PA, thanks for all your time and effort diagnosing...I hope you've identified the problem. To play the "devil's advocate" though, I still have to ask: if our crashes are due to a conflict between the video and wireless systems (i.e., hardware and/or software), why is it that (1) the Chinese machines seem OK, while the Malaysians don't, and (2) some systems shipped in August are OK, while others aren't?

In addition, remember that our systems don't have video cards (right?). So if there is a driver conflict, why does it only happen on a relatively small subset of the 700m's out there, that have identical software configurations? If it were a driver conflict, it should happen to everybody. Do you think that some of us have defective wireless cards?...that was a possible issue a few posts back...

The info you give doesn't indicate it's a conflict between the two drivers unless you first install the wireless before the video driver and it doesn't blow up. If it blows up with only the wireless driver, it's the wireless by itself.....so now that we're getting more sure it's the wireless, where's a wireless driver that will not cause the problem with any video driver?

The defective wireless cards that may trigger the video chipset/driver to crash seem to be a very possible problem. I'm sure Dell knows exactly what the problem was and have fixed the current machines. They probably just don't want to admit to the issue as it may require a recall of thousands of machines. They're crossing their fingers and just hoping to wear us out past the 1 year mark (when the majority of the warranties on the defective machines are over) and then most of us will have to live with it. Devils.

-Devu

Actually, our machine does have a build in video card and it needs a driver to work with windows xp.  I am not sure why only a batch of 700Ms have this problem.  I guess we might have a bad wireless card or video card.  I am not sure here.  I have used my machine for past 5 hours without the video driver.  The screen resolution doesn't look nice but it works.  It didn't crash ever since.  I installed all the drivers except for video card.  I brought the laptop to work in last couple days to test it while at work.  This is what I found out.    At least, I have something to tell to Dell Rep so they don't think I don't know what I am talking about here.

Before when I have the video driver installed only.  I left it on for 5 hours.  It didn't crash.   When I had the video driver and wireless driver together, it crashed after 30 mins.  I removed the video driver and work for past 5 hours.  I have no problem.  I hope I prove something here.   All I want is getting my machine replace.  I need to gather as much information as I can so Dell will replace my machine without blaming on software.

so i guess if you have a LAN cable nearby, you could stay wired for most of your work, and it would be worth going into device manager to disable the wireless when it didn't need to be wireless. Or maybe just disconneting from wireless connections would prevent the crash. In any event, getting off the intel wireless software and using only the windows connection program is still preventing my wireless from causing the problem (assuming the A04 BIOS and video display adapter work i've done and described before is not also needed). hmmmm i wonder if that intel wireless driver is even needed (am i using a default windows driver to connect and don't even need the intell PRO/Wireless 2200BG driver enabled?).

How about replacing the wireless card??? Could it be that the wireless card you have is faulty???

Really PA I think you're being too nice about this. Go back over this thread, and you'll see maybe 5 or 6 of us got new systems when we decided it was time. In other words, you've "paid your dues"...just tell them "NO" when they suggest repairing or replacing a part of your system. Tell them you want a new machine, and that you won't accept any other solution (i.e., no more service calls, mail-ins, reformats, diagnostics, etc.). Tell them you paid for a new, working system and you want one now.

PA, I think what is slowing you down is that you actually listen to (and respect) their responses. If you go back over our thread, what you'll find is that the list members who have gotten new systems stopped listening at some point, and demanded a new machine. I suspect you are too polite...I'm not saying you have to be nasty (I never raised my voice)...but I suggest you stop listening, and tell them that you refuse any more repair attempts and that you demand a new machine. (If they delay you by scheduling another phone call, just hang up, call right back, and start over with someone else until they agree to send you a new system...it took me two full days of calling.)