This is the Laptop Audio board. Dell used to have a board dedicated to customer service where folks could complain but it is just a fond memory. I don't know where you might post on the Dell forum that would be a good fit.

I don't want to complain - I was hoping I could get some advice on where to go from here.  I'm not exactly sure what your responce is saying . . .

I was saying that you might get some help here but because this board is dedicated to laptop audio problems there is less chance than if there were a board dedicated to Customer Service like there used to be. I can't think of any of the current boards that are are a good fit for Customer Support questions. Perhaps the New to the Community Board due to its generic nature would be better than this Laptop Audio board.

I would certainly offer more help if I could but all I know about is audio. But I understand what you mean. You don't want to complain but you have a valid complaint that you would like Support to resolve.

I actually got a call today from a manager, who was much more willing to help me.  He said it looks like a software problem and offered me a refurbished lap top with no warranty.  I'm a little nervous about that, I've never bought anythign refurbished before.  He said they test them, bla bla bla.  I said they replaced my mother board and tested mine too before they sent it back to me, and a couple months later it started acting up again.  So, I dont know what to do about that.  Do you know naything about the refurbished lap tops?  I said for now I'll keep mine

I don't know anything about them. I know that when they perform repairs they use refurb parts.They sell refurb parts too with a 90 day warranty so I guess they think they will last at least 3 months.

"He said it looks like a software problem and offered me a refurbished lap top"

That doesn't maker any sense -- him wanting to use hardware to fix a software problem. What kind of problem are you having anyway?

In the middle of using it it goes to sleep.  And I have to press the power button to get it back on.  It may go 2 months without doing it.  But when it starts doing it, it usually continues to do it until the Dell technician messes around with it.  I'll be typing an email, and every 2nd letter or so I type, it goes to sleep.  It's extremely frusterating, but not consistent.  So, it's always hard to judge whether or not it's fixed after I speak with them.  I had my hard drive replaced, my mother board replaced and sometimes they tell me it's a software issue.  I don't really know a whole lot so I usually just let them do their thing and assume that in a couple months I'm going to have the same problem all over again.  They always fix my sleep & hybernation settings.  And I always tell them that's not the problem - it's been done everytime I call!  I guess there's a trouble shooting protocall, but it's really reduculous.  I really just don't know, and now I feel like my hands are tied b/c my warranty expired last month. 

It is too bad you were never able to narrow it down to a software vs a hardware issue, because if you knew for sure it is hardware then you would know to accept the refurbished laptop.

Before they replaced the original hard drive, did Dell ever have you restore to the original factory configuration? The procedure is called Factory Image Restore in Vista and PC Restore in XP. If doing this procedure fixed the computer for a while then the problem was definitely software. If it did not fix it then the problem was hardware.

You can no longer do the procedure because you don't have the original hard drive that had the necessary partition on it. The closest you can come to it is to reinstall the OS from installation discs.