Happy ending for computer disaster in Vietnam
Technicians reassemble my broken Dell Inspiron 530s' parts into a new case with a working power supply.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive)Editor's note: CNET editor and Crave contributor Dong Ngo is spending part of December in his homeland of Vietnam. This is the last in his series of dispatches chronicling his impressions of how technology has permeated the culture there. Click here for more of Dong's stories from abroad.
HANOI, Vietnam--Prior to my trip to Vietnam, I bought a Dell Inspiron 530s desktop computer as a special American gift for my 11-year-old niece in Hanoi.
Despite the relatively light weight and small form factor of the PC, at San Francisco International Airport, I ended up having to pay a $60 overweight fee. This was mostly because the airline significantly lowered the allowed weight for checked-in luggage, and I wasn't aware of that.
Upon arriving in Hanoi, I personally delivered the gift and set it up for the little girl. Everybody gathered around with excitement as they waited for the moment of truth. As I plugged the power cord into the wall socket, we heard a "pop" sound and smoke came out of the tower. I was dumbfounded. "So much for American-standard quality!" I thought to myself.
But it was not America's fault, it was me. As it turned out, Vietnam uses a 220-voltage power standard, while America uses a 110-voltage one. Out of excitement and ignorance, I plugged the computer in without switching the power supply unit (PSU) of the computer to support 220 volts and, of course, it burned! It was pure physics.
What was hard to quantify was my niece's level of frustration and my own disappointment. I personally picked the specs and rebuilt the machine to run Windows XP (from its manufacturer-installed Windows Vista). Just one moment of negligence, and everything seemed ruined.
It would be rather easy to call Dell and get the part replaced in America, but over here it's an entirely different story. There's no Dell support office in Vietnam and it would take weeks, if not months, to have the particular PSU shipped here from America. The scary notion of having to haul the broken computer back to the States entered my mind.
The computer's PSU is Dell-proprietary for a small form factor computer, and therefore it would be very hard to find a generic replacement. After weeks of periodically trying to get help from the States to no avail, just a day before leaving Vietnam, I decided to bring the computer to a local repair shop as a last resort. I didn't harbor much hope.
It was a small shop with a design that showed the owner's effort to look professional. There was a reception desk, glass cases that hold different types of computer accessories, a few staffers wearing ties, and a few desks with chairs where customers could sit and wait. Nonetheless, the place somehow seemed rather disorganized and semi-pro at best.
But the look was misleading.
After hearing me explain my problem, a man named Duy removed the PSU from the PC to inspect. He then told me what I was afraid to hear: the unit was toasted beyond repair and there was no replacement for it in Hanoi. "But you can move the working parts of the computer into a new case with a new working power supply," Duy suggested.
I personally had thought of this but knew it would be a hassle, if even possible at all, to find a case and a PSU that support Dell's proprietary motherboard. "Don't worry, we'll take care of that!" Duy assured me. He then told me it would take only 30 minutes to get the job done and that I was welcome to wait.
I did a lot more than waiting; I decided to watch and time the work with my iPhone. Two technicians came up and tried out different PSUs with the motherboard, and they found one that worked after a few tries. They then started to dismantle the Dell and reassemble its guts into another computer case. Exactly 24 minutes later, the Inspiron 530s had been transformed into a new generic-looking computer, booting up into the system I built a while ago.
While what happened wasn't hard, it took a lot of patience and willingness. More importantly, it was a job well done. And I admired the helpful attitude of the people at the shop.
I couldn't help comparing this to our CNET Labs' intern Sharon Vaknin's experience at Best Buy when she tried to get her unbootable laptop fixed just prior to my trip. Best Buy didn't even try to help her save her documents (which I ended up doing for her) and told her that the process of getting the computer fixed would take weeks.
There's one thing that Best Buy and the local repair shop I visited have in common, however. Both charge in dollars. It was $24 for the job, parts and labor. And it was $24 well spent.
It's too bad the computer is no longer American-looking, but personally, I think it's worth much more. The best part is that if it breaks again, I know it will be properly and quickly taken care of.
Welcome to Vietnam. Unfortunately, I have to say goodbye already.
The PSU that I accidentally toasted; it will stay in Vietnam.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive)
Dong Ngo is a CNET editor who covers networking and network storage, and writes about anything else he finds interesting. You can also listen to his podcast at insidecnetlabs.cnet.com. E-mail Dong. 
Great story though, I'm sure having a regular case will come in handy when it comes time to make an upgrade.
So Dong, you said you "rebuilt" the machine to run Windows XP. Do you always use such pompous words to give the impression you know more than you actually do? Rebuilding the machine would imply taking it apart, possibly changing some hardware and assembling it back together and reinstalling Windows. From what it seems, you just reinstalled Windows. That's not called "rebuilding". Just FYI.
The mere fact that you decided to move from Vista to XP is a clear sign that your computer knowledge is rather limited. You should have been part of the Mojave experiment.
Granted, Dell does use some custom designed parts, including cases and power supplies. Even the motherboards may be customized in that they may have more or less features than the retail counterparts, but the form factor is the same (ATX or mATX, etc). That's why transplanting the contents of the Dell PC to a newer case doesn't pose that many problems, especially as far as the motherboard is concerned. I have done it many times and it doesn't take a genius to do it. You need a new power supply and maybe some new cables, but not much else.
I can't think of a "happy ending" to my comment so I will leave it at that.
Who died and made you a computer king? Is Vista the "only" O/S that EVERYONE should run? It's called preference son. We all know that XP uses less resources and runs much faster than Vista if both uses the same amount of RAM. How do you know that his niece isn't a gamer or her school uses XP and that's what she's familiar with? How about everyone jump off a bridge and follow after you? Some people have got to quit complaining and whining like a little..*ahem*
Nobody died and I never called myself a computer king. My argument was actually that any person with average computer building knowledge could have performed the operations that the author of the article had portrayed as somewhat miraculous.
No, Vista is not the only OS everyone should run, let's not turn this into a OS war. And yes, XP does use less resources than Vista, but so does Windows 98 use less resources than XP and Windows 3.1 less resources than Windows 98. Resources put aside, Vista is just a lot more reliable than XP. I've used Vista since its launch, for 2 years and XP for 4 years before, so I know for a fact, rather than others who "know" based on the impressions other clueless people have.
The 11 years old niece a gamer? Come on... Do you really think she could tell the difference between DX 9 and 10. Nevertheless, if that was the case, I am sure it would have been mentioned in the article. But let's face it, we all know the decision was purely the author's, based on the author's "skewed" view of Vista presumably.
And I agree that everyone has a preference, but here the problem is bigger than that. Here, we deal with an article read by many many people, who may take the author's views for granted, since they'd assume the author is qualified to write about hardware, computer repairs and operating systems. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
So if you don't have any good arguments to bring really, why not go back to Vietnam and stay there?
It was a great article IMHO.
And here's another thing: if you don't like my comment, don't read it and don't react to it. You're just doing exactly what I did. I read a bad piece of text, which stirred some bad feelings, causing me to react with a comment... which I never really do.
btw- chill out 'megavyrus'. Your world can't be that bad, can it? Maybe you should consider a Mac so you won't be so frustrated ;-)
While for you, the case-switching solution may seem juvenile and not "miraculous", let's see how you would be in the same situation with a Dell PC in what is essentially a third-world country and the infrastructure is something you would not be accustomed to.
I build my own PC's as well and they are serious high-end systems. I can sympathize with Dong when that PSU toasted knowing Dell makes their cases incompatible with 3rd-party standardized PSU's. They came up with a valid and ingenious solution and in the end, all parties were happy. Perhaps it didn't have the nice-looking Dell case but in the end, it will probably end up on the floor covered in papers anyways.
The Vista/XP thing is a non-issue. I hate Vista even after all the patches are installed. XP is still the way to go so long as no DX10 gaming is necessary.
Your comments were in very poor taste. Shame on you.
Dong, these were great articles. Keep up the good work. I look forward to future articles you write!
Ignore whiners like that guy. Apparently, his parents forgot to lock the door to the basement and he got out.
This is just a heartwarming story.
So just calm down, you heartless wench.
"Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped." Elbert Hubbard
So, those that cite non-proprietary parts when defending their decision to not buy a Mac are making perfectly valid points. Even if Mac has gotten a little better of late.
Also, a Mac is a Personal Computer. Are you referring to Windows when you say "PC?" Because that is inaccurate.
To those ragging on Megavyrus... he has a point. He may be blunt, but he has a point.
Finally, to Mr. Ngo: setting that machine up for your niece is a great thing. Hopefully that will open some doors to her and give her a head start in this world. Knowledge is power, and you've given her a key.
search Newegg for a Dell PSU and you get results for PSUs compatible with Dell
search Newegg for an Mac PSU and you get a bunch of crap that has nothing to do with the internal components of the Mac
I mean laptop power supply can work on 100-220v.. why not desktop...
Having said that, there are many times here in Viet Nam when bureaucracy and antiquated systems utilising massive amounts of paperwork make some tasks here maddeningly and painfully slow. Try sending a parcel by the post or, even better example, collect some personal items from customs and you will see what I mean.
But I never failed to be impressed by Vietnamese ingenuity when they are sole operators or otherwise free from the shackles of bureaucratic stupidity. Some of my happiest moments living here have been sitting around talking and watching these guys work. I'm glad for your sake Dong that you were able to experience it for yourself.
- by 1mitee December 19, 2008 11:15 AM PST
- I am confused. The power cord for the 110-Volt computer would not plug into the 220-Volt socket in Vietnam. You would have to use a converter with different prongs. How did he toast the power supply unit ?
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- by pithenumber December 20, 2008 6:26 PM PST
- They plug in, I've seen sockets that accept lots of plugs.
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