Noob question (sorry)

Greetings my fellow 17ers,

I've heard good things about this forum so I thought I'd give it a go and post some questions here. I'm sure these questions will be pretty silly as I'm a complete noob.



So I have just bought a second hand (non clocked) m17x r4 with 16gb Ram and a radeon 7970m running on Win7, the thing is it wasn't a fresh install of the OS, and the drivers look like a whole bunch of mess to me. I have a few areas where I am very lost, and the other areas I can figure out gradually. I'll quick fire them for ease of read.

1) This switchable graphics card malarky. What is the best setting for it? Should I just leave it on Max when plugged in and Optimized when not? Also when I first got the laptop FN + F7 would work, not anymore. But I did fiddle a bit with the drivers (installing new ones, installing catalyst control centre and installing AlienAutoposy from dell ...do I really need all these things??)

2) I have plugged in a USB mouse that was recognized and had drivers auto installed but wouldnt move. Now its not even detecting it, and wont find any drivers for it. I tried deleting drivers and restarting but that didnt work.

3) Camera doesnt seem to be working for skype

I've been to the dell site to check driver updates with my service tag but the site just keeps error messaging me. And I now have a bunch of software, Microsoft mouse and keyboard center, Catalyst control center, MyDell Center.. do I really need all that junk I downloaded? I'm thinking just to wipe out all drivers and re-install them all. I'm so lost right now been up all night and not got anywhere. I

I'm sure you guys are laughing at me right now but it's doing my head in! I just want everything working

Any words of wisdom would be really appreciated right now

Thanks guys

Jon

 

Hi man, welcome aboard

I can't help with the switchable graphics thing as mine does not have it but since you have a couple of issues and windows was already messed with I think the best starting point is a factory restore. From there you can update to the latest dell drivers: Drivers & Downloads | Dell UK and see if it gets it running smooth.

I can't remember how you access the hidden restore partition so hopefully someone will chime in. I believe AlienRespawn has the option though.

Did you get any warranty with it?

Good luck

 

Hi thanks for the welcome, this is actually my first forum post - Im normally a lurker.

Warranty ended a few months ago unfortunately. Will a factory reset mean I need windows cd or key? I have neither right now, I literally just bought the laptop and charger.

 

Shame about the warranty as a backup but hopefully it won't be needed.

It will just register as soon as it connects. You shouldn't need the key (or the windows disk) as it comes from the bios somehow I believe. It should also be on a sticker under the battery.

As you had problems with the tag registration for getting the drivers it might have been worth a call to dell and asking if there is any problem. But since you don't have warranty anyway it doesn't matter.

See if you can register the machine at My Dell Downloads. This gives access to the licensed software the machine should have come with: https://smartsource.dell.com/Web/Welcome.aspx?ReturnUrl=/web/main.aspx

 

No need to apologize (thread title). We're here to help. There are even Alienware Representatives standing by, ready to assist users at a moments notice among NBR (Notebook Review).

Seems to me most of the issues you're experiencing are driver issues, including the switchable graphics issue. I recommend backing up any important data you may have and using AlienRespawn to set the computer back to factory state, as it was upon first boot-up. This will save you a lot of time and trouble and should fix all of your problems.

 

I would recommend you the same, use the DELL drivers if you plan to use switchable gfx.

 

I've installed AlienRespawn as video but when it reboots there is not "AlienRespawn Restore and Emergency Backup" option. Is this a common problem?

 

You installed AlienRespawn? It should already be on your system, unless you formatted before.

 

Yep I downloaded it. Still can't see the option when it reboots. I bought this from someone else so I'm not sure of the exact history. He did say he reinstalled the drivers and may not have done it properly ...

 

Do you think if i just update to windows8.1 it will be ok?

 

So, you bought a used system from someone who messed up the Windows installation? Okay... That's not good. AlienRespawn is not a possible solution anymore.

There are guides on this forum for Windows 8 installation. http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...er-install-order-guide-alienware-systems.html

 

Thanks, I think I will just upgrade through microsoft to 8.1