Latitude E6400 Owner's Lounge

I'm pretty sure it's normal for those two devices to show up as removable devices.

 

Yes. They work just fine.
But i hate the ways the OS notice me, "safety remove hardware", that way isn't normal at all.
My lap reinstalled with an XP SP3, and i don't have that problems. XP didn't show such infomations at all.

 

It's 100% normal. Vista/Win7 treat all USB/eSATA devices ejectable (and they are).
Trust me XP knows NOTHING about new and "new" technologies. My guess is that Dell (or manufacture of the hardware) had to do some serious work around under XP to have it to work, and that could explain why XP was the last OS that Dell supported on this laptop.

 

Ok just another noob question, i see a small square button on the right hand side (near the wifi on/off switch and two USB hub), i guess that it is Wi-Fi Catcher Network Locator. But i don't know what is it used for? and how to use that button?
I notice that i only blind "blue" when i turn off my laptop.

 

well, when in he coffee shop or any establishment area, you can check if there's wifi available by pressing the wifi cather. if it turns blue, then therels wifi

you may now power on your laptop and surf.

sometimes, it's nice to know if there's wif available prior to opening / booting your machine as to not waste time

 

oh, now i know . Thx man.

 

I got a new hard drive for my E6400, took out the old one, and I installed the Windows 7 RC on it. I went to install the video driver for the Quadro Nvidia NVS 160M for XP, but when I go to install it, I get the notice that the OS isn't XP or 7..

"Setup detected that the operation system in use is not Windows 2000 or XP/7 [32-bit]. This setup program and its associated drivers are designed to run only on Windows 2000 or XP/7 [32-bit]. The installation will be terminated."

Am I doing something wrong here? Or should I be installing the 32-bit Vista?

Edit: Nevermind, looks like the Vista driver is correct. It's early.

 

XP is a COMPLETELY different OS compared to Windows 7. You might as well try Linux drivers in Windows 7. Vista is not build on XP. They started from scratch (that is why it was not released in 2003 as it should and just got delayed again and again until end 2006... it takes a LONG time to create a new core). Windows 7 is based on Vista.

First of all, you should be using Windows 7 64-bit, and use Windows 7 64-bit drivers from Nvidia website for proper system operation and enjoy your full system power (and not lock it down).
32-bit Windows 7 is just there for those who have a VERY special need. Don't expect the quality of the product being superior of the 64-bit... you should start seeing Win7 32-bit as XP 64-bit... untested, buggy and lack of support. In fact, Windows 7 will be the LAST Windows in 32-bit format.

 

Argh. Dell has not been very successful in sending me the plastic filler for the SD card reader. A technician came by yesterday with a Cardbus filler and today I received a Expresscard filler from Fedex. I did some searching with the description that GoodBytes posted and "K294G" is indeed the part number of the SD card filler. I will tell Dell the part number and hopefully they will send me the right part.

 

HAHAHA! I knew they would be a mixup when you said Dell will send a tech with the part. Don't worry, it's not that the tech guy you talk to is an idiot. Long time ago I worked at retail, and when you get bombarded with people calling firewire: crossfire, USB: UPS or USP, computer: engine, Wifi: hifi, SD/compactFlash/XD/USB flash memory cards : Memory stick, CD/DVD: diskette and so on.. it kinda hard to know if the person that ask you something knows what he talks about or have everything confused.

When I try to talk to someone who doesn't know me, I try to put in an example, like in this case I would go and say.. "you know the memory card of format SD which many but all digital cameras takes" or some lame thing like that. I sound retarded, yes. But there is no confusion.