XPS 435 Owners Thread

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One thing I noticed is that I couldn't remove CCC from the Control Panel, I get a Setup.exe has stopped working error, but I haven't had time yet to delve deeper into that issue.  Could uninstall driver but then get error when trying to install latest Catalyst suite from ATI and have to do an SR.

Have you tried some kind of driver cleaner program after your ATI driver uninstall?  Try Driver Sweeper from Guru3D.com. before you install your ATI card again.  Until I COMPLETELY removed all trace of any previous ATI files, I had problems also.  Remember to remove all registery files that say ATI.

sunland9

just ordered my xps 435t on weds. expected delivery is 6/16:

core i7-920

6gb ddr3

ati 4870 1gb

750gb hd

16X DVD+/-RW and 16X DVD-ROM

21.5" s2209w

vista 64 & ms office 2007

don't think anything else is relevant. also have a 22" gateway monitor that i'll hook up as well as a logitech g5 mouse & g15 keyboard waiting. out of curiosity does anyone think its really necessary to have a ups with this computer? i had just a regular power strip surge protector with my last computer and never had a problem but just wanted to get other people's thoughts.

matt

out of curiosity does anyone think its really necessary to have a ups with this computer?

I don't know. Having an UPS is like having a parachute. You don't need it until you need it. If you are one to unplug power to your pc during lightning/thunderstorms and don't get a lot of ground strikes from lightning in your area then I'd say no. But in my time as a pc tech I've seen more than one power supply, modem,  and motherboard fried due to lightning.

I just use a high quality power strip that will warranty the cost of your pc if you register it.

Placed an order on June 1st, expected delivery is June 12th -- can this be trusted? I've read in another thread that just last month some people had to wait for over 6 weeks to get theirs. How do you know when the ship date would be?

-j

out of curiosity does anyone think its really necessary to have a ups with this computer? i had just a regular power strip surge protector with my last computer and never had a problem but just wanted to get other people's thoughts.

The real problem is loss of power and what the computer is doing when the power is lost. Yes, surge can wipe out a system, and if you have a telephone modem or cable modem, they too could use a surge protector as well as the power line. However, the other danger is that files are open when the power drops. The resulting damage could be as minor as just needing to reboot as non-essential files were open and corrupted, annoying as the work you were doing was lost due to a corrupted data/game file, to the registry being corrupted and you can't boot.

Older filesystems used to write large data blocks vs. NTFS, so maybe the chances are slimmer these days, but if nothing else, I prefer the ability to shut my system down rather than have an instant turn-off. I don't even like doing this manually when the system hangs. Also, will all UPS's that have controlling s/w, that s/w will shutdown your computer for you if you are away when the battery starts to deplete.

Of course, where you live might influence your decision as well. Living in an area of frequent lightning storms, and power drops many times a year, I opted for one.

For the 435T's the required UPS's are not cheap. To me though, it is worth the peace of mind.

Irv S.

out of curiosity does anyone think its really necessary to have a ups with this computer?

Does that mean it's unwise to have one if you can?  Of course not.  Many wouldn't do without it.  You could have the exact same discussion with ANY system, obviously with more weight given to systems with critical data etc.

Of course, much depends on your location, power line consistency, brown outs, and electrical storms.   But again,  this is the same discussion you should have with yourself regarding any system, whether an 8088 or a core i7.  As previously mentioned, in some ways, it was more critical in the past.  But a UPS is surely not necessary.

I live on a barrier island with many electrical storms in the spring and summer, yet have very reliable power due to lines being replaced after hurricanes.  I've used a very high quality Belkin surge protector with everything on it, including modem.  I've had Line Conditioners that I've used for my CD players and tube preamps on systems as well, these doing regulation of the power but not providing full UPS capability.  Use them if you see fit.  But at the minimum, just out of common sense, use a top quality surge unit with modem protection and ferrite filter for your video.

- kh

I've been moving monitors around a bit, trying different display combos, and find having to depower completely the computer and monitor to de/reconnect to the video card a bit tedious. Can this be safely done with the monitor off and the computer simply in sleep mode or something similar?

I've been moving monitors around a bit, trying different display combos, and find having to depower completely the computer and monitor to de/reconnect to the video card a bit tedious. Can this be safely done with the monitor off and the computer simply in sleep mode or something similar?

I don't see any problems swapping monitors with power off.  I wouldn't think it would matter what state the PC is in. 

Thanks. The only thing I've been able to turn up (thanks to a responder) is that the monitor may not be properly configged when repowered, meaning that the 'puter would have to be rebooted then. But might not have to be and the monitor could be unplugged and plugged back into the same port without damage, at any rate. This is to me a help.

I have had my XPS 435T for about a month. The eject button on the DVD drive is not easily accessible, as it is almost completely hidden by the plastic divider between the top two slots in the face plate. Dell sent out technician to replace DVD drive, but new one had same issue. Dell then sent me new face plate, but it's identical to original, so no difference. Has anyone else experienced this problem and found a way to deal with it?

Thanks

Does anyone have issue with Roxio Creator 10.2 hanging upon launch? I have done a factory image restore and a format/reinstall of Vista x64 with same result.

Also installation of MS Office 2007 stopped in the middle with "encountered an internal error". Very weird.

I know when I tried to do a web update of the Roxio software it bluescreened my pc everytime. Did a factory reinstall and it did the same thing. So I rebuilt the pc using only the cd's and downloaded the roxio software directly from their web site. No problems since. I also have Office 2007 with no problems either. I would suggest rebuilding from scratch using the cd's and updates from the various web sites.

I am curious as to why we haven't seen any recent Dell updates to this pc especially since it obviously has a problem in the image.

I know when I tried to do a web update of the Roxio software it bluescreened my pc everytime. Did a factory reinstall and it did the same thing. So I rebuilt the pc using only the cd's and downloaded the roxio software directly from their web site. No problems since. I also have Office 2007 with no problems either. I would suggest rebuilding from scratch using the cd's and updates from the various web sites. I am curious as to why we haven't seen any recent Dell updates to this pc especially since it obviously has a problem in the image

I agree there may be a problem with the Dell image that they use, because several posters here, including myself, have corrected issues by doing a clean OS install followed by driver updates from a manufacturer's site versus from the Dell Driver CD and/or Dell's Support Site.  In fact, when I was trying to troubleshoot my video driver issue with Dell, they started by downloading the driver from the ATI site---not their own support site.  I suspect with all the 3rd party products Dell integrates on all their platforms that keeping all the drivers updated is a trying task.  Not making excuses because every other computer manufacturer has the same issue.  I just make it a point to periodically check 3rd party sites for driver updates.  Despite the one driver issue I had, my 435T has really been rock solid thus far and I am totally satisfied with it and the 2408 WFP monitor which is superb!   But I think your original point about an issue with their image is valid.