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Inspiron 700m Screen Flicker
Just received my 700m and I'm noticing a significant screen flicker - almost like there is a hidden window that flickers into view every few seconds. The flicker is in the upper left of the screen and looks about the height of a titlebar and about 3-4 inches long. Sometimes is seems like it may be taller. It is the color of the Windows startup screen.
I have done the following to the laptop thus far:
- Removed AOL, Quickbooks, Earthlink
- Removed everything from the Start Menu->Startup folder
- Turned off all services which weren't system related
- Turned off all Symantec AV and IS services
- Went into MSConfig and removed several items from the Windows Run registry
Now the flicker happens much less often but it is still there.
Has anyone else experienced this and are there any known resolutions? If no known resolutions, any suggestions as to how to proceed?
I am going to try the following:
- Update all Windows Updates
- Update video & monitor drivers
Thanks in advance...
I have done the following to the laptop thus far:
- Removed AOL, Quickbooks, Earthlink
- Removed everything from the Start Menu->Startup folder
- Turned off all services which weren't system related
- Turned off all Symantec AV and IS services
- Went into MSConfig and removed several items from the Windows Run registry
Now the flicker happens much less often but it is still there.
Has anyone else experienced this and are there any known resolutions? If no known resolutions, any suggestions as to how to proceed?
I am going to try the following:
- Update all Windows Updates
- Update video & monitor drivers
Thanks in advance...
- I just got a brand new 700m for about a month now and I seem to be having a weird problem.
WHen the machine sits for a while (30 minutes or more) still plugged into the AC adapter...the screen will go blank and there will just be a few lines illuminted in blue at the top of the LCD.
The screen and keyboard are completely unresponsive and i have to hard power down the system to get it to reboot.
I have reformatted and installed XP Pro. I have installed all the drivers and the intel chipset driver from the intel site, version ....4363
Any else have this problem? Thanks. - Eddie700m,
I have exactly the same problem as described in the second post. I tried installing the new driver for the video and it did not work.
Not sure what to do now. I am thinking of returning it as I intended it to be presented to someone without much knowledge of computers.
Seems all the posts in this thread are more or less about the same problem. I spoke with Dell Support over the weekend and here's what they recommended:
- Verify that the machine is still having the problem
- Reboot the machine and go into the BIOS
- See if the screen flicker is still happening in the BIOS
- Hook the external VGA port up to an external monitor
- Verify that the problem is NOT happening on an external monitor.
This should tell you whether a) the problem is software related (Step 3) and b) the problem is video card related (Step 5). If you did not see flicker in the BIOS then it is likely a software problem. If you saw flicker on the external VGA, then the problem is likely video card related. If you saw flicker in the BIOS but not from external VGA, then your problem is likely the LCD.
It turned out my problem is with the LCD, Dell is coming out to replace it this week.
Message Edited by Oddible on 08-22-2005 08:32 AM
- I just got my 700m last week, and just like the 4 others who appear to have received theirs last week (oddible, york2, eddie700m, and nimmax), it will lock up and show a thin colored bar across the top (usually green i think). The rest of the screen may flicker white or more often just be black. Just now it was in a mode where it went into and out of this state as I moved the mouse in IE. I closed the application and then did a search to find these posts (i didn't actually have to reboot this time). I think it has always occured after leaving the computer on for a while and letting it go into the sleep state (or whatever it's called). I don't know if it will happen if i reboot everytime i use it. I really like just opening it up to get back to work. Otherwise I'm very happy with it and if the microphone doesn't work (i haven't tested it) as others mentioned, i hope the going from stereo to mono idea fixes it.I would not buy a 700m until you see us get this resolved. Judging by the timing and comments of us 5, it appears to be a flaw that started shipping almost exactly on 8/15/2005.
Where can i get the old video driver?
Correction to my previous post: just because it may not happen while in side BIOS, it does not mean that BIOS is not the problem...especially since i see funny stuff happening early during boot.
I've tried to different pixel configurations (1200x768) and going to high and true color, but it still ocurs.It has occured when I've touched it and even once i could make it come and go, but i'm sure it's at least partly software related and not a weak mechanical/electrical connection because after i shut down IE that time, it stopped threatening to go into that stuck state.- I've been trying to test it. There are some sharp (single pixel) lines that flash and stretch across the screen several times during boot-up. It seems to be related to the other problem. It stops as soon as the win XP splash screen appears as windows loads. I was able to verify that these lines do not occur on a CRT that's hooked up. So i believe it has to do with the LCD or an LCD driver or related software. I think we have ruled out the BIOS and other application software. There is no sign of it occuring in the BIOS (clicking F2 several times during boot up). But right before entering and right after going into BIOS, it does it. It can take up to 24 hours of intermittent use for the problem to occur, so i'm not up to leaving it in BIOS just sitting there for that long. My next test will use both the LCD and CRT displays just to verify it's isolated to LCD display and/or related software. Once the interaction between the software and the LCD causes it to lock up, i don't know what the CRT will display.These intermittent problems are not good. You can send it back to dell 20 times and they will do something and they might think it's fixed and send it back to you ..... only for it to happen again. We can put up with it (reboot everyday and let it crash every now and then...about like using win95 so far), interact with dell and hope for the best, or just return it as one wise soul above already has.
- Zawy,
I have the same microphone problem too as you mentioned. The microphone input is not recognised. Could anyone please point me to how to correct this.
All these problems take the fun out of owning a new laptop. Why does Dell ship things without really doing a good test of the systems. I think I got what I really paid for.
nimmax
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Posted August 20th, 2005 21:00
I have not installed any new software since I got the system. I tend to think the problem is with the intel video driver, because on one ocassion Windows reported a problem with the driver by popping up the application crash window. Upon pressing "more information" button it took me to the microsoft website (Online Crash Analysis) and there is some inforamtion specific to the context, that the Intel driver that I am using has a problem and intel does not have a fix to it yet.
The vedio driver(Intel Extreme Graphics 855 GM/GME) on my system is dated (8/20/2004), but there is a newer one (4/28/2005) on the Dell support site. I am going to give it a try. Not sure why Dell shipped the system with an older driver even when a new one is available ...