Dell can't find some faulty Intel customers

Weeks turn into months.

Dell’s replacement program for Intel’s faulty Cougar chipset has hit a roadblock because it cannot locate some of the affected customers.

“One area that’s slowing things down is that machines being purchased from retail outlets are not registered to an owner,” Dell's chief support blogger Lionel Menchaca rote Wednesday. 

Menchaca said he did not know the number of customers that had not registered when asked by iTNews.

The replacement program had become a drawn out process for Dell. In mid-March, when it began contacting customers directly, it expected to have completed its motherboard replacement program “over the next several weeks”.  

Intel revealed on January 31 that its Cougar chipset could cause attached devices to degrade over time and that it would allocate US$700 million for recall and replacements costs.  

Menchaca reiterated that customers who bought its XPS 8300, Vostro 460 and Alienware Aurora desktops, or its Alienware M17x R3 from a retailer on or before February 15 may need a replacement.  

“Our technical support team can determine if you are affected, but before they can, we need you to register the system in your name,” said Menchaca. 

Dell's registration page can be found here. HP, which was also affected by Intel's faulty chipset, has information on its replacement program here.