A11 on Inspiron 1525 incompatible w/ Vista SP1?

Aezada (and others) -- but does your computer go to sleep when it's supposed to from inactivity after applying the workaround?  I'd like my computer to sleep when I'm not using it.  Now it just stays awake all the time.  It's an improvement over the rebooting, but still I'd like the power saving option.

Sharon

@sharongreg wrote:

Aezada (and others) -- but does your computer go to sleep when it's supposed to from inactivity after applying the workaround?  I'd like my computer to sleep when I'm not using it.  Now it just stays awake all the time.  It's an improvement over the rebooting, but still I'd like the power saving option.

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After applying the workaround with the Dell Wireless card, so that the 1525 doesn't crash/reboot when closing the lid. Additionally, if I leave the lid open and don't touch it for a while, I can report that mine still goes into Sleep mode correctly after 15 minutes of inactivity, a quick dab of the power button brings it out of sleep to my logon page after a few seconds. Hasn't rebooted on me yet doing that. 

I am also having this problem and it seems to have been helped by unchecking the "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power box" for the dell wireless mini-card. For the moment anyway. My experience of this problem is that you think you got it fixed and it comes back.

My computer is only 14 days old and this problem started soon after I began to use it. Dell have had me do all kinds of things including re-installing Vista. It has taken up hours of my time. But never did a technician acknowledge this is an issue (do they know?).

I am very concerned that Dell are shipping computers with a known problem and don't know whether to return it for a refund or wait for a fix. After a consultation with Which legal helpline I will decide.

Pity, because otherwise its a great computer.

Bill,

I have followed this thread with interest for some time, since I have a Dell Inspiron 1525 with A11 bios and (now) with Vista SP1. As you know, the sleep/hibernation problem has persisted with both existing and newly purchased laptops. In my case, the Dell WLAN card workaround is the best solution. When the power button is used to put the laptop in sleep mode, it works as it should. However, when sleep mode is reached with a timer setting it is hit or miss. The problem has remained the same before and after my operating system update to Vista SP1. 

The June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports gave the Dell Inspiron 1525 a nice review and rated it a "quick pick" since it is inexpensive with long battery life. I agree with CR's evaluation. Overall, I think it is an excellent value. However, the current sleep/hiberation has gone on too long for Dell not to acknowledge the problem on its website and at its retailers (Best Buy, etc.). I am composing a report for CR that will spell out the problem for its readers. It will either be published in the "Your Letters" section or as a "Correction" to the June 2008 article. As a courtesy, I will hold off on emailing the report to CR until I hear back from you. I think you have handled the situation on this forum in a most professional manner and I certainly have no gripe with you. But it is time for Dell to make a public statement on this problem and compensate the existing Inspirion 1525 owners in some fashion.

I wish you well in resolving this issue. 

I am supporting you all the way, Gary. If anyone else has any leverage to get Dell to finally do something, please make it known. Anyone with knowledge of contracts, agreements, or the laws of customer service- Haswhat Dell been doing illegal in any way? Can legal action be taken against Dell for this blatant failure to providecustomers with a satisfactory laptop? I understand that efforts are being made to figure out this problem, butwhy do I feel like the customers are making bigger strides in figuring out the problem than the entire Dellsupport team is? Does Bill have a team working with him on this problem? The question we're all asking is, "How long are we supposed to wait around using inferior laptops before anything is fixed?"

And yes, the work-around does work for my machine.

Thanks cts, I bought Toshiba for good deal and it is working fine, and canceled Dell from my list, at least for some time, may be in the future will visit Dell forums and receive encouraging news. Hope that a company like Dell will take customers more seriously in the future, can't believe how long is the thread on this issue.

Hi Bill. I don't suppose there is any chance of throwing some of the new Inspiron 910 netbooks our way as a bit of goodwill compensation is there? :)

Everyone else though: this problem started when I installed SP1. Has anyone tried uninstalling SP1? The workaround worked for me, but if it doesn't work for you, i'd try uninstalling SP1.

Hi, all.

I am still working this issue as best I can. I forwarded a sampling of the latest comments to the appropriate teams and am awaiting a reply. I apologize for the inconvenience.

As far as updating my issue replication attempts, I still am unable to replicate the problem on the 1525 I have with Vista SP1 and the latest BIOS. However, the problem is the image I have on that box is not a Dell factory image. I am trying to procure a Dell shipping image to install. I will keep trying and update when I can.

Anybody want to see what happens if I swap your Dell card for an Intel card? Just send me a PM with your service tag and current shipping address if you want to give it a shot and post back what happens.

Hi Bill,

Just sent you a PM with the information you requested.

I had the same sleep/hibernate problem with the 1525 Inspiration laptop which arrived last week ...it keeps rebooting!   Called Dell tech support... the fellow had me install Bios A13, but it only made the problem worse .... the wireless connection goes down intermittently. So the tech support guy restored my system to the previous bios, which turned out to be already A13.  After getting my permission to have online access to my computer, I saw him removing checkmarks of the Vista premium autostart page, and now the sleep/hibernate features work perfectly with my 1525.

In the sleep mode, the bottom left power light blinks on and off. I can close the cover without the computer rebooting. When I open the cover, the computer wakes up, asks me for my password, and takes me back to the page (this Dell forum page) where I left it.

In the hibernate mode, I see the hard drive light storing all the information before shutting off completely. To start up again, I have to press the power button, and it brings me back to this Dell forum page.

So, the Dell tech support guy (from his accent, I suspect he's from the India tech support) did know how to solve this problem. Sorry, I cannot tell you what he actually did because I can't recall what he did. My suggestion is for Dell management to ask this support guy how he solved the problem. He emailed me a reference number, which I can forward to Dell if requested.

What is unbelievable to me is that Dell tech staff cannot replicate this problem without going through the exchange program. So many people have reported here that they encounter this problem right out of the box !! Really not good for the Dell stock price for the company to continue shipping 1525s with this problem and having users frustrated having spent hours and hours trying this and that. 

Thanks Malcan for the post. Many people had thought they solved the problem after trying various things, before realizing that the problem comes back later. Please post back in a few days to confirm the situation.

A fews questions to all the readers:

1. Has any Dell tech staff, other than Bill, investigated this problem?

2. Bill got his 1525 about two weeks ago (about 4 months after his first reply to this problem), so it is possible that he started to investigate from that moment. But his 1525 is different from ours, both in hardware and in software. Meanwhile, Dell is still selling 1525 with this failure. How to explain?

3. Obviously Dell knows this problem from April, since Bill has no reason to keep it secret to his colleagues.  Why are customers still receiving the same PCs with the same known problem for months?

Sorry if said two much...

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@mindtrix wrote:
chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp........ I think that is the sound of some folks asleep at the wheel.

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If anything I am frustrated with the fact that this has been happening to so many people, aside from myself as well. 

To tell you the truth, this is the very first time I have ever owned a new computer/labtop. My previous labtop was a refurbished IBM thinkpad, and then a PC with asus. I am greatly disappointed with Dell, I expected something better, because I heard that they have the best computers, and that it was basically "a no-brain purchase". I thought I didn't have to research this, I guess I was wrong. Most people I know love Dell computers because they were user friendly.

My fiance also shares the same predictament, he has the same Dell, but with ubuntu installed in it. He can't upgrade his ubuntu, because apparently his sound card has problems, and no one at Dell seems to not want to touch it, being it does not have Windows Vista. He also has the same sleep mode/power management problem, it still has not been resolved.

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So far I d/c my wifi card when I'm not using it in order for my computer to go to sleep mode, and its been going ok so far.