Just got my 1520, a couple questions

First of all, i am VERY impressed with how fast this laptop got to me. I ordered the dell on January 4th and received it today, only 4 days to build,ship, and deliver, wow! (i got the standard 3-5 business day shipping too)

Anyways i got a couple of questions,

1. It appears i have a dead pixel, its not that noticible but it looks like a really little smudge on the screen, what methods can i use to be sure this IS a dead pixel and if it is how if at all can i remove it?

2. What is the bloatware i can afford to remove and what is the best way of going about it?

3. What is this headphone jack noise i have read about? When i use my headphones, i hear a soft noise, its not buzzing or humming, its just kind of a soft nothing, its not that annoying, do i have the headphone jack problem?

4. My wireless card isn't detecting any wireless networks when i search for them it brings up a window and in the window it says that windows cannot configure a wireless connection and if i have enabled another program to manage this, use that software now.

Thanks in advance!

 

1. Dead pixel tester - http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Benchmarks/Dead-Pixel-Tester.shtml. Dead pixels can't be removed, you need to get the screen replaced.

2. Any program you don't use.

3. If it bothers you, get a replacement.

4. Try again after bloatware removal.

 

Additional comments:

1. Sometimes malfunctioning pixels can be brought back to life by massaging it with your finger tip.
4. Probably whatever your wireless card is is configured to be controlled by it's own software and not what comes with windows. Should be something in the system tray. Alternatively there should be a checkbox somewhere to tell Windows to take over control, and then it will work.
5. I have no idea.

 

on the wireless network thing, i had trouble with vista to find my belkin router, in vista you can choose diff wireless setting frequencies, see if its that coz that worked for me after a little fiddling !

 

4.also, make sure the wifi is turned on. the little switch on the side of your computer enables and disables the wifi/bluetooth. Its on the far back on the left hand side. Try disabling any security on your router. if it still doesn't see your router, i'm not sure what to do. please post a screenshot and what it says when you search for networks.

3. I don't have the problem, so i can't say if you have it or not. if it just seems like white noise and isnt affecting actual audio output, don't worry about it. if it does affect output, get a replacement.

2. Remove:
Google Desktop
All the Roxio Crap they add (About 9 different Programs)
The Webcam Avatar crap (Over 200mb install)
The rest is mainly dell support software. You can keep it or remove it. it wont effect the PC at all.

1. Try using the tip of an eraser and apply a little bit of pressure and then turn the notebook on. sometimes pressing on it while it gets activated is enough to stabalize/reset the Liquid Crystal. also, there are lots of "dead pixel fix' programs that try to jolt the pixel free by flashing different colors really fast. give them a try. If nothing works, contact dell.

I know i went backwords, sorry. If any of that helped, i accept thanks or +Rep. If nothing worked, I was never here. Alos, what are the specs on your new 1520?