Dell Inspiron 17R SE user reviews

Pros Desktop replacement potential at a decent price. Good bland laptop.

Cons See below for details

Summary I thought I was getting 32GB mSATA SSD as HD drive cache. Did not. Had to buy separately. The 5400 rpm is snail slow without it. Startup takes like 3 minutes without.

No blu-ray drive standard. Why have a 1080p screen and no blu-ray. dumb.

My matte screen is a little washed out.

Does not find my wired ethernet connection on startup. Always the yellow sign and it takes a while. THen when start browser it finds it. Weird. FIne with wireless. Maybe I can find a setting to never turn off the wired connection?

My god there is a lot of Dell bloat-ware.The webcam is creative. They have this whole convoluted process to update through creative to make it look like Dell. Just use the creative software for Gods sake. Dell should get rid of their entire custom software dept. It all sucks and it is such a PAIN to remove it all. The very definition of Bloatware. Every time I get a Dell I want to do a clean install with my own version of Windows. But of course this is not easy either. I will never understand this.

Found this review because I too am using it as a somtimes mobile (but usually no) desktop replacement. I could not get my wired USB keyboard or mouse to wake from sleep. AND the power button is on the inside (STUPID). So I have to open the laptop to press the power button every time I want to wake it from sleep. No offense to retards but how retarded is that?

I will keep it and like it but these little things are all so avoidable. Typical Dell. Just good enough where a minimum of effort would have made it perfect...

Pros Please read the summary.

Cons Please read the summary

Summary You must read this!!
Dell technical support, Dell engineering, and Dell customer support are a joke. I purchased my new Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition from Dell directly. This product was to be used as a desktop replacement. The BIOS on the laptop does not support the USB wake function, therefore you can not wake the laptop from sleep or hibernation mode froma wireless connected keyboard or mouse.
I contacted Dell Premium Support. As you will soon read... There was nothing premium about it..
Dell Premium technical support was rude and kept me on hold for over an hour before I had to hang up an call back. I was put on hold again for over an hour. I hung up again. Some premium suppor huh?
On my third attempt to reach Dell Premuim Techincal Support I was successful. I talked to the tech and explained my laptop would not wake up from sleep mode with my wireless keyboard or mouse. In fact, the laptop only wakes up from sleep mode when the power button is pushed. This means you have to keep the laptop screen open all the time. My 7 year old Dell Inspiron E1505 even supports sleep mode.
The technician took me through a scipted routine that lasted over an hour with no resolution. I was told that they would call me the next day. They called and told me that the Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition is working as designed.
Dell's engineering, technical support, and customer service is terrible. The computers are going downhill. The new series of Inspirons are inadequte. The specifications sound good on paper but the software and hardware enginering have gone backwards from the Inspiron E1505 series release several years ago.
Be advised that the Premium Technical support is not premium and the new Inspiron series does not support the USB Wake function. The hardware supports the functio, but the BIOS software does not.
I was a loyal Dell customer, I will never buy a Dell again.