My R3 is DEAD :((( some questions

So my R3 won't power up anymore with battery in or out.
The blue ring on the PSU turns off when I plug it in. I have read that this means a major problem: fried Mobo, GPU etc.

I have called Dell and will have to send it to them for repairs because they cant Diagnose the problem over the phone.

This will be my first time sending anything into DELL for repairs.
I am super anxious about the whole thing as this is my first gaming rig and first time having to deal with a situation like this.

Questions:

1) In what scenarios would they have to do a clean install of windows??
I'm afraid of loosing all my data and game installs etc.

2) If they do have to reinstall windows would they back up the HDD's, take an image etc?

3) Has anyone had experience with loss of data when sending their rig in for repairs?

4) I would like to upgrade to the 680m and the 3DV2 screen but I don't think this is possible. In what scenarios would they offer a new R4 as a replacement??

A few words from fellow forum members would go a long way in calming my nerves down about the situation.

Thank you.

 

Do you know anyone with an external HDD caddy? they can backup all your data before you ship your machine

 

Caddy?
I was thinking of taking it to a local shop and having them back it up for me. I wouldn't feel comfortable opening the laptop up and removing hdd etc.

 

Yeah I have a caddy for 2.5 and 3.5 HDD, its really quite easy but staples or your local stop can backup your date for big bucks

 

It's a pretty standard procedure to get the HDD out of the computer. Just unscrew the back, unscrew the caddy from the laptop itself, unscrew the HDD from the caddy, and remove it.

Dell won't replace the HDD unless it's dead if it's under warranty, so I would tend to think that you should be safe in that department. Just specify to them that you don't want anything touched on the hard drive, assuming the issues are with other components. Just tell them if it's dead, replace it, and if not, don't touch it

 

Thanks guys,
But honestly I'm in the medical field and can fix many things but messing with a $3500 laptop for the first time ever is not a good idea to me. It might be simple to u but this would be the first time for me lol

My local tech guy said it would be around $40 to back it up for me.

I have told the techs at dell about not touching the hdd if it's not the problem. I just wanted to hedge my bet by backing up B4 I send I out.

What do u guys think about scenarios where they would replace it with R4?
The new 680m and 3DV 2 would be a sweet upgrade. It's sounding like the 680m in the R3 3d would need a bios from dell.

 

Seeing as it's under warranty, if you complain enough about your 'new' system being dysfunctional (you want to emphasize brand new) you can probably get them to upgrade it for you. As much as I hate having to be so aggressive with the reps on the phone about issues like this, it's often the only way to get anything to happen besides them just fixing your current system.

I speak from experience. My first R2 BSOD basically from the first boot up, and I wasn't about to deal with issues on my brand new $3500 dollar laptop. After the phone reps at Dell gave me the painful run around for hours, even going as far as begging me to open the back of my computer up, I refused and they basically gave in. I sent the thing back for a full refund and got a new one in a week or two.

So, you can either let them do what they will, or make complaints and get what you really want, and in my opinion deserve at this high of a price point

 

Can you try something? Plug the A/C adapter into your laptop first, then plug it into the wall. I had the same issue and whenever I plugged the adapter into the laptop (when it was plugged into the wall already), the little light would go off and not charge my laptop. I found out by plugging it into the laptop FIRST, then into the wall made it work. It would still need to be replaced but its a temporary fix possibly.

 

They are sending me the box to send the system back to them for repairs under warranty.

I asked about the 680m and at first the tech said it was compatible (costing a whopping $1100) that's more then the dual gpu desktop 690. But after the confusing conversation with the tech who had a heavy accent, she said the 680m was NOT compatible with the R3.

I tried plugging in the adapter to the laptop first then to the wall but sadly it didnt work. I wish it would have been that easy.