wb8979's Illustration Blog: How I spent the final weeks of summer break... Dell style!

There are times when the solution to a very BIG problem lies just under your nose. That was the case with my old gaming PC that I spent a good week restoring.

Before I switched to the Mac ecosystem, I was an avid PC user. In recent years, Microsoft Windows began to go in directions I really didn't like, such as introducing various intrusive advertisements into the notifications system, the file browser, and even launching full-screen popup messages in a desperate attempt to get me to try their new Edge browser.

My old PC is a Dell Inspiron 5675, rescued from a local pawn shop in February 2019. The computer was shipped to it's initial owner in February of 2018 according to the service tag information Dell keeps on their support site. For a computer barely a year old, just what could have spurred the previous owner to give it up in less than a year?

A really horrible Windows 10 experience it seems.

The majority of pre-built PCs on the market come with a heavily customized version of Windows already set up on the internal storage device, loaded with lots of unecessary software such as unneeded system "utilities", antivirus software trials, game trials, and other kinds of digital junk. This is called bloatware, and such junk software tends to slow down the system straight out of the box. This particular Dell had a default Windows setup so horrible it lead to instability and crashes. I lost count of how many times Windows would simply stop responding to mouse clicks or keyboard input, leaving behind a completely frozen desktop and just a moving mouse cursor. I had to force a power off and power on to get it back up and running, until it inevitably happened again. I discussed the issues with another friend of mine who knows about Windows PCs, and he suggested re-installing Windows with a plain, clean installation image.

Microsoft provides tools to download current versions of Windows, provided you have the original product key on hand, or if your pre-built system already has a product key in it's BIOS firmware. I reinstalled Windows and all the associated device drivers, and the Dell suddenly became stable! No more freezes or crashes occurred, and the lack of all the Dell bloat increased performance to boot. I was more or less happy with my Dell, until Windows became more and more of a nuisance with all the ads and stuff. So I began looking for alternatives, and eventually switched over to Mac. The Dell Inspiron 5675 would then go largely unused for around a year or so, occasionally being brought out to try and set it up as a Linux computer.

During the last few weeks of my summer work break, I had an idea. Why not use the Dell as a media center PC connected to my living room TV? It has a DVD and BluRay drive, and with my existing USB gamepads, I could also use it to play my small collection of Steam PC games.

So I got to work. I needed to install a couple hard disks for storage of games and video files such as my converted VHS tapes, and also to make sure everything else inside was connected properly.

I then connect it to my TV, attach a wireless keyboard and mouse, and turn on the Dell. Everything seems to be going good so far. But I wanted Windows 11 installed on the Dell since if you want to play BluRay discs on a PC, you can really only do so legally with either a Windows PC or a Mac. BluRay on Linux is essentially a no-go due to the tough DRM encryption used on commercial BluRay movies. To get Windows 11 installed, I had to turn on two options in the system BIOS, Secure Boot and TPM. That is where the troubles really beagan.

When Secure Boot was turned on, the Dell would no longer send a video signal to my TV, a relatively modern Sony X80J 4K screen. When I connected the HDMI cable to another monitor, such as my old Huion drawing tablet, the Dell would send a video output there. I tried different HDMI cables, even buying a new one that was advertised as being 4K capable, and still, no signal to the Sony with Secure Boot enabled. I then tried to set up a Linux system on it, because at least that system doesn't require Secure Boot/TPM and you can back up BluRay movie discs with MakeMKV (at the expense of disk space). The Linux option was a complete failure because the open-source driver software needed for the Dell's graphics card simply don't work well at all, eventually freezing up the system with graphical corruption.

After trying again to get the Dell working with my Sony with the Secure Boot option enabled, and failing yet again, I was about ready to give up. Then I noticed something on the Dell power LED. It was blinking an error code whenever it was connected to the Sony. In short, the system wasn't passing the "Power On Self Test", or POST. Doing some research, the blink code indicated a possible fault with the motherboard. But since the Dell continued to work when connected to other displays, I ruled out an actual motherboard problem. I then searched online for why a display would cause a computer to not pass POST.

That is when I realized the problem wasn't the Dell, but my TV!

I re-configured my TV's HDMI settings such as enabling 4K support and turning off "Bravia Sync", and lo-and-behold, my Dell was now working properly with my TV, with Secure Boot enabled! I was ready to install Windows 11!

Getting Windows 11 set up was straightforward, and in a matter of hours (and after all of the necessary Windows security patches and driver updates), I was on my way to turning my old Dell PC into a rather nice Media Center hub, with focus on DVD/BluRay movies, games, and an over-the-air TV viewer and recorder. I still have to deal with the annoyances of Windows from time to time, but for this kind of use situation, it won't really detract from the experience.

In closing, here is what's inside the Dell..