UPS Dropped My COMP. Dislodged Vid Card/Smashed Fan!

effang

August 18, 2012 2:04:43 AM

I moved and used UPS. When they delivered my computer, I heard/saw my computer drop from about 6 feet. When I opened it up, the video card had dislodged, my standard i5 fan had been smashed and broken, and thus the heatsink attached to the processor had been dislodged.

So, pretty bad. I put in my SSD, and as expected, it didn't boot. Windows restore and all those windows fix errors didn't work. So i got a fresh SSD and reinstalled windows.

Then, I started getting BSOD. I use my computer a lot, but never for coding, and i don't tweak much. The screen would have 3 big horizontal red bars, that would split into many smaller red bars, and then the computer would BSOD and restart. When I play d3, it runs fine, then all of a sudden i see a bunch of squares and pixellations (always red), then d3 freezes, and i receive notice that "display driver amd has stopped responding and has recovered".

how do i tell if my MOBO has been damaged given how extensively the loose vid card rattled inside, or how do i know if it is my VID card that is the issue?

and if my computer is less than a year old, do warranties cover these types of error? obviously i won't mention the shipping/fall...

Thanks!

More about : ups dropped comp dislodged vid card smashed fan

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LevelUp_

August 18, 2012 2:28:43 AM

What motherboard are you using? If your chipset supports integrated graphics, use that.

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effang

August 18, 2012 2:32:12 AM

Z68 Extreme3 Gen3.

I doubt that the integrated graphics is better than my video card. Also, if it is my video card having issues, I will just buy a new one. I'm more afraid of finding out that this is a MOBO issue.

How do i go about finding out what's causing my BSOD? (I will try your suggestion now and see what happens). I still feel as if they both were "damaged" during the move.

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LevelUp_

August 18, 2012 2:44:22 AM

If your system runs fine on the Intergrated Graphics, then the video card is likely the problem. You can always use the video card on another desktop to test if it is working or not.

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swifty_morgan

Motherboard Expert

August 18, 2012 2:53:21 AM

and you didn't insist the driver make a note that he/ups mishandled the item and damage may have occurred before you signed for it or even not at all ?

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LevelUp_

August 18, 2012 2:57:01 AM

Which reminds, speaking of Drivers; make sure you have the latest drivers installed fro your video card, uninstall and reinstall them.

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heizenbrg

August 18, 2012 2:59:59 AM

effang said:

I moved and used UPS. When they delivered my computer, I heard/saw my computer drop from about 6 feet. When I opened it up, the video card had dislodged, my standard i5 fan had been smashed and broken, and thus the heatsink attached to the processor had been dislodged.

So, pretty bad. I put in my SSD, and as expected, it didn't boot. Windows restore and all those windows fix errors didn't work. So i got a fresh SSD and reinstalled windows.

Then, I started getting BSOD. I use my computer a lot, but never for coding, and i don't tweak much. The screen would have 3 big horizontal red bars, that would split into many smaller red bars, and then the computer would BSOD and restart. When I play d3, it runs fine, then all of a sudden i see a bunch of squares and pixellations (always red), then d3 freezes, and i receive notice that "display driver amd has stopped responding and has recovered".

how do i tell if my MOBO has been damaged given how extensively the loose vid card rattled inside, or how do i know if it is my VID card that is the issue?

and if my computer is less than a year old, do warranties cover these types of error? obviously i won't mention the shipping/fall...

Thanks!

shouldn't UPS cover that? I've always been asking myself who's at fault if a shipment arrives and is damaged my the postal service...

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s3anister

August 18, 2012 3:00:09 AM

effang said:

Z68 Extreme3 Gen3.

I doubt that the integrated graphics is better than my video card. Also, if it is my video card having issues, I will just buy a new one. I'm more afraid of finding out that this is a MOBO issue.

How do i go about finding out what's causing my BSOD? (I will try your suggestion now and see what happens). I still feel as if they both were "damaged" during the move.

You need to test with your integrated graphics to determine if it's not your motherboard. Since what you're describing is video corruption, IMO, it sounds like your graphics card got damaged.

For testing, I'd suggest running prime 95 to make sure the motherboard/CPU/RAM is stable and not at fault. If you determine that your motherboard/CPU/RAM are not at fault move on to some kind of video testing software, 3d mark 05/06 would work for testing your integrated graphics whereas 3d mark '11 is what I'd recommend for testing your dedicated graphics card.

As for warranties, they do not cover accidental/purposeful damage; only manufacturing defects. I would have contacted UPS with your claim as they are at fault... Finally, if you can't get anything through UPS you might be able to get your home owner's insurance (if you have it) to cover your damaged computer.

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effang

August 18, 2012 3:01:11 AM

I am in process of getting them to cover something. But still, looking for answers (can't seem to tell while using the onboard vid card).

Thanks

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s3anister

August 18, 2012 3:05:01 AM

LevelUp_ said:

Which reminds, speaking of Drivers; make sure you have the latest drivers installed fro your video card, uninstall and reinstall them.

This is usually good advice but it's fairly obvious that his problem is with damaged hardware. The SSD wouldn't have been damaged by something as small as a 6' drop if it was in the computer (sounds like it wasn't) since the Operating System wouldn't have been corrupted, it wouldn't be a driver error as his computer was working before the move.

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nikorr

Motherboard Master

August 18, 2012 3:22:12 AM

BTW, any pics?

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raytseng

August 18, 2012 4:13:59 AM

Industry standard shipping practices for computers is to double box it with foam in between the 2 layers.

If you failed to do this, and failed to put fragile stickers on your box, then I believe your claim might be denied for improper packing.
Also if you failed to get insurance to declare a higher value of the package, then I think damages would be limited to like $100 or other small amount.

If you want to pursue damages with UPS go for it, but the above is how I would expect things to go. Even if you did everything right, be prepared for headache of red tape to pursue and fight for your claim.
Similarly going for a warranty claim against the manufacturer due to physical damage I would call fraud, so see how that sits with your conscience.

Your last option is check your credit card with which you bought the product, because you may have a short-term damage protection that is available regardless of who was at fault for the damage to the item

Anyway, I know my post didn't help, but above people already seemed to give the right tips at least from the tech perspective.

Bad luck; hope you get your thing fixed

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