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Windows 7 freezes on Vostro
I have a brand new Vostro 1520 laptop, bought at the beginning of January 2010, with Windows 7 64-bit. From the very first night it has been freezing up occasionally, so that I have to force it to shut down by holding down the power button. I see from the forums that other people have had this problem, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus on the solution. My computer freezes about once a day, but this afternoon it did it twice, ten minutes apart. I can see no pattern, no consistency of software in use. The only observation is that it happens rather often when I've been using it on battery and then plug it in.
After reading one post I did check the memory. It was well seated, but I took it out, cleaned off the contacts, and reinserted it. No idea yet whether that helped.
Is there any solution besides the full re-install that some other users are talking about?
Raymond_nl
21 Posts
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February 11th, 2010 00:00
I am by no means a technical expert, but i do have two dell machines, with the same issues, which i'm trying to solve. I have a XPS8100 desktop and a vostro1720 laptop. Apparently we are not the only one and it's not a Dell specific issue, it seems to be windows 7 related and probably occurs more on 64bit.
My XPS8100 had random freezes frequently sometimes 2 freezes a day. Only way out was a manual restart. I've googled a lot and tried several things to get rid of the problem, even a clean install. Eventually the problem returned, so it must be something else, like a service or driver. My XPS8100 seems to be stable now. i'm running it for well over 30 hours without a freeze. What i've done to achieve this:
i've de-installed the nVidia drivers. Windows automatically installed another driver for me.
i've also de-installed intels storage controller. Windows automatically installed a standard ata and PCI controller
I'm still waiting to see if the system is really stable now. Since those standard drivers is not really what i want (i'm missing the nvidia control panel now for example). If it's stable i will install the latest nvidia driver once again, but then with vista compatibilty mode enabled. Same goed for the intel storage controller, i'm not sure if upgrading that controller/driver would make an improvement.
anyhoo: you might try to deinstall your graphic drivers. you will see a low resolution, but windows will automatically install a new driver for you. same problem on the vostro1720 and deinstalling the nvidia driver worked. I have no idea if this works for you too.
twinger_e7bedd
5 Posts
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February 23rd, 2010 19:00
I haven't tried removing the video drivers, but I did run an update from Windows today. I have Mobile Intel 4, not NVidia. I let Windows update them, but tonight the problem recurred.
I've run the laptop on AC power all week without a single freeze. This evening I unplugged it and ran on battery until it reached 20%. Then I plugged it in, and it has frozen four times within an hour. So that's instructive, but I don't know what to do about it. The only other possible factor is that I was trying to rip a CD during the time period when it froze. Is there a possibility that power saving options related to the CD drive are an issue?
twinger_e7bedd
5 Posts
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February 25th, 2010 07:00
Today I plugged in the computer after running it on battery last night. I put a CD in the drive, and the media player reported "no CD in drive". I had to reboot to get it to play the CD. So, if the problem is CD drive related, is it driver or hardware?
DCX4EVER
288 Posts
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March 25th, 2010 08:00
You should insist that the entire computer be replaced and not putting up with continual parts replacements. This is a known problem and completely unsatisfactory with a new machine. Good Luck.
twinger_e7bedd
5 Posts
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March 25th, 2010 08:00
I finally contacted Dell technical support, who admitted this was a known problem. I ended up sending in my laptop three times to get the problem resolved, and it has taken nearly four weeks (quite shocking). In the end they have replaced the motherboard twice, as well as the battery (6-cell to 9-cell), the AC adapter, and a USB port. And it looks like they reinstalled Windows. The computer came back this morning, and so far I have not been able to reproduce the freezes. If it happens again, I'll report back.
flabbo254
4 Posts
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March 27th, 2010 07:00
Agreed. You should have demanded a brand new machine, as soon as the problem flared up.
twinger_e7bedd
5 Posts
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March 27th, 2010 19:00
I certainly will demand a new machine if it happens again. The reason I didn't till now is:
1. I've put days and days of work into installing software and configuring the machine, and really don't want to go through that again.
2. I don't think they have a clue what the real source of the problem is. If I get another machine just like it, how do I know it won't do the same thing? At least now I have a machine that they've tested in house, and it looks like it's clear of the trouble.
A couple of comments on Dell service, though:
1. I dealt with eight different service personnel, a different person each time I called. Each one promised to track my case and keep in touch with me. Only two of them ever phoned back, and they never had any helpful information about the status of the repair. They're full of promises, but short on delivery.
2. Each time it went in, I got an e-mail form letter saying I would get e-mail updates on the the shipment and repair status. I never got a single such message.
3. The same initial e-mail gave an address to write to a supervisor and comment on the service I had received. I did this four times, and never got anyone to take my problems seriously. The "supervisor" once told me that I could phone Customer Service to lodge a formal complaint. What's the point of a supervisor who doesn't do anything to help with the problem?
4. Each time the computer came back from the shop it had obvious problems. One time they put in a new motherboard, but didn't hook up the speakers! After the last repair, on boot the computer told me the copy of Windows may be illegal, and I had to phone Microsoft to get a new registration code. I don't think the Dell repairmen are booting up and testing the machine properly before they let it out of the shop. Very shoddy.
I have serious doubts about every buying a Dell again, and nor will my company.
P.S. The keyboard on this Vostro is absolute rubbish. It bounces in the middle, and a lot of the keys don't register unless you press really firmly. (I've read reviews making the same comments; it's not just my machine.) My old Inspiron had a much better keyboard. I bought the Vostro because I need a non-glare screen, and almost everything else on the market now if gloss.