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Topic: Dell From Hell Question - Page: 1

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So my wife has a Dell Inspiration 1526 which at this point is not Inspirational at all, in fact it's turning into a nasty beyotch.

Unbeknown to me, she was having a problem at start up while I was in AC.
She took it to one Best Buy to get it checked out where she was told it was probably overheated from dirt etc...and she left.
Then she went to another Best Buy and had is checked again and they took the quick cover off the back and found no dirt at all but told her she needed a motherboard that would cost 2-300 to replace and she left.

Then I got home and found the boot order screwed up and damned if it didn't start right up.
So then I asked her if the clock was going screwy and she said yes...ok cmos battery is going.

So I took the back panel off and damned if I see it anywhere handy.
Do a search online and find from the Dell site a video that refused to load up, err 2 actually.

Then I do more searching and start looking for Dell sites or forums and found this.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1525/en/SM/coinbatt.htm

So I'm reading down the list figuring ok, these are individual steps to change out these items like drive, cd rom, monitor, keyboard etc...
Then I read the posts, omg you are kidding me.
So we are talking about a full strip down just to change a cmos battery and I just can't believe it.

But now I know where "Dell from Hell" came from.

If anybody has any tips on this or has done it, if it isn't what it looks like please let me know.
 
Posted Mon 23 Aug 10 @ 8:26 pm
With Dells it's often a case of:

Remove keyboard
Remove screen + hinges
Remove upper casing

to gain access to the CMOS battery. To be fair it's not usually particularly easy to get at CMOS batteries in most laptops.
 
 
yeah, i worked at that solution station by dell for the breif moment it lasted, they have no easy steps on repairs..all of their comps require pretyy much hing cover and keyboard removal sorry rick,, you have work ahead!!
 
It does generally take less than 5 minutes to remove the entire top half of a laptop though.
 
There is a reason why I will never buy a dell! consumer support is terrible, Business support isn't much better. I've spent 4 days trying to prove that a desktop was owned by the place I worked just to get a replacement motherboard and the last day I got a guy who just believed me lol and it took less time to get the board and replace it then to convince them we owned it.

But yea removing the top case shouldn't be to bad, I've done it to a few different laptops usually just to clean the fan if they don't provide a nice cover on the back.
 
What I struggle to believe is that if its as simple as removing a keyboard, why the specific instruction for this model are as they are below.
# Follow the instructions in Before You Begin.

# Remove all memory module (see Removing Memory Module).

# Remove the hard drive (see Removing the Hard Drive).

# Remove the optical drive (see Removing the Optical Drive).

# Remove all Mini-Cards (see Removing Mini-Card).

# Remove the center control cover (see Removing the Center Control Cover).

# Remove the keyboard (see Removing the Keyboard).

# Remove the display assembly (see Removing the Display Assembly).

# Remove the internal card with Bluetooth wireless technology, if installed (see Removing the Internal Card With Bluetooth® Wireless Technology).

# Remove the palm rest (see Removing the Palm Rest).

# Remove the ExpressCard cage (see Removing the ExpressCard Cage).

# Remove the processor thermal-cooling assembly (see Removing the Processor Thermal-Cooling Assembly).

# Remove the processor (see Removing the Processor Module).

# Remove the system board (see Removing the System Board Assembly).

# Use a plastic scribe to pry up the coin-cell battery from the slot.
 
Sounds like the battery is on the bottom of the motherboard which is indeed a very silly place to put it if you're not going to provide panel access. I've been lucky, they've always been on the top of my machines so it's screen/hinges/keyboard/top plastic and you're there.

Dell Support can be fairly crappy but I've also had good experience with them when I had a problem with my XPS and had an engineer out the next day with parts.
 
Youtube is awesome for guides, now I feel much better about the whole thing.



Aah yes, there's the cmos battery now...rolling down the driveway.
 
You know my take on Dells Rick so I won't even comment on that part, but I find it odd as well as you that its not in an easy place??
 
Ah com on guys! Dont Hate ...ha,ha
 
damn dell, never dell anymore.
 
By making components hard to replace, most average joe's will simply replace the whole thing. That's why they do it...

Roy
 
Kind of short sighted Roy.
Just the inconvenience of lost or transferring data is enough to piss people off.

I mean look at it this way.
Most PofC's have an average life of 2-3 years.
Most lithium batteries make it 4.
So if you can't even put a quality $2 battery into it, why on earth would you buy again?
I don't believe it's an oversight, it's possibly ignorance but more probably intentional.

I mean really, seeing a pattern here, and frankly first impressions count.
Would I ever buy another PofC?
Doubt it very much.
 
thanks for the new clipbank clip Rick .....

that was funny ....

"aah there goes ...."

that should be narrated by David McCullough and documentary by Ken Burns ...
 
mp3jrick wrote :
Youtube is awesome for guides, now I feel much better about the whole thing.



Aah yes, there's the cmos battery now...rolling down the driveway.


That's funny Rick! I hate Dells myself. My first laptop was a Dell and i've wanted to do that many times. Good luck with yours.
 
I believe every cloud has a silver lining - At least now he can change the battery!
 

i think i see another opportunity here ....

as you know i've become fabulously well to do selling

spinning rims for the donut or temporary spare .....



what if i made a blender big enough to hold a Dell laptop ??
 
Are you still having a problem I used to fix laptops for a living.
 
Its yours if you want to give it a try, she has not taken it anywhere.
She talked to one dude who "fixes computers" omg who told her to go to Radio Shack for a battery, and I'm thinking....if its not out, its not been identified, so should she come home with one of every battery they have in stock?????
lol omg...staying out of it...But you I trust more than me snapping this plastic crap off not knowing where the battery is, under the keyboard or in the bowels of this pos.

Buy you dinner, hows that?
 
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