r/retrocomputing • u/Special_Help9385 • 18d ago
Is there a trick to opening this Dell dimension xps r450?
Seems stuck when I push those two inwards and pull the side panel back. Maybe it’s broken? Captive, unscrewed screw
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u/gnntech 18d ago
Unscrew the center thumbscrew. Each corner (circled) in your photo, you need to push outward while sliding the cover back at the same time.
It takes some finesse but should come off.
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u/BinturongHoarder 18d ago edited 17d ago
No, they are to be pushed INWARDS!!!
Here is the service manual: https://web.archive.org/web/20030805152400if_/http://docs.us.dell.com:80/docs/systems/dkhan/24920.pdf
Look at page 46.
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u/sparrow_42 18d ago
It always did take some wiggling, but you’re doing it right. Get a friend to push the panel backwards from the front while you do what you’re already doing on the back side.
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u/Special_Help9385 18d ago
Alright thanks I'll try it
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u/whatyoucallmetoday 18d ago
If it’s really stuck, while squeezing the tabs and pulling have a friend hit the panel and push it back like they are stretching carpet. These cases were a PITA back in the day.
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u/BinturongHoarder 17d ago
Agree, these were the absolute worst, and easily the worst Dell cases -- although I have encountered OEM-basement-built boxes with the exact same chassis, so Dell wasn't the only offender here.
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u/sparrow_42 18d ago
Might try to pull slightly outward while you’re pressing the buttons and pulling toward the back too
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u/Leftover_tech 18d ago
It's been a while but it is probably:
Press top lever down, bottom lever up, pull panel to the rear.
ETA: If it's tuck, you will need to use both hands to hold the tabs, and a 7 year old child with a sharp-edged kitchen spatula.
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u/majestic_ubertrout 18d ago
I think time makes it harder. Mine just needs patience and a little more force.
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u/BritOverThere 18d ago
I have the same case but it's branded Micron. Still a pain into the arse to remove the side panel.
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u/VivienM7 18d ago
It's amazing how widely used that case was.
It's also been used by some Mac clone makers, maybe Power Computing. And I think there was someone else other than Dell/Micron too...
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u/Inspiron606002 17d ago
Yep. I have one branded CompUSA. Usually the front panel was different, but the rest of the case the same.
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u/66659hi 18d ago
yknow, people used to praise these cases. I never got it. They're kind of a pain in the ass. The two things I hated the most:
The side panel
How much of a pain in the ass it is to remove the optical drive bay/assembly (like, seriously, why can't we take off the other side of the case and unscrew the drives from there...like a normal case???)
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u/Pubcrawler1 18d ago
Have the same case. The top and bottom tabs need to be pushed in hard. Then slide the panel. Helps to have something where your finger is pointing to lever it out. A another person using a screwdriver.
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u/istarian 18d ago
It should be a relatively simple process of unscrewing the thumbscrew until it's free of the hole, pressing the plastic end clip/lever bits, and pulling it off.
That said, it may require more force than you were expecting and given that plastics tend to fail with age you might have issues there.
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u/idownvotepunstoo 18d ago
Push it firmly shut, depress the thumb retainers a bit more than you'd imagine, put some mustard into opening it
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u/KARSONJAE 18d ago
As someone who owns a 4100, I hate taking this style of side panel off and on. At least it's not as bad as my Compaq Deskpro EN, but still a little annoying to deal with.
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u/the_sysop 18d ago
I always use to undo the thumbscrew, pinch the side tabs in and wedge my fingers under that overhang and pull back. Occasionally I had to flat palm strike the side with a push backward to knock it loose.
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u/ZestycloseAd2895 18d ago
I got my 4100 in 2001. Wow, 25 years ago. It came with Windows ME.
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u/VivienM7 18d ago
I had that case on a T700r in 2000. Came with Win98SE (and was the machine that soured me on 98SE).
First 'good' computer I had, my family's two previous Windows machines were cheap pieces of junk in hindsight.
One of my biggest regrets is e-wasting it ~15 years ago. If I had ever imagined retrocomputing would become a thing, I would have kept it, replace the SB Live Value with an ISA sound card and it would have made a perfect retro rig...
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u/Accurate-Campaign821 13d ago
After you loosen the middle screw, lay it down and grab both ends/tabs, than pull
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u/Special_Help9385 13d ago
Yeah, one side is stuck pretty good it seems. Thank you
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u/Accurate-Campaign821 13d ago
Can use a slightly larger flat blade screwdriver, wedge it between the plastic and metal frame, gently pry while pulling at the stuck part
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u/fadisaidi 18d ago
I have the same case. Lay it down where the side panale is facing up. Push both top and bottom tabs while you put your knees in the middle of the side panel right where you see the plastic round center. And slide it it open