I had been on with Dell hardware and software support for days.
They went through what I thought was everything.
Their final answer was to re-format the hard drive.
I just didn't think that was it.
Thanks to you guys I have had no problems for 24 hrs.
I am not very computer literate and you made it easy,
even for a guy like me.
Thanks again!!!!!!!

It's a pleasure, really. I have read your thread and as I commented there, I am sure that Chia will be happy that your infection has gone.

Tell your friends, family...whoever, about the site. We'd love to see them!

One in the eye for Dell "Tech Support" huh?

You mean that guy sitting there reading from a book ?

@shortstop-- many companies' so-called "tech-support" are guys who have little real experience --and are reading from a 'flow-chart' type of screen.
In other words he/she is looking at another computer screen-- you tell him your initial problem/it says "start "here/if this occurs do that/and so on... when they get to the end of that chart-- their only other option is to 'reformat'-- because they just don't have any further guidance.
I had a few good experiences when I bought my Dell in 2001. I actually had someone "walk me through" a low-level format via command-line due to a major crash...
I have heard nothing but bad reports in the last few years. Dell contracted it's support out to India for a while... which would be fine if it worked. I realize that India is a high-tech "power" now-- and there are some highly-skilled people there (not working for Dell...from my experience !) I actually had people answer my calls -- who I had to disconnect from because I could not understand them-- due to their thick accent. When you are on hold for over an hour -- with a broken PC at 2:00AM-- and all you want is to get it fixed... this is slightly frustrating.

Not very good for one of the top vendors on earth.
As you have unfortunately found out.

This was part of the reason I got interested in fixing/building computers myself-- because I was not going to put up with such nonsense any more...!

Support people are like that, when they are out of ideas they will almost always tell you to reformatt.

It's our pleasure to help. Remember to spread the word about PCHF.

I've had similar experience with Dell, and had all but given up on ever getting an os disc out of them.
E-mailed 'em sunday night asking for the disc again.
As I'm reading this thread there's a knock at the door. It was a delivery guy with the os disc (plus a bunch of Dell software discs) from Dell!
Wierd huh?

p.s. PCHF RULES!

NO WAY! That's spooky! Hey, thanks for the kind words too

Agreed on the tech support teams...

here at my work - we're a "call centre" of sorts...but we all know how stuff...i like to think of myself as the least knowledgable guy here ....

<rant>
However...we do have to contact Toshiba/HP/IBM support on occasion...and boy does it frustrate all of us...i remember talking to IBM - their first level tech support guys underminded me all the way...i've worked on IBM and HP servers for the past year and a half...i know how to build/support them better then their level 2 guys...but they kept on double guessing me...they sent out technicians...all came to the same conclusion...and funnily enough - was exactly the same as what i told them over the phone...then their "super level tech support guys" who are around the same skillbase as the guys here at my work come out and do exactly what i was asking for in the first place....bah!
</rant>

I agree