# I hate Dell



## RitsukaAo (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm sure that's not blasphemous since their quality as a company has gone to shit but, I was gifted this computer by my husband to use at school so it wasn't my first choice. Anyway, it's a year (almost exactly a year) old M511R Inspiron laptop. I've already had to use my warranty three times. Once when my computer was constantly freezing or locking up (couldn't actually use the warranty since they claimed it was a "software" issue but I did use the hotline) and the second was when my hard-drive started failing (SMART checks were failing left and right, even the computer was telling me to fix it) then the third time was an unknown issue when the computer refused to boot.

So, the third time is where I'm having issues. I was getting a "PXE-E61:Media test failure, check cable" and my computer was refusing to boot beyond that point. I figured they could check it before my warranty expires at the end of this month so I don't have to pay for repairs. They accepted it and concede to repairing my computer, however, when it was returned they checked "others" for my repairs with no explanation. It was repaired since it now boots fine and my hard-drive was wiped but I don't know what the hell the could have repaired since they didn't clarify. I called them and tried to online chat with them but they won't tell me what they did because "they don't deal with repairs". *facepalm*

The biggest concern I have is my computer doesn't "feel" the same. My keyboard keys are firm, the crack on the side is gone with no signs of it being mended, and the track pad is missing the scratch from before. Hell even the case that holds the monitor looks repaired. (It had popped out of place but I hadn't fixed it since I was terrified glue would leak in.) They even gave me a new charger.

I'm actually worried all they did was replace the case and fiddle with a couple things so it'll only last until my warranty expires. So, my question is, what could they have done to "fix" my computer? (Besides the above mentioned.)


----------



## Saiko (Jan 5, 2013)

From what I can see, that error message results from a problem with the HDD. It can simply be it booting in the wrong order, a wrong BIOS setting, a loose connection, or as far as a failed disk.


----------



## RitsukaAo (Jan 5, 2013)

Well, I know it wasn't booting in the wrong order. I got it to the boot menu a few times to check on the order and it was fine. Network was the last to boot and HDD was first. It would ALWAYS detect the hard-drive. I think the BIOS were set right but I didn't check it since I was so damn frustrated with it. Loose-connection or failed disk? What does that entail?

(I'm not the best with hardware but nothing in my computer's manual or on the "amazing" internet said the last two could be a problem, though it's possible.)


----------



## Saiko (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm not particularly experienced with hardware either, honestly; but what I was referring to was your HDD physically being loose due to screws or something and it being broken / requiring replacement. It seems to me that there is a rather large number of causes for that error, some more directly to do with the hardware from others.

Seeing as you haven't said anything about missing data, I guess it's the same HDD; and it detecting the drive tells me the connection was fine. My best guess is that they fixed the BIOS and refurbished a few other parts. From what I know, it's possible they may have even put your HDD in an identical machine.


----------



## RitsukaAo (Jan 5, 2013)

Well, my hard drive is completely wiped and I'm having to install all my stuff again. (sigh) I don't know, the BIOS issue sounds likely but I don't know if them fixing it would be under warranty so maybe it was loose. Idk. With all the repairs to the case of my computer itself, I was suspicious that they gave me a fresh computer until I noticed the repaired plastic around my monitor. It baffles me but I guess it's better than them sending it back with condolences because they couldn't/wouldn't fix it.


----------



## AshleyAshes (Jan 5, 2013)

Wait, so it was beat to hell, they fixed it all up and you're COMPLAINING?   And it's working just fine since you got it back?

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. :X


----------



## Arshes Nei (Jan 5, 2013)

RitsukaAo said:


> I'm sure that's not blasphemous since their quality as a company has gone to shit but, I was gifted this computer by my husband to use at school so it wasn't my first choice. Anyway, it's a year (almost exactly a year) old M511R Inspiron laptop. I've already had to use my warranty three times. Once when my computer was constantly freezing or locking up (couldn't actually use the warranty since they claimed it was a "software" issue but I did use the hotline) and the second was when my hard-drive started failing (SMART checks were failing left and right, even the computer was telling me to fix it) then the third time was an unknown issue when the computer refused to boot.
> 
> So, the third time is where I'm having issues.* I was getting a "PXE-E61:Media test failure, check cable" *and my computer was refusing to boot beyond that point. I figured they could check it before my warranty expires at the end of this month so I don't have to pay for repairs. They accepted it and concede to repairing my computer, however, when it was returned they checked "others" for my repairs with no explanation. It was repaired since it now boots fine and my* hard-drive was wiped* but I don't know what the hell the could have repaired since they didn't clarify. I called them and tried to online chat with them but they won't tell me what they did because "they don't deal with repairs". *facepalm*
> 
> ...





Your Hard drive wasn't wiped. *It was DEAD.* That's what that PXE error is. They replaced the damn hard drive. Yet you complain.
I mean I'm quite sure you could go to a data recovery service in the future and pay minimum $1500 

Unless you can prove with a serial otherwise. 

ITT Computer conspiracy craziness because people don't know much about their computers.


----------



## Saga (Jan 5, 2013)

So... what was the issue here?
You sent you computer of for a repair, and they replaced the whole thing. PXE error=crippled hard drive anyways, so you would have lost all your data either way.


----------



## Saiko (Jan 5, 2013)

RitsukaAo said:


> my hard-drive was wiped


Ack, I missed this line.

Yeah, Arshes is right. Your HDD broke, and they replaced it. Additionally they repaired other components. I'd say that's actually going a bit above and beyond - fixing the problem and then fixing inconveniences.

If your PC breaks again, I doubt it'll be related to this repair.


----------



## thoron (Jan 5, 2013)

I think one thing that would put peoples minds at ease  would be if when they ship it back there would be a list of the problems found and what was done to fix them. I know I would be wondering too if I shipped out my computer and it came back looking like it had never been used.


----------



## RitsukaAo (Jan 5, 2013)

thoron said:


> I think one thing that would put peoples minds at ease  would be if when they ship it back would be a list of the problems found and what was done to fix them. I know I would be wondering too if I shipped out my computer and it came back looking like it had never been used.


That's really the issue. I want to know what was replaced because then I have an idea of what is newer or older in my machine. If it breaks again then I might be able to determine that the older parts are the issue. (Though it's possible brand new part could break.) It would concern me that my computer doesn't even look like my computer and "tech support" won't clarify what was replaced. It might even be a brand new/refurbished unit that they slapped a sticker on then sent it to me.

Hell, even the piece of paper has options to "check" for replacing keyboards, trackpads, chargers, and all the other stuff that looks fixed but they didn't check it. I know it's not a big deal but Dell has a track record of being weird with these things.


----------



## RitsukaAo (Jan 10, 2013)

*UPDATE*

Oh, glory! Dell NEVER fails to disappoint. My hard drive is once again toast! Won't boot and the error code is pretty mocking me with that fact. Less than a week after getting a certified, "we checked your system and it's A+ okay" paper, my computer has bricked. Thank you Dell for being a wonderful poster child on how NOT to build computers.

I also noticed the comments about the lost data. I don't even really care about that. Most of my stuff is backed up so having my hard drive become blank/wiped doesn't mean much to me, I just noted it for the sake of techie people who would ask that question first.


----------



## Runefox (Jan 10, 2013)

It's actually not an error code. The hard drive is completely inaccessible to the computer, so it's trying every other avenue to try and boot. PXE is an attempt to boot the computer over the local network, which is almost never relevant outside of enthusiast circles and on corporate networks, since it requires some very specific and rather confusing setup for a very specific payoff.

Also, I wouldn't blame Dell for a DOA hard drive - Hard drives can test just fine at the factory, but be weak enough that they can't handle the stresses of being shipped/etc. It's part and parcel for a mechanical device like that. The part+repair itself should still have a warranty even if your computer no longer does.


----------



## RitsukaAo (Jan 10, 2013)

I'm fortunate that everything is still under warranty until the end of the month but with the track record this computer has (this will be the 4th hard drive it's had within the year) I'm worried it will keel over shortly after the warranties expire. It's my school computer so it's important that I have a computer that works well. I can't afford to constantly replace the hard drive.

I guess this is devolving more into a rant more than anything.


----------



## Sai_Wolf (Jan 14, 2013)

Runefox said:


> It's actually not an error code. The hard drive is completely inaccessible to the computer, so it's trying every other avenue to try and boot. PXE is an attempt to boot the computer over the local network, which is almost never relevant outside of enthusiast circles and on corporate networks, since it requires some very specific and rather confusing setup for a very specific payoff.



I was going to comment on this too. That PXE error has nothing to do with the status of the hard disk. PXE is a network protocol meant to boot a computer over the network. It's telling you that there isn't an ethernet cable attached to your NIC card, so PXE can't boot. I've seen that error message in old Dell Optiplexes, so I'm not surprised to see it here.


----------



## Arshes Nei (Jan 14, 2013)

Sai_Wolf said:


> I was going to comment on this too. That PXE error has nothing to do with the status of the hard disk. PXE is a network protocol meant to boot a computer over the network. It's telling you that there isn't an ethernet cable attached to your NIC card, so PXE can't boot. I've seen that error message in old Dell Optiplexes, so I'm not surprised to see it here.



Yes, but your boot order is generally defaulted to the hard drive first/2nd (since the optical drive is often used as first)  in consumer line PCs. the PXE comes up when the HDD not accessible. So since I doubt the OP messed with the BIOS. The PXE prompt comes up because the drive cannot be accessed and is finally trying the network. 

The problem is that the OP couldn't figure out it was a hard drive failure and blamed Dell for "wiping" the drive.


----------



## Sai_Wolf (Jan 14, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> Yes, but your boot order is generally defaulted to the hard drive first/2nd (since the optical drive is often used as first)  in consumer line PCs. the PXE comes up when the HDD not accessible. So since I doubt the OP messed with the BIOS. The PXE prompt comes up because the drive cannot be accessed and is finally trying the network.
> 
> The problem is that the OP couldn't figure out it was a hard drive failure and blamed Dell for "wiping" the drive.



I'm not contesting that at all. The part I was contesting was that, in the OP and some of the replies afterward, it was made to seem like the PXE error message was directly code for "Your drive's bad." which is false. It just means that the PXE protocol couldn't detect an ethernet cable in the NIC. You can select PXE boot all day, with your drive being fit as a fiddle. It's just a boot option.


----------



## dietrc70 (Jan 15, 2013)

If possible, I recommend people buy "business-class" laptops (i.e. Dell Latitude or Lenovo Thinkpad).  They are more expensive, but sometimes you can get a deal on a refurb or used model.  The overall quality tends to be much higher and one is less likely to get these kinds of failures.

The quality of consumer laptops tends to be inconsistent at best and awful at worst.  Their specs look good, but they are built with the cheapest possible parts.  Sometimes you'll get lucky and everything will work properly for years, but it's not uncommon for them to be built with a bad batch of hard drives or some other weak part that will haunt you for the life of the system.


----------



## CerbrusNL (Jan 15, 2013)

This one time, the hard drive in my DELL PC shat bricks. It died, didn't do anything any more.

I called Dell, told my story, ran through a few tests with them, then they agreed the HDD was toast.
They sent me a new HDD (And faster) without any questions, the only thing I had to do is hand over my old (dead) HDD to a mailman that would be picking it up a week after I've gotten my new drive.

So, a free replacement HDD, no questions asked.

And do you know what's so awesome about this service? The *warranty* on my PC *expired over a year before my HDD* died. Dell could just have told me to buy a new drive.

I call that customer service.


----------



## Aquin (Feb 14, 2013)

I do to, my laptop has lasted a pretty long time but it sags in comparison to brands like Asus, etc which i wish i could've gotten at the time. Many of my friends are getting or saving up for the G75, which is a top of the line laptop at a great price. I had to get this thing for a class, it is great for low end stuff but i am a gamer, and sometimes can't play certain games thanks to the graphics card. I paid $750 for this computer at the time and to this day, still think i should've dropped the class and held off.


----------



## Runefox (Feb 14, 2013)

Aquin said:


> I do to, my laptop has lasted a pretty long time but it sags in comparison to brands like Asus, etc which i wish i could've gotten at the time. Many of my friends are getting or saving up for the G75, which is a top of the line laptop at a great price. I had to get this thing for a class, it is great for low end stuff but i am a gamer, and sometimes can't play certain games thanks to the graphics card. I paid $750 for this computer at the time and to this day, still think i should've dropped the class and held off.


For $750, you're not going to get a much better computer than "decent", even now. Not that Dell's QA is perfect, but I've seen plenty of ASUS (G-series and otherwise) computers shit bricks brand new, requiring numerous repairs and even repeat repairs. The same guts go into it - It's about how it's put together. ASUS is pretty good at putting a computer together (Zenbooks = <3), but any computer less than $1k is very likely to be skimpy on the QA. Which is sad, because most people look at a computer that's $300 and think it's a great deal. It isn't.

Anyway, buying a laptop for gaming is futile. You're stuck with your hardware beyond the RAM and hard drive, so upgrading the graphics card (the most important thing to look at for gaming) is out of the question. You'll end up buying a new laptop down the road. For any serious gaming, you definitely want to stick to a desktop - Especially since I haven't seen a laptop that can stay cool enough to not crap out for extended gaming sessions (Alienware especially).


----------

