When I'm translating a powerpoint with an uneditable diagram that contains texts, I sometimes put textboxes over the text in the diagram and type my own translations in there. However, if I can't tell which font is being used in the original, I can't duplicate the exact look.
I'd like to be able to input an image of some text, and have the computer tell me which font it's written in. OCR technology can already recognize all different fonts. Maybe they could reverse that somehow to tell me which font it's recognizing?
I'd like someone to invent the same thing for fonts.
Sometimes I receive texts that are faxed or scanned. I'm supposed to duplicate the formatting of the original down to the font, but I can't always recognize which font is being used. When I'm translating a powerpoint with an uneditable diagram that contains texts, I sometimes put textboxes over the text in the diagram and type my own translations in there. However, if I can't tell which font is being used in the original, I can't duplicate the exact look.
I'd like to be able to input an image of some text, and have the computer tell me which font it's written in. OCR technology can already recognize all different fonts. Maybe they could reverse that somehow to tell me which font it's recognizing?
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