Studio 15 Owner's Thread

For LED screen,
AOC or LG better? any idea?

 

You might try reading the message 5 posts back...

 

The LG screen is better.

 

so? what monitor do I have?

 

Hmm, my monitor hardware ID is "LPL0000". Anyone know what that is? By the way, it seems to be OK, no apparent issues.

Edit: never mind, just found out it's an LG. I guess that's why I like it! Hurray for good luck.

 

LPL=LG Philips. Should be a good one!

If anyone wants to know the monitor codes, just search the Dell forums. They have been discussed and identified ad nauseum.

 

anyone help me?

 

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/1535/en/SM/cntrcont.htm#wp1180201

If none of the buttons work and are not being lit, you may want to confirm that the control cable is even pluged in...

 

Funny, because I received a Studio 15 that when I turned it on, it smelled funny. Coincidentally, none of the touch buttons worked, and the fan was blowing full speed.

Upon a bit of further investigative inspection, I determined that the control panel ribbon cable had gotten pinched under the metallic keyboard tray, and basically shorted, and melted the ribbon cable. POOF! Needless to say, back to Dell it went.

 

Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT)

Don't know what screen you have but:

15.4"
CLAA154WB05/05A 1280*800 500:1 16 200 LVDS

15.4"
CLAA154WA06/06A 1280*800 600:1 12 350 LVDS

15.4"
CLAA154WP01/01A 1440*900 600:1 10 300 LVDS

15.4"
CLAA154WP05/05A 1440*900 600:1 10 200 LVDS

15.4"
CLAA154WP04/04A 1440*900 600:1 10 250 LVDS

 

but first button from right side working (power or hdd....)

 

Yeah. That isn't carried by the same cable...

 

Hi!

My brother has the same problem, and he updated the BIOS A02 to A05, and every problems were solved.

Good Luck!

 

Great, but I don't think a BIOS update is going to fix a melted wired.

 

LOL Don't tell tech support that! They think drivers and Bios updates will fix everything...

Don't get me started. My first Studio 15 experience was a nightmare. I decided to take matters into my own hands after pulling the first system apart at the seams and finding small cables pinched and not in the cable trays, the ribbon was smashed behind the media panel, the keyboard was not set in the side metal tabs, the black trim around the keyboard was not set properly and the corners of the media panel had broken plastic latches so it wouldn't snap down. I was appalled. Tech support wanted to find software solutions for all of those probs. I had the power problems and wound up ordering a new mobo, keyboard and media panel, which I installed myself after watching the first tech who came to my house and announced that she had never even seen a Studio 15 yet. For joy.

The long short, I got the system working great now, had to troubleshoot all the glitches myself and must be a glutton for punishment since I'm anxiously awaiting my plum purple system. The first one is my daughter's Flamingo Pink. I was really impressed with the lappy after I fixed it. Just a real bad build. Hope this next one comes through in better shape, but I'm prepared.

Cheers!
Joanr

 

So after reading all these issues, should I still get the Studio 15 from the Outlet?

 

You could wait for the new line of XPS or jump on some of those sweet deals in the outlet. I found several systems in there that were pre-ordered that had better specs than mine and a whole lot cheaper. I couldn't find the Wxga+ display in the color I wanted but there is a sweet tangerine orange sitting in there now with the better display. If you are not good at troubleshooting hardware or software problems then it's more or less a toss of the dice with these Studios.

Good thing is you can always send it back during the 21 day return period. If you have several problems and want to send it back, do not connect to tech support. Just connect to customer service and tell them you are not happy with the build and do not want to go through all the tech to your house remedies. Just flat out demand a return/refund. After 21 days they will not allow you to exchange before you replace just about every part of the system. It really is a pain.

 

If you do, act FAST! There is currently a coupon for 20% off OUTLET PRICES:

20% off Refurbished Dell Studio 15 Notebook PCs $500+ Coupon
Code: 1R587HWVV1BFL6 (Exp 9/25 or after 750 redemptions)

Now, you can get a screamin' deal! If you can, get a PREVIOUSLY ORDERED NEW unit. Those, supposedly, were never opened or booted, so more than likely are just BRAND NEW.

 

I couldn't resist and pulled the trigger this morning.

I was able to get this system for just $650 (plus tax+shipping).

Studio 15 (1535) Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 (2.16GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
1 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450
1 Integrated Finger Print Reader
1 200 GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
1 15.4 WXGA Laptop Screen Display with TrueLife
1 Previously Ordered New
1 Power Cord
1 Back-lit Keyboard
1 Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Web Camera
1 Dell 1397 Wireless-G Card
1 6 Cell Primary Battery
1 Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
1 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
1 Jet Black
1 90W AC Adapter
1 Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
1 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz (2 DIMMs)
1 Information

 

That's a really good deal I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

 

Just got my refurb Studio 15. I want to reformat the OS sans-bloatware. But there doesn't appear to be a keycode any where on the DVD sleeves or the bottom of the laptop. Will the Vista DVD ask for a keycode?

I don't want to use the recovery partition because it'll still have the bloatware...but it looks like the OS DVD is a fresh copy of Vista. Correct?

 

I guess I am not the only one who didn't get the key for Vista on my notebook either. The disc will recognize the Dell BIOS and install without a problem though.

 

Yeah - just learned this myself...figured if I could make it to the choose partition screen then all is good. Bizarre.

 

You can use any of those Dell OS discs on any Dell system.

 

Is there no Vista tag underneath the battery? Didn't have to enter the key when I installed the Dell OEM Vista DVD...

 

RE: replied above...no key is needed.


Another question - I haven't owned anything ATI in a LONG time...what's the status on installing the full Catalyst? I remember when it was a huge memory hog. Is it good to have it, or best not to install it?

And what's HydraVision?
http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?p=vista32/common-vista32

 

Ok, good deal for you. Did you happen to notice if it had any upgrades like the Office Home & Student for example?
Just remember that the 21 days starts when the system ships, not when you receive it. And they are very strict about that kind of stuff. Have fun with it!

My Plum Purple shipped today, 8 days ahead of schedule, and it will be here by Oct 1 or 2nd, just in time for my birthday......what a nice surprize.

 

Hello guys, a new Alps Touchpad driver has been released. Updated and seems to be running fine.

Changelog:
1. Enhanced the scroll function.
2. Improved the functionality with external USB mouse.
3. Enhanced the localization support for German.

Download link: http://support.ap.dell.com/support/...1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=17&fileid=262423

 

Does this driver disable the touchpad if a USB pointing device is installed?

 

Is there any setting to disable the touchpad when a USB mouse is attached? I mostly use my USB mouse and its very annoying if the touchpad still works because often my palm brushes against the touchpad, making the cursor randomly move....

 

I know there's an option on the synaptics software. That's what I use on my Dell 1405.

 

The function is available in the software. Have a look!

 

The Product Key is under the Battery on the Studio Laptops

 

Yup...I found it... and it works....

 

Got mine today

Studio 15
2.0ghz core 2 duo
320gb hard drive
3gb ram
wxga
webcam
fingerprint reader
bluetooth
midnight blue
256mb ati 3450

Its a beautiful laptop! I got it from the outlet as a refurb and i couldnt be happier!

 

Hello guys. I have a problem here. I notice that sometimes my laptop doesn't go to "sleep" when I click the "sleep" button on Windows. The screen will go dark but in a few seconds, it'll be on with the welcome screen presented. Anyone facing the same problem?

 

I have a similar problem. When I close the lid it appears to go to sleep, but the light stays on and does not glow. After a few seconds the CD drive makes a noise like I've woken up the computer and everything powers back up. When you open the lid you get the welcome screen. I'm hoping it's fixed when I get my replacement tomorrow (supposedly).

 

Do anyone know where to get an 9 cell battery for the studio?
Are there any companies that make them other then dell?
300 dollars seems kind of steep to pay for a battery...
thanks!

 

Does anyone know where you can buy a back lit keyboard?

 

Yeah. I'm having the same problem here. The optical drive will make a sound when the computer wakes up. I'm not sure whether this is due to a software or hardware problem. What do you think? Also, the lighting on my "Num Lock" indicator is not constant. It gets dim and bright in a second. Sometimes the light will go off for a second and it's a lot darker than the one on the "caps Lock" button. Should I call up Dell?

Edit: Okay, now the light is totally gone. Hmm...

 

To those with S15's that dont sleep: When the laptop wakes itself and you open the lid, do you notice any of the touch-buttons blinking? I have the same problem (only occurs in Vista and only sometimes). The Mute and Vol+ buttons flash while the Vol- button stays lit. The three buttons stay that way until I reboot the system (trying to put it to sleep does nothing).

 

Not always, but sometimes my eject button will stay lit and the drive will try over and over to eject a disc. The only way to fix it is to let it turn itself off after a few tries.

 

I finally got mine yesterday; a full two weeks ahead of schedule!

Other than the really cheap feeling plastic laptop, I love it. I think dell could have made some improvement over the non back lit key board..... feels like the place of a cheap Kia car.....

 

Currently trying to reinstall Vista from the cds included in the packaging... Botched my XP installation about 4-5 times so I decided to go back to Vista, and now I'm having problems installing Vista. Vista installer even says "Hard disk may fail soon".

Starting to **** me off... These manufacturers are trying to make it where you can't use any other operating system than the one included with the laptop. On my HP laptop from July 2006 I can install any OS I want with zero problems. Dell? I have to go into bios, enable/disable stuff, bend over backwards, and it still doesn't install.

Starting to regret purchasing this laptop. Aesthetically you can't even use the laptop (anything on the laptop is completely unreadable, you have to blindly guess where the stupid touch buttons are) if you don't spend $$$ to upgrade to the backlit keyboard. Even then, I don't think that would fix the idiotically designed backlit touch buttons.

 

Why should they support a previous generation OS? If you sell millions of notebooks you want it to be as easy as possible to troubleshoot them. If you aren't happy with it just return it.

 

Word...

People just love to ***** about nothing. Vista is the new "fad" for *****ing...

 

I got a Studio 15 a couple of weeks ago (2.0/3gb/LED/250GB/BT/N Wireless if it matters) and I have to say this computer is complete crap. I have multiple issues:

- Ill fitting keyboard - It seems that I'm not the only one with this problem. I have the link to the service manual and have yet to attempt the fix.
- Sleep issues. Sometimes when I close the lid the computer will wake up. Sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't the touch sensitive buttons will do their pretty pretty light cycle and then the screen will turn 'on' but then nothing else happens. The Eject soft button light usually stays lit when this happens. Nothing works except for holding down the power button to completely turn the system off. Needless to say, this sucks.
- The system seems to want to eject discs randomly. The computer makes the eject noise at random times.

I had a tech support chat session this morning with Dell and they had me change some power settings and reinstall bios and video drivers. Needless to say, this did not work.

Does anyone else have the same sleep issues? Is it just that this is a immature product and the bios isn't ready for prime time? I'm getting ready to put this machine on eBay. Help!

 

I had a lot of the same issues. I ordered a replacement from Dell which I got today. So far so good. Build quality is MUCH improved and so far no issues with sleep mode. There's also a different slot-loading drive, so it's less loud when it operates.

 

How did you go about getting a replacement. I tried tech and customer support today and spoke to no fewer than seven people before the phone system arbitrarily decided to drop my call.

 

After a fruitless hour and a half with tech support I told them they obviously couldn't fix the problem and that I just wanted to return or exhange the laptop. They said they couldn't get customer support because it was after 5 on a weeknight but they would forward the request through and have them call me. Saturday morning I got a call about the return, and I told them I just wanted to exchange it for a new one of the same. I got an email the next week with my return order number so that I could track it. Return was ordered on the 25th late in the day, and I just got it today, so about a week total from build to arrival.