No GB ethernet port on Dell Inspiron Laptops

davej99 · Sep 24, 2012, 19:45:40

Was just about to click buy for a new Dell Inspiron laptop and discovered thanks to a reviewer that amazingly they do not seem come with a GB port, only 100MB. The Dell Alienware laptops and Inspiron desktop machines do. Took me ages to find the tech specs. which do not come up under "My System" only under "Inspiron Family," where is just says ethernet. Be sure you check this point before you buy.

pctech · Sep 24, 2012, 19:54:06

Maybe for a LAN party or corporate LAN its a good idea but your average user isn't going to need a GigE port, not yet anyway and if you are using the max speed on your FTTP connection you are likely to have a friendly phone call or large bandwidth bill land.

davej99 · Sep 24, 2012, 20:03:35

The issue for me is fast NAS backups. 100Mb EN is very slow for small files. BT FTTC home hub 3 comes with GB port for a reason I guess.

pctech · Sep 24, 2012, 20:05:46

USB to ethernet converter?

Personally though wouldn't touch anything made by Dell

davej99 · Sep 24, 2012, 21:10:33

Quote from: pctech on Sep 24, 2012, 20:05:46
Personally though wouldn't touch anything made by Dell

What 17" i7 non-gaming desk top replacement laptop would you recommend?

Steve · Sep 24, 2012, 21:41:58

I would question the screen size, personally I'd find it too large as it loses portability, if I need a larger screen I'd use an additional monitor. I agree however that the lack of a Gb Ethernet port would cross that off my list. My choice if going back to Windows would depend a lot on the build quality of the case.

john · Sep 25, 2012, 13:24:59

Quote from: pctech on Sep 24, 2012, 20:05:46
USB to ethernet converter?

Personally though wouldn't touch anything made by Dell

I've got a 17" Dell laptop that I bought in 2006 (pre-vista) and has been used virtually everyday since. I bought it as a replacement for a desktop rather than to use it as a mobile device so the 17" screen is not a problem and I can sit in my armchair to use it rather than being tied to a desk.

The only things that have gone wrong is that a thin horizontal white line often appears across the upper half of the screen (probably a bad connection but I can't be bothered to open it up to check) and the battery failed after a couple of years so I had to use it with the mains adapter as Dell wanted around £100 for a replacement.

However after repeatedly plugging in the adapter the cable started to fray so I bought a new one from ebay. For a while this then managed to put some power in the battery but only enough for a few minutes. Recently though it has managed to charge the battery which now has begun to be able to power the laptop for a couple of hours.

I do have a newer laptop which is much more powerful and has a larger capacity HDD but I still prefer to use my old Dell as I like the larger screen and I've got a lot of software on it that I haven't yet installed on the new one.

Simon · Sep 25, 2012, 14:09:05

That's the big thing about changing computers, isn't it? If only the software was easier to transfer.

Polchraine · Oct 02, 2012, 12:39:51

Quote from: pctech on Sep 24, 2012, 20:05:46
USB to ethernet converter?

Personally though wouldn't touch anything made by Dell

Justify that statement.

Technical Ben · Oct 02, 2012, 15:26:27

Their desktop PCs on the other had are notoriously problematic. I think they were Dell PCs at work and one or two would pop (motherboard) every week. They might have improved since then, and I've never heard of problems with their laptops, but the desktops are made too cheaply IMO. Easy access to the parts mind.

Polchraine · Oct 03, 2012, 18:51:12

Quote from: pctech on Sep 24, 2012, 20:05:46
USB to ethernet converter?

Personally though wouldn't touch anything made by Dell

Obviously you cannot justify it or you would have provide proof to back up your comment.

pctech · Oct 03, 2012, 19:59:53

Quote from: Polchraine on Oct 03, 2012, 18:51:12
Obviously you cannot justify it or you would have provide proof to back up your comment.

My friend may I point to my post in this thread http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,20063.msg479527.html#msg479527

If you are a corporate buying lorry loads of servers and desktops they are all over you but if you are individual they don't give a stuff so thats why I say to avoid them.

Polchraine · Oct 03, 2012, 20:13:35

Quote from: pctech on Oct 03, 2012, 19:59:53

My friend may I point to my post in this thread http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,20063.msg479527.html#msg479527

If you are a corporate buying lorry loads of servers and desktops they are all over you but if you are individual they don't give a stuff so thats why I say to avoid them.

Wrong.

I have my own small company and we buy maybe one every year and never have any problems with them is either specifying, ordering, delivery, warranty or support. How many other companies provide a 5, yes five, year extended warranty? And when there is a problem resolve it on the next business day. Additionally I provide advice and consultancy to small organisations and tend to recommend/specify Dell - problem free and I also have experience on the corporate side purchasing large number and have never had any significant problems there either.

Steve · Oct 03, 2012, 20:35:29

My only experience with Dell computers is using them at work (although the spec is not high in this case),they do take some 'stick' day in day out and from my experience their reliability is first rate. In fact I've yet to come across one that has a fault and some of them are positively vintage. However I agree a bad experience does make one think twice and can cloud one's judgement.

Lance · Oct 03, 2012, 22:20:08

We used to have HP at work, but are moving to Dell laptops as part of our transformation programme. I'm getting my new laptop next Monday and over the last 6 months over 3000 of the things have been rolled out to users with another 3-4000 to go. If there were any doubts on reliability we wouldn't have moved away from HP. Some of our HP kit is over 5 years old (with the occassional desktop over 7 years old) and still going strong.

Polchraine · Oct 04, 2012, 08:57:55

Quote from: Lance on Oct 03, 2012, 22:20:08
We used to have HP at work, but are moving to Dell laptops as part of our transformation programme. I'm getting my new laptop next Monday and over the last 6 months over 3000 of the things have been rolled out to users with another 3-4000 to go. If there were any doubts on reliability we wouldn't have moved away from HP. Some of our HP kit is over 5 years old (with the occasional desktop over 7 years old) and still going strong.

I have recently retired a Dell desktop machine that was around 12 years old - it would be on 24 hours/day although maybe 6 in standby for 95% of that time. In that time just two minor faults - a nylon bush/washer on the PSU fan went twice, first time after about 6 or 7 years and all it did was make it noisy. We still have a couple of 8 year old laptops and my day to day machine is a near 6 year old laptop which has a couple of minor faults including a 6 pixels failing on the screen in two small hard to detect blocks - all repaired the next day and when the technician saw how the case was damaged - the PC has had some rough treatment he called up for a replacement case, at no cost to me.

I am just about to order a new laptop and there will probably be just Dell being considered. A Samsung might be looked at as it needs to be one which "looks nice"!

pctech · Oct 04, 2012, 19:23:31

You are buying as a BUSINESS customer, not a consumer as I was.

I'm very pleased you are happy with the service you have recieved, however I wasted several days off waiting for machines that didn't show up and several evenings of long waits on hold to talk to their dedicated support tried to fob me off in the main, only one guy I spoke to actually wanted to help and listened.

He actually phoned me back the next night and asked had anyone been in touch about the issue during the day, I replied no and he sighed 'no I didn't think they would'

That to me says everything about the culture of the company and its attitude toward consumer customers.

Polchraine · Oct 04, 2012, 20:05:32

Dell do not make distinctions between a business or retail/consumer customer. I have purchased as myself - an individual on several occasions and have noticed no difference in service.

pctech · Oct 06, 2012, 17:49:49

I think we ought to agree to disagree on this one.

I don't intend and wouldn't recommend others to who work for someone else for a living (unless they work from home) to give them another chance to waste my time.

Niall · Oct 06, 2012, 19:43:10

A bit arrogant to say someone is wrong because their experience differs from your own.

I have always known Dell to be cr*p for customer service and product wise. It was a running theme on forums for many a year. In fact a friend of mine is a web developer and has a Dell laptop and the quality was very poor (was clearly used), and she had about 3 months of problems getting their support to sort it. In the end they had to supply her with a completely different laptop as they claimed they didn't have any others in stock. Also, when the 'engineer' came round to sort the laptop, he stuck a screwdriver straight through the casing, gouging a big gash across it.

Personal experience says Dell are poor too. My last job had Dell PCs and small server setup (although I couldn't tell you what the server set up was as I worked on the floor, not in the office) and the PCs were always having issues, as was the network due to awful hardware constantly failing. In the end they had to replace half of the hardware (at no cost mind as it was under contract). Also I noticed (as I had the spare network cable) that it was REALLY cr*p cabling that they supplied the company. I'm not sure what it was, but the transfer speeds were very poor using that.

These days Dell have VERY hit or miss support and products. Plenty of info about if you look

pctech · Oct 06, 2012, 20:02:30

I didn't say he was wrong, I said I think we need to agree to disagree Niall.

My comments were based on my experience.

Niall · Oct 06, 2012, 20:18:14

Quote from: pctech on Oct 06, 2012, 20:02:30
I didn't say he was wrong, I said I think we need to agree to disagree Niall.

My comments were based on my experience.

I wasn't talking to you

pctech · Oct 06, 2012, 22:43:54

Ok

I suppose I'm a little less tolerant of bad service as I experienced with Dell because I do have working hours and so my leave is quite valuable to me.

If you are on your own time such as if you work from home or own your own company (I intend to do this myself one day) then you will be able to put up with more.

Niall · Oct 06, 2012, 23:47:44

Exactly right. This is why things going wrong for me, absolutely infuriate me. I have very little time to myself, even less now I have to walk everywhere as a part of my physio for my knee and back! Due to lack of time I need things to work properly and for companies to provide what is paid for. If I have to get on the phone to support for anything then whatever the company is, they've already failed me so I'm not happy from that point on as it is. If I then have to wait for an engineer, etc, I lose the entire day waiting for a vague 8am-1pm slot. An example is I have to wait in next saturday for a BT engineer (again) and as a result I can't go to an event I was planning on attending.

Polchraine · Oct 07, 2012, 09:30:03

On Friday, my daughter came to me and said: "My laptop will not turn on" and yes it is a Dell coming up 3 years old. A quick check and there is still warranty/support in place.

Did some basic checks to ensure PSU was working, tried to power up with/without battery ... nothing.

Called Tech Support and through to an agent within a minute. He asked if I was OK to do some checks - told him what I had done and the field I work in, "fine, we will skip those checks but need to ensure all parts are fitted OK, do you have a small screwdriver and will you be happy taking a cover off". So, he guided me through checking memory, HDD, DVD, WiFi were all seated with power on checks at various times. I did not need his guidance but thought I would see how good he was. Still nothing, so a technician will be here on Monday morning - with various parts.

Fault that for service to a "Consumer".

pctech · Oct 07, 2012, 18:30:01

Things have obviously improved dramatically then.

Polchraine · Oct 07, 2012, 19:35:46

In the past, as a personal user, I have called Dell on Boxing Day - on their US number and they called me back to sort out a config/BIOS corruption.

As a business user, I had a laptop with accidental damage cover. My keyboard failed/damaged whilst in Canada so I called Tech Support who said they would be there the following morning but could only fit a US keyboard as they did not have any UK ones. However, they arranged for a UK keyboard to be shipped across and it was fitted two or three days later when I was in LA.

pctech · Oct 07, 2012, 19:58:22

I called using their UK numbers.

Polchraine · Oct 07, 2012, 20:20:11

Quote from: pctech on Oct 07, 2012, 19:58:22
I called using their UK numbers.

I normally do, but Boxing Day afternoon was a not a standard time ...

Polchraine · Oct 08, 2012, 13:55:11

Quote from: pctech on Oct 07, 2012, 18:30:01
Things have obviously improved dramatically then.

Well, they failed ... Called at 9:50 to say he would be about 40 minutes and arrived just after 10:30. Did the basic checks and believed it was either teh Motherboard or power connector. Replaced both and rebuilt machine - still failed. Went through various checks/test and the conclusion is that the CPU has failed. A replacement has been requested and will be with me late today or early tomorrow! How often do CPUs fail? It is a rare occurrence and not to have been expected.

I will still rate their service as 9/10

pctech · Oct 08, 2012, 15:58:55

Unless its overheated, not normally.

Polchraine · Oct 08, 2012, 17:13:27

Quote from: pctech on Oct 08, 2012, 15:58:55
Unless its overheated, not normally.

Possible, but unlikely. The last thing it was used for was watching a DVD and then shutdown! It never gets used for any processor heavy tasks so unless the heat transfer mechanism and fan have failed unlikely. I shall wait and see what happens tomorrow.

Glenn · Oct 08, 2012, 17:24:25

I've had a few HP laptops recently needing a new heatsink/radiator assembly, as they have become blocked/leaked. The heatsink would be roasting above the cpu but stone cold the close it got to the radiator, the cpu would shutdown the laptop when it got to it's thermal limits.

Polchraine · Oct 08, 2012, 17:29:44

Quote from: Glenn on Oct 08, 2012, 17:24:25
I've had a few HP laptops recently needing a new heatsink/radiator assembly, as they have become blocked/leaked. The heatsink would be roasting above the cpu but stone cold the close it got to the radiator, the cpu would shutdown the laptop when it got to it's thermal limits.

I checked the fan vents and radiator fins last week - all nice and clean. The heat pipe might be a problem but without it running there is no way to tell. This one will not even boot! Two flashes from the power LED and that is it!

Glenn · Oct 08, 2012, 17:36:53

No other LED's flashing? Dell portable error codes

Polchraine · Oct 08, 2012, 17:54:52

Absolutely NOTHING. It is literally two flashes on the power LED and that is it. I had been though all diagnostics before calling them. The only other LED that might flash is if I disconnect mains power, try a boot from battery a few times then reconnect power and the battery LED will flash once or twice as charge.

pctech · Oct 09, 2012, 16:19:32

What CPU is it running?

Polchraine · Oct 09, 2012, 16:34:47

Quote from: pctech on Oct 09, 2012, 16:19:32
What CPU is it running?

INTEL CORE 2 DUO P7570 (2.26GHz 3GB cache)

Well CPU changed today and still nothing ... so now en-route back to Dell for repair, there is something wrong that cannot be traced without full diagnostic equipment. All removable components were rmoved and it still failed to boot in any form. The HDD is staying here as they can repair using a standard drive.

pctech · Oct 09, 2012, 17:03:36

PSU failure?

I say that only because you haven't mentioned whether he tried it with another after replacing the motherboard.

Polchraine · Oct 09, 2012, 17:07:42

Not sure on that one ... I did ask and the comment was "that will be sorted back at the Dell facility". The external power block is fine, the battery is fine and charged up from near flat to full.

pctech · Oct 09, 2012, 18:25:14

Very odd indeed.

Glenn · Oct 09, 2012, 19:12:12

All that is left is the heatsink, screen, DVD drive, memory, or the case.

Polchraine · Oct 09, 2012, 19:37:21

Quote from: Glenn on Oct 09, 2012, 19:12:12
All that is left is the heatsink, screen, DVD drive, memory, or the case.

Heatsink all looked fine and would not cause it to fail to boot!; DVD drive and memory both removed and failed to boot, reseated and failed; screen disconnected and failed to boot; keyboard, disconnected and failed to boot ... case

? It is literally a case of nothing happens except a flash from the power switch as it is pressed and another 1 second later - no fans start to spin, no drive starts or anything.

Niall · Oct 09, 2012, 20:35:00

Quote from: Polchraine on Oct 09, 2012, 19:37:21
Heatsink all looked fine and would not cause it to fail to boot!; DVD drive and memory both removed and failed to boot, reseated and failed; screen disconnected and failed to boot; keyboard, disconnected and failed to boot ... case ? It is literally a case of nothing happens except a flash from the power switch as it is pressed and another 1 second later - no fans start to spin, no drive starts or anything.

Only time I've seen the fans not spin is when a motherboard has died. Could be other causes but it's the only time I've ever seen it happen in 13 years of building PCs for myself and friends

pctech · Oct 09, 2012, 21:21:39

I would say the same Niall.

Think its a connection somewhere

Polchraine · Oct 09, 2012, 21:30:36

Quote from: Niall on Oct 09, 2012, 20:35:00
Only time I've seen the fans not spin is when a motherboard has died. Could be other causes but it's the only time I've ever seen it happen in 13 years of building PCs for myself and friends

Similar thought - but motherboard has been changed. And all connections checked twice when it would not work with the replacement. I shall see what the problem was when it returns.

cavillas · Oct 10, 2012, 10:14:21

Replacement motherboard and replacement processor and that equals different machine to me so if power supply is ok then there must be a short that affects mobo when installed. After all a computer is mainly just a mobo, processor and power supply.

Rik · Oct 10, 2012, 10:36:52

And memory. I had a machine fail in a similar manner, all 4 sticks of memory had died.

Technical Ben · Oct 10, 2012, 11:16:48

Yep. Seems it's a usual hardware fault when the little light flashes. Either the power supply or the motherboard (that included the connected devices. Memory etc).
The thing to remember about laptops it they are not kept under a desk. So it's easier for a little knock or twist to break something. That and due to their limited space, the heat buildup can cause parts to fall of, although mainly only the heatsinks.

As an example, both the PS3 and Xbox first models overheated and caused their own parts to fall off (Xbox the heatsink, and PS3 the who chip! :O ).

Glenn · Oct 10, 2012, 12:25:33

Dell normally screw the heatsinks through the systemboard to the chassis.

Polchraine · Oct 10, 2012, 12:49:41

Quote from: Glenn on Oct 10, 2012, 12:25:33
Dell normally screw the heatsinks through the systemboard to the chassis.

Not on this one ...

pctech · Oct 10, 2012, 15:17:28

Seems your laptop is completely screwed, never mind the heatsink

Polchraine · Oct 10, 2012, 15:44:08

Quote from: pctech on Oct 10, 2012, 15:17:28
Seems your laptop is completely screwed, never mind the heatsink

There is something wrong ... could be a major fault or just a small piece of stray wire causing a short ... I will say that Tech Support and service have been extremely good throughout this problem and I cannot fault the performance (except failure to resolve on the first visit) or response times. What I will be doing is using the need to return the unit to Dell rather than the next day on site for the repair to get an additional discount from them for the new laptop I am about to buy.

pctech · Oct 10, 2012, 16:10:00

Lets hope they don't replace it with a bashed up refurb

All jokes aside, I hope it gets sorted quickly for you.