M6600 Owners Thread

My bad guys, the good AC adapter I have is 240W, not 220W, I editied my previous posts. I read that the M6600 laptop pulls 186W at full load, so the 210W is capable.

Just a note: I got my PR02X replicator working and it is Awesome! The power button on it is great, you don't even have to open the laptop at all. Everything plugged in is detected, no installing drivers or anything. Boots right to the monitor you have plugged into it without messing with any settings in the laptop.

I did see Dell is offering a USB 3.0 version replicator/docking station now. It's big bucks though...

 

Still a locked file persists at the edge.
The above helped to further shrink but fell short though, as it lopped off only an additional 15-20Gb.
According to help in Basic Disk Management via GUI, the target size can be set and a failure will just stop it with an entry into Event Viewer that can be querried using command FSUTIL to find which file it is. No damage.

We gave up the pursuit here's why: A failure to ask, why are we trying to clone to begin with.

WHAT?

Did you know you can download Windows 7, burn it to USB flash, and install in about 8 minutes - quietly, and then use your existing key?

I didn't want to push my own thread starter, but from now on I'm going to because there's quite a bit useful in those top three posts - that are recurring questions everywhere. Especially for those just getting up to date with new equipment and the recent Windows.

So here is a shameless reposting of the links:
M6600 Reimaging Thread, Read in Print View (Better)
#1 Guide
#2 Solutions
#3 Resources

 

When Windows doesn't let me shrink a partition as much as I want, my next step is to boot a Linux "Live CD" and use their partition tool to shrink it. The Ubuntu live CD or Parted Magic work fine. It's not very hard to use. First, run a chkdsk /f on your drive to make sure there are no problems. Then, burn the CD, boot it to the desktop, find the partition tool (called "GParted"), right-click on your partition and select "Resize/move", and enter the desired size. Wait patiently while it does its work and then reboot when it is done.

 

I'm not sure, but A12 came in quick succession to A10 . . . speculation.
Still using A09 here and, had been wanting to ask if anyone who flashed to A12 if any problems have surfaced.

While commenting on this, I'm also planning to update to more recent drivers from Dell:
VIDEO_NV_W74_A05_SETUP-N2CK6_ZPE.EXE
Premier_Color_1.02.032_Setup_ZPE.EXE
Network_Driver_597FG_WN_15.01.1000_A02.EXE
DDPA_Setup_TDC1K_A06_64bits_ZPE.EXE

The Dell drivers site seems to be improving modestly from last Dec. GUI update.

 

Quick question: From what i understand, with the pro cards (firepro and quadro), you're better off getting the drivers directly form Dell instead of the manufacturer's website (not that you have a choice for the firepros really)?

 

I'm on A12 right now, been on it since the day it was released a week or two ago. I dont see any problems. I'm using almost all the drivers from the Dell driver Cab ( I think its from June). Just right clicked in the device manager and updated driver pointing to the extracted cab folder. The only drivers that I did not get from the cab folder and the Video drivers, touchPad driver, and the IDT Audio, because they had to be install via.. exe.

ATI has a slighty newer revision for the M8900 compared to dell's site. 8.911.3.4000

Whats awsome is this this system is perfectly stable comparedto my 3 year old desktop. OF course that maybe the OS on it being mangled from 3 years.

 

Thanks Aaron, bookmarked Ubuntu site - will boot USB Live as an additional tool.

We sent that cloning debacle to the recycle bin. Windows was downloaded from my reimaging thread, burned then installed. I copied a link into the main guide for W7 64 PRO that wasn't included in the draft. Many owners have that version. Fail on my part for not speaking up adamantly for a clean install.

I agree, much of the aforementioned type of disk work should be done through the command line with only a system repair media loaded, or using [F8] advanced options, or ubuntu live cd, for tasks that are uncooperative when Windows is running.

Fixed: Your name, sorry.

 

Not sure if this is normal or not.... I unlpugged the power supply connector from the docking station and the laptop was running everything then. I then plugged the connector back into the docking station and the Charge icon did not move and the CPU cores maxed out and the laptop was studdering. It also did not show the charge icon on the taskbar being plugged in. I then unplugged the AC adapter from the wall, then plugged it in again and the laptop came out of it. Working normal. lol.

 

I've not had any good experiences using drivers from mfrs. websites for boards in my rigs, see signature below.

That being said, Dell drivers have issues too. In my reimaging thread /solutions /Dell M6600 /known driver issues is one that was a particular headache. For my RGB DP rig though it isn't a problem. There are other milder problems but not so severe as to be unusable. They've got better ones out now over the initial releases.

An M6700 shouldn't be too bad. Bokeh says they improved a lot of design things too. M6600 was a new platform to be improved upon quickly. I had needed a new computer asap so hence the current rigs.

 

I have the IPS screen and AMD Firepro 8900 card. I'm been using the lastest drivers AMD's website. No problems here so far.