I was lucky... we had nothing at all (well almost) on our credit cards, so we decided to splurge for Christmas.

Oh! and an update: Turn the pc on, and it worked fine. downloaded all the updates for windows, NP. (all 72! of them!!)

I call up HP JUST to make sure how I should add the video card, and of crouse Tech support is in India.. very pleasant, but not much help. He says to just pop the card in the pci express slot, and fire her up. Fine.

I do so, and when you turn the system on, you here "beep beep beep". The system doesn;t see the video card. >sigh<

So I reseat it, and make sure the connections are nice and tight. reboot... "Beep Beep Beeep"
(Yeah, that last beeeep seemed to be tauting me. So I call HP again, and this guy wants the serial number.. I have the box RIGHT in front of me, but he can;t tell me where it's at on the box. So I need a flashlight, and have to crawl behind the deskto read it off the back. (RRRRR!)

So I give him the number, and he tells me it isn't registered yet. I tell him I KNOW that, I JUST turned the thing on 5 minutes ago for the first time.

He says, "Ah, well, lets walk youi through setting up your new system, and prceeds to try to hold me hand. I FINALLY manage to gt a word in edgewise, and tell him that''s NOT why I called, and explain the situation.

he smiles (I can HEAR him smile over the phone!) and tells me I just need to disable the onboard video first.  I smack my forehead thank him, and follow instructions, and boot up again...

Beep Beep Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!

Ok, now I'm getting ticked! So I double check the insructions on the ati card instaation..
and IT says I need to,"Plug in the 12 volt 6 prong pci express power plug every pci express computer comes supplied with.

Slap forehead AGAIN (OUCH!) and start looking for the plug.

Hmmm.. no there... not THERE... not RRRRRRRRR ANYWHERE!

So I call HP back up again. (I swear I get the same guy's buddy sitting next to him, and his buddy is still smiling!) So fo rthe nesxt 30 minutes we play a game.

He tells me to plug the card into the PCI slot, and it'll boot up fine.
I tell him the manual says I need to plug the pci power plug into the card, and if I don;t te system just beeps at me.
He then VERY slowly tells me exactly where the pci express slot is, and to just plug the card into it, and boot up, and it will be fine. (And I can hear HIM smiling NOW!)
And I repeat to him yet AGAIN, and read from the manula the exact wording, and tell him I just need to find where the plug is tucked in at!
Next he tells me to unplug ALL th epower plugs, and pull the wiring out to see if I can find the plug. I told him I'm not gutting a brand new system.. can he tell me if there even IS a PCI power plug? he decided to finally dig up the manual on the system, and puts me on hold.

My cellphone's almost dead, so I just finally hang up on him.

 (Continued next post....)

Way too many people take way too many things way too seriously.