VOLUME FREEZING PROBLEM / STOPS AUDIO & VIDEO PLAYBACK - If that's simpler.

Taimoor,

It appears that your post has been moved here to the Laptop Audio Forum. Please see the Laptop Audio Faq's for the forum rules about posting your e-mail address.

At numerous times when my laptop Studio XPS 1640 is started, at the face login screen, sometimes it does not recognize no matter what I do. The Laptop usually stays in one place and should recognize me but, it doesn't. I sign in putting in the password but, there is no bell when the desktop shows. The volume is not muted. Then, when I try the volume control, it goes up, then down, then it freezes, me pushing the volume up and down of-course. When it freezes, I re-click, it loads and an error sign appears. When I restart the laptop numerous times, then at any time it suddenly starts with all sounds working and the volume working and audio/video working as well. At the time when the volume does not work, I can't play any video or hear any sound. In fact, the music/video file does not go beyond 0.00 when playing; I click play and it freezes.

Your computer seems to have more symptoms than just the volume control failing to work. Those issues might be unique to your model (I haven't seen any other posts with those symptoms on a Studio XPS 1640), and in that case they may be due to hardware problems. My advice for what it worth is to restore the computer to factory configuration. Then, with the computer disconnected from the internet, give it a thorough workout over a period of time. Do not install any software during that time. If the problems return, then contact Dell about having the computer checked and repair under the terms of your warranty. If the problems do not return, but then do return later when you re-connect to the internet or re-install programs, then those things are the logical suspects, for example a virus or a driver conflict.

To restore your computer to the original factory configuration, backup your data and then use Dell DataSafe Local Backup (on page 47 of your Setup Guide) or use Dell Factory Image Restore (page 50). If you do not have the Setup Guide you can view the instructions here.

Sorry I cannot restore my computer because I have spent a lot of time getting the perfect itunes library. I have just under 4000 music files and if restoring the laptop is the only way of fixing this problem then I do no agree that Dell is the best. I left the HP, Toshiba Satellite and now Dell is what people say is the best. There has to be a way around restoring the whole computer.  If restoring is the only way around, well I guess as a customer I can say that your systems have a flaw in them and this is not acceptable.

You tell me a way around. I am getting tired of laptops. The limitations of an HP, the burning battery of Toshiba's and now the software problems of a Dell. The money I spent has to have covered checking and rechecking of any problems like such.

Try re-installing and/or updating the audio driver. Instructions are in the Audio Driver Facts FAQ

You ought to develop a strategy for preserving your music files in the event of a hard drive failure. I buy my music as mp3 files from Napster. I store them on my primary drive and on my usb backup hard drive, and I also burn them onto dvd's just in case both hard drives fail at the same time. Whenever I need to do an operating system re-installation, it is dead easy to restore the backed up files from the backup hard drive -- just drag them back into place.

Dell is what people say is the best.

What people?