Chromebook: ups and downs.

Samsung 11 inch with solid state memory

Intel® Atom™ Processor, 2GB Memory, Titan Silver, XE500C21-H02US
6/9/2011

Very good.  Still use it often.
_________________________________

Recently I wanted another, larger Chromebook, preferably with something extra.

HP 14 inch with touch screen hit the spot.  I tried to order it on the HP website.  Could not.  Sent a message to HP about that, expecting to be contacted within minutes to seal a deal.  It took HP a couple of days.  By then I had ordered from Amazon:

My review on the Acer 15 inch Chromebook (CB5-571/C910):

https://www.amazon.com/review/review-your-purchases/ref=pe_6680_136729710_cm_1_star2?_encoding=UTF8&asins=B00T0QZLV8%3A2%2C&channel=ec_phy&crAuthToken=gFnz1jq5XXzmXpW%2FLgqJIElaUBuDIQkyWEuqgb0AAAADAAAAAFUumhRyYXcAAAAA&customerId=AUDX4F9WN5OLJ#

Defective.  OS kept freezing.  Returned after two weeks.  Amazon's third party supplier refunded only $237 of $350 without explanation.  I filed a complaint with Amazon several days ago but without any action.   I'm very disappointed in Acer but even more with Amazon, which just sent me an email message asking me to write this review.  Amazon is oblivious to the fact that I have a grievance.  Argh!
_________________________

Update:

from:		Amazon.com Reviews <customer-reviews-messages@amazon.com>
to:		Ken
date:		Wed, Apr 15, 2015 at 3:14 PM
subject:		Your review of Acer Chromebook 15 C910-C37P 16-... could not be posted to Amazon.com
signed-by:		amazon.com

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it. Feedback on the seller or your shipment experience should be provided at www.amazon.com/feedback. We do not allow profane or obscene content. This applies to adult products too. Advertisements, promotional material or repeated posts that make the same point excessively are considered spam. Please do not include URLs external to Amazon or personally identifiable content in your review. We welcome your honest opinion about products - positive or negative. We do not remove reviews because they are critical. We believe all helpful information can inform our customers’ buying decisions. If you have questions about the product or opinions that do not fit the review format, please feel free to use the Customer Discussions feature on the product page.

I'm very disappointed in Acer but even more with Amazon, April 15, 2015 By Kenneth Matinale Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Acer Chromebook 15 C910-C37P 16-Inch Chromebook (1.5 GHz Intel Celeron 3205U Dual-core processor, 4GB memory, 32GB SSD, Chrome OS) (Personal Computers) Defective. OS kept freezing. Returned after two weeks. Amazon's third party supplier refunded only $237 of $350 without explanation. I filed a complaint with Amazon several days ago but without any action. I'm very disappointed in Acer but even more with Amazon, which just sent me an email message asking me to write this review. Amazon is oblivious to the fact that I have a grievance. Argh!

____________________________

I then ordered from Toshiba its CB35-B3340 Chromebook 2
PLM02U-009008 14/6/15  13 inch screen, solid state memory

I like it.  Using it now.  No 15 inch screen.  No 14 inch touch screen.  But Toshiba filled my order efficiently and delivered a good Chromebook, larger than my original.

Emery v. Acer

from:		Ken Matinale
sender-time:		Sent at 9:57 AM (GMT-05:00). Current time there: 10:08 AM. ✆
to:		Anita_Bock@cand.uscourts.gov,  ECFHELPDESK@cand.uscourts.gov,  Chris_Wolpert@cand.uscourts.gov,  Lynn_Fuller@cand.uscourts.gov
date:		Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 9:57 AM
subject:		Fwd: Notice of Class Action and Proposed Settlement
mailed-by:		gmail.com

This  means of dealing with the judgement is a joke.

1. The form requires both the serial number and proof of purchase, both of which the defendant, Acer, already had or I would not have received this e-mail message in the first place.

2. Paper response only is clearly used to minimize the number of successful responses.  Who the heck still has paper receipts after all this time?  I do, however, still have the e-mail confirmation from Acer, which is probably very unusual.

3. Note the very small font size in the e-mail message, also intended to reduce the number of successful responses.

Here is a link to my tech blog, which obviously indicates that I had the type of problem this case is attempting to remedy.

http://techthoughtsmatinale.blogspot.com/2009/07/acer-support-still-crazy-after-all.html

This approach negates whatever good the court may have intended.  Please refer this to the judge and plaintiff.  Thanks.

Kenneth Matinale

___________________________________

Notice of Class Action and Proposed Settlement

You are receiving this notice because, according to our records, you purchased an Acer AOA110 computer, bearing serial number LUS030B0438482A2972536.

If you purchased an Acer computer in the United States between March 24, 2005 and May 1, 2011, read this notice.

You may be affected by a class action settlement. In the settlement, purchasers of Acer computers who file a claim form may receive free recovery utilities, computer equipment, repair services, or cash refunds. Class members also can choose to be excluded from the settlement, or object to it.

Am I included?

You are a class member if you purchased an Acer computer with Microsoft Windows between March 24, 2005 and May 1, 2011.

What's this about?

A lawsuit claims that Acer recovery disks do not provide access to all recovery utilities in the Microsoft Windows operating system. It argues that many Acer users will only be able to recover their computers to a "factory default" setting, losing their data and applications, or may not be able to recover at all. The lawsuit claims that Acer should have disclosed these limitations when it advertised that its computers included Microsoft Windows.

Acer denies the claims and contends that Plaintiff's assertions are factually incorrect. Acer contends that its computers have the complete version of Microsoft Windows, including all recovery features, identical to the version sold by Microsoft and by Acer's competitors. Acer also contends that Acer's marketing was not deficient and was consistent with Microsoft's marketing guidelines for Windows, which Acer was required to follow and which were applied across the computer industry.

The Court has not determined who is correct. To avoid the costs and risks of continued litigation, the parties have agreed to a settlement. The settlement releases all class membersʼ claims against Acer regarding inadequate system or recovery disks and missing features of Windows.

What can I receive?

Class members can choose make a claim in the settlement for benefits under Group A, B or C. Group A will receive a free CD-rom of Windows recovery utilities that can be used with their Acer computers.

Group A claimants also can get Acer to reinstall the Windows operating system on their hard drive, at no charge, if they previously (1) replaced their Acer computer's hard drive, (2) were unable to recover using Acer recovery disks, and (3) contacted the Acer service center for assistance on or before June 3, 2011.

Group B can choose to receive a free USB drive, optical mouse, or webcam if, on or before June 3, 2011, they contacted Acer, an Acer retailer, or a third-party repair technician about recovery problems on their Acer computer or about missing recovery utilities.

Group C will receive reimbursement of the amount they paid (up to $50) for service on their Acer computer related to a recovery issue, if they previously attempted to recover using Acer recovery disks but were not successful and contacted Acer customer service for assistance.

All claims require a valid Acer serial number. Certain claims require additional documentation, such as proof of purchase. For further details, visit the Settlement Website at: http://www.acerrecoverysettlement.com.

How do I make a claim?

To make a claim, you must download the Claim Form from the Settlement Website, fill it out, and mail it with any required documentation to the address shown on the form. Claim Forms are due by March 14, 2012.

What are my other options?

You can exclude yourself from the class if you want to be able to sue Acer separately for the claims released by the settlement. If you exclude yourself, you cannot file a claim or object to the settlement.

Alternatively, you can object to the settlement by filing papers in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, California (Embry v Acer America Corp., N.D. Cal. 09-cv-01808-JW). If you object to the settlement, you also can ask to appear at the hearing or can hire your own attorney to appear.

You must submit your exclusion or objection by January 23, 2012 by following the instructions at the Settlement Website at:www.acerrecoverysettlement.com.

The Court will hold a hearing on February 13, 2012 to consider whether to approve the settlement. If the settlement is approved, the attorneys for the class will ask the Court to award them $1,200,000.00 in fees and expenses, and to award $15,000.00 as an incentive to the Acer customer who started the lawsuit. These amounts would be paid by Acer separately from and in addition to the amounts paid for class membersʼ claims.

For more information, please visit the Settlement Website at http://www.acerrecoverysettlement.com or write to the lawyers for the class at: Acer Settlement, Gutride Safier LLP, P.O. Box 460823, San Francisco, CA 94146.

Please DO NOT RESPOND to this email because the mail box is unattended.

Returning Dell laptop

I'm on hold waiting for RMA for a Dell 17 inch Inspiron laptop 64 bit Windows7 PC.

Dell tried to bribe into keeping it.  The guy in India offered $35.  When I turned it down he offered $40.  I rejected that.  Then he offered $45.  I was incredulous.  I insisted that I wanted to return it.

Dell is charging me 15% restocking fee.  The PC cost $750, so it will come to about $112 but Dell pays for shipping.  I asked why it was a percentage because the $500 version of this PC won't cause Dell to do any more work than reloading the image of the $750 PC.  The guy didn't know.

He then told me that there's also a 15% restocking fee for returning my extra the battery, which shipped separately.  I asked why since the battery is dead and merely needs to be placed back on the shelf.  He didn't know.

The PC arrived unable to connect via WiFi.  I spent over an hour on the phone the other day with Dell support getting it to work.  I did not get paid for that.  The next day Windows7, a huge mess, needed to add 32 updates.  In other words I'm returning the PC in better shape than I received it.

Dell also adds tons of its own mess to the Win7 mess.  Next time I'll check Acer, Asus, etc.  At least they won't load up unneeded software.

I'm very disappointed in Dell, although it doesn't compare to the ongoing nonsense with Virgin Mobile.

25 minutes: still waiting for the guy to come back from break.  Maybe these companies hope that the customer will give up.  At the Dell web site I filled out a form to return.  I thought: hey, pretty easy.  A couple of hours later I received e-mail stating that I that I would get another e-mail.  The second e-mail stated that I had to call to return the laptop.  Companies cannot be that incompetent.  It must be a way to get the customer to give up.  I had to provide the order number three times.

I'm still on hold.  It's 30 minutes.

35 minutes: the guy came back to ask for the order number for the extra battery.  Can't he see all that on my account?  I'm back on hold.  I'm not getting paid for this time.

50 minutes: he came back.  I mentioned that dell.com states that the customer should accept the delivery even if he intends to return it because not accepting would delay.  The Dell guy said that dell would charge me a 15% restocking penalty either way.  I expressed my displeasure and he said he would note that.  I told him to tell Dell to read my blog as I was documenting these events.

55 minutes.  The call is over.  That's about two hours of my time dealing with Dell after receiving the PC.

Chromium OS on Acer netbook: no sound and no phone.

Overall I'm very pleased with Chromium OS on Acer netbook, which had been a brick due to several failed attempts to install stupid Ubuntu Linux.

However, Chromium OS on Acer netbook does not play sound.  I have not figured out how to check the camera but I'm guessing that it will not work either.

Google Talk and/or Phone: I installed it from the Google Chromium OS Web Store but it does not integrate into my address book as it does in WindowsXP.  I had to enter the phone number myself and dial (connect).  The call went through but I heard nothing.

Chromium installed!

Success!

Where stupid Ubuntu failed, Chromium succeeded.  Yesterday I installed Chromium on my dead Acer notebook.  It's working well.  I followed the lifehacker instructions, which were bizarre not difficult.

Instead of wasting that $500 I spent on the Samsung Chromebook (refunded) I have basically the same thing for free.

Cool.

Chromium OS running on my dead Acer netbook.

I had cooked the Acer netbook trying to load stupid Ubuntu Linux.

I just got Chromium OS to run on the Acer netbook.  It does not appear to be installed but runs from the thumb drive.

I followed instructions on lifehacker.com and downloaded a vanilla build from Hexxah.  I have no idea what I'm talking about.

This included running Image Writer for Windows.  This utility supposedly writes the unzipped image of the vanilla build onto a thumb drive.  Unfortunately, it gives the impression that it has killed the thumb drive, which does a very convincing job of playing dead by making Windows think it needs to be formatted.

As you can imagine I repeated these steps many times with several different types of failures before I finally decided with no real expectation for success to simply put the dead thumb drive into the Acer and turn it on.  To my amazement Chromium OS came alive.  However, it gave no indication that I could choose to install it.

This is further than I got with stupid Ubuntu.

Samsung Chromebook finally arrived. It won't boot.

You cannot make up stuff like this.

I had read that it came with no written documentation.  Actually it comes with lots of written stuff, just in really tiny font size and with no useful information.  Written items include Safety Instructions, which includes stuff like don't set the battery on fire or smash it with a hatchet.  The Samsung Quick Start Guide does not even indicate what color the LED should be when the battery is charged; it remained a reddish orange after a couple of hours of charging.

There is one piece of paper from google, which cheerfully states: "Plug in the power.  Open the lid.  And you're all set.".  Unfortunately, that no more useful than the tiny diagram of the proprietary function keys with their explanations in super tiny font size.

I decided to remove the charger and open the lid even though I did not know if the battery was fully charged. The lid appears to be backward because Samsung its name on it upside down.

I pushed the power button and the screen came to life.  There was a frowny face on a laptop screen with a thumb drive pointed towards it.  Underneath was this:

Chrome OS is missing or damaged
Please connect a recovery device.
http://google.com/support/chromeos/recovery
Model: SAMS ALEX EPSILON-US 4507

I was aghast.  What the heck?  Who the heck ships a PC, especially one with a new experimental operating system, and does not bother to turn it on to see it if boots?  Samsung.

I called Samsung and after long delays concluded that the people with whom I had spoken were well-intentioned but not entirely familiar with the fact that Samsung does not have a direct sales channel but instead directs a buyer to either amazon.com or bestbuy.com.  I had chosen bestbuy.com and will call them next.

I am not inclined to try to download a version of Chrome OS to a thumb drive and install it, especially after my failed attempt to do this with Ubuntu Linux onto my SLOW Acer netbook, which is currently a brick.

Ah, progress!  While I was writing this the LED finally changed color to green, perhaps indicating that the battery is charged.  Just to check I closed the lid, re-opened and pushed power: the vulgar mask of failure re-appeared.

I decided to try the recovery URL and was re-directed here:

http://www.google.com/support/chromeos/bin/answer.py?answer=1080595

I learned something that Samsung could not tell me: that these Chromebooks come with an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) version of the operating system (OS):

First choose the model of your Chromebook:


Acer
Cr-48
Samsung Chromebook Series 5

After choosing Samsung I saw this:

Before starting this process, you'll need the following:


A Windows, Mac, or Linux computer with administrative rights.
A 4 GB or larger USB flash drive that you don't mind clearing.

This is another reason I do not want to do this.  Why should I need another computer and why should I waste a USB flash drive?  The only USB flash drive I have is that stupid SanDisk that I had to re-furbish just to get it to load stupid Ubuntu Linux, which of course, failed to load on my Acer netbook. What the heck.  It's not doing me any good.

By the way: why doesn't my Chromebook come with an Ethernet port?

OK, I'm foolishly trying this recovery procedure.  Google wants me to download and run the recovery program on my semi-trusty old WindowsXP Dell laptop.  Again I must choose Samsung.

I plug it in and the "SanDisk Cruzer USB Device" is recognized.  I am warned: "All files on SanDisk Cruzer USB Device will be erased.".  Here goes ...

It's downloading.

It worked.  I managed to demolish my worthless stupid Ubuntu Linux boot devise.

I started the Samsung and then inserted the boot SanDisk Cruzer USB Device.  On screen messages that it validated the official recovery image, reset security, about to copy system image.  It will "take some time".  Hey, it's already further than stupid Ubuntu Linux from those snot nosed techies who only care about themselves and their snot nosed techie friends.  It's clear that some profit motive is necessary, not phony baloney save the world fake altruism.

System is about to reboot.  Cool.

Yikes!  I think it worked!  It wouldn't take the password for my Verizon FIOS router but it took it from a friend's Verizon Wireless MiFi 3G portable hotspot.  I seem to be online.  No idea how to make it work with the free Verizon Wireless 3G  that is supposed to come with it.

Ubuntu Linux: failure forever!

My previous post was not explicit.  I achieved success in installing Ubuntu Linux on my Acer netbook.  Ubuntu told me so.  However, when I followed the instruction to restart, well, that was another matter.  Sure you can install Ubuntu but do you now expect that it will boot up?  This is Ubuntu, where failure is constant, perpetual, eternal.

Upon restarting I pulled out the Sandisk flash drive, lest the Acer try to boot from that.  Silly me.  After many varied attempts, I could not get the Acer to boot from anything, no matter how many variations I tried on boot sequence that should not matter.  My Acer appears to be, if not brain dead, then at least in a coma.

Ah, Ubuntu.  What's the deal?  Obviously, I am not a system person.  However, Ubuntu is supposed to be the operating system of the masses, the downtrodden, the poor, the ignorant.  Hey, I must be ignorant if for no other reason I keep trying it.  It's like an abusive relationship.  I am battered.

Could Ubuntu suck more?  If so, please explain.

Ah, F12 let me boot from the flash.  I'll try installing Ubuntu again.  What the heck.  It can't get worse.

Ubuntu: no, not again!

Ii recently tried to create a flash boot disk for my hideous three year old Acer netbook, which currently does a terrible job of running WindowsXP.

My 2008 Sandisk failed; it was not recognized as a boot disk by either my Acer or my Dell laptop also rrunning WindowsXP.

I looked at the Sandisk label.  It mentioned u3 and u3.com.  For some bizarre reason u3.com redirects to:

http://www.writethescoop.com/

Googling I found evil things about the Sandisk.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U3#Issues_with_older_versions

Maybe this is why I could not boot Ububtu from my 2008 Sandisk flash drive.

Apparently Sandisk stopped supporting u3 because of the problems.  Who knew?

I ran this:

http://u3.sandisk.com/launchpadremoval.htm

It seems to have removed the defunct u3 junk.  Will Ubuntu install now that the Sandisk flash drive has been cleansed?

I'll once again run:


Universal-USB-Installer-1.8.3.6

Which will load up:

ubuntu-10.10-netbook-i386

Cool, heh?

Universal-USB-Installer says that it was successful.

I can view files on the flash drive.  Is it bootable now?  Beats me.  Let's try it on the Acer netbook.

In Windows on my Dell I clicked eject.  The drive is still lit but I'm going to remove it and insert into the Acer and power up.

Acer seems to have found Ubuntu!  This is further than I got before cleansing the Sandisk flash drive.  Ubuntu is coming alive!  It found my wireless network.  I has two options: try or install.  I chose install.  What the heck.  I might never get this far again.

It asked for 2.5 gig.  It has 4 gig but I don't know if Ubuntu intends to wipr out WindowsXP.  I hope so.  AH, I have an option to keep the old OS or use the entire disk.  I chose use the entire disk.

It's happening.  Files are being copied.  Stuff is happening.

It worked.  To be continued.

HTC Thunderbolt finally arrived. OK, now what? PRICE WAR!

I bought my Motorola Droid for $150 because it was more than two years since my last upgrade and Verizon must have been nervous that I'd churn to another service provider.  I was expecting the Thunderbolt to cost $200.  $250!  What the heck?

You always need more speed and power but $250!?

Waiting for Godot and Chromium OS.  A rare breach in security:

http://chromeossite.com/2011/02/21/acer-announces-dx241h-first-chrome-os-device/

And it's not a stinking netbook!  Yippie!  If you'll pardon the expression: Yahoo!  Acer is planning a 24 inch all-in-one Chromium OS desktop?  Alright.  Cost: €299.  Let's see, using my secret google decoder ring (http://www.google.com/ig) that's 299 EUR = 415.7326 USD.  $416.  Wow.  WOW!  Wait.  It's just the Chrome browser, not the Chrome OS?  Acer will work it out.

If Google's Chromium OS PCs and Google's Android tablets don't do better we may be overwhelmed by Apple junk.  Oh, the humanity!

I'm hoping that Asus, Acer, some company will have the sense to introduce an Android tablet that is half the price of the Apple iPad.  Yes, HALF!  That's the only way to break the Apple juggernaut.  PRICE WAR!  Let's go to the mattresses.  When Acer introduces that $416 24 inch all-in-one Chromium OS desktop the price war is on!

Chrome OS PC ... coming Friday from Dell?

A Dell chat person told me today that it might be available Friday March 11, 2011.


I was shocked because I've trying to find information that is not one or two years old.  Wikipedia comments:


most of Chrome OS's advantages "can be found in other software environments without having to sacrifice native applications"


a useless brick when you are dealing with no or ancient Internet connections



Have they ever heard of the iPad?  Wouldn't those objections apply to tablets?


I'm interested in a Chrome OS PC but disappointed that it continues to be relegated to netbooks.  I tried an HP netbook with Linux but returned it because I could not load the the first application that I tried to install: Skype.  HP support sucked.


I then bought an Acer netbook running WindowsXP.  Many problems and Acer support sucked beyond belief.


Both the HP and Acer netbooks had a problem with the trackpad going out of control often.  I'm guessing that it's a hardware problem with small screens since they ran different operating systems.


The Acer had an unconventional screen aspect ratio, which caused problems occasionally.


How about a 17 inch laptop running Chrome OS?  Restricting Chrome OS to those stupid netbooks really limits the market.  I use google docs online exclusively.  I do not need applications on my PC.  Just the browser.


I'm anxious to see what is introduced.  I really don't to buy yet another laptop running bloated Windows when all I need is access to a browser, exactly what a Chrome OS PC would be.  I also do not want to buy another netbook.


Argh!

Acer supprt: still dense.

Response (Arun_GWSI663) - 07/20/2009 06:42 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you with this issue.

As per your Serial number we verified that your product is in Warranty.

I understand that you are unable to do recovery using the recovery partition, and also find out that there is no eRecovery program installed in the PC.

Could you please understand that you can install it from the recovery CD.

So could you please go though this link for purchase the recovery the recovery CD: https://secure.tx.acer.com/RCDB/Main.aspx?brand=acer.

_________________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 8:37 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident: 090711-000847]

How about letting me download it? If it fits on a CD, it must be no larger than about 650 meg, right?

The Acer eRecovery program is supposed to already be on my PC. Why should I pay for something that I am supposed to have?

Plus, my Acer netbook does NOT have a CD drive. You should know that, plus I have informed Acer support about that in this thread alone, MANY times.

Acer support: still crazy after all these years.

Response (Shelly_GWSI408) - 07/20/2009 12:42 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

I understand that you are unable to do recovery using the recovery partition. As per our records your computer is in warranty.

We would recommend you to purchase the recovery CD and do the recovery with the help of an external optical drive.

To order replacement recovery discs/media, please refer to Acer's online order form located at:

https://secure.tx.acer.com/RCDB/Main.aspx?brand=acer.

This can also be found under the eRecovery CD Purchase link at:

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/forms/webpage.cfm?siteid=7293&areaid=7&website=AcerPanAm.com/us.

__________________________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 6:12 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident: 090711-000847]

Why?

Why would I pay any more money to Acer for something that is supposed to work but does not?

Go back and read the exchange of messages between Acer and me. You will find a consistent pattern of silly suggestions from Acer, which show that Acer support people do not use common sense.

Are you trying to make me hate Acer? Your eRecovery program is apparently not installed on my Acer PC and you do not want to admit

it.

I would not recommend Acer. This would not happen with Dell or HP.

Acer support: you cannot make up stuff like this.

Response (Hashim_GWSI667) - 07/19/2009 04:52 PM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

I am glad to inform you that as per our record your product is in warranty.

Having reviewed your email, I understand that your Netbook is having some issues with its performance and you need to know how to do recovery using eRecovery.

You could get complete eRecovery steps from the following link :-

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/forms/portal20.cfm?recordid=1156&formid=3390&website=acerpanam.com&siteid=7117&words=all&keywords=&areaid=2

___________________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sun, Jul 19, 2009 at 9:45 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident: 090711-000847]

"Immediately, press ALT on the keyboard and start tapping F10.

Continue holding ALT and tapping F10 as the unit boots up."

Screen stating "Starting Acer Erecovery" does NOT appear.

I tried it a couple of times. It does NOT work!

Acer support: the beat goes on.

Response (Akash PRamesh) - 07/18/2009 01:17 PM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you with this issue. I am glad to inform you that as per our record your product is in warranty.

Having reviewed your email, I understand that your netbook is having some issues with its performance and you need to know how to do recovery using partition.

Aaa, in order to do recovery using the recovery partition I would recommend you to click on start, click on all programs and select empowering technology.
_________________________________________
fromKenneth Matinale <matinale@gmail.com>toAcer Technical Support <acer1@mailwc.custhelp.com>
dateSun, Jul 19, 2009 at 3:37 PMsubjectRe: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident: 090711-000847]

"click on start, click on all programs and select empowering technology."

There is nothing like "empowering technology". Please provide more info. Thanks.

Acer support: the final insult, declaring the unsolved problem solved

Classic case of a company ignoring what the customer tells it.

**********************************

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sat, Jul 18, 2009 at 8:16 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident: 090711-000847]

Just tell me how "to do system recovery ... using the recovery

partition". Instructions in the pfd file have not worked.

_________________________________________

Response (Akash PRamesh) - 07/18/2009 08:10 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you with this issue.

I am glad to inform you that as per our record your product is in warranty.

Having reviewed your email, I understand that your netbook is having some issues with its performance and you need to know how to do recovery using partition.

Aaa, please go through the link for doing recovery using empowering technology http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/data/7117/documents/Acer%20eRecovery%20Management.pdf

There would be a data loss if you are using RCD. So please take back up of your data before you do a recovery. To take a back up, you can contact Answers by Acer which is a paid support or else you can take the system to any local store nearby.

Your service request has been updated, please make a note of the SR number:1-524JJQ for future references.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/forms/webpage.cfm?website=acerpanam.com&siteid=7117&areaid=2

Thank you for contacting Acer,

Have a great day!

Respectfully,

Acer America

Online Technical Support

Customer (Aaa Ken) - 07/18/2009 07:25 AM

- Show quoted text ---

Last Updated: 07/18/2009 08:10 AM

Status: Solved

_________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sat, Jul 18, 2009 at 12:41 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident: 090711-000847]

http://techthoughtsmatinale.blogspot.com/

Hey, clown, check the blog above. The entire world knows how lousy Acer support is. I just wrote to Acer (again) that the Acer recovery pdf file did not have good info and you tell me to read it, then declare the problem SOLVED!?

That is terrible support.

Acer support ... MORONIC!

Here are the messages exchanged between me and Acer support over six days regarding the very SLOW performance of my Acer netbook running WindowsXP. There are some common themes:

1. Acer does not respond directly to what a customer writes.

2. Acer does not know what PC I have.

3. Acer does not know whether my model PC is made by Acer or by one of its acquisitions such as Gateway.

4. Acer cannot provide solutions to its own problems, specifically, system recovery.

____________________________________

Customer (aaa Ken) - 07/11/2009 07:25 PM

Processors [Incident: 090709-000123]

Acer: Come on, come on! I sent this screen shot to you a day ago. It clearly shows TWO processors, both in device manager and in task manager.

Please explain the TWO processors.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Ken

Date: Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 9:08 AM

To: matinale@gmail.com

You are invited to view a photo from Ken's photo album: Tech View Photo

Message from Ken:

View the TWO processors in my Acer netbook. If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=matinale&target=PHOTO&id=5356816930879671810

&aid=5356816224913769969&authkey=Gv1sRgCIXasL-0sPrGuQE&invite=CLSdjMsD&feat=email

To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

____________________________________

Response (Rajesh P) - 07/11/2009 11:00 PM

Dear aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America.This is Rajesh. I’ll be happy to assist you in this issue.

It is extremely hard to determine the exact cause from the information you have provided.

With this in mind, could you please give more detailed information about the issue/error message if any or any other information that you think may help us to help you.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://Acer.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 9:16 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

See attached file. It is a screen shot that clearly shows TWO processors in BOTH:

- device manager

- task manager.

Please explain why there are TWO processors and how TWO processors impact performance.

Thank you.

__________________________________

Response (Shefin) - 07/12/2009 08:54 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

I understand that you can see two processors in device manger and task manager.

Please note that, if you are using Hyperthreading processor with your computer, it will shows two processors in device manager. That means there is one physical processor and two logical processors, it works like two but there is only one processor.

We are sorry that we'll not be able to pull up your computer records without the serial number. In order to assist you better we would like to have the Serial number of your system. We would recommend you to verify the correct Serial Number which is 22 or 13 character alphanumeric or 11 digit SNID number before sending the same to us.

You could locate the serial number:

On the bottom of a notebook

On the back or side of a desktop

Under the front sliding door on a desktop

On the original computer box

We would also recommend you to confirm whether you bought the system from US or Canada.

I will do the needful after getting the required information. For further clarifications

please feel free to visit our web site http://Acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 12:54 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

I sent all that info. I am away from the Acer netbook now.

I did not install hyperthreading. I never heard of it. Acer must have done it. Could that slow down my Acer pc?

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 3:20 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

nvoice# 553430140

SSCC# (00)047182358002188744

LoadID: U21868-005,113

MFSG.DATE:0811 AOA 110-1588

S/N: LUS030B0438482A2972536

SNID: 84817269525

On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 9:54 AM, Acer Technical

__________________________________

Response (Shefin) - 07/12/2009 02:40 PM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

I understand that the computer shows two processors in device manger and task manager. I have verified the serial number and found that the computer is in warranty.

Please note that Hyperthreading is an advanced technology for the Processors. If the computer is having a Processor with Hyperthreading, it will shows two processors in device manager. That means there is one physical processor and two logical processors, it works like two but there is only one processor. It will increase the ability of the Processor. There is nothing to worry about it.

I sincerely hope the above information will help you with the issue. Please make a note

of the service request number, 1-51GV7G for further assistance.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://Acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 4:05 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

1-51GV7G

OK, if two processors is not the problem, then why is it so slow? I added only a few new programs:

- google Chrome, Updater, Desktop

- Skype

- Norton Internet Security (turned off everything)

- VZ Manager (for mobile broadband) - not used

Removed MS Office

Deleted MS Works (would not uninstall)

On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 3:40 PM, Acer Technical

__________________________________

Response (Shefin) - 07/12/2009 04:27 PM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you with the system performance issue.

Please go to the link given below and follow the instructions to resolve the performance issue with your computer.

http://support.gateway.com/s/Checklists/Q42006/ck2006110918.shtml

I sincerely hope the above information will help you with the issue. Please make a note

of the service request number, 1-51GV7G for further assistance.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://Acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 5:45 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

1. It's an ACER, not a Gateway!

2. Don't you know how much RAM is installed? It's YOUR PC! One gig.

3. I do the rest. It's boiler plate junk.

This PC stinks. How do I return it?

RSVP

On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 5:27 PM, Acer Technical

__________________________________

Response (Praveen_GWSI407) - 07/12/2009 07:42 PM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I will be happy to assist you with the system performance issue.

After verifying your information, we found that your product is in warranty.

Please go through the provided the link to resolve the system performance issue.

Would you please provide us with more detailed information about the issue/error message if any or any other information that may you think would help us would be a welcome.

Your service request id is:- 1-51GV7G

It's been a pleasure assisting you.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our website:- http://Acerpanam.com

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 6:42 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

Refund!

I'm sick of this Acer!

How do I get my money back?

__________________________________

Response (Anoop_GWSI352) - 07/14/2009 08:44 PM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you with the system performance issue .

As per our records, your computer is in warranty .

I am really sorry for the inconvenience that you have experienced .

Please go to uninstall the Norton anti-virus and then check whether the issue is resolved or not. You could uninstall the Norton software by going into control panel- add or remove programs-click on Norton anti-virus and then click on remove .

Please do reply with the result .

The service request number for this issue is 1-51GV7G .

For further clarifications, please feel free to visit our web site http://acerpanam.com/

Have a great day !

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 10:01 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

I turned off Norton. I want a refund!

REFUND!

__________________________________

Response (Chaithra) - 07/15/2009 01:03 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you.

For resolving the issue you may please perform a system recovery.

For performing the issue you may go through the following link:

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/data/7117/documents/Acer%20eRecovery%20Management.pdf

Note: Please note System recovery completely erases the C partition and reinstalls factory-shipped files from the recovery partition. All your personal data files and applications will be lost. Be sure that you have your data files backed up before performing this option.

Service Request: 1-524JJQ

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site

http://www.acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 6:38 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

1-524JJQ

How can I set it up for dual boot with two partitions:

1. WindowsXP

2. Linux Ubuntu?

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 7:50 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

Service Request: 1-524JJQ

"burn the factory image (from the hidden partition) to an optical disk."

This is a NETbook. There is no optical disk!

__________________________________

Response (Alvin_GWSI662) - 07/15/2009 07:12 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you with the issue regarding your system.

While going through your system record in our database, we came to know that your system is in warranty.

You can also perform the system recovery using recovery CD.

You may use an external USB CD drive to perform the system recovery.

Below are the steps to rebuild your computer back to factory configuration. Please note that the instructions that appear on the screen when they start to reload the HDD have a small typo.

The instructions referenced Recovery CD 1.

They should have referenced Recovery CD 2.

1) Power up your system

2) Press the CD-ROM eject button and insert the System CD

3) Close the CD-ROM tray

4) Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to reboot the system.

5) Press F12 to select the boot drive option when you see the Acer splash screen

6) Select Boot from CD option

7) The system will boot from the System CD (CD 1)

8) Follow the on-screen instruction to restore your system.

9) When the restore from CD function is complete and the system is booted into Windows,

re-insert the System CD and let the CD auto-play.

10) Click the "Restore to factory default"

11) Remove the System CD and insert the "Applications CD". Re-install the desired applications from this CD.

You can restore your computer and operating system to factory settings using this recovery CD. It will install the Operating System, all the pre-installed Software and all the drivers of your system. Recovery disc configures your system to the factory defaults. There would be a data loss if you are using RCD. So please take back up of your data before you do a recovery.

Please make a note of your updated SR(Service request) No# mentioned below for further reference

SR No# : 1-524JJQ

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://Acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Ken:

07/16/2009 01:18 PM

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/data/7117/documents/Acer%20eRecovery%20Management.pdf

Using Acer eRecovery Management

"By pressing the hotkey Alt + F10 during the boot-up process, or at any time when you are running Microsoft® Windows®."

This does not work.

__________________________________

Response (Sumesh_GWSI673) - 07/16/2009 04:30 PM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. Ill be happy to assist you with this issue.

I understand from your mail that you have an issue with system.

In order to resolve the issue please perform system recovery using Recovery Disk. Please refer the previous mail to get steps for the same.

Below are the steps to rebuild your computer back to factory configuration. Please note that the instructions that appear on the screen when they start to reload the HDD have a small typo.

The instructions referenced Recovery CD 1.

They should have referenced Recovery CD 2.

1) Power up your system

2) Press the CD-ROM eject button and insert the System CD

3) Close the CD-ROM tray

4) Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to reboot the system.

5) Press F12 to select the boot drive option when you see the Acer splash screen

6) Select Boot from CD option

7) The system will boot from the System CD (CD 1)

8) Follow the on-screen instruction to restore your system.

9) When the restore from CD function is complete and the system is booted into Windows,

re-insert the System CD and let the CD auto-play.

10) Click the "Restore to factory default"

11) Remove the System CD and insert the "Applications CD". Re-install the desired applications from this CD.

You can restore your computer and operating system to factory settings using this recovery CD. It will install the Operating System, all the pre-installed Software and all the drivers of your system. Recovery disc configures your system to the factory defaults. There would be a data loss if you are using RCD. So please take back up of your data before you do a recovery. To take a back up, you can contact Answers by Acer which is a paid support or else you can take the system to any local store nearby.

Please make a note of the service request number:1-524JJQ

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site

http://www.acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 5:08 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

I just told you that Alt F10 does NOT bring up recovery program. Are you sure that works on my netbook?

__________________________________

Response (Santo JohnE) - 07/17/2009 05:18 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you…

After verifying your email I came to understand that you are facing issues related to recovery.

If you dont have recovery cd please follow the steps below to purchase it.

You may restore your computer and operating system to factory settings using this recovery CD. It will install the Operating System, all the pre-installed Software and all the drivers of your system. You need to back up the entire data before using the RCD. You may either place an order for a recovery CD online or if you are interested we may send across one for you. If you need us to place an order for the CD, you will need to provide a method of payment. The Restore CD cost approximately $19.95 including shipping and handling on your Credit Card. FedEx would deliver the CD at your door steps and may take 7 - 14 business days to arrive, depending on the availability of the recovery disc. Recovery process resets your system to the factory defaults. Please be advised that there would be a data loss if you are using Recovery CD. So please take back up of your data. Acer disowns any kind liability in account of Data Loss.

Alternately, if you are skeptical on giving your credit card information, you may place an order for recovery online. Please visit the following link, which would help you purchase an RCD online.

https://secure.tx.acer.com/RCDB/Main.aspx?brand=acer

Below are the steps to rebuild your computer back to factory configuration. Please note that the instructions that appear on the screen when they start to reload the HDD have a small typo.

The instructions referenced Recovery CD 1.

They should have referenced Recovery CD 2.

1) Power up your system

2) Press the CD-ROM eject button and insert the System CD

3) Close the CD-ROM tray

4) Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to reboot the system.

5) Press F12 to select the boot drive option when you see the Acer splash screen

6) Select Boot from CD option

7) The system will boot from the System CD (CD 1)

8) Follow the on-screen instruction to restore your system.

9) When the restore from CD function is complete and the system is booted into Windows, re-insert the System CD and let the CD auto-play.

10) Click the "Restore to factory default"

11) Remove the System CD and insert the "Applications CD". Re-install the desired applications from this CD.

You can restore your computer and operating system to factory settings using this recovery CD. It will install the Operating System, all the pre-installed Software and all the drivers of your system. Recovery disc configures your system to the factory defaults. There would be a data loss if you are using RCD. So please take back up of your data before you do a recovery. To take a back up, you can contact Answers by Acer which is a paid support or else you can take the system to any local store nearby.

Please make a note of the service request number:1-524JJQ

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site

http://www.acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 11:18 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

This Acer netbook does NOT have a CD drive. Do you want me to buy that too?

The Alt and F10 keys are supposed to start the recovery program, which is supposed to be stored on Acer solid state memory but that does not work as I have written TWICE before.

__________________________________

Response (Santo JohnE) - 07/17/2009 11:45 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you…

After verifying your email I came to understand that you are facing issue related to

recovery.

Please arrange an external optical drive and do the recovery as prescribed in the previous mail.

Please make a note of the service request number:1-524JJQ

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site

http://www.acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 2:55 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

Arrange how? What happened to the recovery program that Acer is supposed to have on my PC?

__________________________________

Response (Vinay MV) - 07/17/2009 05:13 PM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I would be happy to assist you with the eRecovery management software cannot be loaded issue.

As per our records your system is in warranty.

Have you installed any other Operating system?

Have you deleted the Recovery partition, usually D:/ partition?

Please get back to us with the relevant information regarding the above questions.

We will do the needful after getting the information.

Your SR number for this issue is: 1-524JJQ

For further clarifications, please visit our website http://www.acerpanam.com/

Thank you for contacting Acer,

Have a nice day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 6:21 PM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

No other OS installed on Acer.

D drive is the SD card. You should know that.

Is the recovery partition something that I can see? I thought it was hidden.

__________________________________

Response (Chaithra) - 07/18/2009 12:16 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you with this issue.

Please try performing system recovery using recovery disks. For that you need to purchase external CD drive.

Service Request: 1-524JJQ

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site

http://www.acerpanam.com/

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sat, Jul 18, 2009 at 6:49 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident:

090711-000847]

You want me to "purchase external CD drive"? This is not acceptable.

What happened to the recovery program that my Acer netbook is supposed to have on it? Please address that and do not ask me to spend any more money on this Acer PC. Thank you.

__________________________________

Response (Akash PRamesh) - 07/18/2009 07:08 AM

Dear Aaa Ken,

Thank you for contacting Acer America. I’ll be happy to assist you with this issue.

I am glad to inform you that as per our record your product is in warranty.

Having reviewed your email, I understand that your netbook is having some issues with its performance.

Aaa, the only way to improve the system performance is to do system recovery. You can do it either using the recovery partition or CD. And about how to set it up for dual boot with two partition since this issue involves third party software, we fall short of resources with which we could better diagnose and resolve it for you. However Acer technicians are bound to support its customers with the removal or installation of any hardware or software shipped across with Acer machines. But they are not trained on all the advanced features of the software or hardware Acer sells.

Because this calls up on a higher level of expertise the advance troubleshooting, we only have support over the phone on these issues and it is chargeable. You may avail this support on 1-866-621-2237 at a rate of $2.95 per minute with the slots 30 minutes ($59.99), 90 minutes ($129.99), or 15 issues ($199.99) and the validity will be 1 year which can be billed to a credit card.

Note: Items from the Acer Accessory Store are fully supported by the manufacturer of the hardware or publisher of the software that you purchased.

I sincerely hope that one of these options provides a resolution for this issue.

Your service request has been updated, please make a note of the SR number:1-524JJQ for future references.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/forms/webpage.cfm?website=acerpanam.com&siteid=7117&areaid=2

Thank you for contacting Acer,

Have a great day!

__________________________________

from Kenneth Matinale

to Acer Technical Support

date Sat, Jul 18, 2009 at 8:16 AM

subject Re: Invitation to view a photo from Ken's Picasa Web Album - Tech [Incident: 090711-000847]

Just tell me how "to do system recovery ... using the recovery partition". Instructions in the pfd file have not worked.

__________________________________