So, I just called dell for a replacement

It went pretty well, I told them I wanted a replacement because I had my motherboard switched out for the a04 revision and the motherboard was actually refurbished and that I thought this was unfair since I paid so much money for the laptop and expected a new part.
They told me that it was in their policy that I could get a refurbished thing but then he said he would check...and what do you know, he said that I wasn't supposed to get a refurbished part since I've had my laptop for less than 21 days....
I also told him that the express slot got screwed up after the motherboard was switched (theres a piece of metal inside of it that is bent upwards for some reason, makes it difficult to put the remote in)

So he started filling out the stuff for a replacement without asking anymore questions
Then he told me about how dell custom builds computers so it'll probably take anywhere between 5-20 days for the replacement to arrive.
This dell rep was great, he had a sense of humor he said something like"It might take 20 days but that shouldn't be a problem since you're not dying in pain or anything"

haha, First time I've heard a rep joke around =P

He also mentioned something about a "keep your harddrive" thing, I didn't really understand it...can anyone explain it?

But he did tell me that I coudl just swap out the harddrives so that I don't have to reinstall everything/etc. WHAT A RELIEF. Or else I would've had to spend hours doing all that again.
[Edit: Actually, can anyone confirm this? I doubt it's that simple.....someone on the forum said that windows creates an unique ID for each part and that switching the drive would require a format..D:]

So yeah, what is the "keep your harddrive" thing?
Is it where I get to "keep"my harddrive by swapping it out, or do I actually get to keep both harddrives..?

 

Thats great to hear that.

I have been trying to call XPS premium support for the pass 3 days, the thing pisses me off is that no one ever picks up my call. waited for 30mins++.
All i want is just to arrange a replacement for my m1330, sigh...

 

Really?
Are you using this number? 1-800-232-8544

And do u have your express service code? I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes before someone connected...

 

usually the most is 3-5 min

 

as of the keep your hard drive deal it allows u to keep the hard drive so u can retain yur personal data

 

But I can't swap it onto the new comp, h3rman told me that theres the whole vista and its IDing the hardware thing..
D:
So what's the point of keeping the hard drive? I'm really confused, sorry guys

 

so that u keep all your data

 

yup, you will still have your data, but its pretty useless if you cant access it!

Best bet is to backup all important data to an external HDD, then start from scratch with the new lappy, and dont bother swapping hard drives, etc!

 

Ok then, so basically, I'll just have an extra hard drive...
just sitting there...=P

XD

 

I am in the UK. The number is 08703664180.
I dont think Dell UK has express service, they always transfer me around, and pushing thier responsibility around, in the end i will reach back to XPS line and wait for 30mins listening to music

 

No, you'll be able to switch them without issues. I received multiple replacements, each time switching the hard drive in, no issues here. Granted, I reformat anyway, just for the hell of it being a new machine, but that's only if you want.

I know that the WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) system puts an ID on the hardware profile of your system, but it'll only reject your Windows installation upon a large hardware change. Which means taking one hard drive and replacing it with an identical model hard drive will not do anything.

I had my mobo replaced for the A04 switch, and the Windows installation is fine.

 

i never heard of this ID rule
im pretty sure you can swap out harddrives with no problem

 

Windows does do it, but only very large hardware changes would give you that issue.

 

Oh good! That's good news.
I guess the dell rep was right!

 

Oh...
That would make sense, the lack of express service, since I remember when my dad called dell customer service about his inspiron, they kept transfering him from one person to the next...D:

since xps express service is actually really nice
you could try xps chatting with them or emailing them