I will open this commentary with the addage: Buyer Beware!

I too read the glowing specs on M170 machine and willingly invested some major money for it. I was so excited when it arrived! The slick styling and incredible resolution won my heart immediately. I couldn't wait to have all that speed and capability in a portable machine! I imagined my graphic presentations flying from my fingers and WOWing my clients with their brilliance and clarity......

REALITY: Problems arose right from the first boot. Hard shut downs, lock ups and inoperable MS Office programs. Within 24 hours of receipt I was on the phone with DELL support for 3 1/2 hours trying to solve the issues. They blamed my DSL software (funny how that didn't ever cause issue with my desktop running the same programs!)We uninstalled and went through some gyrations to reload a different "more compatible" program, which still didn't fix my problem. I was then advised to contact DSL tech suport (another 45 minute session).

The next event occurring on 2/9/2005 (machine arrived on 1/22/05) had me on the phone to DELL tech support for 4 sessions and one to Symantec - TOTAL TIME 5 1/2 HOURS!!!!!

This time, I was experiencing some severe, albiet interminent, problems:
• My e-mail accounts were accepting passwords then opening up to blank screens.
• MS WORD would open to the initial icon window but not go further, locking the machine's operation so I was forced to hard shut and restart.
• The final straw was when simple load of HP drivers for my printer went wildly irratic and again caused me to lock up.

I admit, DELL has a great new support tool whereby their people could log onto my machine and actually view the operation (similar to a PC Anywhere program). Without this I doubt they would have believed the wildly irratic operation of this $5,000 LEMON.

After uninstalling and reinstalling MS Office with DELL and assistance from Symantec for firewall issues (which arose of their own accord), I was still not able to open MS Word without locking the entire machine.
DELL's answer: RELOAD THE OPERATION SYSTEM
HA! NO WAY! I'm a graphic designer not an IT wizard.

Another 45 minutes of arguing with superiors at Tech Support and multiple calls the next day to Customer Service - the machine has been returned! (my Credit for full purchase price has yet to be completed)
An offhanded comment from one customer service person implied that mine was not the only M170 with issues being returned.

BOTTOM LINE:
In a world where time is money, DELL's M170 cost me more than 10 hours of productivity just in phone calls and "tech support" alone.I now am further delayed while I research and purchase another brand, wait for delivery and set up again.

The machine however visually spectacular, should work - out of the box, first time, everytime!

DELL, I was a first time buyer and you've lost me for ANY future purchases!!!

Anyone else considering DELL's M170, I would suggest you think long and hard before you spend your hard earned cash. Or better yet, select a second choice immediately "just in case".

by Shanna McKee (See profile) - February 20, 2006 7:12 AM PST

I have been using the Dell M170 for about two months and I am frankly very impressed.
17inch LCD screen
2GHz Pentium M processor
2 GB RAM
80 GB Hardrive
Intel Wireless
Bluetooth
nVidia GO 6800 GPU
This is a great machine.

Because I travel a lot (Contract Trainer) I was concerned if this machine would stand up to the rigors, but it has so far without a glitch.

This machine is REALLY a desktop replacement. I have read other reviews about sparkles on the display panel, well either I don't know what to look for or this display doesn't have that problem at all. This display is down right beautiful. Other Instructors and students have commented on how great the display looks.
The keyboard is positioned well on the deck for comfort and ease of use. I have big hands.
While the speakers certainly won't compete with standalone speakers from Logitech, or even Dell brand speakers they are certainly good enough. This is the first laptop that I have seen with a built in mini sub woofer.

The built-in wireless and Bluetooth work great. There are a load of connectors
6 USB, 1394,mic, headphone, SD memory,S-video, VGA and DVI connectors, along with modem and Ethernet connectors.

Because I have been busy traveling I have not had a chance to actually play any games on this machine yet but the DVD burner plays great movies. I haven't tested the battery to exhustion but I was able to play Batman Returns on a flight from Vegas to Chicago with no problem from battery life or heat.

There are a couple of things to consider. Dell now ships their computers with a lot of fluff software even after I requested to not get it. That wasn't a big deal because I (probably like most that would buy this machine) normally wipe and reinstall Windows XP Pro as soon as I verify I have drivers for all of the on-board equipment.
Dell makes it pretty easy, because included is a drivers disc and Dells website has everything needed that might not be on the System Software Disk.
One other thing to consider is while this machine is not nearly as heavy as it looks it is wide. Well built, but wide. My old rolling laptop case would not work any more. Targus makes a couple of rollling cases designed for 17 inch laptops. I got the Targus TXL-417. This is a bit larger than my previous case, and because it is a bit wider it will not roll between the seats on most airliners, but will easily fit in the overhead luggage compartments.

All-in-all this is a great laptop and I expect to get great service. Now where is Windows Vista when I need it?

by tonyman262 (See profile) - November 29, 2005 8:15 PM PST

The XPS Gen II when fresh out of the box exhibited many hard lock-ups. And that was before any overhead of programs could be accused of being the problem... The first call for support asked what the Page File usage was and I reported it was 412 MB. I was told that based upon that high number, I had to have encountered some malicious program from the Internet when installing the usual security and program updates. All that was happening before my even getting on base (prior to installing any of my software). But stability has not improved even with my own first attempt of a wiped installation followed by a replacement harddrive... You see, on a clean install, several factory settings were not possible to reclaim. (The drivers or shipped programs were not on CDs or among the downloads available from the Dell Internet support site.) The solution offered by Dell: please try a new factory replaced harddrive that will have all the standard features. Only problem with that solution is that the standard drive is shipped so as to work on any of several Dell products. Though it installs specifically for the XPS Gen II, it was me the user who had to take the grief of completing a complete install (my hours of waiting were well served by good reading but why should anyone have to babysit a brand new computer??? and receive no courtesy or other appreciative gesture???). Mind you, that all the security updates still had to be obtained (a third time, but who counts anymore). That is a whole lot of button pushing... And today... The GPU becomes most unstable (even tho using max of 2GB ram) when video intensive actions are occurring. A movie DVD will even do it. Tried to overcome resolution appearances when running other than the max setting on the laptop screen by using 20-inch monitors with the multi-monitor capability of the GPU. That works. But this machine was purchased solely for high-end business demos, not purchased as desk-locked (by connection to multiple monitors) machine. Am still fiddling while Rome burns. And support has been next to meaningless. I believed falsely in the promise that only XPS Gen II experts would handle the matters from US side (and not India). Though support did come closer to home (Dell's home), I certainly have not experienced getting to home free... Where has pride as in "proud to be of help" gone? This proves a difficult hurdle with mostly my experiencing the tough knocks and bruised shins.

by Lewis Gudmundsen (See profile) - October 19, 2005 4:34 PM PDT