The math department at the University of Texas noticed many of the computers they were using were failing. Enough so, that they brought the complaint to Dell. Dell’s answer was that they had over taxed the computers by working them to hard on big math calculations. Meanwhile, back at the corporate headquarters there was talk of the possibility of these particular Optiplex models shipped between 2003 and 2005 having issues with bad capacitors, but only a small percentage of  those shipped were suspected to fail. Private investigation and recent audits point to the fact the Dell may have miscalculated the percentage.

Adding gas to the fire, even the company that was hired to defend Dell in the lawsuit were using said machines. To their surprise, Dell even “balked” them when they enlightened the company that they may just have a real problem on their hands. Seriously though, over 11 million machine were said to have been shipped out during this time frame and at this point we may not be able to rely on Dell to tell us exactly how may of them were the faulty Optiplex model. A quick check over at the Dell web site shows that the Optiplex is the model the company suggests for business use. It may not be recommended for an accountant though.

Many of the unsealed documents and emails have brought forward the inner workings of a one time respected company, after reading some of the documents and memos…Dell may be a long time recovering their reputation.

We have discussed the ways to keep your computer or laptop free of infections using quality anti virus software in the past and that is not what this article is about. Instead, I want to give you some food for thought about protecting yourself and family when it comes to having your computer serviced or repaired. During the course of a day, the IT Technician can easily come into contact with hundreds of items that have been handled by, moved, sneezed or coughed on that have active germs on them. He or she will also shake hands with customers, use telephones, keyboards and mice or come into contact with pets that can also spread germs. A question that probably never crosses your mind as the technician enters your home to work on your personal computer might be important; Do you know where his hands have been? As a matter of fact, I have learned by watching other technicians work, that this question never crosses their minds either. It should, be of concern for both you, the customer and the technician.

This issue can easily be addressed as I do it by habit. I carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with me in my automobile and also have one on my work bench. It is a easy process to put a few drops on my hands before and after each job I complete throughout the day. I do this for your protection and mine. The process of hand sanitation is a simple, but important factor of caring about my customer. It goes unnoticed, but I think it is essential and hand sanitizer should be part of every good computer technician’s tool box. Rest assured that it is and will remain an important step that I take before I work on your computer in your home or at my work bench.

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