Don't get ripped off when your PC is out for repair or upgrade

John, this is a good question and I worried about iut when I build my first PC. But after many upgrades, I realise that a store can't fool you about the hardware you choosed, because you can easily find it out.
And believe me no store like to be defame, because will lose money and costumers. this is the first clue.

2. Give your PC for upgrade to a store you know and trust.

3. Any piece of hardware, exept hard disks, come with a CD includes drver for it. Also there is a manual for motherboard. When you buy new hardware demand from the store these CDs,they bound to give them to you. From these CDs you can have a general oppinion.

4. Any motherboard and graphic card come with a B.I.O.S.(Basic Input Output System)Reboot your upgrade PC. First thing you see on your screen is the brand and type of graphic card. Then your PC enter to POST(Power OnSelf Test). There by hit DEL key (usualy) you can ENTER to system BIOS. Every hardware store informations about their brand, type, capacity or RAM they have etc. So you can have all your info you need from there.

5.windows control panel device manager, or System info can give you additional information. Other operating systems other than windows have such tools too.

6. You can have a 3rd party audilt program, like Belarc Advisor on a CD ,go to the store ask from the technician who involved with your PC upgrade to power iton, install the advisor and you can have a detailed information from hardware installed in your PC. So if you see something don't much your expectations you can ask the technician.

As you see there are many ways to find out if a store fooled you about the hardware but the most important reason, in my oppinion that a store never do that is that no one like be defame. Stores like to have a trustworthy relationship with their costumers so they can earn more money and more costumers. Competition out there is huge so no one want to be other way.

George

The answer to both questions is simple.
Go to "Programs", "Accessories", "System Tools" and select Components.
This will tell you, all about the components of your PC.
The other way, is to have a look inside.

Cheers,
Ratbag

Here are the selected submissions grouped in one post. Read through them and place your votes in the newsletter poll.

Answer:

How NOT to get ripped off...

John,

For what it's worth, MOST stores are going to be honest for the most part about this sort of thing. There may, however, sometimes be issues when you take a box in for service and MIGHT not get quite the box you took in.

Case in point: You have an older computer - one that's say 3 - 4 years old and some component is failing - say, a video card. Your computer's motherboard has an 8x AGP based bus. At the time you built this computer, you paid good money for a particular video card but now, 3+ years later, that particular vendor is no longer in business or the specific model of card in question is obsolete and an exact replacement can't be found. Now at this point, if the computer repair place is honest, they will probably call you on the phone and get further instructions as to what you want them to do about it. More often than not, they'll recommend a replacement card they have in stock or can get ahold of easily. Chances are it may not, however, be an exact match for the one being replaced. It may be better than the one in the box or then again, it may not.

Before taking the computer anywhere - the FIRST thing to do is BACK UP YOUR DATA! Of course, if your computer won't boot any more, then this bit of advice is a day late and a dollar short.

So how does one NOT get ripped off?

1.) The first too in your arsenal is to KNOW YOUR HARDWARE!

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of people (read: those who aren't enthusiasts) probably wouldn't know a CPU chip from a RAM chip. And quite frankly could care less what the exact particulars are as long as it does what they want and expect it to do. Unless they're into gaming, they might not even notice a degrade in video performance. If this describes you, your best bet is to get some help from the geek in the family or the one down the street.

It's best to know what you've got on the before side of the picture. A trip through the Device Manager (right-click on My Computer, select Manage and the Device Manger item on the left hand tree of the computer managment console.). Go through each item on the tree and see what you've got for each component. Write this info down somewhere. If you've got an AMD Athlon XP 2100+ processor, make a note of it. If you've got 512 MB RAM, write that down too. Keep going through the main sections. Don't worry too much about external devices - such as printers, external hard drives, other things plugged in via USB.

2.) When you go into a place, get a feel for the guys working behind the counter. If you're taking it to a small shop, look around and ask questions. If the guy seems to know what he's talking about, and MOST importantly, you feel comfortable with dealing with the guy, by all means, proceed with getting your computer repaired. However, if you've got a nagging feeling in the back of your head, or you feel the slightest doubt that the guy's honest OR if he's jumping the gun and telling you that you really need to dump everything and Upgrade! UPGRADE! UPGRADE! then you just might want to go elsewhere. This guy's got only ONE thing on his mind - and it isn't your best interest.

If you're taking the computer to a big named store, odds are the guy may NOT know a CPU from a hole in the ground. Big name stores tend to hire people who will work for less money. More often than not, they will hire younger people who at best, know enough about computers to be slightly dangerous - in other words, they can install basic hardware upgrades, but they're not quite able to diagnose or fix anything serious. When it comes to handling serious problems, they will take custody of your computer, give you a claim check/repair order, tell you it will take some time to get the machine looked at and fixed and send you home. If you happen to have a warranty (extended or otherwise), you may (or may not) also be given the option of getting a loaner computer for the duration. They will generally then send your computer to a larger facility that does repairs for all of the stores in a given area.

The downside to the big named store is that they generally tend to take a really, REALLY long time getting things fixed and back to you. And even then, there still might be issues that never quite get resolved.

Case in point: A colleague of mine has a client who bought a computer from Fry's Electronics complete with a 5 year extended warranty. About 4 years and 6 months into the warranty, the computer was no longer able to access the guy's network. So, they took it into Fry's for service - FIVE times. Each time, they would take the machine in, get the repair order, get a loaner, and wait SIX weeks only to get the computer back, allegedly fixed and yet, it STILL didn't work properly. A call to the tech support area at Compaq determined the problem was most likely a motherboard issue and it would have to be replaced. Each time, however, the techs at Fry's simply replaced the network card and sent it back. On the fifth and final time they took the thing in, Fry's actually lost the entire machine. They wound up giving him a brand new one.

Had the guy NOT bought the extended warranty, my colleague could have diagnosed the problem, replaced the motherboard with a new one and the guy could have been back up and running in a day or two at the most. As it was, it took 5 trips to the store, 6 weeks between dropping it off and getting it back - for a total of 30 odd weeks. That's more than 6 months. Ultimately, yes, he got some satisfaction out of it BUT he had to put in some serious effort on his part to get it.

3.) ASK AROUND! Ask your friends who have computers where they take their computer issues. Chances are, if they've had problems in the past, they can steer you to good, reliable vendors and away from those who aren't.

4.) Dirty Trick: Use the old "drop of nail polish on the components" bit. If your options are limited and the only game in town is someone you aren't 100% comfortable with, here's a trick that's been around the block a few times. Buy yourself a small bottle of nail polish. The color doesn't really matter as long as it's not clear. (You want the mark to be visible.) Simply open up your case and put a very small drop of the polish on each component - making sure you're NOT putting it on any of the metal legs where parts are soldered onto the motherboard. You do NOT want to compound your problems by shorting something out. A small drop on the edge of your motherboard, sticks of RAM, CPU fan, hard drives, any cards plugged into the computer, etc... will suffice. It doesn't have to be obviously placed as long as you can remember where you put them.

Close the case and take it in for service. When you get it back, you can pop the case open again and look for the drops of nail polish. If something was swapped out that shouldn't have been, you can nail the guy for making unauthorized changes.

There are occasions when this trick won't work. If for whatever reason, the techs decide that your computer can't be repaired and is still under warranty, they may opt to give you a refurbished model that is at the very least, equal to or (preferrably) better than what you walked in with.

Some companies routinely skip trying to figure out what's wrong with the computer and directly issue a replacement. In a situation like this, you will most certainly need to take a few extra steps to make sure you don't lose anything important. (You DID back everything up - Right?)

Case in point: Sony VAIO laptops. About a year or so ago, one of my clients had a problem with his laptop. One of the keys on the keyboard went missing. To get it fixed, Sony's techs told me they would simply swap the laptop out. I could NOT buy a replacement keyboard from them at ANY price. They informed me that any upgrade, namely additional RAM, would NOT be included in the replacement laptop. Furthermore, the data on the hard drive would likewise be lost. Not to mention, if you changed the partitions on the laptop, they would be MOST unhappy. If you upgrade the OS (the one in question came with Windows ME and was upgraded to XP.), you were likewise outta luck - the replacement will the orignal OS - Windows ME on it.

In other words, they want the laptop shipped back to them EXACTLY as they sold it. Upgrades and embellishments are heavily frowned upon. Makes you wonder exactly WHO owns the laptop - you or Sony...?

5.) IF you can, get ahold of any and all serial numbers associated with the hardware inside your computer. Sometimes, however, this would require taking the computer apart. Once again, if you're not comfortable doing this, get someone to help you out. This would include, most importantly, the product key for your copy of Windows from the sticker on the side/back/top/bottom of the computer. As with the nail polish trick, make a list ahead of time and compare it with the computer you get back. Note any discrepancies and demand an explanation.

6.) Above all... Be sure to request ALL of your old parts back. Just as if you were taking your car in for service, you have the rights to get all of your old components back. Make sure you explain this to them when you take the computer in and BEFORE you sign the work order. Better still, make sure that information is written legibly on the work order so the techs know to save the parts and get them back to you. If you don't tell them to do so, odds are they will dispose of the evidence. If they balk at the idea of getting the replaced parts back to you, you might consider going elsewhere.

7.) A Picture is worth a 1000 words... Take pictures of the insides of your computer. Make sure you've got plenty of light, use a flash if needed. Make sure the pictures are crystal clear. If you notice anything odd - like your formerly green motherboard is now royal purple, or the big old honkin' fan on your video card is different, you know what to do - especially when you took the computer in for something else.

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=247203&messageID=2485531#2485531

Submitted by: Wolfie2k5

***********************************************************************

Take an inventory...

For the most part you can't ensure the correct components are present just by looking inside the case since so many different makes and models look alike. In addition, not all components have labels on them with the proper identification. Thus, the best approach is to take an inventory using a program such as Everest, which is freeware. It will analyze your PC, recording almost every component installed, along with the make, model, specs, and serial number, if applicable. Specifically, it will take care of the motherboard, processor, RAM, optical drives, hard drives, disk drives, graphics and sounds cards, and networking adapters. It will also note your keyboard, mouse, and monitor, just in case you're packing them up as well.

To get the ball rolling, install and launch Everest, then click the Report button along the top or go Report->Report Wizard. The "System Summary" should suffice, though you can choose to receive a full report if you prefer. Depending on which report type you choose the report could be quite long, so you may want to save the file to a flash drive instead of printing it.

Note, however, that this inventory is not quite comprehensive, for not all components are capable of reporting themselves via software. These items include the power supply (PSU), fans, and the case itself. The latter should be easy to identify and the fans are of little consequence unless you purchased high-quality parts, leaving you with the PSU. If you peek inside your case you should find it in the top back region of the case with a large label stating the brand, model number, and wattage. Write those down for later references.

Once you receive your computer back from the repair shop, you can repeat this process, comparing the initial report to the new one. Any components you had them install should be properly identified on the new report, while the rest should match the old. If there is a discrepancy chances are something's not kosher.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some other things to keep in mind:

* If there is a software issue the repair shop may reinstall Windows without your permission, wiping out all of your personal files. Thus, it's always a good idea to backup what you can't afford to lose first.

* Likewise, if there are any personal/private files you don't want them to happen across, you may want to move them to a flash drive or other form of removable storage before boxing it up. They could still drudge it up off the hard drive, but it's a little added precaution.

* Always request a written work order before they perform any work on your computer, clearly stating what they will do and what they will charge. In addition, always request a receipt upon completion, stating what work was performed, what parts were added/replaced, how much was charged, and what warranties are given.

* If you are paying for the work to be done, as opposed to having it covered under a warranty, request that the old parts, if any, be returned to you. They are yours and you can always use or sell them later. In addition, if it turns out they replaced a supposedly defective part when it was indeed functional (some will report false problems just for the business) you can request a refund for the purchased part, though not necessarily the cost of labor.

* Be aware that some repair shops will try to 'do you a favor' by installing their own copy of Windows instead of your own or the one you purchased. This almost always results in licensing issues with Microsoft reporting your copy is invalid. Never be talked into such situations and be sure to call Microsoft's toll-free hotline if Windows suddenly begins telling you your copy is pirated afterwards.

And remember, even reputable repair shops, such as Best Buy's Geek Squad, have been known to perform shady practices, so never assume it'll be alright. A little caution can go a long way, particularly with an investment such as a computer.

Hope this helps,
John

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=247203&messageID=2484605#2484605

Submitted by: John.Wilkinson


***********************************************************************

Answer:

Protecting your investment: who do you trust?

The simplest answer to your question lies at the beginning of your computing experience. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! "Let the buyer beware!" is still the underlying anthem of retailers who do not let ethereal concepts such as ethical busines practice dissuade them from making a profit. Ask yourself what it is you need a computer for, and then what do you WANT it for. The answers are not always the same. Canvass your friends and take their advice with a grain of salt. People are not always willing to risk showing themselves to have being duped, so their system is almost always "great". If you do not currently have a computer, avail yourself of the local libraries and research the brand and companies you are leaning towards. Contact the Better Business Bureau to vet your list of possible vendors. Read the ads, read whatever computer magazines you can find. Visit the shops, either local or big box but be ready to make your decision at your pace and withstand the "the sale will be over tomorrow, or it's the last one..." etc. etc. DO NOT be pressured. If you feel pressure, do yourself a favour and take time to evaluate and re-evaluate what you are being told. Computers are not "one size fits all" and you want the best custom fit that you can afford... and always buy as much computer as you can afford. Having the resources today does not equate with having all you will need in six months or more into your computing future.

Ok, you made your choice, and it's home and ready to rumble, whether the set-up is on your own or provided by the vendor. You should have a listing of all components and peripherals at point of sale. If not, demand one. When you are up and running, run the system information component applicable to your operating system and compare notes. Print it for your records, that way, if you take it somewhere for service you can run the application again and compare. If possible take photos (digital or otherwise) capturing all the detail you can... serial numbers, model numbers etc. The interior of your case should not differ after service unless you know that you had new equipment installed or older items replaced.

The bottom line is... be a savvy consumer! Protect yourself. And remember.."If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is!"

Good Luck and Happy Computing!
John K. to John K.

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=247203&messageID=2484595#2484595

Submitted by: OLD BLUE

***********************************************************************

Answer:

Sure you can tell . . . . . . . .

First of all go to: http://www.belarc.com/
They have a system inventory program, that will list were it can every card. Your motherboard/mainboard, hard disc drives, CD DVD/CD ROM's and burners, floppy, other storage device (such as flash drives, IOMega's). How many memory modules, what slots they are in so on so forth. Software and if it has a product number associated with it, even that is recorded. What version Windows operating system even an update number, what updates to the version of Windows you have. This information is displayed on a html page in your default browser, that can be printed out. Which is what should be done. Print up a couple of these listings.

Being as you are taking the computer in to be upgraded instead of you doing the upgrade yourself (yourself is the cheapest way to upgrade). It isn't going to be easy to tell, but it can be done.

Flashlight
Magnifying Glass
Portable Ultra Violet Light source
Invisible Ink Marker

Before you even take your computer to be upgraded do the following:
Take the cover off and one by one take your cards out of their respective slots one at a time, when you are done put it back in and take the next one out. Now you do not have take off any wires leave them on as you are not going to remove them. You are going to record the following;
make
model
serial number from if the cards have serial numbers.

If need be use the magnifying glass and the flashlight to see better.
At this point it would be a good time to use the Invisible Ink marker and mark your initials, or vehicle operator's number. Why the vehicle operators number and not Soc numbers!? Well with identity theft would you use your Soc Numbers? Besides your vehicle operators number does not vary by much from state to state. Mark on a non-conductive surface just to be safe, re-insert the card. Mark your hard drives, do not remove them as they can be real pistols to get back in. Mark on the side or end of the hard drive your initials, same with your CD or CD/DVD ROM's or burners. As far as memory modules go just mark them with the Invisible Ink someplace. Mark someplace on the motherboard/mainboard. Nice thing about Invisible Ink is that it does not show up on the surface to mar it up visibly. After you have marked the surfaces of your parts, check them out with the Ultra Violet light. This is how you would check out your computer after it came back from an upgrade or repair. The replaced part or repair will not have the markings. If parts have been removed and replaced with inferior parts, this is how you would tell. Now with the duplicate inventory listing, indicate where each card or board has been marked with the Invisible Ink, then file it away.

By doing the following you have taken one tooth out of the possibility of being cheated. This is the same technique that investigators use to make sure that the part has been replaced or the repairs are done on an item. If your computer has been stolen it will also come in handy when it is recovered. A caveat here; most home owner's insurance does not cover computers and related equipment. So what you might want to look into is a rider that would cover the computer equipment.

Like the auto repair business, at least in the state of Michigan, the repair service has to return the parts to the customer. The only time they do not is if the part is a core for a rebuilt part or like a transmission, it is too big but has to be seen by the owner to insure it was replaced. Well you can do the same, have the tech show you the parts that were or are replaced. In fact have them return the upgraded cards to you. With Good reason if the upgraded parts fail you have at least a temporary replacement. Unless the tech is going to give you some kind of break by using your part as a trade-in then I would demand that the cards be returned.

It is not that your tech is dishonest, but it will keep him honest. My Uncle had a saying; "Locks are there to keep honest people honest!"
A side note here: Those that are interested in genealogy will recognize what is being said here. The first three numbers on an operators license are what is called "sounddex" numbers, even from state to state. As an example my Michigan operators license has a sounddex of 200. Because my name starts out with "bu", same as the Presidents, which his state of Texas operators number would start out with B200
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6142_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=247203&messageID=2485025&tag=mcnt

Submitted by: tech_no_man

I speak from experience here,don't let relatives who are "techs"so they say fix your pc,I made this mistake with my Compag,when I got it back my modem processor even my fan was removed.As you would expect he had no idea what happened to the guts in my pc.It was there when he was finished with it.Hard lesson to learn.

Knock off the computer otherwise you can get zapped.
If your hands are sweaty use gloves.
Have a permanent marker or felt pen ready.

a)remove the casing from the computer
b)remove each individual card from its position, write its name on the casing itself in chronological or position on the motherboard order. I drew a diagram on the casing with a felt pen and then numbered and named them.
c) put each card back into its original location, that way you won't get confused as to which card goes where.. (short term memory loss people like self).
d) write down on the casing, all hard drives that you may have
e) make a note of serial numbers on memory chips.. and serial numbers on other cards as well if visible.
f) cannot go wrong to also put your signature on the cables.. some long ones were removed and short ones reinstalled.
g) make sure the original driver disks are numbered, named and receipted when handing them over to the company.
h) Don't accept their statement that the card is damaged (ie. vga card, sound card etc) if you don't have the drivers for it, because they cannot be bothered finding the driver on the internet for you so a replacement is faster and gives them cash. Try downloading the driver my favourite site www.driverguide.com after a Microsoft update.
h) NEVER USE SUPERGLUE ANYWHERE THE COMPUTER..
i) NEVER try to repair a tiny part that might just hang on with super glue unless you can take the part out, put the disjointed part on separately, let it dry completely and reinstall, example, the fan clip that houses the CPU fan on the motherboard. Fiddly irritating things and they break.
j) all parts have some form of identity, otherwise make your own. I put a small dot in tippex on a flat patch on any item that isn't marked.
k)If your's is a foreign machine,i.e. ex your country.. it is likely that they will try to give you parts that they can maintain, therefore there may be statements that items do not work because they cannot recognise them. i.e. HP T1000 tape drive for example.
l) don't assume that the part you get "NEW" from their stores is not defective. bought a hard disk from company and it didn't even boot, fortunately in their premsies, however it could happen.
m)make sure that items purchased are under warranty and the dates written in concise order: ex dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy, one trick is that they put dates in reverse order so that the item falls out of the warranty period faster. Min entitlement 1 year.

I also would use Belarc in addition I use a toy SPY PEN. It a permanant marker that is invisible unless you use a ultraviolet light to see it. They are available in many toy departments. Just mark your hardware and when you get it back you'll be able to see if they switched out anything on you.

Just my two-cents:
Keith

Recently I had to put my PC in the shop for repairs, and I was a little hesitant at first, I do not know a lot about computers and you
know the saying about us women, that we should seek the advise from a
male when putting anything in a shop for repairs. I told my boss about
my computer and what it was not doing and what I knew it should be doing, he recommended the repair and upgrade shop that he used and I
took my computer there and they were so nice and when I went to pick it up, they had my bill ready and they had a list of what they found &
what they repaired and upgraded. Also if I had any problems I was to
call them and they would fix it with no extra charge, for a 50.00 fee
they would come to my house, but I could bring it in myself and they
would call when ready for pickup. This was a professional business and I am grateful my boss told me about it. My computer is still up and working fine. As for the Antivirus Program, they installed one for free and I am still using it today, after renewing it I am still
satisfied with it and it is great! By the way it is still free and it
works for me. Why pay money for something that does not work, when you can get it free and it works and protects your PC? I hope this information will help you. Go to a reputable company, ask questions,
and if you do not understand ask again okay.

If your computer is old and you take it in for a upgrade your main concern should be what personal data you have on your HD. Chances are no one wants your out dated PC parts, if there not working for you then you can rest assured they will not work for the person who knows about PC's and has no need for out dated hardware. The way they would probably cheat you is with reused parts. If they do then you may never know. I reccomend buying your upgrade parts and doing it yourself. If for some reason you feel this is to hard get a friend to do it or buy the parts yourself so uknow what they look like.

i used to work for a major online PC vendor and they sold new PC's and servers from new parts and referb's from old parts. Did we mix and match old and new parts, yeah we did. Unless you buy the parts yourself you will never know if they are really new.

The real concern should be in giving your HD w/personal info. Backup to keep your data, but keep in mind your giving your bank info and all your saved passwords to the people reparing your PC. If they are crooked they will simply copy your HD and you will never know until they use your data. When i was building the referbs i found so much personal data on old HD's it was scarry. At least make sure you get your old HD back if thats being upgraded and reforamt it then destroy it if your not keeping it.

Several weeks ago I posted "my worst ever rip off" with a similar subject.

My pc was running great until my first experiences with the internet.It had VET antivirus(part of Computer Associates) installed but unknown to me it was way out of date plus the licence had expired.It was a written off machine from my work and I was still a computer rookie at the time.The local computer shop fixed all the bugs like I asked him to and 18 months later I realised that he swapped my motherboard while he was at it.I then managed to find out that this particular PC should have had either an MSI or INTEL board not a BIOSTAR fitted in it.As it happened too long ago and I did not really know what I had to begin with there wasn't much I could do.

The lesson I learned from this was to become a DIY and take it to nobody if it can be avoided.In all honesty finding your way around inside a PC is not all that hard,if an amateur like me can do it so can anyone else.You will get alot personal satisfaction from it and potentially save yourself a stack of money at the same time.The only reasons you should have to take it elsewhere would be for insurance purposes or if it is still under warranty.

Just one last thing,as many of the other respondents to your question have said"make some sort of unique marking on everything and make yourself familiar with part numbers etc".

Hope this small bit of advice helps you out in some way.

John(Australia)

Unless you're totally, electro-mechanically inept...Do it yourself!

Why pay the "Geek Squad" big bucks for what you can accomplish on your own? It?s really not a big deal to install components. Buy what you want/need after shopping around for best price. Double check return policies, because once you open packages, the fine print doesn?t allow for return on many items.

Installing modems, video cards and up-grading to bigger RAM and the like is pretty simple. A mother board takes a little more effort. Digital photos of the layout before you begin can give even the most ?challenged? a clear view or how everything falls into place.

The design of machines and electronic components are ?user friendly?. Circuit boards are not as sensitive to incidental damage as people believe. All that?s usually needed are a few simple tools (small screwdrivers, small nut drivers, etc) and viola.

You?ll save big on the ?labor costs? and have the satisfaction of ?I did that?!

Spoon

I have to tell you guys about my experience. I consider myself as one with just the basic computer knowledge buts lots of enthusiasm to learn. As a result I tend to ask a lot of questions to the salesman and do quite a bit of research/review on the web before I make any purchase. I have an assembled PC which was working fine with minor issues along the way, when it suddenly developed a strange problem. When I started the CPU it would start booting and then before fully booting up, it would switch itself off, then automatically boot again.... this would go on for quite a number of times before shutting off by itself.I took my CPU to a local reputed big computer mart which has a "PC Clinic" and service technicians on site. After checking the unit (2 days) they called me and informed that the graphics card had to be replaced (Creative); After an expensive replacement I took the CPU home and in less than a week the same old problem resurfaced! So back to the same place... another 2 days later, I was told the problem was with the motherboard. By now I was really upset and decided to go to an old friend who recommended me to a chap who does repairs from his basement, just for fun! I was a bit apprehensive at first but it turned out after a very extensive checkup in my presence, the problem was to do with the switch on the CPU case and not with any of my installed components. To prove the point the old graphics card was put back and my PC worked fine!
I have lost all confidence in these authorised technicians after this bitter experience.

Not only do I run Belarc before I take my computer in for servicing, I take the printout with me when I drop it off. The last time I did that the tech seemed to be genuinely happy to see that nice detailed list. It helped him to diagnose the problem and fix it. I ran Belarc again when I brought my computer back home and compared the lists. What I ordered and paid for is what I got. Make sure that you take home whatever packaging and literature came with your new parts. Compare the new items with Belarcs list. Ask friends and other people you trust for recommendations when it comes to choosing someone to service your computer. Lastly, do some research if you are going to be buying new parts. Find out what will work best for your particular computer and your particular needs. I found out the hard (and somewhat expensive) way that the new video card I had installed was not compatible with AutoCAD. I had to replace it to the tune of another $150.00. If I had done a bit of research I would have known that the first card I bought was not going to work. Autodesk provides a list of compatible cards on their website. All I had to do was look. And the truth is that it was my responsibility to know what I needed, not the techs. The more you know the less likely you are to be ripped off.

You can take inventory and mark and photograph everything, and then you will know if something shady happened. However, what do you do next?

--------------Bottom line: Do an inventory in the shop and get a witness signature; it is meaningless any other way.---------------

There are always more parties involved in a repair than just two. For starters there's yourself and the repair shop. Then there's everyone who works there who may have private access to your machine. In my case there was also the seller, and everyone there who had private access to the machine, including any customer who may have bought and returned the thing before I bought it. That proved not to be the problem, but it could have been.

I bought a Toshiba notebook from Office Depot. It was a fabulously discounted display model, loaded just the way I needed it. It checked out just fine, and I used it for some time before I took it for service; even then it was a petty issue, just a good time for me to spare the computer. Specifically, as was apparently common for the model, my keyboard was missing keystrokes regularly. I took it to an authorized and reputable service company locally.

I did not take any inventory, because it was 100% OEM. I was not worried about software licenses, and I had a full backup. So no proof needed, right?

10 days later the tech called me, said that he had ordered a replacement keyboard, plus a DVD-RW drive, since this one had scratched up my disk. A few days after that he called me and said he was having system stability problems after the replacements, so he had ordered a new system board. A few days later, he said that hadn't changed anything, but when Toshiba asked him to read the serial numbers for various parts he found the second RAM stick was not EOM; it was actually half the size it should have been, and that when he swapped it with a known-good part it was stable.

My first thought was that it had been a display model at a box store, so I told him I would call OD to pursue some remedy. Then the Sherlock gene kicked in: I know what I bought, and I know I saw it report 2GB to me repeatedly, both during boot and from system information, and it was stable until that day he called me. So I knew when the swap had happened, there in the service center, but how could I prove that? Any record that I could provide would be trusted only as much as they trusted me. Furthermore, they said the equipment was kept in lock-up, and I absolutely trusted the tech who was working on the system. So in my opinion there was a security problem there. In their opinion, it must be me telling lies to get that $360 part (actual value $60) replaced for free!

I could not think of a way to get them information that they could trust. If THEY had done an inventory upon receiving the thing, then there would be no problem, but they would have no cause to trust MY inventory if I had one. I thought maybe there was a boot inventory record somewhere on the PC that they could use to convince themselves, but I could not think of one. In the end, after I spoke with the manager they decided to trust me, and must have accepted that they had a security flaw and a shady employee somewhere, so they took it on the chin and replaced the RAM. Lucky me, four weeks later.

you never know...

I've seen some good solutions... knowing your hardware, knowing how to take the cover off and what the inside should look like; taking a high-resolution digital picture of the inside of the case is one thing I've done before doing work, myself, so I could make sure I plugged all the cables back in the right places... I'll not go into any other possible means of ensuring you don't get ripped off, because there's already so many. I just have a story to tell...

About 15 years ago a friend of mine worked for Best Buy back during the Mac clone period, when there Apple briefly licensed the technology and sold their own brand plus several other manufacturers sold "Mac Clones" at Best Buy and other major retailers. In some cases, the high-end computers and the entry-level machines (or even the entire line) all came in essentially identical cases, with only the nameplate being different. Well my friend wanted the top-of-the-line machine, but he didn't feel like paying $2,500, or whatever it cost, so he simply switched cases on a display model that was less than half that price and then bought that one. Whatever customer ended up buying that top-of-the-line display model ACTUALLY got the entry-level components in the top-of-the-line case.

I don't know if this sort of thing happens very often, and of course it can only be done with display models, but again this IS a case of "let the buyer beware," and again it's a good reason to know things like how to use Device Manager and other control panels to see exactly what IS installed on your system... And WHY you should always read your owner's manual cover to cover and open that cover at least once for a looksee at some point.

And NO, I'm NOT going to say who my friend is, so don't bother asking.
Jeff

Simplest way (though not foolproof) is to export your System Information to a text file, and then save it off before taking your PC to be repaired or upgraded.

Then, when you get the PC back, run another export of your System Information, and compare the before and after text files.

To export your System Information, run

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\msinfo32.exe

Then, click File --> Export

To do a file comparison, you can use a tool like ExamDiff. See

http://www.prestosoft.com/edp_examdiff.asp

This will compare two files and highlight the differences.

R. Grimes

or you could just go to the device manager... hold down the Start + Pause|Break keys on your keyboard at the same time and your system properties menu will come up (or right click on your desktop's My Computer or Computer icon and choose properties... two ways to do the same thing...).
XP - the system properties window will pop up and you just have to go to the hardware tab and then click on device manager.
Vista - the system properties menu manifests itself as a regular explorer menu and there will be a column on the left where the first option is Device Manager. In the device manager you should be able to see all the hardware that was properly installed on your pc... improperly installed hardware will have a yellow exclamation point next to it, or may not even appear if it wasn't properly connected internally. I STRESS that you should look but not touch in this menu... don't go clicking around and uninstalling stuff if you don't know what you're doing.

As a female, I label (hard unique signiture) all the hardware in my computer(s) eventhough I used the company my computer is made by and I use authorized dealers, too. I do not use Radio Shack because that subcontact the work so I go directly to the subcontracter.

So if a component is supposed to be replace I will know if they did or not.

This has worked for me but I learned how to do upgrades myself that way I really cut out the drama.

"Be aware that some repair shops will try to 'do you a favor' by installing their own copy of Windows instead of your own or the one you purchased. This almost always results in licensing issues with Microsoft reporting your copy is invalid. Never be talked into such situations and be sure to call Microsoft's toll-free hotline if Windows suddenly begins telling you your copy is pirated afterwards."

Hi John,

You suggest calling Microsoft's toll free hot line to report piracy; however, you do not suggest what to do when they respond with nothing but options to purchase new Genuine software. In my case, I gave them contact information for the repair shop that did just that: My computer was pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition when purchased from Dell. Back from the repair shop, wiped and re-loaded with Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition NO REGISTRATION KEY, NO REPAIR DISCS.

I called the 1 man shop's owner and explained my dilemna, he said that it was no problem and would only take him five minutes to do but that he had to do it. He then made an appointment with me to do this and was a no show. I called him once again to find out what happened and he apologized with alibi and rescheduled. Again he failed to appear. So I called him back and he would not answer his cell phone (also his business phone, no email addrerss, no shop address only a p.o. box) so I left a message stating if he did not take care of it that I would take him to small claims. He called back and left a message for me stating he did not like threats and told me to take my business elsewhere.

I filed a complaint with the BBB, his yellow page ad stated he was a member, what a fiasco that was. They had a rep that told me there was no listing of his business with them but to file the complaint anyway. So I did, months later I get a letter from them with a response to my complaint from the repair shop that basically said I did not know what I was talking about and that he had satisfied my issue and they had closed their case. Long story - short, the rep was in error about the repair shop not being a member and was later fired for performance issues. It would be laughable if it weren't such a serious issue.

So I did a little detective work and had a friend call him for service so I could serve him with small claims papers. Again, long story - short we are scheduled for small claims court this Thursday June 14, 2007. The burden of proof is on me, so I must produce evidence that he did what I said he did and it resulted in a snowball effect (happened over a year ago and well within the satute). In other words I have not been able to update the pirated software with anything other than critical updates. So not only do I have a pirated copy of software, I have outdated software such as Media Player, etc.

Microsoft has been uncooperative in even putting a live body on the phone, please tell me what you think I will need to prove my case and how to go about getting it. I would hate to loose after all that has happened. I did not find out until last friday that the court date was in two days. HELP!

Thanks in advance for anything you may suggest to assist me.

Greg Varra
gbvarra@verizon.net