XPS 15 (Haswell) Owner's Lounge

I just posted about this a few pages back. The retail ISOs are edition-specific, i.e. you need to get Core if you have a Core key. The MSDN ISOs include both Core and Pro on the same disc. The torrent ISOs depend on what source material they used. I found one that has Core, Pro, and even Enterprise on the same disc, including the K and N versions of all of them. That one worked fine.

Ok, I used an app I have called LAN Speed Test; you install a client on one machine and a server on the other, and the data from the client is randomly generated noise and written to the RAM of the server (not storage) in order to make sure that the network is always the bottleneck rather than anything else. I simulated writing ten 5GB files back to back and it completed like a champ. Task Manager showed a sustained output of around 650 Mbps, while the app itself showed about 750 Mbps. My GUESS as to the reason for the difference is that Task Manager is counting actual payload data (i.e. not including Ethernet and IP headers or retransmissions due to errors) whereas LAN Speed Test is counting raw bits on the wire. In any case, I didn't have any stability issues.

Not sure what you mean about not shutting down or sleeping -- do you mean your NIC prevents your entire system from sleeping or that the NIC itself won't go to sleep? I'm not even sure how to test whether my NIC will sleep. The closest thing I have to that is an "Energy-efficient Ethernet" option in the Advanced tab of Device Manager, but I think that has to do with managing the transmit power based on cable length and such.

 

I am currently studying at uni so I get access to msdnaa which gives me copies of operating system iso's and their keys, so I used my msdnaa win 8.1 pro iso and key. When I first installed it, there was no prompt to input my pro key, then later I found out that the core version installed. I made a small edit in the USB install drive after creating it. I made a file called ei.cfg in the Sources folder. This file instructs the installer to install the specified version that is defined in the cfg file. As for the iso download, you can find some generic keys just for the download tool then use the dell key for install/activation. If auto detect works correctly, then it won't ask for a key when installing.

I personally don't like using os iso's from torrents as there are many which have been modified and can install some harmful stuff on your machine.

As for creating the ei.cfg file, have a look on Google as there are a heap of sites which tell you how to make it. I think from memory, I made the license type VL or Retail, but I used a key of my own. I'm sure OEM would work, but have a look around or if someone here can post the license type.

Hope this helps.

 

I'm not sure about OEM media (since we don't get it bundled), but the ei.cfg trick will NOT work on retail Win8.1 ISOs because they don't have image index files for both editions, so you would effectively be telling it to install a version it doesn't know about. I've confirmed this absurd but sadly true behavior. It works on MSDN ISOs because they do have both Core and Pro in the same ISO. If the media he downloaded could have been used to install Core, it would have done so automatically using his embedded key. The only reason you needed to do that was because you wanted to install an edition different from the one for which your embedded key is intended; this person's problem is that the embedded key he wishes to use isn't being accepted by the ISO he has, because the ISO only knows about Pro, not Core.

 

Sorry, I did a quick thread search but didn't see anything helpful. With some more searching, I did manage to find your previous post:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...15-haswell-owners-lounge-289.html#post9519891

Yet another problem that's preventing me from going with the 'legit' method is that the official .iso download tool seems to be having connection issues ("We can't connect right now, check you internet etc."). I found a couple "Core" keys online that I think would allow me to get through the key check, but I have no idea if they work. Sometimes the connection error pops up after entering the key (before starting the download), and sometimes it happens right after starting the program. Furthermore, I'm not sure if they're 'generic' keys as you mention, or someone's personal key.

I'm going to PM you with a request for more info, if that's okay. Thanks!

So I read up on the ei.cfg file, and gave it a shot. I managed to get past the key check using the file contents below, but the license agreement that popped up afterward was still for 8.1 Pro. I guess, like jphughan was talking about, the Pro .iso I downloaded can't be changed to different versions.

my ei.cfg:

[Edition]
Core
[Channel]
OEM
[VL]
0

It's absolutely ridiculous that MS doesn't let people freely download iso's that will work with any key. I'm also surprised by how much difficulty I'm having in finding an 8.1 Core torrent. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

Yep, sadly, frustratingly, I think I've confirmed what you're saying.

 

You probably found generic keys, but they won't help you either. If your media won't accept your embedded Core key, it won't accept a generic Core key either. Generic keys are for people who have legitimate 8.0 keys (either embedded in their system or obtained through any other channel) and want to perform a clean install of 8.1. Microsoft in their infinite wisdom decided to allow upgrading from 8.0 to 8.1 in-place with no new key required, AND to allow an 8.0 key to activate a clean 8.1 installation, but they decided that you couldn't use an 8.0 key to actually INSTALL 8.1. Thus the generic keys were born, which could be used to INSTALL 8.1 but not ACTIVATE it. Welcome to Microsoft thinking! :thumbsup:

I'm sure the reason they don't provide the ISOs more broadly is because they don't want to pay for the bandwidth to let the entire world download ISOs from them, only those who paid full retail directly to Microsoft. I can sort of understand that (that would be a ton of bandwidth, after all), but in that case I think DELL should step up here and make the required ISOs available to their customers rather than just sending free USB flash drives upon customer request that take several days to show up.

 

I do know that retail versions are different to the msdn versions but the ei.cfg trick can be used with retail copies for OEM channels. Use a generic key and get the core version. Then during install if the OEM key fails, use the ei.cfg to change to OEM channel and then install.
This is what I used with windows 7 but it may be different as I haven't exactly read up on it, just using what I've done that works.

 

For me, when I transfer at 100MB/s - 110MB/s the USB port won't work anymore. Sometimes I can re-plug the adapter. Sometimes the whole USB controller seems to be frozen. I then also can't re-start or go into sleep more. If I connect smth to that USB port (e.g. keyboard) it will get some voltage and the keyboard's led will light up, but the device will not work.

 

They don't have to pay for very much bandwith if they serve the files via bittorrent.

 

Hey there,

i received my top-tier XPS yesterday and i really love it. The display is simly awesome, the builtquality is really macbook-like (I really prefer the look of the black look of the XPS).

Nevertheless i have the coil whine issue and i think it is just worse than i've read here. Here is what i got:

When the laptop is loaded and plugged in i have a high pitched whine that comes from near the power button. Additionally there is a not so high pitched but louder whine that starts just when i am scrolling with my mouse or the touchpad.

When the laptop is not plugged i got a high pitched whine that comes not from near the power buttom but from where the ssd seems to be.

Does anyone know if there is a soultion to this? Maybe replug the ssd? Or should I call dell to replace my unit?

 

Ok so I have had mine since 11th nov, and touch screen has carked it. It has stoped working and no driver update will fix it

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I've been down the same road. I downloaded Pro the 1st time, not knowing which version shipped on the XPS. Obviously that didn't work. 2nd torrent I found was Core, installed without a key and worked just fine. It was on Pirate Bay, but unfortunately I don't remember which one I used. I'd say keep trying .isos until you get one that installs without asking for a key. If you find one that does install with a generic key, you can change the key to the proper Dell OEM after install. Anyway, if it turns into a major hassle, ask Dell for a W8.1 USB stick and they'll send you one for free. Though that will install all the Dell software and settings, which you are probably better off without.

 

.... this is "normal". I have exactly the same sounds as many others too.

 

"Retail copies for OEM channels" is a contradiction in terms. It's either a retail copy or an OEM one. Unless you meant a retail ISO with an OEM ei.cfg file, but that does NOT work on Windows 8.1. I know it works on Windows 7 (and I think even on Windows 8), but as I explained in my post that quoted your earlier one, on 8.1 Microsoft no longer provides the index files for other versions of Windows on their retail discs like they used to, and since you can't point an ei.cfg file at an edition index file that doesn't exist, you're stuck. As I also said earlier, I've already actually tested and confirmed that the ei.cfg trick fails on Windows 8.1 retail ISOs. What worked on Windows 7 is irrelevant.

And again, a generic Core key when you have an 8.1 Core key already embedded is pointless. You're misunderstanding the purpose of generic keys. I explained why generic keys are used and why they won't help in this situation a few posts back.

Oh, how ironic it would be if Microsoft started serving official content via BitTorrent.

 

Try the touchscreen firmware update on support.dell.com? Open up your machine and disconnect and reseat the touchscreen cable? Look in the Owner's Manual in the section for removing the display assembly and it will identify the touchscreen cable.

 

I have exactly the same problem. Especially the scrolling noise is really annoying. Does this noise have everyone too?

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Yes.... :-(

 

Not really. I literally have to put my ear against the keyboard to hear the sound people are complaining about. On my system it is almost inaudible.

 

Just be careful everyone if you are using a torrent copy of Windows. A while when I was a grad student I had a desktop with suse linux installed on it. I wanted to run a couple of windows only applications and so I torrented a copy of windows and installted this on a virtual machine. Eveything seemed completely fine. Then a week later, IT tracked me down... they told me that my machine was flooding by sending out millions of spam emails! It turns out that there was some nasty stuff hidding away in the windows iso that I had downloaded. Since then I refuse to use a pirated version of windows cause it was real bad. So just be careful!

 

Good advice. If you only download an .iso that has been around for awhile, and has been tested by several people first, you can be reasonably certain that it hasn't been tampered with.

 

There is a simple way to check if your torrent ISO is original, you have to check if the SHA1 code matches with those supplied by Microsoft, you can find these codes on MSDN.

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True, but in my case I wanted an all-in-one ISO (including Enterprise edition), which Microsoft doesn't provide, so there's nothing to match the SHA1 hash against. I guess if I had the inclination I could get the required deployment toolkit apps and build such an ISO myself, but I don't, and it's been around enough and was uploaded by a reputable enough seeder that I trust it.

 

I'm not an expert of Windows 8/8.1 ISO, but if works like for Windows 7 ISO you can download an original ISO and to apply the Windows 7 trick that consists in to delete a file from the original ISO so you have a multi version Windows created starting from an original and trusted ISO.

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I've become an expert on Win8/8.1 ISOs, and as I've repeatedly said already, the ei.cfg trick does NOT WORK on Windows 8.1 retail ISOs. It DOES work on MSDN ISOs, but the trick this time around isn't deleting the file, but rather creating one to your specifications. But even then there are restrictions, e.g. an ISO with an ei.cfg file can only be used for clean installs rather than upgrades. And there are NO official ISOs that have Core, Pro, and Enterprise all on the same disc; that was true of Win7 as well, so if you want one that has all of them under the same roof, you need to resort to a torrent or build it yourself.

 

I just tried the anker adapter on my other laptop.. transfered 50GB without any problems. on my XPS15 it crashes after 30 seconds.... Dell what are u doing to me.

 

Are you on Windows 8.1? If so, check Windows Update for a new NIC driver. I found one there for mine that was newer than anything on the StarTech website.

 

Basically all of those USB 3.0 adapters use the same driver since we all have the same chip:
ASIX AX88179 - ASIX AX88179 - USB3.0 to 10/100/1000M Gigabit Ethernet Controller

I also installed the one via windows update :/

I now enabled "USB Wakeup" in bios.. now it seems like downloading files at 100MB/s from my HTPC worked for some monre time (~5 minutes) and then dropped down to 4MB/s.. but atleast now it's not freezing the USB controller. Still far from optimal. On my Clevo laptop it worked just fine (tried 2x 50GB).

@edit: while downloading with the crippled "4MB/s" my connection seems to bad in general. A ping to google shows 75% packet loss and a higher ping than usual.

 

Someone previously mentioned in this thread the software Dexpot as a way to have multiple different desktops easily available at different resolutions without the need to login/logout to reset resolution/scaling . . . has anyone tried this recently and find it a good option for our laptops?
Dexpot | Virtual desktops for Windows

 

Mine has only sometimes reconnect problems, not as often as yours.

I already tried no HiDPI scaling. Which Intel settings do you mean? Didn't find any.

Has your Nvidia Control Panel also only 3D settings and no others options? Where can I change the hdmi colors from 16-255 to 0-255? The black of my second screen isn't accurate yet, because it gets detected as TV.

 

Those colors settings are now all in your "Intel HD4600" settings

 

I know but they weird and don't stick.
Worked better on my old XPS 17.

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Sorry for the belated reply - here is the latest from the 'teh_crab' camp. Installed the latest batch of drivers everyone has reported on - not alot to report back, haven't had any mind blowing changes that I've experienced yet - but at the same time, no negatives which is good .

Went to the local Hardware store today to pick up a set of Torx (the set I had did not go to T-5 which was required for the base chasis) - as mentioned JP, it looks like the panel does indeed have the 'touch cable' however it is already plugged in - so no idea what the Dell technician has done (he must of broken it, or in fact I am really that unlucky and the panel which was a replacement in the first instance, was indeed DOA). I tried carefully removing it, and plugging back in to no avail. As the XPS 15 9530 is so new, specially here in AU, the panel is on back-order so God knows when they'll have a replacement, atleast the screen is functioning fine minus the touch capability.

I'm currently tossing up between if I should go with an Samsung EVO mSATA 250/500GB or Intel 525 mSATA 240/500gb for the replacement to the 1TB + 32gb Cache while I wait for the 91WHr Battery... Anyone had any real-world experience with the Intel - the EVO are simply to new to expect anyone has one yet - they are slated to arrive toward the end of the month here. Been reading reviews for past 4 hours haha.

On the 91WHr Battery story front, nothing much to report other then an e-mail on Friday saying they are still looking into it, and the need to have the 91WHr offered as an upgrade - they mentioned looking at a 'global demand'. All I can say is, if you are interested, make it known by calling them!

Cheers,
TC

 

I get the feeling that W8.1 made some pretty significant changes to the USB drivers and that support is still lacking or half-baked for many devices. I've got two versions of the RTL8187 USB wireless adapter -- a workhorse chipset that has sold millions and functioned flawlessly in every version of Windows up to 8. Totally useless in W8.1. On the XPS 15 it repeatedly disconnects.

One thing I've found that helps, but does not entirely cure these problems is to deactivate selective suspend in the USB power options. You might try that and see if it does anything.

 

For me "USB Wakeup" in bios to enabled.. that seemed to help a little with the Anker USB 3.0 to Gigabit adapter.. still it freezes the whole usb controller after 60 seconds of transfering at 110MB/s.

 

Couple of quick questions if I may.

I own an accounting firm and use my xps 15 to work on both in the office and at home. At home it is great but sometimes in the office i find the screen a bit small.

Connecting a bigger screen but still using the laptop keyboard/touchpad would not really work so am thinking I would need a new monitor and keyboard/mouse.

1) Would it be best to buy a docking station and connect these via this? I don't want my laptop sitting on my desk closed using up space so thinking having a docking station would keep everything tidy and the laptop can be out the the way so long as it can reach power
2) To keep the screen resolution the same I am looking at purchasing dells new 4K monitor which gets released on Jan 23. I have read that it runs and 30hz. The XPS 15 runs at 60hz from what I can see. Is this going to cause any issues? Also would the monitor be plugged in via display port or hdmi? I would have to ensure the dock had DP if it was required.

Thanks in advance

 

There is an official dock from Dell that should be enough for your requirements. HDMI works with 4K up to 30hz before HDMI 2 gets released and Display Port works ups to 60hz AFAIK.


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Did you try disabling selective suspend?

 

USB Wakeup is completely unrelated to selective suspend. USB Wakeup means that USB peripherals such as your keyboard and mouse are allowed to wake your system up from S3 sleep (not Rapid Start hibernation though). USB selective suspend determines whether your machine is allowed to put USB devices to sleep when they're not needed. Judging by the behavior you're seeing, I would think selective suspend has a greater chance of fixing your issue than USB wakeup. You might also try disabling the option in Device Manager for putting your network card to sleep when it's unneeded.

Interesting that your NIC uses the same chipset as mine. In that case I can't explain why mine works and yours doesn't under (at least similar) load patterns. Sorry!

Read reviews of the 2.5" 840 Evo. All indications are that the mSATA will be identical except in physical form factor. In fact if you actually open the enclosure of a 2.5" 840 Evo, you'll find that it's not much larger than an mSATA card even there.

Running at 60Hz requires DisplayPort 1.2, though that's been around for quite a while already. The only notable exception is MacBook Pros, since their Thunderbolt ports only use DisplayPort 1.1, though Thunderbolt 2 has fixed that.

(EDIT: It looks like the new Dell 28-inch 4K display you're talking about is indeed 30 Hz only. How strange. Well then you'd have to step up to the 24 or 32 inch options then, it seems.)

HOWEVER, if you look at the specs of the D3000 docking station or any other (they all use the same DisplayLink chipsets) you'll find that it will not do resolutions above 1200p @ 60 Hz, presumably due to bandwidth constraints on USB 3.0. So if you got that display, you'd need to connect its output cable directly to the system.

One alternative would be to ditch the dock entirely and just direct-connect everything, which might not be so bad if the display you're purchasing has a USB 3.0 hub built in. Then you could just connect power, the DisplayPort cable, and the USB 3.0 cable running from the display to your laptop, and then keep your keyboard, mouse, and even a USB to Ethernet adapter (if required) connected to the display's USB ports. You haven't added any more cables than you'd have to attach with a dock anyway, and you've saved money on a dock.

Or if you don't want to pay the 4K premium, you could always just buy a regular display and then not use the built-in panel simultaneously to avoid having to deal with scaling artifacts in either direction. Maybe if you bought a 27" 2560x1440 panel, you'd feel you had enough real estate at work not to require the second panel. If you're logged onto Windows when you connect/disconnect the external panel, you'd have to log off and back on for the scaling to adjust properly, but otherwise I think it would be relatively painless especially considering the cash you'd save on the display itself.

 

Anybody knows how long Production Stage would take in the Order Status?

 

Varies based on model and lots of other variables, but my Dell laptops tend to be in production for 1-2 weeks. My XPS was in production for 1, though that was before the parts shortages.

 

Oh sorry I meant for the XPS 15 mid-model. It's been on Production for couple days. My EDD is on 24th. Not sure if I can have it any earlier.

 

After doing some research I ordered a Thermaltake cooler yesterday will let you know how it works out for me (hoping to get it later this week from Amazon). As I understand it something like a mStand is ideal if you're using a separate keyboard/mouse

Thermaltake - U.S.A. - Massive 14² - CL-N001-PL14BU-A

I almost ordered this one but as far as I could tell it only lets you adjust the fins left and right as opposed to up and down (up and down would be preferable to direct into the thin intake grille on the bottom of the 9530), It did get some really good reviews as well though

Thermaltake - U.S.A. - Allways Control - CLN0043

 

So I've had this laptop for a while now, and it's got some problems:

1. When operating at non-native panel res, steam's big picture mode has severe flickering and distortion when using the nvidia gpu.
2. Overheating. After a few minutes of playing any game, the Geforce gpu's performance drops below that of the IGP and makes any game unplayable. Flipping the laptop over so it has nothing restricting it's air flow helps, but after enough time it still throttles to death.


Honestly, if the GPU can't be used, there's no reason for me to purchase this laptop. I could have gone with the Asus Zenbook, a Macbook Air, or any of a number of ultra books and just used the Intel IGP.

 

Damn - that's a huge issue. I haven't gamed on it that much yet but obviously this is a huge problem. What game were you playing that caused this?

 

Not one game, many:
Trine
Skyrim
The Cave
How To Survive

3 of those above are basically indie games and not very performance intensive. Probably others. I eventually had to switch over to the IGP to get something usable.

 

Assuming you're using this laptop on a level, hard surface (i.e. not a blanket/bed or similar) without anything propping it up or sitting underneath it, throttling that severe sounds like an issue with your specific unit's thermal cooling assembly. The plus side is that that's a very simple replacement (documented here), and that part is unlikely to be included in any shortages Dell is experiencing that are delaying production of existing orders.

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

jphughan, thank you so much.

how to enabled Smart Response acceleration?

how to know my OS is in UEFI mode?

follow the step, I still can't enable the Intel Rapid Start Technology in bios.

I'm sorry to trouble you, once again thank you so much.

my spec is 1TB 5400 rpm SATA Hard Drive + 32GB mSATA Solid State Drive.

 

hi teh_crab,

I wonder how you install Intel Rapid Start Technology Application after you full reformat?

in your bios, is your Rapid Storage Technology disabled? can you switch to enable or disabled?

have you tried to install the Intel Smart Connect?

 

So since everybody seems to have the coil whine (some people might not perceive it as loud as other, maybe due to the frequencies they arent able to hear) there is no point in asking dell to swap the laptop. So i have to decide either to keep the laptop and live with the whine or returning it for a mbpr which is not my favorite option.

Are here any hardware professionals, that can say if the whine CAN be fixed by a software update? Or is it a not fixable hardware issue?

 

I haven´t read the whole thread and I don´t know if someone has posted this before but, does anyone have tried this for the coil whine?
xps 13 - electrical noise - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

I did it on my old dell latitude and it worked. It just disables the use of some of the deep power-saving states of the CPU.