*OFFICIAL* M11xR1 Owners Lounge - Part 4

I used to use Spy sweeper but got tired of buying it every year just to keep the updates current. Microsoft Security Essentials is free and all the updates are free.
Amazingly I have found that this uses fewer resources from your computer than the others that you pay for.

 

I use Comondo and i haven't had any problems so far. I like that it displays what programs are using the internet and how much in the corner of the home screen.

 

The main reason I like MSE (other than it's free ) is that it's *completely* unobtrusive. I honestly don't notice any slowdown/impact on the system - period. I have used Symantec, and now McAfee on my work laptop (not by choice mind you) - and those programs simply bog down the machine.

I installed MSE when I first got the machine - tested to make sure it was working - and since then, haven't looked back. A perfect AV program IMHO - I could care less about update notifications, etc., or that it's working / active - I only want to know when it's found a problem and what corrective actions it's taken to address it. MSE is the first AV program that does this...

 

Is it worth uninstalling AVG for MSE, or are they essentially as good as each other?

 

I dumped AVG for MSE, and I have been very happy. I never had a problem with AVG, it ran great, was lightweight. But, it did let a couple of things through.

 

I uninstalled the older Intel driver because it didn't support TRIM, and just had the MS driver install itself. But when I went to the site you linked to, it didn't find the update because it was no longer installed. Do you know which file to manually download and install? I'd prefer to have the Intel driver as well.

EDIT: Or is this driver only for Intel SSD drives?

 

No - it's for the chipset - works with my OCZ Agility..

I'll have to find the link (i.e. go to my buddy who gave me the link) - I'll see if I can find it again today and post back later..

 

Can anyone who has an Intel X25-M run HDTUNE on their M11x and report the results? Pretty please.. i think mine is way low.

 

I just ordered a Intel x25-m 160GB one. It won't be in till end of next week. I will run it then.

 

Im going to be buying a M11x soon and I have a question. Does it come with 3 wifi antennas?
I have a 6300 im looking to put in it. Will it make a big difference over the default card it comes with?

 

It has 3 antennas. As far as if the 6300 will work, no idea. There have been posts where people talk about what wifi cards they replaced the stock with and what worked.

 

While I can't verify the 3 antennas as RAQemUP has, I can say that the 6300 should work. I've seen where other M11x owners have installed them. If I remember tonight I'll check for the third antenna since I'll be doing some work on my SSDS. From what I remember though it didn't have a third, but that can be ordered.

 

Only if your m1330 doesn't have the optional LED Backlit screen

 

Some people were even disconnecting one of the 3 antennas to hook up to WWAN cards they bought separately. This way they still retain the ability to connect to Wifi B/G (lose ability for the N) and be able to use a SIM card to connect to Cell providers 3g.

Apparently there is no issue solution to add in a antenna for a WWAN if you purchase the M11x without it.

 

As far as I can remember there were only 2 antennas on the M11x (white and black) with my specs. I can't speak for others who have upgrades though.

 

Agreed. I came from a WLED M1330 and I'd chose the M1330's screen over the M11x's any day. When I compared the two, I found the WLED on the M1330 to be brighter with better colours, not to mention the larger screen size and no glare.

I do like the screen of the M11x though (apart from the glare) but it isn't as good as the WLED M1330.

 

There are only 2 antenna's in the M11x. I have confirmed this as I have taken most of it apart in an effort to troubleshoot my BT card. I can provide pics if anyone is interested.

 

Thanks for the confirmation. I thought it as so, it's been so long since I last opened the M11x and well, memory not so good...lol.

 

Hi guys.

i just got my m11x about a week ago and i'm loving it! coming from a Gateway P-7811, this little bugger is smaller but just as (and even in some cases, more) powerful than my 17" gateway!

However, i have a couple of questions and niggling issues i would like some help on.

1) Toaster.exe. how do i keep this process from running? it is clearly from the dell back up software, but i uninstalled that program FIRST DAY and it still comes up at start up, giving me notifications and stuff. i even get notices that the thing is now running in the background.

i tried disabling the startup process in the msconfig window, and i tried looking in the services editor. However, nothing worked it was missing from both windows even before i disabled the process in the windows task manager! I see the actual Toaster.exe in a folder in my program files folder, but i'm a little scared to delete it..

How do i completely get rid of Dell back up so that Toaster.exe will not run anymore? Also, i think this problem relates to my second issue

2)what the heck is this Y: drive and where did it come from? this only shows up in my Smart Defrag window, and not in Windows Explorer. it is a ~14GB partition and i think its from the dell backup program, but i don't know. Pictures HERE and HERE

3) Where do i get drivers that work for this thing? i saw the thread on this very topic, but i got confused. is there a solution? do the Optimus drivers work and do they auto switch the GPUs (i dont mind if they don't)? and the guy who claimed to have working Optimus drivers removed them from his signature...

Do we have to wait on Dell to create "super-special" drivers? I never got an iPhone because i don't like having to wait companies to approve what software goes on my tech. go android! ill take beta drivers! i did that on my Gateway with great results!


Sorry for long post, but these few issues are semi-annoying, and this seems as good a place to ask for help with them.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Oops, forgot to read the OP of this thread. i see the page with the drivers on it, but my question still remains: do we have to wait on Dell to put out drivers for the m11x?

 

You can wait, there are new Beta 197.xx drivers on the dell page. Also there is no optimus for the M11x.

As far as the toaster, I'm not sure, I did a clean install on mine since I put in an SSD. Have you right clicked the toaster service in the "Services" panel? There you can click properties, and set it to "disabled" which should prevent it from starting up when the computer is started.

 

i tried. thing is, Toaster.exe only shows up in the processes tab of windows task manager, and in it's respective folder in program files, NO WHERE ELSE. However, before i read your post, i ended the Toaster.exe process. i tried to manually run it again by typing it in to "Run" but i got the message box saying that Dell Data Safe Local Backup has stopped working. i have since restarted and toaster.exe isn't running anymore! ill have to try again later, but this looks like good news.

on the driver issue: what do you mean

is there a way around waiting?

 

You have to type "services" into the run menu. It'll bring up the services panel. Thats where you can disable it. Toaster.exe is part of the dell data safe program so it will disable that program. You can remove it if you like.

As far as GPU drivers go, your other option's are the beta drivers on dells website, or lsking78's gpu driver hack. You can find the thread on it here, or you can find his specific post on it here

 

Hello all, I've just ordered my m11x! Very excited. My old, single-core AMD Athlon XP system was hit by a nice power surge during a storm here in Missouri last week. I am really looking forward to this replacement/substitute for a desktop.

Mine's got: SU4100, 4GB RAM, 250GB Sata, Mars Red Alien FX, custom boot screen, personalized plate, and everything else is pretty much basic.

 

Excellent excuse to get a beautiful new m11x, congrats!

 

toaster.exe doesn't show up in the services panel. it doesnt matter, now, its not running at startup anymore since the error i caused as described in the previous post.

Thanks! i shall bookmark these for future reference.

 

I suppose the lighting rod connected to the 1.0 usb port may have helped

You'll love your new alien

 

be sure to visit the m11x optimization thread HERE. This REALLY helped me get the most out of my m11x. Some programs i say get ASAP are:

1) Ccleaner - for registry cleaner and for the junk file cleaner

2) Smart Defrag - the best defragger i ever used, and pretty simple to boot!

3) WinDirStat - use this to hunt down exactly why you seem to be losing space on your HDD

4)[http://store.steampowered.com/]Steam[/url] - if you're an avid PC gamer/play games by Valve, you should know about this already. the best PC digital distributor + a great gaming centered IM client = win

Note: as with most new computers, the m11x may seem a bit laggy at first. However, just like a good pair of shoes, you gotta break them in first. i wasn't fully able to enjoy the m11x for all it could be till a good 3-5 days of optimization. then again, i had a computer which i had to transfer data from. if you are starting new, then it shouldn't take AS long

 

Ironically, in reference to the lightning storm, I also own an '82 DeLorean. hehe not to go off topic!

That old desktop was asking to be fragged anyway. (In the Quake sense, not the defrag sense.) I had the local sales rep at Best Buy tell me that "Alienware and Dell are all crap." Thanks to him, they lost a sale, I got a coupon from Dell and I bought my m11x direct. *nefarious laughter here* I highly disagree with him.

 

hmm i just realize, is M11X's Charger Jack lid up when charging?

because i came across this picture from EndGadget. and the Charger is glowing in Blue, but mine doesn't glow and looks like there is not even a led light in the jack, just plain rubber plastic



is EndGadget using different set of charger or something

*note that i always disable the AlienFX, which i suppose has nothing to do?

 

Yeah the charger does not glow like the M11x's bigger brothers. Nothing we can do about that unfortuntely.

 

I have that charger - with my 11z - was actually surprised that it didn't come with the M11x - as they're both rated exactly the same.

 

Its probably one of Dell's standard issue ones. My old Studio 15 had the LED too.

 

That's so funny! I had a similiar experience when I visited a Best Buy this past Friday. One of the sales reps approached me and I asked him how the new Alienwares were selling. He tells me they don't carry them anymore and then said that since Dell took them over, they all have been overpriced and not worth the money. He then tried telling me I should look at the Asus laptop. I told him he should brush up on his product knowledge - I just asked him a simple question and he just gave me some BS.

 

So my screen is starting to peel in the top left corner. The glossy overlay is coming out slightly. I pushed it back in and for the moment it's staying put. What is everyones expieriance with this as far as dell fixing the problem? I suppose I never thought about how it's attached. Is it just attached with an adhiesive?

 

Interesting. I don't have anything like that. The only "issue" with my screen is that the hinge is popping out slightly (the famous hinge pop) but it's not that noticeable and doesn't bug me (surprisingly enough! ). If it peels off can you report if the picture is less glossy?

 

An update to the m11x is coming soon!!

If you go to the dell website (I have only checked the Canadian one) It does not list the price of the m11x anymore. Instead it tells you to call for the latest prices. This is what happened to the Studio XPS 13 right before they removed it; and because I'm sure they aren't getting rid of the m11x, it has to mean update!!

 

Not here.. yet. :/ i highly doubt a full refresh will come so soon.

 

I hope so, the processor is the only thing holding me back. and maybe a Intel wireless card for Canadians

 

FYI for everyone: new drivers for Alienware OSD, freefall sensor, and touchpad are up on the Dell site!
Link

 

Great news!!!! @downloading

 

Great, thanks!

 

Hmm, I have an idea...may end up returning it afterward... lol

 

Changes? OSD for volume up/down?

 

I'm about to installing a new SSD and will let ya know if the new OSD has volume up and down graphic.

For the meantime, 3RVX is a great volume up and down gadget.

Homepage. Get it here in the software section.

Edit: Well having installed the new drivers I think the OSD was just a update to the startup face recognition software.

 

Is it safe for my to use my M11X on a train?
I don't have a SSD, so might it cause damage, long term?

 

After a couple weeks shopping around, I settled on getting this beast. I went to dell.ca to configure my system and had everything ready to order. I didn't have enough time to finish the order and make sure I had everything exactly right because I had to leave for work at 4pm, so I saved my configuration in my cart. When I came home at 12am, I anxiously went to the website to order my new M11x that I've been thinking about all night... and the price went up by $99

fm I.

The base system is now $998CAN, when eight hours prior it was $899CAN.

 

finally my m11x came to my hands..

*nice machine..high quality very beauty...the cpu clocked to @1.73 its ok..

it handles everything without any problem...i running a lot of games...and it seems very powerfull with good ratio of fps..at this "size"

also it goes good at bad company 2..after a lot adjustments it runs at medium settings..very playable at multi servers..
modern warfare 2 very good fps!

the lcd 11.6" looks cool..nice quality of colours...its Tn panel..i dont like the glossy..but its ok no problem
the speakers perform very very good! for this size of lappy..

finally the guys did very good job about the heating of this small machine..
the temperatures of cpu and gpu runs at very good levels..even its full load..

happy owner

i really recommended this lappy for portable use as a second pc

*the last thing that i need is an Ssd installed

 

Downloaded the new OSD drivers. Only thing I noticed different is when I switch the wifi on/off it now shows a cross if I am switching it off. Thats it. Still nothing for volume up/down or anything. Holding out for a Bios fix eventually (especially to fix that battery charging on/off).

 

Volume indicator changes on Windows taskbar. Barely noticeable tho.

I have no idea what battery charging problem you are talking about - mine works perfectly.

 

I know! Amazing, that's almost exactly what the Best Buy rep at my store told me. Granted, I have owned a "Frankenstein" ASUS system I built when I was 22 since the early 2000's, but it sounds like they're training their geeks to hate Dell/Alienware. Don'tcha be hatin' now.