You know Rosyna, the comment about the nasty smell could be taken to mean that the students you work around all smell nasty. Somehow I don't think that you want those same students finding out who you are =).

I know someone who got a Dell with "smut2000.com" as a default bookmark in Internet Explorer (June 2002). She called Dell, told them, and they didn't do anything. She'd have no reason to lie to US so I'm fairly certain it's an accurate story. She'd bought a new computer, not refurb.

Dell must be into some kinky stuff...

Wouldn't suprise me if all the people assembling the comptuers wear latex gloves whne handling the components. Yeah, slight overkill...

I'd hate to imagien what else they might be doing in there.

well, not that many people like working assembly lines. and dell is a popular computer company. so they need the work, so they higher just about anyone.. without background checks. that's why i build my own computer. i know where it has been "dont put that in your mouth, u dont know where it has been."

*chokes steve from the commercials*

You might want to consider how the machines were shipped over seas.. i know of a lot of vendors who wrap their products in latex for shipment aboard ships. This prevents salt from getting inside the fragile compontents.. And may also be the cause of your foul smell.. Hope this helps, Dave-o

Could that smell have been some of that stanky DANK! A.K.A. Mary Jane!

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/delldude1.html

I have a background in Material Processes and Industrial Design, as well as three friends who are registered nurses.

Most latex allergies are misdiagnosed talcum allergies.

Latex gloves are also not typically used for light machine assembly as they interfere with tactile sensitivity. However, little white cotton gloves are worn instead as they can be washed and reused.

Many types of plastics, specifically of the Buterite family, small like week-old rotten dog **** for months, if not years. It is especially foul when it has been melted, and lingers and clings to surfaces as it is heavier than air. Some forms of shrink tubing used to bind wires together are made from many of those types of plastics. Many wire manufacturers around the world also use those types of plastic to sheath wires, as they are resilient to a wide range of temperatures and resist cracking for a long time (about 15-40 years, well past the life of most computers and electronics).

Also, some pretty nasty chemical adhesives are used, even in the US, to bond corrugated cardboard. Many of those smell like a cross between burnt dog hair and a stale fart (to be blunt). Likely the allergic reaction was from some cardboard particles, infused with a particularly nasty resin or xylene based bonding agent (illegal in most states - it causes sterility in most people in concentration), were the cause of the reaction.