Dell Desktops from £129.99 - Quick!! [CLOSED]

Searcher2

mssjab - The Initial Next Business Day is your warranty and is just short of 3 years... it means Dell will come out and fix problems the day after you ring them in your own home. Ring Dell (as mentioned above) to get the warranty changed to your name.

You may be able to get Dell to send you recovery disks a cost but there is an option to make your own recovery disks (have not go the PC here to tell you how to do it). Dell do not ship recovery disks any more unless you pay extra for them. Maybe ask Dell when you ring them regarding the warranty. Make sure you copy the recovery disk when you make it as it only allows one set of disks to be made.

As for XP Media Centre - looks like you were lucky then - at a guess you may well find you have a sound card in there too you weren't expecting.

rogerramjet

catanna4u wrote:

The Desktop i recieved was the HP 3000, though the week before an irish guy had told me he was going to send an upgraded pc, with 500mb ram and 2.6ghz , when infact i recieved the 256ram and 1.8ghz cpu. this meant that the machine that was sent to me was of a lower grade than the origional pc, because the cpu would have actually been slower than the origional dell, and there is no way of upgrading that!

HTH

If it was the dell 3000 you ordered, the HP is a higher spec....the processor in the HP is lower in ghz, however the performance is actually higher than the intel hence the 3000+ tag. The AMD processors have out performed the intel for a good while now, hence the reason intel have changed how they advertise them with proecessor numbers rather than Ghz. If I'm not mistaken the Intel Celeron 2.66Ghz processor in the Dell 3000 is the older processor and not the newer D processor. The HP also comes with a DVD+/- 16x burner whereas the Dell was a 48x CDR/DVD rom. The HP also has a standard motherboard which IS capable of running the newer AMD 64bit processers, and the fact it has SATA ports on the board and a PCIe slot means it can be upgraded far easier than any Dell unit.

If you managed to squeeze something else out them then well done

catanna4u

rogerramjet wrote:

If it was the dell 3000 you ordered, the HP is a higher spec....the processor in the HP is lower in ghz, however the performance is actually higher than the intel hence the 3000+ tag. The AMD processors have out performed the intel for a good while now, hence the reason intel have changed how they advertise them with proecessor numbers rather than Ghz. If I'm not mistaken the Intel Celeron 2.66Ghz processor in the Dell 3000 is the older processor and not the newer D processor. The HP also comes with a DVD+/- 16x burner whereas the Dell was a 48x CDR/DVD rom. The HP also has a standard motherboard which IS capable of running the newer AMD 64bit processers, and the fact it has SATA ports on the board and a PCIe slot means it can be upgraded far easier than any Dell unit.

If you managed to squeeze something else out them then well done

My mistake, thats what happens when i try to describe from my memory what my geeky tecky boyfriend said in computer gibberish :rotfl: . what he said exactly was.....

"its the cut down version of the AMD processor, and he expects it to run slower than the intel, it can be upgraded though"

If you want to debate it, i will have to get both of you together to talk tecky stuff, i'm staying out of this LOL

mssjab

Many thanks Searcher2 for your prompt and informative reply - it's really appreciated.

It was only by chance that I looked briefly at this forum and saw that I might have to register myself with Dell to ensure that the warranty would be honoured (there's nothing about that in the papers I received), and for a period of nearly 3 years you say - that's terrific.
I don't want to trouble you, but is there any reason (do you know) why Dell have said that the unit has 2 warranty periods - both CAR and Initial Next Business Day.

Yes, I was very pleased, and surprised, to find that XP Media Center was installed - according to the description on the internet the unit comes with Soundblaster live 24 bit audio output and I've got a cd that says that its Creative Audigy Advanced HD - whatever that means!!

I've sent an email to Dell asking if they'll supply me with Recovery Discs, which I understand I'll have to pay for, but I will ask them about some discs when I 'phone them about the warranty.

escapee

I am extremely annoyed with BT, I sent for one of these on behalf of my aunty as her ageing unit is just about to give up the ghost, a few days after ordering she received a telephone call telling her that she will be receiving a more expensive HP computer at the same price as they had run out of dell units, over TWO WEEKS, dozens of phonecalls and three emails to BT nothing has turned up and we are still unaware as to what position we stand. I will never be using the BT company again thats for sure, this experience has left me with egg on my face for recommending she use BT for her 'new' computer!

Searcher2

mssjab - I have just decided I should make an OS Recovery Disk for my Dimension 5100. It seems straight forward enough. Just do :

Start
All Programs
Dell Accessories
Dell OS Recovery CD

Accept the T&C's, pop in a blank CD-R and off you go. When finished make a copy of the CD.

Don't worry about the CAR ...you've got almost 3 full years warranty - that's all that matters.

mssjab

Once again, Searcher2, many thanks for your prompt reply.

I've gone through the process, as you've described, to obtain an OS Recovery Disc but unfortunately without success. The only option available to me at the 'Dell Accessories' point is a 'Driver Reset Tool'

I've run several 'file searches' using different variations on the word 'recovery etc' but all without success. The on-board User Manual only tells me how to use the inbuilt System and PC Restore programmes.

My computer, by the way, is a Dimension 3100 but I would have thought that it would have been possible to make a Recovery Disc irrespective of the model type - but perhaps not. I've had a look on the Dell website for some help, but no luck there.

Anyway, I've taken up a lot of your time and feel that I should trouble you no further.

Thank you very much for all your help.

biglugs

mssjab
The file you need to search for is called ODM.exe and on my PC it resides in C:\Dell\Mediaexe if that is any help
Cheers

mssjab

Hi biglugs.

Many thanks for your suggestion, but the file(s) cannot be found by my computer.

I can only presume that Dell didn't put the programme into my computer - if that's not a silly thing to say.

Whilst I would be the first one to say that I've got a lot to learn with this new computer of mine, I have been used to W98SE and W2K and so I'm fairly certain that I've covered all the 'bases' to find this file - but perhaps not!!

Anyway; thanks for your help, and by the way, I like the quote at the bottom of your post.

Searcher2

mssjab wrote:

Once again, Searcher2, many thanks for your prompt reply.

I've gone through the process, as you've described, to obtain an OS Recovery Disc but unfortunately without success. The only option available to me at the 'Dell Accessories' point is a 'Driver Reset Tool'

I have just checked my PC and now I have only 'Driver Reset Tool' under 'Dell Accessories'... Looks like once it has been run it is removed as an option. I wonder whether someone has already run it before your received the PC. I doubt it but it's a possibility. When you switched on your PC for the first time did it ask you to set up Windows e.g. say what time zone you were in etc. ?

Maybe someone else with one of the 3100's can tell you if they have the option... or ring Dell.