Friends, since the beginning of computer time over at my house, there has been a PC. Or several PC’s. And since the beginning of time I can remember having one catastrophe after another.
Dell and I have had our ups and downs. It’s been a relationship filled with passion, angst, hatred, loathing, making up, relief. We have, however, never separated.

I got my first Dell, a laptop in 2002, then moved on to a desktop, my work horse, in 2007. I was the first kid on the block to spring for Vista and there were months of angst and the insanity of incompatibilities. We took our time and worked out our differences; it was not easy. The beginning was hell and yet It is now almost four years later and it is ready to explode from being stuffed by what one accrues over the years; in fact, the amount of “stuff”I have is scary. I have two external hard drives backing up in fear of losing my life’s detritus.

In 2009 I got a Dell laptop, and those of you who remember my plight will now shake their heads in sympathy: I spent weeks if not months on the phone with an incompatible virus protection and trend Micro taking remote access of my computer to try to cure it. They couldn’t. They had to come up with a new version.

When that was solved I had only to find that the computer had a mind of its own–the keyboard went berserk–then, after screaming, posting on Twitter and writing to Michael Dell did I get action: corporate called me, interviewed me about all the time and money I spent to keep a NEW laptop going properly. The tech support was endless, the wonky keyboard with the flying letters nearly drove me to Valium. Or worse. A divorce from Dell.

That computer was soon replaced by the company not even a year later; with a refurbished one. A newer, greater model, and within about six months it too began acting peculiar. I am using it now and still there are times the words I type embed themselves in the wrong line. For months, at whim, it would just freeze, in the middle of whatever I was doing. All tests came up negative. “It has to be some software,” they concluded.
The solution always is: reload the operating system.”

I refused.

I also have a Dell mini. It was new when I gave it to my son to take on a trip. The keyboard was occasionally wacky with me–yes, a NEW computer. When he was on his trip the keyboard stopped talking to the computer. Dell had to overnight him a new one.

My son is on his second laptop; luckily he has had no issues. I have a downstairs desktop and that one, knock wood is working.

So, over the years I have wrestled with seven Dell computers. I have invested in insurance for hardware, software conflicts, the top antivirus protection. I have been on the phone probably the equivalent of three years with all manner of technical support for some of the wackiest issues. I have spoken to just about every technician and sales person in India, the Philippines, Canada, occasionally the United States…back in 2002 when you’d call Dell and an American would answer the phone.

So, now I am at a threshold: do I still want to stay married to Dell?
Look, I am a loyal person and relationships are important and sacred.
I just didn’t know I was married to some flawed contraptions. In the end, my desktop, once its problems were worked out in therapy, remained loyal and fairly reliable. But, it’s getting old.

And now for the soul-searching the questions:

Will leaving Dell and going out with a Mac change my life for the better?

Will I leave all the issues behind and get that blue smiley face of contentment?

Will all the PC software I have invested in be banished to the bin and will it have to be replaced by costly Mac stuff?

Will I be able to have safe computing without protection– even on the first date?

Will biting the Mac apple give me a new lease on life?

Will single mouse-clicking cause me to gain weight?

Have I just been stuck in my PC relationship too long; have I gotten too comfortable in the discomfort? Do I just have a thing for foreign men with accents?

I am beginning to think that a little change can be good…refreshing…exciting.

So what’s the issue?
As with any relationship that starts to head south, that you’ve put so much into, been loyal to, and still you don’t feel like you are getting back what you should…still you don’t feel fulfilled…

It’s very easy to stay…it’s so very hard to go.

reply starfishred wrote on Jan 8 YES YES YES and that new relationship will last forever

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 8 starfishred said YES YES YES and that new relationship will last forever You are so inspiring!

reply starfishred wrote on Jan 8 sanssouciblogs said You are so inspiring! aren’t I though well actually since I am having this wonderful love afair with Mac thought I would share it

reply shoppingdreams wrote on Jan 9 This is eerie. I am on my Dell laptop now, and I have had a miserable day of it freezing and doing other psychotic things. It isn’t old enough to be this messed up. I almost bought a new one online tonight, as even days without a personal computer spell disaster for me. And then I paused, and I waver at the thought of a Mac.My fear is I’m hearing similar horror stories from Mac users, of problems with the computer that require in-person visits to the stores, which I can’t do, no time. But with a Mac I could buy it, have it tomorrow, and actually get my work done. I have to get up at 4 a.m. to go to work to complete something that I would have had done tonight, easily, if my computer had behaved. I don’t know what to do either!!!

reply shoppingdreams wrote on Jan 9 I asked my Facebook friends, earlier today, which to buy. Same wavelength! I got a resounding answer of Mac, but with a few “my Mac ruined my life” stories. Ugh.

reply fransformation wrote on Jan 9 Oh my goodness …. This sounds extremely complicated to me. I hope I never have a relationship with any computer that becomes this intense. 😀

reply sharons7th wrote on Jan 9 Sounds to me like you have a problem with DELL in particular and not with PC’s. I’m not sure I’d jump to a new operating platform if I had so much invested in PC usage. Maybe it would be better to just get a non-Dell PC. My son built me a machine for less about 400.00 that’s a barn burner of a machine for office work and audio/video editing. (the kinds of things *I* do with a machine) But he’s built some for others that are more on the gaming end of things as well.I’m not promoting my son, but I am saying that there are other companies out there that provide top quality equipment that are not branded with a Dell sticker. :0)

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 9 Gotcha, all and this is why I waiver-it gets confusing and it certainly is intense!

reply catfishred wrote on Jan 9 Hehehe. Go even more foreign and pop for an ASUS eMachine. I’m very happy with mine – well trained, leaves no dirty socks and doesn’t burp after big downloads. ;~D

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 9 You are too much!

reply pestep55 wrote on Jan 11 It’s Dell, only bought one years ago and it was a terrible machine from day one — they have “great” tech support cause they (and their users) need it. Over the years I’ve had HP, Acer, Toshiba and Sony — never had an occasion to call tech support so, it’s Dell. Mac is an excellent performer too but yes expect compatibility issues.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 12 Oh boy, had an awful day on the phone with tech for hours. Tempted by Mac, worried about compatibility with all my “stuff”…maybe SONY is a good bet…it’s been a nightmare! Now my laptop isn’t running at all!

reply moniquemkk wrote on Jan 17 Ummm…whey did you go as far as seven? Why not change after no. 2?

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 17 Because everything was OK at the beginning. The problems started in 2009 and affects all 3 of my laptops from that yer–the first, then a replacement and my mini–I believe that year there was an intrinsic issue with parts, likely from China.