Tech Forum

Our stake received a batch of Dell 580 pc's about two months ago and I've been slowly working to get them installed. This afternoon my Bishop called to say that his computer was dead. It had power, but wouldn't boot or go into the setup mode. No response from the keyboard at all. To save time, I used another new computer which had been destined for another ward as a replacement. I simply swapped hard-drives and had our ward back on-line in a few minutes.

I've also seen multiple instances where the "pair" of USB ports in the rear of the machine gets turned off in the CMOS. This has happened 3 times - twice to me and once a short while ago to another ward.

As these boxes are brand new I'm starting to wonder just how reliable they are going to be.

Has anyone else experienced any issues with the DELL 580's??

The only issue I've had with the six I've installed is one that had a bad memory module after a couple months. Took it out, but still need to get it replaced under warranty. The machine is still running fine with 2gb, though.

Regarding diagnostics, I found it especially helpful to pay attention to any beeps or error lights on the case. The manual for decoding them is at https://support.dell.com/support/edocs/ ... /diags.htm. I was able to remotely diagnose the problem and walk the clerk through the steps to remedy it.

I had one motherboard go bad a few weeks after setting up the new computer. However, I've only set up 3 total, so not a large sample size. The other 2 have not had a single problem.

About the CMOS, would checking the Dell site for updated BIOS help? The service tag can be found on a sticker on your PC.

I've had 4 with no problems; had a DOA power supply in a 740 though.

I contacted Dell this afternoon and they had me do a few checks of various things.
The result was that memory slots #1, #2 (out of 4) are both defective.
They're sending out a repair technician with a new board.

I just hope that this resolves the problem and we don't additional issues with the remaining 7 systems.

techgy wrote:I contacted Dell this afternoon and they had me do a few checks of various things.
The result was that memory slots #1, #2 (out of 4) are both defective.

What did they have you check? I just heard one of our computers had some issues with memory not being recognized.

The Optiplex units are usually quite solid; I have one on my desk at work that's been running nearly 24/7 for 4 years now and it's still chugging along fine (with the exception of a broken DVD drive.) If I had to guess... I'd say that unless you're receiving these units directly from Dell, if you're seeing high failure rates, it's probably due to handling/storage issues. It's amazing what damp closets or being thrown into the back of a minivan will do...

rgme wrote:What did they have you check? I just heard one of our computers had some issues with memory not being recognized.

If you suspect memory issues, I highly recommend running either MemTest86 or MemTest86+. (Similar products, just different development teams.) Either one will work with these systems. Both products run from a bootable CD that's easy to create.

Mikerowaved wrote:If you suspect memory issues, I highly recommend running either MemTest86 or MemTest86+. (Similar products, just different development teams.) Either one will work with these systems. Both products run from a bootable CD that's easy to create.

You can also run Dell's official diagnostic CD (available as an ISO download at support.dell.com,) which is what their techs may make you run anyway if you need warranty support.