kennyjb402

Linux Printing Solutions

Linux, Printers and Ink, Service and Support submitted by jfelisky 02/21/07

I have a Dell 3100cn laser printer, which was a nice purchase until I dropped Windows XP and moved to OpenSuSE on my home computer.

I've tried a lot of different message boards looking for a way to keep that printer, but I'm so frustrated with Dell's lack of Linux support that I have to consider HP, since the LaserJet family is more broadly supported. 53 Comments »

NICE New Dell montor! Keep making great designs like this.

Monitors and Displays submitted by jmxz 05/18/07

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/18/dells-ultra-thin-concept-lcd-with-displayp...

Dell's ultra-thin LCD concept with DisplayPort going retail?
...
Remember that super swanky Dell monitor concept we went ga ga over back at January's CES? Yeah, we still find it hard to believe it's a Dell design. Well, it'll apparently be up for sale later in the year.

Beautiful - we want more great designs like this. 41 Comments »

No Operating System Option

Operating Systems submitted by wayfarer 08/22/07

Dell should offer the option of not having a pre-installed Operating System on new computers. When a person is customizing a new Computer they should have the option to not have a pre-installed Operating System. Because this option may confuse some people I believe that there should be an "Advanced Options" tab when choosing the computers Operating System. Under this tab you could choose to have no operating system.

The reasons for this would be more power to people customizing PC's and so people who want to put their own OS's on the computer can. People also buy Operating Systems and never use them, so why should they be forced to buy a new one? 3 Comments »

Ubuntu PCs with Quad Core processors

Desktops, Linux submitted by nkmhutirv 08/19/07

I would like to buy a desktop with a Quad Core processor (Intel Q6600 for example).
Dual core is just not enough for me!
On a more general note, you should offer more systems running Ubuntu, as just 3 models can not fit every taste for hardware. 11 Comments »

Provide Ubuntu on Servers??

Linux, Servers and Storage submitted by phubert 08/31/07

Seems Canonical is thinking of it...

Canonical angles for Dell to offer pre-installed Ubuntu Linux on the server

...if there's demand...

****

PROMOTE if you like this idea: ****

http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gc... 9 Comments »

Port Locations....

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by benjesuit 08/30/07

Here are some ports that MUST be in the back of a Notebook.

AND NOT ON THE SIDE.

1. Power input jack.
2. 2 USB ports - at least. One for mouse / wireless mouse dongle. One for USB hub, etc.
3. HDMI/DVI/VGA - because the cables are thick.
4. Ethernet

Let's keep the desktop clean and not have cables coming out the sides of the notebook which takes up valuable space. Not to mention being an eye sore.

Thank you. 11 Comments »

Quality Checks by Humans

Service and Support, Desktops and Laptops submitted by lambchops468 08/31/07

I ordered a Inspiron 1520 and I am fed up with the issues:

crashed hard drive (first 6 days) (I will forgive this one, happens on every manufacturer, its just luck)
vibrating optical drive (shakes entire notebook, abnormal, new one fixed it)
Grainy Screen
Headphone Noise
Casing Defect (bulge in case seam, can see inside notebook)

I think that dell should instute a quality check system on the computers they ship out. Not just tests that can be run on the computer automatically, but a actual person physically inspecting/testing the function of the notebook such as:
- Grainy Screen/backlight bleed (go get a HP laptop and see the difference, go to the store)
- Headphone Noise
- Casing Defects
- Optical Drives that make too much noise
- squeaky keys
- and other issues that cannot be detected by a hardware check running on a CPU

If you do not have the finances to create such a program, then you can add the service as part of the warranty, with a garuntee that the devices that are checked will not have problems on arrival. (So therefore the QC is optional)

This will actually make/save money because people like me won't have to send their laptops back and forth wasting your shipping money/technician fee replacing parts that would be replaced anyway at the quailty check program.

you could also send a special survey to early-adopters to identify the biggest problems in a new computer line and check those at quailty check, certifying those parts free of defects. 45 Comments »

Fix issue regarding OS installation vs. SATA Hard Drive

Servers and Storage, Vostro products submitted by rpricket 09/02/07

The suggestion is that Dell must update the bios/firmware for its Vostro computers to give better support of the SATA drives. This – or otherwise create a means by which to install the operating system of choice, without a prob.

Why is this needed? - In short, without proper SATA matrix drivers installed, the user may (as I have) encounter severe problems when trying to install a fresh copy of the operating system of choice. These problems may include anything from locking up during installation, or even the Blue Screen of Death. The sad part is, that in my experience, there is no option to load these matrix drivers during XP install – meaning, one cannot install XP.
The root cause? – its hard to say, but obviously there is a hardware conflict if drivers are needed just to properly install an OS.

My Experience:
I ordered my dell Vostro 1700 late July of 07, and received it the first week of August – well ahead of the expected delivery date. Having spent about $1,700 on my setup, I was very excited to open the box and start enjoying my new laptop. (Tech specs listed below) In the first hour of use, I encountered my first problem - a popping in the sound playback. Wonderful. Simply Wonderful. (I will address this issue in a separate proposal) After some searching I found this issue addressed on the dell forums, with no real solution. Thinking it couldn’t get much worse, I went on.

Problem number two – the case of the failing video drivers. Specifically while gaming, my NVidia GeForce 8600 GT drivers would suddenly stop working for about 15 seconds – this would happen again, and again, reoccurring every hour or two. I have yet to find the solution. My Vostro is slowly losing its appeal, but I remain faithful… (Will also be fully addressed in a separate proposal)

Here’s where the fun begins: (…sometime later)
After running into some problems that were seemingly unfixable with a program I was running, I decided to reformat my hard drive and do a fresh install of Windows Vista Home Basic. – Something I do regularly to keep my computers running smoothly. Upon opening the box however, I found that the Vista install DVD was not included. How dare they! - after talking to a tech for 15 minutes I get them to ship me a copy of the DVD.

THE REAL PROBLEM-
2 days later, the DVD arrives and I’m all set to reinstall. I pop in the DVD, boot from CD/DVD drive, and off I go. I click through the installation jargon, format the drive, and hit next. Windows starts installing… the first step completes… then the next… and the next – Last step! (the computer reboots here) the last step is listed as “Completing Installation…” and the yellow progress bar at the bottom of the screen is maybe 2/3 full. This is where everything breaks loose – I wait…and wait... and wait… and wait (4-6 hours). (still displaying “Completing Installation…” I reboot and try the process again.

Guess what. It did the same thing again…and again… and again. I tried installing Vista in the exact same manner 6 times! I don’t get it, is my DVD bad? Is my hardware bad?? I log on to dells tech support chat.
During the 2 hour chat, I did everything from run a system diagnostics, to try installing again – and all I got was a “…this is a very special issue.” to “…why don’t we just send you another hard drive, pre-flashed with vista.” - a temporary fix.

Feeling discontent with Dells tech support, I continued to search Google for information on this issue, and maybe find people with similar problems. I did. If you follow this link here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=149762 you will see what I found – a lot of people with the same problem with Vostro notebooks, or notebooks of a similar build.

The two existing solutions are as follows:

1. Disable the AHCI for your SATA Drive in the BIOS.
- Doing this will allow you to install without a prob. BUT, disabling your AHCI will cripple your drive capabilities and reduce speed. – so this is definitely not a good fix.

2. Load the SATA drive Matrix drivers before selecting the partition during vista installation.
- Doing this will allow an install – but in my experience, only Vista. The version of XP I have (dell XP cd), because there is no driver prompt, begins to load its components but after a few minutes it ends at the BSoD. Other OS’s may have very similar problems.
- Heres the link to those Matrix drivers btw:
- 32bit: http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&relea...
- 64bit: http://support.us.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&re...

So you tell me - should we have to put up with this, or should Dell actually do something about it? I’m not sure if this problem could be solved with a BIOS update, but if it can be, then do it…NOW!! If it can’t, then Dell needs to recall all the Vostro computers experiencing this problem and replace the conflicting hardware. – It’s hard to say if the SATA drive is actually the core cause; it may be the video card, the memory, the mother board, or any number of other components.

Lastly, I find it extremely disheartening that Dells own techs didn’t realize this problem existed, maybe because not many end users have had to reformat yet, much less know how.

Further input or recognition of this problem by other users would be much appreciated. 1

Thank You!

Additonal Information and Resources:

Copy of my 2 hour conversation with the Dell Tech – minor humor included. Some information has been “****” starred out for privacy. Get it here:
http://download207.mediafire.com/alya1yxujrng/9zno8mngmji/dellconvo.html




My Tech Specs:
Vostro 1700
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 2.2GHz, 800Mhz FSB 4M L2 Cache
17.0 inch Wide Screen UXGA TL LCD
3GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 DIMM$
256MB NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600M GT
160G 5400RPM SATA hard drive
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic
Dell Exclusive MediaDirect Instant Play Software Application
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem, for Inspiron
Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.08 Vostro
8X DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+R write capability,
Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
Dell Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Mini Card
No Built in Camera 1700
Norton Internet Security 2007 30 Day Trial
WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, Vostro 1700
Dell Wirless 355 Bluetooth Module (2.0+EDR)
Windows Vista Home Basic

16 Comments »

product ratings

Dell Web Site submitted by jdelidc 08/26/07 **IN PROGRESS**

a boat load of stuff on the website has ratings on it. but when you go to configure the machine, nothing shows the ratings. put that on the list to show how satisfied customers actually are with spending more money. especially on the OS and the video card. so add the star ratings to the products that will be going into the machine when we are busy picking out what we want 5 Comments »

All possible options should be available via the website

Dell Web Site submitted by steve0073 07/27/07

On the Dell website, many options are not available. But they are available when ordering by phone. For example, the Inspiron 1720 can't be configured with an 7200rpm harddrive, but it can be ordered with such harddrives by phone (yes, I asked).

Now, this is what I don't get:
Every person who wasn't asleep during the last 20 years can tell you that taking orders by phone is much, much more expensive for a company than taking orders via a website. Orders by phone take time, use up expensive human resources. You maybe need to hire more people for this, and the already hired ones are stressed out and don't have the time for real special cases where they would be really needed. And they maybe even forget to call you back because they're just too busy (yes, happened to me twice now).
That adds up to more costs and bad customer service.
If you would allow configuring everything on the website, you would have a lot less people calling your customer service.

So please Dell, provide all the possible options directly on the website so we can order what we want/need much easier and with less stress, and less cost for you. 5 Comments »

Provide More Details on the Outlet Site for Scratch And Dent Items

Dell Web Site submitted by kenjennings 08/29/07

It would be good if the Outlet site could include a more detailed description of a specific product's "scratch-n-dented" condition. How about a photo of the actual item in question? There is a difference between paint rubbed off the corners and a dent indicating an impact occurred.

If you haven't seen the Outlet site, currently, the detailed description of the condition of anything that's Scratch & Dent is, literally, "Scratch & Dent". Not very helpful. 5 Comments »

DVI or HDMI out on all laptops models?

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by tommarnk 07/06/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

this would be a big jump, if dell add "DVI out" on all dell laptops, so people can connect to there LCD Displays or LCD HDTVs natively

the picture quality will be grealy improved

this should be easy to do as most of new chipsets has dvi out

not many laptop manufacturers add "dvi out" to there lower end products, so it might be a wise move to do so

all LCD monitors and lcd hdtvs has dvi or hdmi in so it might work well

and meybe remove the old VGA out and put a singel DVI-I, it can be used as analog (VGA) to, by using VGA-to-DVI-I adapter like tose used on

standard computer graphic cards for years now

many people like me connect monitor via dvi or hdmi to get the best picture and color quality



The offerings for the XPS M1730: Dual-link DVI-I (support for 30-inch displays) and HDMI via DVI adapter. Check out all the specs for the new systems.

69 Comments »

Ubuntu pre-installed on Dell servers

Linux, Servers and Storage submitted by seeking_alpha 08/31/07

Could you please start offering servers with Ubuntu, Dell? Please. 26 Comments »

Dell Must Use Ubuntu Stickers! {Pics Inside}

Linux submitted by thebittersea 06/10/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

97 Comments »

Have Firefox pre-installed as default browser

Software submitted by robinjfisher 02/19/07 **REVIEWED**

Does what it says on the tin! Most people only use IE because they aren't aware of other browsers - they think Internet Explorer is the Internet! What would really drive take up of alternative browsers is if Firefox was pre-installed as the default browser so that when people look for the "Internet" in Windows, they are using FF.
Firefox advocates at Dell have initiated discussions and driven action around exploring alternative internet browsers and experiences. As you can tell from our response to the Linux community, open source continues to be a part of our conversations about new products and services.





1196 Comments »

touch screen laptop

Monitors and Displays, Laptops submitted by jdelidc 08/29/07

my grandpa suggested this 8 Comments »

Dell Web Site should be 100% W3C compliant

Dell Web Site submitted by yesmathew 08/12/07

Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C's mission is:

To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web.

W3C primarily pursues its mission through the creation of Web standards and guidelines. Since 1994, W3C has published more than ninety such standards, called
W3C Recommendations.

As Dell hardwares are OS independent, Dell Web Site should be 100% W3C compliant. To validate your site please proceed to http://validator.w3.org/ and make it 100% compliant. Also consider validating your CSS style sheet at http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

Other important references:
- W3C Q&A Blog: http://www.w3.org/QA/
- The Web Standards Project: http://www.webstandards.org/

28 Comments »

Always include all software and driver reinstallation discs for free (or at least let us get the option to)... don't make us pay extra

Software submitted by winoffice 05/01/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

Always include ALL software AND driver reinstallation discs for FREE (or at let us get the option do get the for free if we want as follows)...don't make us pay extra in case that we have a disaster and need to reinstall from scratch...!

No Discs Included (Included In Price)

All Discs Included (this means everything -- all software discs -- OS/Security software/etc., and all driver discs -- this means Windows or Linux drivers or both, whatever applies -- add $0)

Other options (OS disc only, all software discs only, driver discs only, etc. -- add $0)

For some computers, Dell does not include the reinstallation discs. Even if Dell offers them, Dell charges extra for us to get them. In fact, the only time I seen reinstallation discs being offered without charge were for Dell XPS desktops with the flashy lights -- that is, the Dell XPS 600, 700, and 710 systems, for those ware the only systems to offer operating system options like "Microsoft Windows XP Media Center WITH REINSTALLATION CD".

Also, most of the time when software reinstallation discs are not included, driver reinstallation discs (such as XPS flashy lights, as well as printers and monitors) are not included either. Therefore, don't just include the software reinstallation discs -- include as well the Windows/Linux drivers for the hardware (depending on the OS purchased with the computer, if any, which in turn depends on the user's preferences).

Besides, Microsoft as well as ALL software companies include the discs when you get the software seperately, so why can't Dell do the same when the software is preinstalled...?
Customers no longer have to pay extra for re-installation media.




89 Comments »

LED Back Lighting

Monitors and Displays submitted by drew08867 06/28/07

Dell should transition all monitors to LED back lighting. More cost effective (in terms of energy use), greener, longer life. 11 Comments »

Sell Linux PCs in Canada.

Linux, Sales Strategies submitted by sorooros 08/14/07

How hard can it be to ship boxes north of the border? Dell.ca needs Linux option! 12 Comments »