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from the "bricks"-is-absolutely-accurate-this-time dept.
The Register (aka El Reg) reports:
Many [who installed the latest Dell BIOS update] now cannot boot up their machines. One typical explanation posted was: "Add me to the list Dell Inspiron 20 model 3052, updated on the weekend, woke up to a solid amber/orange light and a dead computer. Contacted Dell on facebook and this is what I was told "The updates Dell releases don't affect the system. But it would enhance the performance of the system" ummmm no....if they broke they need to fix it."
[...] Some users complained screens cycled through red, green, blue and white while others saw nothing but an amber or red power light and a dead screen.
The main model affected by the allegedly dodgy update is the Inspiron 20 3052, although a few users reported similar problems with Inspiron 3252s.
[...] Dell's initial reaction was to tell customers they needed to buy new motherboards.
[...] Although complaints in the forum date back to May 12, Dell took four days to offer up a possible solution... which users subsequently said didn't work. Dell has yet to send [El Reg] a statement.
Have we saved anyone from a big headache?
The relevant Dell forum thread can be found here.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 20 2017, @05:12AM (5 children)
Its "business-grade" stuff... what did you expect?
(Score: 3, Informative) by drussell on Saturday May 20 2017, @06:38AM (4 children)
Its "business-grade" stuff... what did you expect?
As much as I dislike most Dell stuff, I have always thought the Latitude models were the business-class machines and actually pretty decent most of the time. The Inspiron line is usually pretty much junk.
(Score: 1, Disagree) by arcz on Saturday May 20 2017, @06:50AM (3 children)
When you want a decent screen resolution at a particular price point that inspiron starts to look pretty good in comparison.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Immerman on Saturday May 20 2017, @04:35PM (2 children)
So you want a more expensive screen in a laptop with the same price tag? You've got to know you're not getting it for free - it's costing you lower quality components elsewhere.
Of course if that fits your priorities better, then by all means go for it.
(Score: 1) by arcz on Wednesday May 24 2017, @10:20PM (1 child)
Sometimes a better screen is more important than a better processor. If you want a large screen to watch videos with, then inspiron is the better deal. I don't have a TV, so I'm glad I was able to get a decent resolution on my laptop for a decent price.
My desktop is now 5 years old and it still does everything I need it to just fine.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Thursday May 25 2017, @12:08AM
I agree - very little beyond video games has demanded high performance consumer products in many years. In fact my list of laptop-purchase considerations, for both myself and when giving advice, puts screen, speakers, and keyboard near the top, along with considerations like port and ventilation positions as I find being able to set a laptop on-edge on a bookshelf or in any vertical gap such as beside the couch is wonderfully convenient, but it requires that a "normal loadout" of cables and USB dongles leave one vent-free side unobstructed. (Well, I suppose vent-free is only required it you want to leave it running sometimes)
But having owned a Latitude for many years, I have to say it was far more durable and dependable than anything else I've encountered. And frankly, build quality seems to be one of the first things to go when manufacturers start looking to hit a price point.