Jeff,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

There was an issue with a flimsy keyboard for this system.  The purchase date on your system is 01-09-04.  This is much later than when the issue appeared.  Your system has revised parts so that there is no issue.

My system is a refurbished system.  So it could be older.

Jeff,

Is the correct service tag for the Inspiron 8600 in your forum profile?  I will check again, if the one in the profile is incorrect.

Yes, the service tae is correct that is in my profile.  I just got the computer and the left side of the computer does feel a little mushy compared to the right side.  It aslo makes a springy type of noise.  Thanks for the help.

Who do I contact about a burnt pixel?

Jeff

Jeff,

It looked to me like you have the latest revision of the palmrest on your system.  The LCD displays built into all Dell portable systems are of the highest quality available in the industry. Rigid Quality Control standards assure that the display on your Dell portable system is clear and viewable.

However, no manufacturing process is perfect. On an average LCD display, there are some 2.36 million individual transistors printed onto the display panel, and it is not uncommon for 1 or more of these Picture Elements, or pixels, to be stuck in an unchanging state. The visible result is a black spot (where the pixel is stuck off), or a constant Red, Green, or Blue spot (where the pixel is stuck on).

In most cases, these stuck pixels are hard to notice and do not detract from the display quality or usability. A display with 1-5 stuck pixels is within the industry quality specifications, and is therefore considered an acceptable display. An important point to remember about stuck pixels is that they are fixed features of the display and will not spread to nearby pixels.

If you notice more than nine stuck pixels on your display, or if the position of any stuck pixel(s) is such that it distracts from proper viewing of the display, call Dell Technical Support to report the matter. A technician will gather information from you about the number of stuck pixels and their relative positions to determine if your display is within our quality specifications or not. If not, our technical associates will arrange service for the display under the terms of the system warranty.

You may want to repost your question to the video forum if this does not answer your question.

The left side of the keyboard does sink lower than the right side and has a longer stroke.  Tech support is sending a new one to me.

Hi There,

 

I am experiencing the exact same problem with my 8600.  The left hand side of the key board sinks a little and the keys on that side all have more depth.  I ordered my system on aroud the 9th too and it arrived on the 14th.

Please advise on how best to get this resolved as Im otherwise over the moon with this machine and its really letting it down.

 

Many thanks, Rick.

Just wanted to throw in some of my personal experience.

I have the 8500 which did have the flimsy keyboard on the left side. I fixed it up myself and it is working perfectly. No complaints.

A friend of mine ordered the 8600 during the christmas holiday. He received it early January. I tried it out and the keyboard feels perfect. The left side is rock solid and the right side felt very good as well. Nothing compared to mine.

Don't know if it has anything to do with it being ordered in Canada.

I called tech support and had no problems.  They had me check the screws in the bottom to make sure they were tight, when I told them they were they sent me a new keyboard.  Airborne Express overnight!  Had it the next day.  Took five minutes to swap and just have to send the otehr one back with the slip they provide and original box.  They send instructions and a screwdrive to make it even easier.  When you get the new one, you can see a difference in build quality between the two.  The bad one has all sorts of little "holes" in the bottom of it, thus giving it too much flex.  New one works great.  Just have to snap the blue bar off that is above the keyboard, take out two screws and unplug.  Hope you have good luck getting it fixed!

 

Jeff

I just received my new 8600 (service tag 5WH8641)  as a replacement for a defective unit within the 30 day satisfaction period. Unfortunately, this new model (& I hope it is a NEW unit, not a REFURBISHED one--how can I tell the difference?) has the spongy left keyboard problem (the original defective unit had a tight, normal keyoboard). When you press on any keys, left or right side, all the surrounding keys "sink" a bit. Worst of all, most of the left-hand keys (such as QWER, ASDF, ZXCV and a few others) make a very loud and noticeable "clopping" or "slapping" sound when pressed.

What gives with the quality control on these machines???  What seems like and should be a beautiful machine is very disappointing!

Is it really simple to replace the keyboard?  The first machine needed a new touchpad/glidepad. This required the on-site technician to dis-assemble virtually the entire machine! After it got put back together the area near the volume buttons vibrated and buzzed terribly whenever the fan kicked in. I hope replacing the keyboard won't cause similar problems.