Precision M4500 Owner's Lounge

If it works fine with a Linux Live CD, the hardware cannot be broken, so sending it back would probably not help you. If you have the required technical knowledge and a Windows 7 install DVD on hand, I would highly recommend wiping the drive (except for Diagnostics or Recovery partitions) and reinstall from scratch. Every Dell system I have ever seen was less than optimal with the stock Windows installation - they just throw too much junk in.

 

I'm in the process of reformatting and reinstalling the software on my M4500. However, I've noticed that the hard disk contains an additional partition called "Reader," which I assume contains settings for the Precision ON reader. How can I restore this partition on a new drive? Also, if this partition does not exist, will Precision ON simply not work/boot? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

You can download and reinstall Reader if you want from the Dell support site after you reinstall. No need to set it up in advance.

 

Cool. Will Reader work on an NTFS partition?

Also, if I remove the "OEM Partition," which I assume carries the diagnostic software, is there any way I can restore it, or create the same partition on a brand new drive so I may still be able to access it when I need it?

 

OK, so I'm going to create and save images of both the diagnostic and the recovery partition. That way, when my 500GB comes in, I will simply restore those partitions on the new drive from the images. Also, I will create a 2GB FAT32 partition for Precision ON, and install the software once I'm done installing Windows. I have a Win7 Ultimate x64 disc that I finally get to put to use.

Basically, the process will go as follows:

1. Use Partition software to save OEM Partition + Recovery to image file (Useful if upgrading/replacing HDD)

2. When new HDD is installed, restore both partition images to disk.

3. Create 2GB FAT32 Partition for Precision ON Reader

4. Format remaining space for OS

5. Install OS.

Just one more random question, is there any way I can get the M4500 to boot from an SD card? Is this possible?

 

Nope, not yet. But judging by all the guy's positive reviews, and his history with Samsung SSDs, I'm not too worried. I'll keep you updated.

 

I noticed the option for 2X 8gb for a total of 16gb on the Dell site. Does anyone know what brand memory they are using?

 

To any owners of the 64GB SSD: In what manner does Dell install the OS and applications and divide between the 64GB SSD and the HDD? How are the various system files segregated on the two drives?

For example: "Program Files" and "Program Files (x86)" directories are factory installed the the 64GB SSD or the HDD?

Edit 1: I assume that if the second drive is an SSD they would be configured in a hardware RAID, that would explain the RAID Drivers for Pre Install via the F6 Method. But in the case of a spinner as the second drive it would not practical to set up a RAID. From reading the forum, this sounds like the most common configuration (64GB SSD + 7200 rpm spinner). So the question is: How does Dell image this configuration?

 

I'm so glad I did a clean install. My M4500 is a totally new machine now. It's so fast and clean!

I've posted before about my pointing stick constantly stuttering, and upon clean installing Windows, the problem went away. However, I did find the culprit responsible for it: Dell's ALPS multitouch driver. Upon installing and figuring this out, I promptly uninstalled the drivers and everything became fluid again, so if anyone likes using the pointing stick, you'd do best to avoid the Alps multitouch driver for now.

Another thing I noticed is that there is significant battery improvement when Windows is handling power management by itself. I went from an average battery time of 1:30 to 4:15 on my 6-cell battery. That's more than enough to get me through lectures during the day. I have yet to reinstall the Dell ControlPoint software, but everything works well enough for me that it is not a priority, and I can definitely live without it, as I can set the LCD brightness and the keyboard backlight, among other things, flawlessly without the software, reducing my need or it even more.

As for the recovery partitions on my drive, I used CloneZilla to image the Diagnostic and Recovery partition so that I can simply restore it on to a new hard disk when I need to upgrade.

I'm going to spend some more time with this machine, and I will keep you guys updated on anything else I find.

 

I'm also interested in this hypersensitivity issue, as I think I have the same thing. I was able to download and use an unbranded Alps driver for my touchpad/pointing stick, and it fixed almost all of my issues. However, the pointing stick buttons registering double clicks with only one click is very annoying, and I wish to know if you, or anyone else in this thread, has been able to fix it. Thanks.