128 Posts

February 5th, 2004 16:00

If you have The Radeon 7500 is it a common problem.

I had similar problem for 6 months and was forced to buy a new graphic card. My choice was Quadro 4 700 GoGl wich is meant to use for the Prcision M50.

But there are less expnsiver choice. The ATI mobility 9000 is a good one too if you have an UXGA lcd.

6 Posts

February 5th, 2004 16:00

Where can I buy a video card for a laptop?  I've looked online for "ATI mobility 9000", but all I get are listings for systems with it, not it alone...

2.2K Posts

February 5th, 2004 17:00

I had the same problem with my 8100 when it was new. After re-seating all the case assembley screws, it's been much better.

GM

Inspiron 8100 / 866MHz PIII M / 815EP Chipset
40GB Travelstar HD / 8x4x24 CD-RW
15" UXGA / nVida Gforce 2Go
ORiNOCO Wireless PCMCIA / RG-1000
Windows ME / Intermittent Explorer 6.0
Norton SystemWorks / ZoneAlarm / AdAware / SpyBot S&D
MusicMatch JukeBox / KaZaA Lite / JustCAD / 'n Stuff

6 Posts

February 6th, 2004 03:00

Just tried tightening the screws, no avail.

Any recommendations for shops in the Seattle area that repair laptops?

2.2K Posts

February 6th, 2004 04:00

Are you anywhere near Everett?

GM

 

February 6th, 2004 14:00

Have you tried re-seating your flex cable? Intermittent video problems are often caused by a loose flex cable.

6 Posts

February 6th, 2004 15:00

Thanks!

February 6th, 2004 15:00

This should be the information you need:

 

You can access this info through the Reference tab at the top of this page. I believe the path is User's Guides - Systems - Inspiron - 8100, etc. Or, you can do what I did, and enter your system info in the left panel of the screen when in the Reference or Downloads sections, and click on "Product Manuals".

6 Posts

February 6th, 2004 15:00

Yeah, I'm near Everett.  Is there a repair shop up there?

As for the flex cable, I don't know what that is.  Can you tell me where it is and how to get to it?

I have never taken a laptop apart before -- is there a manual for safely disassembling the Inspiron 8100?  I'd hate to break it...

2.2K Posts

February 6th, 2004 19:00

No, my favorite shop doesn't service notebooks. I was just thinking we could throw it on my bench, if you're hesitant to open it up yourself. If you've got a little work space, a few tools, and a little manual dexterity you should be fine! If not, let me know.

GM

Inspiron 8100 / 866MHz PIII M / 815EP Chipset
40GB Travelstar HD / 8x4x24 CD-RW
15" UXGA / nVida Gforce 2Go
ORiNOCO Wireless PCMCIA / RG-1000
Windows ME / Intermittent Explorer 6.0
Norton SystemWorks / ZoneAlarm / AdAware / SpyBot S&D
MusicMatch JukeBox / KaZaA Lite / JustCAD / 'n Stuff

6 Posts

February 6th, 2004 23:00

Hey,

I have fixed it!  Thanks for the pointer to the disassembly manual -- after about 10 minutes of screw tightening, I put it all back together and it worked!

Thanks again!

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