Dell Inspiron Duo

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-l702x/pd.aspx

Michael Dell's Advice to Entrepreneurs

My Audio driver keeps getting uninstalled

You might be using your computer and then suddenly you use sound. You try to turn up the volume but a message appeared that there's no Audio device installed. You check your device manager and your Audio device is still in there. You just re-installed the driver yesterday. What going on?

Answer:
There's nothing wrong with your computer, physically. There's a VIRUS causing this problem. if you try to go to SERVICES.MSC and look for the WINDOWS AUDIO SERVICE, you'll find that it's been disabled. If you start the service the sound will come on again so there's no need to re-install a the sound driver. What you do need is to get yourself a better anti-virus program. You can also just use MALWAREBYTE. It's free.

This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use (code 12). Resolved!

So I had this customer earlier who I spent almost 3 hours on the phone trying to resolve this issue. The guy had an old Dimension XPS and decided to upgrade his Video card from an ATI AGP 128MB to an NVIDIA 9400GT PCI 1GB! So the issue started with the display lagging whenever he scrolls up or down and when moving individual windows. We checked device manager and there was a yellow mark on NVIDIA 9400GT.

Here are the things we tried:

1. Uninstalled and re-installed video driver.
2. We went to BIOS setup (F2 on startup), Integrated Devices> Video Controller, then we changed AGP to AUTO.
3. We even reseated the video card and CMOS coin battery.

All these didn't make a difference. It's true that ATI Control panel from the old GPU won't uninstall so this may also be causing the problem. Upon research we stumbled upon a forum http://discussions.virtualdr.com/archive/index.php/t-231257.html

posted by MPTECH

I finally contacted MSI and here's what they told me:
Ensure you have latest Bios update for your board (If you have not done so already). Please try with clearing the cmos setting on Jbat1 jumper/SW1 Switch or removing the battery on the mb out for 1 minute and put it back in with power off. Turn system back on load optimized default setting in bios cmos, save exit. If you didn’t start out with a clean/fresh load of Window please do so for best result.

We ended up doing so and it worked. Thanks MPTECH!

Configuring updates stage 3 of 3 RESOLVED!

This Issue is one of the toughest I've handled. Almost every time I encountered this I end up doing an Operating System re-installation. But I found a solution that actually works!

This is from the http://social.technet.microsoft.com forum.
Posted by NADER ZAVERI

You wouldn't even need to do a roll back of the sytem. Here is what you need to do.

1. Boot the computer into the “Safe Mode” options by pressing F8 prior the Windows Logo.
2. Select the option “Repair Your Computer”
Note: If you do not have this option, you will need the client’s Windows Disc. Once you have that disc, boot into it as if you were to install windows and after you select the language you will get the “Repair Your Computer” option.
3. Now you can get into Command Prompt
4. From the Command Prompt window, navigate to \Windows\winsxs folder
5. Then type: rename pending.xml to pending.old.xml
6. Now reboot the PC, you might still see the configuring updates, but this time it will go away.

And walaa, there you go, problem fixed.

Thank You

Indeed, THANK YOU!

The Dell Dock download

One of the interesting applications for Dell computers is the Dell Dock. Aside from being an eye-candy, the dock also serves to organize the programs and shortcuts so that they're not cluttered on your desktop screen. This can go on the top, bottom, or at the sides of the screen. Dell Dock first came out to complement the style and look of Windows Vista. It looked even better when used on Windows 7. In my opinion it was made in attempt to rival the MAC DOCK but it falls a bit short on that attempt. But at least there's something we could use as PC users that's almost as good.

Anyways, there's a negative side to using the Dell Dock. It seems to take up a lot of memory especially if you have the Vista Side Bar running with it. This will make your computer run slower if you don't have enough RAM memory.

So if you're still interested in getting the Dell Dock for your computer it's available at http:www.delldock.com

AC adapter wattage and type cannot be determined

What do you do when 1 day your Laptop's Battery is no longer charging and you get an error message like this when you boot up the computer. It's not an error message you'd want to seen in the morning. So here are the steps you should do in this kind of predicament.
1. Do as the error message says and Reseat the AC power cable, while you're at it, reseat the battery as well.
2. If your battery is still 10% full, you could update the BIOS of the computer.
3. Press F2 and check the Battery Health and Battery Info. You will have and idea whether the battery or the AC adapter is the one causing this problem.
4. Test using a known good AC adapter and Battery.
5. If after trying a different AC adapter and Battery and it's still showing this message or if it's still not charging, Tech supports usual nest step would be to send a technician to replace your motherboard.
6. For Studio XPS 16 and Studio XPS 1340, and upgrade from 95W to 130W AC adapter has been rolled out by dell because power requirements for these systems seems to be more than they originally expected.

Coverage of Expired Warranty Support

One day, your computer crashes. You run a hardware diagnostics and all test passed. You're not tech savvy at all and have no Idea how to resolve this problem. You're aware that your warranty is expired but you still decided to call Dell's renowned technical support to see what they can help you with. The operator tells you that you have to Pay $59 for support since you're out of warranty.
You decided to pay it anyway even if you couldn't understand the rep's strong foreign  accent. The rep gives you your confirmation number and you're transferred to a technical support person who seems to know what he's doing. He takes your confirmation number and guides you to fixing your computer. It takes him less than 30 minutes to fix it. You're completely amazed and thought the $59 was worth it.  But at the back of your mind you still have no idea what the coverage of the Expired warranty you paid for was.  So I'm here to tell you what it's all about.


Facts about your Expired Warranty Support (EWS)
1. The $59 is non-refundable except on occasions when no troubleshooting was done on the part of Dell.
2. The support group who will assist you is Dell's Hardware tech support, not  Solution Station (Software Dept)
3. Re-installing of windows and slow performance issues are covered.
4. The support period is 30 days only, unless the case has not been resolved in that time frame, then it would be indefinite..
5. Virus removal and data backup is not covered by this service.
6. You can call as many times as you want or as many hours as you want. It's all covered. Hehe!
7. lastly, EWS does not cover parts replacement. If parts are physically or mechanically damaged, the

The House Button

If you're a new user of a Dell laptop there are probably things on this computer that you don't see on others laptops. The House button is probably one of them. This is a fascinating fact I learned when I first worked with Dell computers.A lot of people just use their laptops as portable DVD (or Blu-ray) players. So why bother with booting up the computer when you can just press a button and it will automatically bring up a program that plays movies from your disc without having to go through windows?

Check your Dell computer's warranty online

Every day a there's a Dell computer that expires and Dell is making lots of money from customers whose warranty is expired but needs assistance with their computers. Although the company usually sends notice or calls a few days before the due date, somehow the email gets lost or the call doesn't go through. Next thing you know your computer has problems and you're having second thoughts of calling technical support for assistance because of the uncertainty of your warranty.

Dell XPS computers, by default, only have 1 year warranty. So if it's been a year and you don't recall extending your warranty when you bought the computer or after, chances are your warranty is expired.

But how do I know for sure?!

My New Dell computer did not come with any discs!

You might be wondering why your new computer did not come with any CD's. The information below contains a bit of the reason why.
Discs are still available though, but you'll have to call Technical Support to request for it, or you can just go to this website, http://support.dell.com/xpscd

****The following was taken from the dell community website***

Media Reduction Initiative (effective April 1, 2010)

* Effective Apr 1, 2010, consumer systems will no longer include the Operating System or Resource Driver discs. Utilize DataSafe Local to restore/create copy of the media
* DataSafe Local provides you with the capability to create a set of Recovery Discs that contain a complete copy of all software installed on your Dell computer. By creating these Recovery Discs, you are making a backup of all the software that was installed on your computer at the factory, which allows you to reinstall all applications, drivers and the Windows operating system shipped with your computer. While there is a similar copy of the software in the recovery partition, creating recovery discs provides additional protection for the factory installed software.
* DataSafe Local FAQ

My Dell Downloads
* My Dell Downloads provide you the access and tools to quickly create backup and recovery media or restore your system to factory settings. You can either choose to download and install an application or make a copy of the download, subject to any limitation in the application's license agreement
* You can either choose to download and install an application or make a copy of the download
* The maximum number of downloads in any case is 3 per application
My Dell Downloads FAQ
* List of Applications available from My Dell Downloads
Facial Recognition by Sensible Vision
Power DVD (DVD)
Power DVD (BD)
Roxio Easy CD-DVD Burning DE
Roxio Burn
Dell Webcam Central
Trend Micro PC-cillin (15/24/36months)
Sapphire McAfee (15/24/36months)

Dell Alienware Desktop and Laptop PCs (minus the M11x)  are excluded from the Dell Media Reduction Initiative. This means those Alienware PCs will receive the Recovery Discs.

STUDIO XPS 7100 review

6-Core is here!

I was thinking of writing a review for the Studio XPS 7100 but I found this really good review and thought that I can't maek a review any than this on. Click here to read the review.

THE DELL STREAK

 

We posted this device before when it was still called Dell Mini5. Now the Dell Streak is making waves in the blogosphere. It would be dell's bet with he rising popularity of tablets but unlike other tablets, the Streak is only 5 inches.
“The Dell Streak hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets,” said Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions Group. “Its unique size provides people new ways to enjoy, connect, and navigate their lives.”

Like an increasing number of our laptop and netbook products, Dell Streak will ship with cushions made from compostable bamboo.


Key Features:

• Integrated Google Maps™ with turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views
• A full screen browsing experience with a 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA display
• Easily integrated social media apps: Twitter™, Facebook, YouTube
• High resolution 5 MP camera, VGA front facing camera, removable battery, built-in Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth connectivity options
• 2GB* of internal dedicated storage provides plenty of space to access and download Google Android Market’s many options
• Packaged with cushions made from 100 percent sustainable, compostable bamboo

Specifications:

• Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements
• ARM-based Processor: Qualcomm’s powerful and efficient Snapdragon chipset and software platform with integrated 1GHz processor
• 3G + WiFi + Bluetooth
• UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to HSDPA 7.2 Mbps¹ / HSDPA
• 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Easy point, shoot, and uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more
• User accessible Micro SD expandable memory available up to 32 GB². Store up to 42 movies² or 32,000 photos², or 16,000 songs² with 32GB* Micro SD

Studio XPS 16 Performance and Video issues

Issue: performance and video  issues may be notices on Studio XPS 1645/1647/1640 and Studio 1747 when system is running high intensive applicatios.

Affected systems: 

• Studio XPS 1645 systems shipped before March 15th
• Studio XPS 1647 systems shipped before April 16th
• Studio 1747 systems shipped before May 19th
• Studio XPS 1640 systems

Solution: Download and install the latest BIOS and Request for 130W AC adapter and power cord from DELL SUPPORT 1-800-232-8544 or visit the chat support at support.dell.com

temporary post- please ignore

DH8MW3HNABKV

Studio XPS M1340 randomly freeze

Issue: Studio XPS M1340 systems Installed with Windows 7 64-bit may randomly freeze during normal use and/or report an nvstor64 error in Event Viewer stating the device was reset.

Solution: Download and install the latest NVIDIA AHCI Controller patch from DELL SUPPORT. click here

Top Ten Antivirus Software

Getting a virus infection is one of the worst things that could happen to your computer so the demand for a good anti-virus program is higher than ever. We all want the best that's out there. But what is the best Antivirus program out there?
www.toptenreviews.com has extensively reviewed the anti-virus softwares available in the market today and check out their verdict.



TOP TEN ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE

1. BitDefender
2. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010
3. Webroot AntiVirus with SpySweeper
4. Norton AntiVirus
5. ESET Nod32 Antivirus
6. AVG Anti-Virus
7. F-Secure Anti-Virus
8. G DATA AntiVirus
9. Avira AntiVir
10.Trend Micro

That's it? What happened to the anti-virus I'm using?

11.AVAST! Antivirus with Anti-Spyware (Almost made the cut)

13.McAfee VirusScan (only made it to the 13th)

23.F-Prot (Never heard of it before but it sadly ended at the last place)

So how did your antvirus software fare against the others? Read the full review here

I guess now we have an idea what to look for the next time we need an antivirus eh?

5 Best Ways to Backup Data

This morning I just lost all the my pictures in my camera. It was all the pictures I took for the entire week. They weren't just any pictures, they were awesome picture of my kids, my wife and me. Part of it was my fault. It was a new camera and I haven't had time to get used to it yet. I accidentally erased all those wonderful pictures. It was a feeling of absolute loss. All my precious captured moments were now gone. Poof! Just like that. I felt so stupid because on that same day I was just thinking of uploading them to my personal blogs and to my facebook account. Now there's nothing I could do. I wanted to throw my stupid camera away (Good thing I didn't). My point is, if I felt that so badly about losing pictures in my camera, I bet you'll feel even worse if you lost all you important files, document, pictures, or music that are stored in your computer. That's happened to me once or twice before but I'd like to help you to avoid all that. What you can do to avoid this. You can try out some or all of them.

External Hard drive
This is one of the most recommended types on backup. One that I'd recommend to anyone myself.. Having an external hard drive is cheap. $75 for a 250GB USB external drive. You can carry it anywhere and use it with any computer. It can store so much information. Some actually have an automatic backup software that allows you to schedule backup on regular basis ensuring that you are always up to date. The down side to external hard drives is that a lot of people think it's a bit pricey. There are other options though.

USB Flash Drive
Also known as a thumb drive, this small device is a whole lot cheaper and easier to carry around than an external Hard Drive. Many people find it stylish to use it as keychains or pendants. It's even become a necessity for a lot of students because of its portability. The USB flash drive is the best option if your looking for a smaller cheaper storage device. 16GB is the biggest you can get for a device like this. This should be enough for a few pictures and music.

Optical drive
I've been saving my files to CD's and DVD's since the turn of the century and for most people they find it more convenient to save files on a disc. The problem with writing to discs though is that CD's and DVD's are so fragile and have so little space for backup. Burning information also takes a while. A standard CD has a diameter of 120 mm and can hold up to 80 minutes of uncompressed audio (700 MB of data). A DVD-R typically has a storage capacity of 4.71 GB.

Online Backup
I actually wrote about this before. An online data backup like Dell Datasafe is for people who don't want to spend to much and don't want to carry around a bulky hard drive, a tiny Flash Drive, or don't want the clutter of discs. Online backup is perfect for a purely electronic way of backing up data. This is actually the last thing I'd recommend to anyone because you would have no access to your files if you don't have internet connection.

Separate Partition
It's a bit advanced, but creating a separate partition in your internal hard drive for backup has been a technique done by my ancestors even before I knew what a computer was. But creating a separate partition is easy once you learn it. This allows you to have a backup inside your own computer. When the time comes that there's a need for a re-format or a Windows Re-installation, all your files will be safe in your other partition.

So the next time you get in front of your computer, ask your self if you already have backup for your files. You never know when you'll need it.

Computers Packed in Bamboo

Dell is going green with it's packaging. Back in November Dell announced it's shipping its Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and 10v netbooks in packaging made from bamboo, a highly renewable material that serves as a great alternative to molded paper pulp, foams and corrugate often used in packaging. Dell is First in the PC Industry to Introduce Packaging Made from Bamboo; Bamboo is Sustainable Alternative to Paper, Foams and Corrugate Packaging. LINK

What's good about Bamboo Packaging?

"It's an exciting, sustainable alternative. It grows super fast (up to two feet a day), promotes healthy soil and has a tensile strength greater than steel (!), making it great for protecting our cute little Inspiron Mini 10s in transit." - Michelle m.

1.) So it Grows fast..
2.) It's Strong..
3.) And Easy on the environment.
Dell plans to increase this type of packaging not only for the inspirons systems but for the other laptop lines as well.

What do you think of Bamboo packaging?