After exploring alternative options and further contemplation (having already received one dud), I decided to give Dell a second chance. This time I ordered an XPS 400 instead of a Dimension E310. I placed my order on Tuesday morning, and by Thursday evening the computer had already arrived. I was once again impressed with the quick turnaround in their fulfillment and shipping of my order, especially since their anticipated ship date wasn’t until January 31st.

After I unpacked, set up, and made sure everything was functional, I decided to wipe the hard drive to get rid of all of the bloatware (which is quite extensive) and Windows XP Media Center, and put a fresh install of Windows XP Professional on instead. That ended up being more of an ordeal than anticipated, requiring me to create and tweak a Windows XP Service Pack 2 slipstream and then walking through the following steps that I found after scouring the Dell Support Forums:

1. Create an XP SP2 slipstream CD to boot
2. In BIOS, Change SATA Config to “Combination”
3. In BIOS, Change Video display from “PEG” to “PCI”
4. Boot XP Pro + SP2 slipstream CD, and install Windows XP Professional
5. After XP install finishes, change BIOS Video display settings back to “PEG”
6. Install chipset and other drivers from Dell support web site (for an XPS 400, in my case)

After finally getting Windows XP Professional installed, everything was smooth sailing. The system is fast, quiet, and so far, stable!

I built my previous system (AMD Thunderbird 1.2Ghz) back in the summer of 2000 and it held up great in the five and half years since. Having had some success building a computer before, I know I could have gone that route again and probably gotten a little more bang for my buck. Instead, I opted to go with Dell because of the convenience and more importantly, because of their financing plan. I also entertained the idea of ordering from iBuyPower and CyberPower, as I’ve heard good things about both, but Dell’s one-year no-interest financing ultimately won me over.

Time will be the deciding factor as to whether or not Dell has redeemed themselves (as far as their dealings with me are concerned), but so far, they are off to a good start.

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I was looking through the February issue of Money Magazine and came across an article discussing the “MySpace Generation”, the creation of online profiles, and their potential affect on future job prospects.

The assertion of the writer (Scott Medintz) is that people (kids in particular) tend to be more forthright online, sharing everything from gossip, photos (sometimes risque) , their political views, to their most intimate thoughts. All of this is being done without any consideration being given to the long-term consequences of doing so. Medintz wrote that online profiles could potentially serve as “shadow resumes”, with more companies going to the web for information when performing background checks. With Google’s caching and the Internet Archive’s recording of web pages, content that has been long been removed is often times still retrievable.I guess my view is that if it’s out there, it’s technically fair game, so use some common sense when sharing anything online. That said, I also think it’s relatively easy (and not that uncommon) for someone with a vendetta or simply out of boredom, to impersonate someone else on the web. I don’t see how companies will be able to mine the web for information on job applicants and factor it into their decision as to whether or not they are going to hire that person. Without knowing the intent, context, and ultimately, the validity of whatever “dirt” is found, how can it be seen as anything other than hearsay?

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I finally have an update to report on my earlier post regarding my bad experience with Dell. After weeks of playing phone tag, I finally received an email from Dell indicating that I have been credited for my return, minus all applicable restocking and shipping fees. I called and left one final message requesting some clarification on the situation since I had yet to speak to an actual person.

Today, I had a message waiting for me from the Dell Customer Service Rep on my machine when I got home from work. She stated that the Dell web site does in fact state that their technical support must determine if the problem was a defect for the restocking fee to be waived, however due to the circumstances, they would go ahead and waive it for me.But if you look at the Dell Return Policy linked from their Returns page:

Restocking Fees: Unless the product is defective or the return is a direct result of a Dell error, a restocking fee of 15% may be charged on hardware, accessories, peripherals, parts and unopened software still in its/their sealed package, and on software that has not been downloaded if the software is delivered electronically.

I still say it was defective, but at a minimum the problem was a result of a Dell error. Regardless, I see no mention of technical support needing to intervene. I still think their Return Policy is misleading and should be revised. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pleased that they waived the restocking fee for me in the end, but it wasn’t without my forcing the issue.

On a related note, I came across this post over at BuzzMachine.

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I just finished reading Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. I’m not going to write a full book review, but I did want to mention it as I liked it a lot. The book basically applies economics to everyday life. Levitt basically asks questions about every day life, analyzes data, and finds connections.

Some of the links discovered and discussed are that legalized abortion led to decreased crime, parents with swimming pools are more of a threat to children than parents with guns in the home, and gangs’ organizational structures often reflect that of a corporation’s. I thought the most interesting aspect was how he discussed the hidden incentives behind certain behaviors, and basically shows that everything in life is incentive based.

Give it a read. I wasn’t really shocked or surprised by anything in it, but there were a few times where I had “huh, interesting” moments. If nothing else, it makes you think a bit more about everyday things, or at least makes you think about them in a different light.

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