11-08-2009, 07:45 PM

I got the call this AM. "Help! New Dell, no sound!" I suppose we all get a few calls like that. But this case was just a little different. When I got there I discovered three things wrong with the setup. All of them were sound killers. In my troubleshooting this is what I found:
1. Speakers plugged into the wrong jack. Hey, it's color coded! This is the typical beginner mistake.
2. When I traced the power cord, it terminated at an unpowered USB hub. I.E, no power to the speakers.
3. These Dell speakers had a virtually hidden on/off volume dial incorporated into the design of the top of the right speaker box. It was turned off.

That's more things wrong with a speaker setup than I've ever seen before. It was fun fixing it!

11-09-2009, 02:58 PM

A few years ago, I was playing around on my friend's Dell PC. I started playing a music track, and the sound blared throughout the house and nearly shattered his windows. I couldn't find the volume control, since it was on the top of the speaker (and I was used to speakers that had the dial on the bottom). I have since hated Dell speakers, since they nearly made me go deaf.