Do I need to extend my warranty?

[jedi]

So just the last day or so, I've been having problems connecting to the internet from home. I had to change some router settings, and although all external signs point to me being connected to the internet, I'm just not. My warranty on my Dell computer expires Saturday and I've already been called to renew it (which I haven't yet). I think I'm computer savvy enough to fix most things on my own, but should I chance it?

If I can't fix this, then I'm really screwed but I've always heard that extended warranties are ripoffs.

[AncientPC]

Extended warranties are rip offs.

But unfortunately since you bought your system from Dell and didn't build it from scratch on your own, it's more difficult to fix stuff through the manufacturers' warranty (since all the Dell stuff is generic branding).

I'd take a chance and just replace anything that's broken myself.

[belowpoverty]

The word from the computer-geek forums is: Do not purchase the extended warranty on anything but a laptop. Do purchase it for a laptop.

[AncientPC]

[ QUOTE ]
The word from the computer-geek forums is: Do not purchase the extended warranty on anything but a laptop. Do purchase it for a laptop.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's because it's hard to fix stuff yourself for a laptop as the components are pretty expensive.

[Blarg]

Also laptops break down easily and quickly compared to regular PC's. Stuff is packed closer together and with fewer fans, so heat degrades components more easily over time, plus even a very carefully handled laptop gets swung around with surprising force when you're moving, and along with the occasional bump and even the force and vibration of typing, a laptop is a lot of delicate equipment subject to a lot of abuse. Not only that, LCD panels are not just extremely expensive, but very easily damaged, and the technology is still in a state where dead and burnt-out pixels are absolutely a fully-accepted norm, not the exception.

Definitely the extended warranties on a laptop are a good idea.

But sometimes you can purchase them a month or two after you buy the laptop. That's often the best idea, because you can often find out if anything's wrong in the first month and have the manufacturer take care of things with a quick replacement, whereas if you bought the outsourced warranty service, it could be many weeks without your laptop and files.

[kylemontero]

The dell computers are cheap if it breaks just pick up a new 1. A new system with 19 inch monitor is about 500 bucks.

[MicroBob]

[ QUOTE ]
all external signs point to me being connected to the internet, I'm just not.

[/ QUOTE ]


this happened to me a few months ago. Dell Inspiron 5100.
I'm a total computer moron and couldn't figure out what the problem was.

Great signal....trouble-shoot and check other settings, etc etc and all that it would say was that I'm connected just fine and dandy....but I really wasn't connected at all.

Took it to a shop because I didn't feel like sending it in and I thought it was probably some easy tech-thing I had screwed up.
The guy told me it was a hardware problem and I could either send it back to Dell or I could buy a wireless-card for $50 or $60 or whatever it was.
So I did that and it seems to work 'most' of the time (sometimes at the internet-coffee place i go to i can't tell if there are just too many computers trying to access the internet or if my computer is messed up).


I don't know whether I believe the guy at the fix-it shop or not but he seemed competent to my untrained-eye and I don't think I was getting royally ripped-off. I seem to get a stronger signal with the new wireless-card anyway so I'm reasonably happy with the purchase.


I will definitely defer to the knowledge of those here and do the warranty next time around on laptop purchases.
Out of general instinct I didn't do it on this one but the argumets for getting one seem to make sense.
Where were you guys when I was telling my Mom not to get the warranty on her new computer because i thought it was a bad deal?
Now I have to keep my fingers-crossed that she somehow doesn't break it.