Dude, you're getting a DELL!

[tycho102]

Dell laptop explodes at Japanese Conference (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=32550)

http://www.theinquirer.net/images/articles/dell%20banger1.jpg



What if you get Dell shrapnel in you arms/eyes/ears/nose/throat? What kind of support comes with that?

[Linton]

A Dell trying to cope with all the imperfections in the stock DW game.

[Onkel Neal]

A Dell trying to cope with all the imperfections in the stock DW game.

:down:

[Kurushio]

A Dell trying to cope with all the imperfections in the stock DW game.

Sorry...silly to laugh I know...but

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

[JSLTIGER]

This is why I wonder why companies like eMachines have bad reputations...when was the last time an eMachine exploded?

::crickets chirp::

Uh-huh...that's what I thought.

[scandium]

This is why I wonder why companies like eMachines have bad reputations...when was the last time an eMachine exploded?

::crickets chirp::

Uh-huh...that's what I thought.

That's not setting the bar very high :D

[XabbaRus]

I have an eMachines and it runs great. No crashes, nothing. Fast enough...all I need really is to put in more RAM and a faster video card.

[STEED]

Dell laptop explodes at Japanese Conference (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=32550)

http://www.theinquirer.net/images/articles/dell%20banger1.jpg



What if you get Dell shrapnel in you arms/eyes/ears/nose/throat? What kind of support comes with that?

Good grief.:o

[Oberon]

So that's what North Korea's been making... :o

[The Avon Lady]

The Dell from Hell! :doh:

[Wim Libaers]

The payload of that missile... :lol:

[2019]

Terrorists have taken over your Dell

[Kurushio]

I have a Compaq...and I must say, that compared to Dell...they at least TRY. I have a sort of custom box, with one screw to open it up. So you can clean inside and change stuff around. They left 2 spaces for extra memory, even though they gave me 1 gig. etc. Today, I was trying to clean a Dell of comparable age to my Compaq. The box is the most absurd I've ever seen it. In the end, I couldn't open it, without breaking the plastic.

Conclusion: Dell is CRAP. :rock:

[STEED]

I still got a compaq that belongs in the stone age 2.0 GB / Windows95 and it has never gone wrong in the 10 years I've had it. I only use it for the old DOS games like SH1:) and I also have a Dell Windows XP Pro :hmm: I wonder if I should put it in a explosion proof container. ;)

[Oberon]

I only use it for the old DOS games like SH1:) .

Load SHIII on it...then run....fast....;)

[STEED]

I only use it for the old DOS games like SH1:) .

Load SHIII on it...then run....fast....;)


LOL:lol: :lol: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rock:

[Kurushio]

Let's face it...the best PC's are the ones you build yourself. And it's surprisingly easy...most things are universal. So I would suggest to everyone not to bow to these crappy PC companys, instead buy a book on how to build one...and have fun! Because at the end of the day, you'll be amazed how easy and fun it is. Almost like sex. :yep:

[STEED]

Almost like sex. :yep:

I need a very strong drink. :roll:

[Kurushio]

I said almost.

[STEED]

:lol: :lol:

[tycho102]

I've had a Dell desktop and a laptop. The laptop's internal battery charger died within about a year. The only good thing I have to say about that laptop is that it didn't absolutely have to have a battery in it to run; I used it as a fixed desktop for awhile. It started overheating at about the 18 month point, which was fixed by setting it on a aluminium pizza-pan. Even cracked the think open and put some Arctic Silver 5 on the CPU heatsink, but it would still overheat. I probably could have made a projector out of the LCD display, but I just wasn't motivated enough to put that much effort into it.

The desktop did ok for several years, but I can put together a comparable system for half the price. This was also back in the day when Dell didn't ship restore disks, and the drivers had to be made from floppies and the original hard drive OEM install. It took me weeks to get them to ship a restore disk on a really cheap CD-R. Plus, the power supply and floppy drive were proprietary. How the *hell* you make a proprietary floppy drive, I dunno, but I kept trying it on other systems and it would never work properly. Ended up just chucking it and buying a new drive, which worked flawlessly.

Plus, you know. None of mine have ever exploded on me.:rotfl:

[Syxx_Killer]

Can't say I have ever seen an exploding laptop. Good thing it wasn't on anyone's lap! :o

[Iku-turso]

Shockwave flash object...... enabled

[nikimcbee]

I knew the intel chips ran hot, but this is crazy. The new intel processor "the chernobyl:rock: . Hopefully AMD will not top this one.:|\\

[tycho102]

Realistically speaking, this was probably the LiON battery.

Almost no one uses polymer LiON's, so this was the usual electrolytic battery. They've got a circuit in them (which amounts to little more than a couple of diodes to prevent back-current and an AVR) to stop the battery from "flip flopping".

Rechargable batteries can invert a cell if you run them down too low. Nickel cadmium, metal hydrides, and even lead acid batteries can do this. When they do it, you start liberating hydrogen gas while it charges.

Dell uses the absolute minimum quality parts for their machines, and rely on testing to sort out the bad parts. Taiwan -- notoriously, I might add -- stopped nearly every form of QA known in electrical engineering, several years ago. Manufacturers decided to let OEM's quality-assure their own products, instead of the plant. Failure rates in memory alone jumped above 10% (from something like 3%).

So, just like army weapons are made by the lowest bidder, so too is Dell's batteries and charging circuits.

This is why you never run a LiON battery down to shutoff. The circuits (inside the battery itself, as well as the device) are usually set to shut-off at 3.3v, well above the "critical" 1.7v. But my first guess would be the battery was used heavily and run down to under 3% on a consistent basis. That's just asking for a smack upside the head. Even cell-phone batteries will do this same feat.

It's still funny to see the guy in the foreground trying to shutdown his laptop before getting away from the fire.

[Kurushio]

I've always run down my cell-phone batteries...it says you should in the manuals of all the phones I've had. It actually says you can damage the batteries if you recharge your phone while only half-way run down. Are you now saying I could blow my balls off with my phone which I sometimes keep in my trouser pocket? :huh:

[kiwi_2005]

Seems like some modder went to far this time when they changed the explosions for SH3:rotfl:

[SUBMAN1]

I gave up on Dell at work and refuse to buy them anymore. The Dell rep has hounded me forever now but I gave them 3 chances and 3 times they failed. I won't get into the details but the bottom line is that Dell is all about price and after sales support is.., a.., what support?

Anyone want a remote controlled car? I have a remote control on my desk right now, and if I want the car that it controls, I have to meet with my Dell rep. Nice. These guys will try anything to get at me now. I kind of want the car, but I don't care to talk to these guys anymore so I guess I am throwing this remote control out.

-S

[Wim Libaers]

I've always run down my cell-phone batteries...it says you should in the manuals of all the phones I've had. It actually says you can damage the batteries if you recharge your phone while only half-way run down. Are you now saying I could blow my balls off with my phone which I sometimes keep in my trouser pocket? :huh:

Depends on the type of battery. Some are best discharged nearly completely, others work fine with partial charges. Blowing you balls off is unlikely, unless the pockets in your trousers are in unusual positions. You'll probably just lose a piece of your leg.

[Bill Nichols]

I have a Dell laptop (XPS) and it has never exploded :D


Here's the full article: http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32550

and a followup: http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32723