I received my new Dell XPS 8500 about six weeks ago and was very excited to upgrade from my previous computer, which was seven years old (the XPS 8500 is my third or fourth consecutive Dell system). I was amazed at the size and clarity of the monitor and the design and efficiency of the tower. But then I started using the keyboard, and I couldn't believe how terrible it was.
Within seconds of starting to use the keyboard, I noted that my attempts to move the cursor with the numeric keypad resulted in numbers appearing on the screen. "Oh, right," I thought to myself--it's a new computer, so I need to set the Num Lock key so I can use the numeric keypad the way I've been using numeric keypads for 20 years. I'm a touch typist, so I never look at the keyboard and do most keyboard functions pretty much automatically. So, I hit the key where Num Lock usually is, and was surprised when nothing happened.
I inspected the keyboard, and saw that the Num Lock key had been replaced with a key marked "Clear," which doesn't seem to do anything except clear an entry on the calculator. I started looking around for the Num Lock key, and couldn't find it. Then I noticed that the numeric keypad was only marked with numbers, and not also with arrows or directions like "Home" or "Page Up."
I still can't get over this. How can Dell ship a keyboard without Num Lock? When I contacted Dell for customer service on an unrelated matter--which they resolved promptly and efficiently--I mentioned the keyboard issue and asked if there was a workaround. I had tried editing the BiOS and researched remapping the keyboard, but nothing had worked. The response I got from customer service shocked me. They noted, correctly, that I had chosen the keyboard and selected pretty much the cheapest option available. But they then essentially said that you get what you pay for and that I was welcome to go out and buy another keyboard.
I still can't get over this. Yes, I got a cheap keyboard, but it never occurred to me that it would come without a Num Lock key. It also never occurred to me that it might come without a Tab key, an Alt key, an Escape key, an Enter key, a space bar, or various letters, numbers, and punctuation marks; do I have to specifically ask if each of these keys is present on every keyboard I buy from Dell in the future? Num Lock keys have been standard on computer keyboards for decades; how can they quietly remove it and then extend a metaphorical middle finger to anyone who complains about it?
I realize that it's a relatively minor thing, but it's something that hits me in the face every time I try typing on the keyboard. It's like buying a top of the line sports car after weeks of research, driving it off the lot, and then looking down and noticing that there's no speedometer: it seems like a minor thing, but it really ruins the experience.
Please let me know if there's anything I can do (other than buying a new keyboard). Thank you.