Dellution: June 2012

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

Screen Flickers While Runing On Battery

Computer screen starts flickering while running on the battery. It works fine when plugged in. Computer was shipped with Nvidia Graphic card. Customer already contacted with same issue multiple times & previous tech already tried updated the BIOS & Nvidia driver & changed the power option but it did not resolve. Changing the windows theme to basic also did not work.

While researching on this issue I came across an article which suggested that its due to intel DISPLAY POWER SAVING TECHNOLOGY & we need to uncheck that option under graphic properties.

I updated the intel graphic driver & unchecked the above mentioned option & it resolves the issue on both computers. Below is the path to disable this option.

Graphics Properties > Advanced Mode >Power > Change the pull down menu on power source from 'Plugged in' to 'On Battery' and uncheck "Display power saving technology". Click OK.

Below is the image showing which option needed to be disabled.

Friday, 22 June 2012

Dell Support Center DSC showing HDD errors

The firmware for the Hard drive is now available for the issue below

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats?DriverId=C6RX3

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Screen saver does not come on

Came across an issue in Windows 7, much akin to a similar issue in Vista wherein the customer might say that his screen saver and power management features are not working. This might happen if the customer has a wireless keyboard and mouse. In this case, please run Windows Update and install the optional update titled: Microsoft HID Non-User Input Data Filter. This resolved the issue in 2 cases I received.

Also, please refer to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913405 for further information

Thursday, 14 June 2012

Dell advantage issue.

Simply register for a free account on www.dell.com/advantage and select the partner offers in the red box below. The registration is currently free so this would be your fastest and easiest resolution.

Windows Installer Service missing

Issue : When customer is trying to do windows update or uninstall or install some application, they receive notification for the Windows installer Service Error. Windows installer service is missing in Services option

Root cause : A 3rd party application might be corrupting the windows installer file, We have also seen this issue post running System Mechanic on some machines , we are currently working with the vendor to identify a fix for the same

Scope : The following resolution is NOT in scope for Core Support

Reference MS KB: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2642495

Resolution:

1) Please follow the instructions as per MS KB listed below to create the registry key

2) Click Start and type Notepad in the Search box and click Notepad.exe under Programs

3) Copy the following text and paste it into Notepad.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\msiserver]

"DisplayName"="@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\msimsg.dll,-27"

"ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,00,\

74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,\

00,73,00,69,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,63,00,20,00,2f,00,56,00,00,00

"Description"="@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\msimsg.dll,-32"

"ObjectName"="LocalSystem"

"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001

"Start"=dword:00000003

"Type"=dword:00000010

"DependOnService"=hex(7):72,00,70,00,63,00,73,00,73,00,00,00,00,00

"ServiceSidType"=dword:00000001

"RequiredPrivileges"=hex(7):53,00,65,00,54,00,63,00,62,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,\

00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,\

74,00,65,00,50,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,66,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,\

00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,4c,00,6f,00,63,00,\

6b,00,4d,00,65,00,6d,00,6f,00,72,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,\

00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6e,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,\

73,00,65,00,42,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,6f,00,72,00,69,00,74,\

00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,\

65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,65,00,72,00,6d,00,61,00,6e,\

00,65,00,6e,00,74,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,\

00,00,53,00,65,00,41,00,75,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,\

00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,53,00,65,00,63,00,75,00,72,00,\

69,00,74,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,\

00,53,00,65,00,43,00,68,00,61,00,6e,00,67,00,65,00,4e,00,6f,00,74,00,69,00,\

66,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,\

00,65,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,66,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,53,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,\

6c,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,63,00,65,00,73,00,73,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,\

00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6d,00,70,00,65,00,\

72,00,73,00,6f,00,6e,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,\

00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,\

47,00,6c,00,6f,00,62,00,61,00,6c,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\

00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,41,00,73,00,73,00,69,00,67,00,6e,00,50,00,\

72,00,69,00,6d,00,61,00,72,00,79,00,54,00,6f,00,6b,00,65,00,6e,00,50,00,72,\

00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,52,00,65,00,\

73,00,74,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,\

00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6e,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,\

51,00,75,00,6f,00,74,00,61,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,\

00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,53,00,68,00,75,00,74,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,6e,00,\

50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,54,\

00,61,00,6b,00,65,00,4f,00,77,00,6e,00,65,00,72,00,73,00,68,00,69,00,70,00,\

50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,4c,\

00,6f,00,61,00,64,00,44,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,65,00,72,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,\

76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,00,00

"FailureActions"=hex:84,03,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,14,00,00,\

00,01,00,00,00,c0,d4,01,00,01,00,00,00,e0,93,04,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\msiserver\Enum]

"0"="Root\\LEGACY_MSISERVER\\0000"

"Count"=dword:00000001

"NextInstance"=dword:00000001

4)Once the text is pasted into Notepad, click File, click Save As, and then type Msirepair.reg for the name of the file.

5)In the Save as type box, click All Files (*.*).

6)In the Save in box, click Desktop, and then click Save.

7)On the File menu, click Exit to close Notepad

8)After saving the file , associate the file to open always with REGEDIT

9) Execute the file to fix the issue

Router Passwords.

Use this link to find default router passwords in case you wish to login to router page to check settings.

http://www.routerpasswords.com/

Dell XPST 13 (L321x) Will not boot to Windows Media in External USB drive

PROBLEM: When trying to boot to an external USB device, an error is encountered using the Dell XPS™ 13 and a USB external drive.

DISCUSSION: This is encountered when trying to boot to any USB external bootable device (USB Key, Optical Drive etc.). The error displayed will be a “Load Driver” window in Windows setup asking for the correct driver to be installed. The Fresco USB 3.0 controller for this system has no native support in Windows.

RESOLUTION: Move the USB device from the RIGHT side USB 3.0 port to the LEFT side USB 2.0 port and restart the system. The system will boot to the USB 2.0 port.

Reference: Dell XPS™ 13 Can't Install Microsoft Windows 7® via USB 3.0 Port

Unable to open hyperlinks in Microsoft Outlook.

Please find this Fix-it for Microsoft Outlook unable to open hyperlinks, with the following error:

This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310049

3 Important Microsoft Related Updates:: Win8 upgrade deal for early June debut//MS to charge $15 for Win8 upgrade deal//MS reprises free Xbox back-to-school PC promo

Win8 Upgrade program to start in first week of June 2012
Microsoft preps Windows 8 upgrade deal for early June debut, says report Source: computerworld.com Microsoft will reportedly kick off a Windows 8 upgrade program for buyers of Windows 7 PCs in early June.

The Windows 8 Upgrade would cost approx. $15
Microsoft to charge $15 for Windows 8 upgrade deal Source: computerworld.com Microsoft plans to charge users who buy a new Windows 7 PC $14.99 for an upgrade to Windows 8. The upgrade program is expected to kick off alongside the delivery of Windows 8 Release Preview in June.

Free X-Box with Windows 7 Benchmark PC - Back to School offer makes a comeback!
Microsoft reprises free Xbox back-to-school PC promo Source: computerworld.com Microsoft will repeat last year's back-to-school promotion, kicking off the deal Sunday with an offer of a free Xbox 360 game console to eligible U.S. students who buy a new Windows 7 PC.

Intermittent and slow wireless internet connection

We are noticing lots of intermittent and slow wireless internet connection issues and the fix which is working to resolve the issue to disable IPV6 option for windows 7 , check the link http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929852

IPv6 can be disabled either through the Disabled Components registry value or through the check box for the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) component in the list of items on the Networking tab for the properties of connections in the Network Connections folder. The following figure shows an example.

System freezes at the "Welcome to Setup" screen in Windows XP

For issues where the Windows setup program freezes at the "Welcome to Windows" screen, you need to restart the setup app without loading ACPI. To do so, when you get the message "Press any key to boot from CD", rather than tapping Enter, begin tapping on F7 until the setup app begins loading files. This will disable ACPI and the system will not freeze and you can begin installation or boot to the Recovery Console as required.

Also find the other Windows setup function keys listed below:

•	F5 - For computer type or hardware abstraction layer (HAL) selection
•	F6 - To install third-party SCSI and host controller drivers
•	F7 - To run Setup without Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)

When the "Welcome to Setup" screen is displayed, the following function keys can be used:

•	F2 - To automatically start the Automated System Recovery (ASR) process.
•	F10 - To bypass the menu screens and to load the Recovery Console

During graphical user interface (GUI)-Mode Setup, the following function keys can be used:

•	SHIFT+F10 - To enable access to a command prompt during GUI-Mode Setup

•	SHIFT+F11 - To display "old-style" wizards that give more detail

Downloadable links for System Mechanic & System Mechanic Professional

SYSTEM MECHANIC NORMAL

http://download.iolo.net/sm/10/dell/APOS/trial/SystemMechanic.exe

SYSTEM MECHANIC PROFESSIONAL

http://download.iolo.net/sm/10pro/trial/SystemMechanicPro.exe

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Locating the MAC address

MAC address of your computer

Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 / 2008 / Vista / Windows 7

Open a Command Prompt window by clicking the Start button, clicking Programs or All Programs, clickingAccessories, and then clicking Command Prompt.

In the Command Prompt window type ipconfig /all

Find the Physical Address line under the section that describes your network adapter. MAC address is listed as six groups of two hexadecimal digits, separated by hyphens (-).

C:\Documents and Settings\admin>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : mypc

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : domain.local

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : domain.local

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-13-02-80-92-7A

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.3

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, February 15, 2008 3:19:03 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, February 20, 2008 3:19:03 PM

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/1000 PL Network Connection

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0E-7B-89-C4-E0

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Personal Area Network from TOSHIBA

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-03-7A-F3-6C-E7

Windows 8

Go to the Desktop.
Open a Windows Explorer window by clicking on the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar.
Click on the small Folder icon in the Address bar, type cmd and then press Enter. New Command Prompt window will be opened.
In the Command Prompt window type getmac /v /fo list
Find the section that describes the adapter you want to find MAC address of. The Physical Address line shows MAC address as six groups of two hexadecimal digits, separated by hyphens (-).

C:\Users\admin>getmac /v /fo list

Connection Name: Local Area Connection

Network Adapter: NVIDIA nForce 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet

Physical Address: 00-26-18-4F-55-B7

Transport Name: \Device\Tcpip_{CE306346-5423-4218-8F88-BDBA73D04924}

Connection Name: VirtualBox Host-Only Network

Network Adapter: VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter

Physical Address: 08-00-27-00-66-7F

Transport Name: \Device\Tcpip_{7AF27739-CB07-4B45-8BD4-CE809F5B9F1B}

LINUX

Open a terminal or console window.
In the window type ifconfig
MAC address is marked as HWaddr and listed as six groups of two hexadecimal digits, separated by colon (:).

root@host:~# ifconfig

eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:10:5A:0D:5A:A5

   inet addr:192.168.0.2 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

   inet6 addr: fe80::210:5aff:f00d:5bb5/64 Scope:Link

   UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1

   RX packets:1206866 errors:54423 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:81536

   TX packets:941228 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

   collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000

   RX bytes:332783971 (317.3 MiB) TX bytes:214601237 (204.6 MiB)

   Interrupt:10 Base address:0xa000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback

   inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0

   inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host

   UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1

   RX packets:1573 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

   TX packets:1573 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

   collisions:0 txqueuelen:0

   RX bytes:99765 (97.4 KiB) TX bytes:99765 (97.4 KiB)

Apple Mac OS X 10.2-10.6

Launch Finder, open Applications folder, then open Utilities folder and start Terminal.
In the Terminal window type ifconfig
Find the ether line under the section that describes your network adapter. MAC address is listed as six groups of two hexadecimal digits, separated by by colon (:).

host:~ user$ ifconfig

lo0: flags=8049<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING,MULTICAST> mtu 16384

   inet6 fe80::1%lo0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x1

   inet 127.0.0.1 netmask 0xff000000

   inet6 ::1 prefixlen 128

gif0: flags=8010<POINTOPOINT,MULTICAST> mtu 1280

stf0: flags=0<> mtu 1280

en0: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500

   ether 00:25:bc:de:96:74

   media: autoselect status: inactive

   supported media: none autoselect 10baseT/UTP <half-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex,flow-control> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex,hw-loopback> 100baseTX <half-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex,flow-control> 100baseTX <full-duplex,hw-loopback> 1000baseT <full-duplex> 1000baseT <full-duplex,flow-control> 1000baseT <full-duplex,hw-loopback>

fw0: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 4078

   lladdr 00:25:bc:ff:fe:de:98:64

   media: autoselect <full-duplex> status: inactive

   supported media: autoselect <full-duplex>

en1: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500

   inet6 fe80::225:ff:fe4e:a73d%en1 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x6

   inet 192.168.0.101 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.0.255

   ether 00:25:00:4e:a8:39

   media: autoselect status: active

   supported media: autoselect

MAC address of a system connected to the same subnet as your computer