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..well not, actually
Got new hard disk from Dell (I was still under warranty)
Technician took some convincing that it was a HD problem - especially when
I said that it was only happening (so far) in my linux partition.
'We don't support linux'
"I don't need you to support linux, I need to you to support the hard disk"
Then agreed to run tests.
Ran the diagnostic utilities- loud beeping as it flagged that there was a
problem with the hard disk......agreed to send a new one :)
Arrived the next day - for self install (I had agreed to this).
Stuck windows back on it (long slow process) - then all the Drivers from
the Dell disk, in the order that the website specifies.
...but no wireless detected.......
Then the fun started - I called the number that I was invited to call in
the email that the technician had sent me. It was the US, not Canada desk.
I was asked where I got the number - so I told him. He told me he would
report it because he was getting a lot of Canadian calls. Gave me another
number.
The 'other' number was the generic number and none of the options fitted my
problem. I got a voice there by choosing one of the options and was given
another number.
I called that number - the electronic voice asked me to state my problem
and gave me the example of 'wireless problem'. Eagerly I stated 'wireless
problem' - expecting to be directed to the wireless technician, hah! Went
through to another electronic voice that told me to enable my wireless -
that would be the undetected wireless.....!
Called again, chose another option and another option and got a voice.
"How are you doing today?"
'Feeling a bit frustrated with Dell"...and explained what was happening.
Nice lady put me to a voice in business support. Voice had poor English.
I explained the problem.
"Have you installed the hard disk?"
"Yes, of course I have installed the hard disk, that is what I just told
you, and I have installed the drivers for the detected devices"
"wait a minute, I just check"........a minute...."do you have the resource CD"
"yes, of course I have the resource CD, that is what I used to install the
other drivers"
"wait a minute, I just need to check something"
"can you put the resource CD in the machine"
"It's has been in there since I started talking to you"
"The driver is on the disk"
"Which driver is it?"
"wait a minute, I just check"
"It's xyz"
"Where on the disk is that because I can't see it"
"wait a minute, I just check".......another minute...
"can you click the 'drivers' tab"
"yes, I've looked there, it's not there"
"wait a minute, I just check"
"I'm sorry, but I don't think you know what you are doing, I can follow
instructions from a website, or keep asking someone myself. Can I speak to
someone who does know what they are doing please?
"wait a minute, I just check".....a minute...
"The driver is on the web, can you go to the dellsite"
"you mean on my laptop that does not have its wireless networking, working?"
"Yes"
"You don't seem to understand....but never mind, I will start up another
machine I have here, and access the web.......ok, I am on the site"
"the driver is abc"
Me thinks, that is different from the first driver she named. But the
driver name looks right to me, so I'll go with it.
I follow the link to it - and am offered the driver, and a patch.
"Do I need to get the patch too"
"wait a minute, I just check"....."I don't think so"
"you don't think so or you know that I don't"
"I don't think so"
"OK - don't worry, I think I can sort it out from here. Goodbye, thanks."
"Goodbye and thank you for calling Dell"
So, it is all working now:)
Just for interest. I then installed Ubuntu Edgy Eft (6.10). No extra
drivers, Took just a few minutes. And __everything worked___ - immediately
- no fuss, no phone calls, no validating my Windows version, no half an
hour download of security updates ('apt-get update' did it all with just
that one command) etc
Linux rules. Dell sucks. Windows is worse.
Cheers all
Jel
PS just reinstalling Windows on a workstation that got trojan 'ed in the
office. Much work.
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