Kainaw's Journal: Dell and Linux

Earlier today, I posted a comment about how terrible Dell support was when I had hardware problems on my Dell servers/computers that were running Linux. Overwhelmingly, the response was that I had to be lying because Dell sells RHEL. Well, there was a mistake on my part. I didn't explain the time period in which I was trying to get support.

The first event took place in 2001. It was a Dell server that was just past 9 months old catching on fire. It blew smoke out the back and, when I got it open, I could see the charred remains of the motherboard. I called Dell and they asked me for some code. I didn't know what code they wanted, so I asked. They said that I could get it by going into the Control Panel and... I cut him off and explained that I never had a Control Panel because I was running RedHat. He explained that without some code that you can get from Windows that was installed when we purchased the machine, there was absolutely nothing he could do. I boxed up the server and sent it back to Dell with a note explaining what happened, a photocopy of the purchase order, a copy of the warranty that was included on a CD of PDF docs that came with the server, and a request to get a new server. Another service rep called me and told me that Dell doesn't warranty Linux, but she would replace the server as it was obviously a hardware problem - and it was a common one at that. Just a few months later, there was a recall on the motherboards and our other servers of the same model got new motherboards.

The second event took place in 2003 (if memory serves). It could have been 2004. Fedora was just released. I took one of our new Dell desktops, an Optiplex GX240 (again, if memory serves). I put Fedora on it. It worked fine for about a week and then started acting weird. It would crash for no reason. Files would corrupt for no reason. Then, it wouldn't boot. I did a complete format/reinstall. The same thing happened a couple days later. I called Dell support to ask about it - perhaps it is the hard drive. He said he was going to email me a program to run. I told him that I don't have Windows on it. He said that I had to install Windows to get Dell support. I asked if I could just send in the hard drive and get a new one since it was acting up so much. He said not until I install Windows on it and run his program. Since this was only weeks old, I said I just wanted to return it and get my money back. He transferred me up the line to a support person in the U.S. and I was told that the computer was known to have DMA issues. The drive was fine - disable DMA. I tried that and it worked.

The third problem occurred about a year later. We got a new GX260. The CD tray wouldn't open. I called and they asked me for my info. When he pulled it up, he said that he couldn't provide support because of my past history "abusing customer support" and that I would have to be transferred to a higher level of support who would call me back. After trying to get a call back for two days, I mailed the computer back to Dell with a note explaining that I had nothing to do with the agreement that my company ONLY purchase Dell computers. From that point on, I would purchase from Sun or Gateway. Every server I've purchased since then has been a Sun or Gateway.