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disappointed with Dell Studio XPS 8100 purchase
Bad points? I've got a list ...
- I purchased and paid for Microsoft Windows 7 Professional and Microsoft Office 2010 Professional:
did not receive Windows 7 CD-ROM until I went back & forth with offshore "customer service" for two weeks - finally
received a "disaster recovery" CD-ROM for "reinstallation";
never received Office; took over seven hours (Virgin Mobile "Broadband2Go") to download "trial version" from Microsoft,
which "customer service" claimed could be used for disaster recovery - we'll see
NOTHING was said during the purchase process that CD-ROMs for the purchased software were not included;
had I known, I'd have purchased the software elsewhere and installed it myself, since hardcopies are vital for disaster recovery;
is this standard practice now? The snail-mail I got today says that Dell does sell "boxed" software, so it isn't as though
they don't have hardcopies available. - standard desktop keyboard is extremely unfriendly to touch-typists like me - keys are much too flat
- I did not purchase a printer, so Dell did not install a printer driver; both HP and Dell insist that the "default" printer driver
can be used, so no downloads are available; I'm unable to hook up my existing HP printer - The purchase was made on 11/26/2010; computer was shipped on 11/30/2010; FedEx (not my choice) attempted delivery on 12/06/2010;
I arranged to make the pickup the following day at a FedEx location less than two hours from home;
I actually accepted delivery on 12/08/2010.
So why is the warranty less than one year, expiring on 11/26/2011?
Good points? Faster than my seven-year-old Dimension 8250 (I should hope so), and I got free delivery.
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
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44.4K Posts
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December 27th, 2010 18:00
Dell, like most all PC companies, and at Microsoft's recommendation, doesn't include the Windows CD/DVD with any new systems now. If you followed Dell's instructions, you could create a backup CD/DVD image of your hard drive yourself, one time only, for future use. As you found, Dell will provide the Windows CD/DVD when requested, but they don't make it easy.
Dell does include a PC Restore image on the hard drive which will allow you to reset the drive to exactly the way they shipped it with Windows, drivers, and software (all personal files are deleted forever), so you can very quickly get back to the as-shipped state. But -obviously- that assumes the hard drive hasn't failed.
As for Office, if you purchased the full version from Dell, you should have gotten the installation CD (and product key) with your system. That's something you need to follow up on. You might try Unresolved Issues. If you only got the trial version of Office, you can't get the CD unless you buy the software.
As for the warranty, it's always from date of purchase (eg, order date), not from delivery date. Whether that's fair is debateable, but that's what they do...
Ron
osprey4
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4 Operator
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December 28th, 2010 05:00
Hi Ambonk,
I've got the same system. I wasn't too keen on the keyboard but my daughter loved it, so we just swapped.
On the printer driver, obviously what you get are the printers included with Win 7 (not Dell's fault). However, Microsoft provides drivers for lots of legacy hardware on their site. I was able to find drivers for my 10 year old HP Laserjet 6P in about two seconds of searching.
Good luck with the new system!
Davet50
14.4K Posts
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December 28th, 2010 18:00
Warranty starts from the ship date. This is and has been Dell standard practice.
Printer drivers are the users responsibility. How can Dell or any other OEM know what printer you have. I would suggest that if your are not getting any support form HP try posting your Printer issue HERE