Dell case cooling fan for XPS B-series ... rant and question

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

First the rant-
My case cooling fan has bad bearings and is very noisy. So I went to the
Dell site to try and find a replacement. Going to the "replacement parts
for your Dell" area, I did a search for "fan" and got hits for dedicated
fans for graphic cards and other stuff that was not a fit. I tried putting
in my service tag number which in the past was recognized by Dell, but not
this time.

On some other screen, I also tried choosing the model but while it had Dell
Dimension XPS it had series like 200, 500, 700 but not B866. It had some
series ending with M or MT - I am not sure, I cannot even find the page I
got stuck at earlier today.

After doing lots of Googling, I find that even for this part, Dell has a
proprietary part. Fine. I was willing to pay the damned money for it. I
really do not care if I pay $40 for the proprietary part when a $10 part
will suffice. The fan did not make noise for 5 years and if $40 will get me
another 5 years, I am ok with that. But the damned Dell website will not
even allow me to find the damned part! Even when I opened the case and got
the number from the housing and it was 443YT, having that knowledge did not
really help on the Dell site. I tried searching for that and got zilch. I
imagine that perhaps it is possible to find parts on the Dell site, but it
must require the sacrifice of a goat.

I went to Google with the part number 443YT and I found a year-old post in
some forum where a guy used a CompUSA replacement SKU 280286 and it worked
fine, but he had to break the old fan apart bit-by-bit from the shroud using
needle nose pliers. It seems that Dell made this a proprietary part by
fusing the shroud and the fan into a combination unit. The poster said he
went to Frys and several other electronics stores and could not find this
part but took a gamble when he saw the one at CompUSA. This is amazing to
me - not that Dell wants to keep margins high by selling proprietary stuff,
but that they make it impossible to find the stuff! How the hell are they
gonna sell me something and make money on it if it cannot be located???

Ok, enough of the rant, now the question.
The post I found on the other forum did not have much info in it. So, a
question for this group. Anybody had experience with the Dell 443YT fan?
Is it really the best bet to go to CompUSA and tear the old fan apart from
its housing or is there a place that I can simply buy the whole unit and not
have to mess with it? (perhaps this might even reside on Dell's website,
hidden and guarded by a fire-breathing giraffe?)

Thanks

 

[kony]

First the rant-
My case cooling fan has bad bearings and is very noisy. So I went to the
Dell site to try and find a replacement.

Ok but why do you want same fan again?
I've seen a fair number of these fans, some weren't so bad
but for a big problem- random mismatch of the fan's stall
RPM (threshold) versus the reduced PWM speed control. In
other words, not all fans respond the same to fan speed
reduction, particularly higher current fans and aggressive
throttling. Particularly when this throttling is temp
controlled (as usual), one need not even choose such a high
RPM fan as the controller would speed it up anyway.

In short, get your fan dimensions and # of pins it uses, and
from there you might pick out a more ideal model but also
keep in mind your room ambient temps (highest they'll be
year-round), so you don't get something TOO low.

A random suggestion would be a Panaflo "M" speed, it's
probably a 92mm x 25mm thick fan but measure to be sure.
http://www.svc.com may have some and low USPS shipping too
for single parts or very small orders.

Going to the "replacement parts
for your Dell" area, I did a search for "fan" and got hits for dedicated
fans for graphic cards and other stuff that was not a fit. I tried putting
in my service tag number which in the past was recognized by Dell, but not
this time.

On some other screen, I also tried choosing the model but while it had Dell
Dimension XPS it had series like 200, 500, 700 but not B866. It had some
series ending with M or MT - I am not sure, I cannot even find the page I
got stuck at earlier today.

You could always pick a different model # so long as it uses
same size fan.

After doing lots of Googling, I find that even for this part, Dell has a
proprietary part.

From what I recall, no they're pretty standard... but I
don't remember seeing a B866, don't know if there's anything
unusual about it compared to the others. When I mentioned
92mm fan, I was thinking of some newer models but it appears
yours is a Pentium 3 era system?

Fine. I was willing to pay the damned money for it. I
really do not care if I pay $40 for the proprietary part when a $10 part
will suffice. The fan did not make noise for 5 years and if $40 will get me
another 5 years, I am ok with that. But the damned Dell website will not
even allow me to find the damned part! Even when I opened the case and got
the number from the housing and it was 443YT, having that knowledge did not
really help on the Dell site. I tried searching for that and got zilch. I
imagine that perhaps it is possible to find parts on the Dell site, but it
must require the sacrifice of a goat.

Eventually everyone comes to the conclusion that relying on
an OEM is a painful and expensive proposition. Figure out
what size the fan is, there's probably a few thousand places
selling something suitable. Dell doesn't make fans, at most
it might have a special connector but I doubt that.

I went to Google with the part number 443YT and I found a year-old post in
some forum where a guy used a CompUSA replacement SKU 280286 and it worked
fine, but he had to break the old fan apart bit-by-bit from the shroud using
needle nose pliers.

I can't see your shroud, but usually it just clips on. Hard
to say why that guy had trouble, but you should be able to
just pop that shroud off and see for yourself what's
involved.

It seems that Dell made this a proprietary part by
fusing the shroud and the fan into a combination unit.

You say this based on inspecting yours, or only that other
guy's tale about what he did? A good, linked (not posted to
the newsgroup) picture might go a long way, with the shroud
off so we can see the rear side of it without the case wall
in the way.

The poster said he
went to Frys and several other electronics stores and could not find this
part but took a gamble when he saw the one at CompUSA. This is amazing to
me - not that Dell wants to keep margins high by selling proprietary stuff,
but that they make it impossible to find the stuff! How the hell are they
gonna sell me something and make money on it if it cannot be located???

Dell would much rather sell new systems at a few hundred a
pop than to stock misc. parts for several year old systems.
Could be they had 3,000 spare of those but 3,000 people
already had theirs fail, bought the replacement and when
they're gone, they're gone.

Ok, enough of the rant, now the question.
The post I found on the other forum did not have much info in it. So, a
question for this group. Anybody had experience with the Dell 443YT fan?
Is it really the best bet to go to CompUSA and tear the old fan apart from
its housing or is there a place that I can simply buy the whole unit and not
have to mess with it? (perhaps this might even reside on Dell's website,
hidden and guarded by a fire-breathing giraffe?)

There's lots of things that might work, depending on how
handy you are and exactly what that fan and shroud are like.

What I'd expect is you have a plastic piece that slips or
clips onto the rear wall of the case. Onto that, the fan
slides on, then the outer shroud that bends towards the CPU
heatsink, has a couple of large plastic clips on 2 sides.
Those clips can get brittle so you have to be careful
bending them to get the fan out.

If it were a sleeve bearing fan, you might be able to relube
it, though I suspect it's ball bearing as I vaguely recall
some of them were (but all? I don't know.).

 

[Paul]

First the rant-
My case cooling fan has bad bearings and is very noisy. So I went to the
Dell site to try and find a replacement. Going to the "replacement parts
for your Dell" area, I did a search for "fan" and got hits for dedicated
fans for graphic cards and other stuff that was not a fit. I tried putting
in my service tag number which in the past was recognized by Dell, but not
this time.

On some other screen, I also tried choosing the model but while it had Dell
Dimension XPS it had series like 200, 500, 700 but not B866. It had some
series ending with M or MT - I am not sure, I cannot even find the page I
got stuck at earlier today.

After doing lots of Googling, I find that even for this part, Dell has a
proprietary part. Fine. I was willing to pay the damned money for it. I
really do not care if I pay $40 for the proprietary part when a $10 part
will suffice. The fan did not make noise for 5 years and if $40 will get me
another 5 years, I am ok with that. But the damned Dell website will not
even allow me to find the damned part! Even when I opened the case and got
the number from the housing and it was 443YT, having that knowledge did not
really help on the Dell site. I tried searching for that and got zilch. I
imagine that perhaps it is possible to find parts on the Dell site, but it
must require the sacrifice of a goat.

I went to Google with the part number 443YT and I found a year-old post in
some forum where a guy used a CompUSA replacement SKU 280286 and it worked
fine, but he had to break the old fan apart bit-by-bit from the shroud using
needle nose pliers. It seems that Dell made this a proprietary part by
fusing the shroud and the fan into a combination unit. The poster said he
went to Frys and several other electronics stores and could not find this
part but took a gamble when he saw the one at CompUSA. This is amazing to
me - not that Dell wants to keep margins high by selling proprietary stuff,
but that they make it impossible to find the stuff! How the hell are they
gonna sell me something and make money on it if it cannot be located???

Ok, enough of the rant, now the question.
The post I found on the other forum did not have much info in it. So, a
question for this group. Anybody had experience with the Dell 443YT fan?
Is it really the best bet to go to CompUSA and tear the old fan apart from
its housing or is there a place that I can simply buy the whole unit and not
have to mess with it? (perhaps this might even reside on Dell's website,
hidden and guarded by a fire-breathing giraffe?)

Thanks

Is this the disassembly page here ?

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dmag/rr.htm#chassis_cooling_fan_assembly

The processor looks like it uses ducted cooling, and the fan shroud is
held
in place with a couple plastic tabs. Are you sure the shroud and fan
don't come
apart easily ?

And someone asked a question about this 11 months ago

http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.s..._frm/thread/53f7398f26b5f551/f07d74331fc8f257

Brushless DC fans come in standard sizes. I have one electronics store
in
town that stocks a few fans, and at least some of them are nice ball
bearing units. That is where I go when I have a duff fan. There are
also sources on the Internet, but it is harder to inspect what you
are getting that way. My store also stocks pins and connector bodies,
if the fan doesn't have the right connector on the end. It takes five
minutes to crimp a couple pins onto the wires and shove them into a
three pin connector body, to make the fan ready for use.

Fans are rated according to the CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air they
move. Some product lines divide the fans according to "low", "medium",
"high", "ultra". Your replacement fan should try to match what you've
currently got, and it is pretty hard to guess which one might be
a good replacement. Your processor might be drawing about 35W or
so, and the fan dimensions might not be that large. But the Dell info
above doesn't show any dimensions.

The Dell computer could be controlling the voltage to the fan, and that
could be why it is quiet most of the time. Does the fan speed change
with
time and CPU load ? Does it run faster on a hot day ? If the fan seems
to be a fixed speed design, then you know the fan speed and air volume
you see, is a constant all the time. Finding a replacement might be
easier if you know the fan you are looking at is getting a full 12V
all the time. If the fan speed is being modified by the Dell board
reducing the voltage, then it is harder to tell what the fan runs
like at full 12V.

Replacing the fan with an aftermarket is not hard, but will involve
some guess work when it comes to picking something that matches
performance-wise. It really helps a lot if the original fan is still
functional, so you can compare the performance of old and new fans.
And it also helps to have a source of +12V to run any fan you want to
test. Thus this job isn't for everyone.

Do you know of any service facilities in your area that handle Dell ?
Perhaps such a company can order a replacement assembly for you, and
you pay them cash and do the install yourself. They can deal
with the "fire-breathing giraffe" for you. And if the part is the
correct one, it likely won't require the use of a Dremel to install
it.

Paul

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

snip

Is this the disassembly page here ?
Yes

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dmag/rr.htm#chassis_cooling_fan_assembly

The processor looks like it uses ducted cooling, and the fan shroud is
held in place with a couple plastic tabs. Are you sure the shroud and fan
don't come apart easily ?

I see that I used a very bad choice of words. There is a shroud that is
basically a duct to guide the air toward the fan before it is blown out the
back. THAT part slips out easily and does not appear in the dissassembly
diagram whose link you posted. But if you look at the CompUSA fan, it is
very thin and the one in the Dell is much thicker as it has that fan inside
its own case. Say the fan is 1/4" thick, the case into which the fan sits,
where the fan's wire cover is screwed in, is perhaps 1" thick. It is that
external case that appears in the dissassembly diagram. So the guy was
referring to separating the fan from the outer case. That case snaps into
place on the back of the tower - there are some special tabs and holes to
receive it, so that part seems to be proprietary, designed to fit without
mounting screws.

Here is part of that post I found:
"Another thing is that I had to chip the old fan out of the fan encasing so
that I could put the new one in its place.The old fan would not just come
right out.I used needle-nosed pliers to break the old fan piece by piece.
Lucky for me,I didn't damage the fan encasing that I needed to re-install
the fan properly. The new fan came without any case or hood. "

And someone asked a question about this 11 months ago

http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.s..._frm/thread/53f7398f26b5f551/f07d74331fc8f257

I thought the question sounded familiar Trouble is, at my age I can
remember dialog from a movie that I saw 40 years ago, but not where I parked
my car two hours ago.

Last year I saw the fairly involved process to order the fan and decided to
try a bit of lithium grease. I pulled the label off the back of the fan,
where the arbor is, and packed some grease in there and it ran quietly for
the next 6 months or so, and then started getting noisy again. I was in the
midst of a move from Collevyille to Austin (hence the "formerlly" in my
moniker) so I am just now revisiting the issue.

Fans are rated according to the CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air they
move. Some product lines divide the fans according to "low", "medium",
"high", "ultra". Your replacement fan should try to match what you've
currently got, and it is pretty hard to guess which one might be
a good replacement. Your processor might be drawing about 35W or
so, and the fan dimensions might not be that large. But the Dell info
above doesn't show any dimensions.

Yeah, and that was what is driving me nuts! Even on the technical
documentation page, they have the dissassembly diagrans but not even a word
about the size of the fan. I found from Googling that it was 92mm.

The Dell computer could be controlling the voltage to the fan, and that
could be why it is quiet most of the time. Does the fan speed change
with time and CPU load ?

As far as I can tell, it is a fixed-speed fan. The fan is noisy because the
bearings were shot after 5 years of use. My trick with the lithium grease
gave it some extra life, but now is time for a better fix.

Replacing the fan with an aftermarket is not hard, but will involve
some guess work when it comes to picking something that matches
performance-wise. .

That is why I was hoping to find some specs on the fan. Taking it out of
the tower and unplugging it from the boad is easy enough, but it would be
nice to know that what I am going to put back in will fit without alot of
hassle.

It really helps a lot if the original fan is still
functional, so you can compare the performance of old and new fans.
And it also helps to have a source of +12V to run any fan you want to
test. Thus this job isn't for everyone.

The old fan still runs, it is just noisy as hell. Testing the performance
of the 2 units is indedd not a job for everyone and I am part of that
everyone.

Do you know of any service facilities in your area that handle Dell ?

I live in Austin, but work in Round Rock which is where Dell headquarters is
located, but I don't know if they have a service facility there. I just
moved here in late May and still am finding my way around.

Perhaps such a company can order a replacement assembly for you, and
you pay them cash and do the install yourself. They can deal
with the "fire-breathing giraffe" for you. And if the part is the
correct one, it likely won't require the use of a Dremel to install
it.

Thanks

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

Ok but why do you want same fan again?

So it will install easily, with minimal hassle. The fan worked well for 4+
years and then the bearings started making noise, so having another 4 years
of decent performance suits me fine. I am not opposed to getting a
different (read better) fan, but I want to keep the installation as simple
as possible. Like, pop out the old one and pop in the new on.

I've seen a fair number of these fans, some weren't so bad
but for a big problem- random mismatch of the fan's stall
RPM (threshold) versus the reduced PWM speed control. In
other words, not all fans respond the same to fan speed
reduction, particularly higher current fans and aggressive
throttling. Particularly when this throttling is temp
controlled (as usual), one need not even choose such a high
RPM fan as the controller would speed it up anyway.

I believe that it is a fixed speed fan. This computer is 6 years old and
uses a Pentium with 866 mhz, not one of the newer chips that doubles as a
space heater. So it's cooling needs are more modest. When the fan was new
it was not that noisy, so replacing this fan with the stock unit should
match my needs.

In short, get your fan dimensions and # of pins it uses, and
from there you might pick out a more ideal model but also
keep in mind your room ambient temps (highest they'll be
year-round), so you don't get something TOO low.

A random suggestion would be a Panaflo "M" speed, it's
probably a 92mm x 25mm thick fan but measure to be sure.
http://www.svc.com may have some and low USPS shipping too
for single parts or very small orders.


You could always pick a different model # so long as it uses
same size fan.

That was the trouble - I could not find the dimensions or, indeed, any specs
about the fan. I happened to find a couple of other posts from people who
had to replace their fans and found that the fan as 92mm - but could not
find even that info on the Dell site.

From what I recall, no they're pretty standard... but I
don't remember seeing a B866, don't know if there's anything
unusual about it compared to the others. When I mentioned
92mm fan, I was thinking of some newer models but it appears
yours is a Pentium 3 era system?

I think the unusual thing is that the case into which the fan fits has tabs
so that it can snap onto the tower without mounting screws. As to the CPU
type, I guess it would be a Pentium 3. It is 6 years old,was built in July,
2000 and is 866mhz for what ever that info is worth.

I can't see your shroud, but usually it just clips on. Hard
to say why that guy had trouble, but you should be able to
just pop that shroud off and see for yourself what's
involved.

Yep - the shroud simply lifts off. It was the case into which the fan fits,
not the shroud to which he was referring.

What I'd expect is you have a plastic piece that slips or
clips onto the rear wall of the case. Onto that, the fan
slides on, then the outer shroud that bends towards the CPU
heatsink, has a couple of large plastic clips on 2 sides.

That's it!

If it were a sleeve bearing fan, you might be able to relube
it, though I suspect it's ball bearing as I vaguely recall
some of them were (but all? I don't know.).

It is ball bearing. My earlier attempts at lubing brought temporary relief.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

message

I see that I used a very bad choice of words. There is a shroud that is
basically a duct to guide the air toward the fan before it is blown out
the back. THAT part slips out easily and does not appear in the
dissassembly diagram whose link you posted. But if you look at the
CompUSA fan, it is very thin and the one in the Dell is much thicker as it
has that fan inside its own case. Say the fan is 1/4" thick, the case
into which the fan sits, where the fan's wire cover is screwed in, is
perhaps 1" thick.

The fan is, I see, not .25" thick but 25mm which is approx 1 inch, so ignore
the 1/4" remark above. However, there is still a case that clips into my
tower into which the fan fits and that is what I was talking about.

 

[pen]

in message


The fan is, I see, not .25" thick but 25mm which is approx 1 inch, so
ignore the 1/4" remark above. However, there is still a case that clips
into my tower into which the fan fits and that is what I was talking
about.

I've replaced several fans in Dell 4100's which use the same duct as
yours. Normal everyday fans will work just fine. In my case the Dell fans
were ADDA's. Google for the web site and the part number will tell you all
the specs.

 

[kony]

So it will install easily, with minimal hassle. The fan worked well for 4+
years and then the bearings started making noise, so having another 4 years
of decent performance suits me fine. I am not opposed to getting a
different (read better) fan, but I want to keep the installation as simple
as possible. Like, pop out the old one and pop in the new on.

Ok, but many fans last far longer than 4 years, and until
you know what the fan is exactly, there is no reason to
believe another wouldn't just pop in.

I believe that it is a fixed speed fan. This computer is 6 years old and
uses a Pentium with 866 mhz, not one of the newer chips that doubles as a
space heater. So it's cooling needs are more modest. When the fan was new
it was not that noisy, so replacing this fan with the stock unit should
match my needs.

It is premature to conclude it's fixed speed. That is a
function of the motherboard, most often, but doesn't
necessarily depend on it being a newer, hotter running
system. Even so, it is useful to remember it's a lower heat
system to the end of a realization that the fan may never
need to move a lot of air, so a lower speed fan may be
sufficient.

That was the trouble - I could not find the dimensions or, indeed, any specs
about the fan.

"Find" is not necessarily a matter of looking for some text
spec somewhere, rather of opening the system and measuring
it (if you can't tell at a glance what size it is, which is
easy once you are accustomed to dealing with fans).

I happened to find a couple of other posts from people who
had to replace their fans and found that the fan as 92mm - but could not
find even that info on the Dell site.

You need to get hands-on, deal with the actual hardware in
front of you... forget Dell's website and pop out the fan...
should take 2 minutes to remove, measure, reinstall.

Yep - the shroud simply lifts off. It was the case into which the fan fits,
not the shroud to which he was referring.


That's it!

Yes but the key issue is whether they used a similar
arrangement as on later models, where the fan is standard
and just slips into the frame, or if they did something odd
and integrated the fan motor into a larger frame.

Examining the fan out of the system should provide all the
information you need.

It is ball bearing. My earlier attempts at lubing brought temporary relief.

A linked picture of the fan assembly, disassembled, would go
a long way. I mean take a picture, since there doesn't seem
to be any easily found online.

 

[kony]

Replacing the fan with an aftermarket is not hard, but will involve
some guess work when it comes to picking something that matches
performance-wise. It really helps a lot if the original fan is still
functional, so you can compare the performance of old and new fans.
And it also helps to have a source of +12V to run any fan you want to
test. Thus this job isn't for everyone.

Generally you can just note the current spec on the fan
label and get one similarly rated, so long as the
replacement (and the original) don't have integrated thermal
control themselves (instead relying on the motherboard to
control as is predominant).

On the other hand, a medium to low speed fan should be
sufficient for a P3 era system, something around 2400-3000
RPM perhaps.

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

Ok, but many fans last far longer than 4 years, and until
you know what the fan is exactly, there is no reason to
believe another wouldn't just pop in.





It is premature to conclude it's fixed speed. That is a
function of the motherboard, most often, but doesn't
necessarily depend on it being a newer, hotter running
system. Even so, it is useful to remember it's a lower heat
system to the end of a realization that the fan may never
need to move a lot of air, so a lower speed fan may be
sufficient.





"Find" is not necessarily a matter of looking for some text
spec somewhere, rather of opening the system and measuring
it (if you can't tell at a glance what size it is, which is
easy once you are accustomed to dealing with fans).



You need to get hands-on, deal with the actual hardware in
front of you... forget Dell's website and pop out the fan...
should take 2 minutes to remove, measure, reinstall.




Yes but the key issue is whether they used a similar
arrangement as on later models, where the fan is standard
and just slips into the frame, or if they did something odd
and integrated the fan motor into a larger frame.

Examining the fan out of the system should provide all the
information you need.



A linked picture of the fan assembly, disassembled, would go
a long way. I mean take a picture, since there doesn't seem
to be any easily found online.

I replaced the fan assembly tonight with the CompUSA 92mm fan. It works
fine and is nice and quiet. On two sides of the casing that hangs on the
back of the tower, there are slots into which the sides of the fan "slide".
I use quotes around the word slide because the fan does not exactly slip out
easily. I thought that maybe Dell used some glue to weld the parts together
so that you'd have to buy the combination of the two pieces, but after about
12 minutes or so I got them apart.

I found that inserting a jewler's screwdriver between the fan and the casing
and then pressing directly on the edge of the fan got it to start moving.
Once I got one side free, the second side was a bit easier. I was paranoid
that I would break the case. But putting the new fan into the casing was
pretty easy because when you press it down, the two sides snap into the
slots in the casing. After that it was easy to slip the unit back into the
tower and plug it into the MB. I was glad of that, I half expected that
since the MB expected a 3-pin connector, my fan would have a 4-pin connector
just so the computer gods could laugh at me once again.

Anyhow, thanks for the help. The unit is much quieter, the power supply is
louder than the new fan wherease before, the old fan was a very big
noisemaker. I ordered a new PS from PC Power and Cooling and since it is
called the Silencer, I am optimistic that when I install it, the computer
will be quieter still.

Thanks to all who helped, gave suggestions, encouragement, etc.
Alan.

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

Do you know of any service facilities in your area that handle Dell ?

Interestingly enough, I work across the street from Dell's headquarters in
Round Rock. But I got the replacement part from CompUSA. Thank God it's
done and the room is quiet again.

 

[kony]

Interestingly enough, I work across the street from Dell's headquarters in
Round Rock. But I got the replacement part from CompUSA. Thank God it's
done and the room is quiet again.

Doesn't Dell still live in Cedar Park? Seems like that's
only 10 minutes or so from Round Rock, can you imagine the
looks on their faces if you rang the doorbell and asked what
they're going to do about your fan?

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

Doesn't Dell still live in Cedar Park? Seems like that's
only 10 minutes or so from Round Rock,

My wife works in the old Dell bldg in the West Lake Hills area and I thought
they moved directly from there to Round Rock. I do not know if there was a
stop in Cedar Park along the way.

The building is on the east side of IH 35 near Hesters Crossing; definitely
Round Rock. I said I work "across the street", but I am actually across IH
35 at Hesters Crossing, a few hundred yards away.

can you imagine the
looks on their faces if you rang the doorbell and asked what
they're going to do about your fan?

After fetting the link to their parts website and requesting a price quote,
I got an email back from them saying they needed more info. It would be the
look on my face that would be interesting if I went over there ("Harry, call
security! There's a guy here who looks like he's up to no good.")

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

p.s. Dell's Headquarters

http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv16659.php

 

[kony]

My wife works in the old Dell bldg in the West Lake Hills area and I thought
they moved directly from there to Round Rock. I do not know if there was a
stop in Cedar Park along the way.

I meant, Dell the person, not the company.

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

I meant, Dell the person, not the company.

Ah, a different story. I am not sure where he lives - I had heard it was in
West Lake Hills and that you could see his house from the bridge over the
lake and that area is maybe 15 - 18 miles from Round Rock and nowhere near
Cedar Park. Also, I looked at homes in Cedar Park and it looked like a
middle class bedroom community to me, I couldn't imagine a billionaire
living there. Of course, I did not see the whole city, but from what I saw
I did not think that I wanted to live there.

My co-worker lives there and it takes her an hour to commute to work - all
of 10 miles. I live in Dripping Springs and get there in 45 to 55 minutes
and that is a 35 mile commute.

 

[kony]

Ah, a different story. I am not sure where he lives - I had heard it was in
West Lake Hills and that you could see his house from the bridge over the
lake and that area is maybe 15 - 18 miles from Round Rock and nowhere near
Cedar Park. Also, I looked at homes in Cedar Park and it looked like a
middle class bedroom community to me, I couldn't imagine a billionaire
living there. Of course, I did not see the whole city, but from what I saw
I did not think that I wanted to live there.

Some parts of Cedar park are a little nicer towards the
wilderness, but then you get more of the annoying wildlife
that can't seem to stay off the roads at night.