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M4800 Owner's Thread

Discussion in 'Dell Latitude, Vostro, and Precision' started by changt34x, Oct 29, 2013.

  1. tonylemesmer

    tonylemesmer Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok
    . OK. I ordered mine from laptopscreen. I'll post a PIC of the part numbers when I get home.
    All 30pin
     
  2. tonylemesmer

    tonylemesmer Notebook Enthusiast

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    New panel has 30pins and fits the same connector as the old one. Direct swap. New panel is this: http://www.panelook.com/LP156WF4-SPL1_LG Display_15.6_LCM_overview_22815.html

    LG LP156WF4 (SP)(L1) which apparently is IPS. So now I'm confused. I'll try fitting it again now and report back. Otherwise I'll send it back to laptopscreens.
     
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  3. tonylemesmer

    tonylemesmer Notebook Enthusiast

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    Unbelieveably I had it working, for about 5 minutes. It booted correctly once (see pic). It was gorgeous. I restarted and it didn't work again. My laptop doesn't have a webcam or backlit keyboard, but has a microphone in the lid.

    I have no idea if this is related but before the time it worked I plugged it into my TV via HDMI cable and booted up (no image came up on the screen), switched off again, unplugged the HDMI and rebooted and thats when it worked.

    I've not been able to get it to work again since then. It seems to be hanging in the BIOS I think, judging from LEDs and Windows event logs, but I can't be sure. My BIOS version was A15, I've upgraded to A16 that hasn't made any difference.

    UPDATE: I have disabled fastboot in the BIOS (with the old 1366x768 panel installed), powered down, removed the battery, fitted the new panel powered up and now its working consistently. However I cannot see the screen working during the BIOS POST. So if I ever need to go into the BIOS I will have to put the old panel back in.

    UPDATE 2: see below

    IMG_20151221_225309.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2015
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  4. hodgeMN

    hodgeMN Notebook Evangelist

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    That is puzzling why you are having issues - no issues on my end with either 1366x768 with the 1080p ips screen. BIOS is fine too. I have attached a pic of the back of the Dell 1080p IPS screen:

    screen_opt (1).jpg
     
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  5. tonylemesmer

    tonylemesmer Notebook Enthusiast

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    UPDATE 2: I spoke too soon. It worked for maybe 5 times, then it started doing the same thing again. It hangs about 2-3 seconds after I press the power button. I wonder if the B1 suffix is significant on your panel vs my L1 suffix

    I might try and see if I can get my LP156WF4(SP)(L1) swapped for a LP156WF6(SP)(B1).
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2015
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  6. tonylemesmer

    tonylemesmer Notebook Enthusiast

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    Update 3: After chatting with the guy at laptopscreen.com he recommended reseating the LCD 30pin connector, reseating the RAM and disconnecting the CMOS battery and reconnecting it.

    Resetting the CMOS forced the BIOS to do a full hardware check and for the first time the BIOS logo was displayed on the 1080p panel (LP156FW4 (SP) (L1)). This confirmed to me that it was some kind of BIOS problem.

    So I decided to turn off Switchable graphics in the BIOS. I've rebooted 10 times and it works fine. However now I have surrendered the ability to use the Intel graphics and the Nvidia graphics at the same time. We'll see how this pans out.

    Thanks @hodgeMN for your help and feedback. If I find any information on how to get back to the original settings with the new panel I'll be sure to post it here.
     
  7. M.J.S.

    M.J.S. Notebook Consultant

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    I once nearly panicked when my computer appeared dead and doing nothing just a few seconds after reboot, repeatedly. Then I found out it was only trying to display the login screen on an external display that was off. (I didn’t know for sure what caused it to switch displays for login.) Your mentioning of connecting something to the HDMI reminded me of that. Could be a related cause, or it could be not.
    Also, from day one, I have my BIOS boot check set to automatic, not fast.

    As for Optimus… I have recently disabled it voluntarily, and am happier with the machine since.
    (Optimus is only justified when battery life is more important to you than overall performance.)
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2015
  8. hodgeMN

    hodgeMN Notebook Evangelist

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    This might be a long shot but maybe try to reinstall windows? It seems strange that the same hardware would behave differently. My new screens from laptopscreen.com will be here on Monday. I will post updates then. It will be interesting to see if they send me the same model # as yours and I have the same issues.
     
  9. aglowacki

    aglowacki Newbie

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    I have a brand new m4800 but i have problems with running it with 90w/130w power supply as cpu stays at 800mhz.
    I read that bios a06 fixes the issue but i cant downgrade to anything lower than version a13. Is there anything i can do to fix the issue or to downgrade to a6?
     
  10. M.J.S.

    M.J.S. Notebook Consultant

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    What are the symptoms of “can’t downgrade”? What prevents you to?
     
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