I hate Dells

[DaJe]

At first, my brother just wanted me to format his hard drive. Then he saw an old case I have and wanted me to put his computer into it. I ****ing hate the way Dell makes their computers on the inside. First off, the case has to be opened down the middle, like a book. That wasn't the problem though. Infact, I'll skip all the bitching about how they have all these little green plastic things and all of that, and just get right to my problems. First, I had to remove the motherboard. It had 4 screws holding it down. But why would I be able to use a screwdriver to remove them? That'd just be madness. So I had to go find a ratchet to unscrew them with. But even after that, the motherboard couldn't be removed. After taking out the motherboard tray (with the motherboard still attched), I found that the plastic thing that held down the heatsink was attached to the motherboard with 4 plastic pegs, which went through the motherboard tray as well. So I had to get some needle-nosed cutters to cut the bottoms of those, and then use this tool that I don't even know what it is, to jam them out. So there, finally got the motherboard out. Then to remove the other parts. This involves me pulling on plastic things screwed to the sides of the drives, and then unsrcewing them, then working through the layers of dust and dirt. Now, when I went to put the motherboard into the new case, I found that none of the screw holes lined up with any stand-offs. I eventually found one hole that did line up, and hope that the one hole, combined with all of the PCI cards, would hold it all in place.


So anyways, let's just jump forward a bit here. I eventually got everything into the new case, but ran into my biggest problem. Where am I going to plug the power button into, or anything else on the front panel? The motherboard has no pins at all for these. Instead, the power button is on a small circuit board, which connects to another circuit board with the USB and front audio with a ribbon cable, which then conencts to the motherboard with another cable. The USB board was able to be unscrewed from the old case, but then I was missing the power button. The power button board was beind held on with one screw. Every piece of plastic on the front of the case was able to be pulled off, except for the one covering the power button. So I just drilled through that piece and then stuck a screwdriver through it.


Let's jump ahead a little once again. After I got the power button, and got everything hooked up and working, it wouldn't turn on. I tested every component, unplugged everything except the hard drive, even tried a new hard drive. I even stripped a twist tie and jumped the power supply. The light on the motherboard was on, and the light on the power button would go on, and then go off when I held it. But nothing else would turn on. After many hours of stressful time trying to get it all to work, I keep telling my brother it's the motherboard that's the problem.


I don't want to re-live this, so let's just jump ahead again. In the end, it turns out it was that one screw holding the motherboard that was the problem. Once I removed that, the whole thing worked.




I'm not going to get into the problems about two computers overheating right now, so I'll just explain what I have left to do. Now I have to format that hard drive, and then use my leet modding skills to somehow come up with a way to hold the motherboard on, and then setup the power button in some way. Any ideas from you guys?

[progbuddy]

Who DOESN'T hate Dell?

[BerticusPryme]

DElls do suck man I did tech supprot for them for quite a few years, one of my darker jobs. I would have felt better about my slef if I got paid to beat small children or something. they are hard to transplant into another case but It can be done. I have done it countless times. Put the board where you want it. mark witha sharpy and drill new stand off holes. If all else fails duct tape.

[DaJe]

As long as something isn't metal, it shouldn't interefere with my motherboard, right? therefore I can duct tape it where needed?

[Crimson Sky]

I love my Dell laptop ::shrug::

[BerticusPryme]

It's cheesy but it works find some lexan or plastic of soem type make a backing for the board to sit on and then tape away. it will work. I mean we built a media center pc at work so we could sit around and watch movies and play games and such. it was hidden in cardboard boxes. w00t go duct tape and zip ties.

[Zephik]

I love my Dell laptop ::shrug::

Dell makes some awesome laptops. My best friend as well as my father have Dell laptops and they love them. I would trade in my much more powerful PC for my dads laptop any day, if it was only worth that much to do so that is.

I think where the "I hate dell, let them burn in hell" comes from is Desktop PC's. They are great for your normal person, but for people who like to take things apart they are a nightmare. <-I guess if anyone would know that to be true, it would be me. It's put my project on hold while I debate with myself on whether I want to use these dell parts or lessen my "modifications" so I could buy new parts. What a pain in the arse...

[BerticusPryme]

Snowfire you are correct. If you will look in the pictures works in progress you will see a latitude d600 sitting beside my uber tower. I love the laptops. the desktops and printers are what suck. I was given a dimension 4500. I promptly parted it out for what i needed and then gave the rest away.

[DaJe]

I love my Dell laptop ::shrug::I like Dell laptops.

[Mitternacht]

Dell has the damnest ways to word things.

They call it the XPC 710 H2C with Pateted two-stage passive cooling technology.
I call it: ****ing watercooling.

[Zephik]

I'm not going to get into the problems about two computers overheating right now, so I'll just explain what I have left to do. Now I have to format that hard drive, and then use my leet modding skills to somehow come up with a way to hold the motherboard on, and then setup the power button in some way. Any ideas from you guys?

Try those rubber screw things for fans. Thats what I'm using! It stopped my motherboard from shorting out and it solved the problem of how to mount my motherboard that didn't have any holes that lined up with my case other than the two up top. They kind of act as an insulator, so your motherboard doesn't touch metal and short out.

If that is the problem you are having. Otherwise... Get a new motherboard. They just aren't worth keeping. Even a really cheap one off of newegg would be better.

[DaJe]

I'm going to drill some new holes for stand-offs.

[Zephik]

I'm going to drill some new holes for stand-offs.

Good idea. I should of done that. Or rather, I would of done that if my motherboard tray wasn't built into my case. It unfortunately has built in standoffs so I am unable to drill new holes. But I got it up and working so I could really care less now. All I have to worry about is if I put work into this case, will I regret it later in the future when I want to upgrade something.

About the power switch deal...

Could you show some pictures? I'm having a hard time picturing your situation in my head. With my dell, I have to "hot wire" it every time that I want to turn it on. That is, I cross the two wires and it turns on. lol its pretty ghetto...

[Dem Pyros]

My dell laptop is a piece of crap which has hundreds of problems, the most recent being the dvd drive died.

DIE DELLS DIE!!!

[SgtM]

+rep for not giving up

[Ichbin]

With laptops, its a lil different. Its a lot harder for a person to make their own laptop, so people just goto the companies to buy them. Its easier to deal with.

As for computers..The only reason Ill tell someone to get a dell, is if all theyre doing is checking email and surfing the web. I tell them to get the cheapest package they have. Other then that, Its a waste of money to buy that XPS **** in a box. Just not worth it in a lot of cases to buy full towers from them. Its cheaper to build most of the time (In comparision to parts).

[DaJe]

If I take pictures of the power buton, I'd have to un-hide some of the wires, and I don't feel like doing that right now :p. I will take pictures of the part of the start button that will be hanging out of the front (so it can be turned on), and of the whole computer (including some duct tape), once it's all done. Once it's atleast all complete and working, I can mod it later on and make he start button better and a few other things.

[Drew]

What a nightmare.

A mate of mine just bought a Dell, and I've been trying to get him to see the way of the case modder... perhaps I should try to put him off... he won't appreciate ghetto modding on his nice shiny (like 4 month old) PC.

Even if it is a Dell.

[xRyokenx]

Who doesn't hate them? I had no clue about how they are put together... it's probably for convenience on the factory's behalf, they prolly just clip stuff together, and boom, they're done. I hate Dell's laptops even more than the desktops, they seem to be made awfully, we have three, and they all suck, one is my dad's work, which is okay, the second is my mom's... that thing is possessed, and it didn't run worth a crap, and it doesn't run period because my stupid youngest brother pulled the HDD out while it was running. The final is my other brother's, it's okay, but I still don't like it...

[DaJe]

****


It won't turn on again. Even with the motherboard suspended in air, it won't turn on. The only problem I can see now is the start button. So I'm going to see if I can find a new motherboard, a normal motherboard, with the same processor socket and everything. I don't even know what socket it is though.

[xRyokenx]

Yeah, Dell's awful about stuff like that.

Word(s) of advice though, make sure it has the same slots for the RAM too, etc... they probably have everything for it rigged though... cursed company... but then again, like with almost all problems I've had with PCs, it could be something small and stupid, just like how I have to load up my BIOS and hit F10 every time I boot up or my keyboard doesn't work...

[Omega]

Dude, you're getting a *insert axe hitting face here*

I hate Dells. My school's Robotics team has 3 of them for us to mess around with, but none of them work and I refuse to fix them, despite me being the only person who knows how.

[DaJe]

Turns out the processor wasn't in secure, and I have no idea how that happened. I have an idea for a joke to play on my brother. I sahould find an old crappy hard drive, like a 15gb one or something, and then jsut be walking with it and drop it and have it smash, see what happens to him.

[armadilloben]

rofl open it up before you do it and like snap the platters in half or sumtin then screw it back in and after you drop it be all like oh im sure its fine open it up and the pieces of the platters will be like all over the place, its a garunteed pants ****ter:D

[Mitternacht]

rofl open it up before you do it and like snap the platters in half or sumtin then screw it back in and after you drop it be all like oh im sure its fine open it up and the pieces of the platters will be like all over the place, its a garunteed pants ****ter:D

+rep for ****ING brilliancy!

[DaJe]

Hey now, I spawned the original idea ;)

[progbuddy]

Here's a list of reasons that they suck:

1- overpriced (who the hell would pay 5200 bucks for a watercooled gaming PC?)
2- poor quality
3- annoying commercials (kid on the earlier commercials got arrested on drug charges)
4- customer support
5- their logo is slathered on every inch of the PC.

[DaveW]

I refuse to fix them

I didn't even know this was possible without completely replacing...everything.

Although Dell do great flat panel screens, and pretty good laptops.

-Dave

[simon275]

My dad got a new dell desktop a month ago. And I was like oh no not a dell. But I opened it up and I was surprised it was well layed out with good airflow. It is built normally like any other PC everything screwed in so in the future it could be upgraded. It is a stylish case and the system runs very silent. I don't know what dell is trying to flog to you lot in the northern hemisphere but dell computers seem to be a solid build. While it does have DELL logos splashed all over it. I can get over that and they blend in with the case anyway.

Maybe Dell has picked up its game or this system is a magical special one I don't know but that is my 2cents.

BTW
There Screens and Laptops are very shiny!

[Ticien]

Heres what I think happened. Dell calls Macintosh:

"Hey guys, how come people buy so many macs?"

"Because we make em funny so they cant be upgraded and people need to buy new ones MUAHAHAHA (evil laughter). Also we slap our logo and the letter i on everything so people know they can't get away from us."

Dell: "Hey thats a great idea! Lets make them so confusing people wont be able to upgrade them! Also lets make sure everyone knows they wasted money on a Dell by putting our logo on everything"

And thus Dell starts to form itself into a crappy PC form of Macintosh, and tears the space-time continuum by defeating the legendary upgradability and versatility of the humble IBM compatible PC...the end of the world is nigh! Repent Dell! Repent and be cleansed!

[Airbozo]

Heres what I think happened. Dell calls Macintosh:

"Hey guys, how come people buy so many macs?"

"Because we make em funny so they cant be upgraded and people need to buy new ones MUAHAHAHA (evil laughter). Also we slap our logo and the letter i on everything so people know they can't get away from us."

Dell: "Hey thats a great idea! Lets make them so confusing people wont be able to upgrade them! Also lets make sure everyone knows they wasted money on a Dell by putting our logo on everything"

And thus Dell starts to form itself into a crappy PC form of Macintosh, and tears the space-time continuum by defeating the legendary upgradability and versatility of the humble IBM compatible PC...the end of the world is nigh! Repent Dell! Repent and be cleansed!

This idea was originally pioneered by Compaq. Back in the day even the floppy drive HAD to come from Compaq or it would not even fit, let alone work. The floppy had some chip on it that allowed the bios to recognize it as a Compaq original equipment. AND it cost $135! For a FLOPPY DRIVE! (at the time other floppies were selling for $50 at most!) No wonder Compaq is now part of HP...

EDIT: Oh and although I am not a real fan of Dell's, if anyone asks me what laptop they should buy I always refer them to dell. As far a warranty and service go, it is hard to beat their service and support. One of our customers buys many of the Precision 690's from us and I am very impressed with the layout and design of those systems. I will post some pictures later of the processor and memory layout (quad channel, up to 64 gb memory!)

[AJ@PR]

Who DOESN'T hate Dell?
1. Michael Dell
2. Shareholders
3. Satan

[d_stilgar]

Who DOESN'T hate Dell?

I don't hate Dell. Their computers do suck for modding, but they aren't all bad. They have very good customer support and a nice leasing program for companies so they can always have up to date machines.