It Just Doesn't Get Any Better...
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I've gotta laugh... Last night I decided to join the used Dell PC I picked up last week to the restored server. I ran through the Add Computer wizard in Small Business Server 2003 - all went well. I then switched to the client PC and tried to navigate to the html page I was instructed to view (http://BAAL/ConnectComputer) which contains a client-side script to configure the new PC to join the domain. No joy - 404. So I set about diagnosing the PC and discovered that none of the integrated devices - Ethernet, video, audio, etc - had drivers installed. WinXP did not recognize any of them, or didn't have drivers for them in any case, but never so much as peeped about the missing software. I figured that it would be no problem to switch back to the server, pop off to the Dell website, and locate the proper drivers. Whoops. Bad call. There's a bunch of different drivers there for this model, but no way to identify which ones are for this specific machine without entering the Service ID and Express Code for the computer into the website. This whole set of PCs was obtained by the local computer shop from some unnamed government agency, and naturally the seller wiped out any possibly compromising information. But why, why did they scrape the service tag off the case, and wipe the service information out of the BIOS RAM? :doh: As a last resort I suppose I'll have to call Dell tech support to see if they can get me the required information using the model and serial number. I guess I'd better brush up on my Hindi. :sigh: The thumping noise you hear is my head striking the wall. I suspect that it will feel good when I stop, but I'm not nearly done yet... :^)
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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I've gotta laugh... Last night I decided to join the used Dell PC I picked up last week to the restored server. I ran through the Add Computer wizard in Small Business Server 2003 - all went well. I then switched to the client PC and tried to navigate to the html page I was instructed to view (http://BAAL/ConnectComputer) which contains a client-side script to configure the new PC to join the domain. No joy - 404. So I set about diagnosing the PC and discovered that none of the integrated devices - Ethernet, video, audio, etc - had drivers installed. WinXP did not recognize any of them, or didn't have drivers for them in any case, but never so much as peeped about the missing software. I figured that it would be no problem to switch back to the server, pop off to the Dell website, and locate the proper drivers. Whoops. Bad call. There's a bunch of different drivers there for this model, but no way to identify which ones are for this specific machine without entering the Service ID and Express Code for the computer into the website. This whole set of PCs was obtained by the local computer shop from some unnamed government agency, and naturally the seller wiped out any possibly compromising information. But why, why did they scrape the service tag off the case, and wipe the service information out of the BIOS RAM? :doh: As a last resort I suppose I'll have to call Dell tech support to see if they can get me the required information using the model and serial number. I guess I'd better brush up on my Hindi. :sigh: The thumping noise you hear is my head striking the wall. I suspect that it will feel good when I stop, but I'm not nearly done yet... :^)
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
Roger Wright wrote:
I guess I'd better brush up on my Hindi. Sigh
HAHAHAAA!! :laugh: :laugh: :thumbsup:
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I've gotta laugh... Last night I decided to join the used Dell PC I picked up last week to the restored server. I ran through the Add Computer wizard in Small Business Server 2003 - all went well. I then switched to the client PC and tried to navigate to the html page I was instructed to view (http://BAAL/ConnectComputer) which contains a client-side script to configure the new PC to join the domain. No joy - 404. So I set about diagnosing the PC and discovered that none of the integrated devices - Ethernet, video, audio, etc - had drivers installed. WinXP did not recognize any of them, or didn't have drivers for them in any case, but never so much as peeped about the missing software. I figured that it would be no problem to switch back to the server, pop off to the Dell website, and locate the proper drivers. Whoops. Bad call. There's a bunch of different drivers there for this model, but no way to identify which ones are for this specific machine without entering the Service ID and Express Code for the computer into the website. This whole set of PCs was obtained by the local computer shop from some unnamed government agency, and naturally the seller wiped out any possibly compromising information. But why, why did they scrape the service tag off the case, and wipe the service information out of the BIOS RAM? :doh: As a last resort I suppose I'll have to call Dell tech support to see if they can get me the required information using the model and serial number. I guess I'd better brush up on my Hindi. :sigh: The thumping noise you hear is my head striking the wall. I suspect that it will feel good when I stop, but I'm not nearly done yet... :^)
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
Roger Wright wrote:
The thumping noise you hear is my head striking the wall. I suspect that it will feel good when I stop, but I'm not nearly done yet...
Be sure you move to the side periodically. That way you get a nice fresh spot of wall, rather than one that has any mushy bits on it from your skull. Thus speaks the voice of experience :sigh:.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Roger Wright wrote:
The thumping noise you hear is my head striking the wall. I suspect that it will feel good when I stop, but I'm not nearly done yet...
Be sure you move to the side periodically. That way you get a nice fresh spot of wall, rather than one that has any mushy bits on it from your skull. Thus speaks the voice of experience :sigh:.
Software Zen:
delete this;Good advice - thank you! :-D
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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Good advice - thank you! :-D
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
All part of the friendly service, Roger.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
I've gotta laugh... Last night I decided to join the used Dell PC I picked up last week to the restored server. I ran through the Add Computer wizard in Small Business Server 2003 - all went well. I then switched to the client PC and tried to navigate to the html page I was instructed to view (http://BAAL/ConnectComputer) which contains a client-side script to configure the new PC to join the domain. No joy - 404. So I set about diagnosing the PC and discovered that none of the integrated devices - Ethernet, video, audio, etc - had drivers installed. WinXP did not recognize any of them, or didn't have drivers for them in any case, but never so much as peeped about the missing software. I figured that it would be no problem to switch back to the server, pop off to the Dell website, and locate the proper drivers. Whoops. Bad call. There's a bunch of different drivers there for this model, but no way to identify which ones are for this specific machine without entering the Service ID and Express Code for the computer into the website. This whole set of PCs was obtained by the local computer shop from some unnamed government agency, and naturally the seller wiped out any possibly compromising information. But why, why did they scrape the service tag off the case, and wipe the service information out of the BIOS RAM? :doh: As a last resort I suppose I'll have to call Dell tech support to see if they can get me the required information using the model and serial number. I guess I'd better brush up on my Hindi. :sigh: The thumping noise you hear is my head striking the wall. I suspect that it will feel good when I stop, but I'm not nearly done yet... :^)
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
Strange that they took it out of the bios... Might be that someone replaced the mother board with a non-Dell. Rather than waste your time with Dell (as this can be very very painfull) pop the top off and check out the model and versions of the chips. They tend to be pretty esasy to spot, close to the device they control... less stressful than talking to Dell!
TimmyFox