Hi Forum,

                   Wasn't sure where to put this problem so you might see it in both of the video and audio specific forums too. And I've just reviewed how long this post is so stick with it if your up for some complicated problems, the better detail I give will obviously me a lot more helpful to you.

but anyway specs first so you know what I'm working on.

Laptop Studio 1558 : Ms windows 7 home Premium 64bit, Inter Core i7 CPU M 620 @ 2.67GHz, 4.0GB RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470

Let me know if there's anything else you need to know.

So last time I posted this I worded it badly and it got deleted but since mid summer last year I started getting odd crashes when viewing media online, like youtube videos (where the problem started) and then led to any online that was either on a tube site, some flash and anything embedded which could easily be an advert before watching a  video clip to an embedded song on a networking profile. This started to happen only on Firefox and then it seemed to infect other browsers. the problem seems to have progressed as for a time it was literally JUST youtube that seemed to make my laptop's screen flicker, go blank and then eventually switch off, with the system still running, annoyingly, meaning I would need to reboot. SOME of the times it would go blank and then recover and say my display driver had stopped responding and has been recovered but then would leave the youtube video playing but it would be green.

So i thought, yeah ok, i could live without youtube to be honest and i'm sure they'll fix it with updates etc etc plus the no script addon for Firefox stops anything media related working until you told it too. But however nothing was ever fixed and still I pressed on with this little snag that seemed to compromise my laptop.

It was only when the same style crash started to affect my external webcam(just a normal Logitech C250). Plugging it in started to make the USB ports fail saying the USB device has malfunctioned and when it sometimes DID work, and the moment the laptop LITERALLY recognises it and loads its feed (this was on the manycam program too) it would perform the same shut down process as it would when viewing a video online.

So that's when i thought that something was obviously going on here and there must be something clearly wrong with my video driver. I rang Dell up once and explained the problem and i got bounced from software to hardware to they eventually ended up talking prices at me for help. But they assumed the webcam problem was the software being incompatible, which was nonsense because the webcam had worked absolutely fine for the passed 5 months. I finally tried installed the webcam onto another desktop which it gave me the same USB malfunction message, so that concluded that the webcam WAS actually faulty. So i got a replacement ordered from Logitech hoping that at least one of these problems was sorted but when installing the BRAND NEW webcam (same model and everything) when it went to install the video driver for it, it yet again crashed when it recognised the video feed of it. SO that strikes out the faulty webcam issue because my new one didn't even work!

ok so to sum up and these are some of the messages I've got in the Action Center along with A LOT of Video hardware errors in the Reliability center:

1: Video hardware errors/video card malfunction
- cannot view youtube or any other video tube site
- cannot view sites with embedded video or audio
- certain audio and video files cause crashes

Action Reliability
- display driver not responding.
- ATI graphics card malfunction
- ST Micro Screen Detection Sensor ST Micro Screen Detection Sensor
isn't compatible with this version of Windows.

 
2: recent developments of problems
- external webcam problem same style crash
- crashes on installed webcam driver

 

Now i have 96 days of my warranty left and i have only the standard cover and I REALLY just want to get a replacement laptop because in attempts to solve i botched up a reformat ontop of having this problem so I literally lost everything on the laptop. And from what I've been reading them coming out and changing your motherboard etc only seems to cause more problems.

From doing Research i have found that the studio 1558 is having some similar issues pretty much everywhere, and I will copy and paste some of the replies to the thread that i found these on, some say its heat and some say its the way its built and some say its the compilation of hardware I've ordered but have a read anyway:

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE

 

    """""Spoke with Dell Technical Support today as I am about to receive my 3rd Studio 15 1558 tomorrow.  The previous two machines BOTH experienced the popular intermittent shut downs.

Tech support said that the optimal operating temp for the I7-720QM is approximately 40 to 44c.  All good and well if I didn't put ANY load on the processor.  Run a virus scan with ZoneAlarm and the temp across all 4 cores shoots up to 57-59c.  Dell says the maxi temp is 55c and would result in a shut down.  Oh, I should add that I flashed the BIOS to A06 which was supposed to address a fix for the thermal sensor, eliminating the shut downs at lower temps and correcting the power input to the fan and temp trigger for the fan to come on...  Before the BIOS upgrade, it would die at around 55-60c.  I've seen it run as high as 75-80c.  

Seeing as though the new BIOS version didn't do what they promised, I pressed for more assurance that the machine I would be receiving via FedEx tomorrow wouldn't be another round of temp problems and shutdowns....  

Here's what Dell said:

We;re aware of the temperature problems with the Studio 15 1558 running the I7-720QM and know about the intermittent shutdowns.  We initially addressed the problem with BIOS A06.  We even stopped selling that line until we could address the problem.  (Strange, it was always available online!!!)  We have rectified the problem through a new motherboard design which went to the manufacturing line in the last few days (couldn't be more exact).  Your (My) new Studio 15 15589 has been built using that new motherboard and the problems with the heat and intermittent shutdowns should be resolved""""

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"""""The laptop appears to have a failure in its video display, it stops working and Windows attempts to restart the display drive(?) but in the process fails and seems to get caught trying to restart video. I find that this happens in a  multitude of scenarios but most often it occurs when I have a flash game minimized or in another tab while browsing. Here are the events i tracked down in my event log that seem to correlate with this issue.

TimeCreated  : 7/5/2010 11:03:20 AM
ProviderName : Display
Id           : 4101
Message      : Display driver atikmdag stopped responding and has successfully recovered.

I have a bunch of these in my logs. I updated my bios after the first freeze and the machine still experiences this issue. If i can provide more information, please let me know. I will PM the Dell tech who posted earlier in this thread also.""""

This one seemed to sum up my problem almost:

""""""" Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE I got my dell 1558 two days ago, and I've been getting screen flickering, a black screen - where it's function is disabled but the computer is still running. I've had about 3 or 4 of these screen problems. The first time I got screen flickering, it recovered and and error appeared saying the ATI Raedon graphics has stopped working but has now recovered. The second time I got a black screen and then the system crashed or restarted actually and something called "blue screen of death" which is what windows error message said "blue screen" so I ran a registry cleaner and never got the blue screen anymore, but now I got the flickering and/or black screen again, which I had to resolve by a hard shutdown. Fearing of a virus, I ran a virus scan and everything but no viruses was found.""""""

""""""" Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE Computer just crashed again!!!!!!!!!! this time it actually said in a bubble at bottom of screen ATI RADEON DRIVER HAS RECOVERED FROM PROBLEM the computer then restarted itself , went to reliability monitor and says there were 5 video hardware errors all at 13.30 . At the time i had the power supply plugged in, so i will now try it on battery.""""""

 

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"""""""Interesting, have checked my Action Centre/Reliability and mine also displays VIDEO HARDWARE ERROR. My Windows Failure of this nature tends to happen when using the power adaptor. I don't have any issues when running only on battery power. Is this the same for you?"""""""

 

"""""""If you've bought a laptop from Dell and are UK based (ie you bought it in the UK) you are covered by the Sale Of Goods Act - it don't work so you get a refund/ replacement within the warranty (min 1 year) period. As they not making them u get a refund.

EU law says it got to work for at least X years (I think X=5 but can't remember).

If you bought with credit card (UK) you can claim your refund from the card issuer (laptop not functional Dell won't fix it)

Uk - claim in small claims court - you have done everything Dell told you to , it still dont work - it is not fit for purpose.""""""

 

But that's your lot, that's a lot to read so I don't expect alot of replies but if a Dell Administrator or Moderator clued into this sort of stuff please reply to the post, I am ringing Dell on Monday to see if I can get a replacement as I haven't even had this a whole year yet and its about time it got fixed. Very disappointed in this after hearing that Dell weren't as bad as they used to be with computers so I'm hoping they can do something for me that's going to be worth my 11/2grand.

Oh also, it goes without saying that I have taken care of this laptop always kept it ventilated etc etc, it has never once blue screened.

Any reponse appreciated!

 

Winrar.

 

 

 

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