A Tragic Tale of a new Dell Laptop and Windows 10

Some bloggers rant. It's what they do. During my 13 years as an entertainment writer with a weekly music column I found that there are only so many superlatives you can use to say something is good. I could get reeeeeallllly creative when I wrote how bad something was. Rants are easy, but meaningful praise requires thought and insight from the writer. I would spend hours writing an in-depth review of a new  album (look it up you millennials) release after researching the artist, the studio, etc. 

Years ago I wrote a review of the much revered punk group The Ramones which appeared in my column. Tear sheets are sent to the record company and band management once the article is published. I can still remember it. In total it said, "The Ramones suck. They have no social redeeming value." Of all the good reviews I wrote with all that research and attention to detail over 13 years, I was never quoted. My Ramones review was included in the Ramone's full page ad in Rolling Stone magazine. And so it goes.


All the digression displayed above is to explain that even though I don't normally blog that way, this post is going to be a rant...just a R A N T!


The rant subjects are:


Windows 10

Dell Computers

Dell Tech Support

Microsoft Windows 10 Support


I list these to afford you the opportunity to exit the post and move on to more important things in life such as beekeeping, birdwatching or watching grass grow (hey, that's tough in winter).

We are a laptop family. I have 4 but run three. One holds my photography software. One is for music production and the third is for internet browsing, et al. There are two others belonging to the rest of the household. The important thing to take away is that all are PC and not Mac and none WERE Windows 10. 


Music production software and all its plugins use some serious RAM and my Toshiba was tweaked as far as it would go sooooo I went to Dell because you could design your own computer and see the prices as you tweaked. 


Gone. Packaged now. You get this and can add that for this much more. Ask if you can have an onboard item removed and replaced with something else or not at all and you are told that it's not possible since it's part of the package. Is this Dell?

It arrived and I put the programs on it and took it to my bedroom studio to give it a go and it couldn't find my sound card which is vital to recording anything. When I got that resolved I reattached my dual monitors and started to work. I was greeted with recordings that sounded like musicians were eating bowls of Rice Crispies during the session...with their mouths open! Snap, crackle, pop over everything.

Never happened with my Toshiba. My new rig was killing me. I did everything I knew how in order to correct the issue (this happens periodically with recording software drawing too much of the brain power of your computer and can be fixed with a few changes in settings). Nothing worked. Other freaky things were happening as well. Only having the Dell for a couple of weeks I decided to make use of their support. 


Dell Support for a brand new laptop:


I lost 7.5 hours of my life trying to communicate with three support techs sporting Anglo names but a limited grasp of the language and an inability to help with the problem other than to claim they could fix my laptop for me if I purchased a premium support package for $350. I had a tantrum. After 5 hours of chatting on the phone I asked for a supervisor who eventually told me my programs had altered the original Dell preloaded software settings and since it was software they needed me to buy the package. I told him (with great restraint) "When pigs can fly!" The fact that a lesser Toshiba could handle the programs with less ram memory, a slower processor and Windows 7 didn't seem to figure into the equasion. 5 hours of trying this and that and then you say you can fix it for $350!!?? This isn't the Dell of old. I need to call Michael.


On my own I discovered that there was a Windows Desktop Manager (WDM) grabbing more than 30% of the brainpower of the laptop with nothing else running. I had asked the third Dell person what it did and he never answered me. Wouldn't do it. I repeatedly asked why it was taking that much memory and he claimed I had a virus and corrupted files. Lord have mercy.       

After 90 minutes I cut the third Dell rep off and told him I didn't believe he had any idea what was wrong nor how to fix it. Time to chill. My sphincter level had finally reached 11. What's Michael Dell's phone number?


Windows Support for Windows 10:


Next morning I called Microsoft Support for Windows 10. If anyone can tell me what's going on with Windows 10 it has to be them, right? Patricia Ann E was very nice and told me not to worry she would help me with my issue. First thing she did was look for corrupted files and asked me about my security software. It hit me. They were all using the same online protocol to diagnose what ailed my computer. Their level of expertise was based on the same script! They are trying to clear their product of blame. She had the nerve to ask if I had any programs loaded on the laptop. I should have said, "Nope. I want this in mint condition so I can sell it as an antique in a few years! Here's your sign."

This was worse. She actually saw what was going on and I finally got her to say that Windows 10 shouldn't be doing that. While we were chatting and no programs running it went to 95% of CPU memory in use. "Doing what?" I asked. She hadn't a clue. I asked her what that WDM did and she sent me a link to read about it. I asked if she could give it to me in a nutshell and I did get a nutshell. It controls things on the desktop. 3D images and shadows under the icons among other things. I asked if we could disable some of that stuff and she said nope. 

Then she did it. She offered me a premium service package with 24-7 support as well as integrated Skype and XBox for only $189 a year. 

I had an out of body experience. I was streaking toward India as a giant bird of prey with talons at the ready following IP addresses to online support facilities. SNAP OUT OF IT!

I was very nice to Patricia after that. I asked if she was saying I have a glitchy operating system on a brand new laptop and in order for Microsoft to make good on their crappy Windows 10 OS I had to pay...MORE!? Backpeddling as fast as she could she said I didn't have to buy it, but it would take care of the type of problem I was having. What??? You haven't even told me what problem I'm having!!! I know what problem I have now and that's a WINDOWS 10 LAPTOP! 


She wanted to try one more thing. She created a Test user account and hit the button to switch to it. It took 25 minutes for it to load and when it did the CPU load was even higher with the WDM still exceeding 30%. She had no clue what to do next. She said let me log you in and disable the Test user account. When she hit the button the computer went black with a spinning cursor for 25 minutes, I had to unplug the monitors and open the laptop to manually bring it back to life. When it reloaded she was gone, but the Test User log-in remained. I plan to keep it as a reminder of the fine support service I received from both manufacturers.


I had a hunch and checked the CPU load. It was 2%. The monitors running via USB caused the video card to draw the extra brainpower robbing where and when it was needed. The music production software ran smoothly and the other quirks that showed up are gone. No more Rice Crispies!

All the support techs knew I was running the monitors (as I did on the Toshiba) but failed to check if that might be causing the problem. I could have doubled the cost of my laptop if I had purchased both service agreements and they would still be like the blind men and the elephant trying to figure out what the issue was.


Well, that's my rant. The moral of the story is buy a Mac (If you can afford it and don't mind not right clicking your mouse) or find a Windows 7 laptop and cherish it. 


Next time out, how about a nice trip to Siena Italy?