Dell XPS M1730 Owner's Lounge, Take 2

I know, I am looking in the event logs to see if there is anything. I ran the Diag (Dell) and the new drives tested ok.

The last entry in the event log, that I can see, is:

Code:

Log Name:      System
Source:        Service Control Manager
Date:          7/2/2009 12:08:04 AM
Event ID:      7036
Task Category: None
Level:         Information
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      XPSM1730
Description:
The Windows Modules Installer service entered the stopped state.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Service Control Manager" Guid='{555908D1-A6D7-4695-8E1E-26931D2012F4}' EventSourceName="Service Control Manager" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="16384">7036</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>4</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2009-07-02T04:08:04.000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>37266</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution Processid='0' Threadid='0' />
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>XPSM1730</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="param1">Windows Modules Installer</Data>
    <Data Name="param2">stopped</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>

 

This is around the time the system crashed. I do not see anything in the update history. The last update is (KB937286) on 6/30/2009

Code:

Log Name:      Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient/Operational
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient
Date:          7/1/2009 11:58:30 PM
Event ID:      40
Task Category: Windows Update Agent
Level:         Information
Keywords:      Check for Updates
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      XPSM1730
Description:
An update was detected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient" Guid='{945a8954-c147-4acd-923f-40c45405a658}' />
    <EventID>40</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>4</Level>
    <Task>1</Task>
    <Opcode>17</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x4000000000000002</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2009-07-02T03:58:30.803Z" />
    <EventRecordID>1347</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution Processid='1144' Threadid='6804' />
    <Channel>Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient/Operational</Channel>
    <Computer>XPSM1730</Computer>
    <Security Userid='S-1-5-18' />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="updateGuid">{ED447B23-A233-4B15-B4C0-0753762B9406}</Data>
    <Data Name="updateRevisionNumber">101</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>

 

thanks for the reads. I just wish I could find the real issue here. Needle in a haystack.

 

No longer need such a big notebook. Finished my studies, thus less travelling and no need to make compromises anymore. I can buy a desktop now and play games properly. No matter how powerful notebook you have, it's still about compromise between mobility, heat and performance. Any half decent desktop will outperform it by miles. And for work i ordered a portable 13". Don't take me wrong, M1730 is a great machine considering its mobility and it's really awesome machine for a student to kill time But once you stay at one place and don't need to move regularly anymore, desktop wins hands down. I had a good time with my M1730 though, served me well and i don't regret the money i spent on it

 

Are there some heat issues to report with the nVidia driver 186.03 compared with 185.85?
185.85 runs ok for me right now.

 

Skip 186.03 and try Dell's version of the 186.12 which was released the other day for the M17x. The INF (driver setup file) supports the M1730 GPUs so there is no need to modify it. So far they have only released the Vista x64 version. I have been running it since release and its a stable driver with the low thermals introduced in 185.66.

You can grab the driver here if interested:

http://support.us.dell.com/support/...eid=R226274&formatcnt=1&libid=0&fileid=324207

Also be sure to grab the current PhysX driver in case you are running a version prior to the current (v9.09.0428).

http://www.nvidia.com/object/physx_9.09.0428_whql.html

 

Thanks BatBoy. I'll be right on that one.
I also installed the Dutch Vista SP2 what came out this week. See if that also will be without issues for me.

 

hi all.

i just installed a 500GB SATA drive alongside the stock 200GB SATA, after installing the drive and booting up the machine, i receive the following message:
'No bootable devices -- strike F1 to retry boot, f2 for setup utility
Press f5 to run onboard diagnostics'

Anyone else experience this issue?

Edit;
Finished talking to Dell Tech Support and it seems to be a bad HDD Ribbon cable -- http://www.impactcomputers.com/yt963.html cruddy thing is that I'm leaving for Europe on Monday

 

No bud... When you get where you are going, order it from Dell. They have it for $1.99 USD.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Cables/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=YT963

 

Hi

Here's a question....

I have the SLI 9800GTX board in my XPS. When they fail (which Im sure they will do) Dell currently do not have these as a option any more so if they offer me the 9800GT's what should I do as these cost quite a bit less (bearing in mind im in the UK and our consumer laws are different - they MUST replace like for like)

 

hey guys, was wondering, i currently have 32 bit vista, but want to upgrade to the 64 bit windows 7 release. Will I be able to buying the upgrade package? or will it just update my 32-bit vista to 32-bit 7???? i'm not talking about the complete boxed OS, just the Upgrade Disk. Thanks.

EDIT: i have 4 gigs of ram if that matters

 

thanks BatBoy!

 

If you obtain the 64bit Windows 7 Upgrade Disk, then your machine will upgrade from 32bit Windows Vista to 64 Bit Windows 7. You can buy any upgrade package you would like (32Bit or 64Bit). Hope that helps clear things up.

 

thanks, it does.

 

Going to be buying a new mouse soon.

Any recommendations? Is Logitech G9 the best? Any others I should have a look at. Also any good retailers in Ireland/UK to order from.

 

the g9 is for those that use a claw grip using your fingertips to press the left and right mouse buttons. if this is you then you might also like the razr mice.

if you like to rest your palm on the mouse or if you press the mouse buttons using flat fingers the g5 or simliar teardrop shapes will be more comfortable for you.

 

I use the Razer Copperhead for 2 years now. I can tell I'm still happy with it.
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-copperhead/
It is sturdy and accurate. It helped me through Crysis (+Warhead) and GOW.
The best I had so far.

Edit: I use also the Razer Mantis soft mat. It's a perfect combination.
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mousing-surfaces/soft-mats/razer-mantis
I can roll it up and put it in my backpack too.

 

my dell power adaptor for the m1730 dosnt light up anymore

when i put it to my ear i can hear it buzzing as if its getting power but no blue light.
is there a way to open/repair this or do i have to get a new one?

anyone got any ideas please
thanks
m@tski

 

It's hosed. Do not attempt to repair yourself. Just replace it. If you are still under warranty, call Dell and they will send you a new one. If you are out of warranty, I suggest purchasing a Dell OEM power brick - do not go with some cheesy aftermarket.

230w Dell Power Supply w/6' power cable
Part# 330-0722
Dell Price: 119.99

or

This is the lowest on the net I could find from a third party ($59.65).
http://www.softarcade.net/330-0722-...730-Charger-AC-Adapter-Cord-1730_p_45938.html

 

Outlaw, unfortunately this is not the case.

The upgrade does NOT work from 32 -> 64-bit. However, what you can do, is buy the upgrade disk and run a clean install from it. There's ways others could tell you about - I've never done it myself.

I know for a fact 32 -> 64 from Vista -> 7 does not work because we had this issue with my neighbours computer. It told him to ensure it was the correct version for his computer (x86 or x64) and try it again.

 

I still enjoy my Razer Lachesis.

 

I've been using my Razer Copperhead for about a year now and it's the longest lasting mouse I've ever had.

Looking at some of the newer Razer models, 5600 DPI would be insane. It took me months to get used to the 2000DPI on this thing, I couldn't imagine anything higher =-P

 

Yes, 4000dpi was hard to adjust to as well. But I still love it.

 

Eambo, you are terrible... I like the look of the Mamba and it's wireless or wired with a charger. I may just have to have a look at it.

 

I'm using a Logitech G7 with my XPS. I have the black version and it fits perfectly with M1730's fake carbon fiber case.

 

Sowwi ^_^

Wireless would certainly be interesting for me, as I could pretty much use my TV as my main monitor if I had a wireless keyboard and mouse. At the minute I don't even use an external keyboard, just the M1730's built in one

 

I use an external wired keyboard, it's a cheap Logitech Deluxe.
When playing games, maybe I hurt my keyboard, and I don't want to kill my laptop, so I'm killing just a 10 bucks keyboard.

 

i have tried several newer models from various company's and i come back to my g5... i wish i could use my g7 but the dam battery doesn't last for crap

 

Yeah, my G7's battery last for about two days, but I always have a back-up into the charger. That's why Logitech gives two batteries.

 

Gotta go with Eambo on this, the copperhead is the best mouse I have owned to date. Bought the mouse and tarantula keyboard in 12/07 and both have always delivered.
http://www.razerzone.com/

 

Would you recommend the keyboard? I am contemplating buying one, but not sure what more it would deliver than any other keyboard really - especially the built in one.

Personally, I would go through mice maybe every 2/3 months. Copperhead I've had absolutely no issues with, on the fly sensitivity changing is a godsend, and it goes well with the lights on the M1730 =-D

 

if you're getting bugchecks such that safe mode does not boot or work correctly, then one or more of the core system drivers in the stack have gotten pretty knackered for whatever reason - handle corruption, general disk corruption, <insert one of many hardware failure reasons here>, and you should rely on nothing less than a complete rebuild, repair might make it boot, but I really wouldn't rely on it for much....

 

Tbh, i found M1730 keyboard perfect, one of the best i ever tried for gaming. The keys have very short travel time making for awesome reactions, and the keys are reasonably spaced out to reach all keys easily if you use lots of binds/macros. I went through all kinds of keyboards ranging from cheap £5 ones to more expensive like Logitech G19 and Razer Tarantula. Even though the more expensive ones boasted with awesome technical specifications, i couldn't get used to them. The keys were too far apart for my taste and i found it hard to reach some double-key binds (like shift + something), and ended up often pressing wrong key and completely messing up stuff.

I would recommend you to try and find a shop which has the keyboard on display and ask if you could see and feel it (even though i agree it might be difficult sometimes to find such shop). Everyone has different size of hands and fingers so i wouldn't rely on online recommendation from someone. By no means i'm saying that Razer keyboard is bad, it is a very nice piece of hardware with awesome specs, but you can't fool anatomy. Even the best keyboard in the world can be worse for you than some cheap one, if you can never get used to it.

 

Thanks for the honest opinion. Yeah where I live technology shops, especially more 'high end' ones, are near impossible to find, so touchy feely places are a no no But you've tried the M1730, and tried other keyboards, if you say the M1730 is one of the better I believe you =-P

 

Good advice... However I have been running clean since that glorious day. No hickups at all. I was lucky this time.

 

thanks for the advice mate
the power brick has been playing up for a month or 2 now
sum times it would work sumtimes it wouldnt , now its dead

its only about 14 months old
pathetic

 

I like the keyboard, but would definitely agree with Tuwa on the key spacing and layout. It took me a couple of months of use to get it down. I switch between the M1730 kb and tarantula now.

 

A little off subject but I follow amazon goldbox deals on twitter and they have a 1TB external drive on sale today:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=xs_gbtb_dd

Thought I would pass it on.

 

Wow, $99 for 1TB is a steal Good find!

 

Yeah, in the UK, they are required by law to give you something of "equal or greater value". If they cannot offer you the same cards, demand a full refund or an upgrade (M17x)

Chances are they'll go for the M17x because they refund you what you paid originally - which is a lot more than your computer is worth these days. They're saving money by giving you the M17x - sometimes they offer it with a small upgrade fee I believe, but definitely still worth it

 

ALRIGHTY!

I'm UK-based and currently hammering my head with the Technical Support team about a system replacement. They've taken my case further because this is like the fifth failure within three months. Man, their replacement parts are horrible!

 

Stick to your guns and make sure you get the results you want. Sometimes there is an internal struggle with tech support and customer care about system replacement. This is how I was upgraded from 8700m to 8800m. Tech support ok'd system change out or refund but CC said no and told TS they had to fix the system. Their fix was a no charge upgrade.

 

. . .I am not going to get what I should be getting. More parts being replaced with parts that have a life-span of an almost expired milk bottle.

 

Hey guys, I have my 8800M GTX and X9000 on the way. I was going to follow iftibashir's video for the video card upgrade and the Service Manual for the CPU. Is there anything I should know about the CPU procedure? Has anyone else done it?

I have one question. When I remove the thermal assembly, what becomes of the thermal pad? Should I get rid of it and use thermal paste when re-installing it?

 

Yes. Be sure to review the correct procedure for cleaning off old thermal paste/pad and applying the new thermal compound. I suggest Arctic Silver 5. See:

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm

 

I know the feeling, I had 3 replacements in a week. Go to consumerist.com, search for 'Dell', and there's a list of 15 executive emails. Email each and every one of them, explaining your situation. This is how I finally got my issue resolved. Unfortunately when they keep pissing you around the only thing you can do is go over their head.

 

Cheers for sharing the info.

BatBoy has also shared very valuable insight, advice and experiences on the matter. There's always a boss above who you might think is the boss; do not perceive the person telling you what you'll get as the 'authority' figure and cave under their tone. Make your honest expectations known. Really, I am against being a bona fide jerk over the phone, but I am equally against being absolutely spineless. People need to be assertive with them when they're being pissed around.

I feel that five times over a mere three months is too bloody much, and now they want to repeat the same replacement procedure when I have five counts of the same replacement hardware failing in under a month's time. What a load!

But Eambo, you had like 3 replacements in a week! F'n hell! That's just harsh.

 

where did you order your x9000 from, i am looking into getting one.

 

I lol'd at your edit reason. Nice one! :-D

Yeah, they replaced my perfectly working but slightly overheating GPU with one that only had one core working. Then they replaced that one with one that had zero cores working. I was getting p*ssed off at this point so I told them I wanted a replacement system. I wasn't getting anywhere so I gave them an ultimatum: One last repair, and if that didn't fix it, I was asking for a refund. That way I could say I gave them warning, and they couldn't argue.

Finally got it replaced with a working and cool GPU, haven't had any issues since. I was seriously thinking it was something I was doing wrong for a while - how could three replacement cards be broken? But yeah, it turns out it was the cards. Never doubt yourself in these situations, chances are it's their fault, not yours, no matter how unlikely it seems.

After the last GPU replacement the engineer forgot to hook up my keyboard backlight too, so that meant another engineer call the next week. So basically three in one week, four in two weeks

One of the Dell Executives got back to me and after the last GPU replacement he offered me a replacement system. I turned him down since the system was working, but he kept an eye on my case. He told me I've had 7 (SEVEN?!) services since I got the laptop last August. That'd be nine now, he said that I had 7 before the final GPU replacement, and the keyboard was fixed

I'd send them all a mail, let them know your situation, how customer support is getting you nowhere, and you'd like a replacement system/refund if this issue persists. Give them one last chance at repair like I done, and if that doesn't work they have nothing to say.

 

Mm currently in the same boat. My SLI 8800M GTX is overheating. Last week they sent out only 1 FAN to replace 2 lol. I didnt ask for fans i asked for a GPU replacement. They also sent out a NEW LCD lol. My LCD is fine. So now tomorrow im finally getting a GFX card replacement & a mobo swap. Lets hope all goes to plan.