Good Job Dell, yet again....

[Zeph]

Well, it seems that Dell managed to put the wrong sound card in my notebook, yet they had the drivers, applications, etc. installed leaving me to believe it was the proper one. They even bundled the proper driver CD. So, even though I payed for an Audigy, I got a lovely Sigma Tel.

I boot 'n nuked the hard drive to random patterns and reinstalled Vista. The drivers for the audigy just wouldn't install, and I noticed the card now being referred to as Sigma Tel High Definition Audio CODEC instead of the High Definition Audio Codec it was before. So now I've got to try and get all the Creative stuff off so I can re-enable the audio service and get my sound working again.

Now, I have another question. Does anyone know of a way to determine a hard drives RPM without physically taking a look at it? I'm beginning to suspect it is indeed a 5400 rpm drive instead of the 7200 rpm drive I paid for.

[Atty]

Doesn't everest list it?

You could run HD Tune and benchmark your HDs performance, although I don't know how you'd base your results on what RPM drive you've got. :|

[Patrickssj6]

Bios should have it.

[Atty]

HD Tune will tell you the hardware ID of your HD, you can reference your HD's specs with that. :)

[Zeph]

Luckily, it's the proper hard drive. I'm emailing Dell right now. I'm talking to the guy who gave a nice discount on top of the one already. My mother dealt with Dell then, since she was financing it for me. I'm not going to be as kind-hearted.

[Roostervier]

That is the card that came with my dad's laptop. The reason they probably didn't send and audigy is because they haven't made any drivers that allow for the use of any applications. The only thing that works on mine is the sound, mic doesn't work, nothing else does really either. Don't know what's going on at audigy, but they aren't really doing anything. In fact, another company, or group of people(dunno) are making drivers for the XFI series. Something is happening at audigy, people are making loads of topics on their forums about it and they never reply. Maybe they aren't planning to do anything else, or they can't find a way, or they are lazy... don't know.

[Zeph]

I've found the microphone to work with windows diagnostic, but it doesn't work in any games. I'm guessing it's driver related from where there's no Direct Sound anymore.

Edit: Rooster, can you check your device manager and tell me what's listed for your audio solution? Also, can you check on what information is listed about the driver?

[Amit]

Strange:eyesroll:

[Roostervier]

What do you mean by audio solution? I know that: I have a Creative Audigy Sound Blaster SE card, it works with sound, but no apps, I see that if I try to change the volume on the recording devices, it says the microphone is working, but isn't... erm... that is it. I don't work with sound cards or gfx cards much.

[legionaire45]

What do you mean by audio solution? I know that: I have a Creative Audigy Sound Blaster SE card, it works with sound, but no apps, I see that if I try to change the volume on the recording devices, it says the microphone is working, but isn't... erm... that is it. I don't work with sound cards or gfx cards much.
Go into your device manager and under sound, video and game controllers and post what you see. Also tell us what you see under other devices in case there are indeed no drivers for it.

Zeph, I think it would be quicker to fly over there, punch that Indian guy's lights out and then build your laptop yourself. Can you simply return the thing and start over? Not sure if it would do too much in the long run but obviously they can't handle something as simple as punching in some specs from a sheet that is directly in front of them. The fact that they charge you for this stuff and don't include it really sucks. Have they been charging you with shipping costs? I hope not...

[Amit]

Go into your device manager and under sound, video and game controllers and post what you see. Also tell us what you see under other devices in case there are indeed no drivers for it.

Zeph, I think it would be quicker to fly over there, punch that Indian guy's lights out and then build your laptop yourself. Can you simply return the thing and start over? Not sure if it would do too much in the long run but obviously they can't handle something as simple as punching in some specs from a sheet that is directly in front of them. The fact that they charge you for this stuff and don't include it really sucks. Have they been charging you with shipping costs? I hope not...

Hmm, is somebody being racist here? I'm Indian.

I know your just trying to be funny, but I like the way you think of us as technological people.

If it was my laptop i would still punch the guy in the face. :D Not literally, I'd just give him a real hard time.

[Zeph]

Hmm, is somebody being racist here? I'm Indian.

I know your just trying to be funny, but I like the way you think of us as technological people.

If it was my laptop i would still punch the guy in the face. :D Not literally, I'd just give him a real hard time.

O_o, I think you're the one being racist. He identified a person by their nationality. It's no different than if someone called me American. That is unless you're saying the guy isn't from India?

[Agamemnon]

Zeph's right. The word "racism" itself is discriminatory; it suggests that we are of different races when we all are, in fact, one race, and that's called the human race. We like to classify skin color and nationality as race; it's discriminatory to do so, just as it is to assume that everyone who is black is from Africa.

[Amit]

O_o, I think you're the one being racist. He identified a person by their nationality. It's no different than if someone called me American. That is unless you're saying the guy isn't from India?

Nobody said he was Indian(cept legionaire), nobody said he wasn't. What legionaire45 said was to punch the guy in the face for screwing up your notebook, and adding the Indian part made it seem wrong, for all we know he could have been Mexican. Usually an Indian person from India is the Brown Person.


Zeph's right. The word "racism" itself is discriminatory; it suggests that we are of different races when we all are, in fact, one race, and that's called the human race. We like to classify skin color and nationality as race; it's discriminatory to do so, just as it is to assume that everyone who is black is from Africa.

That is true.

[legionaire45]

Nobody said he was Indian(cept legionaire), nobody said he wasn't. What legionaire45 said was to punch the guy in the face for screwing up your notebook, and adding the Indian part made it seem wrong, for all we know he could have been Mexican. Usually an Indian person from India is the Brown Person.



That is true.

I said that because in Zeph's thread on Gearbox he specifically said that an Indian guy kept on fighting over his order with another woman at the Dell Phone Order place and kept on screwing up his system's specs. I'm not saying anything against the entire Indian nationality, just this one fuck up who keeps on screwing up Zeph's order.

Sorry, should have specified. Sorry if I offended you.

[Patrickssj6]

The word "racism" itself is discriminatory;
Not entirely true.Dividing people into races is also racism.

[Zeph]

Zeph's right. The word "racism" itself is discriminatory; it suggests that we are of different races when we all are, in fact, one race, and that's called the human race. We like to classify skin color and nationality as race; it's discriminatory to do so, just as it is to assume that everyone who is black is from Africa.

It just depends on how you consider race. Race is defined as:


1. A local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics. 2. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution: the German race. 3. A genealogical line; a lineage. 4. Humans considered as a group. 5. Biology a. An interbreeding, usually geographically isolated population of organisms differing from other populations of the same species in the frequency of hereditary traits. A race that has been given formal taxonomic recognition is known as a subspecies. b. A breed or strain, as of domestic animals. 6. A distinguishing or characteristic quality, such as the flavor of a wine.

I personally base race on physical characteristics of the species. Why? Because it's soo much simpler to label a person by their color, nationality, or physical traits. Now if you can easily communicate by describing a person by exact height and hair oreye color and without a shadow of a doubt have someone else know what person you're specifically talking about, then my hat is off to you.

I had a black person get offended by me labeling him as black once. I told him not to call me white and he stood there speechless for a while. He was amazed at how that whole issue ever came up.



Anyways, I'm getting rather annoyed. I haven't heard back from the guy on the west coast of America yet. Doesn't make me too happy, nor does it add to my nice side.

[Amit]

I said that because in Zeph's thread on Gearbox he specifically said that an Indian guy kept on fighting over his order with another woman at the Dell Phone Order place and kept on screwing up his system's specs. I'm not saying anything against the entire Indian nationality, just this one fuck up who keeps on screwing up Zeph's order.

Sorry, should have specified. Sorry if I offended you.


Not entirely true.Dividing people into races is also racism.

Ok that's all cleared up, thanks for the explanation, I don't have an account on gearbox forums so i don't know all the details.

[TPE]

this is why you dont buy from dell. hate them to my last nerve.

might be better just to call them up. email could take 24-48 hours.

[Atty]

And you think calling Indian customer service outsourcing plants is any better? I'll take an e-mail, thanks.

[Zeph]

WHAT THE FUCK DELL!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?


When you speak to more
than one person, there is no way for that person to know all the right
questions to ask to get the system exactly the same as before and if the
promotions or component availability as changed since the last time, the
new quote has to be re-built from scratch.
Yes, there is. You see, we did this ingenious thing called printing off a copy of the specifications of the computer. Each time we had to talk to a new person due to the prior's inability to preform the task, the exact specifications were read off by us from the same sheet of paper.


As to the sound
card issue you are having, the sound system your mother purchased for
you was "Integrated SoundBlaster Audigy Software Edition" which was a
$10 upgrade. This is a software only upgrade and is available to all
dell customer's for free via a download from our Support website. The
$10 covers the cost for our techs to pre install it at the factory.
Because the OS had to be re-installed, so will this software, you can
find it by to the Dell Support website http://support.dell.com/support
clicking on Drivers and downloads, entering the service tag from your
machine in the appropriate field. I hope this information helps you.

O____o

Well, that explains the 'software edition thing' but still, Creatives drivers wont install because there's not creative hardware in the notebook. I have no idea how Dell got them to, but it was the source of the problems leading to my re-install.

How can I put this into my advantage? The notebook configuration system does say "Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™HD Software Edition" and the 'help me choose' window lists: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/zeph483/soundoptions.jpg

[Digikid]

Hate to say it but this is typical of Dell. Not good computers IMHO.

Something sounds fishy here.....did you try to force the driver?

[Atty]

You could claim you were under the impression that it included both a hardware plus the advanced software for HD Listening (Think: DVD Burner without proper burning software that has to be purchased separately.)

Although how in the fucking christ could Dell believe including Hardware software work without the software? That's ridiculous.


And to the "If you talk to more the one person, blahing hurfing durfing faggotry..." doesn't dell just create a customer account with the specifications for easy reference? Sorta like a Tech support case number?

[Digikid]

I agree Atty. That is just BEYOND retarded!!!!!!

This is why I would NEVER recommend a Dell PC. Sorry.

[legionaire45]

If you can just return it. It isn't worth all the trouble because obviously the majority of them have no idea what they are talking about. You going to lose lots of money shipping it too and fro from them so I say just return it and buy from someone that actually knows what they are doing. The level of idiocy from Dell is absolutely astounding.

If you dont return it either demand a refund of your $10 for making it sound like it actually had hardware sound and if they won't let you then demand that they give you the proper drivers for it. If they give you a line of shit about not having them then tell them you want to return the laptop because the sound doesn't work and it is therefore a defective product.