Dimension 8300 - New Board, no Asset-Tag-Number.

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Hi all,

some weeks ago my Dimension 8300 dies due overvoltage as a lightning flash
hits my house. Because there is no warranty for this, but i have an
assurance (is this the right word for 'Versicherung' in german?) which is
paying for this. So i've bought a new processor and a new mainboard for my
computer. Today i have had the time to assemble all these pieces and it
seems to run fine except something that makes me a little bit nervous:

In bios the system says it is seeing only a P4 at 1.6 GHz, but it is a 3.0 E
GHz, all other things are ok (Hyperthreading ON, System-Clock at 800 MHz, 1
MB Cache and so on). In Windows all is OK and it is acknowledged as a 3.0
GHz P4. The 'new' system-board is a revision A00, but the original board
was rev. A01 (which is newer i think). Could this be a problem or it is
only the bios, which is seeing the wrong cpu-type?

Also the system has no more an Asset Tag, which you can see normally in
bios. Now you only can read there: Asset Tag: FIELD. So if i want (as
example) to have a new bios-file, how can i get this without getting the
wrong file?

Thanks, Jens
--
Die o.a. Adresse ist OK, wird aber nicht gelesen. Für Mails an mich bitte
"spamtrap" durch "jens.nixdorf" ersetzen.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Assurance is close enough to the English insurance, so people know what you
mean.

The problem with identifying the CPU seems related to the BIOS. The replacement
board you got from Dell may itself have been an older board removed from a
computer returned to Dell. Dell's policy, like most other computer sellers, is
to not necessarily use "new" replacement parts, but to mark them as refurbished.
(One of my clients got "refurbished" replacement hard drive under warranty this
week. The manufacturing date stickered on the drive was early August 2004, or
brand new, but it was labelled as refurb.)

Go to www.dell.com , search for a BIOS update according to the service tag on
the back of the computer chassis. A BIOS update should fix the apparently
cosmetic problem of CPU identification. This sort of problem has always been
pretty common going back to the days of 486s.

Without a Dell computer booted up and in its CMOS setup, I do not remember
whether or not the "asset tag" is the same as the Dell service tag. I think so.
In any event, a BIOS update will also offer you the opportunity to enter that
information into the BIOS as well... Ben Myers

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 14:40:17 +0200, Jens Nixdorf <spamtrap@trackpoint.de> wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>some weeks ago my Dimension 8300 dies due overvoltage as a lightning flash
>hits my house. Because there is no warranty for this, but i have an
>assurance (is this the right word for 'Versicherung' in german?) which is
>paying for this. So i've bought a new processor and a new mainboard for my
>computer. Today i have had the time to assemble all these pieces and it
>seems to run fine except something that makes me a little bit nervous:
>
>In bios the system says it is seeing only a P4 at 1.6 GHz, but it is a 3.0 E
>GHz, all other things are ok (Hyperthreading ON, System-Clock at 800 MHz, 1
>MB Cache and so on). In Windows all is OK and it is acknowledged as a 3.0
>GHz P4. The 'new' system-board is a revision A00, but the original board
>was rev. A01 (which is newer i think). Could this be a problem or it is
>only the bios, which is seeing the wrong cpu-type?
>
>Also the system has no more an Asset Tag, which you can see normally in
>bios. Now you only can read there: Asset Tag: FIELD. So if i want (as
>example) to have a new bios-file, how can i get this without getting the
>wrong file?
>
>Thanks, Jens
>--
>Die o.a. Adresse ist OK, wird aber nicht gelesen. Für Mails an mich bitte
>"spamtrap" durch "jens.nixdorf" ersetzen.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Huh?

<ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers)> wrote in message
news:41407326.4852472@news.charter.net...
>
> Without a Dell computer booted up and in its CMOS setup, I do not remember
> whether or not the "asset tag" is the same as the Dell service tag. I
think so.
> In any event, a BIOS update will also offer you the opportunity to enter
that
> information into the BIOS as well... Ben Myers
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Ben Myers wrote:

> Assurance is close enough to the English insurance, so people know what
> you mean.

Thanks. Sometime the words (even in german) are laying around at my tongue,
but i did not get them out.

> The problem with identifying the CPU seems related to the BIOS. The
> replacement board you got from Dell may itself have been an older board
> removed from a computer returned to Dell.

OK, i also think so.

> Go to www.dell.com , search for a BIOS update according to the service tag
> on
> the back of the computer chassis. A BIOS update should fix the apparently
> cosmetic problem of CPU identification. This sort of problem has always
> been pretty common going back to the days of 486s.

At the european dell-supportsite i found 7 bios-files for the dimension
8300, from D8300A00.EXE to D8300A06.EXE. It seems that they have revisions
from A00 to A06, but my BIOS tells me, that it is X11? Or is this 'A00' and
so on corresponding to the board revision? Or is it vice versa, that the
sticker at the board (revision A00) is not the board-revision but the
BIOS-revision? Main question: are there different boards for the 8300 and
if so, how can i see it?

Thanks, Jens

--
Die o.a. Adresse ist OK, wird aber nicht gelesen. Für Mails an mich bitte
"spamtrap" durch "jens.nixdorf" ersetzen.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 18:56:24 +0200, Jens Nixdorf <spamtrap@trackpoint.de> wrote:

<SNIP>

>At the european dell-supportsite i found 7 bios-files for the dimension
>8300, from D8300A00.EXE to D8300A06.EXE. It seems that they have revisions
>from A00 to A06, but my BIOS tells me, that it is X11? Or is this 'A00' and
>so on corresponding to the board revision? Or is it vice versa, that the
>sticker at the board (revision A00) is not the board-revision but the
>BIOS-revision? Main question: are there different boards for the 8300 and
>if so, how can i see it?
>
>Thanks, Jens
>
>--
>Die o.a. Adresse ist OK, wird aber nicht gelesen. Für Mails an mich bitte
>"spamtrap" durch "jens.nixdorf" ersetzen.

Dell has been remarkably consistent over the years in changing system model
identifiers whenever the basic motherboard changes. (Yes, I know there were
Lxxxr models where xxx was tied to CPU speed, but all the Lxxxr's used the same
motherboard. All the BIOSes, A00 thru A06, should apply to your replacement
motherboard, with the latest being the preferred one... Ben Myers

 

[Molly]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Here is a little software program that will give you the information you
need http://www.lavalys.com/

"Jens Nixdorf" <spamtrap@trackpoint.de> wrote in message
news:chq1v2$ani$04$1@news.t-online.com...
> Ben Myers wrote:
>
>> Assurance is close enough to the English insurance, so people know what
>> you mean.
>
> Thanks. Sometime the words (even in german) are laying around at my
> tongue,
> but i did not get them out.
>
>> The problem with identifying the CPU seems related to the BIOS. The
>> replacement board you got from Dell may itself have been an older board
>> removed from a computer returned to Dell.
>
> OK, i also think so.
>
>> Go to www.dell.com , search for a BIOS update according to the service
>> tag
>> on
>> the back of the computer chassis. A BIOS update should fix the
>> apparently
>> cosmetic problem of CPU identification. This sort of problem has always
>> been pretty common going back to the days of 486s.
>
> At the european dell-supportsite i found 7 bios-files for the dimension
> 8300, from D8300A00.EXE to D8300A06.EXE. It seems that they have
> revisions
> from A00 to A06, but my BIOS tells me, that it is X11? Or is this 'A00'
> and
> so on corresponding to the board revision? Or is it vice versa, that the
> sticker at the board (revision A00) is not the board-revision but the
> BIOS-revision? Main question: are there different boards for the 8300 and
> if so, how can i see it?
>
> Thanks, Jens
>
> --
> Die o.a. Adresse ist OK, wird aber nicht gelesen. Für Mails an mich bitte
> "spamtrap" durch "jens.nixdorf" ersetzen.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Ben Myers wrote:

> Dell has been remarkably consistent over the years in changing system
> model
> identifiers whenever the basic motherboard changes. (Yes, I know there
> were Lxxxr models where xxx was tied to CPU speed, but all the Lxxxr's
> used the same
> motherboard. All the BIOSes, A00 thru A06, should apply to your
> replacement motherboard, with the latest being the preferred one...

Hi Ben,

thank you for your help. I've installed the latest BIOS and all is running
fine.

regards, Jens

--
Die o.a. Adresse ist OK, wird aber nicht gelesen. Für Mails an mich bitte
"spamtrap" durch "jens.nixdorf" ersetzen.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Great! ... Ben

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 22:39:36 +0200, Jens Nixdorf <spamtrap@trackpoint.de> wrote:

>Ben Myers wrote:
>
>> Dell has been remarkably consistent over the years in changing system
>> model
>> identifiers whenever the basic motherboard changes. (Yes, I know there
>> were Lxxxr models where xxx was tied to CPU speed, but all the Lxxxr's
>> used the same
>> motherboard. All the BIOSes, A00 thru A06, should apply to your
>> replacement motherboard, with the latest being the preferred one...
>
>Hi Ben,
>
>thank you for your help. I've installed the latest BIOS and all is running
>fine.
>
>regards, Jens
>
>--
>Die o.a. Adresse ist OK, wird aber nicht gelesen. Für Mails an mich bitte
>"spamtrap" durch "jens.nixdorf" ersetzen.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Jens Nixdorf <spamtrap@trackpoint.de> writes:

>Also the system has no more an Asset Tag, which you can see normally in
>bios. Now you only can read there: Asset Tag: FIELD. So if i want (as
>example) to have a new bios-file, how can i get this without getting the
>wrong file?

It seems that other posters have answered your BIOS/CPU speed question.

The "Asset tag" field is normally empty or populated with a placeholder
when a system is shipped by a vendor. Its function is to allow an
enterprise IT staff to record in CMOS the property number used by
the owning organization to track the computer; the field's contents can
be read via WBEM (or an equivalent interface for systems other than
Windows) to allow automated inventory of the system.

The service tag field is intended to hold the service tag (surprise!)
and is unrelated to the asset tag field. It's possible that your new
system board was not preconfigured by Dell to reflect the service tag
of your system. (It's been many years since I had to replace a
personally-owned Dell system board so I don't know what current
procedures call for.) You don't say in your posting, but does the new
system board report any service tag number, and if so is it correct?

If you want to populate the "asset tag" field, go to Dell's web site
and search for "ASSET.COM", which is the tool you need (or at least it
was the current tool the last time I looked -- I'm no longer directly
involved in the process).

Joe Morris

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Joe Morris wrote:

> The service tag field is intended to hold the service tag (surprise!)
> and is unrelated to the asset tag field. It's possible that your new
> system board was not preconfigured by Dell to reflect the service tag
> of your system. (It's been many years since I had to replace a
> personally-owned Dell system board so I don't know what current
> procedures call for.) You don't say in your posting, but does the new
> system board report any service tag number, and if so is it correct?
>
No, even the service tag is empty. Both fields (service and asset) in BIOS
are holding the same placeholder: 'FIELD'. Even after updating the BIOS.

> If you want to populate the "asset tag" field, go to Dell's web site
> and search for "ASSET.COM", which is the tool you need (or at least it
> was the current tool the last time I looked -- I'm no longer directly
> involved in the process).
>
Thank you.

regards, Jens
--
Die o.a. Adresse ist OK, wird aber nicht gelesen. Für Mails an mich bitte
"spamtrap" durch "jens.nixdorf" ersetzen.