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RANT: Inspiron 8600 keyboard is horrendous! - Page 2

post #21 of 50
1/16/05 at 8:02pm
Thread Starter 
UPDATE: I actually found a forum member on my native forum (ars) who described the exact same problem.

Quote:
THe Inspiron 8600...lets just say you can't type super fast(at first), you might move you fingers too low from one letter to the other and grap(hit the underside of the key) the key next to it and it can almost(but not quite) rip one of the surrounding keys(whichever way your next letter was). Well, that was first, now i don't do that anymore, you basically get adapted to it and now i am fine with it. Its just those first few weeks, or a month or so. I can't compare since this is my first laptop that i bought a year ago.
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post #22 of 50
1/16/05 at 8:10pm
I'm using an M60 now, and interestingly, the design of the trackstick has given my that problem as well. The "g" and "h" keys are rounded to allow the trackstick to fit, and the corners that are near "b" are sharper than the regular keys' corners. So I see your point better now as well.
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post #23 of 50
1/25/05 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odarby
After about 40 days the "X" key fell off and would not stay on very well after that. Dell sent a replacement keyboard and it was much better. Upon inspection of the 2 keyboards I noticed that the bottom of the replacement keyboard was manufactured with about half as many holes or perforations, hence much more rigid. The flex is all but gone now.
I didn't think I'd be near the first to suffer with keys falling off.. Both my C and M keys have this problem. I just spent 20 minutes getting my M key back in, which could only be achieved by taking a pair of long-nose pliers and bending one of the hooks into a more suitable shape.

I will in the very near future be calling to have the keyboard replaced, and hopefully if I mention the flex (it's not *too* bad, but it's enough to be annoying, along with the spongey sound), they'll send me a more rigid one as they have done for you )
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post #24 of 50
1/25/05 at 8:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KarmaSutra
I will in the very near future be calling to have the keyboard replaced, and hopefully if I mention the flex (it's not *too* bad, but it's enough to be annoying, along with the spongey sound), they'll send me a more rigid one as they have done for you )
what do you think you need to say to get them to do this? think they'll send me a replacement to china?
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post #25 of 50
1/26/05 at 12:19am
Can someone email me the keyboard mod?

Spike's site is not working
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post #26 of 50
1/26/05 at 1:11am
The basic premise is to remove the power strip, unscrew the two screws holding the keyboard, slide out the keyboard, and put material in certain "low" areas so that the keyboard doesn't sink in those areas.
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post #27 of 50
1/31/05 at 6:20pm
Thread Starter 
The model # of my keyboard is "01M722"

Parts People lists the 1M745 as a 8600 keyboard and the one I have right now for my 8600 as the 600m keyboard.

I'd be curious to see if a replacement keyboard. makes any difference
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post #28 of 50
2/3/05 at 10:50pm
Thread Starter 
I ordered a replacement keyboard from Dell.

We'll see how it works.
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post #29 of 50
2/10/05 at 2:38am
Thread Starter 
*************UPDATE****************

I received the replacement keyboard from Dell. I ordered it from Dell replacement parts and then demanded that Dell credit the $24.88 amount that I spent on it (CSR service was unresponsive).

Well, I got a new keyboard; this one is made in China as well, but the model is completely different. The feel is a lot different. It has a lot more of a solid feel. There is NOTICEABLY less finger "pricking" on the keyboard than my last keyboard.
There's still a little, but overall, I'm satisfied!
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post #30 of 50
2/10/05 at 3:01pm
Congrats! Glad you're more satisfied with this one.
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post #31 of 50
2/10/05 at 4:37pm
I wrote about the two different keyboards in another thread here:
http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=61468

Yes, one IS more stable than the other.

Here are the pictures that distinguish them by thier bottoms (I know the pictures are of keyboards with different part numbers but I couldn't find other pics)

This keyboard flexes:


This one is more stable:
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post #32 of 50
2/10/05 at 7:04pm
Thread Starter 
mich43L,

I don't know whether to thank you or kill you!

That's _EXACTLY_ right. The keyboard above is the one that I had (I hated it). The newer one is the bottom picture and is much better.
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post #33 of 50
2/10/05 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
This _page_ should be stickied for future references.
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post #34 of 50
2/10/05 at 7:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by STi Sev
mich43L,

I don't know whether to thank you or kill you!
Umm..I think I prefer the thanking

Like I mentioned in the refering thread, even if you're stuck with the bad keyboard, flexing it in a specific way will stabilize it (without braking it).
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post #35 of 50
2/10/05 at 11:37pm
I have to be serious here.

Using many different laptops, the i8600 is the BEST one I've used. There aren't that many items to complain about, not even the keyboard.

My saying, if you don't like it, don't use it.

And after using hte laptop for a few weeks now, the keyboard is just fine. If you can't use a keyboard that sinks a little, then don't even bother getting a laptop cause all of them sink either by 1 inch or by 1 mm.

Also, many people complain about the hard drive getting hot, well guess what, every hard drive gets hot and if you seriously can't stand a 20 deg C plastic panel of about the size of a mini-disk, then you, my friend, is considered a SISSY.

If you don't like the dell i8600, don't buy it, don't keep it, return it, sell it, do whatever with it. If you keep it, it means you like it and you would stick with it even with some defects.
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post #36 of 50
2/11/05 at 2:02am
Thread Starter 
The flexing was not the issue. The issue was the fact that my finger kept pricking the keyboard keys when typing at 90 WPM++. It was unbearably uncomfortable for my fingers and got remarkably annoying after a couple of times (happened at least 400 times a day). This new keyboard somewhat remedies that problem.

Anyone experiencing the same problem should request a new keybaord post-haste and keep returning it to Dell until you get the second picture-linked keyboard.
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post #37 of 50
2/11/05 at 3:42am
Don't think I don't get that either. I type pretty fast too, my last test said I was 123 WPM so I can type pretty damn fast.

Unless you ahve huge fingers, they won't really prick under the keys THAT much. I do expierence that and sometimes I feel that the key might just pop off but I realize that my nails were the cause thats pricking, not the keyboard.

Just beacuse something annoys a person doesn't mean its nessary that parts fault. It could be human error.
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post #38 of 50
2/12/05 at 2:39pm
Thread Starter 
Kakarot,

For the love of my sanity, it's NOT human error. I've got fairly large hands and no nails to speak of.

Even with moderate speed typing (60 wpm), I used to get the pricking effect. The new keyboard virtually eliminates that. Additionally, the replacement keyboard I got has a much more solid feel to it!
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post #39 of 50
2/12/05 at 3:22pm
dell only sells laptops so cheap because they use cheaper products and labor. YOu can't expect a perfect laptop from dell and besides, the only reason I got a dell was because of my budget.
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post #40 of 50
2/12/05 at 3:29pm
Kakarot, I really don't know what your problem is. First of all this is a REVIEW board. Second, this is his OPINION (which is supported by many just do a search and look at the modding thread). Third, while you have a right to disagree with him, it seems that you go even fruther by not respecting HIS opinion (you have that right too but it's just silly).
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