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Area51 m5550 Random Shutdown Problem - Page 6

post #101 of 131
9/29/06 at 11:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan'sM505x
Rei86, this thread is still going on because AW sent out a bunch of F--ked uped units. And I thought I was the only one with this random shutdown issue.

I know its kind of funny but you gotta understand. You either get something that works. Or you dont.

I had more problems then you guys did with my desktop when I 1st made my PC but now its running like a champ. You guys really have too just cool down and try to do everything one by one.

After that is all done tell them too shove it up there a55 and take it back for a full refund

However I'm very happy my 5750 doesnt have issues like this anymore after the bios update
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post #102 of 131
9/30/06 at 12:23am
true but there is no excuse for so many people having the same problem... Btw Thats great that your m5750 has worked out for you. Good luck to all m5550 owners! Hopefully my duo core 2 model will be problem free this time around : )
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post #103 of 131
9/30/06 at 12:48am
Well, mine is fixed as I have not seen one single problem with it since. Now it is a rock solid system and has been on for days and days now without a restart

I hope my other thread helps anyone else that might encounter this issue.
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post #104 of 131
9/30/06 at 1:38am
nope still getting it. and sometimes my keyboard and touchpad go out before it happens.
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post #105 of 131
9/30/06 at 1:45am
Might try flashing the keyboard BIOS (or does that only apply to the 7700?)
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post #106 of 131
9/30/06 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan'sM505x
true but there is no excuse for so many people having the same problem... Btw Thats great that your m5750 has worked out for you. Good luck to all m5550 owners! Hopefully my duo core 2 model will be problem free this time around : )


Bryan - we all hope your new machine is perfect too!
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post #107 of 131
9/30/06 at 5:58pm
Mine just went out last night while running Oblivion on battery power. Does this seem to be just a problem when running on the battery? I think the m5550 only has a 6-cell battery; could it be that there just isn't enough power in the battery to run heavy applications?
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post #108 of 131
10/4/06 at 9:50pm

One other thing I found

I've had my m5550 for about 3 weeks. It just shutdown for the 2nd time since I've had it. I had scanned in a large image (125MB+) and I was doing some line art/editing when the laptop just shutdown. I was running Photoshop CS2 and when I researched the issue, I found that this is becoming a more common issue that might be resolved by reducing the temporary resources that Photoshop requires.

This makes me think that the first shutdown I had, when installing Visual Studio 2005, might have been due to the same type of problem. The installer uses a butt-load of resources, temp and physical, when it runs.

As I read through the threads here, a lot of the issues seem to occur because of WOW running. What type of temporary resources does it take when you play?

I'm going to experiment with the Photoshop settings and see if I can resolve the issue.

Just my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth.

L8R.
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post #109 of 131
10/5/06 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
My m5550 has now been rock solid for about 3 weeks since updating the BIOS to 2.03W. Everyone make sure you have this BIOS update. I know some have suggested reseating the memory and removing the Intel wireless application. Don't do any of these until you've called AW support to walk you through updating the BIOS so not to void your warranty. This should be your very first step in this troubleshooting process. If your shutdown issues continue after the update, then you can explore your other options.
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post #110 of 131
10/5/06 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HankTheFly
My m5550 has now been rock solid for about 3 weeks since updating the BIOS to 2.03W.

Good call. I checked and I already have 2.03. Also the system runs much better since I tweaked the default settings for Photoshop and applied the littany of Adobe updates last night.

Rock on!
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post #111 of 131
10/5/06 at 4:53pm
might want to make sure you have the 2.03.W
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post #112 of 131
10/6/06 at 12:16am

m5550 BIOS versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by -=Ash=-
might want to make sure you have the 2.03.W

Are there two versions 2.03 and 2.03.W?
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post #113 of 131
10/6/06 at 3:27pm
From what I've read, yes. The W version still shows up as 2.03 though. I have not done mine as I have not experienced the problem. So, I am not fixing what is not broken.

Anyone, is this correct?
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post #114 of 131
10/6/06 at 7:48pm
My Shutdown problem is related to my videocard (NVIDIA 7600) getting too hot when the system is idle. I monitored the Core temp up to 109 degrees celcius before it shut down. Why won't the stupid fan come on!?

BTW - This was on the replacement video card AW just sent me.
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post #115 of 131
10/6/06 at 10:21pm
so does the new bios make the fan go on more often?
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post #116 of 131
10/7/06 at 1:25pm

Wondering ...

I've been considering purchasing an Area-51 m5550 Core 2 Duo for the past month or so. That is, until I came upon this forum.

Would most of you recommend that I not?

I would be using the notebook for graphic design - so although I wouldn't be running 3D games, I might have several applications open at once, such as Photoshop CS2, Flash, Dreamweaver, and Word.
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post #117 of 131
10/8/06 at 11:01am
I'm in almost exactly the same situation as Kafka Tamura. I'd be using it for graphic design primarily (Illustrator, Flash, PS) but also playing some games (CSS, BF2). I've been considering an m5550 for ages, almost bought it last night but I have to phone customer support on Monday to ask them something beforehand (I'm in the UK). This issue is seriously making me reconsider though.
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post #118 of 131
10/8/06 at 7:31pm

Notebook for graphic design

I would have bought this system a week ago had I not stumbled upon this thread.

Previously, I had been looking at the 12" Dell XPS, but decided that, for one, the screen size was too small for the work that I'll be doing - mostly web design, and photography.

Figuring that a 14" screen would be ideal for graphic design work in terms of resolution matched with portability, I came to the Area-51 m5550 and decided that, for the price (about $2,400), the appx 15" screen would be bearable given the power of the processor (Core 2 Duo), the 2MB of RAM, and the 7200RPM HD.

I like what I've heard about Toshiba, but even the Quosimo doesn't come close to the setup I can get for the price on the Area-51.

But if the m5550 is as much a problem as this forum makes it seem, well ... I guess I'm back to square one.
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post #119 of 131
10/8/06 at 10:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kafka Tamura
I would have bought this system a week ago had I not stumbled upon this thread.

Previously, I had been looking at the 12" Dell XPS, but decided that, for one, the screen size was too small for the work that I'll be doing - mostly web design, and photography.

Figuring that a 14" screen would be ideal for graphic design work in terms of resolution matched with portability, I came to the Area-51 m5550 and decided that, for the price (about $2,400), the appx 15" screen would be bearable given the power of the processor (Core 2 Duo), the 2MB of RAM, and the 7200RPM HD.

I like what I've heard about Toshiba, but even the Quosimo doesn't come close to the setup I can get for the price on the Area-51.

But if the m5550 is as much a problem as this forum makes it seem, well ... I guess I'm back to square one.


I can understand the hesitation...but remember there are a number of people posting who aren't having any problems. It's a great machine for a 15.4" system...I think it really comes down to your patience...1st) can you stand the wait, and 2nd) on the off chance you do have a problem - how much of a pain will it be to go without the machine for 2-3 weeks if you have to send it back?
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post #120 of 131
10/9/06 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iacobus07
My Shutdown problem is related to my videocard (NVIDIA 7600) getting too hot when the system is idle. I monitored the Core temp up to 109 degrees celcius before it shut down. Why won't the stupid fan come on!? BTW - This was on the replacement video card AW just sent me.
I tried the 2.03w BIOS flash and am still having random shutdowns. My problem: the fan is not engaging to cool down the GPU! (The computer will run for 45-60 minutes then shutdown) - the Heatsink and thermal paper seem to be okay... I'll be sending my system back to AW. Very disapointing!
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