Dell Precision M6700 Owners Thread

With Optimus enabled, the laptop display will always be driven by the Intel GPU. You can render specific apps using the NVIDIA GPU, which you can specify in the NVIDIA control panel, but I'm not sure how it would work with multi-GPU gaming. Of course, you can disable Optimus and then everything will be driven by the NVIDIA GPU.

You should be able to run your machine with Optimus off. Go to the BIOS, disable secure boot, enable legacy option ROMs, and then disable Optimus. Everything should then work (you just lose secure boot). It's actually the combination of Optimus off and legacy option ROMs off that causes this issue.

Which graphics card do you have? If it is the K5000M, you can update the video BIOS and it will resolve the issue you encountered when turning Optimus off while allowing secure boot to remain on. (I posted a link one page back.) If you have the K3000M or K4000M, you'll have to see if anyone else can provide a copy of the updated video BIOS image.

 

Just updated to Windows 8.1 no issues. I also am pretty convinced I notice a 10%~ increase in the display enhancement. I'm just not sure how or why, but I'm not complaining.

With all the reported issues reported as of late, I'm not sure if I want to update video drivers and/or BIOS. Though I'm pretty sure most of you do a lot more tweaking than I. My system is pretty much stock.

This is my normal state, so if anything goes wrong I won't hesitate to make it an issue.

If you had an accident the cost of recovery is on you. However, if you can show a defect in material and/or workmanship (typically if the crack emanates from an assembly point), then Dell must step up and cover the cost of repairs.

For the record, I have all the above an no issues.

 

anyone get this error after win 8.1 update?

There was a problem starting C:\Windows\System32\LogiLDA.dll The specified module could not be found.

I have no logitech software on the computer. I googled it and see others with other systems have the same issue.

thanks,

Mike

 

No error for me, however, I do have Logitech. Did you try BIOS update? My anti virus first quarantined it and even when disabled, it won't install.

 

Answer seems to be here:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...dule-not/68694fc0-9533-4c0d-a3bc-2e486e79d5a8

 

I got a similar error relating to an external SoundBlaster card that I used to have. Apparently the driver was dumped during the upgrade process and the helper process failed to load a DLL used by it. I just found the offending startup process in the Startup tab in task manager and disabling it.

 

Bit of an update. Dell guy came over with a new motherboard and K5000M. Replaced both,everything works fine. Noted the last tech replacing my monitor over a year ago did a really bad job; apparently stripped some screws with a powertool and there was a screw missing to hold the video card and mobo in place. Luckily he had enough replacement screws for everything! So it could have been something as simple as the video card getting dislodged, or shorting out, due to the missing screws.

So screen came back, tried secureboot and discovered the replacement card is still on the old BIOS. Reset again and using the computer just fine with secureboot off, but of course have the dam Windows 8.1 watermark now.

Planning on updating the video card bios when I have some free time at home so if I do need a videocard replacement I will be in town and not need the laptop.

Are there posts around with success stories on the video card firmware update around, just to make me feel better? I'm sure nothing bad will happen but like I said, I want to avoid any problems while i'm still working.

 

Aaron previously flashed his vBios without issues if I recall correctly. I've done that on AMD cards in the past. Make sure you have a fair amount of battery and that the laptop is plugged in. Once is starts, don't interrupt the process, that's how you brick a card.

 

I did it. :-D
I was a little nervous but everything worked out with no issues.

I don't recall hearing of anyone else who did it. But we do have some people who had their system come with a K5000M with the new BIOS already installed – in fact that's where I got the BIOS image from.

Again, I posted the version number of the old BIOS and the new BIOS a page or two back... You should check to make sure your card's BIOS version matches one of those (GPU-Z will show you the BIOS version). If you match the old version you should be good for the update. If you match the new version, then it should be working, you must have a different issue. If you don't match either, then you have a version we haven't seen yet and I'm not sure what you should do.

Before you update the BIOS, dump your old one using GPU-Z. (There's a little icon right next to where it shows the BIOS version.) That way you can flash it back if there is trouble. Since you have Optimus on, you should be able to boot up even if something goes wrong with the NVIDIA GPU.

Note if you are flashing with Optimus enabled, you have to instruct nvflash to override the PCI subsystem ID mismatch that you will get. For some reason the PCI subsystem ID for the card shows differently depending if you have Optimus enabled or not, and the ID in the BIOS image is that if the ID you get with Optimus off. If that's confusing, don't worry about it. Here's the command you issue to update the BIOS:

nvflash overridesub K5000M-80.04.5A.00.05.ROM

This should be done from a command prompt running "as administrator" in the directory where you extracted the files I posted earlier. After you update the video BIOS, reboot the system. Then check that the BIOS version is correct in GPU-Z, and check that everything seems to be working, before trying to enable secure boot again.

One other thing. If you plan to disable Optimus permanently, I recommend that you go to safe mode (with Optimus on) and remove the K5000M from the device manager. Then reboot and disable Optimus before booting Windows again. This will keep you from running into the problem I had a page or two back, where an old version of the NVIDIA driver was hanging around and causing a BSOD when trying to update to a newer one. Because the "Optimus on K5000M" and "Optimus off K5000M" are identified as separate devices by Windows, it was hanging on to an old version of the driver for the one that I don't use.

 

"So screen came back, tried secureboot and discovered the replacement card is still on the old BIOS"

I don't have Optimus as an option, since I have the IPS monitor. So it shouldn't be a problem. Still I am going to wait until first week of November when I won't need my laptop for a few weeks, just in case! I'll just deal with the "Secure Boot" Windows 8.1 watermark for now. Better that then no laptop at all!

Side note, love how good my dell tech is. My case was a little banged up on the side on the back panel/chassis/main HD springs were missing. So after he fixed my laptop he placed an order for all new parts for all those and is gonna just replace them all since I have total coverage! Especially since the M6800 doesn't have the IPS screen I need to hold onto this for as long as I can, haha.