200 Bucks and several weeks later . . .

Computers are a love - hate thing with me! I've had my fair share of hardware problems over the years, spam attacks, and a virus or worm issues every now and then. I just purchased a new Dell desktop set up about 4 months ago . . . to replace a Dell laptop that literally went up in smoke as a result of a cooling fan failure. . . and, for a few months, things seemed good in my world.

The McAfee security software on my new Dell expired after 90 days . . . time to renew . . . so I did . . . only problem is . . . McAfee changed their security software bundle and the new package wouldn't work ($40 bucks).

So . . . I went on line seeking McAfee tech support . . . they email me a DOS based "cleaner" program to run . . . then suggested I try to reinstall the renewed subscription. Geez . . . so easy . . . to wipe out registry keys, DLLs, and who knows what else the cleaner destroyed!

So . . . I'm left with no security software running, the system restore program is knocked out along with the internet explorer and several other key programs . . .

So . . . it's under warranty . . . call Dell . . .

For $96 @ year . . . you get 24/7 tech support . . . hey, why not?

Till you find out that the technicians don't speaka-da-good-English-too-good! Like you can understnad maybe every fourth word . . . but, hey . . . I'm a good soldier . . . I can get through this challenge too!!!

After a week of tech support, the system is finally restored . . . and behold . . . my old friend the original McAfee security center is back again too! Lovely! Now . . . for $60 you can buy a bundle that will work with the old program . . . amazing . . . this business partnership between Dell and McAfee . . . well designed . . . wondering how many other poor souls have experienced the same thing?