It seems Dell just can't catch a break lately.  Yet another one of their laptops has bust into flames, with the battery burning straight through the bottom of the case.  The report of the incident comes from a Toms Hardware forum member who was able to see first-hand the results of a burning Dell.  Being the dutiful geek he is, he grabbed his digital camera and rushed to the scene of the disaster to snap a few shots.

Click on the link below to read the tale of woe, and see a few pictures of the aftermath.

10,821 views 23 replies
Reply #1 Top
"burst".

You're welcome, Jafo.
Reply #2 Top
Wow...I almost bought a Dell recently and instead I bought a Toshiba with a Centrino Duo in it. Glad I didn't buy a Dell now.
Reply #3 Top
Hmmm, guess Dell shoudl stop pre-installing that config changing utility "XP Smoker"....

Reply #5 Top
http://wcco.com/consumer/local_story_148150249.html

https://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06145.html

http://www.laptopical.com/notebook-news.html

Hardly an isolated incident. You'll also notice from the images that the entire office was dell-packed. Screens.. docks.. lappies. I have two dells myself, one a Pm the other a duel Pm. The duel is a 14" with a giant 9.5 hour battery. I'm not worried. Electronics fail, and the shear number of laptops out there are bound to have a few problems.

I wouldn't base this incident on a reason not to buy a computer brand....

anybody ever herd of the Pinto?
Reply #6 Top
What point are you trying to make with the Pinto reference?
Reply #7 Top

I was going to post about this earlier, but forgot... too late again...

Reply #8 Top
The pinto was a rolling turd and it's most technical advancment was the placement of turn signals and brake lights. But people bought it because it was cheap on gas thanks to the mumblings of our politicans and the greed of all pigs in the oil bizness.......however, the pinto had a piss poor gas tank and the word on the street was that if you were to hit the rear bumper with a q-tip the car would erupt in a massive explosion. So when one monkey takes a picture of a dell wiping out and another monkey starts telling everyone within earshot what happened, before you know it every respectable terrorist will want one strapped to their sorry ass while shopping for shampoo at the nearest bed,bath and beyond.

I think maybe that was his point. One or two incidents don't make it a bad product unless you have a camera and a big mouth, or work for the media.
Reply #9 Top
Well, if this keeps on happening, Dell WONT be on Fire(the good kind of fire ) and another company I hate will be gone, just like Bullfrog

Those people in that pic look important, and rich, maybe they can sue Dell
Reply #10 Top
Like I read there, it is only a matter of time before that could happen on a plane..
Reply #12 Top
What a pity it didn't happen while still in the factory....and the whole place went up!
Reply #13 Top
So, run through this again. Who made the batteries that caused the fire?
Reply #14 Top
I don't think it's the batteries so much as it's the circuitry that's supposed to prevent them from overcharging, and in turn, overheating.
Reply #15 Top

I don't think it's the batteries so much as it's the circuitry that's supposed to prevent them from overcharging, and in turn, overheating.

Would this then indicate that Dell, HP, and Apple are producing bad ciruitry in their products?

Reply #17 Top
I am still baffled as to why people would bother with Dell. It's been one of the worst companies to buy a computer with in the past, yet people are dumb enough to still buy them. I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.
Reply #19 Top
It's been one of the worst companies to buy a computer with in the past, yet people are dumb enough to still buy them.


My, my. Unless you've got some good stories of your own, you should take your hands off the keyboard 'cause i don't think you know what you're talkin about.

I'm at the end of a long line of building my own machines. Considering what i put computers through, i'm out right astonished at what my first dell was doing for me at work, so much that i bought a second for home.

I don't believe that makes me an idiot.

So far the hardware's been great, i've had to deal with customer service several times ranging from financing to software troubleshooting, to product questions and i've been very pleased. I've been consistantly suprised at how well they treat me as a customer and at the value for the buck.

My company has lots of dells. The company in that photo was entirely decked out with dell. Dell is the largest computer manufacturer in the world. Wow there must be an awful lot of stupid people out there. Or maby doing business with dell 'aint so bad afterall.

By the way.. your cell phone has just as much of a chance of exploding.
Reply #20 Top
I have a Dell laptop I do nearly all my 'internet' stuff on. Nearly 2 years old now. Not one single hardware problem yet. It gets a little hot from time to time, but never hot enough for anything like that to happen. And, in most cases all I need to do is clean out the dust and she's running cool again. Course, my model looks nothing like the guys in the pics either which might make a difference too
Reply #22 Top
to #2 by Apprentice Mark Snyder


you bought a toshiba, huh?

well, you should check out some forums re: toshiba laptops. they just "stop working" --- hardware design= BAD!

mine sitll acts up (HUGE dust build up constantly) but i replaced the hard drive AFTER toshiba had "fixed" the problem. damn static electricity. read on:

(search google "toshiba support" or "toshiba laptop forum")

starter link: http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/search/results/?Keywords=toshiba&x=29&y=9&Where=1