1505 gripe

I purchased a 1505 about a month ago and am extremely happy with it except
for one thing. The hard drive activity light (led) is so tiny and dim that
I can't even see it unless I shade it with my hand and it's hard even then.

Other laptops I have used have had disk activity lights which were much
easier to see. I tend to look at this light a lot and this is an issue for
me.

Why would Dell design something like this? The light is practically useless
unless you're in a completely dark room.

ed

"Ed Chait" <edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news0A_h.7932$j63.4927@newsread2.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
>I purchased a 1505 about a month ago and am extremely happy with it except
>for one thing. The hard drive activity light (led) is so tiny and dim that
>I can't even see it unless I shade it with my hand and it's hard even then.
>
> Other laptops I have used have had disk activity lights which were much
> easier to see. I tend to look at this light a lot and this is an issue
> for me.
>
> Why would Dell design something like this? The light is practically
> useless unless you're in a completely dark room.
>
> ed
>

Don't own one, but have had a chance to work with 3-4 of them and never
found that to be an issue.

However, if I remember right that LED has to be viewed from nearly dead-on
center as viewing it from an angle doesn't allow you to see or fully see it,
so I guess I agree to a point.

It's just not something that's bothered me personally. Also, I didn't note
any great change in the LEDs from the Inspiron 6000 to the E1505/6400, but I
wasn't focusing on them as a problem.....

Stew

"S.Lewis" <stew1960@mail.com> wrote in message
news:dqC_h.45280$254.4702@bignews7.bellsouth.net.. .
>
> "Ed Chait" <edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news0A_h.7932$j63.4927@newsread2.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
>>I purchased a 1505 about a month ago and am extremely happy with it except
>>for one thing. The hard drive activity light (led) is so tiny and dim
>>that I can't even see it unless I shade it with my hand and it's hard even
>>then.
>>
>> Other laptops I have used have had disk activity lights which were much
>> easier to see. I tend to look at this light a lot and this is an issue
>> for me.
>>
>> Why would Dell design something like this? The light is practically
>> useless unless you're in a completely dark room.
>>
>> ed
>>
>
> Don't own one, but have had a chance to work with 3-4 of them and never
> found that to be an issue.
>
> However, if I remember right that LED has to be viewed from nearly dead-on
> center as viewing it from an angle doesn't allow you to see or fully see
> it, so I guess I agree to a point.
>
> It's just not something that's bothered me personally. Also, I didn't note
> any great change in the LEDs from the Inspiron 6000 to the E1505/6400, but
> I wasn't focusing on them as a problem.....
>
> Stew


I don't focus on it as a problem, but I do look at my hard drive activity
light quite often to see if processes are stalled or not.

Maybe some folks just sit there looking at the screen.

ed

The light is covered with a piece of painted plastic. Take a knife and see
if you can sc**** away a little of the paint and give yourself a bigger
window for the light to shine thru.


"Ed Chait" <edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:cvM_h.11685$3P3.9131@newsread3.news.pas.earth link.net...
>
> "S.Lewis" <stew1960@mail.com> wrote in message
> news:dqC_h.45280$254.4702@bignews7.bellsouth.net.. .
>>
>> "Ed Chait" <edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>> news0A_h.7932$j63.4927@newsread2.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
>>>I purchased a 1505 about a month ago and am extremely happy with it
>>>except for one thing. The hard drive activity light (led) is so tiny and
>>>dim that I can't even see it unless I shade it with my hand and it's hard
>>>even then.
>>>
>>> Other laptops I have used have had disk activity lights which were much
>>> easier to see. I tend to look at this light a lot and this is an issue
>>> for me.
>>>
>>> Why would Dell design something like this? The light is practically
>>> useless unless you're in a completely dark room.
>>>
>>> ed
>>>
>>
>> Don't own one, but have had a chance to work with 3-4 of them and never
>> found that to be an issue.
>>
>> However, if I remember right that LED has to be viewed from nearly
>> dead-on center as viewing it from an angle doesn't allow you to see or
>> fully see it, so I guess I agree to a point.
>>
>> It's just not something that's bothered me personally. Also, I didn't
>> note any great change in the LEDs from the Inspiron 6000 to the
>> E1505/6400, but I wasn't focusing on them as a problem.....
>>
>> Stew
>
>
> I don't focus on it as a problem, but I do look at my hard drive activity
> light quite often to see if processes are stalled or not.
>
> Maybe some folks just sit there looking at the screen.
>
> ed
>

On Fri, 04 May 2007 20:15:04 GMT, "Ed Chait"
<edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote:

>I don't focus on it as a problem, but I do look at my hard drive activity
>light quite often to see if processes are stalled or not.
>
>Maybe some folks just sit there looking at the screen.
>
>ed

I'm a screen person :-)

The light never bothered me until you posted. Thanks a lot! (just
kidding).

I am glad your gripe with the 1505 is with an external indicator
light, and not something more serious.

I think the lights are the same on my 640m, and yes -- when I put the
computer in Sleep mode, it's not the easiest to see, but it's still OK
for me.

You may be able to adjust your hard drive in the bios to turn off
accoustic sound reduction -- that way you would be more likely to hear
your hard drive. It results in an increase in performance too.

"Yahoo News" <platinum.business@att.com> wrote in message
news:GsN_h.7258$rO7.4434@newssvr25.news.prodigy.ne t...
> The light is covered with a piece of painted plastic. Take a knife and
> see if you can sc**** away a little of the paint and give yourself a
> bigger window for the light to shine thru.
>


You're absolutely right!

There is a nice green LED under there that is covered with very thin plastic
so that only a small fraction of the LED shows.

I took an Exacto knife, very carefully sc****d the plastic off, and now the
LED is very visible and functional.

Thank you for an excellent suggestion!

Regards,

Ed Chait

"Journey" <rainbow@oasis.com> wrote in message
news:i2fn33p7ndn4ig94t7euu6ocktbfoklrk0@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 04 May 2007 20:15:04 GMT, "Ed Chait"
> <edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>I don't focus on it as a problem, but I do look at my hard drive activity
>>light quite often to see if processes are stalled or not.
>>
>>Maybe some folks just sit there looking at the screen.
>>
>>ed
>
> I'm a screen person :-)
>
> The light never bothered me until you posted. Thanks a lot! (just
> kidding).
>
> I am glad your gripe with the 1505 is with an external indicator
> light, and not something more serious.
>
> I think the lights are the same on my 640m, and yes -- when I put the
> computer in Sleep mode, it's not the easiest to see, but it's still OK
> for me.
>
> You may be able to adjust your hard drive in the bios to turn off
> accoustic sound reduction -- that way you would be more likely to hear
> your hard drive. It results in an increase in performance too.


Carefully scraping off the thin plastic over the main part of the LED solved
the issue for me, but I also went into the BIOS and set the hard drive for
"performance" mode. It didn't really sound any louder to me afterwards but
I appreciate you mentioning this because I hadn't been in the BIOS yet and
didn't know those options existed.

Regards,

Ed Chait

On Sat, 05 May 2007 05:04:58 GMT, "Ed Chait"
<edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
>"Journey" <rainbow@oasis.com> wrote in message
>news:i2fn33p7ndn4ig94t7euu6ocktbfoklrk0@4ax.com.. .
>> On Fri, 04 May 2007 20:15:04 GMT, "Ed Chait"
>> <edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>
>>>I don't focus on it as a problem, but I do look at my hard drive activity
>>>light quite often to see if processes are stalled or not.
>>>
>>>Maybe some folks just sit there looking at the screen.
>>>
>>>ed
>>
>> I'm a screen person :-)
>>
>> The light never bothered me until you posted. Thanks a lot! (just
>> kidding).
>>
>> I am glad your gripe with the 1505 is with an external indicator
>> light, and not something more serious.
>>
>> I think the lights are the same on my 640m, and yes -- when I put the
>> computer in Sleep mode, it's not the easiest to see, but it's still OK
>> for me.
>>
>> You may be able to adjust your hard drive in the bios to turn off
>> accoustic sound reduction -- that way you would be more likely to hear
>> your hard drive. It results in an increase in performance too.
>
>
>Carefully scraping off the thin plastic over the main part of the LED solved
>the issue for me, but I also went into the BIOS and set the hard drive for
>"performance" mode. It didn't really sound any louder to me afterwards but
>I appreciate you mentioning this because I hadn't been in the BIOS yet and
>didn't know those options existed.
>
>Regards,
>
>Ed Chait

Wow, maybe that's why the lights were not an issue for me -- mine
doesn't have thin plastic over it. Interesting.

I did notice a slight increase in the hard drive sound when I switched
mine to performance, however it's not loud by any means, especially
compared to the first Inspirons I had which made me cringe while
booting my computer in class.

I don't remember some of the other options that I changed in the bios.
I may have turned off hardware that I don't use such as the modem and
direct ethernet connection.

Something that I didn't do but this is a good reminder to do, is to
set a password so that when the laptop is booted it asks for one. I
don't know how much extra security this would provide but increased
security for physical access to a laptop can't hurt.

Glad it worked out for you.

"Journey" <rainbow@oasis.com> wrote in message
news:gg7o33ta5e29n5pul9ck83vk1gmp3s5c7t@4ax.com...

>>Carefully scraping off the thin plastic over the main part of the LED
>>solved
>>the issue for me, but I also went into the BIOS and set the hard drive for
>>"performance" mode. It didn't really sound any louder to me afterwards
>>but
>>I appreciate you mentioning this because I hadn't been in the BIOS yet and
>>didn't know those options existed.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Ed Chait
>
> Wow, maybe that's why the lights were not an issue for me -- mine
> doesn't have thin plastic over it. Interesting.
>


It's not really thin plastic, more just like silver paint covering the
center of the LED. It sc****d off fairly easily using a sharp Exacto blade.

I would not recommend this mod, however, to anyone with shaky hands or poor
vision

ed

"Ed Chait" <edchait4remove@earthlink.net> wrote in message news0A_h.7932$j63.4927@newsread2.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
>I purchased a 1505 about a month ago and am extremely happy with it except
> for one thing. The hard drive activity light (led) is so tiny and dim that
> I can't even see it unless I shade it with my hand and it's hard even then. []

> Why would Dell design something like this? []

Boggles the mind doesn't it. As does how quickly the keyboard keys
and wrist wrest areas come to show signs of wear.