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Maximizing Your Laptop Performance & Battery: Tips and Tricks
Version 1.116

This guide lists some tips and tricks that you can use with the Dell XPS, Inspiron, Latitude and Studio line of products such as M1210, M1330, M1410, M1530, M1730, and M2010 models notebook to give you a richer experience. I got my Dell XPS M1210 from Dell Singapore, so configurations may slightly vary.

Many of these tips can also be applied to other laptop brands such as HP, Lenovo, Acer, Gateway, Sony, etc.

Dell M1210

A Mini Review of my Dell XPS M1210

Good Things

  • Star Performer
  • Dedicated buttons for music playback that can be used with Winamp (see tip below)
  • Batteries can last up to 6 hours with Internet usage and low brightness using 9 cell
  • Quiet operation with Quiet Acoustics mode
  • Excellent quality display, although reflections can get in the way with low brightness
  • Excellent Tech Support, never had to wait for more than 1 minute for my calls to be answered
  • 180 Degree Rotatory WebCam (Actual about 100, since the top part is blocked)
  • 7200rpm HDD customizability support
  • Huge Customizability Options when purchasing (who needs 4GB RAM anyway?)
  • MediaDirect

A few things that surprised me

  • It is Heavy and Thick (with a 9 cell and the Geforce Go 7400, the weight comes to 2.4kg)
  • The built-in speakers
    suck.
  • The screen is too bright even at the lowest level (when all the lights are off)
  • MediaDirect is actually a variation of Windows XP. It does not save any power. I expected it to be a one-button touch to play media. Well, it is, but not the battery power saver kind I expected.
  • There are no protective covers for the once-in-a-while used VGA port.
  • The Media Buttons are not exactly easy to press, but then, it could be because they were meant to be like that
  • The Webcam (camera) sucks power even if you are not using it. Dell Support says that this is by design. You will notice that it gets noticeably warm even though its not used. BIG waste of battery.
  • The laptop gets hot and fans spin even under light usage (just surfing web). No amount of meddling with the clock speed could stop the fans from spinning up every once and then.
  • Not able to underclock the graphics card to save power. The nVidia applet keeps telling me that tests fail when I try to apply the settings.
  • "Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition" .. the software edition was added later so early birds who opted for it were surprised to find that it came with a Sigmatel sound card instead of a Creative one.

Tips to Maximize your Dell Laptop Portable's Performance

All downloads mentioned are free!

  1. Monitor temperatures and Control Fan Speeds (For Dell laptops)

    I8kfanGUI

    Download I8kfanGUI. You can view all temperatures, including CPU, RAM, chipset, hard disk and even the fan speed. Heck, you can also increase/decrease the fan speed and set it blasting away at full speed!
  2. Speed up loading times

    stopwatch

    Defrag your hard disk regularly. Disable unnecessary services (run > services.msc), items in Startup folder and items set to auto run (run > msconfig) on Windows startup.
  3. Force the CPU to work slower if you don't need the power

    CPU throttling options

    Use SpeedSwitchXp to force the CPU to a lower speed to conserve power, or force to high speed for highest performance. It can even automatically switch depending on whether battery or direct AC is being used!
  4. Use the latest BIOS version available

    As of this writing, the latest for XPS M1210 is A08 (or A07 if it causes problems) for M1210. REMEMBER TO USE AC POWER with BATTERY as any hiccups during the flashing process can render your laptop unbootable!
  5. Enable Performance Mode in BIOS

    Go to BIOS Setup, Performance, enable Performance mode for HDD Acoustics. Note that this will cause the HDD to be noisier, so you will need to decide if performance or noise is more important to you.
  6. Face the Reality (For Dell XPS M1210 laptops)

    Even though it claims to be a 256MB Geforce Go 7400, in reality, it is only 64MB dedicated, with the rest shared from the main memory pool. That is the meaning behind TurboCache. Just FYI.
  7. Reformat, Reinstall and Enjoy a Ad-Free Installation

    Dig out the Windows CD that came with the laptop and reinstall the operating system, deleting all partitions (this will also destroy MediaDirect, recovery partitions and all data on the hard disk including documents and programs that came pre-installed. If you want to save the recovery partition, simply format the drive that Windows is on using the Windows Setup CD).

    Of course, you will need to reinstall all drivers and all necessary applications again - you have the CDs don't you? But now you have a choice on what you want to install as new laptops are known to come with many unnecessary software.

    If you need MediaDirect functionality, you will need to leave unallocated space of 1.5GB for the MediaDirect files, which you can install from the Dell MediaDirect Repair CD. Have the technical support on the phone before installing Windows if you are not sure how to proceed.
  8. Enhance the fonts of your display (for XP users)

    Cleartype difference comparision

    Use ClearType tuner to smooth the fonts of your display. Works wonders when surfing the net!
  9. Use the display at its native resolution

    Use your display at the optimum resolution - 1280 x 800 (for XPS M1210 users) - for the best quality. Try to play games at this resolution, as this is the native resolution for this LCD. Any lower, and it will be scaled to fit the LCD and image quality suffers considerably.

    If you don't want the image to be stretch, this can be disabled in the BIOS setup. Instead, non-native resolution images will be displayed with black borders on the sides.
  10. Enable Media Buttons to use in Winamp

    Media buttons not working with Winamp? Download this plugin!
    UPDATE: Simply enabling Global Hot Keys in Winamp Preferences already work. Thanks to Shaun from the comments below.
  11. Enhance your desktop with widescreen wallpapers!

    sample wallpaper

    Having difficulty finding widescreen wallpapers? Don't fret - click here for 1280x800 perfect sized wallpapers for M1210! For other portables, select your native resolution and knock yourself out!
  12. Access and control your laptop remotely

    Control your laptop from your desktop. Use TeamViewer and you can even control your desktop from your laptop (whenever there is Internet). Alternatively, UltraVNC is another 100% open source tool.
  13. Automatically Shut Down Your Laptop at a pre-defined time

    Have your laptop shutdown at a specified time! Get Switch Off and you can force all applications to close down. Great if you like playing videos/music when sleeping or watching DVDs.
  14. Make use of your laptop's gaming powers!

    unreal tournament 2004

    Yearning for some shooting actions? Make good use of your Geforce card and download Unreal Tournament 2004. Or if you have a more capable system, try Race Driver GRID. All unlimited demo versions free!
  15. Reduce the Gamma For A Vibrant Display (for nVidia cards only)

    Gamma Control

    Access the NVIDIA Control Panel by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop and clicking it. Go to "Adjust desktop color settings". Drag the Gamma slider to the most left. Like it? Hit Apply and enjoy! If not, just click Restore Defaults at the top and settings will be restored.

    Note that doing this will reduce image details and make images appear darker as well. Personally, I switch it to normal when playing games, viewing lots of photos or watching videos.
  16. Use the latest drivers for your portable
    Download the latest XP/Vista chipset, audio, nVidia or intel graphics drivers, etc all here. Choose to enter your service tag, enter your service tag and you are presented with the list of latest drivers. NOTE: The latest version of the nVidia driver for Geforce 7200 for my XPS M1210 actually increased battery power by 25%. It also gave many problems. See update below. Use the driver that came in your Dell CD.

Tips to Minimize your Notebook's Power Usage

All downloads mentioned are free!

  1. Disable anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall when not connected to a wireless network

    This will save some CPU usage and make your system respond faster. Be forewarned, if you connect to any wireless network, you should enable them back.

    Also,if you are doing risky activities such as using a friend's thumb drive or installing a program from dubious sources, be sure to enable your anti-virus
  2. Defrag your hard disk



    As mentioned above, defrag saves the hard disk from going all over the place to retrieve a file. When defragging, use AC power as it is a hard disk throttling process.
  3. Disable unneeded programs from starting up

    Using Start > Run > msconfig. Some programs may be essential, but most others just take up memory and CPU cycles; i.e. more power



    Yet another more powerful utility is AutoRuns. Autoruns allows you to explore in more places where a program may start up, such as Services (Start > Run > services.msc).

    Remember, if you are unsure, Google. Don't just disable programs. Disabling programs may cause some features to not work. One example is Bluetooth. I disabled the Service from starting up automatically. The tradeoff is that I had to manually create shortcuts in the start menu to load the required software when Bluetooth needs to be used.
  4. Disable and/or remove hardware devices that you don't need

    Except for the webcam - it sucks power even if you disable it in Device Manager. You can manually remove the DVD-ROM (or writer) to lighten the laptop as well as to save a bit of power there.

    You can disable the following devices that you don't use in Device Manager (Start, Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager)
    1. DVD-RW drive (manually remove it to lighten the laptop and to completely cut the power connection)
    2. Bluetooth devices
    3. Modem
    4. Network card
    5. USB ports
    However, I can't assure you that disabling the devices saves considerable battery power. The best way is to physically disconnect it from the system, which is what I recommend for the DVD drive. The other devices are built-in and are harder to physically remove.
  5. Stand by the system rather than using Hibernate or Shut Down



    If you are very likely to use the system again in the next 3 hours, I would suggest to put the system in standby mode. While in standby mode, only the following devices are turned on

    1. CPU (in a very low power state)
    2. Memory
    3. Power LED indicator
    That is all to the best of my knowledge. No hard disk spins. No fans. LCD is turned off. Booting up your system requires lots of CPU and hard disk activity. By the way, a quick shortcut for XPS M1210 to standby is to hit the Fn and Esc keys on your keyboard
  6. Switch off Wireless and Bluetooth when not needed

    m1330 wireless switch
    XPS M1330 Wireless Switch (1) indicates the wireless switch, (2) is LED indicator, while (3) is Wi-Fi Catcher

    The above image shows the Dell XPS m1330 wireless switch on the right side towards the front. Similar switches exist for the other laptop models. Simply push the switch to the off position and the power to the wireless card will be cut off.
  7. Enable PowerMizer (for nVidia card owners)

    Access the NVIDIA Control Panel by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop and clicking it. Click 'Change PowerMizer settings' under Mobile. Make sure PowerMizer is enabled as well as 'Extend battery charge by using less power for the display'. This will reduce refresh rate to 50Hz and MAY cause problems with games or 3D graphics applications but does extend battery life if you don't use such applications.
  8. Standard Stuff That Doesn't Need to be Said (Or has been mentioned above)

    Run minimal programs. For example, when you are done with Outlook, close it. Don't minimize it to the system tray or taskbar.

    Use SpeedSwitchXP to force throttle the CPU to the lowest speed when on battery. Relying on Intel's automatic SpeedStep may cause the CPU to go to full speed without you knowing and taking up additional power.

    Avoid using CPU intensive applications like games and encoding tasks when running on batteries.

    Configuring Speedswitch Display Timeout

    Use the lowest LCD brightness where possible. When display is not needed, either close the lid or set SpeedswitchXP to switch off the display in one minute. Or use MonOff to manually trigger the LCD to be switched off.

Problems With My Dell XPS M1210 So Far

UPDATE 12 May 2007 - Random Problems
Having major problems with the Dell Logitech QuickCam that is integrated into the laptop. Ever since I have got this laptop, I have had these intermittent problems:

  • gets stuck with a black lit screen after the Windows XP logo shows with a blinking activity LED
  • refuses to show the screen after closing and opening the lid.
  • activating the webcam can freeze the whole system (with new webcam drivers)
  • sound and usb does not work sometimes on booting up (with new webcam drivers)

After countless power off's, installing of logitech software and updating drivers, I have just disabled and removed the webcam device in Device Manager. As of now, the first and last two issues are not there. Will update this section on how it goes with the 2nd issue.

UPDATE 25 May 2007 - Webcam
Found out that it was a webcam problem after installing XP to the second partition and the problem persisted. Dell offered to replace the webcam for me and it has been working properly for now. I wonder whether the time I use this laptop affects the life of the webcam, since the webcam is always-on whenever the laptop is on.

UPDATE 27 Jan 2008 - 99% CPU Usage
New problems! The system boots up with the System process at 99% CPU usage. This does not occur if I switch off the wireless before powering on. Even enabling the wireless after switching on the laptop brings the System process to 100 percent. Does not always happen though. Disabling the webcam seems to be resolving the issue for the past 3 days. Monitoring...

UPDATE 31 Jan 2008 - Random Hanging
The problem came back! Even when the webcam is disabled. Now I disabled the "Dell Wireless 355 Module with Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR Technology" in Device Manager and the problem seems to be gone again. Monitoring...

UPDATE 15 Apr 2008 - Webcam Torture
Restarting the laptop is a risk. Why? Everytime the XP progress bar disappears and just before it switches the LCD resolution, about 75% of the time, it will hang there. Tried replacing the webcam, same result. Disabled Logitech Webcam and Quickcam Microphone. Same result. Living with it for now, now rarely shutting down my laptop and leaving it on stand by.

UPDATE 8 May 2008 - Bluetooth Culprit
Narrowed it down to either a rusty bluetooth module (the left side where the screw is, is rusted) or a wireless switch that turns itself on depending on the stable environment. Dell replaced/fixed both without much questions. Now the system is working fine and stable.

UPDATE 9 July 2008 - No Stereo Mix
It has been rumored (confirmed with my XPS M1210) that Dell laptops using the Sigma audio chipset (that includes XPS models) are missing a "Stereo Mix" aka as "What You Hear" recording source so users are not able to record whatever that is coming out of the speakers due to RIAA influence.

Also, another rumor is that Dell’s XPS M1330 and M1530 laptops using the Geforce 8x line of mobile chipsets have a high rate of failure.

UPDATE 3 October 2009 - VGA output to projector fails
Recently, I had been having problems outputting the display to an external projector with my XPS M1210. The funny thing is, when I went back home and tried it on a CRT display, it worked without any problems. Perplexed, I thought it is the motherboard problem and Dell replaced it for me without much questions. The problem still persisted. Morever, I noticed the battery usage is much faster than before (3 hours vs 5.5 hours on 9 cell), with the fan almost always spinning.

Today, with the goal of getting to the bottom of this problem, I did some troubleshooting with the projector. Long story short, turns out that the latest nVidia Geforce Go 7400 driver was the cause. Installing the nVidia driver from my Dell CD solved the issue, and the fan started spinning less frequently. A case where updating drivers can make things go wrong.

For those having this problem, the driver I used can be downloaded from Dell's site here (or from our site here). Note that this is ONLY for XPS M1210 with Geforce Go 7400 cards. And for those having a display refresh rate stuck to 50Hz and games like Unreal Tournament 2004 spewing errors on startup, this driver will also solve that issue. Just uncheck ''extend battery charge by using less power for the display'', under 'Mobile' > 'Change PowerMizer settings' in the nVidia Control Panel once this is installed and you're good to go.

UPDATE 24 November 2009 - Electric Shocks from Webcam and Back cover when powered via AC
Despite multiple replacements of the Logitech webcam and back cover, I still get electric shocks when touching the back of the LCD, especially the back of the webcam. This happens only when connected to a direct power source. The laptop is now out of warranty, but even if it was, I would not have asked for repairs as this has been done many times.

The issue has been brought up to Dell multiple times and each time they would replace the webcam or back cover. However, the issue still exists. Living with it for now...

UPDATE 20 July 2010 - Dell Sony DVD-RW DW-Q58A Firmware
Recently I bought some Verbatim 16x DVD-Rs. However, Nero reported that it can burn data at only at 2X. This was a disappointment as the drive should at least support 4X. So I Googled around and long story short, I flashed the drive's firmware to an unofficial UYS4 from the current version of UDS1 without backing up. What happened was that the drive now refused to burn the DVD. Nero showed that the disc can only be burnt at 1X but attempting to burn even at that speed fails with a "illegal disc" error.

With more Googling for about two hours, I managed to locate a backup firmware from this thread [ mirror ] and reflashed the DVD writer back to UDS1 using MTKFLASH 1.83 for DOS. For those of you looking for UDS2 firmware, it can be gotten from Dell's website here. It still did not work for me at burning the 16X Verbitim media though but it's better than not being able to burn at all.

Questions, Errors and Queries?

Please post any queries you have in the Comments below.

This document is Copyright(©) 2006-2009 by G.Ganesh. Visit Bootstrike.Com (http://bootstrike.com).

Last Updated 20th July 2010.

122 comments RSS of last 10 posts

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Unregistered Anonymous I wish there were failure rate statistics out there of this model of laptop. Mine ran strong into year 6 of owning it until the screen went black due to graphics card failure. A quick fix via a video I found online sent it running for another 6 months until it happened again. I kept using the online method of heating the video card to reseat it, thus "fixing" it for however long it will hold out. I have maybe done this 10 times now, but this dell xps m1530 is still running strong in year 8 of owning it. Never even heard of someone that had a laptop that worked for that long.
posted 16 Dec 2014 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous I can tell all this, my girlfriend knows I am a pc nut so at a yard sale she bought me a Dell XPS M2010 for 5 dollars. For less then 40 dollars through the wonderful WWW I repaired it and added a 1 tera as 2nd HDD and have been enjoying this thing for 5 months now and will never give it up or use anything else and when this one dies I will try to find or rebuild another.

P.S. The remote is on the way for 32 dollars and I have everything else except the briefcase which I am ok with.

Just my 2 cents, thank you all for listening.

Ron
posted 20 Sep 2013 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous OK, yes it's me, again! I got rid of the incompatible system configuration error by SAVING my changes to the boot list. (Duh) I also disabled fast boot. The machine turns on, I get the Dell screen with the white progress bar at the bottom. The machine does look to the optical drive (I can hear it
Click once and the LED for that drive lights up....but, no joy. The light goes out after a few seconds and after the progress bar completes I get a black screen with a blinking cursor at the top left hand corner. I reran the Dell Diagnostic through the optical drive check and NOW it says it is passing the test! I don't believe it because if the drive was actually WORKING it would be making more spinning noises. The only other thing I can think of us that maybe the new HD specs are incompatible with the MOBO or Chip? I checked to be sure this drive was compatible before I bought it. So, I will check again, but it still looks like it is the optical drive, right? Would the system even have let me partition the hard drive if it was incompatible somehow? System requirements for this drive seem to al be met (but I don't know what the 3 GB/s on the Seagate box refers to....

Enough for tonight! Help!

:(
posted 5 Jul 2013 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin The optical drive has failed in my system before and was within the warranty period although it was heavily underused. Dell Diagnostics was not able to detect the optical drive failure and i found it out when trying to boot my linux boot disc

You may want to borrow a USB drive and boot from there but I am not sure whether XP can be installed from USB drive, so do take note
posted 5 Jul 2013 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Me again (last poster). The BIOS setup reveals the new 500 GB HD is recognized so I don't think the incompatibility error has to do with the new HD. Pretty sure it's the optical drive failure causing it but I'm no computer genius so confirmation would be appreciated! All other system setting appear good and Dell Diagnostic detects no other errors. Old HD was working fine, actually it's been a remarkably reliable computer (except for the graphics card recall, but Dell took care of that, even though I missed the deadline for filing)! I had to beg and grovel but they did it! All told I'll be putting less than $100 into the system (sans battery), which seems reasonable given I can't even afford a low end $300 new computer...do you agree?
posted 5 Jul 2013 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Wow, I thought I was the only one still running an XPS M1210! I would love a new computer but alas, I am broke! My original 80 GB HD is full so I purchased a Seagate 500GB 5400 RPM HD on sale. I decided to do a clean install because of all the problems associated with not being able to clone Media Direct and other hidden partitions. So, off I went! I ran the Media Direct Install disc to partition the new HD as instructed in manual. However, when I put the Windows disc in the optical drive thereafter, it didn't respond. This is not the first time this drive has failed, so no big surprise, I was just hoping it would last long enough for the clean install. Confirmed with Dell Diagnostic that there is a spindle failure (code 2000-0147) in the drive. I am getting an Incompatible System Configuration error (go to setup) and the optical drive wont boot the Windows CD. Can I assume that Incompatible System Configuration error message is related to the optical drive failure, or do I have two problems? My batteries are both dead so I've been using AC power only, but this should not generate that incompatiblele system configuration erroe, correct? What are the maximum specs of an external USB drive I can purchase to replace the internal (might as well upgrade the speed as portability is not an issue). And, for good measure, just curious if there is a faster chip worth installing in this system to speed it up?

Thank you so much for any help offered! I need to make this puppy last with as little expense as possible. (Why spend $45 in an internal optical drive when I can get a compatible external/USB with better specs for the same money, right?)
posted 5 Jul 2013 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous My friend has an XPs and has not had it 2 years. On starting up it won't even open and if it does it opens to a black blank screen. It will not allow her to do any Windows updates. I was suspecting a malware virus?? or the battery internal is not up to snuff orit is the updates not being updated?? Can you suggest anything we can do. It has been taken to Staples computer technicians and they said it was fixed but it was not!!!!$69.
posted 7 Jun 2013 - show 2 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin sorry, this is clearly a hardware issue. could be many issues - it's best to get a new one. Ours is still running fine though - the displays got black patches and the battery is weak, otherwise it's fine
posted 8 Jun 2013 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Best solution (knowing that Dell nor Microsoft want to offer any solutions without you PAYING for MORE services-solution): Join a Linux User Group. Bring your laptop, and ask them to help you wipe your HD, and install Ubuntu Linux OS (it's free, and so is everything else. I use it on my Dell XPS 12 Laptop with NO Windows anymore---Love it! From an x-Apple, and x-Windows fan-user. Life is good now, and I don't even need subscriptions for Anti-Virus software ever. Use your money for something better than forking out every year for upgrades to hardware, software upgrades, and you-name-it.
posted 1 Mar 2015 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Hi, My dell xps has a huge problem, it happens mostly when running games. the fan, at random, starts to blow wildly and lags the entire computer, any idea on wht this is?
posted 7 Jan 2012 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin the fan should not 'lag' your computer. Most likely, a process is using 100% of the CPU resource causing slowness and the the fan to spin up the hot CPU.

Find out the offending process in the Task Manager and terminate it.
posted 8 Jan 2012 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Hi, I want to run a new HP s2031 lcd monitor on my dell xps laptop and have the lid closed. I changed the power settings to "do nothing" when the lid is closed but when I close the lid there is still the desktop back ground but all shortcuts and everything else cannot be seen. Any ideas please!
posted 7 Jan 2012 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin Make sure your monitor is not set to 'extend' mode. See http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/display_multi_monitors_overview.mspx
posted 8 Jan 2012 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Hi, my sons dell laptop keeps closing down when he playing a game that has been downloaded to desk top, any ideas why? Thanks
posted 7 Jan 2012 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin The description is very vague. It could be due to overheating - does the fan spin when playing the game?

A general solution is to perform a factory restore and try the game again. Note that when you do this, all data and documents will be erased.
posted 8 Jan 2012 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous SIR I HAVE A DELL XPS M1330. problem is the laptop's display gets suddenly blank while playing games.alt+ctrl+del didnt work here...so i have to long press the power button to turn it off. and after restarted if i play any game ..same thing happens ...can u pls tell me really what problem lies here???
posted 6 Jan 2012 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin May be a hardware issue. Try performing a factory reset and trying the game again
posted 8 Jan 2012 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Hey there. I have a Dell XPS M1210. The problem is the laptop's display is blank, but the power is still on (the "On" button lights up, and the battery signal)

Any ideas on what went wrong here? I have read forums and someone suggested to OVEN the motherboard. I am seriously considering this, since I have tried dissembling the laptop and reseated the RAM, but to no avail. Please advise. Thanks.
posted 12 Oct 2011 - show 3 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin Try connecting it to an external display such as LCD monitor or projector and hitting the fn and change display key. if it works on the external display, then your display has a problem.

otherwise your best bet is to bring it down to Dell or a qualified notebook technician. baking the motherboard is not something we've done or recommend.
posted 12 Oct 2011 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous DELL had a 5 year extended waranty solving the Nvidia chip overheating. Give them a call for details
reparcost mine was quoted 578= Euro;s.

Had thw chip reballed ( there are some vids on youtube), for only 11= euro's
posted 22 Feb 2012 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Sorry it's not 11 euro's but 115

Even that figure is cheap compared t Dell prices
posted 22 Feb 2012 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous I had the VGA output problem and thought it was the video card. I was trolling for ideas when I stumbled into your site and followed your suggestion to revert to the older driver. My external VGA now works! I was thinking of buying a replacement motherboard and now I don't have to. Thanks much for the tip.
posted 12 Sep 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous I've had my M1210 since Feb 2007 and I bought it from an ebay seller, it was from Dell Outlet originally.

It has performed flawlessly since then, both as a laptop and as a desktop (with external KVM). The battery has now died since it is usually connected to the AC adapter 24/7. I'm now about to get myself an Alienware M11x (i7 version) and the M1210 will become my wife's laptop, I'll get a cheap battery from Hong Kong for it.

The only bad thing I have to say is that it generates lots of heat when under load. However, until we move into the realms of bio-eletronics, that's to be expected!
posted 15 Jul 2010 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Did u try upgrading your Ram?
posted 31 May 2012 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Hi,
I just replaced my motherboard - old one had the nvidia chip, new one has the integrated graphics, but the performance has severely degraded - start up, openning an application, using an app are all way slower. Ran diagnostics and everything is fine. Any thoughts on why it's gone from hero to zero?
posted 29 Jun 2010 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous I can actually see through device manager that the video controller drivers aren't installed for this motherboard (with the integrated graphics). Does anyone know where I can download them from? Many thanks, Stephen
posted 30 Jun 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin Try Dell's official site - the file was named r153830.exe for me
posted 1 Jul 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous i got my xps m1210 and it only have a very little amount of video card is it possible for me to upgrade the video card (512mb) and the hard drive as well? and in video card can i replace it with other video card coz it is running nvidia
posted 23 May 2010 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin No, you will need to replace the entire motherboard if you want to change the video card.
posted 28 May 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous I've had my M1210 for nearly 3 years now. With the warranty I've had the lcd, motherboard, and fan replaced on seperate occasions. All were done in a speedy manor and I've recently upgraded the hd, ram and windows7. I carry this to work in my kitchen every day, not the most ideal of conditions for a laptop and it's done the job perfectly. Love the size and power of this little machine. I've extended the warranty another 2 yrs because of the great service i've received from dell.

Thanks for sharing all the information on this site, very helpful.
posted 12 Apr 2010 - show 2 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Johnyutas (2 posts) Johnyutas Hi, Would you please tell me where to download driver for windows 7
posted 16 Apr 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
Johnyutas (2 posts) Johnyutas Would you please tell me where can I download the driver for windows 7 for my XPS M1210?
posted 16 Apr 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Hi from Spain!! My DVD unit was always very slow (when recording). I had the option to send it to DELL but was a bit lazy about it, plus didn't feel like being with no computer (they did not allow just sending the unit, had to send the whole PC), so I just lived with a slow DVD recorder. Does anyone know how to replace the DVD?. I just bought a Lightscribe compatible DVD drive unit, and I´d like to install it in the system. Thanks!!
posted 4 Feb 2010 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous I already did it, it was very straight forward, and now my computer´s DVD unit not only works faster, but aldo has Lightscribe. the total upgrade including shipping was about 40$ from ebay. I guess I was a bit pessimistic about finding the Service Manual but found it with no problem. In case anyone else is interested in the Service Manual, here is the link: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsm1210/en/SM/index.htm
posted 4 Feb 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
Harry (2 posts) Harry Great site ..Thank you for your efforts .. I recently aquired a nvidia motherboard to replace the original Intel board as I would like to use open gl shaders in some 3d projects. Is it just a case of replacing one for one or are there other issues I need to be concerned about?
posted 18 Jan 2010 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Harry (2 posts) Harry Just in case anyone is interested ..I did .. and it worked just fine ..Did not have to re install windows or even a little mini -mac os x 86 I have on the side just a bit of fiddling with drivers and presto! G' Luck H
posted 19 Jan 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
Loumiester (1 posts) Loumiester What a great site! Thank you for sharing I bought my XPS M2010, April 2008. Vista, had to upgrade the RAM to 4 gigs.

I have a disk stuck in the optical drive, other than taking it all apart any suggestions?
posted 3 Jan 2010 - Reply - Permanent Link
matt (1 posts) matt Thanks for your recent update regarding the GeForce Go 7400 VGA output problem. I had the same problem for a long time. I just installed the previous version (v.156.83-xp WHQL, A05, release on 14/12/2007 from Dell) and the issue is solved. You don't need to go back to the first version (v.84.29 A00, 08/06/2006).

BTW, I have the electric shock problem as well. Live with it...

OS: Windows XP SP2
posted 29 Nov 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous Regarding the webcam issues, I recently upgraded to Windows 7 and have found that the webcam no-longer heats up even though it's not being used. The webcam is functioning properly when I use it with Skype or a standalone application, so it would seem that the power issue relates to software rather than hardware.
posted 22 Nov 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Adi (1 posts) Adi I purchased dell m 1210 in may 2007 ... From last may I am facing a problem that after sometime let say 2-3 hours after the laptop is on .. when I am trying to talk using voip softphones i am hearing distorted sound ... if i do make the call just after turning on the laptop sound quality is great. I also got the heat sink replaced but laptop was getting too hot earlier. Now i am unable to guess why it's happening like this. Any clues
posted 17 Nov 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous If some of you guys have WEIRD problems like screen blanks after hibrenate, or external monitor not working, slow, random hangs etc.. This is due to the use of the LATEST drivers... make sure you dig out the original drivers disk that comes with the XPS and use that.

I spent alot of time trying to fix this.. hope this is useful for anybody that re-install and tried to download the latest and greatest drivers from DELLL.
posted 15 Nov 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous When I pressed the button the first times, the Mediadirect ouside the windows caused the blue screen (after it transitioned from displaying the "color" Mediadirect logo to displaying the searching message of "black & white" Mediadirect.) In order to shut down I must to remove the power. Then, when I pressed the button again the notebook transitioned from "color" Mediadirect logo to Vista. The Mediadirect popped up inside the Vista. How do I repair this problem?

Best regards!!!
posted 17 Oct 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
BCRAPPS (2 posts) BCRAPPS I have recent problem that my Nvidia settings auto revert to 800x600 on return from standby or on startup. I reset them every time to 1280x800, but upon return from Standby, the setting goes back to 800x600 and must be rest. no other problems
posted 3 Oct 2009 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin try installing the driver that came with your system
posted 3 Oct 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
BCRAPPS (2 posts) BCRAPPS Thanks for all the help. I installed the AO8 BIOS flash and then "re-installed" the latest NVidia drivers on the Dell support site. Now seems to work as it should.
posted 3 Oct 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Jmb Unregistered Anonymous I had the same problem (hang on in boot) it was really anoing, kinda solved it installin vista beta 2 (at that time) scince then im using vista.

i tried reinstalling xp the other time but was the same. im trying now with ubuntu and vista.
posted 3 Apr 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Steve Canyon Unregistered Anonymous I'd suggest using a AC cable retention device whenever you have your laptop plugged in. Too easy to damage the fragile power pin if you pull on or tug the cable accidentally. Personally I like the JerkStopper kit I found at my local laptop shop.
posted 5 Feb 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Al Bustan Unregistered Anonymous I have DELL XPS M1210 purchased November 2007 and have same problem. All the buttons are propoery lighting up but nothing coming in screen. It is look like the same prolem that experience by Jason. Can any one help!!
posted 10 Dec 2008 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin try connecting to external monitor, may be LCD dead issue
posted 5 Jan 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Gusto Unregistered Anonymous I have the Dell XPS M1210 purchased JUN2006 and have recently started experiencing this same problem of computer hanging after XP boot screen in about 50% of boots. very annoying. Have been living with it as travelling overseas, but will approach Dell for advice.
posted 12 Oct 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Raymond Unregistered Anonymous hi guys, i just bought a xps m1330 last month, it works great. but i have one problem. the dell media direct sucks big time, i want to uninstall it and make the dell media direct button to activate other player. but even after i uninstall it, the button remains inactive. how can i configure it to work for other type of media player? for example, i want real player, TT player, or window media player to be on when i press the button. is there a way to do this?
posted 21 Aug 2008 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Anon Unregistered Anonymous It is possible to do what you say, but its abit complecated and unnecesary when you could just use the desktop icon.
posted 25 Aug 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
JASON Unregistered Anonymous I have DELL XPS1210, XP, 2GB RAM, GEFORCE 7400 VIDEO. I rently had a problem while running a racing game. Video froze up, and it kicked me to safe mode. I tried to fire it back up, and all my wording is now in some crazy language. By BIOS at boot up says it is at A8.

I went and bought a new hard drive, decided to upgrade anyway. Poped her in, installed XP, and started to install my drivers. When I got to my NVIDIA GEFORCE DRIVER, I EXTRACTED, RAN AND MY LAPTOP WENT HAY WIRE. BASICLY WENT BLANK. I SHUT HER DOWN AND TRIED TO FIRE IT BACK UP, CAN HEAR EVERYTHING RUNNING AND LOADING, BUT NO VIDEO....Is this a virus issue I had, that attacked the Enternal Video Card on the motherboard, or what....I need help!!
posted 10 Sep 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin time to RMA your motherboard (with video card ) .. probably the fan failed and damaged the video card
posted 10 Sep 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous if this happens again, try using your dell reinstall dis. Have it boot from the dis instead of HD. Two option U can do from this point is : A- roll back driver (using winblows driver) B- reinstall driver. also included is a driver/ hardware software tools included when (and IF U purchased the XPS from Dell) Run a systems check would be a good idea
posted 21 Aug 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Madmonkeyrtu Unregistered Anonymous Had a M1210 for the past year now, and can relate to many of these problems. (especially the camera one). But my question is does anyone actually know where to get a M1210 motherboard with the geforce 7400 attached?? If not i don't suppose anyone has a motherboard for a M1210 for sale as i 'accidently' melted my onboard graphics.
posted 4 Jun 2008 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
checo Unregistered Anonymous Motherboard in my XPS1210 not working. Is this a frequent problem in Dell laptops?
posted 2 Feb 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
liancho Unregistered Anonymous yeah my XPS 1210's motherboard also burned I recommend googling Dell XPS 1210 motherboard I bet you can get the nVidia one for about 150$
posted 20 Feb 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Unregistered Anonymous yeah, my M1210's motherboard malfunctioned 3 times within 6 months timeframe..the poor dell technician guy has to visit me to get me a new one, lol
posted 12 Dec 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
kush Unregistered Anonymous hii,
i have a xps m 1530..and i formatted and reinstalled my vista in it.nw the problem evn after installing all the drivers needed and provided by the resource CD, i nw also m nt able to use my bluetooth. earlier thr was n option of bluetooth in control panel for bluetooth settings, bt nw i dnt find it..
plz do show me the way as i want to use my bluuetooth device..
thank u
posted 2 Jun 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Mitch Unregistered Anonymous I have a Dell XPS M1210, 2GB RAM, GeForce 7400 and running Vista Ultimate. Everything works great if I do not connect an external monitor. I have an Dell 24 inch monitor and when I connect it, it works good for a little while and then it the laptop gets progessively slower until it is unusable and I have to reboot.

Does anyone have any idea what the issue may be?

I am running the latest Bios as well as latest dell nvidia drivers.

Thanks.
posted 13 Apr 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Richard Unregistered Anonymous I Have dell XPS M1210 But my ram is 1GB and the graphic card is an intel one , i want to play games ,can i change my graphic card , if yes , then how
posted 3 Apr 2008 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin you will need to change the whole motherboard as the nvidia geforce 7400 comes with the motherboard. The RAM can be easily upgraded at any notebook shop though.
posted 5 Apr 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Carl Unregistered Anonymous Is there any way to remove the dust without compressed air?
posted 29 Feb 2008 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Dan Unregistered Anonymous You do this at your own risk. I have done this on three laptops regularly with out problems. But things could go wrong.

Get vaccum under fan slightly to the side and turn on, you will spin the fan and a large amount of dust will come out may want to do this with the laptop upside down for gravity to help. Beats opening the laptop.
posted 11 Mar 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Happy M1210 user Unregistered Anonymous Remove the widcomm bluetooth driver and use the microsoft one. Widcomm doesn't like the m1210 one little bit. The new sound drivers suck too, get the ones from mid 2007
posted 8 Feb 2008 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
john Unregistered Anonymous i am running fedora 8 on my m1210. everything works. integrated webcam/mic, skype, sound, wireless (yes even wpa-psk) nvidia, dvd ripping, dvd/cd burning, playing vob, avi, mpeg, etc. world of warcraft runs with wine. everything i could get done in vista/xp, now works in linux. it took some time to get everything going, but, it was well worth it. compiz-fusion blows vista away. i love this goddamn laptop! i may end up getting an m1330 just for the hell of it. about time for a new toy.
posted 8 Feb 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
M1530 WiFi Switch Unregistered Anonymous Hi. I am having some problems with the WiFi Switch. If it is on and then I switch it off...then try to switch it back on it does not turn back on! Has anyone else had this problem. It is kind of frustrating because I have to put the lap top to sleep or hibernate to get it to turn back on! IIt sucks!
posted 4 Feb 2008 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Vista Unregistered Anonymous By the way, I have Vista!
posted 4 Feb 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
esa1st Unregistered Anonymous do you guys know how to enable turbocache options in this dell xps m1210...i mean nvidia geforce go7400...btw good review ^^ thx
posted 3 Feb 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
The Samuwriter Unregistered Anonymous I had the same problem with the camera, so I actually cracked open the case and disconnected it using the technician's manual. As for the screen not coming back on after closing the lid, hit the CRT/LCD key once or twice, this brings it back for me.

My biggest beef with the machine is the font readability at that pixel density. I'll give that cleartype tweaker a try (wish me luck, I'm on Vista).

Good tips! Thanks!
posted 19 Jan 2008 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Dan Unregistered Anonymous Control panel > Personalise > DPI Scaling (on top left)
posted 11 Mar 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Nathan Unregistered Anonymous Having XP problems?

Disable the SigmaTel Micorophone driver. It conflicts with the Logitech Quickcam.

I also flip the physical switch for the Bluetooth/Wireless before closing the lid. This allows the hibernate/suspend API to work properly.
posted 9 Nov 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
raul Unregistered Anonymous i was talking with some guy from dell support and he told me its possible to upgrade the video card because the xps m1210 use pci express slot to connect the nvidia geforce go 7400 but they wont give support to upgrade ofcourse the problem is where you can buy a video card pci express for a notebook anyone have any ideas?
posted 8 Nov 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Jahn Unregistered Anonymous i have looked in the laptop many times, the 7400go is preattatched to the mobo, you cannot "upgrade" it like a traditional vid card
posted 11 Nov 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
armando Unregistered Anonymous isn´t the vid card right below the touchpad, not attached to the mobo?
posted 5 Jan 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
DR . NO Unregistered Anonymous Hey. I was having the same exact problems with XP. Tons of BSOD and black screens on boot up. I read from the Dell forum that this machine is no longer supported by Dell on windows XP, so I had to cope with Vista and that they were totally aware on crashes with XP. After installing Vista it never had any problem at all again. Runs like a charm on Vista.
posted 19 Sep 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Adam Unregistered Anonymous Help? Every time I put a DVD in the machine, it jumps and stutters through the film. Loading music is fine, and I have been through all sorts of Dell help FAQ's but no solution.
posted 17 Aug 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Patrick Unregistered Anonymous I had the same problem also with DVD and audio. Installing the latest firmware for the DVD-player (TSST corp DVD+-RW TS-L632D)(update was available on Dell site).
posted 19 Oct 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Patrick Unregistered Anonymous Sorry forgot a few words. But latest firmware solved the problem.
posted 19 Oct 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Eddie Unregistered Anonymous Hey guys whats up. My specs are 1g, 2.16Ghz, Nvidea card, bluetooth, 160GB 54rpm. I wanted to upgrade my harddrive to a 200GB HD. It does exist cuz dell was offering it just like last month before they discontinued it. and I wanted to change my processor from a 2.16 to a 2.33. Is there any possible way that I can do this? I kno im gonna spend $$$ but I dont care lol. Just let me kno guys plz. Thank you. If anything just hit me up on aim @ BxE718. Thanks
posted 2 Aug 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
gomo Unregistered Anonymous yeah it can be upgraded. I upgraded from 1.8 to 2.33 recently. Now it flies.
posted 9 Dec 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
PREDATORRAMBOXXX Unregistered Anonymous ok there has been so many people have problems with the xpsm1210 lately my laptop caught on fire so they sent me a new one my friends his broke and i read of some many other problems lately with them but i still love my xps m1210
posted 21 Jul 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Jubran Zakri Unregistered Anonymous Hi there,
that was really a useful article, I've bought the machine and it was super. but I'm still facing some difficulties installing the bluetooth driver after downgrading to WinXP. I've searched the Dell support sites and download several drivers but none of them worked.

are anybody facing this issue?
posted 26 Jun 2007 - show 2 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
JJ Unregistered Anonymous I'm wondering if the webcam can be took out.
Did anyone of you have any idea?
Thanks.
posted 28 Jun 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Ryan Unregistered Anonymous I read every cooment on this page... HAS NO ONE EXPERIENCED MAJOR STARTUP ERRORS??? Since buying my XPS M1210 (2g 7200 rpm, 2g ram, 7400 nvidia) and after reformatting the OS, i've had nothing but problems with its startup. It will often stall at the Windows XP startup page and CPU activity stops. I haveto either hold down the power button or pull the battery to turn it off and try starting up again... Its been reformatted 3 times, once with a DELL technician's instructions over the phone... Its been looked at by a Dell technician, the motherboard replaced - but as soon as i install 3rd party programs (nothing that should cause problems - AVG, Zonealarm etc. and Windows Updates) the laptop sh*ts itself and every few reboots, fails to startup. About had it - any suggestions before demanding a refund??
posted 19 Jul 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Slipstream Unregistered Anonymous What "EXACTLY" are your startup programs?
posted 30 Jul 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
charles Unregistered Anonymous i am having the exact same problems with my xps m1210, consistent startup problems necessitating hard shut down and reboot. it starts up eventually, after a few tries. have you found any solutions?
posted 12 Aug 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
frank Unregistered Anonymous I experienced problems with the Startup of the XP system, so the machine freeze, even if I pressed the ON Button for I while were unable to shutdown, so have to retire the battery, After use Dell diagnostics, and found nothing wrong with the hardware, I tried start in Safe mode, and works. go to the device manager, and deactivate the Packet Scheduler miniport#4 on netwok adapters, and problem fixed. Don´t know if you´r situation, but work for me
posted 8 Sep 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Nathan Unregistered Anonymous I reformatted and installed XP.

I had this problem too. I narrowed it down to one of two things:
I have disabled the microphone. It shares an IRQ with the webcam so it's one or the other in XP.. you can't have both. An external mic does work.
Also, I have to flip the external switch for the Bluetooth/Wireless to OFF before standing by or shutting down or the API fails.
posted 9 Nov 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
7-bits Unregistered Anonymous This might help. I had the same problem with the downgrading but the bluetooth now works fine. I found the solution on another forum and it seems to be caused because you turned off the adapter while working on vista so the BT card was disabled (that was I undestood). What you have to do is the following:

On startup go to the BIOS and look for the Bluetooth options and disable the BT radio. Startup Windows and download the bluetooth installing app from the Dell Support Site and restart your computer again.
Go to the BIOS and turn the setting of the BT radio ON and boot Windows. Now you should see the BT indicator lighted up and install the driver with the app as required.
Hope it'll work for you or for anybody else having this problem. I spent a whole saturday evening and night looking for a solution and I SWORE i'd help with this issue so use it and I wish you luck!
I love my XPS!
7-bits
posted 7 Aug 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Paul Unregistered Anonymous Couple things to mention with the m1210 are that the CPU and GPU temps can go up to about 78 celcius (as a maximum), and average at about 68-75 when doing games and the like. As mentioned above, with the m1210, I've experienced the hard drive being too loud (where it'll click rapidly like it's loading something, but wayyy louder than it should). Something to note that can improve your performance (slightly) is tampering with the settings of the graphics card in the Nvidia panel, in order to increase performance and reduce quality (the quality doesn't actually go down, and performance slightly increases). The light leakage is kinda' unbearable (at times), and the media direct playback quality (on DVD's) kinda' sucks, :-P. For an internet browser, if using Vista, definitely download firefox (the default microsoft internet explorer is so buggy it's unbearable).
posted 21 Jun 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Juan Unregistered Anonymous Regarding the heating problem try cleaning the dust, this worked for me after removing a thick layer of dust from the ventilation It hasn't heat up again even while gaming
posted 24 Nov 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Dan Unregistered Anonymous Try a vaccum under the fan. Just take care and need to be slightly to the right. May want to start at a low sucking speed.
posted 11 Mar 2009 - Reply - Permanent Link
Dale Fraser Unregistered Anonymous Can you tell me where to get the Camera driver from. Vista doesn't seem to detect it and I can't find the drivers.

PS: Thanks for the BIOS tip was on version 4
posted 18 Jun 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Rogier Unregistered Anonymous Go to: http://supportapj.dell.com/support/downloads/devices.aspx?c=my&l=en&s=gen&SystemID=XPS_M1210&os=WW1&osl=EN and than to "MOUSE & KEYBOARDS" you will find it under LOGITECH APPLICATIONS (march 07 updated)
posted 26 Aug 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
muse Unregistered Anonymous i am getting a random clicking noise on my m1210...it has a 160GB scorpio western digital hard drive...is this normal? there are a couple reports of this, but i've been hard pressed to find a solution...apparently this was an issue with smaller drives, and they had a fix for those, but not for this particular model...do i have a dud? send it back?
posted 2 Jun 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
victor Unregistered Anonymous Having serious issues with the audio quality while using skype. The sound breaks every 4-5 seconds for the party listening.
Seems to be caused by the audio driver. Dell support is extremely bad (at least from Switzerland), just a waste of time. I have windows XP prof. with a Geforce Go 7400.
Any suggestion is really welcome, would prefer de-re-installing drivers...Thanks
posted 22 May 2007 - show 2 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
pat Unregistered Anonymous Victor, I am having exactly the same problem without any idea of how to fix it. Have you fixed the problem?
posted 27 Jun 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Gomo Unregistered Anonymous For problem with Skype try disabling AEC in settings for audio in webcam. Have this laptop since January (2.3 gig processor/2 gig RAM), its the greatest. Absolutely no problems and it is in heavy usage daily.
posted 1 Jul 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Rogier Unregistered Anonymous That's it: AEC --> go to CAMERA SETTINGS and than to AUDIO. Make sure you untick "ENABLE AEC SETTINGS" --> Skype will work great after
posted 26 Aug 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Alex Unregistered Anonymous Guys, how to disable AEC in web cam’s audio settings? I see just two choises: “Cancel Echo” and “Suppress Background Noise” and both are unchecked. My M1210 came with Vista preinstalled, and from the beginning I have a 100% processor overload a few minutes after I start a video call. Is not just about Skype, it does the same for MSN Live. This is driving me crazy. I clean installed Vista a few times with the latest drivers from Dell’s website but still the same.
posted 11 Oct 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
valdor Unregistered Anonymous i had some sound problems, i cant explain cause' dont speak english,, but these problems desappeared when i uninstall Mcfee
posted 25 Nov 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
mouse2409 Unregistered Anonymous I have a microphone problem with this Dell XPS M1210. Since I reinstalled Windows XP over Windows Vista, my microphone has not been working at all. I've tried everything I could including downloading some drivers on Dell website, changing some configurations with the sound device, etc... Does any one have the same problem? I've been searching on the internet but have not found the answer yet.

Thanks in advance if anyone could help.
posted 2 Jun 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin the mic is integrated in the webcam - you need to install the webcam driver in order to be able to access the built-in mic
posted 2 Jun 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Mouse2409 Unregistered Anonymous Thanks for your reply. However, my laptop does not have mic and web cam built in. I did everything I could trying to change the configurations and such. Nothing helped :-(.
posted 20 Jun 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Nage Unregistered Anonymous Is there a way to upgrade the video card of the M1210? (I have the Go 7400)
posted 21 May 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin none that I am aware of, also, the video card is part of the motherboard, not like an add-on card on the desktop so you will need to replace the whole motherboard which is manufacturered exclusively for Dell
posted 21 May 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
discofunk Unregistered Anonymous I also have struggled to get the Web Cam working without crashing my system.... It took me two days and three re-installations of XP before I finally gave up. I am suprised Dell has not pushed forward a better driver (V10 has the same problem). It's a logitech camera... but none of the generic logitech drivers will recognize this camera.
posted 17 May 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Philip Tsui Unregistered Anonymous This M-1210 is not that good after I load the program such as firfox and netscape with IE use together. The Hard drive continue to run and no stop no matter you using this notebook or not. The problem is slow down the CPU performance, eat a lot of the battery and shorten the Hard drive life.

I think the problem is some of the program not compatible with this Vista. Finally I remove Vista and install XP. So I believed Vista is not reliable, also Dell did not consider this problem too. According to their customer service (in China) said they do not know how to resolve my problem since this is not the hardware problem. But they choice Vista for M-1210 to offer to the market.
posted 11 May 2007 - show 2 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin Yep, good move by going to XP.

http://www.bootstrike.com/WindowsVista/topavoidvista.html
posted 11 May 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
The Samuwriter Unregistered Anonymous I too got mine with Vista, and was concerned about the constant hard drive slamming it was doing. This is actually caused by a service called SuperFetch, which basically caches bits of your hard drive into RAM. All the time.

To get your half-hour of battery life back, just disable the SuperFetch service. Vista will tolerate this nicely, but load times (especially in World of Warcraft) will suffer. Framerates will improve, as will battery life.

Life's a tradeoff!
posted 19 Jan 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
shylude Unregistered Anonymous is the video card worth upgrading to nvidia from 950? is this even possible?
posted 8 May 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Doug Unregistered Anonymous can I upgrade my video card myself on the XPS m1210 to the NVIDIA myself?
posted 16 May 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
Admin Administrator Admin no, the video card is part of the motherboard, not like an add-on card on the desktop
posted 16 May 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
papachino Unregistered Anonymous cool site i just got the m1210 with vista bit disapointed with how world of warcraft works, know any ways to make make it run smoother
posted 6 May 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
chal_a Unregistered Anonymous just disable the transparency effect in vista and World of Warcraft should work like a charm. I play it on 1280x800, normal quality with around 40-50 fps
posted 19 Aug 2008 - Reply - Permanent Link
Shaun Unregistered Anonymous nice review. got one of these bad boys back in august myself. already follow all the tips you gave and they do indeed help. only thing i wanted to mention is that for winamp you DO NOT need any extra plugins. winamp ALREADY comes with a built in feature to support the media buttons, EVEN when winamp is not the progam currently in focus. just go to Options>Preferences>Global Hotkeys and enable them. thats it. might as well cut back on all bulk possible. cheers.
posted 16 Feb 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
Ben Unregistered Anonymous Hey thanks, good advice! I tried the plugin for the media buttons. but it did not work. I enable the hotkeys, and bam! They all work like a charm.

Thanks.
posted 18 Apr 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
vevola Unregistered Anonymous Nice tips!

Here's another: download PC-Decrapifier to uninstall all the Dell "crap" that is pre-installed.

Another great tool is Notebook Hardware Control which does what some of the software you described and more, but all in one program.

I do disagree however with the reformatting. I find that the CTRL+F11 function on startup is great to restore the original image with all the drivers etc. It doesn't take up all that much space, and is great when you are in an emergency and don't have the time to format and reinstall everything. This is a great option, especially for newbies, to whom I suggest to keep everything as is.

Cheers!
posted 9 Jan 2007 - show 1 replies - Reply - Permanent Link
ChocolateChip_Wookie Unregistered Anonymous Aww...come on. How's a newbie supposed to learn anything if people keep telling them 'dont touch'. I dont know about you but if you havnt 'broken' a computer at least half a dozen times in your life, you're unlikely to learn anything useful at all. Newbies....back up your computer in its original config and then go play, you might actually learn something useful for next time.
posted 9 Apr 2007 - Reply - Permanent Link
sean Unregistered Anonymous Great work. Great site. I used your tips. I found a m1210 on the Dell Outlet for $1200 with 2gb ram, big battery, nvidia card, and camera. Worst thing for me is the battery jiggles. Drives me nuts. Also the screen started scrambling. So I had to unistall the video driver use Driver Cleaner Pro and it has worked fine since. Could be the hazards of Outlet shopping.
posted 24 Dec 2006 - Reply - Permanent Link

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