Using Dell Technical Chat to Get Things Fixed

May 14th, 2008 · No Comments

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I mentioned that I was trying to rescue the old Dell from the blue screen of death. I was pretty convinced that a virus was causing problems, but after running some diagnostics realized that the hard drive might actually be fried. This really sucks because we don’t want to get another computer right now.

What I didn’t know (until yesterday) is that the old girl is still under warranty! Four years ago, I was able to get a really nice Dell Inspiron 9100 through work, and I did not know that it came with a 4 year warranty (that will expire at the end of June).

I have called Dell Technical Support before, only to be continually frustrated by offshore communication issues. This time, I contacted online Technical Support, and was pleasantly surprised. After a brief chat, I am getting a new hard drive sent, and a Tech Support guy is coming to the house tomorrow to install new fans (this particular model is famous for having issues with overheating, which I have experienced firsthand).

After these issues are resolved, I’ll be contacting them again, since my CD/DVD burner died last year (might as well get a replacement while still under warranty) and I have a small red vertical stripe that runs down the right side of the screen (this is unacceptable only because this machine was optimized/purchased to handle graphics). I have also read that some people with this model have been able to get replacements since their computer runs so hot (mine runs at about 70C when surfing the net!).

Overall, it is a great relief to know that we shouldn’t have to purchase a new computer anytime soon. Perhaps I will consider upgrading the RAM (currently at 1GB) if everything starts to work.

Have you had any experience with Dell Technical Service online? Has your experience been as good as mine?