The left control key on my keyboard has suddenly started toggling the mute on my master volume. How do I make it stop? [more inside]
posted on Jul 23, 2008 - 4 answers

My laptop recently died, and I need to replace it. I'm thinking of getting the cheapest macbook or an equivalently priced Dell or Lenovo. Help me figure out which. [more inside]
posted on Jul 23, 2008 - 17 answers

Why does typing (in Word or in a browser) cause my Dell Inspiron 1520 to go into standby mode? This has happened a few times over the past week. It doesn’t happen every session. Mouse clicks do not cause the problem, only typing. This keyboard is part of the laptop, which is less than a year old. It is running Windows XP. Drivers are updated. I’ve reset the power options so that standby should never occur. Any ideas?
posted on Jul 15, 2008 - 3 answers

I am having a very unusual problem with my hard drive and CANNOT recover any data from it after trying numerous methods. Please help me with your technical expertise. [more inside]
posted on Jun 29, 2008 - 7 answers

I have a Dell Latitude X300, which uses the same ac adapter that every other Dell I’ve seen lately uses. Is there anything that will work for my laptop that is smaller and easier for me to carry around? [more inside]
posted on Jun 26, 2008 - 2 answers

Would reinstalling XP mean I don't have to deal with Dell? [more inside]
posted on Jun 18, 2008 - 12 answers

Dell Inspiron 5100 BIOS password reset? [more inside]
posted on Jun 18, 2008 - 9 answers

I have a Dell Inspiron 600m that has a weird problem: USB flash drives aren't detected at all, but other usb devices (i.e. external usb harddrives) work perfectly fine. Clean install of Windows with updated drivers does not fix this problem. My google-fu apparently isn't sophisticated enough to dig up a solution. Ideas?
posted on May 30, 2008 - 6 answers

How can I find a list of compatible audio cards for Dell Dimension 9100? I'd like to upgrade to a top of a line one for this machine since I am a home-studio musician and the C-Media mixer I currently have is full of static and sucks real bad. Thank you in advance!
posted on May 21, 2008 - 3 answers

Can anyone help me figure out how to resume file sharing capabilities between my MacBook Pro and my Windows Vista PC after my 'Book has been in Sleep mode? [more inside]
posted on May 2, 2008 - 2 answers

My Dell XPS M1710 required a complete windows re-install (XP SP2 Media Centre). All went swimmingly (if not labouriously) until I went to re-install other programs. My 110Gb hard disk now only has 2 Gb free. Where are the the other 95Gb and how do I get access to it? [more inside]
posted on Apr 26, 2008 - 12 answers

My computer gets extremely loud at random moments. [more inside]
posted on Apr 16, 2008 - 8 answers

I bought a high end Dell laptop for my business. When I purchased, I bought the 3 year OMG "complete care" warranty. Two days ago, the system bluescreened with a "memory parity 500 error". System won't reboot. In the last couple of days, I've spent over 6 hours on the phone with tech support, none of whom are native English speakers, to be told that my options are to either wait 3-6 weeks for a replacement system, or to accept a significant downgrade in components to have a tech come out and repair the system. Am I just screwed if I need to get my system up asap? [more inside]
posted on Apr 2, 2008 - 15 answers

I've been watching DVDs on my laptop (Dell Inspiron 600m) for the past 3 years without a problem; in fact, I just watched 2 DVDs on it last week. Now, playback freezes after 12 minutes and the drive makes horrible "stuttering" noises. [more inside]
posted on Apr 2, 2008 - 13 answers

Additional power source/ adapter for a Dell Vostro 1500? [more inside]
posted on Mar 1, 2008 - 2 answers

How can I make a growable hardware RAID-5 Linux system? Is LVM the right choice, or am I setting myself up for trouble? Lots of geeky details follow. [more inside]
posted on Mar 1, 2008 - 10 answers

What's the best way to erase my hard drive for resale if I don't have original OS reinstall CDs to work with? [more inside]
posted on Feb 29, 2008 - 13 answers

LinuxNewbie/Hardware Filter: I just bought a Dell T105 server and installed Ubuntu on it. The machine is great, but graphics performance is very very bad. It only has PCI and PCIe 8x slots, no PCIe 16x ones. Is it possible to get a compatible graphics card? [more inside]
posted on Feb 25, 2008 - 10 answers

Posted for a friend: Her laptop (Dell Inspiron 1500, I think) is having a lighting issue. After a couple minutes of being on, the entire screen will darken perceptibly, except for the mouse cursor. Everything is still easily legible, however. This is a new quirk for her laptop, and it's driving her bonkers. What is it? [more inside]
posted on Feb 20, 2008 - 7 answers

Should I buy a new laptop or spend $400 to repair my 2004 Dell Inspiron 600m? [more inside]
posted on Feb 2, 2008 - 14 answers

Where does RAM bank 1 (or A) live on a Dell Latitude D820? [more inside]
posted on Jan 21, 2008 - 7 answers

Very poor, sometimes non-functional, video DVD playback on my Dell laptop. The related features have no problems in any other context. I don't even have any idea what could be wrong, so no idea what to Google for help... [more inside]
posted on Dec 12, 2007 - 5 answers

My girlfriend has a Dell Inspiron, and the battery light won't stop flashing. [more inside]
posted on Dec 9, 2007 - 16 answers

Is Dell Support lying when they say that their new XPS laptop is not WinXP-compatible? [more inside]
posted on Nov 26, 2007 - 13 answers

Dell notebook with Vista screen resolution keeps changing itself upon "waking up"- why? [more inside]
posted on Nov 16, 2007 - 10 answers

Can I configure and use an HP wp100 AirPort print server in an all PC environment? If so, how? [more inside]
posted on Nov 13, 2007 - 5 answers

Is extending my Dell Inspiron 6000 laptops warranty for three years worth $160 or would that make me a sucker? [more inside]
posted on Nov 2, 2007 - 18 answers

Another longshot hardware question, but not the wood table kind: I have an OLD Dell PowerEdge 350. I'm running OpenSUSE 10.3. I'd like to monitor system stats like processor temperature and drive status via the normal IPMI drivers. This should be possible; I can get it working on a 1650 using the drivers from Dell's linux website. It doesn't mention the 350 anywhere. Ideas?
posted on Oct 31, 2007 - 2 answers

Cannot install/update Broadcom 57xx Ethernet driver on Optiplex 740 - now I have no access to the internet or the rest of my network! [more inside]
posted on Oct 30, 2007 - 3 answers

What are some things I could do with an old XP box? [more inside]
posted on Oct 29, 2007 - 14 answers

Why does my laptop's wireless network fail to work after resuming from standby, requiring a reboot? [more inside]
posted on Oct 26, 2007 - 12 answers

I'm after a PHP+MySQL app along the lines of Dell's Idea Storm site. [more inside]
posted on Oct 26, 2007 - 4 answers

Dell Outlet Windows / OS Refund. [more inside]
posted on Oct 4, 2007 - 24 answers

What widescreen monitor will work well for me? [more inside]
posted on Oct 3, 2007 - 17 answers

Is it possible to buy a new laptop for around $500 with Windows XP? [more inside]
posted on Sep 30, 2007 - 6 answers

How difficult is it to replace a laptop's cooling fans? [more inside]
posted on Sep 16, 2007 - 9 answers

Why can I only browse certain web-sites with my Dell PC (Windows Vista Home Premium) and my DSL High Speed Internet (Bell Sympatico)? [more inside]
posted on Sep 15, 2007 - 17 answers

Will I be able to overclock a Dell Inspiron (Desktop) 531? I know the standard line is that it's impossible, but I hear things about how some Dell motherboards are just slightly-modified from normal ones, and that a little tweaking and flashing will allow overclocking. I can't find any specs on what motherboard the 531 has, though, so I am not sure where to begin.
posted on Sep 3, 2007 - 2 answers

My Dell Inspiron 9300 seems to have a dead motherboard; would it be worth getting it replaced or do I have a shiny new doorstop? [more inside]
posted on Aug 30, 2007 - 10 answers

How do I stop my laptops internal Wifi card from disconnecting? [more inside]
posted on Aug 24, 2007 - 7 answers

Should I be worried about these weird noises my laptop is making? [more inside]
posted on Aug 14, 2007 - 9 answers

Is it possible to purchase an adapter for a Dell Inspiron 1300 that actually works? [more inside]
posted on Aug 11, 2007 - 7 answers

Can a Dell L400 laptop motherboard be swapped out for a C400 motherboard?
posted on Aug 7, 2007 - 1 answers

BSODFilter: I tried to install a RAM upgrade in my girlfriend's Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop, and got nothing on screen after powerup. So I replaced the old DIMM, and got the BSOD -- the file that was missing was a driver for the Intel video adapter. Long story short, it's still not working. [more inside]
posted on Aug 2, 2007 - 10 answers

Could you please help me decide on a new monitor? I have it narrowed down to three. [more inside]
posted on Jul 31, 2007 - 12 answers

How do I get my Dell Inspiron 2650 laptop keyboard to work again? [more inside]
posted on Jul 29, 2007 - 5 answers

I am seriously considering getting a laptop. Basic requirements are that it have a 15-inch screen, 2GBs of RAM and Windows Vista Home Premium. I've done a fair bit of research, but am finding it hard to come to a final decision. So now I turn to you, wise MeFi'ites. Can you help? [more inside]
posted on Jul 20, 2007 - 10 answers

Succour for Aged Computers Filter: I've got an old computer that is having two problems. 1) When it boots up, it always asks to go into safemode. This is an old problem. 2) when it boots up, I can use the kb to select safemode (or not) or make selections in the bios, but when XP loads up, mouse and kb aren't working! [more inside]
posted on Jul 19, 2007 - 7 answers

AVI,MPG,WMV video files will only play sound but no video (with the exception of Web based Flash videos like YouTube....they play fine!!??) on my Dell latitude D620 running Feisty Fawn 7.04 when playing to external 1708FP Dell LCD monitor....why?? (see explanation) [more inside]
posted on Jul 9, 2007 - 6 answers

Help me get past the BIOS password on a Dell Latitude. [more inside]
posted on Jul 6, 2007 - 12 answers