Dell Inspiron locks up/freezes programs when downloading

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leamca

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I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron 9300, Pentium M 740 (1.73 GHz/533 MHz FSB); 1GB DDR2, etc; 128 MB ATI and Mobility Radeon x300; 100 GB Ultra ATA HD; etc.

My problem is that programs will freeze usually associated with downloading programs. At first it was when I tried to download a Microsoft program and Sonic online and the only way to get out of them was to turn the comp off manually, because the Task Manager couldn't stop them.

I thought perhaps it might be due to ALL of the security software and firewalls, etc. So I turned it off, tried download, same problem. To be certain it wasn't a net thing, I unplugged cable modem and installed HotDog (plus others) and after 3rd program, IT froze and wouldn't go away until I manually turned the computer off.

I tried Dell phone customer service, and they kept turfing me to their paid phone service. I "thought" when I purchased their extra service coverage, that it would include help with this type of problem. However, it is only for hardware.

I'm so frustrated! Eventually, I got a service tag number from a CSR (it wasn't on the computer as instructed online), and spoke to one person who told me to increase the amount of space on my IE cookie disk space. That didn't work, but he did get rid of me. The next CHAT resulted in the person telling me to basically take this machine apart and looking at the HARD DRIVE:

"Remove all of the removable components except for the memory and hard drive. Unplug the AC adapter from the system. Remove the battery from the system. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds to discharge power. Remove all of the removable components, except for the memory and hard drive. NOTE: This includes, but is not limited to, the following devices: Battery PC cards Floppy drives Optical drives (CD, CD-RW, or DVD) Tighten all the screws and ensure none are missing.
To tighten all the field-replaceable screws, perform the following: Make sure all the screws are tight and none are missing. Obtain a screw from another system, for testing purposes, if there are screws missing.
Make sure that the screws located near the media bays and the center of the system are present. Reseat the hard drive and check for damage.
Remove the hard drive from the system
Check for damaged gold-plated connectors on the hard drive.
Reinsert the drive. Run the PSA diagnostics and obtain the PSA error code. ..."

There's more, but don't you think this is something a Dell Tech human should be doing? I'm a massage therapist and have no mechanical or computer ability whatsoever. The above instructions (which I did not include the entire list) are freaking me out.

Before I approach Dell, I'd like to know if there is something I can do other than the last CHAT session, or if someone here feels it's a Dell Tech issue, I will insist on that.

Other than sending the computer back for a refund, I don't know what to do, plus I love it.

If you can help me I'd really appreciate it,
Lea
 
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