Dell Inspiron 1501 Win7 no toolbar preview or tooltips

[pol098]

This is a very weird problem and workaround I'd like to find some explanation for. The workaround I'm using is OK, I'm not seeking a workaround but understanding (a proper, permanent, solution would be nice). It's probably not a capacitor problem as such. Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop, latest (last) BIOS. AMD Turion CPU. Windows 7/32 not officially supported but works fine in all other ways.

Under Win7/32 the machine is set up to display a preview of open programs by hovering over the toolbar icon. This is actually essential, as right-clicking the preview is the only way to access some context menus. The problem and workaround has been documented; it is specific to this and possibly a few other Dell laptop computers. Problem: the preview is not displayed; and tooltips in general are displayed for less than a second, rather than as long as hovered over. This problem happens after months or years of use, and is persistent. Only workaround: disconnect power and remove battery. Hold down "on" switch for 15" (I'm not sure if holding switch is essential, it's difficult to check details of a problem which occurs at intervals of months). Reconnect power, and the preview and tooltips are back to normal for weeks or months (I have had to do this just twice, the first time when the machine was perhaps 4 years old, some months after installing Win 7). Simply powering down and restarting does not work. I am virtually certain that there is no malware issue - machine works perfectly in other ways, many malware checkers find nothing.

I would have said that this is impossible and can't happen. There might be a memory location which takes on contents that cause the problem, and is never written to or erased, but whose contents are preserved, once set, so long as there is standby power. Can anybody cast any light on this odd problem? I can't run any tests in the problem state as it's been working OK for months since last fix. Thanks

[smason]

Re: Dell Inspiron 1501 Win7 no toolbar preview or tooltips

I would have said that this is impossible and can't happen.

That was my first thought as well. Is it possible one of the Dell utilities is messing things up? Though since this isn't a factory install you probably don't have 'em. Some of them, the power ones in particular can be a pain in the rear.

[b700029]

Re: Dell Inspiron 1501 Win7 no toolbar preview or tooltips

My guess is there is some weird interaction between the embedded controller and a timer in the chipset. Removing all power sources resets the EC, but if the laptop is off with the battery in, or with only the AC adapter, the EC is still powered.

[pol098]

Re: Dell Inspiron 1501 Win7 no toolbar preview or tooltips

... Is it possible one of the Dell utilities is messing things up? Though since this isn't a factory install you probably don't have 'em.

Thanks for considering this, there's been no useful discussion elsewhere of what happens. As you say, utilities not installed. But even if they were, NO software that runs at startup (or possible malware) makes sense of this to me. The problem persists even if the machine is switched off fully then switched on again (without removing battery), but goes away if machine is removed from power. These two actions should produce the same result.

I'd think it was my imagination, expect that there are several reports of the same problem, and I have been thanked by someone badly troubled by this problem to whom I gave the workaround.

[pol098]

Re: Dell Inspiron 1501 Win7 no toolbar preview or tooltips

My guess is there is some weird interaction between the embedded controller and a timer in the chipset. Removing all power sources resets the EC, but if the laptop is off with the battery in, or with only the AC adapter, the EC is still powered.

Thanks for suggestions. I don't think the EC interaction is something I can sensibly check experimentally, but it makes sense; I think my speculation of a memory location that doesn't get reset is also conceivable (PCs used to have system information stored in RAM locations from, I think, 0x400, though I don't remember the details). BTW, over many years I have sometimes had problems with computers, and other electronic gear, which persisted across a restart, but cleared if the device was left unpowered for a long time. Nothing I've documented, but enough that I don't give up on something until I've left it unpowered, preferably for a few days. Thinking about it, this happened more often with IBM PC-era equipment, haven't had anything like it for a long time.

[b700029]

Re: Dell Inspiron 1501 Win7 no toolbar preview or tooltips

I think my speculation of a memory location that doesn't get reset is also conceivable

I think that would be the EC's RAM. The other nonvolatile memory is CMOS settings which does remain powered (by the CMOS battery) when the main battery is removed.

[pol098]

Re: Dell Inspiron 1501 Win7 no toolbar preview or tooltips

I think that would be the EC's RAM. The other nonvolatile memory is CMOS settings which does remain powered (by the CMOS battery) when the main battery is removed.

That sounds reasonable. My suggestion involves the slightly mystical, but not totally impossible, concept of a conventional memory location whose contents remain stable when switched off, but are cleared when all power is removed - memory which is not formally non-volatile, but actually acts as battery-backed RAM.