About every month to six weeks we can't log in to Windows 10 for up to half a day. According to Dell it's not the hardware. This has been occurring since the first of the year. Someone suggested I take the computer in to Best Buy and have the Geek Squad check for a corrupted system.
Called Best Buy and got an appointment for next week. Best Buy said they couldn't give me a price or tell me how long they'd have the computer till the "Geek Squad" ran the check. Anyone here dealt with these people and what was your experience? Seems like I might be giving them a blank check with my computer as hostage.
Good luck with that arrangement, I wouldn't use them myself. I would spend the time researching the issue as it could be caused by one of MS piss poor updates. MS can invent the OS but damn sure can't keep it running properly.
but the first thing I would do is make sure my windows is up to date by running windows update
if it continues after that, I would consider reading up on system restore and see if you can trace back when it started, and if you have options to "reset" your computer to a date before the problem began.
I've used 'em a few times over the years and my experience has always been positive. They seem to know what they're doing (certainly more than me, given that I know virtually nothing about computers/technology) and I've always been satisfied with the results and the price. I've even recommended the Best Buy Geeks to others. Admittedly, my experience is limited to a single Best Buy location; one's experience at a different store may be different.
I think Best Buy usually typically charges a flat "diagnostic fee" to figure out what's wrong with stuff.
I'm not tech savvy so this ought to be good. As best I recall there's a blue screen and a message saying there's difficulty logging on to Windows 10. I get that whether I've left the computer on all night or starting it up in the morning. Then there's a message from Dell saying they are checking to determine if this is a hardware problem. This process takes two minutes and I'm advised there's no problem with the hardware, why don't I try running windows update. I run it and that doesn't don't work either. I finally give up on it and 2 to 6 hours later Windows 10 comes up and it's good for a month or so.
When I contacted The Geek Squad by phone I was advised this happens sometimes with Windows 10. Make an appt. and they'll run a systems check.
Just got through to Geek Squad, diagnostic flat fee's $100 and they'll most likely keep it overnight. The kid couldn't say what the fix would cost which is understandable as they don't know what's wrong with it. I'm considering saying to hell with it and putting up with it for a few hours once a month.
43Shooter, Don't deal with Geek Squad. That's an assault on your peace of mind and pride.
While I'm pretty tech savvy, there are times I just don't want to bother with the pc stuff. My business and personal friends and i keep a couple tech guys who are private small business owners in our contacts list. Right now, I have 2 that are very decent guys and don't charge a lot. They can dial into my system remotely and fix most problems without me being without a computer for a number of days and costing more $$'s, like with Geek Squad.
I would suggest you look into going this route. The cost is minimal and you're supporting small business.
Power the computer down Unplug everything Take the side off, should only be two screws Blow it out with compressed air. Hit the processor fan and ram very well. Also blow out the power supply. Put side back on and plug back in.
It sounds like your computer is overheating. Dust build up is likely the issue. That would be the first thing I would look at. You can use a fine vacuum attachment first if there's a bunch but I would definitely use compressed air.
Almost every small town has a computer repair shop. Our town of about 25,000 has two or more. Ask around at the local restaurant, your banker, or others for a recommendation.
As was said above, you are supporting a local and small business.
I enjoy running scans and then ending up doing a system restore after a MS forced update that screws everything up. Take a couple hrs, drink beer while waiting. Make it worth your while. Damn things are time wasters when running good and extra time wasters when trying to get em running. I sure did like XP. Everything made sense and could be found back then. My hate started w 7.
Do not take your PC problems to BB/Geek Squad. Find an independent local guy. Even a random draw from local independent PC guys will be a better bet than Geek Squad. Especially a white guy who turned his hobby into a small business.
Geek Squad works on the "Managed for Incompetence" model. Newbie support guy hired on for $cheap. Learns his trade, gets less $cheap. When he knows his stuff and exceeds what management wants to pay, he is fired and replaced with a $cheap newbie and the process repeats itself.
Can't speak to Geek Squad but I've always been leery of Best Buy in general because so many their supposedly customer reviews on products they sell seem to get 4 and 5 stars but customer reviews on many of the exact same products at other retailers aren't nearly as positive.
When the A-holes at Microsoft crammed Windows 10 up my butt sideways, despite my best efforts to avoid it, my computer crashed. I went to "The Geeks" at a local store in TX and they were able to fix it promptly for a decent price and things went well until Microsoft did a major update that crashed my computer again. I took it back, with all the repair paperwork, to a Best Buy in Robinson, PA, and they fixed it again at no charge, though it did take several extra days. Whether or not you would have as good an experience, is really not predictable since we don't know your Geek Squad. Good Luck where ever you wind up.
Worst Buy ruined a computer that had no problem other than a failed power supply. My mistake was telling them to do a memory upgrade while they had the computer. It came back with several programs erased ("Just reinstall them") and hundreds of pictures my wife had taken of her late parents missing, along with all the photos she took on her one and only vacation to Europe. When I complained, they got snotty and threatened to have me arrested for "trespassing"! Jerry
Someone mentioned heat. It isn't heat related or it wouldn't happen on a cold boot up. It also wouldn't just work fine for a month because it would get worse the longer it was running.
Most Dells have a boot up hardware diagnostic that you can run. It probably isn't hardware related based on your description but you can run it anyway to rule it out. Turn off the computer and then unplug it from power for 30 seconds to allow the motherboard to completely discharge. Plug it back in and turn it on. As soon as you see your keyboard has power (basic keyboards will have lights), start tapping the F12 key until a boot time text menu comes up. There is usually a hardware diagnostic option in that menu. Getting that menu to come up is a timing thing so you may have to try starting and tapping the F12 key a couple times to catch it.
The diagnostic test looks at memory, video, processors etc and may take a while. Chances are it will find nothing based on your symptoms. But if the test does find a problem it usually gives an error code that will tell you what's wrong. Or at least you can Google the error code and maybe get some more info.
I would start there and rule that out before you get knee deep into checking Windows.
My wife is an expert at messing up her computer. She's taken it to Geek Squad a couple times, and they invariably remove software she's paid for and installed other stuff that THEY like - and then charge her for it.
As I've become known for saying these last six months, if you use Win 10, you no longer own or control your computer, Microsoft does. And it is getting worse, not better. After the last update, your computer isn't even completely off when you power it down. W10 goes into a "deep hibernation" mode so that MS can wake it up, install updates, replace pestiferous things like Bing or Cortana that you've disabled, and otherwise show you who is the boss with your computer.
If you are just an everyday computer user not required to use Windows by an employer or some Windows-specific aoftware (like a professional CAD/CAM suite or such) then you are a candidate to kiss Windows goodbye in favor of a Linux OS. Linux returns full control of your computer to you. YOU can set it up, change it, control updates, and do everything you do now with software that is not only at least as good as anything from MS, but is totally free.
Ubuntu is very popular (mostly because it is the most well known) but for the recent convert I most heartily recommend Mint 19.3 Cinnamon. You can put it on a bootable USB stick and try it for as long as you like WITHOUT ever installing it on your existing machine Just plug in the stick, set your machine to boot to it, and restart. Then explore - and when you see how comfortable, how stable, and how easy it is to use, it helps you install itself. Start HERE
Rocky, you can disable deep hibernate from the command line if you want. From the Windows search box type CMD and select the command prompt option. Then type the following and hit enter:
Jake, I have absolutely no confidence that anything you do will not be countermanded by MS. Disable something you don't like, but before you know it, the evil wizards at MS will discover it and change it back. You are not in control any longer, you have been assimilated like a Borg as long as you have Win 10. That's a fact, not an opinion.
When you get ready, watch any of several YouTubes about how to try Linux. Or ask me here. It really is not that hard, as even this 73-yo geezer managed it.
Jake, I have absolutely no confidence that anything you do will not be countermanded by MS. Disable something you don't like, but before you know it, the evil wizards at MS will discover it and change it back. You are not in control any longer, you have been assimilated like a Borg as long as you have Win 10. That's a fact, not an opinion.
When you get ready, watch any of several YouTubes about how to try Linux. Or ask me here. It really is not that hard, as even this 73-yo geezer managed it.
I'm a systems analyst so I'm pretty familiar with the fun Microsoftisms. It's an ongoing effort to undo things they force on us. I especially enjoy it when they push out an update that breaks 100 computers.
We use a high end Dell workstation, and at purchase I demanded Win 7. At startup it immediately began downloading Win 10 and the only way to stop it was to power down. Went to one of our older machines and found some "Never 10" software to turn off the 10 update feature. No issues since its installlation, but I do get a screen once in a while asking if I'd like to jump to 10. Won't do that until the web world ceases to function with seven.
Just go to your nearest Apple store and buy an iMac. Buy AppleCare for 99 cents per month. The people you call are courteous and AMERICANS. If they can't solve the problem they will make an appointment for you to go to the Genius Bar at the Apple store. The Apple store also has a lot of free lessons on stuff.
My son is a computer geek. He has actually made a fair amount of money hiring himself out to “Fix” problems caused by the Geek Squad, and other computer/ I.T. repair services.
We had a discussion recently, and he went on a tirade about the Geek Squad.
(According to him) All they do is run a diagnostic program provided by their Corporate and replace whatever component the program tells them to. They charge you an inflated price for the components. No knowledge or talent necessary. No matter how clean or dirty your computer is, they charge you to disassemble clean it. Usually $90 to $125 for cleaning, plus diagnostics and components.
They will probably fix your computer. They will probably charge you $200 to $300 for 20 minutes work and a $20 component. There are better options, you just need to find them.
If they (Geek Squad) do not fix your computer the first try, they will tell you that everything they did was necessary (no refund) but now you need more work at additional charge. Some people end up spending more than the price of a new computer.
Jake, it's great to have an expert help us with this. If I say something wrong, please correct me.
Indy, that's a fairly blithe suggestion. "Just spend many hundreds or thousands of dollars to get a system that's just as restrictive and imprisoning as Microsoft is - or more so."
If you already have a computer, you do not need a new one. You do not have to spend a penny to rid yourself of digital tyranny. Even if your crusty old box is a decade+ old and runs Win XP at a crawl, there's a Linux version for you that will not only run but will run MUCH better. If you are now running Win 7 or 10, you will be amazed. And - I'll say this again - you can find out risk free.
Once you download and install a Linux version onto a USB stick, you can test-drive it on the stick without removing or changing Windows in any way - for as long as you like. When or if you decide to switch over to Linux, you can install it so that it erases Windows entirely, or installs Linux next to Windows (sharing the hard drive in separate partitions) and able to boot to either one. Such a "dual boot" system is a bit tricky to set up, and I don't really recommend it unless you take some precautions first. There's also something called a "virtual box" that allows you to do the same thing, but that's even more complicated and risky. I won't even try that myself.
What I recommend is that you do the test drive routine and then when you are ready, move all your personal data folders (documents, photos, music, videos, etc) to an external drive so they are preserved and then do a full erase install.
In the event that you don't like the first version of Linux you put on a USB stick, you can easily try another one the same way. (I recently experimented with eight of them!) In the VERY unlikely event you don't like any flavor of Linux, all you have to do is take the USB stick out and you are right back where you started - as a Microsoft slave.
Here's a video that shows how to make a bootable USB, and install a Linux version (in this case it's Zorin Lite, which is a slick little version meant for an older machine) except that he doesn't test-drive it and goes straight to install. Otherwise it's a good tutorial.
I'll probably go with either a dual boot system or separate Windows and linux pc's at some point. I have Windows based software applications like RCBS.LOAD and for the CED Millennium chronograph I want to continue to be able to use.
That sounds prudent. Many if not most Windows programs can be run under Linux using a "translation" program called Wine (which comes pre-loaded in Mint) but not all. I have a little program that is required to update my golf GPS unit, and it does not work except in Windows. For such, it is probably easiest to obtain an otherwise obsolete computer running Win 7 and keep it on hand.
I use one such that way, but also as a test-bed for Linux. I currently have it set up as a dual boot with Win 7 and Zorin Core. Both work great, and I use the Win7 side only to do my monthly golf GPS sync.
No offense to anyone but if you need the help of geek squad, I'm not sure its in your best interest to attempt to install a new OS like Linux or a variant like Unbuntu
I don't think you have to be an expert to do it but there is a learning curve.
None taken, I'm sure. But as opined, testing it and installing it are somewhat different. Making a bootable USB is pretty simple, and if one can learn to shift from (for example) Win 7 to 10, then the learning curve with Linux is no larger challenge. It's certainly easier than going from Windows to Mac.
There's another option. You can probably contact Dell and buy a "recovery disc" if your computer didn't come with one. Such a disc allows for a complete reformatting and reinstall. You would have to save your important files and have the install media for any add-on programs that you have. It's scorched Earth but would allow you to start will a clean slate if you wanted to go that route.
Whenever I setup a brand new computer, I will usually lock it down and set it up the way I want. Then I use a disc imaging tool to take a complete backup of the hard drive before it even touched the Internet. That's stored on a thumb drive and sits on the shelf as an insurance policy for me. It allows me to return the computer to that known clean and safe starting point any time I want. Yes I know that Windows has the "restore" feature but trust me, it's flawed.
About once a year, even if the computer seems to be working fine, I will back up anything important and wipe the hard drive and restore it with my disk image and have a nice clean install again after about 30 minutes.
Actually with Win 10 you can go to Setting and reset your computer to factory fresh. You have two options, one is to reset your computer without losing your files, two you can wipe the hard drive clean and format it and reload the OS. Also Win 10 uses Win 7 backup, you should buy an external hard drive and back up your computer once a week.
I own a computer repair business and am use to dealing with these types of problems.
Here is an article that will tell you how to do a reset.
Yes, it's not all that hard. But if you screw up the results can be disastrous. A few bucks may not buy happiness but can get some peace of mind. Dunno, but I would suppose the Geeks have a written protocol to follow from their IT gods. That's how computer tech support is usually done. I'd bet it's pretty much the same protocol you'd find on the Internet if your google-foo is good. And there is help on the Dell web site for system faults. Should start with a malware scan and system cleanup first.
Thanks again to all for the info. Found a local, independent mobile computer repair business with very good references. He came by and spent a little over an hour on it. Installed anti malware, scanned it, removed trojans & uninstalled some unnecessary programs from start up. Seems to work fine now. $70.
