I really want to replace my hard drive well it's virus filled and can't take then out....\n\nCould I buy a normal name brand hard drive or only a dell caz if I don't "it won't be full compaible" -_- \n\nwhy I ask dell parts cost a arm and a leg and I really can't spend ALOT of money... ^^;
132295
No you dont need Dell parts, you can buy any brand.
670369
You can probably replace the motherboard, if only you can find that one to replace it.   That MB was probably only available for a year or so.   \n\nGetting a new motherboard could mean getting a new processor chip, new memory and possibly other new parts.   This will end up costing more than just buying a DELL.    So consider that option, if you can't find an exact replacement.  \n\nIn the meantime, keep your computer on it's side with GRAVITY holding the Heatsink in place.  As long as you don't move the comptuer, it should be just fine.  But it will be difficult to use the CD drive.  \n\nGood luck
25919
I would say you contact DELL, coz it could be a safety hazard issue here. They might even offer you a replacement in this case. Just try ur luck.
243741
$50 for an $80 GB hard drive is a decent deal. I'm not sure what you're asking though because you asked two very different questions. \n\nDo you need an 'enclosure' for it? Well, if it didn't come with an enclosure, that is, a case for it to sit in, then how is it an 'external' hard drive? The only thing that separates an ex. hdd from an in. hdd is the fact that it has a case that can be plugged in to a computer via firewire or USB. So, if you bought a 80 GB hdd for $50 with no enclosure, then it could be used for an internal hdd just the same. Either way, $50 isn't a bad deal. \n\nMaxtor is a pretty good brand. If you want to make it an external hdd, you need to invest in an enclosure-- would might cost around $20-$30. Still, an 80 GB ex. hdd for $80 is cheaper than a brand new one. Firewire is faster...
225721
After owning many brands, I will not own anything but a Dell.  I have had problems with all the other brands.  Dell provides excellent service and the computers are excellent.  Also, you can get your  computer made the way you want it.
470197
~ Would you please edit your post and give more details about what you're trying to do ?\n\nAre you trying to reinstall your operating system, drivers ???\n\nPlease be as specific as possible, so we can better assist you.\n\n\n\nEDIT:\n~ I apologize for not getting back to you sooner, things came up.\n\nFirst, backup all your important files before you do anything else!!\n\nHave you tried/considered  a Repair install? \nI would try that first.\n\nThis is from Dell's site:\nhttp://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,6418+6429+18287,00.html\n\nAlso here:\nhttp://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm\n\nIf that isn't what you need, then here's a couple of sites that provide a  "step by step" for a reinstall. \n\nJust remember if your XP CD doesn't have SP2 on it, this too will need to be reinstalled.\n\nhttp://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp\n\nhttp://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxphome/installxpcdrepair/indexfullpage.htm\n\nhttp://www.cyberwalker.net/columns/aug02/010802.html\n\nDon't forget when you do a reinstall that you have to "re-activate" your copy of Windows with Microsoft.\n\n~ I sincerely wish you the best with this endeavor, and I hope it goes easily for you. :)
207821
I've used all three a great many times and all three are just as good.\n\nI actually have 4 hard drives in my PCs, 600 gigs, 2 WD's and 2 Maxtor's.\n\nI would just go with whatever you can get the best price on.
501869
Hundreds of people buy refurbished laptops every week.  I can't tell whether you made a wise purchase without knowing what u bought and for how much, and what it included.  However, it is safe to say that if you dealt with a reputable company, such as one of the mainstream manufacturers or one of the major refurb sellers, you are probably all right.  I bought one direct from Dell by auction about a year and a half ago, and I was pleased with the deal I got.  My only gripe is that the battery needed replacing after about 9 mos.  \nThe most important thing is to understand what you are getting and what you are not getting.  Read all the info available, and plan on buying software to load if necessary, etc.
405368
Exactly.  Now that I have my inexpensive Dell desktop, I don't want anything else to do with Dell.  \n\nI'll follow up on the answer.....
308085
i just bought another Dell.  Watch this link for specials:  http://www.gottadeal.com/dell.php
519746
I'm assuming you mean your harddrive capacity, How much storage you have for space? This is different then RAM. \n\n\nIf you are talking about hard drives, then you can buy a 300GB hard drive for around 100$, and a 120GB hard drive for about 40$.\n\nAfter you buy it, they are fairly simple to install. Take off your case cover, touch the back of the case to ground yourself. then set the hard drive in the slot for it in your case. and plug the power cord and the one IDE cable(or SATA depending on your computer) and you should be set. When you start windows you can go to my computer and another hard drive will come up probably as letter D replacing your CD drive, unless you currently have a secondary harddrive or partition. IF you want everything on your new harddrive, then you will have to install windows directly on it.\n\n\nIt seems like you might end up needing more help then just this, I would suggest signing up at a Computer/Tech forum and asking, since you can reply in the topic and get easier help then asking a new question each time. My favorite would be xTechForum.com(hence my name) it's a smaller more community based forum, but it's still extremely helpful, but if you want a large one, you can try tech-forums.net
627204
Currently Dell is having a sale and you can get a decent  computer for under 500 dollars.  As long as you're not looking for some super-duper gaming/high performance PC, that might be a good choice.  Another cheap, but well regarded brand is HP.  You can customize the computer on both websites (dell.com , hp.com).  If you're able to do it, you could build your own PC, which sometimes is cheaper than buying a prebuilt one.  I would recommend Newegg.com for parts if you want to build your own.\n\nA few things to keep in mind...\n1) Desktops are cheaper than laptops\n2) Generally speaking, PC's are cheaper than Mac's\n3) The processor and the RAM are what make the computer faster.  If you aren't too worried about the speed of the computer, there's no point paying $100 extra for a Pentium D or something similar.  Celeron will do the job.  For the RAM, 256 mb is sufficient for most people.\n4)  If you're planning to store large amounts of music and/or video on the computer, you will need a larger hard drive.  Nowadays most computers don't come with less than 40 gb, but it's not too expensive to get 80 gigs or even more.\n\nHere's a link to a Dell PC that you can customize, but it's already pretty good for the price... just under $500\nhttp://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DB110C&s=dhs\n\nAnd an HP you can customize (this is a little faster than the Dell if you're looking for more speed, but you should not just limit yourself to these two PC's, check out others on their website and customize them.  This one's base price is a little cheaper than the Dell because there's no monitor included here...)\nhttp://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_series.do?series_name=a1520y_series&catLevel=3&category=desktops/hp_pavilion/a1500_series&storeName=computer_store
14713
It shouldn't have bad sectors if you've just bought it.\n\nAnd in response to your additional information, return the drive immediately! Otherwise problems will accumulate in the future.
264854
True.  RAM is the cheapes upgrade, but 1GB or RAM is huge and most people won't need more if you keep your hard disk clean and defragmented.\n\nAlso make sure that you are not starting useless services and programs that take time to load.  Use Tune Up Utilities or Ace Utilities and Registry Mechanic (PC Tools) to delete unwanted files, obsolete registry entries and tune your Paging File size to a lower value.  Also make sure that your cache for Temporary Internet Files is set to about 80MB (500MB is insane).  Everytime you enter a URL and a file is requested via http: protocol, the HD searches through this pile of garbage file.  Unless you visit the same 10 sites over and over, this cache will do you little good because the file will never be requested from the cache... Do this by Tools > Internet Options > General Tab select Settings and adjust the value lower.\n\nFor hardware updated memory is first (you can rule that out...  If you don't have a DVD writer then you can get one of them on the internet (Dual layer R/W) for $39.  Hard disk is getting extremely cheap and adding more storage is cool.  The best price advantage now is for the large IDE drive like Seagate 160 GB Barracuda.  SATA drives (150 and 300 KB/S transfer rates) are now becoming standard and supported by most newer motherboards.  They are still on the more expensive side.  External HD are also made by Seagate and Maxtor with great warranties (5yr, 3yr) and make your data portable.\n\nIf you don't have wireless then get it.  You can by a combination Cable Modem/Router Gateway from Linksys for $150.  I run my laptop all over the house at great speed (I sit and the laptop runs...).  You can buy an unbelieveable wireless G card from CompUSA (two different brands) for $29.  I could find that on the street in a couple of hours!
525499
Personally, i have always like my dell and am favored toward that brand.  Mine has lasted 4 years or so, is still fast and up to date.  If you take care of it with anti-virus software and anti-spyware tools, it will last a long time.\n\nIt looks as if they are pretty close, but with the 120GB HD, I would go with the dell.  Students tend to fill up that HD pretty fast.  \n\nAlso, please use a coupon, you can always save a couple hundred dollars on a good laptop.  Dell has a coupon available until the 9th, but they do have a good turnover and publish coupons every week.  Here is the coupon and details:  http://www.24houredeals.com/dell-coupons-23-mer.html
545553
You probably purchased a dell with a hard drive that has  Data Safe, it uses a protocol called Raid 1. This means that your computer uses two hard drives and the 2nd hard drive mirrors the first to protect from data loss. If the raid mirror has degraded then the 2nd drive is no longer able to mirror the 1st.\n\nLuckily, your computer won't suffer any ill effects from this aside from the message you are getting. I suspect that 2nd drive is in some way defective, so you probably won't be able to fix it yourself. In short, its time to for you to invoke that warranty that the folks at dell force you purchase.
224908
You are going to need a new case (commenly refered to as a shell) for that machine... repairing the power socket is tricky. its best to swap out the parts into a new shell. sniff around on e-bay or if the machine is under warrenty contact dell and have them send you a new shell and put the HD memory and drive in yourself...