Dell Studio 1557

It seems your DVD drive is broken. You can try clean the "laser lens" & "optical pickup unit" using alcohol. However, the problem is we have slot-loading DVD drive. So, complete disassemble of DVD drive is required.

To know what is "laser lens" & "optical pickup unit", you can refer to picture in this website (anatomy of desktop DVD drive but you can use it as reference):-
Anatomy of an Optical Drive | Hardware Secrets

 

Yeah I was hoping it wouldn't be the hardware . I'll mess around with it the next time I feel like cleaning out the laptop. Thanks for the advice and the link.

 

how can i update bios use these modified file i have 1557

 

You need to learn how to flash BIOS in DOS mode. Prepare DOS bootable disk for flashing BIOS.

 

I'm trying to format my laptop but when i enter the menu by pressing f8 before systems opens at the sithx stage which i should press "Dell factory image restore" option doesn't exist.I searched and found same problems that people had but it was becouse of they erased recovery partition. I do have recovery part in my computer. It is shown 7.63 GB free of 14 GB in D part of my system.
Is there a solution of this problem or should i restore by windows cd.
PS:Laptop originally had came with vista than i format with windows 7 cd that dell sent me . But still recovery part exist in D section of my laptop.
Could you please help me ?
Thanks in advance .

 

When you change from Vista to Win 7, the Dell recovery menu no longer available. In fact, when you uninstall Dell Data Safe something something, you no longer be able to access the Dell recovery menu. Only if you burn the recovery partition using Dell Data Safe something something to DVDs, you can use the DVDs to restore your windows.

Why do you want to access recovery partition if you want to format your HDD?

 

it work i flash the new bios

thnx kiswan

i tried gta4 its 50 pts!!

 

I want to be able to format my laptop just clıckın f8 or ctrl+f11 button.
now i had to have my windows7 cd to format the laptop.
i just want to have the option to format my laptop whenever i want even i dont have the windows cd with me .

 

Hello everyone,
I've got Dell Studio 1557 (with full HD display 1920x1080 and 500gb hdd) and i wan't to add an SSD drive to my laptot. My slot dvd drive doesn't recognize any CD/DVD anymore and i don't need it.
I try to find a compatitible 2nd HDD or SSD Caddy for the DVD tray and i found only this.
Does anyone know any other solution or site, (preferred Europe shops).
I am going to buy the above DVD replacement bay. Any opinions?
An one more question, which disk should install on the replacement bay: SSD or original disk? I think 500gb on the dvd slot.
Thanks and sorry for my bad English.

 

In my opinion, put SSD at the HDD bay & original/regular HDD at DVD bay. That caddy look OK.

 

Thanks a lot, also thank you for the awesome BIOS! I've order the above candy, and i am between Corsair Force GT 60GB and OCZ Vertex 3 60 GB, i think the Corsair SSD is better choice.

 

I have no experience with SSD but a lot of people saying stay away from SandForce chipset. Hope this helps.

 

Dell to me has been Dispassionate, Disenchantment & Disappointment. I must say I am completely taken aback by the poor service you have rendered over the past few weeks. Dell's heating issue is by now legendary. So I need not mention that. Still with hopes, I took the 13k accidental warranty. And it all started. Firstly it was the obvious heating issue. Gradually it moved to the hard list and DVD rom tonking. If that was not enough, there comes down a smarty pants engineer who damages my motherboard (he thought he was too good to use the earthing when handling motherboard). Now all my original parts have been replaced by what I can assume as substandard/repaired parts. You replaced my WD with a Toshiba. They might be certified by you but they just don't fall in same league. And guess what? After all this the original heating issue still persists. I feel so cheated here.

 

PLEASE CAN SOMEONE HELP?

dell came today and replaced my hinge, case and mobo, sadly the techy did not connect my wifi! i have 3 cables and dont know which is which!

any ideas? can someone take a pic?

i connected the 3 loose cables to the matching colours but get nothing, windows says wifi is not turned on

 

Did you try reseated the wireless card?

 

yeah tried that,

 

Check using AIDA64, in Motherboard > Chipset > South Bridge. See if wireless card is detected or not.

Regarding the antenna cables, there are marking (triangle shape) on the wireless card; antenna port 1 is white, port 3 is grey & port 2 is black. Which you already know & connected them correctly. But these are just antennas which only can help you getting better signal.

 

Check the following Wireless options in the bios
Is the Wireless Switch/Hotkey enabled correctly. (WLAN)
Is the WLAN option enabled. (Enabled)

Also, is Dell QuickSet installed.
If so are the function keys correctly configured, in particular the (Wireless) F2 function key.

The connections to the card should be as per the attached pic.

 

hey kizwan

do you see any problems when flashing your mod with winphlash64? so far everything is working fine

so on another topic: the WLAN and WWAN ports are actually native pci-e? not something modified? so i could plug a pci-e ssd in the wwan slot?

 

You can use Winphlash64 but I prefer flash BIOS in DOS mode.

Both WLAN & WWAN connector have PCIe & USB connections. I don't see SATA connection. So, I don't know whether PCIe SSD will work or not.

 

If anyone interested to overclock the CPU, see here:-
http://forum.notebookreview.com/8340012-post1198.html

Translated (see post #1144):-
http://translate.google.com/transla...://acerfans.ru/forum/topic_383/58#post-265431

This is picture from website above ^^:-


this is ours:-


Will need a little bit of work though.

 

I am going to dis assembly mine studio, to add an ssd and replace dvd rom with module to add mine hdd. I also wan't to clean dust and apply new thermal paste.
I've bought Arctic Silver 5, can i apply it both to CPU and GPU??? what about vram? I've just have to clean heat sink and CPU GPU and apply a thin layer of paste, or i should buy something more?

 

You also need to replace the thermal pad on GPU with a copper. You can find the thickness & dimension for the copper here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/6026816-post21.html

You will need to reused thermal pad on VRAM. So, for VRAM: VRAM > thermal pad > copper > thermal paste > heatsink. For GPU: GPU > thermal paste > copper > thermal paste > heatsink.

 

Hi there, I havent posted in a while. Just a quick update on who I am and why im here.

I have a Dell 1557, with copper shim mod done and almost all parts inside replaced by Dell under warranty. I was complaining of constant BSOD's and through the process of elimination and the help of Kizwan we determined it was memory causing the issue,

Well, I decided to change out the 2 sticks for matching "new ones" ie memory from another laptop that wasnt suffering the same fate. Since my last post I have seen a considerable drop in BSOD's I mean huge.

However im starting to narrow down where these are occuring. For example, Ive been using Adobe After Effects of late, and notice freezing when fastforwarding and rewinding my project, which causes AE to buffer a small portion of the project, The only other time I can replicate results is during the transfer of large amounts of data. Specifically I have a few files over 10Gb each in size, that Im trying to put from one drive to another via SATA cable, and my laptop crashes after a few minutes. So....What do these two processes have in common? Are they both memory related? Any ideas would bee most apreciated.

Thanks again Lewis

 

anyone tried these

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

 

hey

i have one solution for gpu heating

install ati catalyst control center

change the power play from maximum perform to maximum battery life

this will mak

max core clock 300 instead 680

no change in momery clock

max gpu temp will be 78-80

gaming perform will decrease a bit but u can play any game just make graphic low or medium not high

try it

see this pic

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=422831631064420&l=e81c15e64e

 

Hi

I have a studio 1557 and suffer from overheating. I’ve upgraded my bios to the A09 provided above and disabled the cpu turbo mode and intel speed step and have had success in reducing the cpu temperature, but still have overheating and hence shutdowns on warmer days. is there any way I can disable other parts of the cpu? i don’t care if the speed goes sown a little, just not too much. I would also welcome any other ideas to help me reduce the cpu temp.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions

 

i just had most of my system replaced under 3 year warranty, as it was overheating. however since the reinstall i get video stutter? any tips?

 

Have you clean the fan & the exhaust grills before? If not yet, you might want to do that. Mine after a year, a lot of dust clogging the exhaust grills preventing the hot air from escaping thus overheating the CPU.

You also want to re-apply thermal paste. Known to work best on our notebook is IC Diamond 7 & Shin-Etsu. You should try it because it does cool down the CPU a lot, even when playing games.

You also might want to consider copper shims for improving GPU cooling. Please refer to technifan1's copper shims guide.

I believe probably just codec issue. I use K-Lite Codec Pack. It works OK for me.

In case you're using modified BIOS for GPU overclock, you might want to disable PowerPlay when watching videos.

 

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel Core i7-720QM support Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) but on Dell Studio 1557, it is disabled by default. Before you're looking for modded BIOS to enabled VT-d, ask yourself this question; "Do we really need VT-d on our Dell Studio 1557?" We know we want Intel Virtualization (VT-x) for running 64-bit guest OS on VMware Workstation/VirtualBox/Virtual PC/etc. Regarding VT-d, I don't know about other software but VMware Workstation doesn't support it. I don't want to write here what Intel VT-d is for but you can read this PDF file if you want to learn more. In layman's terms, VT-d allow you to use any hardware, e.g. ethernet card, in guest OS. This is called passthrough. These are some of the software that support VT-d:-

• XEN
• KVM
• VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5 (ESXi)

"Do we really need VT-d on our Dell Studio 1557?"
I did little experiment with VMware ESXi on Dell Studio 1557, just want to see whether VT-d does works or not on our Dell. VMware ESXi installation required the whole disk. So, I used eSATA disk for running VMware ESXi. The installation disk is just around 300MB, do you can burn it to a blank CD-R/W. The installation is easy, just follow the on-screen instruction. When the installation is finished & VMware ESXi is up & running, you will need to access the server via VMware vSphere Client (open internet browser, enter IP address of the VMware ESXi server, e.g. http://192.168.0.1 & download the client).

1. Connected to VMware ESXi server via VMware vSphere Client:-
   
2. By default Intel VT-d is disabled, the passthrough configuration is not supported & the "Configure Passthrough" link is grayed-out:-
   
3. Once Intel VT-d is enabled in the BIOS (using modded BIOS), the passthrough configuration is now supported & the "Configure Passthrough" link is now enabled:-
   
4. Click "Configure Passthrough" link to see passthrough capable devices:-
   
5. Select PCI devices you want to running them in passthrough mode. I selected USB controller because I want to use my external keyboard & mouse with guest OS. I also selected the eGPU (ATI Radeon HD 5870), so I will get better acceleration in guest OS & will be able to use the external monitor connected to eGPU. Basically, I will be able to use guest OS like actual physical machine:-
   
6. Listed devices configured for running in passthrough mode. We will need to reboot our notebook (host) for the configuration to take effects:-
   
7. The selected devices are now running in passthrough mode after reboot:-
   
8. For first attempt, I created Windows 7 64-bit guest OS & added all PCI devices I want to use in the guest OS. Out of 4GB of RAM available on host, I only able to use 1GB of RAM for guest OS when I added passthrough PCI device in guest OS.
   
   The reason (see note in the pciture) why I can only set 1GB of RAM to guest OS. If I have 8GB of RAM on host, I will be able to assign more RAM to guest OS.
   
   
   
9. This is what we can see in guest OS Device Manager after installing Windows 7 guest OS & also VMware Tools:-
   
10. However, when trying to install the ATI driver, I get BSOD. Yeah...this is known issue for GPU though. Other devices like wireless card does work (see picture no. 9 & 11). Some people reported successfully installed the driver using a workaround method (install driver via Device Manager) but it doesn't work for me. Also these people have different GPU & computer.
    
11. Look like there is a conflict or compatibility issue between VMware graphic card driver & ATI driver. When I disabled the VMware graphic card, guest OS able to boot without BSOD but the ATI graphic card is not usable (external monitor is not detected) when the primary graphic card (VMware graphic card) not working properly (disabled/driver not installed). This is Windows 7 weakness.
    
12. For second attempt, I installed Mac OS X Lion (10.7) guest OS. You need to install a patch on the VMware ESXi server to enabled the capability to install Mac OS X guest OS though (don't ask me, just google).
    
    
    
13. With Mac OS X Lion guest OS, I'm able to use the ATI graphic card in guest OS. The video also projected to external monitor & I can use the guest OS like an actual physical computer. With the ATI graphic card I get acceleration & it feels faster than normal guest OS.
    

My conclusion, Intel VT-d is useful for me if I want to do quick P.O.C. on VMware ESXi + Passthrough. However, in my daily use VT-d is very very rarely needed.

 

^^

can you sum that up? ?

 

To sum it up, VT-d is not needed for everyday use of our notebook. It will be useful for me if I want to do quick P.O.C. on VMware ESXi/KVM/XEN + Passthrough. That's all. If I want to run multiple server & client (for simulation/testing), I can use VMware Workstation because I don't really need Passthrough after all, just need VT-x.

The only time you need VT-d IF you're hosting a couple of servers in one machine & each servers need to use physical device(s), e.g. ethernet card, SCSI card, RAID card. By "machine", a desktop or real server at least, absolutely not a notebook

 

Hi there some of you may remember me. Especially Kizwan, I was having some terrible trouble with BSOD's. We tried narrowing it down and assumed after all our attempts it was the memory. Things have moved on, I have replace all sticks with matching brand new memory, I even did a fresh install, then the BSOD's started again, so I found something on a website that suggested stopping start up items and services in msconfig. Since then no BSOD's until the other day, I have included some of the recent BSOD's for someone to look over, "Whocrashed" isnt telling me anything. If anyone could help that would be great thanks

 

hi

My dell studio 1557 is dead. When i power it on it beeps 6 times which mean that the GPU Bios failed.

as i under stand i have to replace my motherboard. My current mother board have ATI4570 GPU. but i heard that there is another version of motherboards that include a ATI5470 GPU .

now my question is when i but i new board (i looked in Ebay) how can i know which version it, and what GPU chip is on board? do they have different part number?

in ebay i found this board: Dell Studio 15 1557 Motherboard Mainboard TR557 | eBay

but how do i know which GPU chip is installed?

does all the boards have the same part number TR557?

thanks

meidad

 

My Studio 15 keeps going to sleep every few minutes regardless of what I'm doing with any amount of charge remaining on the battery. I have it set to go to sleep with 25 minutes of inactivity on battery but that doesn't seem to affect it. It stays awake when it needs to on AC power. The battery isn't worn out, it's only 17% worn and still holds hours of charge. Any ideas?

 

AFAIK, Dell Studio 1557 only came with ATI4570. Dell Studio 1558 did came with ATI4570 & ATI5470. So, you need to buy Dell Studio 1558 instead. The trick is to find out which Studio 1558 motherboard come with ATI5470. Studio 1558 BIOS contain two option ROMs for ATI4570 & ATI5470. Long story short, this is option ROM for ATI5470. See the BIOS version, highlighted in the picture:-


If you "google" the BIOS version, you'll found techpowerup website (GPU-Z report):-
techPowerUp GPU-Z Validation 7gqxy

The GPU-Z report at techpowerup website confirmed this is ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5000 series graphic card. Also look at the "circled" keyword in the picture; Park. So, you just need to find Dell Studio 1558 motherboard with ATI " Park" GPU, like this one (see description):-
Dell Studio 1558 Motherboard 1GB 4DKNR XJK10 | eBay

However, I suggest to contact the seller before buying. Just make sure you're buying the right motherboard.

Did you try "Restore plan defaults" in Power Options ("Change advanced power settings").

 

thanks alot!!!

now all i have to figure out is, are all 4DKNR m\b are with 5470 1GB vram or are there any variations as maybe the XJK10 may mean

I'm still looking to verify this issues, but thanks you really helped me and make me more confidence about the issue

 

i find a lot of 4DKNR boards but much less 4DKNR-XJK10 board. does someone knows the difference?
the 4DKNR is the part number of the m\b and the XJK10 is described as the motherboard service kit (Dell Kit# XJK10). is it just a redundant name?
is it possible that the difference is the amount of Vram 512Vs 1GB?

 

Good evening,
does anyone know how to override the protection against the non-dell power supply?
The computer turns on but the battery will not charge. Maybe a hidden option in the BIOS? Or is it totally hardware?

Thanks in advance

 

hi guys.
is there a complete tutorial on how to install modified bios?
can i use it with my system?
and what is the latest modified bios?
thanks

 

Hi guys,
I have a serious problem with my Studio 1557 notebook. Sata operation feature in Bios has no value and when i set it on ATA or AHCI, after restarting it goes back to blank.
Therefore windows doesn't boot and I'm not able to boot from windows bootable disk and the cursor just blinks at the left hand corner.
I managed to update the bios with the latest version (A09) but the problem still exists.

 

hello all...
hi kizwan.. hope u remember me..
my studio is still going strong.. ( the extended warranty did help me couple of times , still 1.5 yrs of warranty left)... i was just wondering the motherboard of 1558 or ( even studio xps 1647) will fit in our 1557 and work properly...


thanks..

 

I only know we can fitted 1558 motherboard in 1557 notebook but I don't think you can fit XPS 1647 motherboard though.

 

Hey guys, wanted to share an issue I'm having with my 1557. Months ago it was overheating (random reboots/freezing), and after disassembling everything/cleaning and then applying A5 thermal pastel, the overheating stopped and all was well in the world.

Now however, I'm getting random BSODs. I suspected it was ram, so I removed one ram module. Everything works fine with one (but that's only 2gb.) It appeared my suspicion was correct. So I bought new 2x4gb ram. Installed the ram and it will still randomly blue screen. Turns out, if I remove one ram module (the top slot), the blue screening stops. So it appears if any ram is in the top ram slot, it will randomly blue screen.

Has anyone had this issue? I noticed there's a modified BIOS provided by kizwan. Any idea if this will 'fix' the possible faulty ram slot?

 

HELLO KIZWAN ,

I am plannin of a configuration of vidock 3 + radeon 7750 card.. hows .. it will i need any additional stuffs for the setup
pls help me with your suggestion..

 

guy i have just put windows8 on my laptop, and having issues with the wifi. its apparently not supported. it does function ok, but drops out every now and then and also slow to working coming out of hibernation and on boot up.

any ideas on a replacement ?

 

No need additional stuff. Just make sure your vidock is connected to your laptop & turn on before turning on the laptop.

Did you try force install Windows 7 driver?

My 1557 still working good without any problem except the battery is now no longer can hold any charge. The battery survive for 3 years with just 1x% wear. Not bad. But now without battery it's seems lost it purpose. I still thinking whether to get new battery or getting new system all together.

 

not sure how to force the windows7 one.

also for you're battery in England we can get 'generic' ones for around 1/8 of the cost. they work fairly well

 

12345678910

 

Hello, kizwan!

I happen to have around a Nvidia GeForce 670M (that should be a 580 rebranded) and would like to use it instead of the 285M one.
I've already tryed to put the 670M inside my laptop: it works at the beginning, BIOS says "unknown VGA card", but after some seconds it starts beeping and the three leds flashing; after several seconds the laptop shuts down. I think it could be just the BIOS not recognizing the video board or having some thermal checking issues.
I think problem with parameters for "unknown video card" in bios. Because I know that in x8100 GTX670M works fine, but max official is GTX480M, and if you insert 670M you have see in Bios : Unknown VGA card.

Can you compile new bios with ported parameters "unknown video card" from x8100 to w870cu?

-Manufacturer: Clevo
-Motherboard Model: Clevo 870CU
-Bios revision: 1.00.18
-Bios Type: Phoenix BIOS
-Bios Download Link: Download W87CU18S.LS3 from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way
-RW Everything Report Download Link: Download AcpiTbls.rw from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

Bios of x8100 Link: Download X81_114.wph from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way