--->The Official Studio XPS 1340 Owner's Thread<---

You might be able to request one from Dell. I'm sure they will send you something.

 

That was my first thought...They said they don't have it.... believe me... I am missing my Vaio already... that's why I am asking for somebody to upload that or generate a torrent so that I can download...

 

Thanks! I went up 0.1 to 5.3 in my WEI

 

I believe you can on Linux if that helps at all XD (You'd just be changing the BusID of the GPU to be used). AFAIK this isn't possible in Windows though. The only reason I can see someone doing this is if they are dealing with virtual machines or other RAM-consuming applications as the integrated 9400M G (on shared memory) will perform quite a bit better than the discrete 9200M GS while using less power.

 

Hmmm. Was there anything special that needed to be done? It "failed" to install drivers for my 9200M GS.

EDIT: Okay after a "Successful" re-installation I ended up rebooting to a BSoD...After yet another re-installation in Safe Mode it worked XD. My WEI for "Gaming Graphics" benchmarks has risen 0.1 as well (to 4.9) with the "Graphics" benchmark rising to 5.9 (I forgot what it was earlier).

 

Hello All,
I have a issue that I was hoping someone had a fix for.
I just reformatted my 1340 and I am running into a speed bump in the audio.

at random times, a windows pops up saying that there was a host processing error, and then an X appears over my volume control in the task bar. When i right click and select sound it turns the audio back on.

But its happening more often, any suggestions?
I'm going to try uninstalling the ITD driver and use the windows one, and see how it pans out.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
thank you in advance

 

I formatted my 1340 and partitioned the hard drive into 1 drive.
The recovery partition is not important! Dell sent you an OS disc and a disc containing drivers for your system. That is all you need to do a re-install.

 

Hi~

I wanted to add a bit of info to the board regarding BSOD's with the 1340. I got my 1340 last week and within days I'd gotten over 20+ BSOD's. I got onto the support chat with dell and they knew the issue immediately.
It appears some vista updates are screwing up the works. the dell rep uninstalled the following:

1) KB973879
2) KB970653
3) KB972036

And I have not had a BSOD in several days now. It all appears to be functioning normally now. I'd say try this first before doing a new install, and if you go the fresh install route, DON'T install these updates.

Hope this helps
~F

 

Thanks for posting that, it will help other 1340 owners who get BSOD's
I'm using win7 so I don't have to worry about it

 

Does your audio through HDMI work when you use them? They work great other than audio not working through HDMI! The only way I can get audio from HDMI on Windows 7 is to use the drivers available from Dell's website, and with those I can not set custom resolutions (I need this feature to turn off my LCD TVs overscan)

 

wow I didn't know you used to have a Vaio. As much as I like my SXPS 13, it's actually a step backward if you used to have a Vaio. My last laptop was a Compaq, so it was a HUUUUGE step up for me.

 

You mean audio from the TV or the laptop? If you have your lapy HDMIed to a TV, why would you want audio coming from the laptop?

 

Is it normal to have a svchost.exe that uses 100+ MB of CPU ? Although it doesn't annoy me, and I don't even see any difference, is it normal ? I find McAfee 2010 Beta being a resource hog, so that might be the cause.

 

I mean audio coming out of the TV through the HDMI cable. None of the drivers but the ones from dell are working for audio over HDMI.

 

Hi Folks,

I've 1340 with 9400M G. How can I use Hybrid SLI features? Driver version is 8.16.11.8681. There is no Hybrid SLI option (and also GPU option) on the advanced power settings menu. Can you please help me?

Thanks

 

You must have a 9500M G (9400M+9200M) for you to use hybrid SLI.

 

Thank you very much for the response. I didn't know that. Thanks...

 

You mean the 9500M GE (which as you said is a combination of the discrete 9200M GS w/ 256MB GDDR3 RAM and integrated 9400M G).

 

I just completely cleaned all my Nvidia drivers and re-installed the ones from Dell and audio comes out of HDMI AND I can set custom resolutions. I tried all the other ones after a cleaning, but they didn't work. I'm happy now though, I'll leave it as-is until Dell releases Windows 7 drivers.

 

Anyone else think Dell is slacking a bit with the 1340? Most of the other Dell machines I've seen have gotten bios updates and windows 7 drivers.. while we're left with the same old stuff..

I also heard someone here say Dell was planning an August bios update for the 1340.. what happened to that?

 

Laptop manufacturers need to be up to date with gpu drivers. This isn't just a problem with Dell, it's the same for ALL manufacturers. If you are lucky, they will update the driver once a year.

 

Hi~

Well the bluetooth 370 paired with my " MS bluetooth notebook mouse 5000" once. And hasn't since.

I put the mouse into pairing mode, click the 'add ...' button, starts the detect and pffft. nada.

I've tried pairing other devices as well and it's always the same. "Windows cannot find any bluetooth devices. Make sure your bluetooth adapter is attached to your computer and turned on, and that your bluetooth device is turned on."

I can see my xps 1340 from my bluetooth cell phone and my axim pda, so I'd guess the bluetooth stack is working (?)

I've re-installed the 370 driver software from the dell driver site. Still the same.

can't think of anything else, all the right boxes seem to be checked- can't think of anything else I can do to troubleshoot.
TIA
~finger51

 

Hmm, is there any way for me to confirm that I have the correct driver installed? I ran the installer for the beta M17x drivers from the Dell support site, but when I check "System Information" under the NVIDIA Control Panel, it tells me my driver version is 186.81. Aren't those beta drivers supposed to be 186.12? I dunno.

Anyway, oddly enough, I'm getting better scores on Power Save than I'm getting on Boost Performance. I get 5.3 on Power Save; 4.8 on Boost.

 

Are you sure you got them from Dell's website? Dell's drivers were 186.12 but 186.81 was indeed released recently by Nvidia (and they support the 9500M GE with no additional configuration). For me 186.81 yielded a slight performance incrase over 186.12.

Regarding your better score, your "Graphics" rises 0.5 when the 9200M GS is on but the "Gaming graphics" score falls 0.7 for some reason. For me the 9400M G alone yields worse performance in both categories on 186.81.

 

I've encountered a problem with the latest release of nVidia drivers. With driver version 186.82 (x64, win7 pro rtm), my desktop background (and only my background) turns to black when i switch on or off sli. Are there any solutions to this problem; otherwise, could someone recommend to me the most stable version out there?

 

For those having trouble with audio through HDMI with different drivers, it is simply not set as the default. First, plug in a HDMI and get you video working. Then, go to control panel -> sound. click on the "playback" tab if it isn't already. Then right click the "Nvidia HDMI output" and set it as default. This is on Windows 7, but vista in my experience has a nearly identical control panel.

Also if you don't want to set it to default then click on the sounds icon in your taskbar and click mixer. Under device, you should be able to change it to "Nvidia HDMI output." It doesn't save this setting, so it is only a quick fix.

Edit: Just to clarify, setting HDMI to default will allow your normal speakers to work automatically after you remove the HMDI. Using the second method you would have to reset the device to you normal speakers.

 

No it's normal ! I got that too. How come everybody got a 5,9 at Hard drive ? I have a 500GB 7200rpm and I only get 5,7. And SSDs are way higher than 5,9 ... OT: I would recommend you download DOX Forceware 185.85. It's the best/stable drive at the moment in my eyes. We just have to be patient and wait for Dell to finally upload the XPS1340s WINDOWS 7 DRIVERS FOR GOD SAKE ... EVEN THE CHEAP INSPIRONS GOT THEIR DRIVERS !

 

I'm having the problem where my ethernet adapter stops working after the computer goes to sleep. Is there a solution for this?

 

Okay so, click on your active internet connection icon in the task bar and open the network and sharing center. Now click on Manage Network Connections in Vista or Change Adapter Settings in Windows 7. Now double click on the icon labeled Local Area Connection. This will bring up a settings window. Under the Networking tab, click Configure. In this new window click the Power Management tab, and uncheck the box that says "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." Hit okay and you should be good to go.

Edit: For those looking for their exact driver installed for their graphics card open the Device Manager. The easiest way to do this is to just search for it, other than that I only know how to manually go to it in Windows 7. It's Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager. Or just Control Panel -> Device Manager depending on what view you have. Once the Device Manager is open, expand the Display Adapters group. You should see you graphics card. Double click on it to bring up a settings window. Under the Driver tab you should see a Driver Version. Mine is "8.15.11.8585". Now the last 5 digits are your driver version. So I am running 18585 or Dox's 185.85.

Edit: Used Google and found the Device Manager in Vista to be Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> Device Manager.

Edit: While I'm at it, finger51, I have encountered the same problem you have with my printer and it's annoying. The reason that you can no longer add the mouse is because it is already there. Again I am running with Windows 7 here, but click on the bluetooth icon in the taskbar and click on Show Bluetooth Devices. In this window you should see your mouse. Now, right click on the icon for the mouse to uninstall it. Once it has completely uninstalled, restart your computer for good measure (probably not necessary, but never hurts). Now re-add the mouse using the standard procedure. Once it is synced by bluetooth, you no longer need to reconnect the mouse! You should just be able to turn on the mouse and it should connect shortly. I hope this helps.

 

Awesome! Thanks!

 

Hi Raz~
Thanks for the reply- nothing shows up in the device pane of the bluetooth devices window, just white space.
I've tried a number of different drivers from dell and widcomm but none seem to work (currently running v 6.2.0.8500). I have 2 pocket pc's, and 2 phones all with bluetooth. I've tried to pair with each one and the story is always the same: they can see the laptop but the laptop can't see them!
Thanks again
~F

 

Well I am guessing you should contact dell and have you bluetooth card replaced. It's probably defective. Most likely they will want to send a tech, but if your even a little bit techy, you should be able to put it in yourself. It's a simple switch in most laptops.

Also if you haven't done this yet, uninstall you bluetooth card through the device manager and then reinstall using this driver: http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/MICROSOFT_WINDOWS-VISTA-SP1-_A01_R204794.exe

 

Thanks Raz~ I'll give it a shot. ~F

 

whats the recommended laptop cooler for the sxps 13?

Thanks

 

I just tried turning off the power saving of the ethernet adapter and my internet still doesn't work after the computer goes to sleep. Any other suggestions?

 

SXPS 13 owners, do you think that your machine would be a good option for someone who is looking to switch away from a 15" MacBook Pro? I could certainly spec out a solid machine for less than what I paid for this notebook (which is still within its return window).

Aesthetics are important, and I'm not a really big OSX fan -- so I'm kind of jonesing to get back to Windows 7 these days.

Considered the SXPS 16, but apparently, the battery life is crappy.

 

Yes. If you have a bestbuy near you they should have one on display
6-cell battery is about 2 - 2 1/2 hours

Why not install Windows 7 on the Mac?

 

I thought I read that the 13 has a battery life of around four hours doing the usual browsing/email/lightweight stuff. Not the case?

I just removed my itty-bitty Win7 partition on this MBP to make room for a much larger one which I'll probably use as primary, but I guess something feels odd about using an Apple machine for almost purely Windows. That, and the whole, uh, "Apple air" bothers me, if that makes sense.

 

I get about 2-3 hours with my 6 cell with just web browsing and while in class. Anywhere from 3-5 hours with my 9 cell. I don't lower my brightness on my screen or turn off the backlit keyboard either.

 

First disable Low Power State Link Speed. Although I doubt this will work. If it doesn't fix the problem re-enable it.

Secondly try uninstalling the Ethernet driver through the device manager and try his driver:

http://us.download.nvidia.com/Windows/nForce/15.35/15.35_nforce_win7_64bit_international_whql.exe

 

I can not get STF4 to load from Steam for the life of me on my XPS 1340. It worked fine for a while and now I just get a message saying STF4 has stopped working when I try to launch it. Steam won't help and Capcom has the intelligence of a 4 year old when it comes to there support. All my other games work and launch fine so I think it must be an issue with the game. Anyone have any suggestions. I have updated directx, drivers and the bios and still no luck.

 

Just curious, does that happen when only 1 is enabled, both GPUs are enabled, or in both of those scenarios?

 

Hi - I got my XPS 1340 about 3 months ago and overall I like it except for a few issues.

1. DPC Latency issues...come on, you think Dell would have fixed this by now, this is one of their top of the line systems, and theres lower end models that were released after this that got bios updates long ago....

2. Build quality is crap, but I guess that's what we've come to expect from Dell, but for the same specs as other laptops at a much cheaper price, i'll deal with it.

3. When the computer is in SLEEP mode, is there a way you can NOT have it turn on automatically when the lid is opened? I think this is the stupidest feature of all time - there must be a way to set it up so you still have to push the button to turn it on when in sleep as opposed to "turned off" but I can't for the life of me figure out how.... I travel a lot and my laptop spends a lot of time in the case in the trunk of my car, however when it's in sleep mode if I go over a speed bump, pot hole, etc, even in the case, the computer is rattled enough that it turns itself on and stays on until the battery dies. Then when I go to use my computer the battery is dead, and it being on for hours zipped up in the case it gets so hot you literally can't even touch it, and I've sometimes noticed a bit of a burning smell....which can't be good. I guess I could just do a full shutdown each time, but it's annoying to have to boot up as opposed to jsut come out of sleep.... anyone know a way of fixing this?

4. I reinstalled Windows immediately after I got it and got rid of all the bloatware. However for this past month, it keeps telling me there's Windows Updates to install, but whenever I install them I keep getting BSOD's over and over again until I boot into safe mode and revert back to before it was updated. Kinda annoying but I'll prob upgrade to Windows7 anyways at some point soon...

5. Support centre is 100% useless. I dunno why they even bother wasting money to employ all of them when a computer automated IVR can do the same thing as all they can really do is read off a script, which offers no help. Many times I've had to hang up and call back 4 or 5 times until I'm talking to someone who can actually speak understandable English. All they ever do is tell you to reinstall drivers, then if that doesn't work to reinstall windows. Not to mention the multitude of annoying follow-up calls which don't offer anything useful.

Otherwise I'm very happy with it for the price, as well as power for this size of laptop. Perhaps the Vaio Z would be worth it if it didn't have all these problems, but the price diff is still drastic.....

 

How is your battery life?

Didn't know the build quality is crap. Was considering getting an XPS 13 myself.

 

That's odd, I find the build quality of my refurbished to be pretty good. Only complaint is some uneven gaps in a couple of areas, which I hardly notice.

Other than that, the 1340 is pretty solid.

 

hey every1, im thinking of buying 1 of these laptops soon. my questions are, has the heating problems been resolved? is there any other outstanding problems i should made aware of? thanks for any help!

 

Just got a replacement for a malfunctioning 1340, installed Windows 7 RC1 and voila, same sound problems as before. Crackling, stuttering, in a word - not working right. I used to think it was because of scrolling through websites, etc, when playing music...nope. I leave YouTube alone, no other apps open - same problem maintains itself. I'm sure I am not the first one to be faced with it...what do I do?

 

Still gets hot while playing 3d games but that's normal.
If your room/place is well ventilated, then there shouldn't be much of a heating problem, even with the vent partially blocked by the screen.

 

XPS owners, a question, if you don't mind:

My primary use for a notebook these days is to take notes, read/annotate PDFs (in OneNote, largely), whatever other med school-like things at hand, and other light duties.

Assuming it was within budget, would you go for the XPS 13 or Adamo?

I'm kind of torn between them. Seems like the Adamo has a touch more battery life, better aesthetics (my $0.02), and a lighter weight without too terribly much heat output, while the XPS has superior hardware and a better price (although I suspect I could land an Adamo at an equivalent price for my XPS config via eBay / CL).

 

I would go for XPS for the reasons you stated, superior hardware and better price.I couldn't justify buying more expensive machine when a cheaper one is better spec'ed. The Adamo does have better aesthetics But if price does not matter I'd go for Adamo or maybe a 13" MacBook Pro running windows 7.

How much battery life do you need? 6-cell on XPS max is around 3hours. 9 cell does not sit flush with the system, not sure if that is a problem. The weight is not bad on the XPS. I carried in my backpack this week and barely noticed.

Also check out the Dell Outlet. There are 15% coupons floating around for this weekend.