DELL sending me a new computer!

XPS m1330 started to show green bars on the screen. I wasn't sure if it was the motherboard, because, if you were to just touch the bezel -next to the DELL logo- the bars would disappear. Furthermore, when I connected an external monitor, the bars were only on the screen and not on the external monitor. All of this indicated to me that the problem was the LCD, screen cable connection, etc.

When I called DELL with this, they sent a new LCD AND a motherboard "just in case". Unfortunately, the screen was wrong (non-LED), so both the screen and the motherboard went back.

Today, the technician came again with the right LCD and replaced the screen. Unfortunately same bars were still there on the screen after the replacement.

Then, he called DELL and said that the computer needs a new motherboard. To my surprise, the guy on the other end said that the motherboard was already replaced on this computer -along with the LCD screen-, despite the fact that I told him what happened and the box of the motherboard was not even opened and sent back the last time together with the wrong LCD. He said that they cant just keep sending parts after parts (even if they were not installed on the computer, I guess)?!?!?

At this point, they were going to "depot" it, so that more experienced techs could look at it. I just told them that I paid for a next day at home service and cant do without the computer for 1-2 weeks. The alternative? They'll send me a new computer (exactly the same or better). Since I can still use the current one, I just said "sure"...

I still dont know whether the problem is coming from the GPU. Wouldn't that make the lines appear on both the LCD and the external monitor? Why would lightly pressing the bezel make the bars disappear if the GPU is defective. After the technician left I connected an external monitor, and the bars were still only on the LCD screen, but not on the external display.

All and all, I am happy with the outcome, but I dont think the replacement was necessary actually.

What do you think?

 

New? more like refurbished.the fact that they're refurbed makes me hug my new one and obsess over keeping it safe

 

I agree that in "most" cases, the replacements are refurbs. However, in this particular case, it will be a new computer. When the technician called back DELL and I was offered a replacement earlier today, I told them that the only way I would agree is if the replacement was brand new and NOT refurbished. I was assured that it will be a brand new one.

After your reply, I actually called the XPS Tech Support and spoke to a supervisor. Again, he confirmed that this was setup as a NEW replacement and will be built from scratch with the same -or better- configuration compared to the old one. He did mention that the "new system replacements" are done as a case by case basis.

They'll send me an order number once it is available, so that I can check the progress online.

 

Lucky you!!! Bask in happiness

 

I will, as soon as I see the order number and the specs. I hope they'll "upgrade" some of the components (e.g., processor, hard drive, etc). We'll see...

 

I got a new replacement for my broken referb.

 

ANd I got a new replacement..

 

Darn it... Seems like my replacement will be delayed since it comes with an nVidia card. If you configure an m1330 now and pick nVidia, it says that it will delay shipment (+5 days I think).

 

Just few questions for people who went through few "replacements"...

1. Would you replace the hard drive with the old one (assuming that the replacement has the same size/type) and just continue the way before? Alternatively, should I just go ahead and "clone" the drive using Acronis or Ghost and start using the new one, well, since it is new

2. Any other components that I should "keep" from the old one?

3. How do they handle the batteries? In my original configuration, I had a 6-cell and a 9-cell. Are they going to send me two new batteries and asked me to send the old ones back?

4. How about the accessories? I am definitely not sending my Creative earbuds back, since the new computers dont come with those any more.

Thanks for your time in advance. All my years of owning multiple DELL desktops and laptops, this is the first "new replacement" procedure I am going to do...

 

While I was waiting for some tips from the NBR guru re replacement, I received a phone call from DELL informing that the order for the new computer is placed and has an October 6th estimated ship date.

Comparing two orders side by side, they are identical. The only thing they didn't ship is the "additional" 9-cell battery. To my surprise, the new order includes earbuds, carrying case, etc.

I am just hoping that the new computer will be problem free out of the box and -most importantly- doesn't have a CMO screen!

 

Ive had many replacements going back to the M1210 and now the M1330 and they have ALWAYS been brand new without question. Anyone gettin refurbs are being hard done by!!

Dell are great when it comes to XPS replacements IMHO

 

Athough this is an identical computer compared to the one it's going to replace, I find myself checking the order status page every hour to see if it's shipped or not... It guess I'm excited about getting a new m1330 after all -even though I've been using one for the last 9 months

 

hee!hee! I remember those times on continuous checking the status!
It's great your excited, and you should be!

Now, wait to instead of checking the order status every *hour* its every *half-hour*



Cin

 

I received the new m1330 today! It came a day earlier than the estimated shipping date. It is brand new, as promised

First thing I checked was the LED. Happy to report that the computer came with a Toshiba LED screen (the hardware ID shows LCD2306). I haven't had a chance to compare it side by side to the Samsung screen, but it looks 1000x better than CMO (we have two m1330s, one with Samsung, one with CMO).

I'll test it for 3-5 days before sending the old one back. Any suggestions on what to check specifically?

Thanks!

 

gotta agree, i originally bought a Refurb of dell, and after havin a few problems they agreeed to change it for a brand new onw.

 

Well... Good news and bad news.

Good news: The Toshiba screen is beautiful. Even though it is not as bright as the Samsung, the colors are very warm and it doesn't show any grainy white patches. The new computer sits perfect on flat surfaces (mine didn't) and neither bezel nor the keyboard has any bulging.

Now the bad news... I was planning to just swap hard drives, but when removing the screws, one of them was incredibly tight, and I managed to strip it. I've tried few things to remove it, but nothing worked. I am going to install all the programs and transfer my data from the old hard drive (I was able to remove the old one and connect it as an external hard drive). As long as the HD doesn't fail, I should be OK. If it does before the warranty is over (January 2011), then I have to find a way to explain what happened to DELL If you have any suggestions regarding removing stripped screws, please let me know.

 

I would phone up Dell and ask them if they have any suggestions. They might just be nice and send a tech to fix it. Yes, you stripped the screw but a Dell employee got in on so tight that you managed to strip it. At any rate, I don't think it could hurt. Mercifully you should be able to send back the old machine with it's drive blank, you having already transferred you data (I am assuming you are doing that asap). The only other suggestion I have is to talk to a computer repair shop. The ones I know have a drill that could be used to cut the screw in half. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the reply and the suggestions yasdaz.

This evening, I found a small drill (very similar to what dentists use, but less powerful) from one of our neighboring labs. It took about 45 minutes, but I was able to make new groves (+ shape) on the stripped screw head. Using a big flat-head driver I managed to take the screw out. Needless to say, I am happy that I didn't have to call DELL with this

I swapped the hard drives and testing the system for 3-4 days before I pack everything and send the old one back to DELL.

Thanks again!

 

I was contemplating between keeping the new Seagate or my old WD hard drive (both 250 GB and 8 MB buffer). In order to test the Seagate, I decided to clone my current C drive to it. I connected the Seagate HD as an external drive to my m1330 and used Acronis disk director to clone the partition. About 19% into it, Seagate had this weird, scream like noise and just died!!! I guess I now know which drive to keep

There is a slight imperfection over the touchpad on the palm rest, but I dont want to go through another set of phone calls, service, replacement, etc at this point. Besides, this is my wife's computer and she doesn't even realize those things

Long story short, this emphasizes testing all components thoroughly when a replacement is received. I already saw another thread where two m1530s are going through same type of testing.

 

That was a cool solution to a stripped screw; I will have to keep that in mind if I am ever dealing with such a situation. Happy to help