problems with my 1520

I've had my 1520 for a few weeks now, but haven't started really using it until recently. I have the screen graininess, which doesn't bother me that much. The headphone jack noise is terrible, but I don't know what to do about that. However, I just recently noticed a couple other things that aren't working right on my computer.

Firstly, if I have anything plugged into my computer when I try and start it, such as my ipod or my speakers (plugged in through headphone jack), it won't boot up. It will stay at a black screen, with a little underscore blinking in the top left corner.

Secondly, I can't seem to consistently connect to the internet. I can see networks to connect to, and I can successfully connect to them, but once connected, I cannot access the internet.

Has anyone experienced these problems? Can anyone help me?

Thanks.

 

Not being able to wake up the computer out of sleep with equipment attached is actually a Vista issue. This link should explain how to fix it along with 4 other easy-fix Vista problems.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2104022,00.asp

 

There are numerous threads on grainy screens and headphone jack issues with 1520.. for the grainy 1520 try this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=156768
As far I can tell.. when they started shipping the new inspiron line there were allot of complaints of grainy screens.. Usually a AUO screen.. Now in the last week it seems the reports are coming back in. It really appears to be a specific problem with some of their LCD vendors.
Check this thread for the headphone jack issues. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=141100

As for the headphone jack.. that unfortunately seems to be a castatrophic problem. Many believe it to be the jack is located in an area on the MOBO with allot of interference.. Some people try using a third party app called rm clock which apparently helps.. but can also cause the processor to heat up.. not a good idea. Others have returned there lappies for this reason and yet others have put the creative express sound card to bypass the integrated sound. You have a bit of catching up to do in regards to these build issues.. Remember.. you only have 21 days to return/refund.. so I recommend you figure out your options quickly.. Good luck.

 

Make sure you've adjusted resolution and gamma (contrast).

A reasonable number of people forget to do this and think they have grainy screens.

 

Thanks a lot for all the responses. I was away for most of the summer, so consequently I didn't even open my laptop until 3 weeks after it arrived at my home, so returning it is out of the question. That being said, do you think Dell will be able to fix the headphone jack issue, or am I just out of luck?

 

You could just use USB headphones or bluetooth headphones if you chose that as an option.

There is also a CPU scaler called RMclock that will eliminate/diminish the sound, but it puts more stress on your battery i think.

 

I know I could use USB headphones, it's just that I have a brand new set of speakers that I bought specifically to use with this computer, and I'd like to be able to use them.

 

Oh, i thought the problem was only with headphones...
For some reason, I thought that speakers plugged into the jack worked fine, but now that I think about it, I realize that's an extremely stupid assumption...

 

When I plugged my speakers into my 1520, I couldn't notice the distortion. I think it's only audible if you put your ear right next to the speaker.

 

You could also plug in the speakers to the creative express card sound card that Dell sells. I think that cost like 75 dollars. But that would work.. Since you cannot return the laptop, that may be the way to go.