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chrisevans25
13 Posts
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25113
December 27th, 2004 17:00
Wireless card causes system to lock up
I have a wireless card that causes my Inspiron 5100 to lock up about once a day. I have tried 3 different types of cards (Netgear, Microsoft, Dell) all with the same result. I have a laptop cooler because I thought that the heat might be causing the problem - not the case. If I leave the wireless card out the lockup does not happen. What could be the cause and is there a solution?
On a side note...I have tried to update the BIOS on my computer. When I download what seems to be the appropriate file, it tells me that I don't have the appropriate file. What am I doing wrong and where can I find the correct file?
chrisevans25
13 Posts
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Posted December 27th, 2004 21:00
1) When I say lock up, I mean that it stops working. The desktop screen is still there but no applications will open and the ones that are open (such as Outlook) won't do anything. I get "the operation failed" message from outlook when I try to check my email. I can't even shut the computer down except to hold down the power button. If I actually get the start menu to come up and click "turn off computer" it brings up the screen with "switch user" and "logoff".
2) No I have not reinstalled windows recently.
4) Where do I find the bios revision?
5) SP 2 is installed and WIndows does manage the card settings.
6) I have the most recent Mcafee virus and spyware products and have run them.
Thanks for the help!
chrisevans25
13 Posts
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Posted December 27th, 2004 22:00
Ok...the bios says Phoenix Technologies, Ltd. A04 3/28/2003Message Edited by chrisevans25 on 12-27-2004 06:34 PM
- not really, given that nothing seems to specifically trigger it. the fact that it's happening with multiple brands of cards is a bit interesting -- if everythings coming up clean scan-wise i suppose you could always try reinstalling windows (followed by all the dell drivers) ... if you are able to flash to A22 and then to A31 i would be interested in seeing what fanGUI says your temps are -- I don't think that's the reason for your problems and flash's aren't risk free so I'll leave that up to you though. also, please note that the flash to A22 cannot be undone...
chrisevans25
13 Posts
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Posted December 27th, 2004 23:00
Ok. Any thoughts on the wireless card (other than what you've already said)?chrisevans25
13 Posts
1241
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Posted December 28th, 2004 01:00
OK...I updated the BIOS and installed the fan temp monitor. It says the CPU is around 60 deg. Celcius when the CPU was operating at 100%. It immediatley dropped to around 48 deg. Celcius as the processor was working less. I also had seen the article about the dust problem and while I haven't had a problem with the computer shutting down on its own, I had followed the instructions previously. It didn't seem to help the problem, but I'll try it again.Message Edited by chrisevans25 on 12-27-2004 09:37 PM
chrisevans25
13 Posts
852
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Posted December 28th, 2004 02:00
OK...so apparently it isn't the temperature. I have no clue what else could be causing it to lock up the system. All I know is that without the wireless card I have no problems.
NemesisDB
2 Intern
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7944 Posts
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Posted December 27th, 2004 20:00