W520 Battery Life

I just got my W520 and have been running it mostly in Ubuntu (occasionally in Windows) and I have found the battery life is not what I expected. I am only getting 2 hours of battery life. Is there something I can do?

Reply 1 : W520 Battery Life

I was somewhat surprised at the battery life claims being made in this video YouTube - Lenovo Unboxed: ThinkPad W520 laptop - something 6hrs on 6cell, 11hrs on 9cell, 20hrs with 9cell + slice IIRC.

Reply 2 : W520 Battery Life

Quote:

Originally Posted by cpm22 I just got my W520 and have been running it mostly in Ubuntu (occasionally in Windows) and I have found the battery life is not what I expected. I am only getting 2 hours of battery life. Is there something I can do?

I think the culprit is the discrete graphic card. Did you set the graphic option as discrete?

Reply 3 : W520 Battery Life

You probably is using discrete graphic chipset (Nvidia Quadro 1000M or 2000M) instead of Intel Integrated graphic. Try to go to BIOS and manually select Intel graphic and see whether your battery life is a lot better.

Reply 4 : W520 Battery Life

2h sounds about right on max brightness with the 6-cell battery.



I'm getting 4-5h on 9-cell with discrete only, brightness at 50%.



EDIT: On Linux (Fedora 14)

Reply 5 : W520 Battery Life

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volker 2h sounds about right on max brightness with the 6-cell battery. I'm getting 4-5h on 9-cell with discrete only, brightness at 50%.

Using linux or Windows 7?

Reply 6 : W520 Battery Life

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thors.Hammer Using linux or Windows 7?

He's on Linux as I recall he replied to one of my posts.

Well, I'll get mine tomorrow(Scheduled Delivery: Thursday, 04/21/2011, By End of Day), I'll be posting some serious power consumption figures as I'm hunting for the very lowest power usage under Windows 7.

Reply 7 : W520 Battery Life

2 hours very low. Even W510 last me longer which has only one graphic card...



sounds fishy to me..

Reply 8 : W520 Battery Life

is the OP running the Thinkvantage Power Manager in windows?

Reply 9 : W520 Battery Life

Quote:

Originally Posted by lead_org is the OP running the Thinkvantage Power Manager in windows?

It's difficult to tell. It appears the focus is linux. 2 hours is certainly concerning. Especially since the norm appears to be twice that or more for Windows 7 users.

→ Google Chrome Users Beware ←

This just hit my e-mail InBox from :



Malware authors target Google Chrome



Scareware attack targets Google Chrome

Reply 1 : → Google Chrome Users Beware ←

I have found Microsoft Security Essentials to be basically useless, as the author of the posted article seems to have found. I use Kaspersky IS, have for years and have never had a problem. It does slow things down a bit, any really good anti-virus/malware program will, that's the point, it has to scan the object to see if any bad stuff is lurking inside. I buy it on eBay, typically $10-12 for a one year subscription. The only time I have ever had a problem was the last time I nuked and paved the CF-30 I put installing Kaspersky off until the load was finished. Halfway through, with only MSE protecting the computer, something got by, disabled MSE, and trashed the hard drive leading to another nuke and pave. Henceforth, its restore disk, Kaspersky, and then everything else.

CAP

Reply 2 : → Google Chrome Users Beware ←

Interesting; I've been using MSE for a year now and zero ickies on 7 machines. I even doublecheck it against several other malware suites and it never fails.



What kind of dirty sites are you going to Cap'n?



I wanna go there too... get good and corrupted.





As an aside... I'd like to kick Ed in the 'nads for this little nugget:



"There’s nothing inherently safer about alternative browsers—or even alternative operating systems, for that matter—and as users adapt, so do the bad guys."



This is completely false; finding ONE exploit for Chrome, or a hundred for FireFox... still much less than the hundreds of thousands for Windoze and IE. Hardly even in the same league of incompetent.



mnem

*Dirty ol' reptile*

Reply 3 : → Google Chrome Users Beware ←

I would be worried about it with parents and friends but If any tech savy user sees something like that it should be ignored.



I would have to say that Chrome is still better protection for this kind of stuff than IE.



This kind of stuff is starting to worry me. It seems like everything has some sort of software piggybacked onto it that you dont want and its getting far to easy for people to click on these scareware diagrams. Heck look at downloads at Cnet, the page it takes you to that pops up the download diagram has that banner ad that has the "DOWNLOAD NOW" button on it that people click thinking that its the correct download link.

Reply 4 : → Google Chrome Users Beware ←

Chrome's sandbox feature makes it a lot safer than other browsers: Chromium Blog: A new approach to browser security: the Google Chrome Sandbox



These "social engineering" attacks really shouldn't scare anyone who's been around the block. But I guess if you don't speak English, or you're an internet noob, it might be a problem. In which case you should be on a Mac.

Reply 5 : → Google Chrome Users Beware ←

@Core Team I use the Safe Run "sand box" in Kaspersky frequently, sandboxes aren't new but most consumers won't take the time to use them.

@ mnem I must confess that I do a little file sharing on occasion, the kind that might require a keygen and a patch. I had the problem whilst reloading a computer, I'm guessing you can connect the dots. As for the rest of the file sharing, not all video down loads involve unnatural acts between mixed species. Dwagons have dirty minds.

CAP

Reply 6 : → Google Chrome Users Beware ←

Quote:

Originally Posted by capt.dogfish ... not all video down loads involve unnatural acts between mixed species. CAP

As for the downloads... did you mean not all video downloads anywhere, or not all YOUR video downloads?



mnem

"...study of alien languages... morphology, phrenology, syntax. Means you've got a talented tongue."

"I'm impressed. For a moment there, I thought you were just a dumb hick who only has with farm animals."

"Well, not only..."

Stay away from HP

My HP TX1019au has just died again last week, I do not think
I will fix it again.

I paid US$1,800.00 new June, 07, Worldwide Guarantee 2 yr's.

2 motherboards, 1 WiFi card, repair the infamous heat problem,
new hard-drive, new keyboard, dry solder joint.

Over $1,000 in out of pocket repairs.

This computer was in the HP Authorized Repair Service
centers for 8 months for these repairs

The latest HP tech tells me not to waste anymore money on
it.





My HP DV 6375us has just died again this week, I am
investing another $75.00 to see if it is worth fixing again.

I paid US$1,200.00 new Oct, 07, Guarantee 1 yr.

1 motherboard, 1 WiFi card, repair the infamous heat
problem,



Over $500 in out of pocket repairs.

This computer was in the HP Authorized Repair Service
centers for 6 months for these repairs.



I have spoken with a friend that owns a computer service
center (authorized HP amongst others) and he tells me that the heat problems
have not been resolved & that HP consistently produces a sub-par quality laptop.



I do not intend to buy HP again for several years at least.

Additionally I am very angry to learn of the Federal Class
Action Lawsuit against HP that I did not learn about until 1 week after
registration closed.



I registered with HP when I bought their products, they have
been aware of these problems and could have contacted me. They did not. I will
not continue to buy from them anymore. They do not respect their customers.



BTW I never ever ran my laptops without a sub-base of (3) cooling fans. Still had all these
problems. Shut down over night, no sleep or hibernate.

I am not looking for help or sympathy. I am going to publish
this over and over. HP is crap and I do not appreciate wasting my hard earned
money. I expect a laptop that I pay $2k for too last 5 years. I take good care
of them. But if they are crap does not matter how well you treat them.

Reply 1 : Stay away from HP

It's common knowledge (here in the UK) that HP & Compaq laptops are amongst the worst in the business for quality & reliability. I've been aware of that for some time since I've often be asked to take a look at someone's laptop that's misbehaving. Around 75% of those were HP/Compaq models.

The forums are rife with stories about them & owners asking for help.

You should have done some research on the net before buying. The problems were common knowledge even well before 2007.

Reply 2 : Stay away from HP

Feel free to do that but if you SPAM these boards you will get banned. If we allowed such then the forum would lose it's best feature -> People helping people.

Sorry to hear about your losses but my advice is to not invest in any dv6000/9000 and that TX line. If you research this, you should know what happened.

In parting I thing the HP Gxx line has some bugs too. HP is currently working on that but the story is not over yet.
Bob

BFBC2 Help

Hi all, I've been having problems with BC2 recently. I used to get around 60-80 FPS on medium settings almost everywhere on every map. Now im down to 20-50 fps. 11.4 Preview drivers and this started happening to me back when 10.9 drivers came out. When i got the performance drop i gave up on trying and didnt want to resorte to the forum or anything. But now i went back to BC2 and i still have the same FPS issue. I use to be able to record with fraps with no problem or anything. And in GTA 4 I seem to not be able to get as high of FPS as others. Asus G73JH btw 720QM 5870M

Reply 1 : BFBC2 Help

My FPS had an unexpected drop recently as well, I realized it was from installing new drivers on top of each other (more specifically, 11.3 and 11.4 previews) as when I uninstalled my drivers and did a fresh reinstall of the 11.4 previews, I got my average FPS again. If you didn't do this, I'd check if there's anything unusually running in background...

Reply 2 : BFBC2 Help

When I install new drivers i do the whole, uninstall, restart in safe mode use driver sweeper then use a registry deleter then install the new ones.

Reply 3 : BFBC2 Help

Sounds like you've been putting your laptop in hibernate / sleep then turning it on and playing BC2. P4G has a glitch where it will keep your clocks at 400/1000. Try using the AMD GPU Clock Tool, set your clocks to 700/1000, and see if your performance is back to normal.

Reply 4 : BFBC2 Help

Its not that dont worry, I turn off hibernation and sleep, all i have on in P4G is to turn off display after 5 minutes

Reply 5 : BFBC2 Help

I would do a full uninstall, and follow up with ATI Crap Cleaner rather than Driver Sweeper. Then install the drivers ONLY and see if you still have the issues. If not, follow up with CCC and whatever else you need.

For new owners adding memory

I am a dweeb when it comes to computers, so I thought I would share my experience buying a Thinkpad with one stick of 4GB memory and adding more.



First, I bought a W520 quad core so I have 4 slots for 204 DIMM to use. I ordered mine with one slot filled with a 4GB DIMM. It came in the slot 0 in the top of the machine under the keyboard.



I ordered Crucial 204 DIMM matching memory from their website using their memory finder.



Order 3 more sticks to have a total of 16 GB.



When I got the machine I opened the maintenance manual and found the bottom memory slot door. 2 small phillips head screws and a fingernail and it was open and had both slots open. Ground yourself to avoid static electricity and insert the sticks one at a time. Now if you haven't done this before they will only go in one way and you can tell what that is from the bottom connectors. Also you will insert the stick at a 30 deg angle to the horizontal. So the non connector end is about a inch or so higher maybe a bit less than the connector end. They will slide in with a bit of firm sideways and down pressure. Once they are seated you simply rotate the non connector end downwards and they will seat inside their retainers. You will see the appropriate notches in the stick and you will see the little shiny metal retainer. EZ.



Now being a dweeb, I wasn't anxious to pull the keyboard as that is where the 3rd and 4th sticks on the W520 quad core goes, so operated it with 12 GB for a week or so. It started up right away and showed the 12 GB (11.9 GB usable) in the system icon.



Today, I pulled my maintenance manual and got to adding the final stick.



You first pull the battery and again turn the laptop upside down and loosen the 2 screws holding in the bottom DIMM cover. You need to do this since one of the two screws on the bottom that secure the keyboard is under this cover. the other is just beside the lower DIMM cover. Those 2 screws are removed and you turn the laptop back right side up. Nothing else is holding the keyboard now. It is a bit (1/4 inch) of a slide fit. Push lightly towards the LCD screen by pushing on the very small bezel that houses the on/off switch and the Thinkvantage blue button. No real pressure is needed. That will slide the keyboard up a 1/4 in and the bottom will come loose from the bezel. A fingernail under the lower part of the keyboard will lift it right off. It is attached by a cable to the motherboard but that does not need to be removed to get to the upper DIMM slots. In my case the top slot was already populated and I removed that DIMM to better get to the lower slot and added my last of 4 sticks and replaced the as shipped stick next. Reinsert the keyboard under the top bezel and pull towards you with several keys and it will recenter itself under the bezel. Turn it upside down and redo the bottom keyboard screws and than replace the lower DIMM cover and turn on your computer.



Now you have 16 GB (less if you only can house 8GB).



Incredibly easy. Even a dweeb can do it.



I would post the changing out of a HDD for an SSD but that is so EZ I would be insulting you.



Perry

Reply 1 : For new owners adding memory

I would just like to add that if you can add the 4th RAM to your W520, you can also add an mSATA drive. When you remove the keyboard, the place for the mSATA is staring right at you. (n.b. The Hardware Maintenance Manual has very good, detailed instructions on how to do both.)

Reply 2 : For new owners adding memory

Quote:

Originally Posted by pkincy Incredibly easy. Even a dweeb can do it.

That's not really my experience with my W520. I had a very hard time sliding the keyboard towards the LCD, there was something holding it on the left side, it just wouldn't slide. It took me like 15 minutes to finally go for brute force, after checking and double checking everything. In the end, it worked, but it wasn't very easy at all, and this comes from somebody who regularly cleans the notebooks by almost completely taking them apart.



There is some misinformation going around, some folks talk about 3 screws fixing the keyboard, they are wrong, there are only two, so don't get fooled into looking for a third one, you won't be able to find it.

WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

I'm trying to find out which part number (LU.XXXXX.XX) of acer aspire 522 is 3g cappable (has working free mini pci-e slot and sim card connecter).
But manufacturer and retailer cann't tell me anything...
So please if you have such model(you can check sim card connector under battery) provide me with it's part number so I can buy correct one.
Thanks !

Reply 1 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

I think I found some dozen models of that.

However, none offered a SIM CARD slot. And none looked to have an open mini pcie slot.
Bob

Reply 2 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

Acer published that one of declared model has optional 3g...

http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/series/aspireone522Am I missing something ?

Reply 3 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

Where are two available mainboard part numbers
MB.SES02.001 - wo 3G
MB.SES02.002 - with 3G



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Reply 4 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

http://www.theacerguy.com/forum/topic/wwan3g-on-acer-aspire-one-ao522

While I read this has a Mini-PCI Express there is no indication that you can mod or pick and choose your choice of cards.

Is there any reason to not use their card?

Reply 5 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

I'm ready to use their card, but I cannot find WHICH model has it.

Reply 6 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

I'm on a project that involves machine to machine cellular traffic. The card is not up to the users to choose. The cellular carrier only authorizes a few cards. You will rarely to never have a choice on the card. You might have choices on the carrier.

This is why they will not reveal which card. Besides what they use can change according to costs and tsunamis.
Bob

Reply 7 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

I'm talking about netbook model. Which model of netbook has 3g cardslot for 3g card ?

Reply 8 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

The units that come with a WWAN 3G card have what you want. Pick the model that has your selected carrier and you're done.
Bob

Reply 9 : WWAN(3G) on Acer Aspire One AO522

I only read what you post. Maybe you own some mini-PCIe card and hoped to recycle it. But this is not in your posts.

It's also possible that you are a developer, but that's not in your posts.

For 99.99% of us we get the model with the WWAN that notes our carrier.
Bob

Dell Inspiron 1545 - change boot order

Hi

I'm trying to change the boot order on my laptop to boot from a CD/DVD.

When it boots it shows F2 for options and F12 for boot order.

F12 actually gives you the option of booting into Vista or into diagnostics, F2 doesn't seem to do anything (with the 1545 you have to press the Fn key and the F button for anything to happen).

I've also tried pressing Esc at startup but no difference.
Has anyone found a way to change the order?
Dell support says it's F12.

Thanks
Tom

Reply 1 : Dell Inspiron 1545 - change boot order

http://www.compu-help.us/BIOS_access.htm


Once you're in the bios there has to be a place for that.. I've checked before and that's how I changed my BIOS order.

Hopefully that helped,
Frank

Reply 2 : Dell Inspiron 1545 - change boot order

Hi,

Thanks for the post. Well as mentioned above I used the laptop keyboard - Pressing FN & F2. Still no luck.

I then attached an external (USB) keyboard and got in first time!

All sorted - Thanks again.
Tom

Reply 3 : Dell Inspiron 1545 - change boot order

When booting, hit the F12 key (no FN key, just F12). You will get a weird screen with 5 options that state it is the boot order. It's not. Choose BIOS. Then you will be able to get to the BIOS and set boot order.

XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

Is there a modded realtek x-fi mb 2 driver/software that works with this?

Reply 1 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

I have to ask, why would you want a modded driver/software for this? Are there options you want that don't come standard?

Reply 2 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

x-fi mb2 won't work but x-fi 1.1/1.2 will work



and the x-fi mb package comes creative software like cmss3d and crystallizer and it also comes with alchemy which allows hardware sound in some games.



also, i think the realtek sound alone only allows up to eax 3.0 but with the x-fi software, u can get up to eax 4.0.

Reply 3 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

My first post wasn't so clear. I meant to say that I currently have the wavemaxx audio software. Does anyone know where I can get the x-fi mb software package that works with my xps 15 alc665 audio?



Thanks

Reply 4 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

Got it working.



Anyway, what settings are you folks using?

Reply 5 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

Care to share how you did this? Have been tinkering around with a couple of things but haven't managed anything stable.

Reply 6 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

What's the difference between the original Realtek drivers?

Reply 7 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukinok25 What's the difference between the original Realtek drivers?

This has the x-fi software.

Reply 8 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

Quote:

Originally Posted by smsmasters This has the x-fi software.

Thanks, Is it worth to have? What does it give you?

Reply 9 : XPS 15 alc665 x-fi?

http://www.creative.com/oem/resource...are/X-FiMB.pdf



basically, makes music sound better, but the original realtek drivers has software for that.



it also gives EAX 4.0 and alchemy which are useful for games (hardware sound), which is why i would get it.





Btw, i tried using that install method, and the realtek audio manager didnt work. does it work for u?

How does replacement of a discontinued product go?

For example, if you're getting a replacement for an xps 14, how would they primarily determine which system you'd get? Is it by similar/slightly better specs, or the price you paid for the system that's being replaced? How much control do you have over what you get?



Also, if you are getting a full refund, does it include the tax?



Thanks.

Reply 1 : How does replacement of a discontinued product go?

Well the first thing Dell will do is try and replace parts but if you get a replacement system.



The general consensus seems to be the replacement has to be 'as good or better' than what you have. If they can't match a specific thing they will usually try and 'upgrade' a few other parts.



Almost always the replacement will be refurbished. Good place to look is the dell outlet and see if there is a system similar to your own and that is probably what you would get.



Depending on the tech agent you get they may or may not give you the specs, once they did with me and once they did not they just sent a system.



On refunds they should refund the complete costs, tax, shipping etc.

Reply 2 : How does replacement of a discontinued product go?

I see, thanks

Service Center blues

How is it that the service center people always manage to fix some things while screwing up others? On my latest support case for my EliteBook 8530w, it's happened yet again.



Here are the issues I was having, and what they did to fix them:



Fingerprint reader wasn't working:

They replaced it, even though the ribbon was entirely missing. It broke when I tried to move it, after their flub from previous servicing -- they got the ribbon pinched under the ridges that hold it in place, so it made the top deck bulge. (That time, the fingerprint board wasn't even fully adhered to the top deck.)



Fan bearings were worn out:

They replaced the fan -- good.



GPU glitched (screen jumped downwards for a frame) once in a while:

They replaced the GPU, even though I acknowledged that I couldn't reliably reproduce the issue. This was a pleasant surprise.



LCD has permanent big yellow smudge, that leaks light against black;

LCD is dimmer than it should be;

Lid kept popping open;

Plastic bezel had a minor crack (that I didn't care about):

They replaced the lid and the bezel... but with one that said "8530p". They didn't replace the LCD -- and the LCD was a primary reason for me sending it in!



I could've sworn partsurfer had those two as one assembly, only -- and the 'p' doesn't offer 1920x1200! Also, now the screen ripples at the bottom whenever you so much as blow on the lid. Quite distracting, and likely hurts the LCD as well.



120W power brick squeals when laptop is in suspend.

I asked for a replacement brick that doesn't squeal, or confirmation that all 120W bricks squeal.

What they did: replaced it with a 90W brick. Sure, it doesn't squeal, but the Quick Launch Buttons software warns me that that's too low, and it gets very hot when playing games. (Nowhere near "going to melt" level, but hot enough to make me wonder if I'm overloading it.)



Now, how do I get them to fix these last few things (namely, by sending me the correct lid assembly)? I can't afford to send it in again. I sent it in during my vacation for a reason -- it's my primary work laptop. In fact, I even sent a sheet with clear, concise descriptions -- with bold, yellow-highlighted titles for the critical ones: fan, LCD, lid.



I'm also wondering: if this is the business support, what does the consumer (especially Envy) support do? =/

Reply 1 : Service Center blues

Yeah, back in the day when I had an HP I sent it in for a squeeling fan....3 times! The third time ended with a physically damange notebook.



I worked up a storm and spend probably 2 hours with various managers within HP. It ended with a call back the next day and my choice of ANY notebook on the HP website.



I sold the laptop they sent me and bought a Dell.



I will NEVER buy a laptop without an ONSITE warranty.

Reply 2 : Service Center blues

In my case, my lingering issues are way too minor to deserve a new notebook, and I want to keep the current one when I decide to get a new one. All I need now: a new, correct LCD+lid, and a non-squealing 120W brick. They could let me keep the 90W one as a spare for on the go, as a gesture of good will... .



Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not getting onsite, and I never found a clear answer of whether / how I could add it to CTO (KW950AV) after the fact. The HP Care Pack Lookup Tool was broken for at least two years, and though it now works, the answer is still unclear.

My present warranty ends on December 24 -- 3 years plus 1 month.



I'd consider extending it, if I could find Care

Packs for my specific SKU. I'd have to decide whether that, or a new notebook, would be a better value.

Reply 3 : Service Center blues

@Dana:

You still have more luck than me. In Spain, my country, the service is even worse. They accused me of breaking a DreamColor screen without any evidence, and they told me I handled the screen in a bad way and this was not covered by my warranty (ONSITE warranty, BTW). The repair costs about $1000. Fortunately, my technician prooved it was not my fault and they replaced it with another screen for free, but the new one had the aluminum cover unstuck. So they replaced the screen for third time and now I have the pink and blue tints on the sides and some blemishes.



After sending a complaint to a consumer organization, I'm waiting for a brand-new computer, without any ETA...

syncmaster SA350 screen resolution problem

I just purchased a SA22350 screen. I have it connected to my machine which runs a NVIDIA 460 graphics card and vista. I have it connected with the PC connection, not hdmi. I set the screen to the standard 1080p resolution, and it resizes the screen so that there are some rows of pixels on the right that just sit black, and the rest of the screen is offeset to the right so that part of the start button & icons are off of the screen. It doesnt make much sense, because the sizing is correct but for some reason it is pushing the image to the right. when i enter into the nvidia control panel and move the screen right it still maintains the black pixels. if i change the sizing to a custom size that is literally 1 pixel less than 1080 it seems to work... I am at a loss and I just want it to work. Thanks in advance

Reply 1 : syncmaster SA350 screen resolution problem

Here is the link to the model I purchased, which i believe is relatively new...

http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS22A350HS/ZA

Reply 2 : syncmaster SA350 screen resolution problem

At that link I see a forboding "Watch Full 1080p HD video with HDMI".

And on http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS22A350HS/ZA-features the Standing View looks like the owner has read the manual and is ready to shoot the monitor. (sorry, it's too funny.)

OK, I see a Driver at http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/LS22A350HS/ZA

Is that installed?

I R so angry; f-series slooooow down

i have new f-series vaio wich freezes randomly during desktop programs... I can run hard programs like crysis with no problems, but when im using chrome this damn thing slows down... After a while it works again.

Virus-check etc. Are ok



Is it motherboard, hard drive or processor ?(i7)



This piece of machine will fly soon.

Reply 1 : I R so angry; f-series slooooow down

Maybe your laptop is dying from what you're forcing it to post on the internet...



1) If you want help, try not to act like you are seven in your thread title (that's probably why you didn't get any responses so far).



2) what do you mean by "freezes randomly" and "slows down" Is it a momentary freeze of the cursor? Can you still use keyboard buttons? Is it pertinent to just Chrome? Depending on the symptoms it'll lead you to the cause.

Reply 2 : I R so angry; f-series slooooow down

The latest FF, Chrome and IE have all been giving me fits. One thing that seemed to help a little is getting the latest Nvid driver from Nvidia. Not the one from Sony. Did not completely solve problem though.



I have no issues other than browsers.

Problem installing HP Photosmart printer wirelessly on Mac

Hi there -

I've had a Photosmart C4580 for a couple of years. It has never been particularly reliable wirelessly - but always fine with USB connection.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a new modem and router combined hub - and I hoped this would improve the wireless connection between the computer and the printer.

I've now been trying to set up the printer on my computer for about a fortnight and am about ready to throw it under a bus and then kill myself.

I have uninstalled all the old HP drivers etc. from the Mac applications folder, restarted, then re-downloaded the latest HP drivers for this printer and Mac OS 10.5 (my OS). I then plug the printer into my computer via USB, and it starts installing all the drivers onto my hard drive. Then it asks me if I want to connect wirelessly. I say yes. It identifies my broadband network that is affiliated to my Mac laptop. It asks me for the password. I type it in. Then a new page opens and it says it's 'Configuring', and that 'The device may take couple of minutes to configure and get the IP configuration from the Wireless Access Point'. I wait about five mins.

Finally a new page loads up. 'Your device was successfully assciated to 'worldsgreatestbroadband' Network. (which is the name of my wireless broadband.

'The current IP settings for your device are as follows:

IP address: Failed to retrieve IP.
Subnet Mask: Failed to retrieve IP.
Default Gateway: Failed to retrieve IP.
Preferred DNS Server: Failed to retrieve IP.
Alternate DNS Server: Failed to retrieve IP.'

There are then two buttons at the bottom of the screen - Go Back and Continue. I hit Continue. A dialog box comes up that says 'Device Not Reachable: The network configuration was successfully downloaded to the device. However to continue configuring the device in network, your Mac must have access to the device. So please make sure that your Mac has access to the Network : "worldsgreatestbroadband" and retry.'

My Mac definitely has access to that network - I'm accessing the internet now to type this.

I've done this about five times and it's the same result every time. Any ideas? Can I manually type in my IP somehow?

Is this a problem with HP's installer, or my Mac network settings, or my wireless hub, or what? I am so fed up!

Thanks in advance for reading this far.

Reply 1 : Problem installing HP Photosmart printer wirelessly on Mac

Those new routers have a new feature called a firewall. I either have to research what ports to open or just turn it off.

I am not finding details about your router either. Maybe it's in your post but make, model, firmware revision of the router and such eludes me.
Bob

Reply 2 : Problem installing HP Photosmart printer wirelessly on Mac

OK, sorry, I didn't think of that. OK - the router/modem hub is made by Netgear - I think the model name is a Wireless N Cable Getaway. I'm afraid I have no idea about the firmware revision etc. - I received it in the mail from Virgin (a UK cable broadband/TV/phone provider), plugged it in and set it up over the phone with them. I have no idea how to find out about whether it's got a firewall...

Any ideas?

Reply 3 : Problem installing HP Photosmart printer wirelessly on Mac

And it is debatable if it helps when folk have to dive in and open ports or just set it to OFF to get things to work.

I didn't find any model with the name Getaway. These are often called Gatway's not to be confused with the PC maker.

There are specific articles and manuals for each router. Here's a somewhat generic one at http://www.tech-faq.com/how-to-disable-the-netgear-router-firewall.html
Bob

Reply 4 : Problem installing HP Photosmart printer wirelessly on Mac

Spoke to Virgin Media about my hub and instead of changing the Firewall settings, she told me to change the security settings - I went down a grade, from the one that said 'WPA-PSK[TKIP] + WPA2-PSK[AES]' to the one that said simply 'WPA2-PSK[AES]'

Solved it! So pleased. thanks for your input.

Reply 5 : Problem installing HP Photosmart printer wirelessly on Mac

I'm trying to craft a new addition to the Network Forum sticky about trying AES or TKIP when N routers won't connect.

Nothing's sure here but from my experience and what I read this is the old buggy firmware issues. Makers are letting us down.
Bob

Reply 6 : Problem installing HP Photosmart printer wirelessly on Mac

Speaking as a casual Macfixitforums user, I don't know if I'd have known where to look to find the right sticky, so I might still have had to post my own question - wasn't sure if it was a problem with the printer, or the driver on my Mac, or the broadband connection or the hub itself....

Anyway, I'm just pleased it's sorted and maybe you'll be able to assist another damsel/sir in distress in future now you know it's worked for me!

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to me.

White dots on TV

About two weeks ago my 61" Samsung started with a couple white dots, now I have about 35 white and 4 black dots.
When we called Samsung I was told our set was not covered for the problem.
Then I went on line and found this problem has been around since 2009. I also found that they fixed a lot of tv at no cost to the consumer.
When I called back I was told I was out of luck since my model is not "recalled"
I also read where some people where told that Samsung wouldn't help and later got someone to approve the repair.
My model is HL61A650C1FXZA, serial AKWK3CKQ300146F

I'm hoping my model has been added to the list or you can approve the repairs. I have two other 50" Samsung set, 2 Samsung DVD players and lots of other Samsung products and this isthe first problem we have ever had.



Message was edited by: Lee Koo (ADMIN) 04/18/2011 9:16AM to remove personal information to prevent abuse.

Reply 1 : White dots on TV

desmtg,

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this issue.

The only thing I can do on the forums is escalate your case if you post a transaction number from your call to 800-SAMSUNG in the U.S.

If you don't have a transaction number, try calling back and getting your unit repaired (going through the steps again). If you're not able to get your issue resolved, please ask for a transaction number and post it here. Then, I can escalate it to a manager.

I have no way of suggesting the outcome either way, but that's what I can do here.

--HDTech

Reply 2 : White dots on TV

call ************ if you need anything else.

Message was edited by: Lee Koo (ADMIN) 04/18/2011 9:16AM to remove personal information to prevent abuse

Reply 3 : White dots on TV

desmtg,

I have sent this to one of the managers as of this evening for review.

I will also be posting a request to remove your numbers now that we have them to avoid problems or online spam harvesters. So we got it before they were removed - and request that for your protection, too. If a customer service manager is able to assist, they will reach out.

--HDTech

Reply 4 : White dots on TV

Got a call from Samsung today that they would authorize repaires for White Dot problem. Thanks for your assistance!

Any HP G32-3xxx users out there?

Any HP G32-3xxx users out there?

Potege vs Latitude

Hi all, I'm thinking of buying a Toshiba Portege R835 to replace my Dell Latitude E6400. Has anyone here previously owned a Portege R700 (current model) and how does it compare with the E6410 in terms of build quality, screen and keyboard?



Fit & finish are top of my wish list. I can not tolerate squeaky panels, flimsy plastics or finger print magnets.



Am also looking at HP Probook 4330, Vaio S13 and V130 (although I've almost ruled that out now, as it has a stupid CULV processor).



Thoughts please?

Reply 1 : Potege vs Latitude

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowboyCoder Hi all, I'm thinking of buying a Toshiba Portege R835 to replace my Dell Latitude E6400. Has anyone here previously owned a Portege R700 (current model) and how does it compare with the E6410 in terms of build quality, screen and keyboard? Fit & finish are top of my wish list. I can not tolerate squeaky panels, flimsy plastics or finger print magnets. Am also looking at HP Probook 4330, Vaio S13 and V130 (although I've almost ruled that out now, as it has a stupid CULV processor). Thoughts please?

I haven't had a chance to play with a Portege yet, but have you considered the E6410? If you liked your E6400, it's pretty much the same machine in terms of appearance/materials, just with updated internals.

Reply 2 : Potege vs Latitude

No, because I want my next laptop to be Sandy Bridge, 13.3" and to look a little more stylish. Not keen on the new Latitudes nor Lenovo. I like the new ProBook styling but the Tosh caught my eye recently but I don't want to buy it if it's inferior to the E6400, no point taking a backwards step.

Reply 3 : Potege vs Latitude

The R835 looks like a nice system if you can live with the low-res display.



I suggest also looking at the new Vaio SB (I haven't seen the S13 with Sandy Bridge) or, if you want higher resolution, wait a few weeks for the SA.



As an E6400 owner also we may share a sense of style (I find the E6420 unappealing) and the Vaios look quite nice. You'll probably pay a little more for a Vaio with similar specs to the R835, but you may like the extras such as the backlit keyboard.

Reply 4 : Potege vs Latitude

Thanks for the reply. I must say, I do like the look of the new HP ProBook 4330s - quality, style and affordability. My Latitude is 1400x900 res, the 13.3" notebooks are 1366 x768 - we have them at work and I don't find the resolution any worse to be honest - but I may have reservations about the slightly smaller diagonal and the aspect ratio.

Reply 5 : Potege vs Latitude

Today I received a refurbished R700 to add to my collection. The first thing I noticed is the much lighter weight compared to the E6400 / E6410 (my R700 weighed in at 1.44kg including the optical drive). It seems to be well put together although it is not as solid as the E series. For example, pressure on the back of the display can cause image distortions (but I read somewhere that deflections won't be so much as to cause the display to crack).



The keyboard isn't as nice as the E series - the thinness of the computer doesn't provide much space for generous key movement - and there's no backlighting. The touchpad, on the other hand, is generously sized (almost 100mm / 4" diagonal).



The other noticeable feature of the R700 is that the fan can get noisy when the CPU is under load. It's not quite as noisy as the R500 but is intrusive compared to the E series fans.



The display is bright and looks OK (but I used Windows 7's calibrate function to adjust the gamma).



The Toshiba is well worth a look if you are willing to compromise on the display real estate. The Lenovo T420s may also be worth a look.



John

Someone please explain to me all the ultra portables

Hello



Can someone explain what U30, U31, U33, U35, U36, U41, U43, U45, U53, UL20, UL30, UL50, UL80, UX30, and UX50 means?

This is getting ridiculous, and the asus website is really good at NOT explaining anything I guess laptop manufacturers come from an alien planet



I can't really see the differences between the U and UL serie. And then the UX serie?

Reply 1 : Someone please explain to me all the ultra portables

The letters are representative of the product line. Like Chevy, Pontiac and GMC. The first number usually reflect a) the screen size - 3 = 13inch, 4 = 14inch, 5 = inch inch ... and the last number is the "generation".



You might as well ask GM why they release a car named an Aztek, or a Aveo, or a Vibe. You'll get answers, but they won't actually help you decide anything, because they're meaningless beyond the name.

Reply 2 : Someone please explain to me all the ultra portables

On top of what DCx said, the number 8 also refers to 14 inchers. The reason behind this is because Asus did not like to use the number "4" as this is commonly associated with "death" in the Chinese culture.

Reply 3 : Someone please explain to me all the ultra portables

i really love the u36jc. if you want a perfect 13" notebook this comes so close.

Reply 4 : Someone please explain to me all the ultra portables

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geared2play.com i really love the u36jc. if you want a perfect 13" notebook this comes so close.

I actually have a few minor qualms with my U36Jc. Nothing major, but it would be nice to see a better/brighter screen, a tighter AC plug to the laptop and a backlit keyboard. It runs pretty warm during load, but I guess that's expected from such a thin laptop.



Another nice and comparable laptop to the U36Jc is the new Samsung 9 Series if that's what the OP is looking for.

Reply 5 : Someone please explain to me all the ultra portables

And a cheap alternative to both the u36 and the samsung (and I mean cheap, not inexpensive, though it is also inexpensive) is an acer timeline. Not one of the "bells and whistles" ones, but something with a lower end processor can usually be picked up at walmart, costco or bestbuy for ~400.

When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

Does anyone know when the QX412 will likely make it to the U.S.? It was released in South Korea about 2 weeks ago, now I am seeing online stores in AU and NZ taking orders with -AU and -NZ model postfixes. When it does come to the U.S. I for one hope they offer a model with something larger than the 320Gig drives they are shipping elsewhere, otherwise I think it will make a good replacement for my dying X460.

Reply 1 : When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

That is a nice looking notebook with a good feature set. I would put it on my list of possibilities if Samsung offered a higher resolution display.



However, I can't offer any clue about if/when it will show up in North America. That depends on the regional marketing office.



John

Reply 2 : When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

Hopefully soon, I am from the UK and REALLY want that laptop, apart from the resolution its perfect, although they say it is brighter than other laptops with the same resolution but who knows till you try it. I can't find a hands-on review either, just one with the specs basically.



Hopefully by August as Septembers too late for me (Going to uni). ITs funny how its gone to AU and NZ but not the US... Thought it would be the opposite way round.

Reply 3 : When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

is this the qx410's successor? Now feel reluctant to buy the qx410 in 3 days. If this model will be available in the U.S shortly, maybe I'll wait.

Reply 4 : When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamycreamy Hopefully soon, I am from the UK and REALLY want that laptop, apart from the resolution its perfect, although they say it is brighter than other laptops with the same resolution but who knows till you try it. I can't find a hands-on review either, just one with the specs basically.

It's listed on the Samsung UK website so its arrival in UK must be imminent (but,so far, its not listed by any resellers).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamycreamy Hopefully by August as Septembers too late for me (Going to uni). ITs funny how its gone to AU and NZ but not the US... Thought it would be the opposite way round.

Production logistics means that it difficult to launch new models in all markets at the same time. The US seems to have got the ZX310 first but is lower down the queue for some of the other new models.



John

Reply 5 : When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

I believe the QX411 is the successor to the QX410 in NA, and Best Buy Canada has it up for sale now.



I don't really get the logic of Samsung's product lineup..the only difference between the QX412 and QX411 seems to be the colour of the lid.

Reply 6 : When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

Wow!! This what I was looking for....I was going to get the QX410 but the high bezel at the bottom was a major turn off so I settled for the Q430 ($600) instead on a 90 day trial basis. The QX412 is the corrected QX410 but the problem now is how long will it take to get to the states. I bet this will be $800 to $900 range when it hit the states so will it be worth the extra few hundred which pretty much is the extra battery life.

Reply 7 : When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kriegherr I believe the QX411 is the successor to the QX410 in NA, and Best Buy Canada has it up for sale now.

You may be right, but I am hoping not, as it appears from the presentations regarding the QX411 and the QX412 that the QX411 does not have the narrowed screen bezel--or at least it is not mentioned or shown on the QX411 presentation as it is in the QX412.



YouTube - Get to know the Samsung QX411



YouTube - Get to know the Samsung QX412



It is confusing, though, as the QX411 presentation is initially labeled as being for the QX411, but then QX511 is flashed on the screen at the end. I am not sure which one is being pictured.

Reply 8 : When will the QX412 come to the U.S.

hmm curious, the QX411 at bestbuy is paired with a nvidia 525M. Is that a mistake? I swear it should be a 520M The canadian bestbuy has it on sale right now =/

Inspiron 530

When the Inspiron 530 is powered on,all I get is a Blue screen with the DELL logo on it and two choices to boot up F6 and F12 and it still won't boot up. It boot up just fine yesterday automatically. Is there anything I can try before I take it to a repair shop? Any suggestions will be appreciated. The OS is Vista Home Premium.

George

Reply 1 : Inspiron 530

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/inspd530/en/OM/PDF/om_en.pdf seems to show on page 91 how to use the Dell Diagnostics.

Have you done this?

Reply 2 : Inspiron 530

I can't run the diagnostics because I can't get any farther than the first screen with the DELL logo.

Reply 3 : Inspiron 530

Boot from the CD (see the docs on how.)

If you can't do that then the machine needs repairs. You have to guess which part but given only this story I'll suspect HDD, CD drives and the motherboard.
Bob

Reply 4 : Inspiron 530

I took it to the Geek Squad and they determined that nothing was wrong with the computer. They said that sometimes a USB device attached to the computer will stop it at the LOGO screen. It was probably my HP Deskjet D4260 printer.

Toughbooks for sale on Govdeals

A bunch of toughbooks for sale here, to include lots of cf-19 and cf-30's.



ROB, here you go..........................





Results for cf-, pg 1 - GovDeals.com

Reply 1 : Toughbooks for sale on Govdeals

Thank you for this! I will see what I can buy

**XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

Dell XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide

(Use at your own risk, I'm not responsible for any damage to your computer or parts.)



Time required: 1 hour +



Items required: Small screwdriver set, torx T9 (Only needed for GPU).



Ok, lets get started. This doesn't require a lot of skill, but patience is a must, so take your time going through all the steps. I recommend using separate ziplock bags to sort your screws from each step so you don't mix them up, and mark the bag for each step. If you are applying thermal paste, I recommend using lint free cloth or coffee filters and 91%+ isopropyl alcohol to clean the components. Use gloves to keep oil from your fingers off the components, also watch out for static (if you don't trust yourself, invest in an anti static band.).







Step 1:

Start by removing the panel above your keyboard, there is a notch in the right side. Once you get it started gently pop the tabs up down the length of the panel, don't break them.





Step 2:

Remove the four screws that hold the keyboard in place.





Step 3:

Gently slide the keyboard towards the LCD, after its free, remove the ribbon cable underneath.





Step 4:

Disconnect the LCD ribbon/cables and the wireless card cables.





Step 5:

Unscrew the LCD hinges and remove the LCD lid. Place it somewhere out of the way for now.





Step 6:

Remove the 2 screws holding the Logitech LCD in place, disconnect the cable and remove it, also disconnect the other marked connections. Then remove the screws marked in green, I left this out in the original post by mistake, so marked these by looking back at my pictures, so I may have missed one or marked a hole that is not screw.





Step 7:

Flip the notebook over, open your HDD bay and remove the drives (one screw is hidden in here), then remove the 15 screws marked, this includes the one with the lock symbol, this frees your dvd drive, go ahead and pull that out after the screws are removed.





Step 8:

Flip the notebook back over, disconnect the touchpad cable and gently remove the cover. It should come up without too much force, be careful of the plastic tabs, don't break them.





Step 9:

Ok, now that the top is off, start by removing the GPU in the top left corner. Pull up where it says “Push Here”, should come up easily. Sit it to the side for now.





Step 10:

Remove the 5 cables/ribbons marked.





Step 11:

Remove the 6 screws holding the motherboard down, 2 are underneath the GPU, it should be removed already, but wasn't in this picture.





Step 12:

Remove the motherboard, and flip it over, now you should see the cpu, remove the 5 screws and remove the heatsink.





Step 13:

Now you can change the cpu, turn the screw to unlock the cpu, make sure to lock it back when the new one is in place. Don't forget thermal paste, I recommend ArcticSilver5. You want an even paper thin layer on the die of the cpu, less is more. Use Google or http://www.arcticsilver.com/ for detailed instructions.







Step 14:

Clean up the heatsink, get all the old thermal paste off.

Before



After





Step 15:

Back to the GPU, start by removing the 6 screws holding the fans on. Then flip them over, leave the cables on until you get the heatsink off, much easier to disconnect then.





Step 16:

Remove the 8 screws holding the heatsink down and remove it.





Step 17:

Now disconnect the fan cables, and clean up the GPU dies.







Step 18:

Clean up the GPU heatsink.







GPU with AS5:





If you made it this far, you did it! Now reverse the steps to put your rig back together, cheers!

Reply 1 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

+1! Excellent job with description and pics! Rip, can you edit the post and add the Torx size? Some don't have a full Torx set and it might be helpful if they need to pick up the single.

Reply 2 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

+1 Great work! Very handy reference, wouldve been very useful when i changed my CPU. I might AS5 my GPU's now.

Reply 3 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BatBoy +1! Excellent job with description and pics! Rip, can you edit the post and add the Torx size? Some don't have a full Torx set and it might be helpful if they need to pick up the single.

Done, thx for rep guys

Reply 4 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

Excellent!!!!!!! Top of the line guide.

Reply 5 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

Great guide, this will make upgrading easy for people. I will probably do one for the M6400 within the next week or 2.

Reply 6 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

Big thanks! +1 if not +2!

Reply 7 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

Big +1! If I ever get brave enough to change something other than my memory, this will be my first stop.

Reply 8 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

Bump for all to see. Or at least all that care.

Reply 9 : **XPS M1730 Disassembly Guide**

Excellent post! I can see that you have a Toshiba notebook also.

Dell Lid Designs

Hey all,



Just was curious to see if anyone has got a DELL DESIGN STUDIO pattern on their laptop lid? im wondering if anyone can share a pic of theirs, im curious to see how it looks in real-life instead of the pictures that dell provides.



Heres what i chose: El Toro







my laptop is coming in early may, i will share a real pic of it when it comes in.

Reply 1 : Dell Lid Designs

You may want to check some of the "Official Owner Threads" in the Dell Inspiron/Studio forum. I bet some peeps posted some images of their covers

Reply 2 : Dell Lid Designs

I was thinking of getting mine airbrushed...maybe some real flames...this looks cool too.

YouTube - Can Yucel Freehand Airbrush - Tiger Laptop 2

Reply 3 : Dell Lid Designs

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott5626 I was thinking of getting mine airbrushed...maybe some real flames...this looks cool too. YouTube - Can Yucel Freehand Airbrush - Tiger Laptop 2

the airbrushing is a very nice high-quality effect! but i think it would be quite expensive

Reply 4 : Dell Lid Designs

I found a place local thay quoted me around $100 for some flames. Salty but definitely makes your laptop unique.

Reply 5 : Dell Lid Designs

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott5626 I found a place local thay quoted me around $100 for some flames. Salty but definitely makes your laptop unique.

not bad at all for some custom airbrushing