Dell Precision M6700 Owners Thread

1) Fn doesn't work ( I didn't changed my BIOS settings )
2) Also not with the icon at the charms bar
3) It seem that I don't have ColorPremier ???
Is that a graphic-card related program ?

 

Premiercolor is the software for the IPS display. For some reason it looks like it isn't installed by default on the covet. That in itself is strange, I have the non IPS display and PremierColor was installed despite not having the IPS display. You can download it from Dell's support page for the M6700.

 

Are you certain there's a recovery partition and that it has something in it to recover? Just mentioning this because my last couple of M6600's had a recovery partition of 750Mb - too small to have anything to recover and of course it didn't and wouldn't work.
You could also download a standard version of windows, i.e., non-Dell.

IMarc:
About brightness - Premier color app can intefer with that so much as to be frustrating if you don't know what is happening.

 

Generic WHQL nVidia Quadro 310.90 driver just posted...

http://us.download.nvidia.com/Windo...n8-win7-winvista-64bit-international-whql.exe

 

Some more thoughts on question #1.

A tray loader will support the smaller diameter optical discs. The smaller diameter optical discs will not work and will get stuck in the slot loaders.

The rollers on the slot loaders physically touch the read surface of the optical discs which is also something else to take into consideration.

For these reasons and the ability to physically eject the tray (in case of a problem) with a paperclip is the reason why I prefer the tray version over the slot version.

HTH

 

Yes, I agree 100 %.
However, smaller diameter disks are not so common....

But... I think I go for an external solution.
The main reason for Blue Ray is watching a movie.
I don't watch movies at work , so I think after all I go for an external solution.
Maybe the link is also usefull for other people ( it's in Duth, but when you Google, you van find enough reviews of this Samsung )


AND ... it comes with some software.
( I don't know if the Ebay UJ 262/267 comse with soft ???? )

Samsung Blu-ray Brander Black - Laptopshop.be

 

Pffff.....guys, I really don't know yet what to do....

* LEGACY mode = no good (= getting back in time )

* Premier color can interfer......

So nobody on this forum can adjust the brightness of its laptop ?

Note: When I go to the nVidia configuration screen, I can adjust brightness from 0 % until +100% Default is +50%

But that's not so handy...

 

I am able to set display brightness using all the methods I described:
- Fn + arror up/down
- Charms bar --> Settings --> Brightness
- PremierColor --> Display color --> Brightness

This is on a non-Covet M6700, with Windows 8 Pro installed, Legacy Mode OFF, UEFI Boot Mode ON, Secure Boot ON.

Have you tried running Diagnostics?

 

This is the result:

 

Update:

This morning, I tried restoring my M6700 again using the Dell Windows 7 Pro SP1 recovery DVD.

When you boot from the Windows 7 recovery DVD, you are asked to "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD ...". Next, you see the message "Windows is loading files..." and a progress bar. After a while, the message "Starting Windows" and "(c) Microsoft Corporation" appears. After about 1 minute, the Windows logo animation starts (with the 4 colors swirling in) and then... nothing.

This time, I waited more than 20 minutes after the Windows logo appeared, but again the HDD and DVD showed no activity whatsoever. I have also tried wiping the HDD, switching from GPT to MBR format and even booting in Legacy Boot mode, to see if this would help. No such luck.

I also tried to do a full system restore using the Dell Windows 8 Pro recovery DVD that came with my M6700. With the original Windows 8 pre-install on the HDD, I could not. With a wiped HDD, I also could not. Again, I tried both GPT and MBR format. I tried the recovery with Secure Boot ON and OFF, but this doesn't make any difference.

When you boot from the Dell Windows 8 recovery DVD, the message "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD ..." is displayed. After that, the Dell logo is displayed for a couple of minutes (!). Next, you are asked to select a language for the setup program. I selected "My language is English".

Next, you are asked to select the following:
- Language to install: English (United States)
- Time and currency format: English (United States)
- Keyboard or input method: US

After clicking "Next", you get two options:
- Install now
- Repair your computer

If you click "Install now", you are asked to insert the drivers disc. As it turns out, my M6700 didn't come with the drivers/applications DVDs. My sales rep forgot to include these when I ordered the M6700, and I didn't notice until I received my M6700. I've contacted Dell Customer Care, Tech Support and my sales rep, but have not been able to order these DVDs afterwards. This proves that Dell Tech Support was wrong when they told me, I wouldn't need the drivers DVDs and that I could download the drivers from the Dell website after the operating system was restored. So, the "Install now" is not an option for me.

If you click "Repair your computer", you are asked to "Choose an option":
- Troubleshoot
- Turn off your PC

If you click "Troubleshoot", you have the following options:
- Refresh your PC
- Reset your PC
- Advanced options

The option "Refresh your PC" is only useful if you have Windows 8 installed on the HDD. With an empty HDD, this is not an option.

If you click "Reset your PC", you are told that this will destroy all data on the HDD. Not a problem, since there is none on the HDD. When I clicked "Next", a message was displayed "Unable to reset your PC. A required drive partition is missing.". Not a surprise, since the HDD is empty. BTW, this message was also displayed when the Windows 8 Pro pre-install was on the HDD. The only option you have, is to click "Cancel", which leads you back to the "Choose an option" screen (with "Troubleshoot" and "Turn off your PC").

If you click "Troubleshoot" again and then "Advanced options", you get the following choices:
- System Restore (using a Windows System Restore Point, not an option with an empty HDD).
- System Image Recovery
- Automatic Repair (requires Windows 8 to be installed, not an option with an empty HDD)
- Command prompt
- UEFI Firmware Settings

The only option left to try, is to click "System Image Recovery". Because the HDD is empty, a message is displayed "Windows cannot find a system image on your computer". You have the option to browse for one, but what's the point if you don't have any?

Thank god I made an image of the HDD (using Acronis True Image) with the factory pre-install, otherwise I would be in trouble at this point...

You mean on the HDD? No.

The whole point of ordering a computer with recovery DVDs is to be able to restore the operating system (and preferably the drivers/applications) under all circumstances. If the HDD fails and needs to be replaced with a new one, you also don't have a recovery partition on the HDD. The recovery DVD is there to create this recovery partition for you.

I know, but I prefer a recovery DVD from the manufacturer. These use a volume license key, so you don't need to enter a product key (which you don't get anymore with an OEM version of Windows 8!).

I have the same issue with my M6700. This is a problem with the current BIOS version (A06) and will hopefully be fixed in a future update...