Please help with my new Sentia

Hello all,

I just joined the Sentia club and I’ve encountered a few problems. I’ll just say up-front that this is disappointing because this is brand-new, high-end laptop that, according to Alienware, supposedly undergoes significant testing before it ships. Oh well, hopefully you guys can help:

First problem is one that I’ve seen pop-up all over this forum – my power light blinks constantly unless I go into the BIOS power settings and switch off both max battery performance and high speed performance. Now, the two main reasons I got the Sentia were speed and centrino battery performance. So modifying the BIOS in this way is not acceptable. When I spoke with Alienware, they said that they were working on a BIOS update to correct this problem. That’s great if this update is coming sooner rather than later, but in reality, I have no idea when it will be done. Has anyone else here with this blinking problem been promised this update? If so, how long ago were you promised?

Second problem is that the speed of my wireless connection fluctuates wildly, from 11 Mbps to 5.5 to 2 to 1. This happens even when the Sentia is sitting right next to the wireless router. And it’s not a router problem, as my other laptops always get 11 Mbps. Alienware suggested updating the card’s drivers, but that didn’t help. I think a new card is the answer, but the Alienware tech asked for 48 hours to research the problem. Has anyone else here had a similar problem? And if so, did it take a new card to solve it?

Third isn’t really a technical problem, but more of a personal taste issue. The literature that came with the Sentia says that you should set the system to go into stand-by when you close the lid. It warns that if you set the system to do nothing when the lid is shut, the heat from the laptop may damage the screen. My problem is that I like to shut the lid when I go to lunch, leave for a couple of hours, or simply want to conserve power without shutting down the system entirely. Now, if the lid closing starts stand-by, I lose my wireless network connection, which I don’t want to lose for a variety of reasons. My questions are as follows: Is the literature warning just overly cautious? If not, and there’s a real danger in closing the lid without going to stand-by, can I eliminate that danger by hitting the “P” button first and reducing the system’s output? If not, can I make some change either in XP or in the BIOS that will allow my network connection to remain active even when the computer goes into stand-by?

Anyway, I appreciate whatever advice anyone can give. Thanks.

Good stuff. May I follow up?

On the first problem, does this mean that everyone's Sentia blinks? If so and it's just a style thing, then I can be more understanding.

On the second problem, it's not an issue of the report. There is a real and large drop off in speed that can be noticed when I try to access streaming video. Also, I doubt it's interference because it happens both at home and work, while my original laptop gets 11 mbits just fine at both locations. I still think it may be a bad card.

On the third, I like your idea about leaving the lid just a little open. Does that mean that just enough heat can escape so as to reduce the risk of LCD damage? Also, do you think pushing the "P" button while I'm gone would cut down on heat?

Thanks for your help.

What do you think about setting the XP power options to turn off the hard disk after a certain period of time? Would that cut down on heat and reduce the probability of LCD damage while the lid is shut?

When I updated the card's driver in an attempted fix, I did install Intel's management software, but now I wish I hadn't. If I uninstalled it, would XP automatically take over management again? Or would doing that just @#%* things up even more?

Another problem, maybe related to the wireless card, is that sometimes my browser and Outlook Express fail to detect the wireless network and come back with error messages, even though the icon on the toolbar shows that the network is working. This happens at random. Could there be some software explanation for this? Or does it sound like the card? I'm 2 seconds from calling Alienware and demanding a new one.

"Page cannot be displayed" - you know, the typical error page with all the text on it

I've tried a cable for a few minutes and it works fine.

Another hint I forgot to mention - a lot of times I have trouble "acquiring the network address" and I have to either repair the connection or reboot the computer. What's that a symptom of?

I still find it hard to believe that it's a router problem because the mbit speed keep fluctuating, while the signal strength always stays strong. If the signal stays solid, how can the speed differ unless it's a problem with the laptop or the wireless card?

BTW, just because I'm the youngest person at my company, that makes me IT guy by default, but you guys play in a different league. Thanks for your help on this.