Vaio L Disassembly?

I'm looking for either a video or a walk through on how to disassemble the Vaio L all in one. Preferably I'd like a disassembly on the second gen, but since that just came out the first gen's instructions would be just as good. I've looked all over the place and can't find anything at all.



Basically I want to put an SSD in the second gen, but I don't want to be a guinea pig by trying it on my own without any instructions.





On a side note, the first gen had its own RAM door. On the second gen, there's no RAM door on the back. I hope this doesn't mean that RAM is soldered into the motherboard since I ordered one with the base 4GB of RAM.

Reply 1 : Vaio L Disassembly?

Greetings to the forum, I really need I would ask, could you give me the link of the disassembly of the vaio you are talking about in this post?

I can not find it, I have the vaio vpcl11m1e

Very thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply 2 : Vaio L Disassembly?

I want to take apart a VPC-L2190X US CTO model. Since that model just came out, I don't expect there to be a disassembly yet. Since the last generation VPC-L1XXXX models are similar in design, I would like to see a disassembly of that model. Particularly, I want to know where the HDD is located because I anticipate to change it for an SSD.



Have you taken apart your VPC-L11m1e?

Reply 3 : Vaio L Disassembly?

No I have not tried a servicemanual disassembled, you have found something the previous model?



I do not know exactly but I think is behind the support in low near the centers dedicated to treating the power outlet.

Reply 4 : Vaio L Disassembly?

I don't have a service manual. I also think the HDD should be behind those 4 screws where the power outlet is. I just don't have access to one that I can take apart to find out. I guess I'll take out the four screws on the new one to see what's behind it. I know on the L2 the RAM is now behind the four screws instead of a separate door like yours.





What exactly are you trying to do, upgrade the HDD?

Reply 5 : Vaio L Disassembly?

No I'm trying to understand some things and maybe even to make these updates in the future.

Bye

Reply 6 : Vaio L Disassembly?

If you feel up to it, do you mind taking out the four screws on the back where the power outlet is and take a picture?

Reply 7 : Vaio L Disassembly?

This is a photo:





colors indicate the screws and the power.

Bye

Reply 8 : Vaio L Disassembly?

Thanks for the photo, but I know what it looks like with the cover on. I want to see what's under it!

Reply 9 : Vaio L Disassembly?

I'm sorry but do not disassemble the computer:







Below you can see the position of the hard disk.

Bye

SZ4 - battery life between Vista and Win7

Thought I'd update my SZ4MN/B from Vista to Windows 7 and noticed some interesting "stuff" in terms of battery usage. When it was running Vista, the battery would last maybe 20 minutes before shutting down the machine - even BatteryBar said it'd last only 30 minutes, but that wear was only 7.5%. Since it is almost 4 years old and has lead a rough and heavy usage life, I thought that perhaps the wear was being reported incorrectly and that the battery was truely broken. The machine has been running at high CPU usage with big heavy work applications on it, so constantly hot and plugged in, which is probably the worst thing to do to a battery...



Now I have slung Windows 7 on it, I just ran it down completely to calibrate the battery (yes, I know some people say that is bad), and the machine lasted a bit over 2 hours, which isn't far off what it should do! It seems that the 7.5% wear isn't that far off the truth. I am pleasantly shocked by this and disappointed at Vista's lack of recalibration (tried all the tricks the internet has to "reset" the battery over the last year). I'm curious if anyone else noticed any changes like this when they upgraded?



PS. Another thing I saw was that the charge rate fluctuated wildly, from 70,000 mWh to 5,000 mWh so that the estimated time for recharge was massively off - I always thought it was meant to charge quickly up to 65%ish then slow down progressively until fully charged?

Reply 1 : SZ4 - battery life between Vista and Win7

When I first went to Win7 (beta) my battery life was almost the same.



As I developed the guide, and learned more about Win7 and such, I actually managed to squeak out an extra hour from it. Under light browsing and chat I could get 4-5 hours, if I was extremely careful I could get up to around 6, but this took some serious tricks to do.



Keep mind, the later SZ's came with larger capacity batteries, and more efficient components. I swapped some of those parts, but I don't know if they helped or hurt really.



I think I could get another 30 minutes or more with the netbooks ssd, and probably another 30 by putting the netbooks wireless card in. Both of which are really efficient. The card however isn't exactly lightening fast.

Reply 2 : SZ4 - battery life between Vista and Win7

Is there any sort of util that works out how much each component is drawing from the battery? I use BatteryBar to give the overall discharge rate but I'd like to see what is causing how much discharge. I've been playing on a Vaio YA recently at work and trying to preserve its battery and the drain seems to scale in a predictable pattern in terms of what I have running, etc. but this machine seems to jump all over the place in both discharging and charging. I have a sneaky suspicion that is due to the age and maltreatment of the battery, and as you say, the older components can have a much larger drain than newer ones



One good thing I've noticed is that under light use (browsing, IM) Win7 stays at about 55C, whereas Vista could get itself up to 80C at times.

Reply 3 : SZ4 - battery life between Vista and Win7

You can use battery bar and watch the drain as you enable and disable things. As far as I know, that's it.



Don't think that all newer stuff is more efficient.

Not everything has gone down in power use. CPU's have gone down on idle, but peak power remains higher than ever. ad video cards... They are at their peak, with many using much more than the cpu.

Reply 4 : SZ4 - battery life between Vista and Win7

Quote:

Originally Posted by leslieann You can use battery bar and watch the drain as you enable and disable things. As far as I know, that's it.

Yeah, trying to do that, but whereas on the newer YA I can see the difference having an application open makes to the baseline drain, unfortunately the older SZ's drain changes a lot. I've just pulled the lead out and in 5 minutes it's down to 86%, discharging at 22,000 mW, but I know that when it gets to about 70% it will stay there for the best part of three-quarters of an hour before dropping rapidly through the 50% range. Like I said - not a well looked after battery so I'm not expecting much! Still, not having a steady base discharge rate makes it tough to work out...



NB. in the second 5 mins I've waited writing this, it's only dropped to 81% though discharge rate is apparently the same as before! Not a complaint, just a realisation that this poor old dear has been worked hard all its life. Not as bad as my 2003 HP Pavilion... battery wear is 78% on it, and it only lasts 5 minutes on battery!

Samsung UN46C6300 Not Detected by PC Share Manager

so pc share manager cannot detect my un46c6300 tv. here is the configuration:

-cable to comcast modem
-modem to d-link wireless router
-tv connected to wireless router via ethernet cord. tv is connected to the internet and has passed all connection tests.
-pc (running windows vista 32 bit) connected to router via wireless
-pc share manager v4.2 installed (and uninstalled, and reinstalled) on pc. it seems to be running correctly as i can add all my folders and such, but the device list does not show my tv.
-both the tv and the pc are on the same network

ive asked their techs for the live chat and all 3 have been unhelpful. i either get linked to a page that essentially says "turn off and turn on everything" or to a page that tells me how to add files to the pc share manager. there has to be something im missing here...

Urgent Help: Anyone received 8540w in past 3 months!!

I'll try to make this long, sad story short. Some of you may have read my story over the past 3 months. I'd ordered, of all things, an HP Envy 14 with a Radiance display when they brought it back for 2 days, then sold out. I got mine, but it had a defective display. I sent it back and they said they could not replace the display, but they were going to send me a well equipped 8540w with a Dreamcolor2 screen. That was early February. On the SIXTH DELAY, the latest ESTIMATE - not "ETA" just "estimate" of possible production date (sorry for the caps, but I am sooooo angry!)....now they are saying, maybe APRIL 28!!!! Their claim: "this product is in very, very high demand and parts are in very, very short supply" (Yeah, given that it's about to be replaced by the 8560 and it's main components are about to be obsolete, not in high demand!!)



The case has been in the sole control of the "Executive Case Management" group, a corporate group in Ontario Canada. These are NOT the people who you get when you have a problem and they assign someone in the product group with authority to help solve it; this is a group of arrogant people, who literally BRAG that they know NOTHING about HP's products, claim they are the highest authority in all of HP for customer service, and that there is no one to escalate above them. (I have tried, and tried, and tried and cannot get around them or above them!!!)



So, can anyone report to me:



1) Have you ordered and received an 8540w or 8740w, any configuration, between February 2011 and the present? This would include the numerous people who have posted about getting brand new replacements for their problematic machines if you got the replacement between February and the present.



2) Alternatively, have you ordered an 8540w or 8740w during the Feb-April time frame and had it delayed multiple times and been told that there was extraordinary demand for these and a severe parts shortage and there's no telling when you will get it? (This, of course, is what I am being told.)



3) Does anyone have a REALLY HIGH LEVEL contact anywhere within HP's (preferably corporate) customer service/customer care area, or if not at least a high level person within the Business Notebook product group? None of the published names/numbers work; this corporate "ECM" group seems to have clout over the published numbers/email addresses. I need a person, preferably with both a phone number and email address. They don't have to be such a high executive to have authority over these people, just someone with juice, who cares about anyone in HP abusing customers so badly. BTW, I have been the greatest advocate of HP and its latest efforts to improve customer service and this is the first time I have ever had this kind of unsolvable problem. I am not a chronic whiner!



Tell me if you wish to keep your info confidential or if I can use your name or order info. I will of course respect 100% confidentiality, but I can get a lot done with the certainty that I am being lied to - because others have gotten their machines.



I know some of you may be thinking: what's he complaining about: he's getting a $2,400 computer in exchange for a $1,400 one? Well, I don't really have a need for a computer like the 8540w so it's no "bargain." Regardless, it will be discontinued by the time I get it and, frankly, I don't have any hope of getting it - ever! This Executive Case Management group clearly has it in for me. I don't think they like being questioned - at all, for any reason, and they take it out on the customer.



Thanks for any help at all. Please PM me if you need to keep your info confidential.

Reply 1 : Urgent Help: Anyone received 8540w in past 3 months!!

I got my 8540w in 3 weeks waiting time as promised. it was not a CTO, but a WD740EA, so that may help. I wanted nVidia to have CUDA "on the go" so I can develop stuff when on the road. also having quite a few 90w chargers inclined me towards 880m path.



also wanted a 1920x1080 screen - and it's way better than 1600x900 on 8540p my colleague has. but mine is no dreamcolor - that would be too expensive for me and for photo stuff I have a nice external LCD. so maybe dreamcolor display is the key?



I'm in Europe.

Reply 2 : Urgent Help: Anyone received 8540w in past 3 months!!

wow i am really sorry to hear about all your troubles lovelaptops.



I know that the machine will be delayed due to the dreamcolor display. its not the 8540W thats going out of production, it will be supported for the next 4 years. however, the machines display, the dreamcolour is the one that is being changed.



I am fighting tooth and nail to get DC2 displays in the 8740's atm, but my est time to get the upgrades now has been put back to may 19th. i feel therefore your delay is due to the screen being shorthanded.



I know this isn't the sort of thing you wish to hear, as you just want a new computer! but yea, dc displays are actually in real short supply thanks to all this changing to 1080p BS.

Reply 3 : Urgent Help: Anyone received 8540w in past 3 months!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siorah wow i am really sorry to hear about all your troubles lovelaptops. I know that the machine will be delayed due to the dreamcolor display. its not the 8540W thats going out of production, it will be supported for the next 4 years. however, the machines display, the dreamcolour is the one that is being changed. I am fighting tooth and nail to get DC2 displays in the 8740's atm, but my est time to get the upgrades now has been put back to may 19th. i feel therefore your delay is due to the screen being shorthanded. I know this isn't the sort of thing you wish to hear, as you just want a new computer! but yea, dc displays are actually in real short supply thanks to all this changing to 1080p BS.

Thanks much for the insight. somehow i feel more is afoot here, especially with this computer first being ordered 2-08. good luck

Will HP dv7-1285dx Notebook Fit Secondary 1TB 12.5mm Hard Drive?

Can anyone help? I was getting my original HD replaced cuz it had crashed on me & I realized there was an empty secondary hard drive slot. I'm aware it'll fit a 9.5mm Hard Drive. However, I'm looking to install a 1TB Hard Drive which comes in 12.5mm. I checked the manual and it doesn't specify a maximum allowable height. Does anyone know & will I need a caddy with extended cable from newmodeus.com? Please advise. Thank you.

Reply 1 : Will HP dv7-1285dx Notebook Fit Secondary 1TB 12.5mm Hard Drive?

Checked the manual for what? Your car??



You've made no mention of drive maker or model, not even the maker/model of the (presumably) laptop being discussed.



Very hard to read minds.

sxps 1645 replacement -- xps 15 vs AW 14

Hello everyone.





I have been provided with 2 options for the replacement of my 1645

1. XPS 15 with 3 yr extended warranty

2. AW 14

Refund is out of option as its a international warranty case.I am currently in India and my orignal laptop is from USA.



Well I am not a hardcore gamer. I game occasionally only. So the XPS is good for me in that department.



The AW is heavy aswell. The XPS suits my needs well,the only the problem is build quality. My 1645 had better build quality as compared to XPS.



Also even with same config the AW is too costly as compared to XPS. So if I am able to sell it i would get good money. But here in India its not that easy to sell a Laptop.



I use the Laptop for coding,watching movies,VMware .... etc and occasional gaming like FIFA 11...



So which Laptop should i get, I am tilting towards XPS 15. I need your opinions. Why would AW be better than XPS in my case ??.



Also i am planning to sell either Laptop (AW for sure if i decide to go for it as i am no gamer) so any Indian buyers please pm me aswell.

__________________

Reply 1 : sxps 1645 replacement -- xps 15 vs AW 14

It depends on you, how long do you want your laptop to last ? I am having XPS 15 and as far as i can tell you none problem so far, Well AW may have better graphics and better looking and stylish backlight keyboard but other then that all are the same as xps 15, i guess it have 720p/900p compare to xps 15 1080p. Dell xps looks bulky if you're ok with it



if you don't play much games then buy a xps 15 for yourself , xps 15 can handle all games very well, i play COD 4, Crysis, Need for speed, Fallout without hitch, i've never played FIFA 11 so i don't know about that



Go for Dell xps 15, you won't regret yourself

Reply 2 : sxps 1645 replacement -- xps 15 vs AW 14

maybe AW since it will be worth more but yea xps 15 has 1080 while the 14 only has 900p (i could be wrong).I think they both have 540m however if i can remember correctly.

Reply 3 : sxps 1645 replacement -- xps 15 vs AW 14

Not at all... AW is too much expensive (I wanted to buy AW M14X , and now XPS 17, MUCH CHEAPER AND HAVE THE SAME DETAILS except SCREEN and RAM MHz...)

I suggest you... XPS 15 do the same details of both the laptops (plus discounts) XPS MUCH CHEAPER

HP manufacturing lousy keyboards

I am amazed at the number of posts I have uncovered about HP laptops having keyboard problems. I bought the Pavilion DV6-2150 last year and less than a year later, a key popped off. HP wants me to send my PC to them for repairs, but I say no because it is a business tool of mine that I use daily and cannot be without. I asked them if they would send the replacement part out to me so I can have a local Staples serviceman repair it in a days time and they refused to do that for me. I feel I am being backed into a corner and having to settle with a defective HP laptop. I would never recommend a HP laptop to anyone. If a manufactering defalt exists, it means you will be without your PERSONAL COMPUTER. Buy a dependable, well made one. Like the one I gave up to my daughter to buy this lousy one.....and it is still reliable. IT WAS A GATEWAY BRAND. I took that laptop everywhere for 3 years before giving it up to my daughter. And, I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY GATEWAY.

Reply 1 : HP manufacturing lousy keyboards

Quote:

Originally Posted by inflatedcustomer I am amazed at the number of posts I have uncovered about HP laptops having keyboard problems. I bought the Pavilion DV6-2150 last year and less than a year later, a key popped off. HP wants me to send my PC to them for repairs, but I say no because it is a business tool of mine that I use daily and cannot be without. I asked them if they would send the replacement part out to me so I can have a local Staples serviceman repair it in a days time and they refused to do that for me. I feel I am being backed into a corner and having to settle with a defective HP laptop. I would never recommend a HP laptop to anyone. If a manufactering defalt exists, it means you will be without your PERSONAL COMPUTER. Buy a dependable, well made one. Like the one I gave up to my daughter to buy this lousy one.....and it is still reliable. IT WAS A GATEWAY BRAND. I took that laptop everywhere for 3 years before giving it up to my daughter. And, I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY GATEWAY.

My five year old HP DV6000 is still running fine, but my girl's gateway NEVER wants to connect to any wireless internet.



True story.

Reply 2 : HP manufacturing lousy keyboards

glue it back on

Reply 3 : HP manufacturing lousy keyboards

Strange. A good keyboard is the one thing that every one of my HP notebooks have had in common. The keyboard on my dv6-1260se was by far the best I have ever used.

Reply 4 : HP manufacturing lousy keyboards

So an isolated misfortune means an absolute significance between "HP" and "lousy"?



Alright. I'll use my perfectly fine dm4-1253cl with a beautiful, smooth, and comfortable keyboard in the mean time :P

sound problem

Hi

I have an Hp compaq one year old. I noticed recently that the sound system comes on and off. when it goes of I restart the computer. Once I plug in a head phone it works for a while and ceases automatically. Can anybody help me here?

Need Help!!

My daughter bought a HP Pavilion DV7 1232nr. She tried to turn it on and a blue screen came up with a CPU error and shut down instantly. Each time she tried to turn it on same thing. She has had the technician put in a new processor and motherboard and still the same problem. They even tried different power cords and still nothing. They said her RAM is fine so any other ideas anyone...She is really frustrated and angry at this point because she has to pay for the parts they replaced and still has no working laptop.

Reply 1 : Need Help!!

Doesn't sound like a very good technician, they should have had a boot disk they could try, and I would assume they connected another hard drive to see if that worked before charging to replace the other stuff. If they put another board in and it doesn't work then the one they took out is still good. It could only be the hard drive or battery at this point more than likely. Do you have any other info that could be helpful, like how old it is, previous issues,etc.?

Reply 2 : Need Help!!

Could you disable the option to automatically restart on system failure? You can do this by repeatedly pressing F8 right before the Starting Windows screen pops up. Then, select the option to disable restart.



That way, when the blue screen appears, we can see what the error code or file in question is that's causing the problem.

Reply 3 : Need Help!!

Do the process posted by justinkw1 and post the error code (going to be toward the bottom of the blue screen error and stat with 0x0.... ) and i can look up what is causing the problem. My guess by what you posted is a corrupt or missing windows file or bad hard drive.

Precision M6500 win7 re-install

Just ordered this laptop, do I need to do a fresh format when I get it to get rid of the junk in it or does it come lean?

Reply 1 : Precision M6500 win7 re-install

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armin57 Just ordered this laptop, do I need to do a fresh format when I get it to get rid of the junk in it or does it come lean?

The Latitudes come lean. You'll see a Precision soon. I would use it for a while first to become familiar with it and anything not working from Dell.



GK

Reply 2 : Precision M6500 win7 re-install

From the 2 Dells I purchased recently I never bothered with a fresh OS reinstall because there wasn't a need, though I did upgrade both drives anyway.

G73jh Display Issue?

Hi, this is my first post on the forum, so hello.



I am a proud new owner of a G73jh. I have a possible problem with my display.



When I "adjust" the display, I notice in the lower right, slightly off-center portion, a "dime" sized ripple occurs.



This is a ripple similarily to how it is when you push down on the screen.



I've never pushed down on the screen in that location, or any other.



I have googled similar LCD issues and I've heard that it's rather common, but I wanted to make sure.



Does anyone else experience this?

Reply 1 : G73jh Display Issue?

it is "normal" when you move the screen for the display to "ripple".

Reply 2 : G73jh Display Issue?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geared2play.com it is "normal" when you move the screen for the display to "ripple".

Just to make sure we're on the same page, it's a 'ripple" like if you press it with your finger, but only in one spot, when I move the display forward or backward, to adjust it.

Reply 3 : G73jh Display Issue?

More or less that's probably just your lid pushing up against your screen at that certain point, just like if a finger were pushing against it. I've had that happen to me on a couple laptops, and most users will probably mention they've seen the same thing happen before



It is normal, like BTO mentioned above.

Reply 4 : G73jh Display Issue?

while it may be normal it also may be an indication of a loose hinge though i have not seen loose hinges yet on g73 and likely will not.

Samsung Q45 housing?

Hello,



Does anyonw know where i can buy the complete housing for this laptop?

or which other housing can i use?



thank you in advanced.



located in usa

Reply 1 : Samsung Q45 housing?

I don't think that the Q45 was ever sold in the USA so you would need to look in Europe or Asia. Ebay UK has a lot of Q45 parts.



John

Inspiron 531s Transfer case

Hey guys i've just obtained a dell Gx 270 mini tower from a friend and i was wondering if i could take the components out of my inspiron 531s and i put them in the Gx 270? Would there be any problems doing this? It will really help if anybody can help me. thx

GOBI Device not found on my CF-31 :(

I just got my new GOBI 2000 card today from Heartland and installed it in my CF-31 and it isn't showing up in the BIOS or in Device Manager within Windows



Additionally the software is saying "Gobi Device not Found" when I go to install it from the GOBI software



Any ideas?



Are there any dip switches that I'm missing?

I currently have BIOS 1.00L19 - is there and updated BIOS that would "unlock" the WWAN capabilities?



Thanks

Reply 1 : GOBI Device not found on my CF-31 :(

Did you do the usual remove battery ac adapter hold the power switch down for 10 sec

Go into bios and set defaults

Thats the procedure for a wwan install

Reply 2 : GOBI Device not found on my CF-31 :(

Alex,

The re-set you describe should be very prominently displayed in all the model specific FAQ's.

IMHO



Jeff

Reply 3 : GOBI Device not found on my CF-31 :(

SCREW YOU PANASONIC AND YOUR "YOU HAVE TO BE PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED BS" (They wouldn't even talk to me on the phone!)! I WIN!! I used what tango tough told me in post 21 on this thread to make it work on my CF-31 Mark 1! Even in the PDF it says that it will work! IT DID INDEED WORK!!!!!



CF-52 WWAN retrofit



Thanks!



If you must know, I used an MSDOS boot CD and a flash drive to do this. I boot from the CD drive into a dos prompt and I had the files for the GOBI flash on a flash drive formatted as FAT32 so DOS would actually see it... It acted as the C: drive and I just typed in WWANEXE.exe and hit the "e" on the keyboard and BOOOM! FIXED!



It now shows as working in the BIOS AND in device manager!

Without Reformating, what is....

the general stuff that we can uninstall from factory.

Because i have 82 processes running and i even uninstalled mcafee. (im using avast)

what else can i do?

Also how many processes are you guys running?



thanks



too lazy to update my sig, but i got an l502x.



Is avast better than Security essienstals?

Reply 1 : Without Reformating, what is....

i hate telling people to search, but man, common, this thread is literally right next to yours:



Dell XPS 17 Bloatware. What to Remove?



unfortunately there has yet to be much discussion of what to remove in detail.

Reply 2 : Without Reformating, what is....

But he didnt answer how many processes he is running and i would like to get an idea of how many other dell xps are running.

Reply 3 : Without Reformating, what is....

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxbadboys93 But he didnt answer how many processes he is running and i would like to get an idea of how many other dell xps are running.

This is what I love about the Dell forum. There is a ton of info here. Most questions you can think of have already been answered.



The difference looks significant enough for me. I hate running unnecessary processes which slow down everything from bootup to running the apps I care about:



its much difference between fresh install, and factory recovery?



Thats 30+ extra processes he got rid of. Heck I don't even want 1 unnecessary process. And depending on what it does it can really make things slow down, like that cr@ppy AV.



Derek

Who Writes Dell BIOS Software?

Ok so I'm arguing with a Tech Support Agent on Chat about this....



Does Dell write their own BIOS software?



...ie: the Studio 1749 has a new BIOS A08 update on 3/30/11....I'm trying to find out what it modifies/fixes...



The Tech Support agent says they don't know because the BIOS update is not from dell but from a third party vendor....



Maybe I'm just not understanding this but what this guys is telling me sounds bogus....

Reply 1 : Who Writes Dell BIOS Software?

ok so here is what the supervisor had to say

Quote:

10:40:25 AM Agent Sup_Raveendra_110025 Raymond, the chipset that is used in this computer is also used in other computers. 10:40:44 AM Agent Sup_Raveendra_110025 BIOS is not unique for any specific model.

this does not make any sense to me i mean you can not install the bios for just any model....

Reply 2 : Who Writes Dell BIOS Software?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayizon this does not make any sense to me i mean you can not install the bios for just any model....

In any case, most tech support I've dealt with knows far less than I do. Every conversation I have with a support representative begins with me telling them the desired result FIRST, then I go into what is wrong and allow them to go through their troubleshooting script. This has always worked well for me.

Reply 3 : Who Writes Dell BIOS Software?

they have monkeys chained to typewriters writing BIOSs

Reply 4 : Who Writes Dell BIOS Software?

The changes made in the BIOS are in the release notes on the same page where you download the update.



That said, that person was full of crap.

Reply 5 : Who Writes Dell BIOS Software?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason1214 The changes made in the BIOS are in the release notes on the same page where you download the update. That said, that person was full of crap.

that is the problem there are no release notes...that is why i was trying to ask dell tech support and they were trying to tell me dell does not know what it changes because its third-party software....

Reply 6 : Who Writes Dell BIOS Software?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayizon that is why i was trying to ask dell tech support and they were trying to tell me dell does not know what it changes because its third-party software....

The support reps you talk to probably don't have access to any more details than what you can find out yourself on the web site. And, since the reps are rated on how many calls they can handle in a given amount of time, they may not bother checking the web site for you.



Dell systems use several different families of BIOS, depending mostly on what product area (home portables, office desktops, servers) and development path was chosen when the system was created.



Some Dell products are "badge engineered", where Dell simply puts a Dell badge on them and a Dell logo in the boot screen. For example, the Poweredge 350 was a badge-engineered Intel ISP-something-or-other.



Some Dell products are customizations of a stock design from another manufacturer, and some are from-scratch designs.



In each of these cases, the systems could have been developed with a BIOS originally from Phoenix / Award / AMI / InSyde. The contract manufacturer then customizes a generic BIOS for the particular system. Depending on the state of confidential agreements between the manufacturer and Dell, either the manufacturer will continue to support the BIOS, the whole thing is turned over to Dell for support, or some combination of the two.



In any event, all of this happens in product engineering groups far away from the support people you talk to on the phone. I don't believe there are official channels for a support person to ask the engineering group this sort of question, though if they were determined enough they probably could get some sort of unofficial answer.



Having said all that, a BIOS problem can be in one of 3 major areas:



1) The piece which is supplied by the BIOS manufacturer (Phoenix, etc.). This part of the BIOS is common to every BIOS built from that particular set of code. It is unlikely that anything will get fixed in there (see footnote).



2) The piece which is customized by the manufacturer for the specific hardware. This piece may be common to a number of different systems sold by different companies (Dell, Acer, etc.). Getting something fixed in there would require going back to the manufacturer, who would probably want to test that the fix for Dell wouldn't break anything in the code that was used on other products. Not impossible, but a rather hard sell.



3) The piece which is specific to this one Dell model. If Dell has responsibility for that area, they can fix it in-house. If the agreement is the manufacturer has responsibility, Dell will have to pay to have the change implemented. Since the change won't affect any other products, it does not need to go through extensive testing to make sure it won't break anything else. Most of the customizations in this part are for things like disabling menu options Dell doesn't want you to see, updating the video BIOS, and so on.



Footnote: Many of the older licenses for a BIOS design were negotiated before there were so many different PC models, and overall sales of PCs were a lot smaller. It wasn't uncommon to sign a license which allowed for use of the BIOS on an unlimited number of models and shipments by the licensee. Some computer manufacturers have been dragging this old code along for years now (you may see something like "Award Modular BIOS Copyright (C) 1995" on a much newer system. That's because the manufacturer doesn't have to pay anything to use it - they paid a one-time fee and that was that. Going back and asking for something to be changed in there would result in the BIOS writer wanting to negotiate a new license on a royalty basis. No system manufacturer is going to agree to that.

GX640 Keyboard Replacement

Hi all,



I spilled a little water on my GX640 keyboard about 5 days ago and I still have some keys that are giving me problems... specifically `,5,6,-,=,b,n,/, the Fn key and all the shift number keys...



It's been aout 3 days since the rest of the keyboard started working well again and I figure now I can discount these keys as shorted out or something...



Does anyone know where I can order a replacement keyboard for this laptop? Thanks in advance...

Reply 1 : GX640 Keyboard Replacement

I think RKcomputers had some keyboard options (even chiclet) for order some time ago. Dunno nothing about current situation though



Edit:

http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcnoteboo...duct_list&c=65



Here you go.

Reply 2 : GX640 Keyboard Replacement

thx... Saw those was just checking if they were available elsewhere.

Reply 3 : GX640 Keyboard Replacement

Model number is mp-08c23u4. Also found on some averatec systems:



S-1N-3UUS411-C54 NEW OEM Averatec 7155 Laptop Keyboard | eBay



This one has a really small shift key, sorry.

You could contact these people:

AdvertLand.co.uk - Free Advert Board For UK

??MSI MS-1683 BLACK ??US ????? MP-08C23U4-359 S1N-3UUS1B1-C54??/??,?? - 51???,???????

Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

Note that this is not for the Edge 420s.



On the T420:

http://www.tomsick.net/misc/lenovo-t...20-review.html

http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/...0T420-T520.pdf



On the T420s:

Lenovo Thinkpad T420s review from wfu.edu

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/t420s_datasheet.pdf

http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethe...hinkpad-t420s/





Main specs that I was interested in were the 1600x900 screen at less than 4 pounds so that's the T420s: apparently 3.94 with a DVD and 3.68 w/o.



Main benefits of the T420s:

* Lighter and thinner

* can use ultrabay battery (10hrs)

* USB 3

* better sound for dialog in conference calls and movies



Main benefits of the T420:

* cheaper

* can use battery slice (24 hrs!?)

* can use 9mm HDDs (T420s must use 7mm)

* expresscard

Reply 1 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

WOW !



$431.00 more for the (s) model over the T420 for the exact same hardware (My spec's) and the size is just a bit smaller then the T420. Was thinking of this, but not anymore.



Thanks for the links however.



The Windows Experience Index shown should not have been between the T420s and the T410 (Older model) but with the T420 or even T410s instead. Wonder why they would do such a thing ? One has the older cpu and the newer with Sandy Bridge

unless they just wanted to show the difference between old and newer technology

Reply 2 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by SR45 WOW ! $431.00 more for the (s) model over the T420 for the exact same hardware (My spec's) and the size is just a bit smaller then the T420. Was thinking of this, but not anymore. Thanks for the links however. The Windows Experience Index shown should not have been between the T420s and the T410 (Older model) but with the T420 or even T410s instead. Wonder why they would do such a thing ? One has the older cpu and the newer with Sandy Bridge unless they just wanted to show the difference between old and newer technology

vs the regular T420, the T420s has USB 3.0, option of a bay battery and is lighter and thinner. If you don't need those, the T420 may be better for you.

Reply 3 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

The USB3 is a good selling point, but thinner ?. By the looks of it, at least in photos comparison is really not that much thinner.



Lighter ? The weight with all the hardware matching the T420 is not that much to justify the cost either in my opinion, but others may disagree and purchase it.



Tabook shown for both models... (Only about 2/3 of a lb difference)



T420s 3.68 lbs w/6 cell battery / Size 13.5 x 9.1 x . 0.83 - 1.02

T420 4.31 lbs w/6 cell battery / 13.4 x 9.17 x 1.18 - 1.20 inch



I have to look at all the spec's to see paying $431.00 more is worth it for me or others. Not for me. Now the X220 maybe another matter, but have to look at the cost when it is released by Lenovo website.

Reply 4 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by SR45 The USB3 is a good selling point, but thinner ?. By the looks of it, at least in photos comparison is really not that much thinner.

T420s is a bit thinner, take a look at the pictures and decide which is which (found on Picassa)

Reply 5 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

I need to know the real life battery stats. Both with and without the bay battery.



Thanks.

Reply 6 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by abachofner T420s is a bit thinner, take a look at the pictures and decide which is which (found on Picassa)

Thinner one on left but as you said "A bit thinner" Still cannot justify for me a purchase. Again, the X220 would be the way to go if you are on the road or in school, but the T420s is not. Take the T420 instead would be my advice

Reply 7 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

I am wondering why Lenovo only offers one warranty upgrade option: 3yr onsite+protection at a price of >$300...

Reply 8 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhzmark Note that this a thread for the Thinkpad T420s, not the regular T420 or the Edge 420s. Lots of good info on the T420s is available at: Lenovo Thinkpad T420s review from wfu.edu I just ordered one. Main specs that I was interested in were the 1600x900 screen at less than 4 pounds (apparently 3.94 with a DVD and 3.68 w/o).

Can I ask what you are using the machine for, not into specific details but a generalization as to the class of user you are?

Reply 9 : Thinkpad T420/T420s Owner's Thread

Once someone gets one, please post battery stats! Thanks

need help with buying qosmio

great forum!!



so here's my question.



What's the better buy and which one is more superior in terms of spec?



Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q894 i7-840QM 8GB RAM 500GB 7200rpm - eBay (item 290548594344 end time Apr-22-11 07:07:02 PDT)



or



Amazon.com: Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q8102 18.4-Inch Gaming Laptop (Omega Black): Computer & Accessories



Thanks in advance!

Reply 1 : need help with buying qosmio

I have good news for you, I actually owned BOTH those Qosmios so I know them very well.



The q8102X is the Intel Sandy Bridge version of the q894 [though the q894 you linked is modified with a beefier i7-840 instead of a i7-740].

The i7-2630QM is the second generation Intel i-core CPU [i7-840 is first generation].



If you don't already know of the advantages of the new Sandy Bridge CPUs, I suggest looking at this article.

Review Intel Sandy Bridge Quad-Core processors - Notebookcheck.net Reviews







As you can see, the lowest grade SB i7-2630QM is superior to even the highest grade i7-940XM.

What we can take away is, the new SB CPUs are superior to all the previous i7 cores.



Thus, the q8102X is better than the q894 from ebay.





Good luck and keep us posted with your decision.

Reply 2 : need help with buying qosmio

THank you!



Not going to lie, but I was waiting for your reply since you're like an expert with toshiba laptops





Anyways, does any amazon sellers accept paypal?



I live in canada by the way..



Again, your help is very much appreciated!!



There should be thanks button!



EDIT: i gave you +rep instead!

Reply 3 : need help with buying qosmio

No problem, glad to help.



I do not know how international orders work (at least from a US perspective, since your inquiring about US Qosmio models).



You might want to check some Canadian e-retailers (as I am unfamiliar with most of them). I did see that newegg.ca has the q894 REFURB for $1200, but I haven't seen any Canadian Sandy Bridge Qosmio models.



Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Trojan / Dropper.Gen2 in Intel drivers

After having some problems with my new L502x's HDMI port, I decided to format the hard drive and proceed with a fresh install, downloading the drivers I want directly from Dell's site.



What is my surprise when I finish installing the drivers and I move on with the Applications. The free version of Avira Antivirus detected the trojan Dropper.Gen2 in a weird folder: Intel Bluetooth's!



I am attaching a screenshot so you can run a scan on that folder and find out if I am the unlucky one, or maybe it's just a false alarm. I decided to "Ignore" the 4 assumpted detected trojans, but I will move them into quarantine if you find no viruses in that folder.



Cheers!

Reply 1 : Trojan / Dropper.Gen2 in Intel drivers

If you downloaded the drivers directly from Dell's site... it is a false alarm.

Reply 2 : Trojan / Dropper.Gen2 in Intel drivers

Personally, I would remove all of those and make sure the scan shows up clean. Then either download them again from Dell or the manufacturer (whichever has latest version).

Reply 3 : Trojan / Dropper.Gen2 in Intel drivers

Avira is notorious for false positives.

Reply 4 : Trojan / Dropper.Gen2 in Intel drivers

I got the same for the intel bluetooth drivers using AVG... didn't even do a fresh install yet, it was just the first avg scan I ran. Then on the 2nd I was up to 15 trojans :/

Reply 5 : Trojan / Dropper.Gen2 in Intel drivers

Probably fake positive.

Is is possible to upgrade your f series from a standard to a backlit keyboard DIY|?

I have been looking everywhere for confirmation on this please, someone in the know, canI do this? I can order a backlit keyboard on ebay for cheap but as for drivers and hardware match ups I don't know. Many F series models are missing this handy option. I thought there would be more interest in this mod.



I see user Gandalf_the_grey has a EU model with +US backlit keyboard in his signature . Does this mean he has done this mod?



I have a VPCF136FD/B bought I Canada.

Reply 1 : Is is possible to upgrade your f series from a standard to a backlit keyboard DIY|?

It is absolutely possible:

Vaio_F Series - How To Replace the Keyboard & Clean the Fan

Reply 2 : Is is possible to upgrade your f series from a standard to a backlit keyboard DIY|?

Thanks, I did find this great DIY article but I am more worried about when I actually install the backlit keyboard will it fuction properly on my f series (VPCF136FD/B)? As you may know my unit does not come with this option and as a result there are no utilites to control the back lighting as found in the example you have recommended. So to be specific is there a special bois or application I will have to install or tweak to get the backlit keyboard to work or will the laptop bois recognize the new hardware and make it work automatically. It would only take one incompatibility to make the new keyboard an official Sony paperweight. By the way I hate this bilingual keyboard in general have you seen the left shift key and the enter button layout? Just not right. Anyway I hope you might be able to shed some light. Thanks Again.

Reply 3 : Is is possible to upgrade your f series from a standard to a backlit keyboard DIY|?

it should work fine upon installation.



You may need to remap certain keys though. That should not be an issue.

~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

Hello to all Asus VX2S enthusiasts



Well, sorry I don't own it yet but I've been looking for any info about this model for almost 5 months (since I saw the VX2 in Hong Kong).



I suggest that all VX2S owners and people with real interest in this model write down here their findings, appreciation, problems, and post pictures, links, reviews, ...

So far, I can only come up with this specifications page (similar page for all their markets as far as I know: Asia, Americas, ...)



Asus UK info page for the VX2S:

http://uk.asus.com/products4.aspx?mo...25&l3=309&l4=0





I personally want to know before purchasing this notebook in the UK:

• Is the built-in 200GB hard-drive either 5400RPM or 7200RPM? What brand and model?
• It apparently comes with a Blu-Ray drive, is there any mention on the packaging of a "Ultimate package" as marketed by Asus?
• Still about this so called "Ultimate package", does the Yellow and Black models sold in the UK come with the docking station (also known as "Power Station")?
• Does the box contain a second battery for the DVD bay as the VX2 used to have in the Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong)?
• Any difference in the supplied accessories between the VX2S-AK001G and VX2S-AK002G?

Thanks to anybody who can make this thread alive, and especially answer these questions.



Bye for now

Oxyd

Reply 1 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

Hello



I ordered a vx2s with AK027G reference, it's supposed to be the reference of the "ultimate package" for France.



If I don't forget, i'll answer to your questions, but I can't be 100% sure that the packages for france and UK are identical. Maybe you should contact asus UK ?

Reply 2 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

does anyone on this forum have an VX2s? I know due to its price not that many people will buy it, but no one has one at all??



the delivery date for my vx2s has been changed to Saturday.

JC

Reply 3 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kador I ordered a vx2s with AK027G reference, it's supposed to be the reference of the "ultimate package" for France.

Salut Kador,



How much did you pay for the Ultimate Package in France?



Merci,

Oxyd

Reply 4 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

aaarrrrrhhhgg..... I've just received a confirmation email from the reseller to confirm delivery date, but they got the wrong model number on the order!!! on the email it listed the previous none santa rosa VX2 model.

I really wish Asus UK and the reseller can pull their fingers out and get their act together!

it's the first time I bought an Asus laptop and the experience has not been a pleasant one so far.... and that's before I got my laptop



moan over for now....



JC

Reply 5 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ib14132302 they got the wrong model number on the order!!! on the email it listed the previous none santa rosa VX2 model.

At the time of writing, I know that AsusLaptop have some unit left. I do also know that they contain the docking station, so this can be considered as the Ultimate Package, for almost the same price as the previous VX2... Though I'm not sure if their retail price is the right one for this particular item... it looks cheap compared to other sites.



Good luck

Reply 6 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

I ordered my VX2s after the specs has been confirmed in the 'ultimate package'

blueray+docking station etc... so I know exactly what I've ordered.



I sincerely hope it was just a smiple typo, otherwise I will be asking for a full refund, I will not mention the resellers name for now, so they have a last chance to get it right. I will phone them first thing tomorrow to ask what they are playing at. and I will let you know how I got on later...



JC

Reply 7 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oxyd Salut Kador, How much did you pay for the Ultimate Package in France? Merci, Oxyd

Don't get me wrong, I'm not 100% sure that this is what's called "ultimate package". Here we have 4 references for vx2s (2 per colour)



VX2S-AK007G and VX2S-AK008G

VX2S-AK025G and VX2S-AK027G at a higher price, so supposedly being that "ultimate package"



I believe that the contents and specs of packages differ amongst countries, so don't take anything for granted.



The price for the VX2S-AK027G was 2510 euro vat included (that's a good price, less expensive than the normal package in other stores !). www.1000ordi.fr (m not affiliated or whatever)

Reply 8 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ib14132302 aaarrrrrhhhgg..... I've just received a confirmation email from the reseller to confirm delivery date, but they got the wrong model number on the order!!! on the email it listed the previous none santa rosa VX2 model. I really wish Asus UK and the reseller can pull their fingers out and get their act together! it's the first time I bought an Asus laptop and the experience has not been a pleasant one so far.... and that's before I got my laptop moan over for now.... JC

Seems like your reseller sucks

Reply 9 : ~VX2S Owners' Lounge~

Hello guys



I've just ordered this notebook (black version). Looking forward to test it out with games and hd movies!

A clean OS Instalation

I just got a new G73JW and I want to have a new OS instalation.

I saw the other day a post with instruccions and link to download the updated drives, but today I need it and I am unable to found this information.

Please some one point me out to the infomation I am looking for.



Regards

Reply 1 : A clean OS Instalation

I found it Complete Walk-through For Doing A Clean Windows 7 Install

Thank you

Reply 2 : A clean OS Instalation

Asus support downloads

Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

Hi,



I have Dell XPS 15 L501X with Core i5-560M.



I ordered L502X Core i7-2720QM and planning to return L501X.



But if the L502X Core i7-2720QM produces more heat then i will cancel the order.



Please advise.

Reply 1 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

Clearly the quad core i7 will produce substantially more heat especially under load. To be more specific, the i7-2720QM is rated at 45 watts vs the 35 watts of the i5-560M. I have the i5-460M with my L501x and watching HD videos already makes the left side slightly warm. Playing games like SC2 becomes much warmer. I can only imagine how uncomfortably warm it will become when using the 2720QM.

Reply 2 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4thehorde4 Clearly the quad core i7 will produce substantially more heat especially under load. To be more specific, the i7-2720QM is rated at 45 watts vs the 35 watts of the i5-560M. I have the i5-460M with my L501x and watching HD videos already makes the left side slightly warm. Playing games like SC2 becomes much warmer. I can only imagine how uncomfortably warm it will become when using the 2720QM.

I thought heat depends on Lithography:



Since the i7 740 had Lithography 45 nm

and i7-2720QM has Lithography 32 nm



And what is TJUNCTION.



Please fill me in with complete knowledge.

Reply 3 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

While several factors come into play when determining heat emissions, I would imagine that the number of transistors would be the most prominent factor given all else equal. Comparing the ~5.59 million transistors used in the Nehalem i5s to the ~1 billion used in the i7-2720QM, I would imagine heat levels would be substantially higher. Perhaps there is a computer engineer on this board who can further elaborate on this inquiry?

Reply 4 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

More cores do not equal higher heat emission when executing the same task, in fact, the sandy bridge is more efficient.

What does this mean? When executing the same moderately heavy task, in the end the i5-560m will emit more heat under load.



Idle is an completely diferent story, but i heard the sandy bridge quadcores have more efficient power gating features than the previous generation.

Reply 5 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkstone More cores do not equal higher heat emission when executing the same task, in fact, the sandy bridge is more efficient. What does this mean? When executing the same moderately heavy task, in the end the i5-560m will emit more heat under load. Idle is an completely diferent story, but i heard the sandy bridge quadcores have more efficient power gating features than the previous generation.

So exactly through what mechanism does the Sandy Bridge series manage to achieve more efficiency in terms of heat emission?

Reply 6 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

More cores don't, but a higher TDP does, and the i7 SB still has higher TDP than i5 duals.

Reply 7 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4thehorde4 So exactly through what mechanism does the Sandy Bridge series manage to achieve more efficiency in terms of heat emission?

If i knew, i wouldn't be here

Quote:

More cores don't, but a higher TDP does, and the i7 SB still has higher TDP than i5 duals.

If sandy bridge is twice as fast and emits twice as much heat at full speed, does it matter in the end? Not at all.

It simply doesn't matter if you use 50watts of power in 10 seconds, of 500 watts of power during 1 second. The heat emmissions are the same.

Reply 8 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

The i7-2720QM will be hotter under a full load than the i5-560M.



Take a look at the TDP- 45 Watts vs 35 Watts, both numbers chosen by the same manufacturer, Intel. The TDP isn't the maximum wattage of the processor, but rather the amount of heat that Intel recommends that the cooling system can dissipate.



As far as idle temperatures and "light loads" like web browsing go, I don't know (but I'd bet the Quad runs hotter). Also, the same "full load" on the dual-core processor isn't going to be a full load on the quad-core processor, so it's tricky. You'll probably have to find a review site that includes temperatures.



And TJunction is the maximum temperature the processor can handle before it Throttles (lowers performance to cool down), although Dell can and will make this number lower.

Reply 9 : Core i7-2720QM or Core i5-560M which one will produce more heat.

In fact the Tjunction refers to the maximum temperature before the system shuts down and had noting to do whit the temperature it stats throttling.