Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with laptop and dell

What Bay Area stores carry the Dell Adamo?

Susan PG — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:32:58 -0800

Where can I see a Dell Adamo (not the new XPS, but the one that was released last year) in person, in the San Francisco Bay Area? Frys doesn't seem to carry it, and I don't know who else would. I'm considering buying one, and want to handle it and check out the keyboard, weight, etc., in person, before making a decision. Thanks for any help you can provide :-)

Why does my laptop think I'm pushing ctrl?

Pope Guilty — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:50:34 -0800

My Inspiron 1545 thinks I'm pressing ctrl and I don't know why. I picked up a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop awhile back, and the only problem I've had with it is that it frequently activates the ctrl key regardless of whether or not I'm actually pressing it- or even have my hands on the keyboard! Sometimes this is just annoying, like randomly crouching in an FPS or tab-targeting grabbing friends instead of enemies in WoW, but if I type a "w" while it thinks I'm pressing ctrl, I lose the Firefox tab I was working in! If I hit tab in Firefox, I frequently go to the next tab instead of the next field. Perhaps most bafflingly, it is only ctrl that this happens with; it never randomly types another character, nor does it ever wrongly activate shift or alt or any other key.

So far, I've talked to Dell about it; they sent me a replacement keyboard, but this did not resolve the problem. Googling indicates that many people are having this problem, but nobody seems to have any solutions (besides one suggestion, bizarrely, to reduce trackpad sensitivity, which did nothing).

Anyone out there know what's going on or have any ideas?

Did dude steal a Dell?

ChurchHatesTucker — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:16:05 -0800

Is this computer hot? A friend of mine found a good deal (person to person) for a Dell Windows Vista laptop. He's wondering if the deal is good because the computer is hot. Is there any easy way to get a fair idea? (He's a newbie, I'm a Mac.)

Voided Warranty?

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:30:07 -0800

Is a Dell technician going to discover I've opened the computer before? The video card on my Dell XPS M1330 has crapped out. It's under warranty, so a quick chat with Dell support has them sending a technician out to replace the motherboard in the next few days. I just remembered, however, that I've opened the laptop a few times to clean dust out of the fans and adjust a cable that was being pinched. Will the tech be able to tell, and more importantly, will they refuse to service the laptop or charge me under the grounds that I've voided my warranty?

The problem I'm having with the M1330's video card appears to be widespread (see: "colored vertical lines" problem), so it's unlikely that i caused or affected it in any way by opening it up.

Which netbook should I get?

Quidam — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:31:14 -0800

Another netbook question: my 4 year old VAIO laptop is just about on its last leg, and I'm looking to replace it with a netbook as my primary computer. More specifics inside. I've read through all the questions tagged with "netbook", and I guess I'm just looking for some advice specific to my wants - especially because the market for netbooks seems to change so fast.

For example, in this question the consensus seems to be that the 1000HE eeePC is the way to go. Is that still true?

What I'd like:

-- Small is good -- 10" screen or less, I think
-- Want to run Windows and Microsoft Office
-- Not a gamer and don't need to be able to watch movies
-- Longer battery life desirable
-- All I really want besides Office is iTunes - but is my iTunes library going to be too much for a netbook to handle? (sorry, unfamiliar enough with computers for memory numbers not to mean a whole lot to me)

What I think I'm leaning towards is the Dell Mini 10, with Windows, and with the 6 cell battery. Is there any reason I should stay away, or opt for an eeePC or other brand? Any tips on where to order it from, other than dell.com?

Local Profile Not Found...Wha???

too bad you're not me — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:56:42 -0800

I recently logged onto my computer (Windows XP), and it said "profile not found". Help, please! Today I started my laptop, and at the welcome screen it said that my local profile was not found, so I was logged onto a temporary profile. All my personalized settings were gone (i.e. desktop picture, menu settings, default internet browser, etc).

I tried to google the problem, but haven't been able to find anything super helpful, and the only AskMe question seemed to be about a work computer that was connected to a server. Mine is a home laptop not connected to a server.

I'm fairly certain all my files on the hard drive are still there, but is this indicative of a problem with the hard drive?

Has anyone had this happen? Why did it happen? Basically any info would be great! Computer savvy people...come to my rescue! :)

Please help me find a laptop

billysumday — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:10:54 -0800

I'd like to purchase a cheap (~$400-$500) laptop with certain requirements. The more I look, the more confused I get. Please help me. I just want a cheap but relatively fast laptop to do some occasional out-of-the-house work in a coffee shop or library. I'll most likely only be using internet (wifi), Word, Excel, and iTunes. That's it. I do want a webcam so that I can Skype. I'll be doing a lot of typing so I don't want a netbook - the keyboard needs to big enough to comfortably type on, and the screen should be anywhere from 12"-15". I want it to be relatively fast and have a reasonable amount of space, but I don't need to do anything fancy like game playing or video editing. At the same time, I also don't want it to operate slowly and I don't want to have to plug in an external drive. Battery life would preferably be decent.

I've checked out the Dell Outlet, but they don't really seem to have the great deals that people say they do - e.g., in an old AskMe post someone said they recently purchased a 15" Inspiron with 3GB RAM and 250GB hard drive with webcam and other accessories for a little over $400. But now, you can't get anything under $500 that has more than 1GB RAM and 80GB hard drive. Am I missing something?

Also, I've gone to Best Buy and checked out their computers and some of them are nice. I come home and check out the computers online and they seem to be more expensive than in Best Buy. Again, I feel like I'm doing something wrong.

Please help this laptop noob. I've always just bought Macs but this time I just want to go the el cheapo route while still getting a good deal. So, anybody have good recommendations? Any models or brands to stay away from? And where should I look to get the best deal? Thanks to all.

Help with Dell media centre

maxmix — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:37:39 -0800

Dell media Cente light illuminated all the time I have a 6 month old Dell Studio 17 and the Media Centre button's light stays illuminated at all times, Meaning that I cannot access any of the Media Centre buttons because of this. I phoned Dell and they told me to remove the battery, hold power off and re start-This helped at first, but when I turn my laptop off and back on the Media centre light re illuminates and I'm back to square one. Also once my Laptop is switched If I touch the Media centre button it switces my machine back on!

Any one have any suggestions of how to solve this problem, mainly because I dont wan't to spend 45 mins waiting to get through to Dell

YAWLQ: Yet Another Which Laptop Question

maelanchai — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:23:11 -0800

Dell E6400 or Lenovo T400? Or will a newer, better product be out in a month or two? This is embarrassing to admit, but after years in the techie world, I still don't know when new computer models typically launch, and my google fu has failed me on trying to find this out.

Here's the deal. My beloved little black friend, the Lenovo T42 just had its second hard drive blow on me. Bummer for me. The good news is that I have managed to recover from backup to a temporary machine. The other good news is that I get to buy a new computer. I can wait if a new model is around the corner, but don't want to run on this loaner machine for more than a month or two at most. So, if a new model is not around the corner, please help me choose between the Dell E6400 and the Lenovo T400. I get a couple hundred $ price break on the Dells through my business, but am still considering the Lenovo because I'm not sure I can give up the yummy keyboard. Here is what I consider important. Please help me decide:

1) Speed and reliability*****
2) Weight
3) Graphics
4) Keyboard and trackpoint feel. I do not use the greasepad
5) I will use a docking station with a DVI monitor
6) I like the idea of a backlit keyboard
7) Display crispness and ease on the eyes
8) Price

I am looking at a 14" screen, XP Pro, Intel P9500, DVDRW, 4GB Ram, 256MB discrete graphics, WXGA+

How to fix laptop keyboard keys that fell off?

macsigler — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:21:29 -0800

How to fix laptop keyboard keys that fell off? I have a Dell XPS M1710 laptop, and some of the keyboard keys have popped out of their spot. I have tried to reattach the plastic retainers on the keys to their spot on the keyboard, but inevitably they never latch on like they used to, and in fact some are now broken or lost. Is there a secret to getting them to pop on, or is there an alternative, i.e. mini-springs and superglue, etc.? I'm willing to try most reasonable ideas. Thanks in advance!

Other good gaming laptops under $1000?

wastelands — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:14:30 -0800

Under $1000 laptop: I have my eye on a particular model; am I missing any others in my research? I'm finally replacing a Dell desktop that is truly too slow, noisy, etc. I've been doing the research and I like this model: MSI GX620-001US.

Things I like about it / criteria:

It's within my $1000 budget

Decent graphics card so I can use it as a gaming system

Has a fairly trim/thin body

Plain/not overly colorful or curvy body. I love those Lenovo laptops for the same reason; they're minimalist and not flashy. (I don't think Lenovo has gaming capable lappies, though, at least not in my price range.)

Decent reputation/reviews overall. Second-best rating on NewEgg.

15.4" screen size is perfect for me. I need to fit it side-by-side on a table at home that holds a big monitor (I'll be using both displays at once with VGA out) as well as have enough useable screen space for doing stuff like Ableton Live on the go.

I've looked at Dells. They're thicker and more expensive than the MSI on a specs basis. Buuut... they do have that nice LED backlighting.

I took a serious look at Apple stuff. That aluminum unibody is hot. But paying an extra $150 for a even refurb 13" screen model, and getting used to new UI and programs (I'm used to Windows)... meh.

Are there any stores and/or particular laptop models that I'm overlooking that fit my criteria?

I've heard Sager notebooks can be good, I and found I could get a $900 model that has a bigger battery but slower processor compared to the MSI. But there aren't a ton of reviews out there on Sagers, so that plus the slower CPU makes me want to pass.

Why can I install Ubuntu but not Windows?

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:54:58 -0800

Why can't I install Windows XP Pro on my Dell laptop? I get an error message that says "acpi.sys is corrupted". I can install Ubuntu 8.04 just fine. I've searched various forums for this issue and haven't seemed to make any headway. I used (retail) disc to successfully install XP Pro on my sister's Gateway laptop just to see if it was a problem with the disc. It wasn't, and the install proceeded normally.

I updated the BIOS to the latest version and that didn't do anything. I've searched every BIOS setting for anything related to ACPI but can't find anything. I know ACPI is a power management setting, but there's nothing in the BIOS that says ACPI anywhere.

I've tried pressing F5 during the install to change the Hardware Abstraction Layer. I've tried every option there with no luck. I finally tried to install Ubuntu 8.04 and that worked perfectly. I just need to be able to install Windows to run a couple of applications that can't run under WINE/Crossover Linux/Other Emulators.

It's a Dell Precision Workstation M65 with 2 GB of memory, with the A10 BIOS version (formerly tried under A04 and got the same error). It used to have a corporate image of Windows XP Pro on it, but when I lelft my job I was locked out of the laptop (I used a live CD to back up all my data and then reformatted the drive). After that, I can install Ubuntu but I can't install Windows. Weird.

Any clues? I'm getting by with Ubuntu and Open Office, but I'd really prefer the option of running Windows here.

Laptop screen dying: DIY to prevent RIP?

googly — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:00:05 -0800

My laptop screen appears to be dying. Is there anything I can do? I have a 3-year-old Dell Latitude X1 laptop that has taken a fair bit of abuse over the years. Recently, the screen has started having an intermittent problem: part of the screen will take on a much lighter shade, and it will look as if the resolution has been reduced - almost exactly like when Windows is run in Safe Mode. Here are some pix:

Normal.
Abnormal: 1, 2, 3.

I can rectify this problem by slightly bending the screen from the side, or by changing the angle of the screen.

My questions:

(1) What is the problem? I assume its hardware related, and (hopefully) some connecting wire that is being bent/broken. Or could it be the motherboard?

(2) Is this something that I might be able to fix on my own and for relatively cheap? The computer works great otherwise and I'd really love to hang on to it, but I'm not willing to pay $1000 for a replacement screen.

(3) Is there some way that I can diagnose and/or fix this? I am comfortable opening up electronics and doing basic repair work (e.g. replacing drives and fans and so forth) but hardly an expert.

How to keep Dell Latitude power supplies from dying?

robocop is bleeding — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:04:54 -0800

O, the carnage! Is there anything I can do to prolong the lifespan of a Dell Latitude's power brick/AC adapter? My library has 55 Dell laptops that we check out to students. Recently, it seems like the power supplies (power brick + plug) have been dying with a surprising frequency. Is there anything I can do to stem the genocide?

We have checked the library's power outlets and there have been no strangeness or surges or the like.

It seems to be the brick itself that fails. I can detach the part that plugs into the wall, hook up up to a working brick, and it works fine.

Power supplies are stored in milk crates, wrapped with the included rubber strap, when not in use. They are not piled deeply or wrapped super tightly - that's what killed the vast variety of cords that we had previously and I drilled it into my student employees' brains to treat the power supplies with care.

While the power supplies are still under warranty, getting them replaced in a huge pain involving long waits on hold and a flurry of shipping labels.

Our laptops are used pretty heavily, so I am hoping that there is something we can do to help prolong the lifespan of these power supplies - currently I'm replacing roughly 3-5 a week!

There are so many laptops out there!

majikstreet — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:24:03 -0800

Laptop recommendations for a ~600 USD budget Yep, another laptop question.

I have a ~600 USD budget. I mostly surf the web, email, type, that type of thing. No gaming, but I do occasionally edit photos/videos.

I'm planning to put some distribution of linux on it (probably Arch).

I'm not really sure about what brand even to look at, as I haven't bought a laptop for a while, and I had been looking at netbooks because I thought my budget would be a lot smaller. I'm still open to them, but I think I'd be better suited to a regular notebook. (I think I'd get a Samsung NC10, though, because it seems to be the best of the current netbooks.)

I did have an older, used IBM Thinkpad that was very good, until it broke. It did, however, survive at least three drops to the floor from at least waist height.

I'm slightly wary of Dell because I've dealt with their support before, but I may be able to be swayed..

Right now I'm looking at a Toshiba , a Lenovo, and an HP.

I definitely want a new laptop (not used!). I have seen the past few questions about laptops.

I love Vista, hate the way it handles flash drives. Obi-Wan, Help Me!

damiano99 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:51:06 -0800

I love Vista, hate the way it handles flash drives. Obi-Wan, Help Me! I use a Vista laptop and an XP desktop for work. When I copy anything from the XP machine on my flash drive and use it on my Vista Laptop, it won't let me delete or re-save it after editing, saying the file is Read-Only. Even if I copy something to it from the Vista machine it always asks to confirm things. I know UAC is a pain in the neck but is there anyway around it's behaviour on flashdrives?

Wonky PageUp / PageDown Key Operation

Exchequer — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:22:15 -0800

The PageUp and PageDown keys on my Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop have started acting weird. Sometimes they act correctly (rarely), sometimes they take me directly to the top or the bottom of the current page (now and then), and sometimes they don't work at all (often). I'm seeing this mostly in Firefox, haven't check other apps yet. This started about a week ago, a few reboots and cold starts since it first occurred...not seeing any improvement or further degradation. Do you know why this is happening, how I can diagnose the issue, and/or how it can be fixed? I use those keys often and this is really hampering my use of my laptop.

Run a laptop while it's closed?

trip and a half — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:50:23 -0800

Can I make my Dell laptop keep running when it is closed? I recently bought this Dell laptop. Don't ask me why -- I needed a laptop right away and it looked like the best thing at BestBuy at the moment. Anyway, I'm mostly happy with it, but I want it to run when it's shut.

As I announced in this AskMe answer, I have a new tv tuner that plugs into the usb port. Thing is, I also often have the laptop connected to an external monitor. For purely aesthetic reasons, I want to be able to close the laptop and still have it output the video to the external monitor. Is this possible? I've looked at the manual and googled but I can't find out how to do this.

Dead display on Dell laptop. Tell me its not terminal.

wile e — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:43:05 -0800

Dell Vostro 1400. Screen has died. I need it to not be dead, all details inside. Dell Vostro 1400
2ghz core duo
2gig ram
160gig HD
Windows Vista Ultimate
Video card is unknown off the top of my head, checking dell in a moment to get an answer, so look below.

This computer gets a lot of use. Its a little over a year old, and all of a sudden it started to freak out. It had begun starting to run hotter than normal, then the screen went crazy. It became pixelated and wildly colored and frozen. Would not do anything until you manually shut it down.

I assumed it just overheated, but there was no blockage in the fan area and everything else seemed normal, just hot. I let it cool down and the screen came back on. The following morning after som elight usage, it did it again. I rebooted and it returned to normal. I used it the rest of the day, until I was in a conference call with my new boss and it freaked out and died. As I had been using it all day, I let it alone thinking it needed to cool off. This was 4hours ago.

Now when I boot up, the backlight comes on, but no display. The computer is ok, as I can here the windows start noises and I can blindly type in my password and it logs me in. But I cannot see a thing, just a backlit black screen.

I have opened up the few hatches in the bottom of the computer, but only see the HD, the memory slots and what looks to be the cooling heat sink. No access to a vid card or anything.

Anything I can do? Is there ANY way I am not screwed? I really need this computer now and dont have much in funds to be replacing it. I am also in Helsinki, and this was bought in NY, not sure if that makes a difference.

Thanks for any help you may have.

I want a laptop, not a craptop.

gnutron — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:32:46 -0800

Laptop Battel! Help me decide which manufacturer deserves my hard-earned money. I've narrowed it down to Dell vs. Toshiba vs. Lenovo. Also, RAM: 2gb or 3? So I'm shopping for a laptop. I have read the other posts on the topic.

I know what I basically want: 14" screen, 2/3gb RAM, 100+gb HDD, nice screen, reasonably portable, less than $1K. I have narrowed it down to three choices: Dell Inspiron 1420 or Toshiba Satellite Pro S300M or Lenovo ThinkPad R400

These all meet my basic requirements and ballpark around the same price. Since they're all about the same price, my main concern is quality, durability and reliability - I want it to work well as a secondary/travel computer for 5+ years. I have read that Toshibas are prone to overheating problems. Any recommendations or warning on these specific brands?

And regarding RAM... I understand that Vista is hungry for it, but it doesn't really use more than 2gb anyway. I won't be doing anything particularly intensive with the machine. Still, I'd like my computer to run well and continue to run well 5 years from now. Will spending a little extra money on another gb of RAM actually make a difference?

Make my Vista Arrow Keys Work.

Juicylicious — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:07:15 -0800

How do I set up my arrow keys to cycle forward/backward in firefox? I had this ability with my T42 XP, now I have a 1720 inspiron Vista and I don't have that ability anymore. I've called Dell support, but they have no idea what I'm talking about. I miss using my arrows keys to move back and forth between pages on firefox, instead of the mouse. Help :/

Selling laptop

mjewkes — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:06:15 -0800

Selling a Dell inspiron 1520 laptop in Canada - advice? T7300 Processor, 2Gigs of ram, 8600GT gfx card, 9cell battery, 2 years of remaining warranty, Vista home, excellent condition.

Its a pretty great gaming rig. TF2, Oblivion, Crysis, etc.

Selling from Canada.

Anyone have any advice for where to sell it and how much I could expect to receive?

Help! There's a hole in my computer!

brandman — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:30:51 -0800

I have a Dell Inspiron e1505, and a small chunk of the white plastic frame around the keyboard/cpu area has broken off. How can I fix this? I don't know how it happened...at first, I noticed some cracks in that area, then one day the piece was gone. For the past few weeks, I've had a piece of tape over the hole, but I'd like something more robust/permanent. Is there some sort of plastic/fiberglass/etc. repair solution I could use, that will be effective on a rounded surface?

Lagging edge notebook computer for less than $500?

WestCoaster — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:04:53 -0800

I'm looking for a lagging edge (can be large, heavy, and have poor battery life) *new* notebook computer, for less than $500. Suggestions? My sister-in-law wants a new (not used) notebook computer. She is only going to use it at home, but wants to be able to move it off the desk when she's done (so let's rule out a desktop computer). It can be "lagging edge" because she doesn't care about (a) weight or (b) size or (c) battery life. She would like at least a 15 inch monitor, and it needs to be a Windows machine (I'd prefer Windows XP). And yes, I've checked dell.com; they do in fact sell notebook computers with 15.4 inch monitors for less than $500 (not counting shipping and tax). I'm interested in suggestions for alternatives - what's available that's really solid, so I won't have to do tech support (or apologize for my recommendation)?

What do I need to get this laptop online?

Frasermoo — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:16:53 -0800

Help me get a laptop online please. I have been given an old laptop, Dell Latitude CPx 650. It needs a battery, and CD drive which I'm ok with, but what card do I need to get it online?

Ideally I'd like the option to go wifi and cable.

Ta.