Dell Studio 1557

Oop! Just got a call from Dell arranging to come and collect my laptop. I told the lady that the tech had agreed to send an engineer to have it fixed on site; she said that's not what my warranty covered, so I told her to go back and check the tech's notes on the call he made to me (if they in fact exist). She said that the "on-site call-out" team would be in touch.

Hmmm. Seems I was a bit premature in forgiving Dell for their earlier hiccups

 

have the same problem... mine also kicks in sometimes when watching a movie or listening to music.... totaly random :s

 

Well im about to find out if the problem is what i think it is.

Im thinking its a 64bit driver issue in windows thats causing the problem.

I have Windows 7 32bit installed now and i have no problems with my subwoofer not working.Even tho it still sounds like crap for a top end laptop.

I think when I install Windows 7 64bit im going to have all the problems that you guys are having.


Will update later...

 

did anybody already update the bios? (v. A02)

 

Mine just got updated to 9 days earlier than schedule date. That's something I can't complain. (btw, it's free shipping one w/ 1080p screen if anyone wonder)

 

Well, in my past experience w/ dell, I generally will tell them ahead of time what I have tested, stuff that they would read though the book and ask me to do then I ask for 2nd tier tech support. I found it please me better as if I already confirm it's hardware issue, they will just send a replacement for me. But that was for the desktop part. I don't know how they will handle notebook issue.

 

If you've not got on-site warranty, they simply will not come to you to repair the machine. It is seriously unfair to those (like me) that have paid for that service.

The problem is, you can get good agents and bad agents. When my blu-ray drive packed up, they kept trying to get me to install new codecs, then a new media player. Complete nonsense because when I put a disc in, windows didn't recognise that there was a disc in, but did perfectly when it was a DVD. However, eventually I spoke to someone who knew what they were talking about.

It's pretty bad that you can't ask them to put you through to someone who knows what they're talking about......they should all know what they are talking about in the first place.

 

Yeah I get the "kick in" effect now, like just this minute I started playing an Evanescence track and it starts tinny then maybe 3 seconds it comes to life.... With WMP in Dolby "night" mode it does this everytime without fail now!!

I could quite believe it's a driver issue!

I have to say that I think the sound is pretty good TBH... I was sat earlier with my mate who has a new HP DV something (I forget the number, but cost like £1600) and this is definately better!!

 

Got a call back at 7pm from Dell apologising for the error; they shouldn't have told me that they were going to collect & return, but in fact were going to send a tech to fix my machine on-site. However, the part they require (subwoofer assembly) is out of stock with their call-out contractors, so I will have to wait til next week when it is in stock for them to reschedule the visit.

I think that's not too much to ask from a company that have supplied a £1150 piece of equipment that was substandard out of the box. Anyway, in the circumstances, I doubt whether it would really be any more cost effective for them to pick it up, take it away, fix it, and bring it back again, especially seeing as I reported it well within the cooling off period, and I could tell them to stick it and give me a full refund; then they'd still have to fix it, advertise it on Outlet, and sell it for less than I paid for it.

Anyway, now I've got a few days to wait, I'll be very interested to see what OneCool's diagnosis is...




p.s. yep, zhykco, the bios was updated first thing.

 

nifkin, now I know why my notebook order is delayed. It's the subwoofer!!!

My god, I don't hope .. :|

 

Well i'll have mine tomorrow sometime in the afternoon. Going first thing after I leave the airport! Ok so it will have win 7 and should have the newest bios. Anything other then the speakers I should be looking for? I'll report back sometime tomorrows once I get all my data and stuff transferred over.

 

My subwoofer is working, deinfitely. I turned it on on IDT control pannel by selecting 5.1 sound and adjust SRS effects. Don't know which step I did first because there's one that disables the other but if you do it the opposite order it doesn't. So I repeat I adjust SRS effects and then change from "stereo" to "5.1" and it works. Tried it with Batman Begins BSO (lots of bass in it) and I'm sure it's working!

My OS is W7 64bits

 

WOO!!! The order is shipped... I can't wait now!!

I will give you all the feedback about subwoofer and everything else

 

i tried doing this but the settings just kept resetting. anyone have success?

 

Maybe he has other drivers? Why don't you check that first.

 

I am bummed that SSD wasn't available as an option

Any coupon code out there that works for 1557?

 

i am using Dell driver 6.10.0.6217 for the audio and i have the creative X-fi MB software. OS is Win7 Ultimate x64.

@ignitione: is your driver version the same?

 

Getting my 1557 on Monday via next day ship from Fedex. Been trollin the thread and am noticing the subwoofer issue. So shoot me if this seems obvious but realistically are there "multitudes" of people having issues or are the posts from just a few people unlucky to get defective equipment? The reason I ask is that this is a replacement laptop for a brand new Alienware m15x that Dell shipped me defective and if this subwoofer issue is because of a defective Dell build, I'm done with Dell.
The o.s. is going to be Win 7 x64 if that helps.

 

Well im running Windows 7 64bit now.

As soon as I installed the IDT driver I got all of the issues with my subwoofer that everyone else has been getting.

I uninstalled the IDT driver and let windows driver control it and my problems are solved.

I tried both the CD and Dells support driver both have the same issues.

The sound quality is SOOO much better.The sound level could be louder but the quality is on par with other laptops now.

I have mine setup as 2 full range speakers not 5.1.If I set it up as 5.1 the level gets even LOWER.

 

So from your experience, it's a driver issue? That is more re-assuring than a defective subwoofer.

 

Please I need to know where can I buy the 1557 online as retail i.e.trusty dell distributors.

 

Well everyone I am proud to say that I finally got my 1557 today!!!
I have been messing with it for about and 3 hours and so far I'm loving it.. TF2 runs great and the screen (900p) and backlit keyboard are really nice! I can't tell if the sub is right or not, I did enable it and I guess it sounds ok?... This is my first notebook, so I'll let my friend be the judge when he sees it. Also I like the included "Dell Dock" it's pretty neat.. So thats it I guess, Oh yea, the lid is really nice as well, I got the tweeqim design and I think it was worth it! anyways I guess I'll report back if I have any issues or questions...

 

any good review on this?

 

Features:

- SCREEN: Great screen, best I've had. Lots of brightness available. Love it. The problem with full HD is font size is really small... and all the other things too. You can increase Windows font size but some things will continue to be small, such as java applications and installation dialogs. Increaseing the font size enough will make letters look oversized and out of their place. Going for a lower res screen is not such a bad idea. Anyway once you get used to 1080 you can live with it. Games and HD movies look just perfect, as well as pictures and TV. Windows 7 lets you adjust it very well.

- GRAPHICS. I'm not a hard 3D gamer so I don't miss anything here. It's quite a good GPU if you are not going to play 3D games with big graphics. Even if you are it looks pretty decent.

- KEYBOARD. It feels quite good to touch, the keys feel safe (not like you're making them jump, like in some HP laptops I've worked with). Functions keys alternate with media keys - you can select which are default. You don't have a numeric keypad, not even within letters (you can't expand folder fields with CTRL +). There is no pause key (so no WIN+PAUSE to display system properties). Theres a button to eject DVD'd in the keyboard, nowhere else. It seems QWERTY config has the problem that, once in the BIOS, some letters are placed under another sign: if you press "+" to change some setting, it won't work. You have to figure out which key really is "+". Not too serious once you've found it. At least it happens in my region.

- TOUCHPAD: Feels good, the buttons are soft to push, they don't sound too much "click click".

- SOUND: Pretty good for a laptop, however
some users are reporting subwoofer not working.

- DVD drive: no tray, very comfortable. The only problem is it is very close to a USB port so a big pendrive or similar may be dangerous when ejecting dvds.

- POWER CORD: its long enough and it's safe to plug. I've had 2 Acers before which stopped working due to problems with the plug. However it's smells very much, like plastic.

- GENERAL PERFORMANCE: really fast computer. The 7200 HD drive is very fast in general lines, programs run smoothly even with the hardest configuration.

- NOISE: it's very quiet unless you are giving the processors a lot of work. The unit gets easily hot so it's a good idea to have a fan under it.

- Connectivity: USB next to the DVD drive at the right and two more at the left, one over the other. The upper one is an e-SATA connector for external drives. You've got HDMI and 2 jacks for headphones or independent speakers.

- Batterly life: nothing special, just like any other laptop. If you are aggresive it will last 1 hour and if you are browsing and use the "Dell extended battery life" option it will last 2,5 hours at the most. For me it doesn't make a big difference if you have a 6 or 9 cell battery.

So far it's the best laptop I've ever had. Acers, HPs, Toshibas, VAIOS, none gave me this performance - they didn't have Core i7 and these high-end features either.

 

has anyone managed to use an iphone with their 1557? I can't get it to recognize whatsoever, and I have done everything possible?!>......

 

see this from Engadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/31/iphone-and-windows-7-dont-play-nice-intel-p55-chipset-to-blame/

 

I saw that but my issue is a bit different. Win. Won't recognize my phone at all, no charging nothing. I tried reinstalling iTunes and the drivers manually but no avail. I would love to know if I am the only one.

 

I just got installed the iTunes 9.0.2 for Windows 64bits from Apple downloads....Though I'm not using an iPhone, I have an Ipod Touch which I would expect the same issue you are facing and I have to be honest, I'm just glad that it is working perfectly well with no problems at all

I've read the article that was posted about Iphone and PM55 chipset but I can't totally agree since I haven't got this issue so far....


By the way, I'm current using a Windows Vista SP2 64bits......

 

So if your on Vista then maybe that's why yours is working? I have tried everything, Other then this little issue I'm loving the machine, but this is kind of a big issue for me.. Anyone else who has windows 7 able to get it to even recognize?!

 

Just saw this. It doesn't matter which one you enable first, SRS Premium Sound or 5.1 speaker set up, one always disables the other. They are mutually exclusive.

 

I don't think so. I first config SRS and THEN change to 5.1 in IDT. Just don't come back to SRS tab after that, if so it will disable SRS. My experience.

I don't know what to expect from the subwoofer, it's true that if you test it with control panel/sounds it looks like it's not responding but that doesn't mean it's not really working. I notice a big difference when I have IDT drivers and things set-up as I said, to when I have no drivers installed. If I just uninstall IDT then it does become an all treble sound. Maybe you were expecting a super subwoofer but it's a laptop, not a hi-fi box.

Windows:

1. Control panel, sound. Headphones/speaker.

a) Properties, Improvements tab, enable everything but room correction. Configure bass to entertainment center. Avanced tab, I change it to 24 bit 192000 Hz.

b) Config, 5.1 Surround, Check every box, Ok.

IDT

1. click on SRS Premium, click on enabled and headphones. Select large size for speakers. I choose "Music" and "custom" and rise SRS True BASS, definition etc a little bit. I'm sorry my IDT panel is not in English so I don't know what the exact words for these things are in the original English application.

2. Adjustments tab (just below SRS Premium tab), enable speakers/headphones and enable optimize bass up to 12.0 dB.

3. Installation tab (below 2.) Change it to 5.1. And select big speakers here too. Sliding controls, increase low frequency to max.

4. Adjust equalization the way you like. I recommend normal levels for bars at the left and increase each one to the right a little bit (one more than the other)

5. DON'T go back to SRS Premium tab. Close the application.

Just trying to help, hope it helps someone.

 

For those of you who have received your 1557, are there activity lights for HD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, on this laptop?

 

I don't know how important it would be for you.... because I have to tell you that this laptod just have one light that is for the battery level....when is charging become white and when the battery is low become red....

Not a big issue at all for me....

 

ignitione i tried the settings you posted and it doesnt work for me. it actually makes the highs lower, and still no bass response, sorry. but i called dell last week and they are about to send me a new one, cause not only do my speaker not work but i cant use the hdmi with my 42 flat screen, tried everthing but it still doesnt work.

 

Sorry to repeat the question but has anyone tried using iPhone with the win 7?I can't seem to find an Awnser anywhere...

 

Can somebody tell me what state Dell ship the 1557 from?

 

Well after about 6 hours of trying different things, I finally fixed my issue!!! Now I'm not even 100% sure on what I did to fix it, the main thing I can figure is close all anti-virus software and uninstall/reinstall itunes... It worked for me...

 

Even though I don't have my 1557 w/ me yet, after doing some research about the sub-woofer problem that could be cause directly by the IDT driver. I found that the driver Dell provide is version 6.10.0.6217 which was release on 7/3/2009. After digging throught IDT site, they provide a list of their OEM support page. Nifty, eh. Quick scan through the list, I remember HP just announced a new laptop also. Well I check that first and I found that they have the IDT Audio driver version which was build in 8/5/2009. I can't find a log of what the newer version does, but I'll post the link here if anyone wanna try it.
HP IDT Audio driver page
Direct download link
I'm not encouraging anyone that don't know what they are doing to do, this is for people with experience and know their way around the system and know how to fix thing if it broke or crash your system.
But if you do test it, please report back.

 

Look like i'm being too hasty, there is also ver 6.10.6232.0? Notice the displacement in version number?
This one was built 8/19/2009 according to the inf file.
HP IDT Audio driver page
Direct download link

Interesting note:
I just found that in the HP forum Microsoft have their own latest drivers. And some user suggest updating the drivers w/o uninstalling the HP own drivers work better.

 

@Nifkin or anyone

I just got my 1557 (same spec as yours Nifkin) having some problems installing Photoshop CS4. Has anyone manged to install it on a 1557 with w7 pro 64bit

 

try installing all the windows updates first after it fails try closing down as many programs as possible, had the same problems with other adobe cs4 applications

 

Aaargh. Dell cancelled my order without telling me and now the 1557 isn't available in the UK. Why couldn't they at least email and say 'we've run out of processors, you're not gonna get your computer until January'. Do you want to cancel your order? Rather than just sneakily cancelling it. Do they expect me not to notice that I'm no longer getting a new laptop? Strangely, the page is still accessible here, but there's no link on their website, despite it saying the i7 is an option.

 

Hey freeman, those are not the latest drivers, those are made for HP computers. Not for DELL hardware.

I forgot to say I installed IDT drivers I downloaded from DELL's site, not the ones in the CD. I made a clean install of Windows 7.

 

It sounds horrible having to deal with Dell and all their issues with the 1557 and service. Well I'm thinking of making a purchase but was wondering if the individuals who received their 1557's are still happy with their purchase?
I'll be doing Photoshop/illustrator and rendering work so I get the feeling the Studio 15 and the core i7 will be nice for this sort of work.

Also does anyone know the weight of the studio 1557 for the 6 cell or 9 cell batteries attached?

 

iPhone 3GS (32GB) & iPhone 2G (8GB) both sync'd up to the latest itunes (9.2?!?!) and working fine. Also had no problems running redsn0w on the 2G iPhone yesterday when I needed to jailbreak it again.

I have the full CS4 suite installed with no problems whatsoever, as yet I have only used Acrobat, Illustrator & Photoshop but if those work I guess the rest does!!

The only problem I've had is 2 blue screens (BSOD) which have shut the laptop down, and both were whilst running some test software for a friend.

I'm on W7-64bit Ultimate.

 

ignitione, i also made a fresh install of Win7 and used the drivers from Dell website. i think i will just wait for new drivers after spending many hours trying to get my subwoofer to work.

sooevo, the laptop alone is 2.3kg and the 9cell is almost 500g.
i use it mainly for programming and running virtual machines and it is really fast compared to my previous L7500 cpu

 

Oh that isn't to bad! Thanks for the info cool lai!

 

some complaints about the laptop:
no always on usb ports - i can't charge my mobile phone while the laptop is turned off.
palm rest and track pad - i don't like the texture as it is not very smooth as compared to my Lenovo X61s

i must say Dell provides a lot of features to this laptop without paying a premium for it.

 

I know that, but if you look closely at the DLL file property they both are written by IDT inc for IDT hardware, not dell or hp. The difference between dell & hp version are actually installer and the inf/ini files.
If you notice most PC manufacturer don't upgrade their drivers very often unless there is a big bug, and the reason for that is cost. But when PC maker launch a new product, they usually use the latest drivers that they have tested. So in this case the drivers for the IDT that's on the HP site actually newer, you may actually do some fitting on the ini/inf files if you want to use the drivers from HP site.

 

If they don't have i7 processors then why do they still sell the XPS 16 with i7?