Pete said:
Hi,
Anyone know what is up with Trigem and the Kloss? The KlossPC site is
down and Trigem's site is just total rubbish.
I've got a KL-I915a coming and in some ways am a little bewildered to
find support for the Kloss is no where to be seen.
About the only stuff I can find on the web are reviews.
Anyone know of any user or support forums \ groups for the Kloss?
Cheers
Pete
What remains of Klosspc can be seen here.
http://web.archive.org/web/20040622123325/www.klosspc.com/inside/kli915a_02.asp
http://web.archive.org/web/20041112014412/http://www.klosspc.com/contact/contact.asp
Hmmm... Maybe Trigem and Klosspc are one in the same ? Trigem appears
to be an ODM/OEM doing both motherboards for the likes of HP, and
also making laptops. If the Klosspc email address doesn't work,
(c o n t a c t [at] k l o s s p c . c o m) then perhaps Trigem themselves
will respond to your inquiries ?
These are a few things I look for before buying:
1) Is there a downloadable manual for the product ?
2) Is there a web site with BIOS upgrades ? How frequently does the
company issue upgrades ? (Hint: Look at one of their older
products, and see when the support stopped).
3) Are there tech support web pages, that list all the exact models
of processors that are supported by the BIOS and by the
circuits on the motherboard ? Do they have a FAQ page detailing
any quirks the product has ?
If your new purchase uses one of those "generic" BIOS, chances
are there will be next to no adjustments in the BIOS. If you are
having trouble making a system stable, having more adjustments in
the BIOS might mean the difference between success and failure.
Thus, the section of the downloadable user manual that details
the BIOS interface, hints at whether the product is suitable
for a home builder or not.
I would be looking at your retailer's returns policy at this point,
to see whether it is worthwhile opening the shipping carton
when it arrives... I hope you got a good deal on that thing.
An ODM/OEM will not provide support for an end user, and that
is precisely the reason Trigem created the Klosspc business unit.
It makes an easy way to avoid doing support.
I've been caught once like this, when I purchased a $1500 gray market
peripheral, without knowing it was gray market. The bundled software
did not include an English version, the equipment maker's Canadian
office chided me for buying the thing from the USA (I was treated
like I had leprosy), the vendor wouldn't help, even when threatened
with credit card action (and wouldn't even admit it was not a normal
North American model), and the bundled software maker, when I
contacted them, seemed to be only too aware of what was happening.
I ask a lot more questions about the products I buy now.
Paul
))