XP/monitor problem on new inspiron 9100

First please go to http://photos.yahoo.com/snow_wanderer and select folder "Inspiron 9100". From time to time when I power on my 9100, the screen doesn't display anything and stays like picture #1. I have to power off and on the laptop one or two times. Then I get a screen with error messages (as shown on picture #2) and Windows starts. Did I spend nearly $2000 on a piece of crap? My 9100 has XP Pro and WUXGA.

 

Well something seems to be hanging up on boot up. It used to happen to my Gateway laptop from time to time where Id get a very jumbled picture and it wouldnt finish booting.

Your error message is standard if it doesnt complete the bootup process. That will always come up if it stops halfway.

Seems like some driver conflict or software conflict.

Happens to the best of us.

You didnt spend 2000 on a piece of crap.

Call Tech support. Download newest driver and video bios.
I wouldnt stress too much and just get it worked out.

Ive said it before and Ill say it again:
With all the laptops and all the billions of things we can do to them, many are bound to have little problems and conflicts. I just see it as general computing.
I work on top of the line computers at work and we ALWAYS have problems.
Take a breath, and work to fix the problem. Dont get so discouraged. My gateway laptop I bought in 98 had a video problem that made me have to reload the system a few weeks after I bought it, then the hard drive died. They sent a new one. That laptop lasted 6 years of EVERY DAY major use and transporting and is still running (just slow and old now).

Sorry about your problem but keep your head up.

Its a good laptop.

 

Thanks for your words. I was sort of frustrated because it's my firt notebook.

 

All that said, I still get very frustrated when there is a problem.

But it seems like a well made machine.

 

Thats what I felt when I bought the gateway. I was VERY frustrated.
But......

1. I eventually worked out all the problems, learned to backup anything important to me regularly and saw that the system was reliable, its just that there are so many different variables that can cause problems cause of all the different software put into them. Just think, at the time (98), most game companies that have several people at least testing games all day to make sure they dont crash or cause problems on systems, wouldnt even bother with laptops cause of the wider range of different parts used that would have to be tested with their games. Systems are GOING to have problems unless you never install anything on them and never change settings. And they still might crash cause a company is only going to pre-work out the most common problems. They cant predict everything that will happen and be pushed on a laptop or desktop.
Ive worked with a lot of different computers involving various and different systems from large format mixing boards (with computers inside) to my personal ones to editing machines running heavy software.
If you DONT ever have conflicts some of the time, your really lucky.

and
2. Through the laptop problems I had with that gateway, I learned a LOT more about computers than I knew. I had 2 problems with the parts in that gateways life. Ive taken the whole thing apart down to the last screw (carefully) about 5 times. When I got it, I wouldnt have felt comfortable enought to do it. I had a power cord connector that would come loose off its solder joints on the mother board.
Now you have to be careful and its risky but the point is, the problems I learned are part of owning a computer to an extent and EVERY computer gives some of its users problems, and if you take them head on, talk to people who know things, and just try to fix it, you end up learning something.

Im not saying every problem should be ignored and put up with. Dell has to be responsible for a fairly reliable machine.
But for most, it seems to be.

Can you tell Im bored at work right now???

 

Dell responded to my email but it doesn't seem to address my problem.

"
Thank you for contacting Dell Technical Support.

The Windows XP Recovery Console is designed to help you recover
when your Windows-based computer does not start properly or does
not start at all.

Please refer to the following article for more information on
Windows XP Recovery Console:

http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=1062412

In case you are not able to boot to Windows XP at all, please
refer to the next article that will help you in booting to Recovery
Console in Microsoft Windows XP:

http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=TT1056979
"

By the way, you are bored at work right now, for sure :0)