I hate to say it, but that sounds like the Geek Squad. My DH says it is their job to find reasons to invalidate your warranty, so be careful. Maybe you can make them replace the motherboard since that is likely the problem. Good luck, and I hope your knee gets better!
Nancy, Pepper, Rascal & Rocky ________________________________ From: Joan Croft <[email protected]> To: Joan Croft <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 8:26 AM Subject: [Chihuahuas] Here Now...Gone Later??? I just barely get my laptop up and running and it is a totally new issue. A few days ago I took my laptop back to the Geek Squad because it wasn’t going past the Toshiba screen many, many times. Of course, when I took it in, it started to the OS right away. Yesterday, I got a message on my phone that they did check the computer but there is nothing wrong with the hard drive, but I had many viruses. That set me off because a few months ago I changed my antivirus and security software to Norton 360. I had about 15 minutes before I had to leave for the HOA Board Meeting, so I got on my desktop computer and went right to the live chat with Norton. That person tried to tell me that they don’t guarantee no viruses and I told her that isn’t what the box said. Then she told me to download some power eraser tool and some rebootable software from their site. After the board meeting I went to pick up my laptop at Geek Squad and I asked them what virus it had. They said it had many and that I could pay them a large amount of money to repair all the viruses. I told them that Norton had a tool to remove the viruses and they were very closed-mouth…they ran the scans and their analyzer tool would tell them which virus. They were going to run five different kinds of antivirus software on my computer and I think the base price was over a hundred bucks. I left with my laptop prepared to fix the viruses or be fighting a battle with Norton. I got home and immediately went into the room that has my desktop computer so that I could follow the directions exactly and be able to access support if the laptop wouldn’t start again. I ran the power eraser tool and it said that it found no virus. Then I downloaded their booting tool an saved it to a CD but was unsure if I was supposed to use it now, or to keep it in case the computer wouldn’t start again. When I started a new chat, the person was not very bright…must have been a rather new employee. When I asked what to do with the disk that I just created he told me that he would transfer me to a supervisor. The supervisor came on the chat and he asked me what I had done so far and I told him that the power eraser found no virus but Geek Squad said that I had a major infection. He then asked me more about when it started and more background info so he could help. He asked me to give him control of my laptop via the software that he could connect with my computer and check. He said he can take a look and see if there are any viruses and also if there is anything wrong with my hard drive. He checked…no viruses. Then he checked more things…no hard drive problems. This person really wanted to help me, so he asked me more questions an it all went back to that night when the printer software downloaded and that was the first time that I couldn’t get the laptop to boot. I told him exactly what happened since that time and he would ask more questions…then he told me that if my laptop was intermittently not booting…just staying on the Toshiba screen, and once I left it on for about 20 minutes when it finally went to the OS. He said that is a BIOS problem…which I had to ask if it was hardware. He said it is an issue with the motherboard. Geek Squad knows that I only have one more month of my extended service contract…and so they can tell me that I have viruses and just assume that I am going to let them fix the viruses. They make money on that. Well, I have a copy of my entire chat last night, and later today I am going to Geek Squad with the copy of the chat. Before the Geek Squad called me, I had been on the phone with an orthopedic knee surgeon that my doctor in San Diego trained with the knee transplant procedure. He gave me the name last year when I was down in San Diego, so I called him because the knee that I injured last year when I fell is hurting so bad and I don’t want to make anything worse. I got one hour sleep last night (or should I say this morning) from about 5:45 am until 7 am. I have to get ready and see the knee doctor at 10:30 and have to stop to pick up my MRIs on the way. I really wish that I could just go back to bed! After the doctor I am going to Geek Squad…wish me luck on that. I am not backing down. I will talk to every supervisor and their supervisor. So, my other computer is putting some of the Chihuahua mail in the junk folder and I have to keep walking through the whole house when Dolly & Desi want to go out. So if I have to use that computer…and if I need to sleep when I get home, I may be absent! I’m tired and think I still have some sort of a stomach bug. I think that I can get Dolly & Desi to take a nap with me and I wasn’t able to take my pain meds yesterday due to driving and by the time that I got off Norton Chat, I couldn’t take it and then drive in 6 hours. I will get back to you and read messages when I am a little more rested. Have a good day! Joan, Dolly Dee & Desi Lou
