:: Intrepid Spaniel ::

I recently lost the transmission in my ‘99 Honda Odyssey van. When looking into this problem I decided I’d document some of the information I’ve found in case it helps others. Honda has a less than stellar reliability rating on transmissions, particularly on the 1999-2002 Odysseys and I’ve heard it affects some Accords and Acura models too of similar age. (Read more…)

About 1.5 years ago, I bought a used 1996 GMC Sierra pickup truck from Courtesy Ford in Pocatello. That transaction went fine, and I felt like I was treated fairly and got a good deal, they even threw in a free first oil change. That was uneventful. Since I bought the vehicle cheaply, I did compromise on knowing the full service history of the vehicle so I wanted to have it looked at to see what recommended service should be done. I even budgeted a little extra into the loan to take care of some service so I thought I’d see how the local GMC dealer was for service. Sounds reasonable, right? Read on to see how they did.
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Tired of your new computer coming loading with a lot of extra software you don’t need or want? Does your brand new PC feel cluttered?

http://www.yorkspace.com/pc-de-crapifier/

is a script that may be the answer. Use at own your own risk but it uninstalls many common programs preinstalled by OEMs like Dell in one shot. WhooHoo!

New versions of the Upgrade version of Vista doesn’t allow new installations…

What does all of this mean on a practical level? Users who purchase upgrade copies of the aforementioned versions of Vista will find that they can only upgrade PCs that already have Windows installed. KB930985 clearly states: “you cannot use an upgrade key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.” According to Microsoft, this happens because Windows Vista does not check for upgrade compliance. If you do not have a previous installation of Windows available, Microsoft recommends that you “purchase a license that lets you perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.” And what does it mean to your wallet? More $$$ out of your pocket if you want maximum flexibility.

More info on this bone-headed move here or here

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Update: When I finally got through to the manager at the store, through much patience, he went out of my way to make some calls to see if they would be software for my phone. He said they should have it by the end of this week.. We’ll see.

Update, July 2: No call yet.. I’m not expecting to hear anything from them.

Some of the previous saga below… (Read more…)

So, I recently change cellular providers away from Edge Wireless. They neglected to mention that hidden away in the contract I signed 5 years ago was a clause that said if I am not in contract I would have to give them 30 days notice to change providers. That was over 5 years ago. Yes, I’ve been their customer for over 5 years. I don’t have the contract to look up if it is true, so I paid and extra $45 under protest for basically nothing. This is on top of a $15 fee to port my number, which I guess the FCC says they can do. If they had a competitive plan, that met my needs, I would have stayed with them. I guess they want to make sure former customers never come back? Is it really worth gouging your soon to be former customers?

All in all, I feel that cell providers have gotten too corporate, and don’t have any flexibility, or if they do make promise in the local stores, they are not able to keep them. So far, US Cellular has been good, with helpful customer service, and good service. I am scared for when AllTel takes over this summer. Their unintended data plan is awesome (ask for details)!