Dell Latitude e6520 Graphical Glitch and Random Powerdown / Reboot Issue

Have you ran the Dell Diagnostics. Power down the machine, hold F12 at the Dell BIOs screen and select diagnsotics, run any extended test.

Yes, I have.  The only thing that it thinks is wrong is something that apparently is endemic to the A07 bios -- the LCD cables.  It does not, however, seem to think there is anything wrong with my GPU.  And given that bad cables still shouldn't cause this, I'm more tempted to think this is a red herring.  Like folks have said, the A07 bios just misreports that info.

Thoughts?

Thanks for the reply.  Dell is sending me a mobo replacement, but I'm not too confident it'll work.  This is the THIRD e6520 that has had this issue in a row.

I have the same issue. It happens more often, it seems, when I have the pc sitting on a flat surface and it has been running for more than an hour. Temps are not so high (less than 60deg C at the CPU core), so I don't believe it is a problem of overheating.

I ran the full Dell Diagnostics, but nothing was identified as a problem. Also ran an intense graphics test and no problems. My IT guy has completely reinstalled the software to no avail.

Are we stuck with a lemon until it completely fails?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53143808@N03/6765874095/

I have three E6520's that are exhibiting the same issue.  The only thing common between the users is that they are all heavy Excel users.  One reported that it seems to occur when several sheets are open at the same time.  Symptoms: the mouse starts getting flakey, then the right (non primary) monitor goes black, then the other screen when it reboots (ungracefully).

I would like to know if other users are having this issue, or if a solution has been found.

I think that you may have misunderstood my post.  The symptoms are indicative that a system crash is about to occur.  All of the laptops are not using the same keyboard and mouse.  Only one of my users reported the flakey mouse.  The others don't have that particular problem, the laptop just restarts like the power was turned off.

There is known (but unacknowledged by MS) bug that causes this behavior. If your mouse has a wheel, try clicking the wheel a few times.

Come into Excel safe mode to test the issue.
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Under Excel safe mode, it doesn't load the third party addins, Excel setting registry keys, and the files in the startup folder.

1. Click Start->Run, type "Excel /safe" (without the quotation marks) in the Open box.
Note: There is a space between the Excel and the /safe switch.

2. Click OK.
3. Click File > Open to open the worksheet.

Does the problem persist in Excel safe mode? If the issue doesn't occur under safe mode, please continue to next steps.

Disable all the installed add-ins
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1. Start Excel in normal Mode
2. Click the Office icon > Excel Options.
3. Click Addins. In the 'manage' field, choose 'Excel add-ins', click Go. Uncheck all the checked add-ins in the Add-ins available list box
4. In the 'manage' field, choose 'COM add-ins', click Go. Uncheck all the checked add-ins in the Add-ins available list box
5. Click OK

Test the issue again. What is the result?

Recreate the Excel registry key to see if it works.
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1. Click Start > Run. Type regedit, click OK.
2. Locate the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel
3. Right click it and choose Delete to delete it.
4. Restart Excel. Then, a new key will be generated. What is the result?

In Microsoft Excel, when you use the mouse or the keyboard to move the cell pointer from one cell to another, the cell pointer may not move as expected. You may experience one of the following symptoms:

   You may unintentionally highlight a cell range instead of selecting a different individual cell.

   The worksheet may scroll when you click the arrow keys on your keyboard.

   The cell pointer may move to an unexpected location when you click the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Unexpected changes to the navigation functionality may indicate that one of several keyboard settings or Excel settings are turned on without your knowledge. Or, that you have a malfunctioning keyboard or a mouse driver. Additionally, this problem may indicate that the hardware is malfunctioning.

To troubleshoot navigation issues, try the following methods in the order that they appear.

Back to the top

Method 1: Click each mouse button

Click the left mouse button, the middle mouse button, and the right mouse button to see whether this resolves the issue.

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Method 2: Check for extend-selection mode

The extend-selection option changes mouse and arrow key functionality in the following manner. If you use the mouse to click a cell, all the cells between the previously selected cell and the cell that you are currently trying to click are now selected. If you press an arrow key, the previously selected cell and the adjacent cell in the direction of the arrow key are now selected. If you are seeing this behavior and EXT is shown in the Excel status bar, you can press the F8 key to turn off the extend-selection option.

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Method 3: Check for SCROLL LOCK

When SCROLL LOCK is on, "SCRL" appears on the Excel status bar. If you press the arrow keys when SCROLL LOCK is on, you scroll one row up or one row down. Or, you scroll one column to the left or one column to the right. To use the arrow keys to move between cells, you must turn SCROLL LOCK off.

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Method 4: Check that a SHIFT or Control (CTRL) key is not stuck

Keyboard keys can sometimes get stuck in the "Down" position. If one of the Shift keys is stuck in the "down" position, the same symptoms occur when the extend-selection option is selected. If you notice this behavior, but you do not see the "EXT" status in the status bar, one of the Shift keys may be stuck on your keyboard. Press each Shift key a couple of times to see if you can resolve this issue. If the issue is not resolved, your keyboard may be damaged. If that is the case, follow the steps in Method 6 to troubleshoot further.

If one of the Ctrl keys is stuck and you use the mouse to click a different individual cell, the previously selected cell and the cell that you are currently clicking are now selected. However, the cells in between are not selected. If you press an arrow key, the cell pointer moves in any direction more than one cell. The cell pointer may move to the end of a range of data. Or, if there is no data, the cell pointer may move toward the direction of the arrow keys. This frequently occurs when the cell pointer is moving toward the end of the row or column. To resolve this problem, press each Ctrl key a couple of times. If this still does not resolve the issue, we recommend that you follow the steps in Method 6 because your keyboard may be damaged.

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Method 5: Reboot your computer

To shut down and then restart your computer, follow these steps:

   Quit your programs.

   Click Start, and then click Shut Down.

   In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Shut Down, and then click OK.

   Make sure that you completely turn off your computer, and then wait at least one minute.

   Turn the computer back on. Then, restart the computer.

The mouse drivers should load back into memory.

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Method 6: Remove and reinstall the hardware driver for the mouse or keyboard

Some third-party hardware producers include additional software with the hardware packages, such as installation files for hardware drivers. If your mouse or keyboard has additional software included, go to Control Panel, choose Add or remove programs, and then click to select the software from the list of installed programs. Click the Remove button and uninstall the software. After you uninstall the software, shut down your computer. Then, restart your computer. The operating system should detect the hardware again, and the operating system should load the standard drivers or the default drivers.

Test the functionality of the hardware by using the default driver that was provided by the operating system. If the hardware works as expected using the default driver that was provided by the operating system, there may be a problem with the manufacturer's software. Sometimes, when you remove and then reinstall the software, you can resolve the issue. However, you should check the manufacturer's Web site for an updated version of the software or driver, or both, for your hardware, and then install the latest version that is available.

If your hardware did not include additional software, follow the instructions in this section based on your operating system.

Microsoft Windows Millennium, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 95

To remove and reinstall the mouse driver, follow these steps:

   Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

   In Control Panel, double-click System.

   In the System Properties dialog box, click the plus sign next to Mouse or Keyboard on the Device Manager tab.

   Select the hardware that is not functioning properly, and then click Remove.

   In the Confirm Device Removal dialog box, click OK.

   In the System Properties dialog box, click Close.

   Click Start, and then click Shut Down.

   In the Shut Down Window dialog box, click Restart, and then click OK.

   Allow your computer to locate the hardware.

   In the System Settings Change dialog box, click Yes to restart your computer.

This procedure will reinstall your hardware driver.

Microsoft Windows NT 4, Microsoft Windows 2000, and Microsoft Windows XP

To remove and reinstall the hardware driver, follow these steps:

   Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

   In Control Panel, double-click System.

   In the System Properties dialog box, click Device Manager on the Hardware tab.

   In the Device Manager dialog box, click the plus sign next to Mice and other pointing devices for the mouse, or click the plus sign next to Keyboard for the keyboard.

   Select the hardware that is not functioning properly.

   On the Action menu, click Uninstall.

   In the Confirm Device Removal dialog box, click OK.

   Click Start, and then click Shut Down.

   In the Shut Down dialog box, select Restart from the drop-down list, and then click OK.

   Allow your computer to locate the mouse.

   In the System Settings Change dialog box, click Yes to restart your computer.

Method 7: Change the problem hardware or the hardware driver for the mouse or keyboard

If you have another mouse or keyboard that is available to test, shut down your computer. Then, replace the existing hardware with another mouse or keyboard. Boot your computer, start Excel, and then test the functionality.

Hello,

A friend of mine is having this issue, has anyone found a solution?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I've discovered something very peculiar about this issue. I normally keep my e6520 on a docking station that puts the keyboard at about a 45 degree angle towards me. In this position, the PC has not crashed in probably three months. If I take the laptop off the docking station and place it on a flat surface -- even with a chill pad beneath it -- it will crash within an hour. If I prop the chill pad up at least 30 degrees from horizontal, it is much less likely to crash. I have no idea why this would be the case of if it is even related, but I wonder if anyone else has experienced this phenomenon? 

BTW, it has nothing to do with the mouse. In fact, the laptop runs much more reliably when I use the wireless MS mouse. 

Just curious if the original poster ever resolved the issue.  Were you able to determine if it was a hardware issue?  Was it possibly an issue with running 32 bit OS on hardware built for Windows 7/64 bit OS?  We have an E6520 laptop at work experiencing the same issue as shown in your video and it was imaged with a 32 bit Windows XP image.

We are running Windows 7 - 32 bit.  I was able to resolve everyone of them by not using both DVI ports.  I moved the DVI-2 port to VGA and the problem completely stopped.