Colin DiPonio Computer Consultant (Cheshire, UK) » Dell XPS M1530

Dell to offer extended warranties on affected Nvidia based laptops

Colin DiPonio — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:42:20 +0000

Dell have announced on their Direct2Dell blog they will be offering extended warranties for those customers affected by Nvidia GPU issues.

I have previously written about these issues here and here.

From their Post

“Dell will offer a 12-month limited warranty enhancement specific to this issue. For all customers worldwide, we plan to add 12 months of coverage for this issue to the existing limited warranty up to 60 months from the date of purchase.”

The affected Dell models are the:-

Dell Inspiron 1420

Dell Vostro Notebook 1310
Dell Vostro Notebook 1400
Dell Vostro Notebook 1510
Dell Vostro Notebook 1710

Dell Precision M2300

Dell Latitude D630
Dell Latitude D630c

Dell XPS M1330
Dell XPS M1530

Considering Nvida caused this problem Dell are taking a lot of heat for it. So are HP and the other OEMs.

Reading the comments on the current announcement this is still not considered a satisfactory solution by the majority of users. A product recall/replacement is.

Link: Direct2Dell (Comments)

Another Interesting Link on this topic: Link

Dell Laptop Bios Upgrade Step by Step Instructions

Colin DiPonio — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:10:59 +0000

Here are some step by step instructions for upgrading the bios in your Dell Laptop.

Visit www.support.dell.com and select "I’m Looking for Drivers and Downloads".

Select your machine type (Laptop / Desktop) Then your family model, then the specific model within that family.

Once you arrive at the main page for your hardware expand the bios section and click the link Dell – Bios

Next Download your Bios file.

Bios files are typically small so should download quickly.

Once downloaded, come out of everything and make sure your laptop is on mains power. Then run the bios file you downloaded.

It will confirm the current bios level and tell you want number it’s going to upgrade too.

The last prompt you will see is this one.

When you click ok your laptop will immediately reboot, it will then perform the bios upgrade on a DOS like white screen and then reboot.

It may take longer than usual to load the Bios the first time it’s run, So leave it. It should only be a moment or so.

Then your laptop will boot windows and the upgrade is complete.

Dell Laptops with affected Nvidia mobile video

Colin DiPonio — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:15:23 +0000

I posted here about the Nvidia mobile graphics cards that Nvidia themselves reported as “failing in the field at higher than normal rates.”

Dell have now announced the list of possibly affected laptops and has issued Bios Upgrades that change the fan profile.

These include the

Inspiron 1420

Latitude D630 and D630c

Precision M2300

Vostro 1310, 1400, 1510 and 1710

XPS M1330 and M1530

What do end users need to do?

Well you basically download and install the Bios update. The change to the fan profile will probably mean the fan’s kick in earlier to keep the system cooler. Step by Step Instructions are here.

Some people have commented (on the direct to dell blog) that this isn’t really an acceptable solution.

Tip1: If you purchased one of the above laptops with only 1 years warranty I would definitely contact Dell and upgrade your existing warranty to 3 years to give you some additional protection. Upgrading the Bios can only do so much.

Tip2: Normally I would recommend installing this immediately but in the comments of the conversations below there have been some people with bios install problems. I would hold off for a couple of days then check for any known problems.

Link: NVIDIA GPU Update for Dell Laptop Owners

Other online Conversations about this topic.

Dell explains NVIDIA GPU issues, throws out BIOS updates to help

http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/10090995/Replace_All_Faulty_Nvidia_Laptop_GPUs

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2008/07/25/nvidia-gpu-update-for-dell-laptop-owners.aspx#comments

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=dell+nvidia

OK I was wrong biometric finger logon is actually really efficient

Colin DiPonio — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:08:49 +0000

My new Dell XPS M1530 has a Biometric Fingerprint Reader. Initially I thought this was just a gimmick.

I did have a chuckle at the following part of the User Enrolment.

I decide to live dangerously and only enrol one of my digits (for the moment).

Initially it goes into training mode and you have to successfully swipe your finger four times in succession. Each time not going too fast and keeping your finger straight.

So I did finger base camp and then forgot about it. However over the course of the weekend every time I lifted the lid I successfully gained access to the system using the reader.

Then it clicked…This is way easier than typing in a password every time. Doh

Then it occurred to me how much easier it would be to use complex long passwords (always a good idea) but not have the inconvenience of having to type them in 20 times a day.

I think I am more impressed at how much more efficient it is to login, the added security is just a bonus.

Tip: For best results slowly and steadily drag your finger over the reader.

Interested in all things Biometric? Check out this Wikipedia Article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometric

The Dell XPS M1530 First Impressions And Owners Review

Colin DiPonio — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:10:17 +0000

I am the new owner of a Dell XPS M1530 thanks to Dell who kindly swapped out my old XPS M1210.

I chose the Tuxedo Black model.

The rest of the specification looks like:

Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 2.1Ghz Penryn
3Gb Ram (667Mhz)
1440 x 900 Display 15.4″ Widescreen Display.
320GB Hard Disk (5400 SATA)
256mb Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT
Slot loading DVD+RW
Biometric Finger Print Reader
3 Years on-site XPS Support.
6 Cell Battery (Ouch)
Windows Vista Home Premium

The out of the box Windows Vista Experience Index looks like:-

This machine replaced my Dell XPS M1210. I was not surprised to see the M1530 has a higher score in each Windows Experience Index category.

Component	M1210	M1530
Processor	4.9	5.1
Memory	4.5	5.0
Graphics	3.5	5.9
Gaming Graphics	3.4	5.4
Primary Hard Disk	5.0	5.3

Observations:

Item	Note
CPU	I was pleasantly surprised at how fast and responsive the system feels. The T8100 is an entry level CPU based on Penryn technology. Anything Core2Duo+ tends not to be the bottle neck in a modern system. Sure a 2.5Ghz would have been nice, but this CPU feels more than capable.
RAM	Once again the 3gig sweet spot on an 32 bit OS anything more is a waste. It would appear the memory is the lowest scoring item in Windows Experience Index.
Screen / Resolution	I had enough of 1280×800 displays but didn’t want to go 1920×1080 so the middle ground was either 1440×900 or 1680×1050. The 1440×900 looks looks crisp and clear and is easy on the eye for extended viewing but in different circumstances I would have gone for the 1680×1050.
Hard Disk	320gb is a lot of storage for a laptop. The trade off is the speed. In this case 5400rpm. Vs 7200rpm or SSD. For me the optimum here would have been a 200gb 7200rpm.
Slot Loading DVD+RW	I was never going to splash the Â£270 for the M1530 Blu Ray drive so the slim slot loading DVD drive was my only other option. The price of the Blu Ray drive is just crazy. The DVD drive can initially be noisy but quiets down once the content in playing.
Video Card	One thing I did want in my next laptop was a 256mb video card. This is the minimum requirement for HD playback. I did some quick tests and HD video looks jaw dropping amazing. The Nvidia video card does the processing leaving the CPU at 30% utilisation.
Biometrics	Now I feel like James Bond, but apart from that I am not sure I need it.
Warranty	3 Years on-site. For laptops this is the only way to go. Don’t even touch collect and return.
Battery	I am likely to purchase a 9 cell battery and keep the 6 cell as a backup. The six cell runs for just about 90mins at best, If you do anything Gaming or Hi-Def you can half the running time. Basically if you get the 256mb Video Card then the 9 Cell is a must.
Operating System	This shipped with Windows Vista Home Premium and the shipping box contains a re-install DVD for Windows Vista Home Premium SP1. I am surprised that Dell aren’t shipping systems with SP1 on the hardware yet.

If you are interested in the XPS M1530 Bookmark this link for future coverage

Link: View all posts filed under Dell XPS M1530

Dell and I resolve the case of the XPS M1210

Colin DiPonio — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:58:00 +0000

I have had an offline on-going dialogue with Dell for a couple of weeks.

The short version of the story is I gave my Dell XPS M1210 laptop to a client after his failed twice in a month. This left me with his older M1210 to get repaired for the 3rd time. (posts about this here).

I was also slightly worse off as the clients M1210 was a slightly lower spec than the one I gave him.

Jamie my Resolution Manager at Dell initially said as I elected to replace the Clients machine Dell were only obligated fix the broken laptop under warranty. I agreed.

However the next day Jamie called me and offered to send an engineer to replace the CPU, Screen and upgrade the Ram and the Warranty. This would bring the machine back into line with the one I gave away.

I was really pleased Dell offered me this but I was thinking this seems to be a lot of trouble to go to for the now repaired 2 year old laptop.

I then asked if I could perhaps get a discount towards a new machine. He enquired which one I was interested in, I said the Dell XPS M1530.

A day passed then Jamie called and offered a direct swap. My old XPS M1210 for a new XPS M1530.

That’s a pretty good deal, so I took it. Thanks Dell.