Re:Fantastic... (Score 5, Informative)

Having worked as a Dell Level 1 tech back in the glory days (i.e. before overseas outsourcing), I have to say that I understand why they require these guys to go through the dumb questions. The VAST MAJORITY of the calls that come into tech support are really really stupid and I would say 75% or more of them are fixed by the time they make it through the standard checklist.

Surely the typical /. reader isn't going to call in unless they have already tried all that stuff, and I understand how frustrating it is to those who actually know something about computers, but believe me the tech's on the other end are not justified in assuming that incoming callers are competent users.

Insider Hint: the best way for the tech-savvy to get support is to use the online request service option. Avoid the phones like the plague. When you make an online request, take a few sentences to let the tech on the other end know that you have done all the obvious stuff. Since I know what they are looking for, I almost always get a "your part/tech is on the way" response within an hour.