1. M11x Hinge breaking & Screen Problems
2. Owners that have had hinges damaged or repaired
3. Fixing the M11x weak hinge creaking/cracking problem.
4. Another m11x Hinge problem! (video)
5. m11x Hinge Issues

After reading these threads i honestly don’t understand why anyone would touch one of these things with a bargepole. The only way that Dell will ever do something about this hinge problem is if people vote with their wallet. It shocks me how many people say “oh it’s fine, just get the extended warranty – why worry, just spend $$$$ on a warranty and keep getting it repaired”!? (Dell LOVE people like you!)

Why would you do that knowing that within a few months you’ll be having some (probably incompetent) repair person come and butcher your laptop with what might be a second hand or equally defective part? It amazes me what people are willing to buy. I’ve read more than once where people have had ‘new’ screens fitted and in fact these ‘new’ screens were old refurbished ones complete with marks and scratches. On a new laptop!?

On paper the m11x is a great laptop but the reality seems to be it’s more trouble than it’s worth. I really wanted to get one because of the size, power and light up keyboard especially as there isn’t really an alternative – but there’s no way i’d get one now. In fact i’d never buy another Dell machine full stop (the two dells i have currently both came with problems).  Best laptops we ever had are these two Packard Bells that we are currently typing on. Very solid and are used daily, no problems at all. I’ve got zero faith in Dell.

It’s a shame that the gadget sites and review sites haven’t picked up on this hinge problem. They only have the machine for the first week or two of its life so they’re not picking up on the problems and Dell appear to be completely ignoring it – but if people are stupid enough to keep buying extended warranties to cover the problem then i guess they will ignore it….

The first one that fits the bill is Alienware m11x. A beast of a laptop but after viewing the forums there seems to be a few quality control issues with them, most commonly a hinge that breaks off and the screen getting scratched from hitting the keyboard. It shouldn’t surprise me, i’ve had laptops from Dell before (they took over Alienware) and two of those were returned because of shoddyness.

The second one that fits the bill is Sony Vaio Z. Spec and size wise it is perfect and it looks extremely well built. And far nicer looking that the alienware. Trouble is it costs a frigging fortune! I’m not sure i’m up for spending 2 grand or over on a laptop.

Others that i’ve seen mentioned are MSI and Acer but they’re not really what i’m looking for. Either too big or lack of features i’m looking for. It’s surprising what little choice there is for a powerful ultra portable. I can’t find any 13″ laptops. I know Dell (yea i know) used to do an XPS 13″. I suppose there’s always a macbook but i don’t know how it will work with games.

ARGHHHH!

I’m going to add this little bit of info to my blog in case anyone searching for this problem is struggling to find a solution, hopefully Google will find this.

A few months ago, for no apparent reason my iPod touch would no longer be recognised on my computer and windows kept throwing up the messsage ‘apple mobile device has stopped working‘. I had to disable it in services to stop the message but this left me still unable to update my iPod. Then the same thing happened on my partners laptop a couple of months later. We have the exact same laptop, both are Dell.

So i looked what what was common between both laptops in the programs list and we both had ‘Dell Support Center’. I uninstalled that and what do you know, the problem was fixed. I don’t know why there is a conflict between Dell Support Center and iTunes but if you’re having the same problem and you own a dell then get shut of that program.

Or if you have a different make of PC perhaps you have a similar support program? The point is, this is not a vista or itunes problem (as such), there is a program on the pc conflicting. It’s just a case of uninstalling and reinstalling stuff until you find the culprit. I’m sure it’ll be a support program of some kind. Good luck!

For google:
apple mobile device has stopped working Dell Support Center