HELP ME, plz..Dell xps m1530

Well my new dell xpsm1530 arrived today.
1440x900 glossy screen
4gig ram
320 hard drive sata
2.4 processor

I was worried about a few things before I bought it. I debated long with myself wether to get the 1440x900 res or 1900x1200. In the end I settled for 1440x900. I am delighted I did, the screen just looks perfect to me.
I also worried about the glossy screen, thinking I may see reflection and be driven mad. I was wrong to worry here too. The screen is perfect, no reflection noticed at all.

But, other problems I didnt anticipate have come up. I would appreciate any help or feedback.
First and perhaps most annoying is the touchpad for the mouse. I am finding the thing very unresponsive and hard to use.....I used to use a hp compaq and the touchpad was so much better.
Next is this process called dmw.exe. I dont know whats its doing or what its for, but its killing resources.
Then there is the resolution issue on my 32 inch samsung tv. I was hoping to display 1900x1200 on this but the max I can get is like 1300x720 or something....not good. This was a big deal for me and one of the reasons I settle for 1440x900 on the laptop.
Then theres Vista, the **** OS is annoying me, I was used to XP and Vista seems slow at times.
Also the keyboard is a bit noisy, but overall not bad at all.

 

for the touchpad, install the synaptics drivers.. they are better than the alps drivers.

dwm.exe is the desktop window manager.... >> http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/process/dwm.exe.html you need it for enhance graphics and visuals.

for the external monitor, I am not sure though I know you can fix the resolution separately. Check around here.. I remember seeing quiet a few nice threads

Vista is nice... check the Vista Tips n Tweaks Guide (Sticky thread in Windows OS forum made by the great Les)

Cheers.

 

whatisthatfile.com says dmw.exe is a Windows management file, whatever that means.
EDIT: fonduekid beat me to it with better answers.

 

How do I get these drivers?, can I TURN off this dmw thing, my laptop is hot, only one day old

 

synaptics drivers were recently provided by someone around here.. and I have the link too.. will be back in a min.. let me find it.

And dwm.exe does not contribute to the heat, AFAIK.. its got nothing to do wiht it.. if your laptop is hot, make sure there is good ventilation around the laptop... and also make sure u don't block the main intake below.. meaning dont keep it on the bed or couch or whatever..

 

http://www.synaptics.com/support/drive.cfm

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3581228&postcount=7

Ooppss, sorry for this separate post Could've posted this link along with the previous one.. anyways. Internet problems..

 

So, I'm using the ALPS driver's right now without a hitch, any point in upgrading to synaptics?

 

I just did, certainly improvement, still not great, dont like the material on touchpad, not enough friction.

 

Not needed if things are working fine.. Let it be. Why fix it, if it ain't broke? but do get it if u hit some issues.

Driver update has got nothing to do with touchpad material... and nothing will ever solve that except replacing the touchpad... So there. Cheers.

 

Fondue, I decided to install the driver from the link you provided and cannot adjust my touchpad settings. Specifically, the right and bottom scroll areas. Could you point me in the right direction??

 

you mean its too much friction. I would have liked LESS friction so fingers move easier.

 

congrats on yur notebook.

what kind of connection are u usin to connect to yur external TV? HDMI?

and with the synaptics driver issue. make sure u have the latest one. i think the latest driver fixes the touch pad scroll problem.

edit: make sure u check out this page for vista tweaks and tips. helps speed up OS operation and u can turn off some of those annoyin warnings.

 

hiii everybody,
congratulations on deeping the forum tobe most happening...
after my intense search on laptops i almost always end up here finding answers,
i have finally settled with dell 1530 ..
but is the rumour about dell dropping the idea of 1530 true??
should i wait or go order..
what are things i need to look for before i order..
am sorry i am totally new to this ...
i would appreciate if somebody would notice this post..
thanks

 

You cannot adjust as in?? you cannot find the settings options or is it not responding? also as houstoned mentioned above, make you get the latest available..

Also do u have any other mouse setting program like logitech setpoint or something? and have you enabled setpoint implementation or something like that there?

 

I must say I am very dissapointed, how could Dell get it so wrong. Seems easy to desing a decent touchpad. The thing is frustrating me and Ive only had laptop for one day.

Also the mouse click things arent great either, you have to really press them down to get anything.

 

dell does not really release or leak too much info til its closer to *official* launch time. alot of things floatin around the web are just speculations. the only thing we can really do is wait and see when they release some *official* info.

yes, the alps touch pad, isn't as good as the previous synaptics ones. its pretty much hit or miss with it. make sure u have the *latest* version of the synaptics driver.

on a side note, i actually love the quiet mouse buttons and u'r the first to complain about a "loud" keyboard. i hate clicky and loud keyboards/mouse buttons.

 

VGA, trying to connect to a 32inch Samsung LCD TV. I just assumed I would be able to view 1900x1200 on this.

now the laptop is becoming very hot. So much that at times its hard to put on your lap. My old laptop running xp got hot at times, but not when I WAS JUST BROWSING THE WEB. Man, im considering returning.
Pity, because I love most things about this laptop, but these small things should not be there in the first place.

 

i don't think a VGA cable can provide a full 1920 x 1200 resolution. u should really invest in a good quality HDMI cable for yur HD/high resolution needs.

u should download some temp monitorin programs and see what is emittin the heat and if it is a real problem. when usin on yur lap, are u makin sure yur lap is not blockin the fans/vents? notebooks need proper ventilation to perform properly.

since u are still within yur 21-day return period, i would really suggest u monitor yur system better and read up more on how to use yur notebook better. it sounds like u have a bit of lack of knowledge. if the problem still persist then call dell up and get a replacement sent out to u. check if the replacement unit is displayin the same symptoms. then make yur decision from there. update yur GPU driver to see if that helps any. different driver verions will have different thermal characteristics.

u have to keep in mind that this is a notebook. notebooks are just hotter than desktops by design. it doesn't hurt to read a bit and get more general knowledge before u make a irrational decision.

 

To say I have a lack of knowledge is a bit of a cop out. I know my computers....

I have tweaked the laptop a little, turned off Aero, stopped some startup progs, turned on indexing on hard drive.

But little things annoy me, I want perfection, the heat thing is still a big issue.

I do think the resolution problem is just that my samsung doesnt support the resolution. But I am not sure.....

The heat thing is an issue, my previous laptop was a lot cheaper and didnt get nearly as hot. I intended on doing some light gaming on this...havent tried yet. But I dare not to think about how hot this thing will get.

 

if it gets hot get a cooling pad.... use search tool to find discussions on most appropriate cooling pads for the m1530.

 

I downloaded the latest, and I do have "setpoint" as well. I cannot find settings for the touchpad, only the mouse...

 

Just a thought but is this a HDTV or Monitor? I could be wrong but what I'm assuming here is that its a HDTV which at 32" would most likely be 720p or better yet 1366x768p. Maybe that why it gives you the max resolution it does? Can't display 1900x1200 on 1366x768 is my guess to your problem. Hell a 1080p HDTV or 1920x1080p couldn't fully display 1900x1200 i would think. If its a Samsung its 720p at 32" unless its the new LN32A550 or LN32A650, which are the only 2 Samsung 32" at 1080p.

This is only my guess, so if I'm missing something or am wrong about something please feel free to correct me.

 

You dont find something like this??? like in the picture below??

Strange you cannot see the touchpad settings... check again. Must be there..

 

i wasn't tryin to be offensive or anythin, but why not download some temp monitorin programs? the notebook might get "warm", but shouldn't get "hot" where its uncomfortable to use.

monitor yur system to see if u do actually have a real problem. u spent money on a premium product, so u should be thoroughly satisfied with the product. i have my m1530 on about 12 hours a day. there shouldn't be any thermal problems. u'r still within yur 21-day period so take advantage of it while u still can.

 

I used to have that before I uninstalled the ALPS and reinstalled the Snaptic!

This is what it looks like now...


Am I missing something here?

 

same issue here...

 

Have you tried turning off setpoint and see if u could find the options for the touchpad??? its strange you don't see it there.. I am kinda lost as to why!!! Will get back if I find something..

 

I uninstalled the Synaptic and reinstalled the Alps and everything is back to normal. I still have the setpoint installed. I think I will uninstall the setpoint, then reinstall the synaptic on top...