Dell laptop explodes

the Inquirer ^ | 21 June 2006 | Inquirer staff

[FormerACLUmember]

AN INQUIRER READER attending a conference in Japan was sat just feet away from a laptop computer that suddenly exploded into flames, in what could have been a deadly accident.

Gaston, our astonished reader reports: "The damn thing was on fire and produced several explosions for more than five minutes".

Should you witness such an event, his advice is, "Don't try anything courageous/stupid, stay away, away, away!"

"For the record, this is a Dell machine," notes Gaston. "It is only a matter of time until such an incident breaks out on a plane," he suggests.

Our witness managed to catch all the action in these amazing pictures.

"Fire extinguishers leave a mess on your suit and belongings; pack your stuff (if you can) and leave, leave, leave!" he advises.

We don't have any further details of the model of the computer in question. In light of the evidence, however, we'd suggest you avoid actually using a laptop on your lap. Ouch.

[FormerACLUmember]

Remind me not to sit next to anyone on a plane with a Dell laptop. I wonder what "Chuck" in Bangalore would say after I wasted an hour on the phone with Dell "Tech Support" as my machine finally blows up.

[dfwgator]

The "Blue Screen of Death" on steroids.

[COBOL2Java]

Is it possible for laptops to convert to Islam?

[Dixie Yooper]

Was the user a Palestinian or a Palestinian sympathizer?

[bigdcaldavis]

"Dude! You got a Dell!" [BOOM!] "Oops."

[reagan_fanatic]

"Oh no - my pr0n!!"

[FormerACLUmember]

Probably the laptop was wireless connected to Daily Kos or Democratic Underground. Poor little machine could not handle all the hate and deceit and had a techno-mental breakdown.

[jdm]

LOL!

[Red Badger]

You're gettin a DELL!.............

[Slings and Arrows]

---

[mewzilla]

Maybe the company should think about giving away free asbestos jock straps/girdles with every purchase of a laptop.

[caver]

Yea, it went up in flames but does it still work?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

"I knew I shouldn't have accessed the C-4 drive!"

[Dixie Yooper]

"Probably the laptop was wireless connected to Daily Kos or Democratic Underground. Poor little machine could not handle all the hate and deceit and had a techno-mental breakdown"

Not to mention the foul "written" language.

[bwteim]

If it is too early to draw conclusions how can it not be related to battery recall?? My ** below.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7004060116

Dell: Exploding Laptop Incident Investigated

June 28, 2006 9:25 p.m. EST

Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Staff Writer
New York, NY (AHN) - Dell Inc. on Tuesday said that the company was investigating the incident of exploding of a Dell laptop computer....

"We have **captured** the notebook and have begun investigating the event," Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden said, confirming the computer was made by Dell but declining to specify the model. ...

Camden said it was **too early to draw any conclusions** and **added that it did not appear that the incident had anything to do with the battery issues related to the recall.** "From here it's going to be a very methodical and meticulous process to figure out what happened," Camden said.

[FormerACLUmember]

Dell laptop accessory!

[Lx]

Could this be some mischief from Lenovo (Chicomms who make and sell IBM Thinkpads) to make it look like Dells are unsafe on planes or wherever actually?

[Bob]

I can't help wondering if this laptop was being run with a genuine Dell battery or some cheap off-brand 'equivalent'.

[Bigg Red]

AN INQUIRER READER attending a conference in Japan was sat just feet away from a laptop computer....

**
Was sat????
Wussup wit was sat?

[Hegemony Cricket]

overclocker I'll bet

[Bigg Red]

my pr0n!!"

&&
What does that mean?

[Hot Tabasco]

Was the user a Palestinian

No, he was a FReeper who posted a Pro-Buchanan article and attempted to justify his support of him......

The guy REALLY got flamed for that one.....

[RegulatorCountry]

Maybe Mr. Dell should liquidate his company and give the money back to the shareholders.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Gaston, our astonished reader reports: "The damn thing was on fire and produced several explosions for more than five minutes".

...

Camden said it was **too early to draw any conclusions** and **added that it did not appear that the incident had anything to do with the battery issues related to the recall.** "From here it's going to be a very methodical and meticulous process to figure out what happened," Camden said.

Uh-oh. It sounds like someone decided to save some bucks by not including a voltage-limiter on their Lithium-Ion batteries...

[Artemis Webb]

I find this a great opportunity to bitch about Dell.

My best friend bought a desktop system from them about three years ago. She has had nothing but problems...and the problems started within the first week she owned it. Their tech support (outsourced to India of course) is far worse than most.

I have read that Dell is considered to have the worst product in the industry. I believe it.

[FormerACLUmember]

I can't help wondering if this laptop was being run with a genuine Dell battery or some cheap off-brand 'equivalent'.

Excellent point. If true, I am sure Dell will announce this ASAP. No word yet, so it might be original equipment. (Truth disclosure: I writing this on a Dell and have never had a problem... BOOM!)

[PBRSTREETGANG]

"Dude! You got a Dell!!"

[FormerACLUmember]

Me too. I posted this after endless problems with "Dell Hell" (Dell's Tech Support on the magnificent, exotic Indian Subcontinent)

[NRA2BFree]

WoW! That's quite an explosion. I've been thinking about getting a Dell Laptop. Maybe I need to rethink that now. I wonder if this is an added Dell 'feature?' LOL I think I'll pass on that one. ;o)

[Dixie Yooper]

Must have been a Freeper since there was no casualty.
Mossad never makes mistakes.

[petro45acp]

Looked like a C610.....a very popular model after the C840.

Is there reportage of what model it was?

I like the "one off" battery theory.

[phantomworker]

Those suckers do get pretty hot. Docking stations help a little.

[FormerACLUmember]

LOL

[bwteim]

Perhaps. Putting a laptop on what appears to be some type of fabric or plastic table cloth wouldn't help with heat dissipation either.

[Slings and Arrows]

Those suckers do get pretty hot. Docking stations help a little.

I know that some laptops do *coughTOSHIBA!cough*, but I'm on my HP laptop right now and it's cool as a cucumber.

[Publius6961]

"For the record, this is a Dell machine," notes Gaston. "It is only a matter of time until such an incident breaks out on a plane," he suggests.

For the record, this has happened as long as ten years ago. My son, an exceptional engineer (if I do say so myself), was tasked to investigate and solve a similar incident aboard an aircraft around 1996 or so.

He found the design flaw and engineered a solution; the manufacturer of that highly regarded (at the time) and expensive laptop, is no longer in business.

[FormerACLUmember]

I am no expert on what to buy... How about an Apple laptop?

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

It's not an isolated incident...a friend of mine from Pax River Naval Air Station sent me a picture of a Dell laptop that burst into flames exactly like the one in this story did. I don't have the picture with me, but apparently the computer started smoking just after it booted up and then blew up just after its quick thinking user ran outside with it and tossed it away from his office. Pretty hair raising, if you ask me...

[andy58-in-nh]

I've owned three Dells (one currently) and have never had any problems. They have all been well-made, easily upgraded, and dependable. On the other hand, I've heard (anecdotally) that Dell quality has deteriorated and that their outsourced tech support is as useless as mammaries on a masculine bovine.

[JamesP81]

I have read that Dell is considered to have the worst product in the industry. I believe it.

I don't think Gateway or HP or Sony are substantively better. They all suck. All of them.

You want a good computer? Build it yourself. Those machines always run better.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Perhaps the fellow at the next table had just received a "Mission Impossible" assignment.

[Slings and Arrows]

I am no expert on what to buy... How about an Apple laptop?

I am a big fan of HP laptops. My first gave me no trouble for a year and half (at which point it was struck by lightning, which was not HP's fault); my current one has given me no trouble period.

[girlscout]

I read that something similar happened last year only it was in a home and the laptop had been left on overnight. Those things can get really hot; that's why they sell those cooling pads for laptops now. They also suggested that you place your laptop on a solid surface where air can circulate underneath.

[Artemis Webb]

Build it myself???????

Heck James...I still need to get my 13 year old son to set up the dvd or vcr if I want to watch a movie! :o)

[bigdcaldavis]

Or maybe they tried to put Linux on it, and maybe the WGA has a "computer self-destruct mechanism" if you try to install Linux. :)

[JamesP81]

Build it myself???????

Believe it or not, it's not quite as complicated as it used to be, although it's still important to make sure of part compatibility. If someone wanted to build one I'm pretty certain I could research and find compatible parts so I could tell them what to buy. Actually physically assembling the parts is pretty easy; everything is keyed so it all only fits one way. Seating the CPU with heatsink can be a tricky and getting all the case wires hooked up to the power button and hard drive status light can be annoying as well, but those are the only complicated parts.

[JamesP81]

I am no expert on what to buy... How about an Apple laptop?

Apple makes a solid machine, IMO.

[bigdcaldavis]

Beavis : Oooooooooohhhhhhh........ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh.......ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh.......

Butt-head : Uh.....Beavis?! What the hell is your problem, Beavis! Dammit, I'm changing the channel!

Beavis : Butt-head, I'm telling you this only once. If you change the channel, I'll kick your ass.

[bigdcaldavis]

I wonder if this incident will be parodied on Family Guy...maybe Brian The Dog could give his gay cousin Jasper and his new "husband" Ricardo a Dell laptop as a "1st anniversary" present, only for the laptop to blow up, killing Jasper and Ricardo. :)

[Overtaxed]

I can't help wondering if this laptop was being run with a genuine Dell battery or some cheap off-brand 'equivalent'.

The genuine Dell battery on my laptop was always a piece of crap. It lasted for about as long as it took to start the computer up and stayed charged long enough for you to shut down properly if you lost power. It finally died and I never replaced it.