7811 defective

Just an update on the USB issue brought up earlier. I played Medieval 2 for over an hour with no issues. Plugged in the USB mouse and I locked up within 10 min. Plugged it in right after I logged off of WAR to do some surfing and it actually locked up my whole system for the first time outside of a game. Very bizarre.

I'm not sure if its a software issue with the USB or a power issue. I can deal with the touchpad, but do you guys thing I should keep this one or get a replacement?

 

If you've already reinstalled windows theres a good chance its a problem with the usb hardware. If thats the case then all you can do is get a replacement. USB is extremely important on a gaming laptop. Have you already tried all the usb ports/different usb devices?

 

I haven't tried all the USB ports when using the mouse, but I have noticed that every time I plug it into a different port for the first time (2 so far) in installs the mouse again. Thought that was odd. I don't recall devices being usb port specific. I'll try the various ports again to see what happens. I'll also try my notebook cooler with and w/o the mouse to see if I can at least use that.

I don't use external usb hubs, only rarely use thumb drives, and I don't have it hooked up to a printer. I use my mac for everything except gaming (don't like pushing the 9400 gpu chip it has too far). So not using USB whiles gaming isn't a huge deal for me, but obviously relying on the trackpad can be awkward and slow. So i'll mess with this and see. Keep you posted.

 

Well i played for about 2 hour straight with the notebook cooler plugged into the usb and had no issue. Haven't tried the mouse yet though with the cooler plugged in again. Thumb drives seem to read and write fine too w/o error. Its a microsoft mouse that I just got last year so i'd be absolutely dumbfounded if vista doesn't like the mouse. The other usb mouse I have, Logitech MX revolution, used to make my dell BSOD at random when it ran vista.

 

I just bought an external hard drive to see if I could play Mass Effect for more than 10 minutes. It seems to work in this case. My temps have been around 130-140 degrees while playing any games but Mass Effect has been the culprit the most for lockups. Could be the internal hard drives overheat to the point you can't play because of the lack of ventilation on the system.

I've also bought a laptop cooler, Rosewill brand but it didn't always do the trick. I bought an iomega 320 Gig hard drive. Seems to work better plus it just uses one USB port and no power supply. Also the temps on the internal hard drives don't go up either, just the GPU which is expected. Get about 130-136 degrees. Will post if I get any further lockups. Anyone else try this solution? I know it's spending more money for a seemingly defective product but I don't have the luxury of being able to send mine back. Also, until they lower the prices and increase the size of solid state hard drives, I think this is the way to go for now.

 

Its normal for it to reinstall when you plug it in a different usb port. Some computers have the usb ports setup individually, some don't.

I've been using logitech mx310's for many many years, never had a bsod from it. Make sure you read the BSOD error so you can see exactly what caused it. Its usually as simple as updating a driver for a device.

 

Again, that was awhile ago and I no longer have that PC. Most of the BSOD's were from the nvidia drivers. however, once I stopped using the logitech mouse they stopped.

I'll try my logitech mouse this weekend on this gateway and see what happens.

 

It's funny that you guys mention the USB ports. I use a Dell mouse and While I'm playing games, I get the freezing error and sound loops like everyone else. The External hard drive I bought actually causes my system to freeze even when I'm not playing games which is weird. It actually happened to me about 10-15 minutes ago. Could it be that defective USB ports are the cause of the 7811's lockups? Could be....

 

Ugh, well I've tried two different usb mice and both lock up me up during game play. I've tried all three ports and even the extra port on my notebook cooler and, at some point, when I move the mouse in-game i lock up.

My warranty is only good for another two week and there is no guarantee that the next one will work any better. They missed it on this one, and who knows how many times it could have been sent back for the same issues by other owners.

Not sure if I should chance it or just suck it up and deal with the trackpad. =c

 

A question for mice lockup's. Do you guys have the Touchpad auto disable with the mouse plugged in? it may be the OS catching itself in a loop trying data from both devices...................

 

I did not think of that. I'll have to try it and see.

*update*

I don't see an option anywhere in the device properties or tray properties to auto disable when another mouse is present. Is there an auto option or must this be done manually every time?

 

Well, I disabled the touchpad and sure enough within about 10 min i get my first BSOD:

bugcode_usb_driver

curious i've never gotten that before even though

Microsofts "solutions:"

1. Adjust power settings (already for high performance)
2. Check for a system bios update (running 9c.08.00. would rather not try these other bios until they are cleared by gateway)
3. Download and install latest drivers (what drivers? its a usb mouse. any basic driver should do)
4. Try removing the usb device (already established its a usb driver error)
5. Do not disconnect while booting or shutting down (duh!)

Seeing as how Microsoft isn't any help, what can i do here?

 

I don't know if disable is enough, I guess it is. I have mine, P7805-u, autodisable. Do your USB controlers list as "Intel(R) ICH9 family USB Universal Host Controler - 2934" The 2934 was my first and I have 2934, 2935, 2936, 2937, 2938, 2939, 293A and 293C then USB Composit Device and several list sa USB Root Hub

Edit: 293a and 293c are listed as "USB2"

 

tried looking for drivers with a Google, maybe try re-installing the chipset driver?

Edit: also the specific Mouse driver too, and keep the touchpad off...

 

I installed the mouse driver from Microsoft. Now in the device manager its "Microsoft mouse something something" instead of "HID mouse." 10 minutes into a game I lock up, and this time i didn't even play; I just let it sit there after I logged in.

I could reinstall the chipset but I wonder how much that would help. I did it before on other installs and it didn't help. I already did a fresh install of vista and installed the chipset immediately after it booted up for the first time.

I think there is a hot-fix for it but supposedly the error was "fixed" in SP1. Its one of those hot-fixes that you have to request from MS instead of just download. There was a direct link for it but now I can't find it.

Its annoying because i used to get this same error with my MX rev mouse on my old dell when I tried to play (T7200 cpu, nvidia 7900GS gpu) and no matter what i tried it wouldn't work, so i went back to my wireless MS mouse. Now on this gateway i'm getting the same issue with BOTH my wireless mice. yes i can use it fine when i'm not gaming.

My only conclusion is that something with the nvidia driver when in games has some sort of issue with USB wireless mice. I'm tempted to go with a wired usb mouse to see if there is any difference but i doubt it will matter. I've used this same mouse with XP and nvidia w/o a problem. i might be forced to install a copy of XP SP2 32 on a second HDD when I want to game and just deal with the fact that about half my 4gb just won't be used.

 

So I'm now guessing the culprit could most likely be the chipset? Is there an updated one for this motherboard?

 

you could also try in BIOS the usb legacy. See if enabled or disabled makes a difference.

 

I'm not sure if there is a chipset update beyond what gateway has on their sites. I don't recall coming across it on this forum at least.

I will try the bios usb settings and see if that has any effect.

Its bizarre that that it only happens with USB mice. my external HDD and my notebook cooler don't cause it to lock. I could also try to update the gfx drivers but i doubt that will impact anything.

 

I disabled the usb legacy in bios with no luck.

Also looks like intel has has the same chip set on their site that I already have.

For no real reason I'm going to try a wired usb mouse, though i'm pretty sure it will have the same effect.

Also, the lock ups seem to happen almost exactly 10 min into it, if thats useful.

*update* Wired mouse does the same thing, which i figured it would. No clue that this is. I can only assume it has something to do with certain nvidia drivers that are engaged during 3d gameplay. outside of games no lock ups occur. Why else would it only lock up during games and do it darn near exactly 10 min into it each time?

 

I have the 7811 and i'm experiencing the same issues as you scotch...

I just did a clean vista 64 install. with:
nvidia version 179.48
intel chipset Version: 8.7.0.1007

... and i have yet to get the hanging error yet, though i haven't tried any games or watching movies yet cuz i'm still installing drivers and stuff. I'll report back and let you know if the clean install fixed it, and if not, i'll try experimenting with unplugging my mouse too and see if it makes a difference.

 

Go to Dell's website and download there latest drivers for touchpads, it will allow you to set it auto disable if a mouse is plugged in. Been working for me.

 

That's awesome ranger! (i've been wanting to disable the ty touchpad for a long time...)

I hate touchpads in general, but i do miss that little "dot" from my old ibm thinkpad, that you could use to move the mouse pointer...


ScotchIrishPrince: I haven't noticed the lock up since the clean install and running windows update, though i'm still getting that "wma 10" error recurring in the event log... also, user SEMIGAMER made this suggestion in another thread about the hanging glitch that maybe will help us:

edit: RangerXML: do you have a direct link for the dell touchpad driver?

 

http://support.dell.com/support/dow...1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=17&fileid=255212

Found it via this post:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3913827

 

thanks trying it now...

 

installed fine, though i can't find the option to disable the touchpad while an external mouse is plugged in...

 

Sorry, trying to do a couple of things at once.

Go to the control panel>>mouse properties

The first tab should be called Dell Touchpad, double click the big touchpad picture which should take to the Dell Touchpad properties. Click on Device Select and at the bottom should be the option to turn off touchpad while mouse is plugged in.

 

I see this:

 

Uninstall Synaptics TouchPad and Dell, then only install Dell TouchPad. They take the place of Synaptics, have all the same features.

 

Captain Terror, congrats. I'm glad you aren't locking up anymore. I've done two fresh installs of vista with reinstalling all drivers and it still locks up. It has to be something with the mobo or nvidia drivers when 3d games are engaged =/

I'm to the point now where i might just put this blasted thing on ebay and take the proceeds and build a desktop instead. While i can get away w/o using a mouse for games it isn't a fun task.

Not sure what else to try at this point.

 

Thanks Ranger, works great! = )

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2291/mouseproperties0001.jpg

Scottish: yeah, but i still haven't tested with any major games, but at least i don't have the lockups during normal use like i did before. I'll keep you updated...

 

I would test it out playing some games before breathing too easy. My usb devices all work great out of game and in games, till I add any usb mouse. I can at least use a mouse to surf but thats not important.

Thinking about updating the bios, even though its 9c.8.00, just to see if that helps.

I could take a chance and send it in but since Tiger Direct just had them twice in the last week or so, I doubt the refurb place is going to be getting anymore soon anyway.

 

did you try the fix mentioned by SEMIGAMER:

?

 

No I did not. I must have missed that post. I'll switch that setting and see what happens.

*update* I'll be shocked if thats the issue. They were both set to turn off after 20 min but duing games with a USB mouse, I tend to lock up in 5-15 min, depending in the game.

I'm tempted to uninstall the usb controller and let windows reinstall it on restart. I wonder if one of the other drivers alters it or something.

 

Well, a new twist on my issue. I did the HDD thing and I don't think that worked, I still locked up.

However, when I ran the game on battery power alone with the USB mouse plugged in, it ran for over 30 min w/o issue. Within a minute of me plugging in the AC adapter after 30 min on the battery (with usb mouse still plugged in), I lock up in game! What the bleep! Power setting are the same on battery and on AC to the best of my knowledge.

What is the computer doing differently in regards to the USB's on battery vs AC? Whatever the difference is most likely will explain why the usb mouse locks up the games on AC but not on battery.

I think I read something about this on other threads on this forum but I can't find them now. Any help here? The twists just keep on coming! Why would it run perfectly on battery during games but not when on AC?

 

Do you have Nvidia set to optimize your battery life? It's a mobile option in the Nvidia Control Panel. Make sure it's set so Nvidia does NOT alter your settings (Will run at high-performance all the time even when on battery).

Did you try using the Dell drivers? I'm tempted to try that with mine since I pretty much always use a USB mouse, even though I'm not experiencing any lockups or problems.

 

After doing the clean install, windows updates, and the hdd thing mentioned by SEMIGAMER, i have yet to encounter the freezing/hangiing glitch again. I played L4D while also playing a dvd in the background for hours, with not one hiccup. Also i surfed for a couple of hours playing an audiobook in the background and never heard the "matrix gurlgling sound" once! (knocks on wood)
= )

 

Well, under the 3d settings i changed it to always focus on performance, but I don't see any mobile options under the nvidia control panel.

I haven't tried the dell drivers yet, but disabling it didn't help my issue. Still perplexed that it locks up on AC with the usb mouse but not when its on battery alone.

Thinking about putting XP on this just to try and see what happens. If i don't have any issues then I know its a Vista/Nvidia conflict

Is XP 64 just as stable as XP 32? I'd hate to lose the ability to use all 4GBs if i don't have to

 

Under advanced power options is USB selective suspend diabled?

Edit;

Also, just a thought, the Battery actually has more amps on demand available than the brick. Especially if you ran on battery then plugged in the addapter that now has to try and charge the depleted battery. your problem may lie in the brick just not being able to keep up with enough clean power for the mouse.......

 

XP 64 bit has basically no support, you'll be hard pressed to find drivers for devices and it will be even harder to find fixes to make your programs work. With XP 32-bit, you'll have so much more memory freed up that you'll never need the entire 4GB of ram.

The Nvidia mobile option is called "Powermizer", I just remembered. It should have its own drop-down in the Nvidia control panel. I can post a screenshot tonight when I get home but it won't be for about 5 hours. I'm using the Dox Optimised 185.20 so I dunno if the option is driver specific, but I made sure to set mine to high-performance all the time, so Nvidia is NOT controlling power consumption.

Its definitely worth TRYING the Dell mouse drivers. Just because disabling the device didn't work doesn't mean you should shut out all the other options for that device.

Many people do not have the same problem as you, and many are using vista and many are also probably using the same drivers as you. It is not a Vista/Nvidia conflict.

Did you actually CHANGE the HDD sleep options in the power settings to never turn off the hard drive? You posted that the game locks up in 5-15 minutes, but you didn't post that you actually changed the settings to never.

 

I did change the settings to never for the HDD. Didn't make a difference.

I installed XP 32 but, unfortunately, I've lost my key and I can't seem to find the audio drivers. The driver gateway has for XP for audio doesn't work and the nvidia HDMI audio controller package doesn't have an installer and the nvidia gfx driver installer does not recognize it like it does in vista when I run it. 3 unidentified devices still lack drivers: the hdmi, the esata, and the audio i'm assuming. If I can't use this in XP completely then its just a wash.

If this is a clean power issue I would think other people should have the same issue. On battery, no lock ups. On AC with no usb mouse, no lock ups, On AC with usb (battery fully charged), lock ups. On AC, no battery connected, lock ups.

If I can't get this to work i am going to have to ship this our for yet another refurb or post it on ebay. I'd keep it as a doorstop but I think it just too big...

I appreciate everyones help greatly, this is just so frustrating for me and nothing seems to make this any better. XP is on there, playing war right now, with usb mouse on AC and about 10 min into it, the FPS dropped to about 1 and then it locked up completely a few seconds later. Either its not getting enough power to utilize the usb mouse or there is something seriously wrong with it. Since no one else seems to have my issues on this forum, then I have to assume there is just something seriously wrong with it. =c

 

Now its locking up in XP while playing WAR w/o a mouse. Should have installed xp a long time ago to check this out instead of constantly reinstalling vista.

Going to send this back and hope the next refurb actually works as intended. Thanks for all your help.

 

If it is a brick issue not everyone will have it. Some bricks are better than others and some systems will draw more power than others, especially under full load.

XP under games will usually more fully load the CPU and GPU with the game. More FPS will usually require more power draw. My suggestion is if you know someone with a Targus 180w give it a try! as they say no harm no foul and it can eliminate a possible issue for you...........

 

oh wow i didn't realize you are running xp...(32 or 64?) I bought a copy of xp specifically to load on my 7811fx, but since most all my 32-bit programs work on vista x64, i see no reason to change back to xp...

 

If you want it to be faster.

Eventually you will find something that doesn't work on Vista 64. It's only a matter of time.

 

Tan - Hmmm..well, i've always been suspicious that it could be a power issue. Especially since the mouse always seems to push it over. A notebook cooler, being only fans, probably barely pulls anything. Perhaps i'll grab one from Best Buy and try it over the weekend before shipping this back out.

Capn' - I had Vista 64 but i downgraded yesterday just to test it and see if it was a vista issue (it wasn't).

I'll try a new brick. If that doesn't work then we know there must be something seriously wrong.

 

Agreed a mouse uses little but if you are loaded to the point of almost overload it can start causing voltage fluctuations. While a fan does not care other electronics will.........

 

AGlobal: Are u running xp32 or 64? I considered xp64 because it can utilize all my ram, but i was worried about compatibility issues... Now that i have a "healthy" image of my fresh x64 install, i might actually try downgrading or running a dual boot config...

 

So I reinstalled Vista Ultimate and I don't see those Powermizer settings anywhere and a quick search on google says they are not accessable in Vista. Can i adjust them?

Also, going to try one more thing to test if its a mobo issue or a power issue. Someone recommended to me to try and play a game while transfering a done of data to eternal USB devices to see if I can recreate the lock ups w/o a mouse.

 

They are tied to the Vista power settings. If you go to Laptopvideo2go.com and do a search, you can also find out how to tweak the drivers to disable powermizer, so its always on full, but I wouldn't recommend that. Powermizer in my experience is working now and does its job well, in older notebooks I disabled it cause it wouldn't switch over in games, but again now it does.

 

Ok, thanks. Thats what I thought. Going to install that dell driver then start transfering random data from an esternal hdd to a thumb drive and start a game as see what happens.

If that doesn't lock up the game and the mouse still does then I have no idea what that means. lol