[See Another XPS M1210 success story for further advice on dealing with Dell, including some case numbers to quote when requesting repair.]

I've received a couple of questions by email relating to my experience with the dead Dell XPS M1210 GPU. I've reproduced, edited & answered them here ...

How do you preform the LED tests, I have a dead machine and the only light that ever comes on is the battery light.

To perform the POST (Power On Self-Test), hold down the Fn key and press the power button. The machine will then self-test, and a particular combination of LEDs will be turned off / on / flashing depending upon the problem.

You can then check out this list of error codes to translate the particular combination you're seeing into a problem description. If it's the GPU that's failed, you're likely to see this pattern:

... at which point follow the steps I outline in answer to the next question, & Dell should replace your motherboard even though the system itself is out of warranty.

When you switch the laptop on, all the lights come on as if its booting but the screen remains black and it will not boot.

I have spoken to Dell who say that it sounds like the motherboard and that it will cost $975 to replace it!!! I notice you had some luck with Dell, but I also note that the XPS 1210 is NOT included on the list of affected machines:

http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/direct2dell/archive/2008/08/18/nvidia-gpu-update-dell-to-offer-warranty-enhancement-to-all-affected-customers-worldwide.aspx?PageIndex=1

Just wondering whether you can give me some advice on how best to deal with Dell with this issue?

The fact that the M1210 isn't listed in that post doesn't matter; Dell has replaced many 1210 motherboards under a limited extended warranty, as a result of the dud NVidia GPU fiasco - mine included. If you search the Dell forum, you'll see many more.

To an extent, how you're treated by Dell or any large company is a matter of the luck of the draw - specifically, it's a matter of how helpful the CSR you're speaking with wants to be. In my experience, Dell have been very good but other people report having to argue for nearly an hour and a half with tech. support to get traction on the issue.

I'm assuming they've lead you through the troubleshooting process and isolated the issue as a video card (GPU) problem. If not, follow the steps above and figure out whether the problem is in fact a dead video card.

Once you're satisfied it is, then ...

• Call Dell tech. suppport, and explain the problem is that your GPU has failed.
• Tell them you know that Dell is extending the warranty on certain Dell machines as a result.
• If you don't have any luck, ask that your call be escalated to a supervisor. Don't take no for an answer on this - some companies pressure their CSRs not to escalate calls but they will do so if you're sufficiently persistent.
• Point out that other people in Australia have recently had motherboards replaced under a limited extend warranty, so you know that they've acknowledged the problem in some cases.
• Demand that you be treated identically to other Dell customers who have received the replacement free of charge.

If you still don't have any luck, email me again & I'll see if there's anything further we can do; e.g. I still have the contact details of the people who helped me with my machine so there's a chance I can have it escalated to the right person.