MahlerIsGod

When you buy a computer from Dell they say they test it before they ship it. Does anyone know what these tests entail? What kind've of tests, etc. Thanks

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seretogis

Are you referring to burn-in?

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Sion

they turn it on and if it boots up within 10 mins, it passes.

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peacy

Are you being serious? Hope not...

I think that they run all the BIOS level tests.

punx1325

Dell has special Diagnostic software which they run on the computer 3 times. They also run the computer a few times, but to what details they run it I am not sure. Probably just check the BIOS, make sure everything on the screen looks ok, etc... I am on my second Dell and I couldn't be happier. I own one of those massive XPS systems

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scoobydugan

WOW!!! I've never heard anyone be happy to own a dell....I'm a technician at Best Buy.....85% of the computers we repair in the store are Dells

peacy

I've been using various Latitude notebooks for the last ~4 years. And I'm quite satisfied with them... (They can take loads of abuse... )

Shauk

well, does your repair have anything to do with the hardware itself? or is it usually just a computer dummy who deleted something they shouldnt have and are in general clueless nitwits?

losthellhound

Most computer companys do the same test before shipping. They turn it on, and if it gets past bios without errors, they shut it off. Some companies are better then others (Compaq)..SOme are much worse (Packard Bell).. Its why I only trust "clones" and only ones I either made myself, or handpicked the parts for

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scoobydugan

It's always a hardware problem

saberyo

I work with 300+ Dells and they've performed fantastically over the years. We always buy the 3year warranty. We've had to use it a few times, (Dimension 4100) video cards (12 out of 150) and floppy drives on some old XPS-T 450's (5/150).

They are very technically sound machines. I don't own one myself, but I'm not afraid to.

It's rarely a hardware problem!

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MontanaXVI

My first Pc was a COMPAQ and my 2nd is the homebuild I am on now, I have heard nothing but good thing about Dell which prompted me to pick up a Inspiron laptop for my gf to use at school and I think it is great, the support team is excellent even though I only had to call them for one minor thing I could not get working on my own.

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scoobydugan

Wow, i must live in a crazy backwords world or you're all very lucky!!! I've never owned a Dell but I repair them ALOT!! The customers always complain about the customer service. Oh well, stick with what works for ya i guess....but I won't buy one....

Mister B

A lot may be due to their huge number of sales along with the inexperienced people who use them.

I have a dell and it is great. One time my cd burner went out and a guy was in my dorm 3 days after that and even installed a faster drive.

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hu-man

My mom bought a Dell, and the small problems she's had with it (nothing hardware-related) they've helped her with - they have excellent customer service. Nice design, as well.

smiling_bob

In my family we've owned over a dozen Dell models, ranging from our first Pentium 133 to our most recent P4 2.8. I've had no problems with hardware failure in any of the systems. I like them because you can get them from the factory with high end video cards for gaming (like ATI 9800's), real soundcards (not integrated), trinitron monitors, or flat panels, they even offer RAID configurations now. Or, if you're on a budget, you can get them cheap.

I've swapped out many components for better ones over the years and never had any compatibility problems (upgraded RAM, HD, video cards, OS, etc). Very stable machines, I do lots of work on it and I don't have to worry about a crash. I write software, use photoshop, 3dsmax, play games, you name it. I take mine to LAN's occassionally, and I just plug it in and it works. I actually still own the original P133, and it still boots fine

Magpie0001

I used to build servers for Dell, They are tested during build to check that everything is config'd & functioning & then they go into a thing called extended test, They are racked for hours & the tests are run automatically, If there is something wrong a tech is alerted & the tests are started over.

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Snakebyt

my laptop is a dell, and i love it.. i also have a dell workstation that was given to me.. so far, i havent had any problems at all out of it

Caphreak

dell has never given me any problems, but i have a gateway that isnt really a gateway anymore because ive had to replace so many parts. After building my own once, ill never do anything but that from now on. Whenever contacting dell tech support, i always ask for someone who knows what theyre talking about, and i usually get one. If they know you know something, theyll skip talking down to you, and give you directions to fix it. If they know what theyre talking about that is...

sadistic midget

We use Dells at work in some pretty stressful enviornments and they usually have no problems. When they do I don't fault them as we will get them back and there will be 3-4 inches of dust on all the components inside. Half the time we clean em up and they work fine.

Pretty good in my opinion.

Cynthetiq

reason is because Best Buy is a Dell Authorized service center.

Dells are awesome. I've not owned them personally but in fortune 500 companies they have the lowest failure rate from any of the large manufacturers and the Dell warranty cannot be beaten.

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Cynthetiq

Dell is the only company that I know that tests all of the units. Gateway tests a sample of the units, and then there are others that do even a lower sample than Gateway.

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tooth

We have bought Dell exclusively over the past 5-6 years. Have 2 servers and about 20 desktops. I have never had a DOA unit. Any hardware problems that have developed after the fact have been taken care of under warranty in a very timely fashion. We always get the 3 year, Next Business Day service.

My only beef is that the quality of phone support has been dropping over the past couple of years. Now it is common to <gasp> wait on hold, and then get somebody with a thick accent who knows nothing and just reads from a script. But I would expect that from any Manf. nowadays.