Hi, we have plenty of Dell desktops and servers at our branch offices and data centers. As I am currently compiling their expiry dates, I need to retrieve their service tag numbers remotely to save the trouble to travel to their physical locations.
I believe it must be possible to check the service tag numbers remotely with an Windows utility. Unfortunately, the dell asset.com utility keep showing "this machine does not support an asset/service tag". Any suggestion?
Hello Bhwong
Check HERE for info that might help.
Tom
Belarc is a nice tool, too. It will capture the Dell Svc Tag even if the PC itself doesn't have it registered in the OS.
Thanks, but I just want a simple utility to check the service tag and prefer not to install any huge application that might affect the performance and stability of the Dell PCs and Servers just for this simple purpose. :(
Belarc Advisor is pretty slim, stable, and runs in a browser window. But it's only for personal use, not for commercial use.
You may want to look at their BelManage software which runs over a network and might only need to be installed on a server, and not locally on every PC, but they do charge by the number of seats so that could get expensive.
Can you reboot each PC remotely and open BIOS Setup to read the Service Tag number? That might get tedious very quickly if you have a lot of PCs, but if it's a one-time effort to read/record Service Tags, it might be something to consider.
Ron
If I've solved the problem, please mark my post as "Verified Answer".
Forum Member since 2004
I am NOT a Dell employee
Since I'm using RDP protocol, rebooting the PC will mean that I will lost connection until it get boot into Windows again. Thus, I won't get the chance to see what is display on the remote screen during BIOS bootup.
I found a Dell webpage that is able to retrieve Service Tag, but you need to use IE and allow ActiveX installation:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/en/my_systems_service_tag?c=us&l=en&s=gen&~mode=popup
Hope this is useful to you guys too.
SMINFO A Dos window utility.
Message by MasterSlave on 12-03-2003 06:37 PM
Pc pitstop Seems to have dos and windows versions of these.PC PitstopSystem Management BIOS UtilityVersion 2.0 - 06/02/2000(WINSMB added 08/25/2000)
----------------------------------------------THIS UTILITY IS NO LONGER UPDATED. FOR A MORERECENT VERSION, USE THIS FILE:ftp://ftp.pcpitstop.com/pcpbios.zip----------------------------------------------
PURPOSE
This utility will dump out the information that iscontained in your computer's System ManagementBIOS (SMBIOS) data area.
ABOUT THE SMBIOS DATA
Most computers made since 1998 support the SMBIOSstandard, but not all of them fill in correct data.The problem is particularly bad with "white box"computers where the parts are assembled by localcompanies. SMBIOS data requires customization tocorrectly reflect the computer as built, but fewlocal "chop shops" have the expertise to updatethe data.
Incorrect data in the SMBIOS tables generally doesnot create operational problems with the computer,but will cause some of PC Pitstop's reports toshow incorrect numbers. Both Intel and Microsoftare developing software (Wired for Management and Windows Management Instrumentation, respectively)that depends on SMBIOS data being correct to workproperly.
FREQUENTLY ERRONEOUS SMBIOS DATA
The following SMBIOS fields are frequently wrong:
Manufacturer and ModelProcessor clock speedNumber of memory slotsSize of processor/memory cacheMaximum memory module sizeCase style (desktop, tower, etc.)
HOW TO USE THE WINDOWS VERSION OF THE UTILITY
**This version will not work with Windows NT/2000,use the SMB16 command line version instead.**
For Windows 95/98, extract the WINSMB.EXE file fromthe zip file. Run it and it will display a windowwith your BIOS information. Click on the plus signnext to any record to see the details of that record.
HOW TO USE THE COMMAND-LINE UTILITY
For Windows 95/98, extract the SMB32.EXE file fromthe zip file. (For Windows NT/2000, use the SMB16.EXEfile.) From a command prompt, type the followingcommand:
SMB32 >BIOS.TXT
This will generate a file, BIOS.TXT, that containsa report of the BIOS data area. You can view the filewith any text editor such as Notepad.
MORE INFORMATION ON SYSTEM MANAGEMENT BIOS
If you want more information on the SMBIOS specificationand the meaning of the data, see the following URL:
http://www.dmtf.org/standards/smbios
http://www.dmtf.org/standards/documents/SMBIOS/DSP0134.pdf
You can obtain the complete specification there as aPDF file that explains the meaning and function ofeach item.
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