problems with Latitude E6500 / E6400 & E-Port Replicator

Yes, I have the same issue with our two new E6400s, but it happens every time.  Re-docking freezes the laptop and only a hard reboot will free it up.  Even emailed Dell support for assistance, and it's been 4 days with no answer.

Dean

Hi Dean

Since i posted the first article we have also added  Precision M4400 to the error  list

we have changed docks and are in the process of testing  one E6400 with change of systemboard ( which the new had been upgraded and needed extra PCI drivers)

we are now waiting for our customer to reply with status !!!!!   whether or not it helped.

Robert  

Hi

(sorry for my english, I'll try to do my best)

someone here also have the same problem. We tried to replicate the problem somewhere else, but we can't: the "docking and undocking" just work fine. We tried it again at the person's office and the problems was there again. We changed everything connected to the E-port replicator and found that the Ethernet port may cause the problem.  We changed the hub connected to the port replicator... and nothing changed. The problem still there.

Also have all latest bios and power management.   

Nik

I too am having this issue. I'm in IT for AT&T Wi-Fi, we're rolling out the E6500's and E6400's along with E-Ports. So far, haven't had any complaints about the E6400's (we only have about two rolled out) but the E6500's have had the "freezes when docked" issue.

I've tried disabling the various options in the BIOS related to "when docked..." such as Smart Card reader, USB ports, etc etc. I've updated the BIOS to the latest version. I've disabled power management on all devices in Device Manager that had them.  Yet the issue still persists.

The worst part is that the freezes are intermittent. I've had them once or twice (though I don't undock very often) another user has had them several times, and I just got a new ticket today from another fellow who has started having the trouble. Though, he initially did have some problems, it turned out the dock was bad. So I called it in, they shipped out another, and this one was much larger than the one before (two DVI ports, various other extra ports here and there) and I've been using that one since it arrived.

It occurred to me just now that I'm going to swap this out for the users dock that is having the most trouble and see if the problems go away, and I'll use her dock (though I did swap her out to another eport, but both were the "small ones")

I hope that I'm able to find an ultimate cause or resolution to this.

We are also experiencing this specifig issue with E6500 machines. This error has been ongoing for a year now, and we have recieved numerious suggestions from Dell to fix this issue but still no help. If any of you previous posters are still experiencing this error, could you please drop me a couple of lines through email. We could compare our configurations to find the common factor causing this.

<ADMIN NOTE: Email id removed per privacy policy>

Thanks!

Hi all,
I have same problem, i try anything, replaced Mb, dock, ac adapter, external monitor, new os... etc.. 
Still, computer freeze when i boot it in dock.. 
I think and hope, dell maybe fix this some new bios.. 
someone who speak better english, please tell to dell this issue.

Thank you

Hi Guys!

We are facing the real world issues due to the new "DELL": they go for cheap, offer poor support, and can't find a solution.

I'm affraid Dell used to be the best but it is now old times.  Nowadays you need to do it yourself, and find the fix on your own.

As I read your issues, it looks like mine: problems with a E6400 latitude machine, which can not turn of and restart when DOCKED on this Edock serie.

Solution is to Disable the "imaging device" Creative Integrated Webcam.   Then everything "works" (can turn off, restart, etc...)

The creative drivers  on Dell drivers ( 1.06.03.0309, A06, 27/03/09) are suppose to resolved compatibility issue with dock, but does not change much.

I can now restart when on dock, but still can't turn off.

Of course, when I disable the webcam it works FINE and I can reboot!

Hope it helps you aswell

test

Yeah that's my problem. We don't have cameras. All of our systems are AT&T standard Level 3 systems. E6500 / 6400 (though we haven't really rolled out many of the 64's yet) 4GBs of RAM, Core 2 Duo at 2.66GHz on e-ports. It's just a couple of end-users, myself included, that are getting the freezing issue. I even went so far as to search for a way to install the the fingerprint reader driver contained within the DCP WITHOUT having to install the DCP (I have a link that somewhere, some fellow figured out how to make an MSI for JUST the fingerprint reader hardware, which I'm sure  you know that you have to install regardless of whether you have the actual scanner itself, as the chipset is still built into the board) and I still have the intermittent hard-freeze when docking.

It's vexing, but I have a gut feeling that it has something to do with power management when docking "kicking in correctly." The only reason I suspect this is that when I undock, my LCD goes to the dimmest setting, and when I redock (and it works correctly) it goes back to the brightest setting. When the freeze occurs, the LCD stays dim. Though this certainly does not preclude the fact that the freeze occurs before the software can kick in and cause the LCD to go back to the brightest setting.

Overall, I don't feel this is something that we as IT personnel are going to be able to solve on our own. I believe it's a fundamental flaw in the hardware itself, whether it's the dock AND the dock connector on the bottom, or one or the other. Or maybe, it's an issue with XP and power management software. We only use XP, with the SP3. Has anyone had this issue in Vista?

The only other problem I've had is that it seems a few of the systems, while you're typing on the keyboard on the laptop itself, the I-bar cursor will jump to wherever the mouse pointer is. It's very aggravating.

I don't have a cam :(

I replied but the website DELL forum was HS, it hardly posted my 2nd message, that's why it shows "tests".

I understand, I wrongly assumed all "E6400" had "integrated webcams".  Even my IT Engineers, observed that with disabling this "imaging device", or integrated webcam, then I can turn off the machine when docked. Otherwise, also rolling the drivers to the original ones (some old microsoft dated 2001), then it also "works": I can power off when on Edock stuff.

My IT guys have contact our DELL TAM and we should get some answers soon.

For you guys, without webcam i can recomment to try to disable 1 device, and try to shutdown the laptop when docked...

I saw that in the "hardware profiles" there' s a "On Dock mode", mine is not activated its set at "unknown", but having tried and restarted the pc with "On dock", it does not change anything. (Right click on MyComputer, Properties, Hardware, Hardware Profile

You might have to play with your "hardware profile", such as deleting it, trying to recreate it, etc...

Yes I agree with you though it's probably some flaws in this new dock, some incompatibilities, etc...

Dell will probably fix it in 3 years, after you will have spent 10000pounds, euros, dollars, to contact them.

:emotion-2:

EDIT: by the way, it's the same here: it's only a couple of end-users who encounters the problem. We have loads of others E6400, docks, and they don't have the problems. Funny thing is its not the docks because same problem on docks that are "fine".  And It happened to me with 2 different machines and 2 different docks...

My docking station does this as well.  It also stopped charging my notebook out of nowhere.

I'll try and recapitulate what I've done here, with brevity in mind, the systems are Latitude E6500's on E-Port docks (regular "small e-port" and one "extended e-port") with the NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M video adapters, 4GB's of RAM, and Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 CPUs at 2.66GHz - XP SP3 - All of our systems are identical in spec throughout our organization.

I experience this issue quite frequently (both times I've redocked today, it's frozen the computer) We all run XP with SP3, I haven't had any experience with Vista on these machines, and the quite obvious but unfortunate point here is that if Vista is NOT having these issues, we won't see any responding to this post WITH Vista. If any of you do run Vista, we need to know if you're having the same issue, OR if you know any other sysadmins that run these laptops in their organization with Vista and have the same issue, please direct them here.

Here we go, this will all be for the same user, and in the order I have done the steps:

I replaced one of the small e-ports for a user that was getting frequent freezes, and they, for whatever reason, sent me an "extended e-port" that was wider, with two DVI connectors, and various other extra connections, (USB etc) the user still gets freezes, though from her perspective, it's a little less frequent.

I have updated that same users BIOS to the latest version

I have removed the DCP software completely, getting around the fingerprint software install issue via a search on google, finding a fellow that extracted JUST those files pertinent to installing the fingerprint reader software (which you HAVE to install even if you don't have the actual fingerprint reader option, as it seems it's a permanent chipset on the motherboard) and that he created an MSI for.

I have disabled basically everything in the BIOS that would NOT be required for the machine to POST, boot, and work properly.

I have updated uninstalled/reinstalled the hardware drivers.

I have checked the Hardware Profiles, unfortunately, since the e-port isn't a "true dock," and rather just a port extender, there are no "docked" and "undocked" profiles.

I have gone to windowsupdate and done ALL updates, even updates I know that wouldn't have any relation to the issue at hand, and including any hardware updates, though I don't recall what, if any, hardware updates I may have been presented with.

I've swapped out to another "small e-port" (problems still persists)

I have set power options to "Never" for each option, disabling hibernation and system restore, and set "push power button/close lid/push sleep button" to "Do Nothing," no change.

I have set the NVIDIA "PowerMizer" options to both "Optimize my battery" and upon another freeze, to "Not manage my power consumption" (I just did the latter option, I'll report back on that)

Beyond this, I can't think of anything else to do at the moment. I really believe this is going to be a hardware/software issue with Dell, either between XP's power management and the hardware, or if Vista users are having the same issue both that and/or just simply the dell hardware, eport and e6500 alike.

Hi!

Good. I mention we do have Windows XP SP3.

Maybe as you said it's possible that there's also a chipset for the IMAGING DEVICE integrated webcam driver?

I've taken a print capture because you are saying "there are no "docked" and "undocked" profiles", but I have those options!?? (even if they are useless)

Moreover I am thinking you might need to also display "hidden devices" in the Device manager and see if you don't have anything to "disable":

To work around this behavior and display devices when you click Show hidden devices:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2. At a command prompt, type the following command , and then press ENTER:
   set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
3. Type the following command a command prompt, and then press ENTER:
   start devmgmt.msc
4. Troubleshoot the devices and drivers in Device Manager.
   
   NOTE: Click Show hidden devices on the View menu in Device Managers before you can see devices that are not connected to the computer.
5. When you finish troubleshooting, close Device Manager.
6. Type exit at the command prompt.

Source:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315539

 Hope it helps!

HI guys,

is there any final solution? I´m using E6500 with Win7 and I have the same troubles with docking.

Thanks, Petr