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1020
Bios release By gabiz_ro,  Oct 22, 2009  |    Fri Oct 23 01:21:23 GMT 2009

Can we expect some bios update for Inspiron 9400?
Almost 2,5 years and no update for this model.
New version could fix demands you received in time from users,but most important will be
- SLIC update
- HPET support  for real not just declared in ACPI
- AHCI support
- and some thermal settings or even profile.
I use most of time on power adapter and would be good to stay cooler but fans start at ~60° Celsius
I just saw on HP suport for some old model from 2005 latest bios release is from june 2009 and we at Dell are left alone.
gabiz_ro1020.0
Comments: 6
Categories: Service and Support  Inspiron  
580
BIOS Update for XPS M1710 By bulldog89801-1,  Oct 22, 2009  |    Thu Oct 22 13:38:33 GMT 2009

For those of us that still have current warranties on our XPS M1710's (Mine is good until Oct. 2010), it would sure be nice to see a BIOS update that would address the SLIC update issues, Fan issues etc...
bulldog89801-1580.0
Comments: 0
Categories: Service and Support  XPS  
1130
Give us real bios control By retro,  Apr 21, 2008  |    Mon Apr 21 22:52:53 GMT 2008

Give us all full control of our hardware, I hate entering a bios and seeing only the most basic settings and not much of them, I may get some faster ram and want to set the cas or i may want to adjust my hard drive settings.
retro1130.0
Comments: 10
Categories: Accessories (Keyboards, etc.)  Desktops and Laptops  
950
Dell BIOS and HPET timer support By josehernandez,  Jan 22, 2008  |    Tue Jan 22 22:40:34 GMT 2008

HPET timer will be useful for different purposes:
1) Kernel uses it for timer interrupt and time source (gettimeofday).
Kernel will use one particular timer among available HPET timers
(typically 3).
2) The HPET driver exports the HPET device in /dev which can be used by
other kernel drivers or user programs.

In this particular case, with forcing of HPET, (1) above seems to be
working fine.
But, (2) is printing 0ns. Probably because missing HPET information in
ACPI. You may need to do some more changes in drivers/char/hpet.c in
case BIOS doesn not support HPET.

But, this will not affect normal kernel functioning. This will only
affect is someone wants to use /dev/hpet interface.

source:http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/6/8/267


DELL/ Status Update
HPET is enabled and exposed by BIOS on most newer systems.
josehernandez950.0
Comments: 22
Categories: Software  
Status:Partially Implemented
480
DX10 Videocards for the M1710 laptops! By americanmetal,  Dec 31, 2007  |    Tue Jan 01 06:20:01 GMT 2008

As DX10 cards are starting to come with every new computer, I think they should be produced for the M1710 form factor!
americanmetal480.0
Comments: 4
Categories: Accessories (Keyboards, etc.)  XPS  
1210
Please give us BIOS support for SATA AHCI mode on Inspirons! By soulreaver,  Nov 26, 2007  |    Mon Nov 26 17:20:14 GMT 2007

Inspiron system such as the Inspiron 6400/9400/E1705, etc. does not have the option to use/enable AHCI (Advanced Host Configuration Interface) in BIOS so the SATA drives are not running at maximum performance.
The system board chipset supports it. The transfer mode is set by default to standard compatible mode. Can't take advantage of NCQ capabilities.
Using Inspiron as my system at home and Latitude/Precission at the office.
I can see it supported on latest Inspirons (1720, etc)

Please introduce AHCI support with the next BIOS upgrade on our models as well.
soulreaver1210.0
Comments: 13
Categories: Service and Support  Inspiron  
1120
Enable AHCI in Dell Notebook BIOS By ldr,  May 6, 2007  |    Sun May 06 20:19:36 GMT 2007

Latest Dell notebooks are based on ICH7M chipset and even have SATA hard drives with NCQ support. But, the option to enable ahci, and therefore to enable SATA NCQ is not available in Dell BIOSes (other brands give the option).

Having this option in Notebook BIOSes would allow a up to a 30% performance gain under Linux and Vista.
ldr1120.0
Comments: 9
Categories: Laptops  Operating Systems  Sales Strategies  
540
Notebooks BIOS should support AHCI. By timotheus25,  Jul 30, 2007  |    Mon Jul 30 19:31:50 GMT 2007

Most of the Dell desktop and workstations now support AHCI operation of the SATA controller. This operation can give significantly increased hard drive performance; but requires special support in the BIOS, the motherboard/chipset, and the hard drive itself.

I own a Dell 640m with T7200 chipset, most features maxed-out. The fact that the BIOS does not support AHCI, while the chipset does, is very disappointing. The notebooks from Apple and HP both do offer this feature for the same chipset(s). (HP in its BIOS and Apple in the firmware.)

It should be feasible enough to add the functionality to the notebook BIOS since the desktop BIOS do have the feature available, yes?
timotheus25540.0
Comments: 0
Categories: Laptops  
39260
Standardize Power Cables for Laptops By badblood,  Aug 27, 2007  |    Mon Aug 27 18:15:59 GMT 2007

Nothing is more annoying than laptop power cables that are not interchangeable from one computer model to another or from one brand of computer to another. Power cables have been standardized on most electrical applicances, including desktop computers for decades.

Make an effort to promote and implement standard power cables for laptops.

DELL/ Status Update

Please see dawn_l's comments below.
badblood39260.0
Comments: 135
Categories: Accessories (Keyboards, etc.)  Laptops  
Status:Under Review
8650
Option to Buy Computers without Windows / OS By undoit,  Feb 9, 2009  |    Mon Feb 09 21:55:54 GMT 2009

It is really annoying that there is no way to purchase most laptops and desktops without also purchasing the Windows operating system. The selection of computers with Ubuntu preinstalled is no where near complete and the configuration options for the computers that are available tend to be limiting.

First of all, I already own a copy Windows XP. I am not interested in buying Windows again.

2) I don't run Windows any more. I use Ubuntu or another Linux-based operating system on my laptops. I shouldn't have to pay for something that I am not going to use.

3) I don't want the Windows sticker on my laptop. I end up peeling it off and sometimes it doesn't come off cleanly, leaving some sticky residue.

I take full responsibility for installing the Linux operating system of my choice and doing any trouble-shooting if something is not compatible.

Please add an option to purchase Dell computers with no Operating System!
undoit8650.0
Comments: 72
Categories: Desktops and Laptops  Operating Systems  
34100
There should be an option of having no trialware on all computers By jervis961,  Aug 23, 2007  |    Thu Aug 23 10:24:58 GMT 2007

Here is a news article about trialware and how Dell feels that regular customers want it but small business ones do. Do they not look at the ideas here?

"Not interested in all of the trial software that clutters up new PCs? You're not alone: According to Dell's recent research in both focus groups and broader surveys, small-business users overwhelmingly view trialware as an irritant, not a benefit. That research has led Dell to axe the extras from its new Vostro line of small-business desktop PCs and laptops. Eliminating demo applications is a major step for Dell, which has caught flack for the quantity of trialware on its consumer PCs. (One frustrated customer went so far as to develop a "Decrapifier" utility. The company says that consumers who buy PCs for personal use do express interest in preloaded trial software, but that small-business users have different needs. By eliminating the trialware from Vostro machines, Dell says it has cut the system setup time in half. For now, Dell is the only major PC manufacturer to ship small-business systems without preinstalled trialware as a standard practice. (Some competitors, such as HP, allow customers to choose a no-trialware configuration.)"

DELL/ Status Update 

Please see Kara's blog for an update.



 
jervis96134100.0
Comments: 176
Categories: Desktops and Laptops  Software  
Status:Partially Implemented
40550
coreboot (formerly LinuxBIOS) instead of proprietary BIOS By yesmathew,  Feb 20, 2007  |    Tue Feb 20 16:16:10 GMT 2007

coreboot (formerly known as LinuxBIOS) is a Free Software project aimed at replacing the proprietary BIOS (firmware) you can find in most of today's computers.
- Fast boot times 3 sec.
- Runs in 32-Bit protected mode almost from the start
- Can boot Windows too...

External links:
- http://www.coreboot.org/Welcome_to_coreboot
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linuxbios

An Example:
- http://wiki.laptop.org/go/LinuxBIOS

DELL/ Status Update

Please see john_h's comment
yesmathew40550.0
Comments: 102
Categories: Desktops and Laptops  Linux  
Status:Reviewed
100
Filter by Display Resolution By anilmujagic,  Nov 16, 2009  |    Mon Nov 16 13:49:45 GMT 2009

There should definitely be a possibility to filter laptop models by available display resolutions. I spent hours to find out which models can be ordered with a WSXGA+ 1680x1050 display.
anilmujagic100.0
Comments: 1
Categories: Dell Web Site  Monitors and Displays  
116470
Pre-Installed OpenOffice | alternative to MS Works & MS Office By dhart,  Feb 17, 2007  |    Sun Feb 18 00:47:16 GMT 2007


Provide OpenOffice.org for free pre-installation alongside Microsoft Works and Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org is more capable than Microsoft Works, and a serious competitor to Microsoft Office, at a fraction of the cost (it's free!)

OpenOffice.org can open, create, edit and save Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.

Provide as OPTIONS for pre-installation many other high-quality free software programs such as:

- Firefox: web browser with popup and privacy controls; say goodbye to Internet Explorer infections!

- Thunderbird: email program with free anti-spam and privacy controls

- Pidgin: instant messaging all-in-one program for popup-free MSN, Yahoo, AOL and others
&nsbp;[ed: GAIM was renamed Pidgin in April 2007 to settle the issue with AOL's trademark on AIM]

- PDFCreator: creates Adobe PDF files from any program

- Scribus, Inkscape & GIMP: desktop publishing, freehand drawing & powerful image editing

- Audacity & VLC: multi-track audio editing & universal all-in-one media/video/movie/DVD player
- Stellarium & Celestia: planetarium viewer & outer-space mapping, like Google Earth, but for our Solar System

Pre-installed quality free and open source software drastically lowers the cost of new PCs, and helps prevent software piracy. Cast your vote for Linux and other free software. Cast your vote for the Universal Education PC [ed: article removed/merged by dell_admin] utilizing free software.

CHOICE is what consumers want on their new PCs, not annoying surprise circus-ware (the typical smattering of confusing 3rd party popup-infested software found on most new Dell PCs). Quality free and open source software is well behaved, and may be legally pre-installed on PCs, and legally shared with friends and family, sharing is encouraged! Cast your vote for consumer CHOICE and public transparency at Dell


DELL/ Status Update

Dell is constantly reviewing options to offer to customers. As this is available for free today, we do not currently plan on offering this as an option to factory install.
.
dhart116470.0
Comments: 622
Categories: Desktops and Laptops  Software  
Status:Reviewed
390
Ubuntu Linux should cost less then Windows and be available on Netbooks. By tkeith,  Oct 30, 2009  |    Fri Oct 30 13:47:36 GMT 2009

 Dell was the first major computer vendor to offer Linux, for which it was praised.  However, the Ubuntu option is now gone from arguably it's best implementation, Netbooks, and where available it costs $50-100 more then Windows.  I was told by support that it was because it costs Dell more, then told it was because people were buying Ubuntu and not liking it.  Neither excuse makes sense, Ubuntu is free to install and people were not properly notified nor given any training information about Ubuntu and the differences from Windows.  
tkeith390.0
Comments: 3
Categories: Linux  Netbooks  
180
Don't put headphones and speaker ports on front of the laptop. By einer,  Nov 10, 2009  |    Tue Nov 10 18:58:15 GMT 2009

It's really uncomfortable to use your laptop while holding it on your lap or when lying on bed when we have cables of our headphones sticking into our belly.

Please do not put those ports on front of laptops but instead move them on the side.
einer180.0
Comments: 0
Categories: Laptops  
120
Link to status of the idea By TSBrasil,  Nov 13, 2009  |    Fri Nov 13 15:13:25 GMT 2009

I'd like to find a link with more information about the status of each idea. I don't believe the existing categories are enough of a feedback the way they are right now.
TSBrasil120.0
Comments: 5
Categories: IdeaStorm  
50
Quieter keyboard for business laptop By Pilly,  8:46 AM  |    Fri Nov 20 16:46:45 GMT 2009

Hello,

I am sure someone has taught of this but would Dell please create or offer quieter standard keyboard for laptops.  It is so difficult to sit in a meeting and be in a conference call when all you could hear is loud keyboard clicks.  Please, please, think of this as a way to delight your business users.

I work for a Fortune 100 companies and Dell are standard laptops for us. I have friends that work in other Fortune 100 companies with the same pet peeve.
Pilly50.0
Comments: 0
Categories: Laptops  
70
Stop Tying Hardware Functionality to Specific Linux Distributions By alexgo,  3 days ago  |    Tue Nov 17 21:01:48 GMT 2009

Dell servers have excellent hardware, that's completely unsupported outside of RedHat and SuSE.  I'm not asking for the full OpenManage toolkit, but having at least the PERC RAID utility and the OMSA SNMP MIBs available as distribution-independent downloads would be very useful to me.  I think a good example would be 3ware, whose RAID utility is packaged as a simple statically-linked binary and a man page, that can be used on any linux distribution whatsoever.

My company supports a variety of different linuxes, and while I really like Dell hardware, there are a bunch of situations where we cannot use it, for this reason.
alexgo70.0
Comments: 0
Categories: Linux  Servers and Storage  
1260
Bring Back Indicator Lights By Aloy,  Sep 25, 2009  |    Fri Sep 25 08:14:36 GMT 2009

I've noticed something very disturbing about the design trend of Dell Laptops.
I've recently purchased a Dell Inspiron Laptop and was a little shocked to find that there are no indicator lights (HDD activity light, battery charge light, WIFI light, Caps Lock light, Num Lock Light, Bluetooth light, etc) on the laptop!
Calling Dell customer service, I was offered an exchange for a different laptop model if I so wished and I was referred to a product sales personnel. This is when i found out that A LOT of Dell's newer laptop models had no indicator lights!

I am quite flabbergasted at this design decision by Dell engineers! Indicator lights are very very useful when troubleshooting or when in doubt. I cannot count the number of times when I thought I've plugged in the laptop for charging when I've neglected to turn on the power switch to notice that the battery charging light is not on. And the HDD activity light is essential in figuring out if the system has hanged or is just taking a long time to load a program. Caps lock is so useful for testing if system has crashed in pre-windows-load environment. There are so so many reasons to have hardware based indicator lights, I cannot believe that Dell engineers had gone and took them off all the models.

Please bring back the indicator lights in your laptops. It is really absurd to remove them.

 
Aloy1260.0
Comments: 9
Categories: Laptops  
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