Lew,

What does your friend do with the computer? If it is just web surfing, email, occasional doc, etc, I would just go to a big box store near you and pick one up. I don't know if they have Best Buy stores near you but you can usually get interest free for 18 months if (s)he doesn't want to lay cash out. Then if something does go wrong with it you aren't on the hook to support it. I do this for a living and have really gotten over spending my time at parties and gatherings looking at friends computer issues.

You can get more for your money building it your self, but is that what this person really needs?

-Jim

On Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:45:44 -0400, "Eric"
wrote:

Best Buy just plain charges way too much more than most other sources.

I bought my last stereo receiver from BestBuy and it died (surround
sound switch on = no sound whatsoever.) The salesman assured me that
they had a repair station at that local store. When I returned it, the
guy at the service depot counter said "Oh, we don't repair those here.
All we can do here is replace knobs and such. It will take two weeks
to repair." Two and a half weeks later, they returned it. It wasn't
fixed. They stated, AS IF, on the repair slip "Resoldered transformer
connections." I've never been back to the lying bastids.

It was and is a transitory problem, about once in 150 turn-ons. I
believe it's an occasionally sticky relay. A few repeated on/off
cycles fixes it, so I've never bothered to repair it properly. I've
seen it maybe 2-3 times a year...for about 13 years now.

--
Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.
-- Robert J. Sawyer

I have a similar experience

I've been patiently waiting for Dell to produce drivers that work with my
six year old laptop. Their Indian BS tech help installed the wrong drivers,
as substitutes when the thing was a month old and it has never worked
properly since. The proper drivers have never become available as far as any
tech helper can find. The LCD screen is installed upside down so you have to
almost close the lid to see the two levels upgrade screen to display
clearly.

After shipping to repair in the box they sent me they sent it back loose and
told me they didn't authorize any repairs. It sat in some shipping depot for
three months, lost until I produced tracking numbers.

Dell! Never again.

-------------------

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
Been patiently waiting for my six year old Dell XPS M1210 laptop to die
so I could upgrade, but it just won't quit.

(that oughta do it)

m II wrote:
I have a similar experience

I've been patiently waiting for Dell to produce drivers that work
with my six year old laptop. Their Indian BS tech help installed the
wrong drivers, as substitutes when the thing was a month old and it
has never worked properly since. The proper drivers have never become
available as far as any tech helper can find. The LCD screen is
installed upside down so you have to almost close the lid to see the
two levels upgrade screen to display clearly.


Drivers are provided by the device vendor - why do you expect Dell to
produce them? Dell is very good about supporting the stuff they ship, so I
don't buy your statement that they did not provide you drivers to make your
system work. Something else at work here?

After shipping to repair in the box they sent me they sent it back
loose and told me they didn't authorize any repairs. It sat in some
shipping depot for three months, lost until I produced tracking
numbers.

D'OH... so - you did something stupid and you expect them to just jump
through hoops for you? No surprise there, from what I've seen from you
here.


Dell! Never again.


I'm sure Dell is quite pleased to hear that from you.

--

-Mike-

asshole


-------------
"Mike Marlow" wrote in message
...

Drivers are provided by the device vendor - why do you expect Dell to
produce them? Dell is very good about supporting the stuff they ship, so I
don't buy your statement that they did not provide you drivers to make your
system work. Something else at work here?


D'OH... so - you did something stupid and you expect them to just jump
through hoops for you? No surprise there, from what I've seen from you
here.


Dell! Never again.


I'm sure Dell is quite pleased to hear that from you.

m II wrote:

asshole


Same intelligent comment we've seen from you here, directed to a number of
posters. Thank you - I enjoy being in good company.

--

-Mike-