[QUOTE=Adams' Apple]On top of the troubles with MY 'puter, this "loaner" they gave me must have been "refurbished" by a color-blind !! s.o.b [/QUOTE]

Joel,

Anytime, for now on, when you get a 'loaner' computer.  Ask them to turn the system on and watch them do this.  They should of did this before you even took it out of the store!!!      This would make your problems less  and being    

You've fallen now get back up and start over.  We all do this.

I build computers for a living & you can replace your DVD+RW for about $40.00 A good drive is the NEC DVD+RW & you can get it from Newegg.com. If the same cable plugs into your Hard drive & DVD then set the pin on the DVD to Slave. If the cable only goes to the DVD then pin it to Master. Good software to have in your computers is AVG virus (it's free) & much better than Norton, Webroot's Window Washer (around $20.00) and set it to wash every time you close Windows Explorer , ZONE Alarm (free) it protects you computer from hackers, etc. A very good program that I install in every one of my computers is O&O Software the defrag Version 8.0....it costs $44.95. It defrags your computer much better than Windows Defrag & will run in the background. I started putting O&O in servers with RAID Drives (which get fragmanted alot).The more defragmanted a drive is the slower it runs & more often which means problems are around the corner.

Good luck

Alan

 

Yeah yeah yeah...
Alan, my 'puter is "new". I bought it in June of last year, from Frye's(paid extra for 2yr warranty). This is the second time I've had the prob. with the DVDrw drive. I took it back to them in Oct. last year, and they kept it until Jan. 1st of this year. When I got it back, it worked, but the "Light Scribe" didn't. Then, it quit working again, same as before.
I do have the AVG program, along with Ad-aware, and Spy-Subtract. It just me off that they can't seem to find the problem, and FIX it!

Mike, this turd was in a box, and I was tired of waiting around for them to bring it out. This place(Frye's) was recommended by several s I know, but not necessarily this particular store. This place has "techs" that go to work with their pants hangin down their butts. Not my idea of "professional"
I have learned me lesson. Somebody please SHOOT ME!! Adams' Apple38740.8342939815

lots of young people in the computer business learn by hands on ..ok on cars..not computers. Keeping a computer for that long is a joke..sounds like a power supply problem..you need a 400w power supply on most new computers these days & lots of fans as heat is a big problem. I'd be temped to pull his pants up around his neck & bust his nose. Diagnosing computers is the same as cars, except there's not that many componets. Dvd's,CD,etc. usually don't fail especially after the first 30 days...but heat, bad voltage & dust cause failures. Even with the guarantee I'd be very leary of these guys & chock it up to another lesson in life & go elsewhere. 

Alan

YeeeeHaaaaww! I FINALLY got this turd back from "Gomer Central"!
Amazingly enough, it only took them one month to download the software for the Lightscribe DVDrw drive. I been tellin them all along it was software/driver, but they kept replacin the drive. Idiots. I made them prove it all worked before I took it this time. Also let everyone in the store know how I REALLY felt about the service, and the intelligence of the "service" personel. Also came THIS CLOSE(two fingers touching) to whoopin the punk at the return desk. He learned REALLY quick I wasn't the guy he wanted to play games with today.
Well, let's just see how long it lasts this time.
Ya'll wishes me luckies, and crosses yer fangers & toes.

"SOMEBODY SHOOT ME"....now that would be a waste of a good bullet...can we just get someone to beat you to death Joel? 

You volunteerin? Adams' Apple38768.8581597222

backing up computers is like voting in Chicago - do it ealy and often...  If you end up buying a new one, many of my friends and my company have been happy with Dell products (especially with their extended warranty) and if they mess up you can go see Micheal Dell up in Round Rock.

 

Yeah, Dude, I shoulda got a Dell!!
This is a new HP that I've had all this crap with. It's actually one of the DVD/RW drives that has been the problem. So far, the 'puter has been workin otay since I got it back this time. Now, my new printer took a dump last week!! I went and bought another printer/scanner, and I've been happy wid it so far.
Makes me want to