Remember my processor fan in the desktop that went kaput? Well, the new fan arrived Thursday, and just in time, as I needed to print some stuff and do a few other things. So not long after it arrived, with Elijah in his room where he was supposed to be taking a nap, Sarah unplugged the computer and I opened it up.
I knew exactly where the fan was, I could see where it plugs into the motherboard, but after a few minutes of messing with it, I just knew I’d never get it out of there without breaking something, unless I had just a teeny bit of instruction on where to get started. So I had a bit of an adventure with phone tech support… otherwise known as 70 minutes of torture.
First it takes for ev er for them to get my info and then she’s gotta keep asking me things like how do I know I need a new fan? What did the computer tell me to make me think that? Etc. We finally get through that and she now understands but has to go and “research” how to do this. She ends up “researching” several times through the call and tells me silly little things to do that are either completely unneccessary or I’ve already done such as turn off the computer, unplug it, open it, etc.
Now pull out the fan, she says. Well, duh, this is where we’re stuck.
It takes me forever to figure out the stupid little green secure clips. I finally get one out but the other one can’t come right out because it’s technically under the old fan. So I have to unscrew the fan from it’s base, pull it off and get the clip. So then she starts telling me, okay put your new fan in. I’m like… no… duh, the new fan came with a base. Besides that, the cord goes from the fan through the side of the base then to the motherboard. For me to get the fan only out of there, I would have had to cut that cord.
After much wrangling and fear that I will break the other clips, I finally get the fan base out. What comes out with it? My processor. Oh, of course.
Since I got the green clips out I’ve been thinking that she’s quite unneccessary to have around, but I keep with it. But I’m quite ahead of her as I carefully pry off the processor and put it back in the computer. I get the base and the fan in but can’t get those stupid green clips back in. Off comes the fan from the base, in go the clips, on goes the fan again. Close the computer up, stand it up.
She tells me to start it up with only the keyboard and mouse plugged in… I start it up with everything still plugged in. It’s fine. Though it’s since occurred to me that it sounded a little loud and after later trying to screw back together the old fan, I wonder if I got the screws lined up the way they’re supposed to be or maybe my fan is hanging out in the middle of the computer by the cord. I guess I’ll open it up and check tomorrow.
Did I mention that sometime during this Elijah came down running and screaming from Sarah who’s job at that time was to keep him occupied in his room? “Mama! Mama! Maaaaaaaama!!!” He wanted to be between me and the computer and for several minutes there I was ready to lock both he and Sarah in the bathroom or something.
Well, either way, it was running, I printed my stuff then Sarah and I loaded up the Jeep with 90% of my stuff for Saturday. Yup, a night early, but it saves me from having to do it alone on Friday. That and there’s not really room to sort things in the house, so I figured just take it right out while I was doing it. It all fits quite well, don’t you think?
ah nice. I hope you get it fixed soon =).
Horray..nice jeep =)
Wow, aren’t you the technician :) Great work!
Wow, 70 minutes of torture. At least you’re headed in the right direction. Was this the fan manufacturer support [if I remember correctly, they were going out of business or something] or Dell?
Also, you can load up so much in that car now, that’s nice. Saves you a trip or two, I’m assuming.
It was Dell tech support I was talking to. When I couldn’t find the website for the original fan manufacturer, I had called Dell’s spare part department. So the fan I have now is actually a Dell part. Go figure.
Of course, I’m trying to remember if that fan that I replaced was the original fan or was also a replacement from when my motherboard went out Fall of 2004. I’d gotten the computer June of 2004 and when it went out, they sent out a tech three times in one week and replaced a lot or most of the internal parts. Motherboard, hard drive, memory, etc.
As for loading the Jeep - yeah in the long run it will. For a small fair like I did yesterday I would have just taken the car but I couldn’t get as much into it, or be as comfortable driving (would have had to move the seats forward, etc.), and it is hard to get the heavy boxes in and out of the trunk. But for fairs that are outdoors and we need the tent for - yes, it will be nice, we can take one vehicle and use it to pull the trailer instead of the car and the little pickup with the trailer. :-)