Sending my laptop in for servicing/parts replacement...

I'm 99.99% certain my laptop has bad RAM and/or bad motherboard.

It's on warranty and I was going to send it in for fixing, but I'm wondering what the risk is that the technicians (or whoever comes into contact with my computer) will access my personal information, or my hard drive in general. I have a lot of personal stuff on it that I just don't want touched.

What is the risk? Like, what is the normal procedure when you send a laptop in for repairs?

 

If you are sending it in, just tell them you are taking the HD out before you send it in.

Also what you could do, is run Memtest86+. If it is your memory that is bad, I would try to convince dell just to send you new memory (as it is a User Replaceable Part), and you send them the old stuff when you get it.

Which laptop do you have, and what problems are you having with it? Maybe we can help?

 

I'll second that one. There is NO reason for sending the unit to the depot for repair as long as its under warranty.

 

Expect for that he is in Canada, and I don't THINK that they get the same type of warranty on the XPS that we do (like in home, next-day service). I could be wrong.

Canada is Below me.

No really it is, I am in Alaska.

 

What seems to be the issue? Usually they ask you to remove the hard drive and the battery, because most of the times the battery gets lost and the HDD information is lost also, they format the drives, so i advise you to remove the HDD.

 

The problem is... I have no clue! It's very complex, I don't even know where to start explaining it.

Summary:

- random BSODs for months
- RARs/CABs (and other archive files) fail to extract at random (a given file will be 'corrupt' one moment, then fine the next)
- Prime95 errors within minutes

If you want to know the full story, check out my other posts:

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3623129&SiteID=17 (Null Identity)

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=647582 (Turbonium)

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=649378 (Turbonium)

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=32&threadid=2207730&STARTPAGE=1 (databird)

At this stage, I think it's a motherboard/chipset issue. HDD tests come out fine, as do memory (save that within Windows one, which I don't really trust). I did a quicktest diagnostic using Dell's utility and that game out fine as well.

I'm baffled.

 

when you send your notebook in, they include a note of what to include. I have sent my notebook in a couple of times and they tell you to take out the hard drive and the battery which you keep. They just want the notebook, without the listed, and the ac adapter.

 

Be wary of sending it in O_O First time it happened to me but I sent it back and they replaced the motherboard and things got a lot worst than they were before =.=; I have to send it in yet again

 

I sent my notebook in and got scratched up =\ and was poorly packaged when it came back.

 

Doing that as well...was running like a top for 5 mos. but every so often I would hear a beep..LOL!!! thank god the CPU failed now!!!...hears to all of us getting our babies back in one piece!!! but I had to get a PS3 to tide me over while I am waiting....and streaming etc is great with that as well...cheers peeps!!!

 

Yes, there is a a chance of that happening. And I second taking out the HD and the battery. I even took out the optical drive on my 8600 when it had to go in for a motherboard replacement. Funny thing, I gave them a 1.6 Ghz centrino (p4 mobile) and got back a 1.8 chip! Imagine my delight...

 

My first M1530 was perfectly packaged and everything but the notebook itself... ram cover wasn't sealed properly, the screws werent screwed on properly, huge bump on keyboard, cd/dvd slot drive louder than normal, notebook not level on a flat surface.....

Its possible. Probably because their QA having to rush due to the magnitude of popularity of the M1530.

Make no mistake, all previous laptops I've ordered from Dell are in perfect condition upon arrival the first time with no scratches and problems.