The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Broken USB Port :)

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by sulliboys, Oct 17, 2011.

  1. sulliboys

    sulliboys Guest

    Reputations:
    0
    My baby!
    While inserting a usb mouse today (microsoft comfort 3000), the mouse went about half way into the usb port, and would not go all the way in. I then tried to remove the mouse, and part of the USB port on the laptop came off! Pics Below...
    What should I do..call dell I assume? any experiences of the same sort?
    Also..I cannot put the piece back in..the plastic is clearly snapped off.
     

    Attached Files:

    sulliboys, Oct 17, 2011
    #1
  2. niko2021

    niko2021 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    93
    Messages:
    592
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    31
    At least it wasn't your usb 3.0's :) Hopefully dell can replace the usb port without replacing the mobo, which would be very unlikely if they did.
     
    niko2021, Oct 17, 2011
    #2
  3. sulliboys

    sulliboys Guest

    Reputations:
    0
    So...call/email dell tommorrow?
     
    sulliboys, Oct 17, 2011
    #3
  4. Kynlore

    Kynlore Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    5
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    That's what I'd do.
     
    Kynlore, Oct 17, 2011
    #4
  5. Jovan for PREZ

    Jovan for PREZ Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    211
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I have that mouse! but it comes not wired, it has a keyboard that goes with it and they connect to a USB dongle. Nice mouse though, huh?
     
    Jovan for PREZ, Oct 17, 2011
    #5
  6. Bungletron

    Bungletron Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    15
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    That is not user serviceable, minimum the laptop would have to be taken to bits and the whole port de-soldered from the motherboard and replaced with a new one, they might even replace the entire motherboard. I would not expect the port to fail in this way, so I would hope the warranty would cover this particularly since it was a part of the laptop that broke off in the mouse not the mouse breaking off into the laptop. Shoddy.
     
    Bungletron, Oct 18, 2011
    #6
  7. repoman1980

    repoman1980 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I had the exact same thing happen to me. Using an (original Apple) USB cable, the plastic part in the USB port came out with the cable, when disconnecting.
    Now this was one of the first times I ever used the port. Is such bad durability even possible?

    Dell insists that it happened because of “wrong handling”, and won’t give me the repair I’m entitled to. Did you get it covered?

    The Alienware M14X is a terrible excuse of a laptop.

    This is definitely the last time I buy something from Dell/Alienware.
    Their customer service consisted of a slow email dialog, at times it took several weeks to get a reply, bad english, and little or no will to help. *Frustrated*
     

    Attached Files:

    repoman1980, Dec 6, 2011
    #7
  8. fred2028

    fred2028 Sexy member

    Reputations:
    196
    Messages:
    2,205
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Think the mobo will need to be replaced since USB ports are soldered on to them and doubt a tech will bring a soldering iron and do it inside your house. Should be warranty covered though.

    To be honest I'd rather have a USB 3 port die than the powershare one.
     
    fred2028, Dec 6, 2011
    #8
  9. repoman1980

    repoman1980 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    When I first contacted the support, they wanted to set up a date for a technician to come and replace my motherboard, but then they changed their mind for some reason.
     
    repoman1980, Dec 6, 2011
    #9
  10. mojorific

    mojorific Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    145
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    You must not have known your strength! The one side of the USB cable is completely bent out of shape.

    You should never force cables in hard enough to bend metal. I can see why they won't cover that kind of damage.
     
    mojorific, Dec 8, 2011
    #10