XPS 14 UltraBook Owners Lounge

No screw needed since there is already a screw holding the 32GB mSATA SSD down.

 

have you installed windows 8? does it resolved wifi issue?

 

Just trying to understand, please correct me when I'm wrong:

- In the XPS 14, It is only possible to replace original mSata 32GB for another mSata, like the one above.
- any mSata is slower than a SSD like my Intel SSD 510 - 250GB.
- So, fastest response from the computer will be achieved replacing original HD for the INtell SSD 510 and installing OS e Programs on it, right?
- If so, can I install a new bigger mSata and replace HD for the Intel SSD, then install OS and boot it from the SSD, and use the new bigger mSata for storage?

Thanks for the help.

 

So I've searched all over the thread and google, can't find any other occurances of this, but I'm having major issues with screen defects. I haven't been to the boards in while so I'm not up-to-date and the last 60 pages or so, maybe someone else can fill me in.

My xps 14 (purchased in early july) slowy started getting spots under the glass. They weren't stuck or dead pixels and appear to be some sort of issue with the bonding between the display and the gorilla glass. They're weren't there to begin with, but gradually got darker and multiplied over the past three months. After way too many phone calls with dell and a new screen being delayed for a month, they sent me a brand new one with windows 8 and thats stuff... Sure enough, the screen was fine initially, but is slowly getting spots. They start off as a grayish grouping of 2 or 3 vertical pixels and slowly spread and take on more of a brown color.

After this occuring, I checked models at Best Buy and noticed the same thing. Even the xps 15 at my campus computer store has the same issue. This has to be some sort of manufacturing defect, but I don't see any other occurances on the internet. It's really frustrating to have this on a $1500 laptop. Do I just have really bad luck?

 

My XPS 14 has a scratch on it. I want to remove it but I dont know which product can I use for it. Do you have any idea to remove it without any damage with body? I heard a automotive product (Meguiar´s ScratchX 2.0) can do that but I am not sure. Did you heard about that ?

Here is my scratch

 

I have had the same issue with my XPS14 . I going on my forth screen. The last screen they put on did not have the debris under glass issue but is separating at the seem where the glass is bonded to the aluminum frame. They are coming this week to put the forth screen on.

 

if i replace the 32gb msata with 128gb msata will i get the full speed and Performance of a full ssd??
i read the pages and cant get a finale answer
is the critcal ssd is good?
tnxs

 

@disigma

Can you update us on what happened when the Dell engineer stopped by? What was the outcome?

 

Hello Ladies and Gents!

I sent my Studio 1458 in for repair under my complete care warranty and they ended up just totaling it. Now I'm waiting for a call back on Thursday from the CSR to tell me what they will replace it with.

He said since it was a Studio it will be replaced with an XPS. Of course a refurb, so I looked on the Outlet site to see what my replacement might be.

Well, the only XPS 14 available on there is the 14 Ultrabook, and I almost wet my pants. The other ones are showing out of stock. If that is true, do they replace with what is in stock or will they have a backup stash of XPS14's from the later models on hand.

Anyone care to guess on what would come of my replacement story? I REALLY would love one of the new XPS 14 Ultrabooks. But would that even be possible considering the unavailability of any other 14 models on the sites?

Thanks in advance for reading!

 

Hello, yes I can.

The Dell engineer arrived nice and early and his first words (after "good morning") were "this is going to take a while" - and boy did it.

His tasks were too:
1. Replace the screen (the antenna is in the screen and apparently this is the cause of the wifi issues)

He said he had previous troubles dissembling and assembling the XPS 14. First, he disassembled the fragile thing poorly (he was bending the plastics, scratching the body, mouse pad etc). He had no clue how to remove the palmrest from the screen and after 1 hour of watching videos, calling mates and he then contacted Dell support. They argued a lot as he was stressing out and requested to leave the laptop there (in pieces) for Dell to pickup and return (which they refused). He then left with my laptop to his colleagues place to try detach the 2 pieces and then attach the new screen.
After 1.5 hours, he returned with the new screen attached then assembled the whole thing together only for the screen to display horizontal lines all over and he said the screen was DOA (I reckon at this point he broke my machine!). He then re-attached the old screen and now the computer wouldn't start and would only "BEEP" continuously until turned off. He then disassembled and assembled the whole thing again and now it booted but the Intel OPTION ROM was complaining that it the disks weren't setup in RAID (now I know at this point he was messing around with my BIOS mode). Both himself and Dell support did not know what RAID was.

He and Dell then argued again over the phone about what the next steps were as he broke the hardware setup (RAID for Intel Smart Response) and wanted Dells assistance but Dell Technical Support said the machine should be set to ATA. I gave up at this point because I knew both the engineer and Dell support new nothing about the laptop and the XPS 14 is now in the worst state ever - scratches, scuffs, marks, bent plastic, unbootable, RAID broken - and is a paperweight. After 6 hours, i requested him to leave the machine and for Dell to contact me later in the evening.

Dell support contacted me and I spoke to a manager who told me the full replacement is at hand and the case is raised as high priority. I initially agreed but after re-reading new posts on the Dell forums and these forums, I concluded that the even the new replacements still had issues so I gave up and now will get a full refund. I am not confident that Dell will supply me an XPS 14 without wifi issues.

Now as for wifi issues, as you can see I did not have the opportunity to test out the machine nor did Dell even give the engineer a new Dell wireless card to test (after specifically requesting so).

Sorry if anyone was awaiting the results but unfortunately I have nothing to report other than I hope you dont experience what I experience and your XPS 14's work as they should do first time.

 

wow the wifi is that bad in these systems? maybe I should buy the extended warranty if they give me one.

shameless bump for two posts above lol

 

Yes, I have a Crucial 128GB mSATA and it works great.

 

I just received my XPS 14 /w Windows 8, and have not experienced any wifi problems (yet). I did notice however that I'm getting horrific sound quality when I plug in my bose speakers to the microphone jack. Going to try and update the audio drivers, but the drivers are from July, and I would think that they were already installed.

 

Updating the audio drivers seems to have resolved my problem.

 

I started this thread and bought the XPS to replace a long line of Latitudes. 4 months on, I'm still partly regretting my decision with the keyboard being my pet hate. I'm now pondering whether to sell it on eBay and buy a Lenovo X1 Carbon. Any thoughts from fellow XPS users, particularly those who've also owned a lovely Latitude?

 

What's your biggest gripe with the keyboard? I posted a question near the end of the last page regarding the 14 but had no idea about any keyboard issues.

and I just purchased a 3 year extension on it, maybe I should have held off.

 

The keys are rather shallow and have a very flat, hollow feel when typing. I can't type anywhere near as quickly as I could on the Latitude and I make loads more typos. It's 'ok' but not a comfortable experience if you do a lot of typing, as I do.

 

That sounds like it may be annoying but I'm going to try and get used to something like that. Now if the keys were stiff or hard to push down, it would cause an issue.

 

I think the keys on all ultrabooks are going to be shallow and flat. I really enjoy the keyboard for what it is. Although I will admit that I plug it into my blackwidow when I'm working.

 

I pulled the trigger. Mine is arriving on the 10th and I will put together a video of wifi performance compared to my old laptop, gaming performance (if it throttles) etc.

 

If it's any use to anyone, I had no wifi issues at all with Windows 7 or 8, using a BT HomeHub 2.0 router. I recently upgraded to a BT HomeHub 3.0 and experience random dropped connections and sometimes can't connect at all.

It would seem the wifi issues very much depend on router make/model which could explain why some people have no issues and others are plagued.

 

I have an XPS 14 Ultrabook. I did a clean install of Win 7 Pro (from windows 8). The USB port (one with powershare) closest to front of keyboard is not working, the other USB port is working.

Did I miss a driver? If so, which one. Unfortunately, I was working on the driver install at 3am and didnt take as good of notes as would have desired. I dont see any problems when i open device manager????

 

Does Dell have a webcam app. for the XPS14's built-in webcam? I just did a clean install of Windows 8 and I don't see any download for the webcam on Dell's site.

 

Windows 8 has a built-in Camera app that can take pictures and videos, so no Dell Webcam App is provided.

 

Ah ok. Where do I find this built in camera app.?

Thanks.

 

It's a purple tile in the Start screen. If you can't find it press Windows Logo Key + Q, then type camera.

 

UPDATE:

Wireless issues resolved. I changed a setting in the HomeHub which was 'automatic channel selection' to be fixed on 'Channel 6'. The router constantly monitors other WIFI networks in the area and shifts channel to provide a better signal. Unfortunately, the XPS wasn't able to shift as easily and resulted in a dropped connection. Since making this change, I've had no issues at all and the range is much improved. Note: I had no issues on my previous router either, that was also set to a fixed channel.

 

Has anyone noticed that the camera app resolution only goes to .9 megapixel? I thought my XPS 14 L421x came with a 1.3 Megapixel camera? I don't understand why the picture is so grainy. I don't see a driver on dell's site for the webcam, although I did see a driver for "ST Microelectronics LNG3DMTR Motion Sensor" - anyone know what this is for?

 

The camera app here reports 0.9 MP, too. I'm not sure, but maybe that's the maximum 16:9 resolution and the 1.3 MP are only available in 4:3?

I also think that the picture looks grainy. Maybe it's just a low quality camera.

The ST Microelectronics motion sensor is a free fall sensor that protects the HDD. You can configure it using the Free Fall Data Protection Control Panel app.

 

Hey guys, finally made it through the 128 pages of this thread and have learned quite a bit about this computer. I don't have it yet but am in the process of going to order it, just waiting for hopefully a good Christmas shopping season deal.

I do, however, have a 256gb Samsung 830 and an 8gb ram ordered and on the way and plan to put them in the base model. I am wondering if I should also get a little bit bigger mSATA SSD to replace the mSATA that comes with it. I was just curious on any of you that have done this, what your thoughts about it are. I feel that I would put Windows 8 on the mSATA if I got a little bit bigger one and put everything else on the main SSD. Or should I just stick with the 830 as running the OS and also storing files here as well.

 

Is there any reason to order this laptop from Dell?
Is this the same laptop?
Newegg.com - DELL XPS XPS14-9092sLV 14-inch Ultrabook – Silver

 

So after a day of use heres my early conclusions:
Coming from the ASUS U30JC

Build quality is impressive, screen is much better than my old laptop, gaming performance is exception consider the ULV, however:
I have the windows 8 version and it seems like normal UI tasks like booting up, waking up from sleep, opening things etc are slower than my U30JC. It could be that my old U30 has a non ULV i3, but an i7 should be ample to keep this thing booting fast and staying fast (Unless I am missing settings/tweaks that can improve its windows UI performance)

I have not seen any throttling, and un-noticable wireless range issues, however it seems to consistently score lower on speed test scores: More testing is needed here.

All in all, I like, but I don't know if its enough to sway me from say a UX32VD (which I am still contemplating).

More to come...

EDIT: I am reading the website and it claims to be able to wake up in 2 seconds (which it currently does NOT) and is supposed to boot from cold fast, which it doesn't appear to be. Is my set up not correct? Or is the SSD not functioning

 

Is the 830 much cheaper than the 840? Because otherwise you should take the better 840 even if the 830 is already outstanding.

 

i just get me new xps 14 and so far it great without wifi problem ( i think..) i try to switch to the new bios and i don't know to do this???
and what is the normal temp for your xps ?
and what torx i need to open the case to put the msata 128gb?

 

Open up your Dell support center program, and wait for it to analyze your computer. I noticed the first time I did this, it mentioned that my fast boot up wasn't configured, so I went ahead and did that through this support UI. Boots up like a champ now.

 

I can't even see what CPU is in this. The one I ordered directly from Dell was the XPS 14 L421x. It had 3rd generation i7, 8 gb ram and windows 8. But I paid $1299 (on sale).

 

I've been considering buying this notebook but with all the complaints of WiFi problems I've been seriously put off.

Is there anyone who HASN'T had any major WiFi issues with this notebook?

 

No, I have not had any.

 

x .

 

I've heard a lot of people who don't like the 840 unless you get the 840 pro? Anyways I got the 830 for around $165 and was fairly happy with that price.

I ordered a 128gb m4 Crucial mSATA on sale for $90 so I'm going to put both the 830 and m4 mSATA in it. Don't know if this is stupid or not but it's how I'm going to do it. OS on mSATA everything else on the 830. I also have bought an external caddy in which I will put the 500gb hard drive that came with the computer in. I will store what photos and music I have on that.

Funny how I have ordered an 830, mSATA, and 8gigs of ram and haven't even bought the computer yet. I'm trying to wait on a deal for a new dell, but what's your guys thoughts on buying off the Outlet store. I'm scared to try there. Also noticed a lot of those look to come with Windows 7 and the 1333mhz ram whereas a new one comes with Win8 and 1600mhz ram. If I replace the 1333mhz ram with the 8gb 1600mhz ram I bought will it run at 1600mhz or 1333?

 

I have no wifi issues, it may depend on model and OS you're running too. I have the L421x running win 8 64 bit.

 

The only time I can remember having trouble connecting was to a connection with very poor signal strength. My Nexus 7 was able to get a (highly unstable) connection, but my XPS 14 was not able to connect. Otherwise, I have had no major WiFi issues.

Also, is anyone running Windows 8 having audio problems? I get random bursts of stuttering using either the onboard speakers or my Roland UA-1G. The stuttering sounds a bit different with each device. With the onboard speakers, it sounds as if it is repeating a short audio buffer over and over, while with the UA-1G sound simply drops out for a split-second. If I run the UA-1G in ASIO driver mode, the entire sound system tends to freeze up. Sometimes killing audiodg.exe will restart it.

 

Thanks for this Tip! Got my Crucial CT256M4SSD3 256GB 6GBps M4 SATA mSATA Internal SSD today, installed and everything's running great!

 

how i install win 7 from disk on key in uefi mode?
i try for hours and cant get it to work
any own can give me a quick guide? is it for win 7 too or win 8 only?

 

Well went ahead and pulled the trigger. Seen a 25% off coupon for XPS laptops on Dell Outlet so ordered a 14 ultrabook. Hopefully it's what I've been waiting for. Guess we will see.

 

Actually...I have had the same problem. The sounds simply kind of sounds like "squeezing" out, not all sounds, but just a few... seems as if the whole system is overloaded for a while, and then it goes back to normal.

 

I'm trying to install Windows Server 2012 but the installer cannot find a drive to install it on. Can anybody point me in the correct direction for drivers?

Thanks.

 

What mode do you have your SATA ports in (AHCI, RAID, etc.)?

 

Has anyone had trouble of getting a delayed order through Dell Outlet? I though theses machines were pre-built practically sitting on a shelf and just waiting to be bought.

Anyways, I called Dell and they said that they are experiencing a high demand time right now but would try to get my shipment sped up. I kind of doubt that will happen but just wanted to know if any of you guys have had troubles before?

 

With regards to delays at the Outlet, I've had a 50-50 experience. Half of the delays have shipped (sometimes it had already shipped when I got the delay email) and the other half never shipped (usually due to a remarkable deal I got that for some reason, Dell was unable to ship).