New Blog

Today, AJ, John and I were talking about blogging about our daily activities in order to improve communication. I also had an employee evaluation and communication was mentioned by Tony as well. So, here is my blog. I plan to blog about all of the technical stuff I overcome and discover on a regular basis.

The evaluation went fine. The only real negative comment was that I tend to be argumentative at times. With that in mind, I tried to figure out what the heck was going on with my SD card reader and so I contacted HP via chat on the hp.com website. Below is the argumentative transcript:

Ben Engel : card reader not working
[An agent will be with you shortly.]
[You are now chatting with Pamela .]
Ben Engel : hello, Pamela
Pamela : Welcome to HP Total Care for desktop computer, my name is Pamela. Please give me a minute while I quickly review the issue description.
Pamela : Hello Ben. How are you doing today?
Ben Engel : I am doing ok, but my card reader is not
Ben Engel : let me give you some background information
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : it has always been kind of buggy, sometimes works, sometimes does not
Ben Engel : recently, it has stopped working all together
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : I removed the USB connection on the motherboard and placed in in antoher on board usb connector
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : when I do it still plug and plays the reader but will not read cards
Ben Engel : I have tried SD cards, compact flash and Memory stick
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : all three work fine on my HP printer but not in my m9177c's built in reader
Ben Engel : any ideas? do you think the card reader hardware is bad?
Ben Engel : could it be conflict with my HP printer card reader drivers?
Pamela : IS the card reader getting detected in "Computer"?
Ben Engel : yes
Pamela : Okay.
Ben Engel : oh, and I have already checked the vista disk manager and it never sees the cards
Ben Engel : I have seen problems before where the disk is detected but not assigned a drive letter and that is not the problem in this case
Pamela : Ben,as you have already checked with all the possible ways I suggest you to open the link.
Ben Engel : open the link??
Pamela : Hope you would get any helpful information.
Pamela : http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07910&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=3660335
Pamela : Yes
Ben Engel : I am using a 1GB SD card and 4GB Compact Flash card and a 1GB memory stick
Ben Engel : none f them work
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : May I know from how long are you facing this issue?
Ben Engel : it has always been kind of flaky, but only stopped working completely about a week ago
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : Have you made any software or hardware changes?
Ben Engel : no
Ben Engel : also, I just confirmed that all of my removable drives are already set for "quick removal"
Pamela : Ben, please go to device manager
Ben Engel : I'm there
Pamela : Click on the USB
Ben Engel : Universal Serial Bus controllers??
Pamela : yes
Pamela : Click on the + sign
Ben Engel : ok
Pamela : you would get many drivers.
Ben Engel : yes
Pamela : Are there any yellow exclamation marks there?
Ben Engel : no
Ben Engel : 31 items, no yellow exclamation marks
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : Are they any devices connected to the USB?
Ben Engel : and, like I said earlier, the device detects on USB properly, all of the drive letters show up in My Computer but it never detects the cards when inserted
Ben Engel : there are lots of devices plugged into USB
Pamela : Remove all the USB's that are connected to your computer.
Ben Engel : but I have already tried unplugging all USB devices with the exception of my mouse
Ben Engel : and all USB detection says that it has properly detected and installed
Ben Engel : including the card reader
Ben Engel : LOL, I just plugged in the compact flash card and it worked
Pamela : Please plug out the devices connected to the computer aprt from key board and mouse.
Ben Engel : it has not worked for a week and it just worked
Ben Engel : but I did not unplug anything
Ben Engel : why does it work sometimes and sometimes it does not?
Ben Engel : hmm, compact flash works but SD card is still not working
Pamela : May I know the capacity of the SD card?
Ben Engel : 1GB
Ben Engel : I just plugged it into my HP printer and it detected just fine, so I know the card is good
Pamela : Did you try using this card in another computer?
Ben Engel : no, just the printer
Ben Engel : but the printer is connected to my computer and I can see the contents of the card on my computer when it is plugged into the printer
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : But I suggest you to check the card with another computer and let me know.
Ben Engel : I do not have another computer
Ben Engel : but I did get a USB card reader
Ben Engel : and it works on this computer with the USB card reader, just not the built in reader
Ben Engel : oh, and the printers card reader uses the same drive letter as the built in CD card slot
Ben Engel : is that normal?
Ben Engel : how can I tell them to use their own drive letters, it seems like they are conficting
Ben Engel : if I do it wth disk management, when a card is inserted, will it dedicate that slot to the new drive letter after I remove the card?
Pamela : Ben,May I please, place the chat session on hold for 3 minutes while I research on the issue and get a quick resolution for you?
Ben Engel : how many drive letters SHOULD my built in card reader be using?
Ben Engel : I just switched the printer to use drive Z to get it out of the way
Ben Engel : and I am showing 4 drive letters for Removable Disk besides that
Ben Engel : sorry for going on and on
Ben Engel : I will wait for you
Pamela : No problem and Thank you
Pamela : Thank you for using HP Total Care and giving us an opportunity to serve you through Real-Time Chat. Please contact us again if you require any further assistance. We are available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.

Our exclusive Owner Services will help keep all of your HP and Compaq products up and running. Please visit our Web site at:

http://www.hp.com/support/chat

Have a nice day.

Ben Engel : hello?
Pamela : Ben, please ignore the above sentence .
Ben Engel : oh.. ok, I thought you terminated our conversation
Pamela : No
Ben Engel : thx
Pamela : Please give me 2 more minutes
Pamela : Thank you for staying online. I appreciate your patience.
Ben Engel : btw, I just tried the memory stick again and it works
Pamela : Ben, I suggest you check the card with another computer also
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : the only other coputer I have is an apple, should I boot it up?
Pamela : yes
Ben Engel : since the card works in the printer and I can see the contents on my computer, I didn't see the use, but I will do as you say
Pamela : Thank you.
Ben Engel : it works fine on the mac
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : To reconfirm once,it is working fine with the other computer.Right?
Ben Engel : yes
Pamela : click Start , and enter Device Manager into the Start Search field. Click Continue if a UAC message opens.

Ben Engel : I already have the device manager open
Pamela : In the Device Manager window, click the + sign next to Disk drives to display a list of the drive devices on your computer. Memory card readers are seen as drive devices in Windows.

Pamela : In the list of drive devices, right-click the device that has stopped functioning to display a drop-down menu (for example, Generic USB CF Reader for Compact Flash media). Click Properties in this menu.

Ben Engel : ok, I am on the General Tab of the SD/MMC USB Device
Pamela : Click the Policies tab in the Device Properties window.

Pamela : Select Optimize for quick removal , then click the OK button.

Ben Engel : it's already set
Ben Engel : I even switched it back and forth earlier
Pamela : This setting disables write caching on the device and in Windows, so the media can be removed without using the Safely Remove Hardware feature in the taskbar. The card reader might experience a minor drop in device performance.

Ben Engel : yes, the drives disappeared and then reappeared
Ben Engel : still no card detection for the SD/MMC
Pamela : Are you getting any message stating that new hardware is found?
Ben Engel : no
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : you have removed all the devices from the that are connected to the computer.Am I right?
Ben Engel : yes, earlier
Pamela : Now go to device manager and uninstall all the drivers that are listed under USB .

Ben Engel : I just looked in the slot with a flashlight, I see a bent pin
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : That is the reason the card is not detecting.
Ben Engel : is that covered under warranty?
Pamela : Are you inserting the other cards in the same slot?
Ben Engel : no, silly
Ben Engel : I onlu put SD/MMC cards in the SD/MMC card slot
Ben Engel : only*
Pamela : May I know which slot is the one that have the bent pins?
Ben Engel : SD/MMC
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : Please give me 2 minutes
Pamela : Thank you for staying online.
Ben Engel : I'm still here
Pamela : Could you please provide me your product and serial number
Ben Engel : M9177C
Ben Engel : Pavilion
Ben Engel : S/N MXXXXXXXXX
Pamela : Product number please
Ben Engel : Product Number GXXXXXX#XXX
Pamela : Thank you for the information
Pamela : Ben,I see that your computer is under warranty
Pamela : To reconfirm the issue once the pins are bent in the SD slot.Am I right?
Ben Engel : yes
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : just one pin
Pamela : Make it properly by using any pen or screw driver
Pamela : And check if the SD carder again.
Ben Engel : it looks like it was bent from the back side
Ben Engel : it is very hard to get in there, it is a small slot
Ben Engel : I am using a paperclip
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : In that case would you like to send the computer for service?
Ben Engel : could you just send another card reader? and I will replace it myself?
Ben Engel : I cannot live without my computer
Pamela : I wish I could but that but we do not have that facility
Ben Engel : I just need the part
Ben Engel : I have the facility
Pamela : Be, I know that you are expert in computers and can easily replace the part within few minutes but it is not a user replacable part.
Ben Engel : that is not acceptable
Ben Engel : it would be FAR more inexpensive to ship a small part
Ben Engel : it would save your company money
Ben Engel : how about I ship you the defective part first?
Pamela : Ben, please replace and you would get it back within 7 to 8 bussiness days.
Ben Engel : don't you realize that some people's jobs depend on having a computer every day?
Ben Engel : I am a computer programmer and cannot be without my computer for 7-8 days
Pamela : The Fed ex people would come to your place with a box and they would collect the computer
Ben Engel : besides, it is rediculous to ship an entire computer when I only need one small part
Ben Engel : I suppose I will have to go on ebay and find a replacement part
Ben Engel : your service is sad
Ben Engel : but I understand that you have stupid rules
Ben Engel : I am sorry
Pamela : I do understand your concern and you are the valuable customer of us , we do take your requests into considerations but the part user replacable part is not possible.
Ben Engel : do you have a patt number for the card reader for my computer so that I can more easily find one to buy?
Ben Engel : part number*
Ben Engel : I cannot go without my computer for 7-8 days
Ben Engel : I would have to go and buy a new computer
Ben Engel : which is what I did last time I had to use HP warranty service
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : do you understand my concern now?
Ben Engel : do you have a part number for the card reader for my computer so that I can more easily find one to buy?
Pamela : No there would not be a part number for the that.
Pamela : Rather I can suggest you onething
Ben Engel : fine, I will remove it from the computer and READ the part number from the part itself
Ben Engel : what other suggestions do you have?
Pamela : you can contact the Hp authorised center
Pamela : which would be near to your place.
Ben Engel : there is not one close to me
Ben Engel : I live in St. George, Utah
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : we have plently of store that sell HP computers, but no service center until California
Pamela : Please give me a minute, I will let you know the nearest HP center
Ben Engel : ok
Pamela : Could you please give me your Zip code
Ben Engel : 84770
Ben Engel : by the way, the HP P/N is 5070-4675 and my serial number is IY74511474. The IO P/N is GLF-680-070-147
Ben Engel : http://cgi.ebay.com/Hewlett-Packard-5070-4675-MEDIA-CENTER-15-IN-1-C_W0QQitemZ280366467815QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Drives_Storage_Internal?hash=item414724cae7&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1240%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50
Ben Engel : I can buy one on ebay for $40, no shipping cost
Pamela : Okay
Pamela : Would you like to go with that?
Ben Engel : can you find me a better alternative?
Ben Engel : can you go and buy the part that doesn't exist and then ship it to me?
Pamela : Please give a minute more please
Pamela : Ben, please open the below link
Pamela : http://h20465.www2.hp.com/GPL/Search.aspx?Country_code=US&language_code=en&Search_type=SR4
Pamela : Ben, did you see the addresses?
Ben Engel : oh, sorry, I am taking apart my card reader to see if I can just solder in a new pin
Ben Engel : yes, I opened the link
Pamela : Is there any place near to you it so that it can be repaired.
Ben Engel :

Sorry, we were unable to find a match for your partner search. Please click Search again and try increasing the search radius or using a different criteria.

Pamela : Best Buy
611 Marks St
Henderson Nevada 89014-8600 Phone No : +1-888-2901123 Profile
86.38 Miles
Best Buy
3820 S Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas Nevada 89119-7501 Phone No : +1-702-7328283 Profile
87.19 Miles
Best Buy
2050 N Rainbow Blvd
Las Vegas Nevada 89108-7049 Phone No : +1-702-6314645 Profile
87.54 Miles
Best Buy
10950 W Charleston Blvd Ste 10
Las Vegas Nevada 89135-1086 Phone No : +1-702-2286492 Profile
92.40 Miles



( Page 1 of - Search Result 1) Goto page 1



Pamela : these are the address of the places .
Ben Engel : well, that's only 6 hours of driving on the highway for a SD Card reader
Ben Engel : should only cost me about $40 in gas
Ben Engel : what a bargain
Pamela : Ben,I apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Ben Engel : I would sugges that HP change their policy about user servicable parts
Ben Engel : I am chatting with you on the computer that I just removed the ard reader from
Pamela : Okay.
Ben Engel : it is not rocket science and to think that I need to ship the entire computer and lose it for 7-8 days for a $40 part that would cost little to ship is just stupid
Ben Engel : I am sure that you can agree
Pamela : Once let us uninstall the USB 's that arelisted under Universal serial bus and check whether the card works or not
Ben Engel : nevermind, I never uninstalled them
Ben Engel : besides, I just refresh and they all redetect
Pamela : Okay
Ben Engel : I am sure that I will fix the issue on my own
Ben Engel : I just feel really sorry for anyone that doesn't know much about computers
Pamela : Let us cross our fingers and wish for the best.
Ben Engel : please, mention to your management that you should be able to ship small parts if it is what the customer wants
Pamela : Surely I pass over the message.
Ben Engel : have a great day
Pamela : Thank you and wish you the same.
Pamela : I apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Pamela : Is there anything else that I may assist you with?
Pamela : Ben,are you there with me?
Ben Engel : I am here
Pamela : Okay.
Ben Engel : but, no, have done everything in your power
Ben Engel : I do not need anything else
Pamela : Ben, I really wish to send you the part but really we do not have the facility right. I will definetly pass your suggestion to the higher authority and wish for the best.
Pamela : Ben, you are really our valuable customer .
Pamela : Are you there with me?
Pamela : Please respond as the delay in the response may cause the disconnnection of the chat.
Ben Engel : oh, sorry
Ben Engel : I got the soldering iron warmed up
Pamela : okay
Ben Engel : got one side of the SD/MMC shielding off so that I can expose the bent pin
Ben Engel : I think I will start a blog tonight and document the process
Ben Engel : I will make sure to include this conversation
Ben Engel : I will put a link to the blog at benengel.com
Pamela : Okay.
Ben Engel : so go and check it out tomorrow
Ben Engel : then, if you get someone with a bent pin and a lot of ambition, you can point them there
Pamela : Is there anything else that I may assist you with?
Ben Engel : nope
Pamela : Ben,I wish a Good Luck to you to fix the issue.
Pamela : Is there anything else that I may assist you with?
Pamela : Thank you for using HP Total Care and giving us an opportunity to serve you through Real-Time Chat. Please contact us again if you require any further assistance. We are available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.

Our exclusive Owner Services will help keep all of your HP and Compaq products up and running. Please visit our Web site at:

http://www.hp.com/support/chat

Have a nice day.

Tools I used:

1. 1 phillips screw driver
2. solding iron (the really cheap kind you can get at radio shack)
3. pointy tweezers

Procedure:

1. loosten thumb screw at rear of computer and removed side panel
   adjust 3 plpastic clips on front bezel and remove bezel
2. pull out locking mechanism on DVD drive and slide it forward making sure not to detatch cables. This allows more access inside to navigate the many cables connected to the card slot module
3. unscrew retaining screw from the top of the card slot module, the slide it slightly to the left to unlock it and slide it forward.
4. remove the cables from the card module
5. remove the plastic bezel form the front of the module, just be careful not to break the plastic clips
6. remove the 2 screws on the side of the card slot module and remove smaller metal shell
7. move the 2 LEDs so that you can get the soldering iron in on the grounding solder joint on the inner side. Be careful not to bend the LEDs' leads to much and break them
8. unsolder the grounding joints. I just pulled up on the SD/MMC shielding with a tweezers while getting the joint hot, one side at a time
9. now the pins are exposed. using the tweezer, straighten the bent pin(s)
10. I broke the pin... SHIT!!!
11. after closer examination, it seems that it was a grounding pin that is only used as the card is inserted. Once the card is all the way in, the pin is not in contact.... or at least I don't think so
12. plug it in and test a card... seems to work but only whne I pinch the grounding shield on
13. break the broken pin nice and short so that it doesn't get hung back up again
    put it all back together and it works like a champ

BEFORE

AFTER