After exploring alternative options and further contemplation (having already received one dud), I decided to give Dell a second chance. This time I ordered an XPS 400 instead of a Dimension E310. I placed my order on Tuesday morning, and by Thursday evening the computer had already arrived. I was once again impressed with the quick turnaround in their fulfillment and shipping of my order, especially since their anticipated ship date wasn’t until January 31st.

After I unpacked, set up, and made sure everything was functional, I decided to wipe the hard drive to get rid of all of the bloatware (which is quite extensive) and Windows XP Media Center, and put a fresh install of Windows XP Professional on instead. That ended up being more of an ordeal than anticipated, requiring me to create and tweak a Windows XP Service Pack 2 slipstream and then walking through the following steps that I found after scouring the Dell Support Forums:

1. Create an XP SP2 slipstream CD to boot
2. In BIOS, Change SATA Config to “Combination”
3. In BIOS, Change Video display from “PEG” to “PCI”
4. Boot XP Pro + SP2 slipstream CD, and install Windows XP Professional
5. After XP install finishes, change BIOS Video display settings back to “PEG”
6. Install chipset and other drivers from Dell support web site (for an XPS 400, in my case)

After finally getting Windows XP Professional installed, everything was smooth sailing. The system is fast, quiet, and so far, stable!

I built my previous system (AMD Thunderbird 1.2Ghz) back in the summer of 2000 and it held up great in the five and half years since. Having had some success building a computer before, I know I could have gone that route again and probably gotten a little more bang for my buck. Instead, I opted to go with Dell because of the convenience and more importantly, because of their financing plan. I also entertained the idea of ordering from iBuyPower and CyberPower, as I’ve heard good things about both, but Dell’s one-year no-interest financing ultimately won me over.

Time will be the deciding factor as to whether or not Dell has redeemed themselves (as far as their dealings with me are concerned), but so far, they are off to a good start.

Share this article: