bookie32 Posted July 9, 2014 Posted July 9, 2014 Hi folks !I am not a happy Bunny and will tell you the story if anyone has the time to read.... Did some research for a customer and we agreed that a Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus... would fulfil her requirements.. I ordered what I thought was Windows 8 .0 from my supplier...(did not notice that it actually came with 8.1 until everything went pear shaped) I installed all the programs my customer wanted, office 2013, Bitdefender 2014, Photoshop etc...no problems... I delivered the computer with a high performance desktop computer (which she didn't want because it made to much noise) didn't have a clause on my quote about purpose built computers not being refundable) my first big mistake with this customer... I installed her printer and everything seemed OK...Customer rings a couple of days later saying certain programs like office 2013 were blurry.....now I have already had a thread on that matter, so I won't bring it up again.... The symptoms she was experiencing was attributed to the 8.1 update....most computer manufactures have complained about it...when I discussed this with Samsung - they recommended a reset to 8.0... As I pointed out above - at the time I thought I had received a computer with 8.0 so that wouldn't be a problem.... My customer kept complaining, so first we upgraded her monitor to one with micro to hdmi (her old one was connected by micro to vga) The screen was delivered to her and I gave instructions on how to set it up for best results....didn't help still kept complaining... I said that the next step was the reset to 8.0 and that she should come with the new screen, and packing cases...just in case... She didn't bring the cases, I couldn't find anything wrong with the computer - but tried to reset it because I was under the assumption that Windows 8.0 was the original os... After resetting the computer it showed 8.1 and I just didn't twig...thought something had gone wrong with the reset process...so I did it again...computer crashed... I couldn't get it working and had to hand it in to Samsung repair to reset it on guarantee... The computer came back and after 5 attempts at installing the same software as before - I handed it back to Samsung again...they couldn't find anything wrong but changed the motherboard and sent it back to me... NOW this is where it goes even more downhill....I sent the computer in original case wrapped in bubble wrap inside another case to cope with the idiots in the post service (not all are idiots )The first time Samsung sent it back to me they did the same...I used a similar case again on sending it back for repair a second time....BUT after changing the motherboard they just wrapped the original case in a thin plastic film and sent it to me like that... Samsung say that their packing cases are designed to withstand being handled by the post office... I found a lot of damaged to the cardboard packaging - but no physical damage to the computer...so I started it and installed windows updates, Samsung updates, Bitdefender.... That is as far as I have come...I restarted the computer after Bitdefender and everything was OK....I then turned off the computer while I ate my evening meal and when I started it again..... GUESS what!!!! it has the ants spinning in a circle....been like it for two hours...!!!! Before giving it to Samsung a second time I tried installing different software at different times and it would just spin and spin, so after 5 resets I gave it back to them...... Now I have the same situation again....a new computer that has been backwards and forwards to Samsung and I can't even get as far as installing all the software with it still working... This has cost me many hours, a failed sale of a beautiful desktop computer, and the tale isn't over yet...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jaclaz Posted July 9, 2014 Posted July 9, 2014 (edited) Would it be possible that a few idiots that were fired from the post service (for being particularly id***) were employed by Samsung assistance as hardware technicians and/or by MS as programmers? Seriously, if you deal with this kind of issues you should have a PE of some kind and possibly also some kind of linux booting on *any* machine and capable of testing the hardware, in order to be able to have yourself an informed opinion about the issue being in the hardware or in the software. jaclaz P.S.: Scoop! The board word filters are influenced by quantity one id***two idiotsthree idiots...many idiots Edited July 9, 2014 by jaclaz
bookie32 Posted July 9, 2014 Author Posted July 9, 2014 Hi jaclaz I agree...just not something that I usually need to do on a new computer...of course Samsung in the infinite wisdom might just demand that I test it.... Couldn't even get a comment from head office as to why the repair department hadn't sent the computer back in the protective case that I sent to them....where is the common sense in this equation Well, they have replaced the mobo but nothing has been said about the other components, hard drive, memory, etc... Tomorrow I am going to ring them again...and see what gives...then I will start running tests to see what I can find,,,the hard drive has taken a bit of a pounding now..... Just didn't experience anything at all when installing the same software before....just seemed to go pear shaped after resetting the computer the first time...... It is hard believing it is software related...... After getting it back the first time...1. I tried just installing the Windows updates and ended up with the bloody ants2. After the first reset the Windows updates didn't cause a problem - but the Samsung ones did... 3. After the second reset the Windows updates and Samsung updates installed OK and it failed on Offfice 20134. After the third reset I installed Office, Windows updates and Samsung updates...no problem...failed after Skype5. After the fourth reset I installed all of the above and then it failed on Bitdefender6. After the fifth reset I tried a different order for the above and all worked even Bitdefender....so I turned off the computer for a break and when I tried to restart it again later...you got it...bloody ants.... If I find hard drive problems - I am going to shove this computer where the sun doesn't shine.... bookie32
NoelC Posted July 9, 2014 Posted July 9, 2014 Wow, I feel for you, man. Sounds like this particular customer enjoys raking you over the coals, and the technology isn't helping you succeed. She wouldn't accept the desktop because it's too noisy? How the heck loud was it? Is it something you custom-built from parts? If so, or even if not, could you have tried putting in quieter fans? I applaud your wanting to make your customer happy, but loud fans is not the same as "non-functional" and you really didn't owe her a refund for that. Maybe in your country things are different. Was the laptop display actually blurry? What did you do to try to correct that? I assume basic stuff like check the resolution and screen magnification? Did you assume that it MUST be blurry on that system? Windows 8.1 isn't evil, and can usually be made to work, though it does take tweaking. But what you've got going on with the startup problems sounds more like flaky hardware to be honest. I wouldn't doubt that Samsung is sending you other peoples' returns. Anyway, best of luck. -Noel
bookie32 Posted July 10, 2014 Author Posted July 10, 2014 Hi NoelC!Apart from the fact that the customer has never really answered yes and no questions with Yes or No has been a nightmare...not easy giving support to those you winge but don't even make an effort to answer your questions. It is a sad story of me not noticing that it wasn't me that updated the computer from 8.0 to 8.1 and of course there were lots of posts on the net about how the 8.1 update had caused nightmares for manufacturers...BUT this was straight from the manufacturers with 8.1 already installed. To be quite honest I didn't connect her winging, poor screen dumps, to the actual problem Office 2013 being crap...BUT as I said we compromised her resolution by having an old screen in the beginning with a micro to vga adapter....but that was a waste of time and I had already advised her from the beginning to have a new screen with hdmi... This laptop has a resolution of 3200 x 1800 which is about the best in its class....she didn't want a wide Wide screen and the Samsung screen we bought could give her 1920x1080 via a hdmi cable....no problems... My mistake was to try to reset the computer at all...should have just said that there was nothing wrong with the resolution on the new screen...and even if the design of Office 2013 is crap...that wasn't giving a so called blurry pic....nothing was.... It was just the information about resetting the computer to 8.0 that haunted me....like I said ...if I had noticed it from the beginning, and if the customer had come with the packaging...could have saved myself a lot of grief... I am convinced that something happened when it crashed after trying to reset it for the second time..before giving it to Samsung for the first time....the strange thing is after receiving the computer for the second time - I reset the computer 5 times without a hitch....just think there is a communication problem between hardware and software....got to now try and show that....soI am now going to put the computer on test myself and see what gives.... I made the wrong assumptions based on information from Samsung and on the Internet in general regarding the 8.1 update... I think it is just coincidence that after resetting it the first time it started to go pear shaped...the fault was more than likely there all the time.... Thanks for your comments! bokie32
jaclaz Posted July 10, 2014 Posted July 10, 2014 What you describe is a haunted PC , nothing rational can explain fully what you report. I mean, come on, it is true that the crappy OS has been crappily updated, but it's not like 8.1 (and Update 1) came out yesterday, some of the things you described can happen, but only in the first few days after a "major" update, then they are usually sorted out or worked around (somehow the word "fixed" doesn't fit here) by the good MS or Samsung guys. Hope you can pinpoint the issue, all in all it "sounds" like an intermittent hardware problem, if thi is the case these are pesky, but with some patience they can be diagnosed. jaclaz
bookie32 Posted July 10, 2014 Author Posted July 10, 2014 Hi jaclaz!I agree with you one hundred procent....am running tests at the moment - nothing conclusive just yet...logic says that if they have changed the mobo - then it should be something else....Like I said...it might have been there all the time...just had no problems whatsoever when installing her software before... Thanks for coming by... bookie32
NoelC Posted July 10, 2014 Posted July 10, 2014 I'm thinking it could possibly be intermittent SSD issues myself. Maybe something about resetting the computer immediately after applying large updates. If you go through it again, when you get to the "computer needs to be rebooted" steps, give a few extra moments. -Noel
bookie32 Posted July 10, 2014 Author Posted July 10, 2014 Hi NoelCYes, I agree..When I have done the updates I have waited up to a couple of hours to see if there is any life....but nada... I have now run extensive tests on the components and hard drive and nothing actually stands out... I now did a "Refresh" and will follow the exact same procedure as before and we will see where it gives up again... I shall do this 3 to four times if necessary following the exact same procedure... Then I will stick it up Samsung's...........**** if it doesn't work.... Trying to think positively even though it has cost me my time, patience, and lots of money.... bookie32
HarryTri Posted July 11, 2014 Posted July 11, 2014 Have a look at the BIOS also to see if there is anything "strange". I had my own nightmare with my Lenovo G500 laptop. Four times it failed to configure the Windows Updates after restore from the restore partition, at 98% it displayed the message "Failure configuring Windows updates. Reverting changes." and I was almost driven crazy, I even contacted Lenovo support and arranged to send the laptop to them (the warranty is still void), finally I found the answer in the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER folder (WER = Windows Error Reporting, you can have a look there for any error information, especially at the CBS.log - the end of it - and the .wer files - open them with notepad). What happened is that I had naively changed - and forgot about it afterwards - the Secure Boot status/mode from Disabled/Setup mode/Custom to Enabled/User mode/Standard (I found it strange that the Secure Boot status was reported as disabled whereas Secure Boot was enabled) and Windows couldn't update the Secure Boot firmware! I reverted the change and the problem was solved...
bookie32 Posted December 6, 2014 Author Posted December 6, 2014 Hi guys!Nearly missed this...so sorry....lolI solved the problem although...never really understood why...considering that this computer being reset so many times let me down at different stages of updating. installing software etc...In the end I lost interest in the customer...never had one like it before and hope that I never do again... When there is a missunderstanding I get...not interested in learning, just want things to work.....!!I always create very good how to's with text and pics to explain things to such customers and get "TMI" to much information....What customers don't seem to grasp is if you are to have an open dialogue, so that both parties have an idea where they stand - then both parties have to try... Said this to this particular customer...just got you haven't explained anything so I understand it...and this is a so called engineer we are talking about!!!!!!!!!! 90% of my customers are penisoners and they show more understanding than this one person...all I can say about that...must be a bogus degree..... Anyway, rambling on here... What seemed to solve the problem with here computer was changing from Bitdefender to Norton as an Internet security...the computer didn't crash after that..Bitdefender wanted a chance to fix it and I said under the circumstances....no chance I couldn't take anymore.... This customer now doesn't bother to ring or write...I am sad...because I feel I failed in some way...my girlfriend says no way...she failed to bother...lol bookie32
jaclaz Posted December 6, 2014 Posted December 6, 2014 90% of my customers are penisoners and they show more understanding than this one person...all I can say about that...must be a bogus degree.....They are WHAT? jaclaz
dencorso Posted December 6, 2014 Posted December 6, 2014 I solved the problem although...never really understood why...considering that this computer being reset so many times let me down at different stages of updating. installing software etc... Glad you did solve it! And you have all my sympathy regarding your experience with that unappreciative client, for sure. But... you said you actually solved the problem... so I can't help but wonder: how? Did you call the ghostbusters or what? Please do elaborate.
bookie32 Posted December 7, 2014 Author Posted December 7, 2014 Hi guys! jaclaz Now there is a slip of the keyboard if ever I saw one....lol...I hope you gathered that I meant pensioners...never know with you... dencorsowell, I wrote this about Bitdefender and Norton:What seemed to solve the problem with here computer was changing from Bitdefender to Norton as an Internet security...the computer didn't crash after that..Bitdefender wanted a chance to fix it and I said under the circumstances....no chance I couldn't take anymore.... Saying I solved it was probably the wrong choice of words... If you have followed the thread - you will understand that this computer had already been delivered with all programs, updates and Bitdefender installed and working.... Everything went haywire after the resetting of the computer...some time had gone by since me delivering the computer and resetting it etc....might have been some software updates, windows updates installed by the customer in the mean time....can't really say.. She has had the computer for some time now since I made the decision to change the antivirus software....and hasn't complained once about it.... I don't think there really was anything wrong with Bitdefender...just a coincidence that in this case Norton has worked and not Bitdefender... I will never really know what it was that caused the problem after resetting the computer...just happy to not have her contacting me every five minutes...not happy with this....not happy with that.... I hope that sort of answers your question....can't give anymore info...don't know myself....lol bookie32
NoelC Posted December 7, 2014 Posted December 7, 2014 Trying to be Apple Computer for a Windows user... Tying your success to the acceptance of Windows in this day and age... Without thinking too hard these don't sound like the best of ideas. Don't get me wrong; I've often thought about custom-building high-end workstations for folks. Thinking about just the kinds of things you've described in this thread has held me back. -Noel
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