M17x and Windows 7

Are you using the chipset and wireless drivers for Win 7 from the Dell site?

EDIT: I read some of your posts some pages back. I'm using all the Dell drivers posted for Win 7. The Ricoh driver is installed. On a Wireless N network, my wireless speed bounces around between 135.0Mbps and 280Mbps. I'm fairly close to the base (maybe 25 ft on 2 different floors). I have disabled the Connection Manager in the Broadcom Wireless Utility for both the wired and wireless adapters.

 

Guys,sorry if it's been posted already but the 186.64 drivers are available now from dell for W7

 

On average how long would it take to do a clean install? About 4 hours?

 

Took me about that much time once I had finished installing drivers.

 

I've read in a couple of different threads around here that doing the upgrade install from vista to W7 is a bad idea. Why is that? If I wanted to do that anyway, what would I need to backup? The only OS installs I've ever done has been when hardware has failed so I've never had a chance to back up files.

 

You must back up your programs, but drivers will survive the transition.

 

I'd suggest backing up important files, media, etc just in case something went wrong...

 

i made a bootable usb and always install vista or win7 from there. it takes only 15 minutes to format and then another 30 minutes to properly install the drivers.

installing from usb is faster and more reliable.

use this official microsoft tool here

Code:

 http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool 

direct link

Code:

 http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe 

 

This is caused by the wireless drivers themselves, not Ricoh not nVidia, as I had the same issue. You need to get hold of some non-M17x Dell 1510 drivers to fix this problem and you can then use what ever drivers you like for everything else. I used these http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/R242438.exe but you have to force their installation.

However any recent nVidia Ethernet driver must have the "Sleep on disconnect" option disabled in the advanced driver config or it disables all NICs when the LAN cable is not connected - how stupid is that, thanks a bunch nVidia. The setting is first in the list and only appears once you have rebooted after installing them - well I couldn't see it until I did.

 

This one works great. It's the 5.60.18.8 driver, by the way, which is the one that is supposed to fix all the Win7 issues on other laptops with broadcom cards.

Actually, using the oldest Vista drivers from Dell (the ones posted at M17x release - except the video card driver which I'm using a modified version of 191.07) seems to fix my problems, which is really odd. No matter which driver I install from the Dell Win7 page or Windows Update, be it the new broadcom driver, nvidia ethernet, storage or SMU driver, the Ricoh driver, etc.. causes wireless connection problems, even if it's only one of the drivers. It's extremely strange.

 

Yeah, but the driver i'm using is not for the M17x so it's not listed - it's for their other models of laptop that happen to have the same card and you have to force Win7 to install them by browsing the extracted files (left after they initially fail to install) and then in device manager using the option to choose the driver you want. I'm hoping they'll repackage for the M17x real soon.

The wireless has been as good as I had before the issues started and that's with the latest nVidia chipset drivers (excluding SATA as they suck), latest Ricoh, nVidia VGA 186.82 and everything else I can find.

 

Just tried the new dell w7 nvidia drivers for 260 and have had to use system restore to get rid of the black screen from boot,

 

Thanks for the heads-up on this one. Not sure why Dell released 2 different installers - 1 for the 260 and 1 for the 280. The 280 INF contains the 260 DEVID. I still need to do a INF compare of both and see what they are doing.

They also released a 186.40 Vista x64 driver for both cards. Makes no sense since the 186.64 has Vista x64 support in addition to W7 for the M17x. C'mon Dell... get with it. Less confusion please.

 

they're not exactly new, 186.64, and i'm not sure why dell even bothered to release them. 186.82 seem to be the best for me.

 

Its a new dell release. That is what he was saying. While 186.82 is a higher version, it still is a Windows Update generic INF. The 186.64 is a Dell version INF. This is why its important to test each release. Dell can tweak the driver via the INF and it may actually perform better.

 

So I can use all the drivers that came with my M17x instead of the Windows 7 drivers on Batboys blog and get the same or better performance? Im getting Windows 7 soon so I am curious as to which drivers would offer better performance, the drivers that came with my M17x or the Windows 7 drivers found in Batboys blog?

 

so booting from a disk isnt as reliable?

 

It is, but it takes longer.

 

Ah, ok. Thanks! =)

 

Before I begin...you can do a clean install from a W7 upgrade disk right? And also just a question, to backup my files do I just select and drag everything from my computer over to my external HDD?

 

You can do that or be more meticulus and pick specific folders to drag over (like music, photos, etc). Be sure to copy over your Internet Explorer favorites folder as well.

Yes, you can do a clean install from the upgrade disk.

 

has anyone tried dell's 186.64 yet?

 

I tried them, had to use system restore because i couldnt get rid of the black screen on reboot.

 

This Hybrid stuff is a mess.
Well, I'll keep using the modded 191.07 drivers, they work fine on reboots and the black screen with mouse cursor on wake after hibernation can be easily cured by pressing FN+F7 twice, so it's but a minor annoyance.

 

Has anyone find a work around for the 59Hz refresh rate bug in W7? I'm playing PES 2010 nad the game plays jerky on 59Hz I need to make it 60Hz.

 

I doubt the refresh rate is to blame for that. 60Hz is really 59.xxHz anyways. It's just how Windows 7 and the drivers interpret the whole thing. The monitor will still display 60Hz (you can check with an external monitor that can display the current mode including the current refresh rate).
Plus, a difference of 59Hz and 60Hz won't cause any notable jerkyness. Something else would be to blame for that. If the game would run at say 24 or 30Hz instead, that would be very much different.

 

NoOb question but is 60hz the maximum for the 1920x1200 rez panels?

 

I understand that but weird enough this game does not play well on 59Hz It plays perfect, no jerkyness, on 60Hz

 

No such thing as a noob question... most LCD's operate @ a 60hz refresh rate. I have yet to find one that is higher. The 59Hz / 60Hz is normal. I see this under Vista as well, so its not a W7 issue. On my XPS M1730 I also had this issue. I would open up the NV CP and see that it was @ 59Hz. Granted this did not happen every time I checked, but I never could find any reason for it and it did not seem to impact performance in any form.

Regarding PES 2010, maybe check their forums and see if there are any tips for settings, etc.

 

Thanks BatBoy. So, even if I were to lower the rez, the refresh rate wouldnt go up? I guess im thinking in tube monitor terms.

 

That's what I do on my desktop. If I lower the resolution to 1440x900 than the refresh rate is not stuck on 59Hz anymore, it is 60Hz. And the game plays perfectly then. The problem is on my laptop even if I lower the resolution to 800x600, it doesn't stick to 60Hz.

Batboy, I am on several PES 2010 forums and people solve their problem just like I did on my desktop(lower the resolution). The problem is they mostly play on their desktops, not laptops

 

the fact that we cant set at 60hz must be pointed to Dell. i cant set at 60hz even on lower resolutions and 1440x900. its a driver or win7 issue. i believe its a drivers issue.

by the way i tried pes2010 again on win7 (yes installed this again) and dell gpu drivers. still 59hz of course but pes2010 performs ok (in general).

 

I'm sure someone has already tried it but I want to pose the question:

Have you tried setting a custom resolution (via the NVIDIA Control Panel)? You can set the GDI to 60hz - I would leave the rest of it alone. Easy to mess up when you start playing with the other timings. See if that helps with pes2010. You can also check this thread (forum search does work) - basically what I am suggesting:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=212328

I dont believe the LCD is going to do more than 60hz. To understand see this ARTICLE (I know this is 6 years old) This will explain more on LCD refesh rate vs CRT refresh rate.

FWIW, if I'm not mistaken, Dell pitched the 17" WUXGA in the M17x as being the fastest response time (response time is different from refresh rate) laptop LCD on the market.

 

Well, the 59Hz issue appears to be quite common for Windows 7 (and sometimes in Vista, too), no matter which video card maker or system (enter Windows 7 59Hz issue in google or another search engine to read more about it).

Creating a custom resolution like Batboy suggested with 60Hz should work well with most applications.

Another thing you could try is to turn on Vsync and triple buffering in the display drivers and see if that helps any.

 

Its not just W7 - I have the same issue on occasion in Vista as well. I'll open the NV CP and find my refresh rate is @ 59Hz. At least it hasn't translated into issues for the games I play. I would be livid if that were the case. Totally understand where you guys are coming from.

 

If that is EVER the case with Source games you are to notify me immediately so I can commence whining like a little girl.

 

in vista i can always set at 60hz. ok i tried the custom resolution and i set the resoultion for the lcd to 60hz (59.96 as os reports). it really looks like pes2010 performs better at 60hz.

those sound and video lags (at the same time) happening randomly are due to the dcp latency? i also installed sli update 3 which adds sli support to pes2010

 

Actually this is where the problem is, the game has a built in vsync setting. When the OS reports 59Hz, this option becomes greyed out. PES 2010 needs vsync and 60Hz to work at it's best.
Batboy I just read your post, will go that post and read.
Also turning vysnc and tripple buffering on in NV Control Center doesn't do anything It's like it's a non-factor.
I hope this is a driver issue or maybe with a MS patch it'll get solved soon.

 

Hi,

Been keeping up to date with the posts which have been helping a lot.

The major issue I am having is whenever I install the video drivers (any - .81, .82 and the new windows 7 ones now released on Dell website) I lose wifi connection.
I can install everything, including ethernet option checked and its fine but as soon as I install nvidia video drivers - no wifi. I have tried swapping around the order, installing video then chipset as per the guide but no luck. Without ethernet, still no wifi.

Also, when I install the video drivers, I get a 0x0000116 blue screen on every other reboot. My M17x specs are:

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
T9600 2.8ghz
nvidia 280m sli
160 gb Intel X-25M SSD
8gb ddr3 1333mhz (the errors happen with 4gig and 8gig)
1920x1200 screen

Thanks in advance

 

I installed Dell's new drivers 186.64, still get audio stuttering and bluescreen eventually on running 3d applications.

I might reinstall Win7 at this point and try redo all the drivers from scratch.

 

hey thanks for all the info on this awsome laptop! I have a small problem....
when I installed windows 7 my webcam worked fine. used the creative driver. now it is not found by the system. I tried to reinstall the driver but get an error message have way through.. my question is where is this device in device manager so I can try and uninstall it first...then reinstall? or maybe someone has a better solution? thanks again your knowledge has been invaluble!

 

Did you try these Wifi drivers: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5451356&postcount=460

 

its impossible to install this driver. how did you force install them? i get incompatible hardware

 

Right, this is a bit off the top of my head an using my work laptop, but I think this is the procedure:

• Right click the device in device manager and choose properties
• Under the Driver tab choose Update Driver...
• Choose "Browse my computer for the driver software"
• Choose "Let me pick from a list of ........"
• Untick "Show compatible hardware"
• Press "Have disk" and browse to the folder the Dell installer saved the driver to

The rest I can't do here, but the above should get you on the right track. You'll need to scroll down for the 1510 driver and you'll be warned that Windows cannot verify it will work with your hardware - just continue anyway.

 

no speed difference for me. however my speed sucks anyway. 24mbps at its best and depends on the time of the day.


BY the way: today i received my win7 upgrade DVD.

 

There are multiple posts in this thread suggesting one should install Dell's Nvidia chipset drivers without ethernet. Then later a few suggestions stating it's ok to install ethernet as long as one changes the sleep settings. Here are the million dollar questions that I'm not sure have been asked or answered: Which Dell drivers are necessary with Windows 7? Which Dell drivers add functionality and/or boost performance?

After my Windows 7 clean install on my rig (single HDD, no SLI), my ethernet, card reader, audio, and webcam all seemed to work fine right off the bat. So why bother with any of those Dell drivers?

I should point out though that I have 2 unknown "base" items in my device manager and I can't for the life of me figure out what they are since everything seems to be working. I tried disabling bluetooth and ethernet in BIOS just to see if those items disappear in dev mgr, but they're still there.

 

If you install the Ricoh drivers these should go away.

 

Thanks - but are the Ricoh drivers for anything else besides the card reader? Cause that's working.

 

I don't believe so.

 

i installed everything and working. for nvidia ethernet you have to turn off sleep as referred before. as for the speed i cant help you as my internet connection sucks anyway.

thus for the bluetooth you can install the latest widcomm driver for win7.

catch it here:

Code:

 http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/getFile.asp?id=23452&dscr=Broadcom%20BRM2045%20and%20BRM2046%20Bluetooth%20Driver%20Version%206.2.1.500&uid=24766478 

yes it works perfectly. dell still testing?


stuttering is the major problem and i really dont believe its a drivers issue (stuttering appears immediately after format before installing any drivers) even though on vista i have almost no stuttering while on win7 it stutters too much.


and i am sure the machine dell-alienware tried win7 and the released drivers had stuttering too.