Dell complaints

[Rocke_T_Sinetist]

WXP comes with default Desktop Properties settings which can negatively impact performance, stability, and usability. The settings are all under (desktop, R-click, 'properties') and are easy to change.

"Screen Saver" is a tab on the 'Properties' menu. It also links to 'Power Save' settings, more on that in a minute.

Screen savers served a purpose in early-generation CRT monitors which were subject to 'burn-in' of static images. LCD monitors are totally immune to burn-in, and newer CRT monitors are 7/8ths immune to it.

Certain software applications, especially active-graphics ones, will lock up if a screen saver preempts their display. So unless you have an emotional attachment to the screen-saver image, set it to "none". You won't be bothered by your work disappearing from the screen, and one possible cause of lock-ups is eliminated.

"Power Save". You can access it from the 'Screen Saver' tab, or the 'Control Panel'. First, let's be aware that the amount of power being saved is comparable at most to a reading lamp. Operating a reading lamp for 10 hours costs between a nickel and a dime, depending on where you live.

'Turn Monitor Off'. Set it to your convenience and the way you use the system.

With CRT monitors, the tradeoffs are: A) Cost of operation, roughly one cent per hour. B) Thermal and power cycling, being turned on and off, is a small reliability deficit. C) Total operating hours is a small reliability deficit.

With LCD monitors the same tradeoffs apply. Cost of operation is even less. All electronic devices undergo thermal and power cycling. Total operating hours bears more heavily on LCDs though, because the backlight has a life expectancy roughly equivalent to a household fluorescent lamp.

'Turn Hard Drive Off'. Set it to 'Never'. The amount of power involved is equivalent at most to a nightlight and a clock. The same (above) thermal/power cycling reliability deficits apply. Total operating hours isn't a significant issue. The primary reliability parameter bearing on harddrives is 'total mechanical shock encountered'.

Boot your system, let it idle with the desktop displayed, and watch the 'HDD Activity' light. Goes off at least every minute, doesn't it? Windows is CONSTANTLY making little notes to itself. Some say it's Bill Gates making snotty remarks about you in his diary. Some think it's a remnant of Dell's software that makes employees' names pop up on a screen in HR if they don't hit their keyboard for 1 minute. It may be more innocuous, like one of the 40-some 'services' Windows starts by default (a cursory discussion of Windows Services is available at http://www.ihatedell.net/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2458).

But in any case, deferred HDD writes are a stability and usability deficit. If the write is classified 'critical', the system can crash if it's deferred. If the write is classified 'precedential', the system will be unresponsive upon wakeup until the write is completed.

There is so little to be gained by turning the HDD off, and so many hardware and software interdependencies involved, that it's best not to invoke it at all.
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Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

[nis_pero]

Any recommendations as far as laptops go?
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Don't be lazy, build your own computer...

[paul_dellcc]

Rocke's not fond on laptops...
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I see DELL people!!

If we don't remember our past, we can't understand our present and we can put in danger our future...

[Rocke_T_Sinetist]

All the same parameters apply to laptops. The primary distinction is that power consumption runs the battery down faster. If you're using the power adapter, the only issue distinctive to laptops is heat generation.

When running on battery, do use the 'monitor off' liberally if you use the system intermittently (a few minutes of work, minutes of inactivity, a few more minutes work...). The display backlight does run the battery down.

The screen saver has no bearing on battery time. Bearing in mind it can conflict with certain software, use at your discretion. It probably won't conflict with MS-Office applications.

The harddrive uses more current to start than to run. Turning it off and on frequently can run the battery down faster. You don't gain much battery time, and you sacrifice some stability. If battery time is that big an issue, buy a spare and keep it charged. If you choose to use 'turn harddrive off' and encounter stability or lockup issues, reset it to 'never' and see if the issues resolve.

I forgot to talk about standby/suspend-to-disk/hibernate. I've never used any of them, so I don't claim to be 'the authority' on those. They have been troublesome at times in the past--systems unable to wakeup--and I'm not convinced that's 100% resolved. These have the potential to extend battery time considerably, since they shut off almost everything. I still feel the more reliable approach is to buy as many spare batteries as it takes to get you through the workday. Or just turn the system off when you're not going to be using it for a while. It can take longer to recover from 'suspend-to-disk' than it would have taken to cold-boot. Experiment with them if you like, but your results may vary. Once one of these modes 'burns you', you'll probably abandon them.

I also forgot to talk about Intel power management. Again, not a current laptop authority, but I'm not aware of any negative issues with Intel power management. It might slow down some games, but gamers already know that. Using IPM can benefit battery time and thermal issues.
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Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

[paul_dellcc]