Looking inside laptop - has anyone?

[milkeybar kid]

Please any idea's. New in UK July this year. Intergrated webcam  in Inspiron 1720 was always sensitive- if it detected any movement in lap top it would switch camera on and off. It is now at the point of staying off 95% of the time . External web cam no problem . Have spoken with dell and done all that they asked = downloading new drivers etc. Now, if for no apparant reason it should come on - perhaps not through movement of laptop , then the microphone only has acute static. Yes, all defaults are correct etc, etc.This message USB not recognised, re connect , or replace. This is surely telling me the actual connection internally is adrift - I have downloaded the manual and it says to be exremely careful, u must be earthed etc .[:-))]  is it worth a look?Any opinions would be appreciated.Dell are now dragging their feet on next course of action! Up till now faultless in replying to emails .

[Dick Smith]

If it is only a few months old I wouldn't open it up and possibly void the warranty, I'd send it back to Dell for repair.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I've opened a fair few up, replacing cd drives, hard drives, mouse pads and the like, after doing what you have done and downloaded the service manuals. Personally, I have never had any problems doing this, but of course there is a first time for everything. As for earthing, I think I just touched something metal inside the laptop and then just got on with fixing it. This probably isn't enough to earth it, but as I say, I've had a 100% success rate. Maybe I'm lucky.

As Dick says, if it is still under warranty, don't open it, it's Dell's problem.

If you have doubts or don't feel confident in opening it up yourself, take it to an expert.

R.

[Alex H]

[quote user="milkeybar kid"]This is surely telling me the actual connection internally is adrift -

[/quote]

Sounds likely doesn't it - but it's more than likely not [:(]

Like everyone else has said - send it back before you £$*& it up and regret it (I was a computer hardware engineer in a previous life)

[Bugsy]

I took an old one apart once and it was certainly not easy. There were lots of little plastic lock-tags that could be easily broken. This particular one had a very easy to remove keyboard and that allowed access to the ram modules and stuff. The hard drive just slid out of a slot on the back.

As everyone else has said, if its still in warranty, don't touch it.

[AnOther]

If you don't need the integrated web cam then disabling it in the Device Manager might cure the problem, similarly with the microphone.

Earthing is for protection against static but in practice I have seldom bothered (except when an employer was watching [;-)]) and never suffered any harm or damage to anything as a result.

[Alex H]

[quote user="ErnieY"]If you don't need the integrated web cam then disabling it in the Device Manager might cure the problem, similarly with the microphone.

[/quote]

If I'd just paid over £500 for a new laptop (Dell website price) I'd want it all working before the guarantee ran out [8-)]

Static damage does not necessarily cause components to fail immediately, but may well cause them to fail sooner than they would have done [:(]

[milkeybar kid]

Tandem_pilot, please tell me more of your ideas???? what it could be.

All was well with webcam, in fact it was excellent quality with Skype and messenger. Noticed  after first  month that when active it only needed slight movement of laptop for it to either freeze when in use , or the ****** avatar to spring into a life of its own , whatever was done to disable avatar- failed. So I removed the avatar prog. All well as long as laptop was not moved whislt webcam active. Then out of the blue it went from the system in device manager Icon for imaging device went. If USB webcam attached the icon then re appears showing its specific name - all is well.

Have even tried to reload all Intergrated web cam software with avatar, and yet again the damned avatar over rides all defaults- !! mystery! so had to delete avatar prog.

Then out of the blue it re appears  in imaging device "the inregrated webcam#2" when it does re appear it also ruins the intergrated microphone for eg when I have listened to skype test call back I hear an occasional sylabel of mine then only static. The only thing that makes me wonder if its software problem is how it likes to push itself back into the system should it re appear even though I have all applications to external webcam - but then I ask why when it does reappear it has no picture (No web cam found. Connect your webcam or check it properly connected )and no microphone when tested (only the static in playback). Also when name is back in device manager why also under LOCATION_ USB Root Hub Unknown device written in bold should appear. Oh, and of course when it dings into life with a blue flash of the webcam I then get the bubble that says -One of the USB devices attached to the computer has malfunctioned & windows does not recognise it.

I have spent hrs searching on web and found others to have had similar probs but never a solution.

Please , anyone, can you give me an idea what to try other then send it back to dell . I am 100% up to date on drivers and latest updates that dell reccomended.[+o(]

[Callie]

Why the reluctance to send it back to Dell ? The minute you start to 'mess with it' you are likely to invalidate your guarantee !

I have heard that Dell's after-sales service...er....S***ks...

[AnOther]

[quote user="Tandem_Pilot"]Static damage does not necessarily cause components to fail immediately, but may well cause them to fail sooner than they would have done [:(][/quote]Agreed but I have still yet to have anything fail on me and some stuff I've held onto for more years than is decent [:D]

[milkeybar kid]

Callie- yes, it will probably have to go back but if the fault is mine because----- then only by listening to someone that had similar prob it might be fixable by moi! Errr dell seems to have abadoned me since 14th Nov - no reply to e mails since I have told them I have done everything they asked me to do.[8-)]

[Alex H]

[quote user="milkeybar kid"]Tandem_pilot, please tell me more of your ideas???? what it could be.

[/quote]

Its one of 2 things, the software -which it appears is all up to date, the hardware - which is basically one board and a few components that you cannot fix.

Please, do the sensible thing and send it back to Dell

[milkeybar kid]

If it goes back to dell do I put passwords on system or what do I password protect or simply take off what few documents I have? Next question err will they lose my programms - photo shop etc etc.that are in?  What happens if they replace laptop will they ransfer all, so its the same set up. Has anyone sent laptop away to be fixed ? I wonder if I have to pay for postage as its only a few months old. They told me at PC World exeter that it would be under guarantee in France.mmmm fingers crossed. Weird- now the intergrated webcam is disabled the darn thing blinks on startup as if its in action yet device manager confirms its disabled - boggart's! have got inside!! Mrs MBK running scared now.

[Pierre ZFP]

Copy all essential docs (you've done that anyway as a backup haven't you) and delete private/sensitive data.  Yes it is possible to recover deleted data but why would they bother?  If push comes to shove and Dell can't repair it (highly unlikely) they may give you a new machine but they would whip out the hard drive from the old one and stick it in the new.

I wouldn't password protect anything as it will only cause Dell grief and delay.