So, as all of you should know by now. I finally landed a job. I had to spend three weeks in Atlanta for job training, on my own dime. I also had some other expenses involved, such as getting my desk top computer set up for two monitors. As well as purchasing a second monitor.
I thought it would be so simple. Take my computer to Best Buy to the now famous Geek Squad and have them add what ever hard ware and soft ware I needed. I would also purchase a monitor there and be all set for my first day of working from home on Tuesday morning. I purposely took Monday off, just in case the squad of geeks could not have my computer ready on Sunday.
In case you are not familiar with The Geek Squad, they offer in store service at Best Buy stores around the country. The also have on site service and have now branched out into the area of home entertainment and theatre installation and service. They are well known and have been around over 15 years, although I have never used them and I don't know anyone who has. But never the less, I figured it to be the easiest way to two monitors for me.
Now I'm not stupid. On the contrary, I'm pretty handy with most things mechanical, including computer hardware installation. If I only knew what exactly I needed, I would buy it and install it myself. But I didn't have the time to be researching what I needed and what it entailed. So why not just drop off to someone who does and have it taken care of?
So off to Best Buy and to The Geek Squad I went. My Dell Inspirion desk top in my hand. I walked into the store and they directed me to my first Geek. A young man, who appeared more homeless than a geek, asked if he could help me and I stepped up and stated I needed my desktop to be equipped for a second monitor. He then examined the back of the desktop and stated that all I needed was a splitter and to plug it into the VGA port of the computer.
Huh? Now, I've been working with multiple monitors for many years now at the office. And always there were two distinct video ports on the back of the desktop CPU. But who was I to argue with a Geek? Perhaps my Dell Inspirion was so sophisticated, that was indeed all I needed. It is only a year and a half old. The homeless appearing Geek, who really resembles "Chumley" from the History Channel show Pawn Stars, directed me to the aisle that contained the very simple video splitter cable.
I searched up and down the aisle and found nothing that appeared what I needed. A young non-Geek Best Buy employee asked if he could help. I told him what I needed and what I needed it for. The expression on his face, indicated I was speaking Mandarin Chinese, with a Swahili accent. Not because he didn't know what I was talking about but because it was a ludicrous notion that in order for me to have two monitors, all I needed was a splitter.
So he flagged down another Geek. Now this woman, who had a Geek Squad badge appeared different. She had a confident air about her and didn't look homeless. She knew what she was talking about. He told her what I was looking for and then she proceeded to interrogate me. I told her what I had and wanted I wanted to do. She said I needed to have a new video card.
A bright light shown upon us and the angels were singing in choral splendor. Hallelujah!
Great I said. So do I just give you my desktop? "No"! She exclaimed. "We don't do that". You don't do what? I inquired. She proceeded to tell me they don't sell such things and don't service computer's like that. But you're the Geek Squad? And "Chumley" the counter Geek said you could help me. She apologized that I had been mis-informed by the fat, homeless Geek and gave me the look, that she was done with me and that she other things to tend to.
So I'm here to tell you all. FUCK THE GEEK SQUAD! And the Best Buy they inhabit. I wouldn't set foot in that piece of shit store, if they were giving away flat screens and virgins. Best Buy, you are dead to me!
But what was I to do? It was Sunday afternoon. I was running out of time. I needed my computer set up and the second monitor. I couldn't hope to rely on Monday to get it all done. So to the Internet I went. I poked around and found that I indeed needed a new video card but there would be a problem. The Dell Inspirion that I have, is a very narrow chassis. I had to make sure that what ever video card I bought, needed to be low profile.
Suddenly it dawned on me. What about CompUSA? But didn't they go out of business? I searched and the one in Deerfield Beach, that I had been too many times, was still there and open. Off I went!
Me and Dell went to the CompUSA and went to the service counter. There was Adam, eager to help me. OK. Maybe not but he wasn't "Chumley". He looked at my Dell Inspirion, called it a son of a bitch (not instilling much confidence) and took the cover off. He poked around. Went to his desktop, punched a few buttons and came back. He directed me toward an aisle, gave me a model number of a video card, and told me to bring it back. In other words, "go fetch it boy". So, off I went.
I found the card Adam specified and obediently returned to the counter. He opened up the box, showed me what I had to do with it. This video card had three ports but I had take off the port bracket and reduce it two ports with the other bracket that was included and install. VOILA! So simple a cave man could do it. But not a "Chumley" looking geek.
So I went in search of a monitor. I found a tits 22" monitor on sale, checked out and Dell and I drove home.
I got home and took the cover off. Opened the package to my new video card and proceeded to examine how to take off the bracket as Adam had instructed. One problem. There was no mounting screw and no way to remove the bracket and replace it with the low profile bracket. I examined. I cussed. I got pissed! This was not working out the way it was supposed to. I told Dell to stay put. I would be right back. Back to CompUSA I went.
As I pulled up I saw Adam outside having a butt. He recognized me as I walked up and could tell by my gait and expression, I wasn't happy. I told him I couldn't get the bracket off. He looked at it. And quickly became puzzled himself. Sure as hell, there was no way to remove the bracket that held the three ports and reduce to two. By the way, with no explanation of what to do with the now removed third port. More on that later.
We went back inside. He told me to go to the customer service counter and return the video card and he would find the card I need. I returned to the service counter and about four technicians were now in some sort of techno huddle. Every few seconds one of the techs would glance at me and go back to their engineering confab. Finally the huddle broke. They had their play! They moved into formation and......
Huddled around a computer monitor. Talk about a tease. At last Adam returned. He punched up something on the computer at the service counter and turned the monitor towards me. He showed me a video card on the screen and informed me I needed to order this card from home. When it comes in, to bring it to the store and they would reduce it to a two port, low profile card.
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I explained that I can't be ordering anything and having it delivered and bring shit back and blah, blah, blah... whatever non-sense he was speaking.
All I was thinking of, while he was talking, I just spent a fortune in money, on a three week training trip. For a new job that I was supposed to start in 38 hours. He was going to also get me some other kind of cable that I would need. None of this was going to work and I had to put a stop to this bullshit game plan.
Adam explained this was not a video card that they carried in store. Fine. I need a better plan. I need to know where I could take my desktop, first thing in the morning to get this set up by Tuesday 8am. He suggested a place up the street and some other place around Glades Road and State Road 441. But that was the best he could suggest. He had no names for these places. My head was spinning and I returned home.
I got on the Internet and poked around a Yellow Pages book (yes they still print those). I found a place that I e-mailed and I also found a place at Glades Road and 441! Could this be the magical place? I opened up their website. It looked good. Had good testimonials. This had to be it and the place I would venture, with Dell in the morning.
Dell and I saddled up and headed north to the computer place in west Boca that Adam at CompUSA mentioned. It was a store front in a cluster of attached out buildings in a long established strip mall, that has some high profile chain stores. I went inside and it was filled with more components than I've ever seen. I also don't spend a lot of time in computer stores but never the less.
A young lady, named Cathy, was behind the counter and finishing up with another customer. She seemed very knowledgeable in her conversation with the other customer so I was feeling at ease. Finally it was my turn. I placed Dell on the counter and told her I need to be hooked up for a second monitor. She looked at it and gave the same sigh everyone else does. Poor Dell, he really doesn't deserve that but she took the cover off, poked around and stated, "no problem".
She returned with a familiar looking box and stated this is what I needed. She asked if I wanted to install it or did she want them to do it. I told her that it looked very similar to the one I had on Sunday that I couldn't take the high profile bracket off. She showed me the connecting screw and the other screws that hold it on. The rest was plugging it into it's slot.
FINALLY! Someone who knew what the hell they were doing and were helpful to me. I'll take it! I exclaimed.
Nothing against CompUSA and all the help I received there. They were great. But I shouldn't have had to be told to go home and order the part for myself.
So, Dell and I returned home. I did just what Cathy told me. I replaced the high profile bracket with the low profile one. Snapped it into its slot on the mother board and replaced the cover. The third port, a VGA port was now just flopping at the end of a cable. Sticking through a hole in the back of the CPU. There wa no other bracket for it. But it didn't matter at this point. I had a job to do start the next day. So I connected the two monitors, plugged it in and voila! Two separate monitors. Life was good!
But this was the kind of place I was looking for. Helpful knowledgeable people. Small business owners. Not a chain that talks all tech shit and looks down at you when you can't. My poor old Dell laptop is in serious need of upgrading and some TLC. I've found just the place to take it too.
The name of the place for you South Floridians is: Computer Design and Service, 20642 State Road 7, Boca Raton, FL 33498. They are on the east side of 441, one block north of Glades Road. Right in front of the Best Buy!
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