Help required in finalizing my Dell Laptop

[thelordrrulzzz]

Hey digitians,
I have configured a dell inspiron 15 laptop today only and the sales assistant got in touch with me regarding that. I have some questions which i would like u guys to clarify.
He said that the HDD space would come as a single chunk only with da default OS installed on it but i would be given the original Vista Home Basic OS DVD.
Then there is something called the PC Restore(mentioned in the quotation) which will occupy some space on the HDD. The dell personnel says that the user has the freedom to do the re-partitioning of the HDD. My query is that:

1] Does the PC Restore utility interfere while partitioning the HDD again?? This is because i plan to delete the default Vista OS and install Windows XP Professional SP2 first followed by the installation of Vista later on a separate partition. Does it come on a CD so that it can be re-installed later?

2] Do these guys give the complete system drivers CD of the laptop with it? Can i use the same System Driver Kit (as mentioned by them) for XP Professional OS?

3] Should i opt for a 3GB RAM instead of 2GB? I feel that increasing the RAM would just allocate more space for the installed applications and nothing else. It won't help in improving the performance in any way. What are your views regarding this?

I am sorry for the noobish queries as this is my first Laptop and so i am taking all possible precautions to ensure a smooth purchase.

I would highly appreciate some sincere and helpful replies from you.

Regards,
thelordrrrulzzz

[The Sorcerer]

Aaah!! I work for Dell U.S. so let me see if I can answer your questions!
1. No. It does occupy space in the hard drive since its the inbuilt software given to dell in collaboration with symantec. The PC restore software will be gone alongwith the software. I am not sure about Dell India, but Dell U.S. does have a restriction to downgrade from vista to xp and hence extra charge for xp. You do get guides to downgrade when you google for it though. Vista with service pack 1 and newer updates made life bit easier but for some reason I am better off with vista 64 bit against vista 32 bit.
2. Yup. Usually its with xp/vista support. Or else you can get by going to http://drivers.dell.com, put in your service tag and you will get the updated software, driver and at times BIOS as well.
3. If you have the need to use so much rams, go for it or else it doesn't make much sense. For day to day use 2GB does suffice a lot at present.

[pickster]

Why would you delete Vista and then install XP and then install Vista again?
Wont it be better to just make another partition and install XP?
BTW, for guides regarding clean install of OS [which will get rid of any bloatware], check forum.notebookreview.com

Go for 3 GB RAM only if you plan on gaming. Otherwise, its a waste of money.

[ashu888ashu888]

Originally Posted by The Sorcerer

Aaah!! I work for Dell U.S. so let me see if I can answer your questions!

ooh gr8..

So, buddy do u knw any thing abt DELL India introducing 9xxx series of gpu in their lappys.. ??

Also, since Alienware is owned by DELL US (correct me if im wrong), so is it worth getting a Alienware lappy for use in India.. i mean (i knw tat warranty will jus NOT be valid) but still, the failure rate wud be lower right.. ??

[The Sorcerer]

I am not sure about Dell introducing 9xxx series in India. I am into software tech but nevertheless we get updates every now and then. Alienware is a sister company which belongs to dell. You can bring Dell laptops from U.S. or from different countries and transfer warranty to India via support.dell.com
Best if you buy laptops which are available in India. I am not sure about how other companies work, but Dell has an advantage that if you have bought a laptop from other countries, you can simply transfer ownership/ warranty to different country. This doesnt apply on Alienware however since Alienware is treated independently.

[pickster]

@The Sorcerer
damn it. alienware has some sexy laptops, and the m15 was in my budget [i'm looking for a high performance gaming laptop].
sigh. so much for getting it then.

[ashu888ashu888]

@ The Sorcerer:

hey thanx alot for this info dude,

but yes, as pickster said.. its jus a shame.. ooh... those are sum really sexy lappys (alienware)

[The Sorcerer]

See, in my opinion even if you manage to get an alienware laptop, make sure that you have already made arrangements to send the laptop back IF the hardware is NOT working properly. If you cant do so, even if one can afford it, it doesn't make sense to bring it here.

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

absolutely right...
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Btw, say if i plan on geting a Dell lappy (Not alienware) from US, so, is it better to bring the lappy via sum friend of mine or they (Dell US) courier it to my destination (Mumbai, India).. via say, DHL or Bluedart.. ??

and, if Courier service is not posible then can my friend buy tat lappy for me from a physically located Dell store in US ?? (not online)
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Posted again:
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and is the customisation option available on the DELL lappy if my friend buys it for me from a Physically located DELL store.. ?? (coz i very well knw tat Customisation option is available on DELL's US site)..

[thelordrrulzzz]

@The Sorcerer
Thank you for replying so early to my queries.
1] I assume that the PC Restore facility from Dell would be coming in the form of a CD.
2] I am not sure about Dell India having a restriction policy on downgrading. Plus the sales assistant said that they don't partition the HDD space but the user is allowed to re-partition the HDD space as per his/her usage. He also mentioned that Dell India only provides warranty for the default OS given and the Laptop's hardware. It does not vouch for any third party applications.
3] I find XP Professional comfortable to work with so am planning on having two OS - Vista Home Basic (given default with the laptop) and my own XP Professional SP2.

@pickster
I am planning on installing the OS as mentioned coz as it is i will be re-partitioning the complete HDD space using the conventional bootable CD procedure instead of using Vista's Hard Disk space management tool. Plus i want to avoid the pain of following precautions while installing XP Professional over Vista.
But thanks for replying to my queries.

Finally guys i am posting the configuration which i have ordered:-

Usage: Programming, Presentation work, Multimedia, Net surfing and absolutely not for gaming.

Configuration:
Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor T6400
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic
Intel® G45 chipset
2GB DDR2 SDRAM (1 x 2GB)
250GB2 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
15.6" 720p WXGA (1366x768) TrueLifeTM
Internal 10/100 Fast Ethernet
Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Intel® High Definition Audio 2.0
8X max DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability
6-cell Primary Battery
Misc: Matte Black colour, Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module, Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g Half Mini Card, Integrated speakers, VGA, RJ45, 1 Headphone jacks, 1 Microphone jack, 1 ExpressCard 34mm slot,3 USB 2.0, Mini-card card slot etc.

The only component i am ordering extra is
Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution.

What do you guys think of this configuration in comparison to the usage??

Lastly i want to know that does anyone know how good is the default sound output on the integrated speakers of this new Dell Inspiron 15 series laptops.
This is because the previous laptops didn't have that great sound output. One of my friend having a recently purchased Dell Inspiron 1525 wasn't happy with the sound output.

The best part of this purchase is that the taxes are minimal plus shipping to any address without extra octroi and other charges.

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

congrats on ur order buddy. .
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btw, i hv asked Sorcerer a Q, so will wait for his reply here..

[thelordrrulzzz]

thanks

^^Sure thing, no problem with you waiting for Sorcerer's reply here.

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

Thanx.. (for not having any problem..) really appreciate it..
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[The Sorcerer]

Originally Posted by thelordrrulzzz

@The Sorcerer
1] I assume that the PC Restore facility from Dell would be coming in the form of a CD.

No. Its allready pre installed on the system itself alongwith preinstalled OS and works with the preinstalled OS only. PC restore takes the system back to day 1 when you bought the system- in other words, its a short version of clean format reinstall. Its pretty useful to save time and hassle to do OSRI. For systems with pre installed windows xp you need to press ctrl+ f11 when you see dell logo @ startup and for vista pre-installed vista dell rig its f8- do note that if you have made a format reinstall then it the pc restore option is deleted.

Originally Posted by thelordrrulzzz

Lastly i want to know that does anyone know how good is the default sound output on the integrated speakers of this new Dell Inspiron 15 series laptops.
This is because the previous laptops didn't have that great sound output. One of my friend having a recently purchased Dell Inspiron 1525 wasn't happy with the sound output.

It not only depends on the source of music but also the output as well. Wouldn't expect much on an onboard speakers. If you do connect better speakers or better headphones- it does help.

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

hey buddy, can u shed sum light on this query plz..

tw, say if i plan on geting a Dell lappy (Not alienware) from US, so, is it better to bring the lappy via sum friend of mine or they (Dell US) courier it to my destination (Mumbai, India).. via say, DHL or Bluedart.. ??

and, if Courier service is not posible then can my friend buy tat lappy for me from a physically located Dell store in US ?? (not online)
-----------------------------------------
Posted again:
-----------------------------------------
and is the customisation option available on the DELL lappy if my friend buys it for me from a Physically located DELL store.. ?? (coz i very well knw tat Customisation option is available on DELL's US site)..

[thelordrrulzzz]

Originally Posted by The Sorcerer

No. Its allready pre installed on the system itself alongwith preinstalled OS and works with the preinstalled OS only. PC restore takes the system back to day 1 when you bought the system- in other words, its a short version of clean format reinstall. Its pretty useful to save time and hassle to do OSRI. For systems with pre installed windows xp you need to press ctrl+ f11 when you see dell logo @ startup and for vista pre-installed vista dell rig its f8- do note that if you have made a format reinstall then it the pc restore option is deleted.

I got it clear this time. This PC Restore facility comes installed on a separate partition so if i don't screw with that partition then i can still sustain that utility right?

[The Sorcerer]

Yeah you can say that. In other words pc restore is just a rebadged Norton ghost software but specifically made only for dell systems.
@ ashu888ashu888: Dell u.s. doesnt courier it to your place- dell, India can ship across India- octroi whereever applicable. Its best if your friend brings the laptop with himself. As per customs policy goes- you can bring in a laptop (note: You will have to carry the laptop as if you are using it in the first place) and goods worth 25k. Before his friends brings it from U.S. to India, its best if he applies for change in warranty status since it takes 15 business days to get it complete. 1 way is via support.dell.com but I request to call up dell customer care- not consumer tech support or dell on call and get it done via phone. I think customisation option is there on dell u.s. stores- but it might be shipped or needs pre-order. Not sure in case of Dell, India. As I said I am in Dell u.s.'s Dell on call premium que so in regards to sales of laptops and desktops- not much of a clue.

[ashu888ashu888]

^^

thanx for that imp info buddy, really appreciate it..
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[acewin]

@thelordrrulzzz, what sorcerer, said is true for other laptops also coming with pre-installed OS, which can be restored.

In HP models they do not give OS disk, but you can create a restoration disk or demand from them for it, thats what I had read about for HP.

Check with Dell support if the softwares provided are included in a separate disc.
Check this model from compaq Compaq Presario CQ45-137TX, it is in the range od dell inspiron and is better IMO.

Better ask them for no OS installed, so that you can do all the set up on your own.
and if they say you can create partition it would mean on restoration the OS will take a fixed space only, in that case you can opt for dual boot.

[thelordrrulzzz]

@acewin
thanks for the info and advice. I have checked with Dell and i will be getting the original OS DVD along with some of the other software CD's.

I can't think of any other laptop model now as i have already placed the order two days back and the payment is done.

These Dell people by default install the OS on the Hard Disk and give the laptop and there is no provision to ask for a complete un-partitioned raw HDD space without OS. Besides they also said the same thing about the PC Restore facility taking up some space as a separate partition of say 2GB(approx).
Thanks again for the advice

[acewin]

anyhow good buy, gratZ

[thelordrrulzzz]

^thanks

Can anyone suggest me which would be the best and VFM ADSL Modem for my laptop??
I am thinking of buying DLink's GLB-502T. Are there any better options available in the modem segment? I mean some other good models in Netgear or LinkSys.
I am opting for a wired modem only coz i can't invest in a wireless modem right now.

Secondly you require a cable to connect the laptop to a desktop machine..what is it called and how much does it cost?

[The Sorcerer]

You will need a wifi router to use the laptop wirelessly. There are 2 types of routers- standalone routers which will require to connect the modem to the router via rj45 if its a dsl connection but its direct rj45 internet access you can use the standalone router. You do have modem routers which are used to adsl ones, but I am not sure if you get them in India and if you do- what are the models. But in this day of age you do eventually get the product what you are looking for in India.
As for HP, every now and then Microsoft applies a funda called to reduce disks being given away. Dell u.s. had this between 2006-2007. Most probably the entire OS installation disk image is somewhere on the drive since Dell U.S. did the same thing for their inspiron and latitude lineups.

[acewin]

there was a BSNL mela a week back you could ahve got router cum ADSL model which BSNL gives generally in low price, it is a good router.
DLink's GLB-502T(priced upto 2-2.5K) and routers upto this level are just enough for normal usage, giving a radius of 10-20 meters, have lesser rate of data transfer for LAN, higher routers which almost price 3.5-5K give better wireless LAN.

I do not think building a string wireless LAN is your requirement, but for net, as Sorcerer said, keep a check of models which act both as router+adsl model if you do not have adsl modem otherwise just a simple router will be good.

[thelordrrulzzz]

hello digitians,
I have finally received my Dell Inspiron 15 laptop way back on Monday i.e. 23 March '09 but i haven't yet unpacked it. I had a very hectic week so didn't quite get the time. Yesterday i have just purchased a Belkin's wifi ADSL/2 Modem+Router
Coming back to my queries -
I intend to keep a dual boot on my laptop. One the default Vista Home Basic and the second Windows XP professional. I have found many tutorials on the net which state re-allocating the partition space of Vista and then installing XP on the same partition. Even Digit's october issue mentions a similar approach.
One of the tutorials can be found here.
Now my question is if i can create more partitions (read separate partition) then is the procedure similar of installing XP over Vista with Vista installed first??
P.S.- I want to install XP later because in case for servicing if i have to send the laptop then i can just format the XP partition.

Secondly can anyone of u help me in understanding how to set-up a password protected secure wifi network in my house.

Some help here would really be great.

Regards.