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    Dell Studio 15 - Questions on restore CD and other stuff

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by metroplex, Nov 4, 2008.

  1. metroplex

    metroplex Notebook Consultant

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    I am considering a Centrino 2 Studio 15: P8400, 4GB, 320GB HD, Radeon HD 3450. There's a deal going on right now that offers the Mini 9 for $99, which is a pretty good deal unless I am reading it wrong.

    Does the Studio 15 come with an OS restore CD (Vista Home Premium 64-bit SP-1) or is it on the partition of the HD? I did not find an option to buy a $10-$20 restore CD/DVD.

    Are there any known problems with the Studio 15 Centrino 2, like noisy fans, EMI interference from fans, overheating issues, etc...?

    How is the backlit keyboard and LED LCD backlighting? Is it worth the extra $100 for these options?

    The only reason I am considering the Studio 15 is because of the LED backlighting that the HP dv5t does not offer, plus the $99 Mini 9 deal seems ok.

    Thanks in advance!
     
    metroplex, Nov 4, 2008
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  2. FatMangosLAWL

    FatMangosLAWL Notebook Evangelist

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    Backlit keyboard works just fine, no heating issues. No noisy fans. It does come with a restore vista disk and drivers disk, and there is also a partition on the drive. No known problems for me. I don't have the LED backlit screen though.
     
    FatMangosLAWL, Nov 4, 2008
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  3. metroplex

    metroplex Notebook Consultant

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    Will the Vista restore disc allow me to do a fresh install w/o bloatware?
    Has anyone had success downgrading to XP on a Studio 15? I'd imagine we just need the correct XP drivers for all of the widgets and doodads. I am contemplating this route in case I don't like Vista SP-1.

    BTW thanks for making that video review. I love the backlit keyboard.
     
    metroplex, Nov 4, 2008
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  4. booboo12

    booboo12 Notebook Prophet

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    Yes, you can perform a clean install, the disk is like a regular Windows Vista DVD. Most of the added software "Bloatware" should be on their own separate CD's/DVD's. And yes people have been successful running XP on Studio 15's- http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=283163

    I really must say, though, Vista's come a long way thanks to SP1. Try it out for a few weeks before you make the switch. ;) :)
     
    booboo12, Nov 4, 2008
    #4