OK.....just got my Studio 17 and a few things are pretty disturbing.....

First of all, I got it with 2 30GB hard drives. When I ran the Belarc Advisor, it tells me that I have 1 Samsung hard drive and 1 Western Digital hard drive. Why would they send it with 2 different brands of hard drive?

Also, on the ordering page they listed it as being a RAID setup when you got the 2 hard drives.......Well I have a 320GB drive C and a 320GB drive D listed under "my computer". That is NOT a RAID setup!!!

Is having 2 different brands of hard drive going to cause a problem with setting it up in RAID0? How do I go about setting it up in RAID0 since it didn't come that way? Either way, I'm really NOT happy with having 2 different brands of hard drive in a brand new $2300 laptop. They could of at least put in 2 Western Digitals!!!!

Next, most of the touch buttons up on the top do not work. The volume up does NOT work at all.......and you have to rub volume down over and over just to get it to go down 1 notch. NONE of the buttons for the CD/DVD drive work at all.

Next, on and off the speakers make a crackling sound when you are using sound.

I've only had this computer for 2 hours and I'm already starting to think it's a piece of junk that I need to box up and send right back. What is everyone else's opinion??????

 

Call dell, tell them the beef.
You'll probably end up getting a replacement or some extra $$$ for your problems.

 

raid setup is enabled in the bios. You should check that first because it could be that it is on raid but it's partitioned. As long as the dives are equal in capacity, it shouldn't matter if they are different brands.

 

I was just in the BIOS settings and didn't see anything about RAID. Also, it's very wierd, every other computer I have shows you the brand and serial numbers of the hard drives as their starting and also tell you how their setup.....ie RIAD1, RAID0, etc.........the Studio 17 shows you NONE of that, it's like their trying to hide something.

 

Ok, so it's definitely NOT setup in RAID. I put in the reinstall disc and deleted ALL the partitions and it still is telling me that I have a Disc 1 and a Disc 2 with unallocated space. HOWEVER, it will only let me setup windows on 1 or the other and won't let you setup 1 big partition like it does when drives are setup in RAID.

When you go into the BIOS, there is NOTHING in there to let you change anything to do with the hard drives. I have gone through every setting in the BIOS. Does anybody know how to setup the raid on a Studio 17?

 

There is a procedure for setting up raid with Vista. Just do a search.
If you have things not working on your computer I wouldnt even bother setting up raid.............find out about sending it back.

 

Dell Tech Support couldn't even figure how to setup RAID in the Bios......so this hunk of junk will be going back. I talked to 3 different people and none of them could find anything in the Bios to setup the RAID that their webpage says the Studio 17 comes with if you get 2 hard drives. RIDICULOUS!!

 

That sounds like the exact problem I had with my new XPS m1530. My volume up button did not work at all. All the other buttons worked but they were finnicky at best.

Ask Dell to give you a replacement for it.

As for me, I just asked for a full refund because I also had a terrible screen defect. I'm waiting for an XPS deal/refresh.

 

First off, Dell uses whatever brand hard drive they can get their hands on. It won't matter that they are two different brands, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Now as far as RAID0 goes...Dell does not indicate this is a RAID laptop on their site. I don't see it in the Tech Specs or the Configuration pages. I do see dual drives, but that is not RAID.

Now as far as everything else is concerned, none of that sounds right...so perhaps you do need to return it.

But as soon as you tell Dell you want to return it because it does not have RAID...well, they will start thinking you are just making excuses.

So if you choose to return it, stick with the build quality issues.

 

When I called them to send it back, I only told them about how none of the buttons on the top would work and they gave me a label to return it for free shipping and said they would refund the full amount I paid.

 

ok so i also just recieved my dell studio 17. turned it on this afternoon and have also realised my sound is weak in volume and very very crackley. My backlights for the keyboard dont work, and after 2 hours of light typing my keys are squeaking. i have just email dell, im thinking of just replacing it..but what do others think? should i just get a refund and look for a different model?

does anyone know how many days you can have a laptop before sending it back for a full refund? im just swamped with uni work til monday afternoon (today being tuesday night)..and need a computer to do some work on for a few days..

 

I got my studio 17 today too. So far everything on it is fine. Not sure how you got a squeaky keyboard or even how a keyboard can squeak at all. If you are not happy with the system, then send it back for a refund. I believe you have 30 days in which to do so.

As for NoMoreDell. He seems to be bouncing about the forums making silly comments trying to get himself banned no doubt.

 

I also just got a Studio 17" and have none of these issues. I think just like any laptop there is always a chance of having problems. Keyboard works great with no squeaks. All my media keys work find, and volume up down works but I sitll just use the windows volume icon.

Really bad to hear this because the Dell Studio 17" is the best laptop I have owned yet, and thats saying something. I say just have them get you a new unit. Its a great machine!

 

yep i got my dell studio 15 tons of problems...crackling speakers, loose wifi button, the palm rest isnt glued to the bottom of the case, the black part next to the speakers is warped up, flexing keyboard....ugh...i was thinking about returning but I am worried about the 15% restocking fee and shipping it back.....

 

i just rang dell, and the technican was fairly good. ended up being on the phone for 1.5 hours though...he did the usual remote access stuff and tested the drivers. good service, but its just a bummer..when your expecting a nicely working laptop. they are sending a technican out in 1 or 2 working days. appart from the keyboard backlights not working and the built in speaker...i love the laptop.

i work alot with image rendering and it has no trouble with this, smashing my previous estiamted rendering times.

 

You call them NOW gurl! Don't let Dell screw you too!

 

My Mike Ming "Sea Sky" Extreme Edition works great. Dell.com/art

My upgrades so far:
4GB DDR2 800Mhz
Installed 2nd 320GB WD3200BEVT for $119(Instead of Dell's $250 at purchase)



No RAID in BIOS, but I wonder why it has RAID controller installed?!!?
I've only had it 2 days, & I'll check back if I see anything about RAID
but this is my media notebook, ny m17x is my Gamer...

Even if it doesn't have RAID, I'm okay, with it(Sooner or later )
someone will come up with a RAID express card!

There are too many (lights) on the m17x!
This looks great in candleight,(or low light) with the backlit keyboard, and 1920x1200 LCD...

It hooking into home theater with HDMI makes for awesome porability, with the Tunes, Videos, & Movies, it can carry, at 640GB.

When the 500GB WD's are out, I'll be upgrading!

Dagra

 

PS The sound is fine, whether through the speakers or the Bluetooth Headphones. If anyone had crackling going on, I'd send it back, for a new one.

BTW

there is a tool to check the Hardware usage, to see if your Dell is a new build or replacement(When you do need to send it back)

 

@Dagra. Most eSATA express cards do support RAID. My SIIG one does for sure..

 

say what!?

 

Yeah, dell doesn't sell the studio 17 with raid. You clearly just read the configuration wrong on the dell web site

 

The first part(about the sound being bad) and returning the unit is obvious.

The second part means, there are tools, which you can check the hardware with to make sure you got a brand new build, instead of a REMANU

I'll list the Apps if anyone needs them

Dagra


PS. Apps which look at all the hardware & see how long they(the different pieces of hardware) have been in use!
If the numbers are not really low, it means its been used. If the numbers are low,(single digits) it means it's new

 

i would like to see this app!

 

i have just called dell and am in the process of getting a refund. after first recieving my studio 17, the backlight keyboard and sound didnt work. a technican was sent to replace them (btw he a poor technician that was throwing screws all over the place which ended up in my case being scratched). if this wasnt bad enough, after he left..the sound was able to be heard but still very distorted. i tried external speakers and headphone, in different jacks and nothing worked, even reinstalling audio and BIOS drivers.

then after the tech replaced the keyboard and speakers, it left the frame around the keyboard, and the speaker casing to be bent and warped, which meant nothing was flush. very poor construction. i kept using the studio 17 for a few more days (as i was busy with uni assignments, and have just started holidays), and i discovered yet another problem. the touch sensor buttons. the only one that was working was the mute button. volume up/down stopped working, and even the eject button.

i emailed dell, which was unheard and no response was given. i rang today (finally had some spare time) and they had no issues in refunding me as i bought the notebook within 15 days of returning.

all in all, for the studio 17 notebook which is suppose to be a "leading notebook for multimedia", dell has produced a laptop that has poor sound, poor construction with too many "high tech gizmos" that just dont function properly. i dont recommend buying this model.

 

dagra can you list the apps for us