New XPS 17 fan screeching/shutting down

Hello everyone,

New guy here. I ran a search, but was unable to find what I was looking for. My apologies in advance if its right under my nose.

I ordered a Dell XPS 17 recently. It arrived last Wednesday (7-31-11). I have been using it a lot since (2012 releases of Revit Architecture, Inventor Professional, and AutoCAD).

Earlier this evening while I using it, the fan started making a loud screeching noise and the whole left side of the laptop case started getting hot (a lot hotter than it should). The fan sounded like it was turning slower and slower until the computer just shut off.

If I let it cool off a long time..it will boot back up normally again.

After maybe an hour of use..the fan starts screeching again. I shut it down this time.

Since this is a new laptop and under warranty, what advice would you offer?

I have never dealt with any warranty work before.

I can get the specs off the paperwork if you need that information.

Thank you,
Brian

 

Hello Brian,

Since this is a new laptop, it should be covered under the warranty.. what warranty did the laptop come with? did you buy premium warranties?

it seems your issue is with the fan and since the laptop shuts down then it is a heating issue ( most likely), you will need to call Dell and ask them to send a tech to fix it, they might tell you that you need to send it to the service depot ( if you have the regular warranty) but try to tell them that they should support the laptop for at least 60 days and that is what you have been told so they will send you a tech to fix it or they will send you a replacement..

 

Thank you.

I did not purchase any special warranties.

My paperwork says:

1 yr Ltd. Hardware Warranty, InHome service after Remote Diagnosis.

I assume that means they will send someone to replace the fan. I really do need this for work.

Up until the screeching noise...I love this new one.

 

The issue with the limited warranty is they ask you to mail the laptop to the depot, thats why you should try to tell them that when you bought the laptop, you have been told that there is premium support for new systems up to 60 days.. means they will send someone to fix it.. try to push them so they can do it.. I suggest you call today.. there should be an XPS phone number 24/7 , so if you call today then they will try to ship the parts to the tech tomorrow and by Monday/Tuesday you should get it fixed.. I hope they will give you premium support since it didn't past 60 days..

 

Hmm....herein lies a special problem. I am deaf. I cannot call them.

If it has to be done by phone, I will have to get someone tomorrow to call for me.

I am on my dads HP pc or the laptop would have already shut itself down.

 

Oh wait, I saw in-home service after remote diagnos.. I believe they will send a tech since you have the in home service, sorry I missed that..they should have a TTY phone but I think it doesn't work 24/7 , are you in Canada or USA?

Edit: if you can get a hold of them tomorrow morning then I think they will ship it the same day too.. ask them to expedite the shipment.

 

Oh...that would be awesome. Do you think there is a way to contact them online tonight to achieve the same effect?

 

I thought about that but the online technical support work from 8am till 5pm ( in Canada) and I think in USA it is the same, I am getting my laptop fan replaced tomorrow since it makes alot of noise.. I placed a call few days ago

 

Ohhh...ok. I will look for that tomorrow during the day.

Thank you so much for your assistance. I was very stressed earlier over the laptop (and not being able to get my work done). At least it sounds like I may get the laptop fixed.

 

They better fix it lol the worst case will be by sending the laptop to the depot but I think you won't since you have in-home service.. and also the laptop is under 60 days.. so basically they provide premium support for 60 days.. but it will be fixed..

 

Not that it matters for this issue, but....

Dell: XPS 17
Genuine Windows® Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.30 GHz
8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
KBacklit Keyboard - English
LCD 17.3" FHD (1080p) with 2.0MP HD Webcam
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M 3GB graphics with Optimus and TV Tuner
‎1.0TB 500GB 7.2k HDD x 2
Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
Wireless Plus Bluetooth Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000
Battery 90 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery


I love the laptop..well until the screeching (hahaha). Its so much faster than the PCs they have in the labs at work.

 

I have the same setup except it is an XPS 15 , GT 540 and the wireless is 6230 ( sux big time lol) , so basically you added all the upgrades.. one way to know what warranty you have exactly is by going to Dell.com and register an account then add your service tag ( the service tag is at the bottom of your laptop) and go to warranties then it will show you what warranty you have..

 

The larger screen. good resolution, and graphics cards are just things I always try to get with the software I use. I don't play games, but the minimum requirements are pretty stiff and we upgrade every year....so the requirements climb pretty fast. I try to "over order" so I can use them a few years before replacement.

I will go look for the tag. Dell is new to me.

 

This is what it shows me:

Description Provider Start Date End Date Days Left
Next Business Day Support TWG 9/1/2011 9/1/2012 360
XPS Technical Support DELL 9/1/2011 9/1/2012 360

Hmmm...that was all spaced correctly until I posted...LOL

 

They will send a tech to you to replace whatever they deem needs replacing (I'd say a new heatsink and fan probably, sounds like a bad fan to me). No service depots involved.

Nice config, I have nearly the same one and also do a fair bit of CAD work on mine (Pro E and sometimes Solidworks-if I can get the Home-Use license working again ). It's a great system, and if you get into gaming, does a solid job at that as well. While actually being portable, it weighs nearly the same as the 14" Inspiron 1150 it replaced!

 

Thank you sir. I have to take my mom in for her hyperbaric treatment in a little bit, but I will try to contact them when I get home.

I have not worked with Pro E, but I do use Solidworks and solidedge occasionally. They are almost identical to the Inventor pro software I use.

I know..its heavy. Basically a desktop replacement. So is the Gateway I am passing along to my brother now. After nearly 5 years of hard use..there is nothing wrong with it. It just not powerful enough for today's software.

 

Ok...Dad just got off the phone with tech support for the XPS.

It took a while to get to the right person (transfer, transfer, transfer), but once he did they were very nice. Very helpful. They gave us no issues about it what so ever. In fact the tech and his manager both kept apologizing since the computer is only a week old.

The online diagnostics (at idle) are obviously not going to see the issue (duh! )

They are going to have a local tech call mom Tuesday and set up an appointment to fix it.

I will update this after the repair.

Thank you so much gentlemen.

 

Great news! good luck man!

 

Good to hear your getting somewhere and i was going to say you can email them aswell, they normally reply within 24 hours.

 

Im not a happy camper.

Whoever is supposed to be local support never bothered to even call yesterday.

I could not get my dad to call Dell back last night. I am trying to get him to tonight.

This may not be Dell's fault about whoever is local...but they need to light a fire under their rear end.

I need this thing for work. Its keeping me from doing my job and its hurting my students.

 

Actually I was saying it is light for a 17"! I don't mind the weight at all when I have to carry it around, since I was used to carrying the same weight in a much smaller package before.

Hopefully the local person gets back to you, once in a while the techs are just lazy and don't follow through promptly. Complain to Dell about it, likely that tech will get some flak from Dell for it.

 

Oh....sorry I mistook what you were saying. It is a lot heavier than the 17" gateway it is replacing of mine. I have not actually weighed them..but....

I hope so. I know people are busy. I know things happen, but he should have at least taken a few minutes to call at least.

I would be in so much trouble if I neglected to reply to a student or one of my bosses!

 

I have not had a lot of experience with Dell's on site techs, but more that I would like. I my experience, they generally send out parts replacers, i.e., they don't have the tech try to diagnose the situation. Instead, whoever you call or chat with does the diag, then they dispatch the part to the local tech, who then calls and schedules an appt to replace the part. When they dispatch the part, you get a dispatch notice via email similar to this, but formatted in HTML which doesn't want to paste in here:




Service Request: Part Dispatch

Dear [your name they have on file],

Your request for repair has been processed for your replacement part(s). Please do not respond to this email.

Current Status

Please review your service call information below and keep this email to reference your information. If you need to make any changes to the service order/dispatch contact information, please visit our Support Center or Click Here to chat with a live support representative.
You may also check for updates via our Online Status page.

What's Next?

You will receive an email notifying you when your replacement part(s) has been shipped.


The local tech won't call you until they receive the part, or at least receive notification that they will get the part later that day.

Is it possible they sent you an email like this, maybe to a different address than the one you use for day to day stuff?

Again, just my experience, don't claim to know how they handle every situation.

I would start a chat, tell them what you were promised, and ask for a status report.

Also, I always use chat, even if I have to wait a while for the chat hours to begin. I recently had to use a chat log to prove that I got specific intruction from a Dell rep in a chat session. That's a story for a different time.

 

When I left for work yesterday, no E-mail had been sent to me.

The local tech contacted dad (since dad can hear on phones they had his number) yesterday evening while I was gone.

He had been overnighted the parts from Dell.

Dad text me at work and asked where the laptop was. Fortunately, I had left it at my home, so dad was able to get it. I work 50 miles away from here at night.

Apparently (just what I got from the text message) the tech came around 7:00 PM our time and took the computer completely apart. He replaced the fan and heat sink.

I honestly don't know if the delay was the Techs fault or a delay of Dell to get the parts shipped out. It does not really matter at this point. I have my new laptop working again.

Overall not a bad experience with Dell and sometimes things have issues. It happens with anything. The original lady we spoke to when ordering (Sonia Gupta in india) spoke wonderful english and knew computers. The tech help person we spoke to was very helpful.


I will start putting the laptop through its paced this evening and see how it goes.


Thank you so much everyone. I truly appreciate all the help, suggestions, and the experiences you have shared.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/617910-xps-fan-issue-solved.html