Dell xps 17, backlit keyboard??

Jizzer28

I have ordered a xps 17 laptop and am unclear if it comes with a backlit keyboard i saw something somewhere about eu versions not having it?
id be disappointed if its true, ive tried to email dell but no reply yet, just wondering if anyone on here has got one and can fill me in?

thanks guys

duckysauce

best off ringing them have seen both backlit/unlit

asgaard

My own XPS M1730 has backlight keybo so You should get it, also but just in case find out which one of them will You get it.

Jizzer28

Ah i guess ill just have to wait and see, there was no option to choose either way so it'll either have it or wont, though i suspect if its standard on us orders it should be for eu,

it just landed in cologne tonight its in customs delivery expected thursday

6 days after i ordered it, 8 days ahead of estimated delivery date, go dell!

tommyjin83

Jizzer28 wrote: »

Ah i guess ill just have to wait and see, there was no option to choose either way so it'll either have it or wont, though i suspect if its standard on us orders it should be for eu,

it just landed in cologne tonight its in customs delivery expected thursday

6 days after i ordered it, 8 days ahead of estimated delivery date, go dell!

Hey Jizzer,

I have just got my XPS 17 today and i can confirm that it does not come with backlit keyboard as that is only available in the U.S.
I know it's bit of disappointing but it's a solid machine overall.

Tommy

Jizzer28

Thanks for the reply tommy I'm not bothered really as I wouldn't be typing in the dark anyway so it wouldn't have served any practical purpose for me, just would have looked cool. what spec did you go for?

tommyjin83

Jizzer28 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply tommy I'm not bothered really as I wouldn't be typing in the dark anyway so it wouldn't have served any practical purpose for me, just would have looked cool. what spec did you go for?

I went for the this:

Intel® Core™ i5-460M (2.53Ghz, 4Threads, 3M cache)
17.3 High Definition WLED TL
1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 435M Graphics Card
4096MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM
500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive

Total cost : €771.00

What spec did you go for?

Jizzer28

Snap! I got the exact specs you did except mine was €850 which included a €114 discount? I got free anti virus and lojack too, weird!

xsiborg

lads is there not a key combo on these that activates the keyboard backlight? i seem to remember when building these that there was a key combo of Fn and one of the arrow keys to turn on/off the backlight...

Jizzer28

xsiborg wrote: »

lads is there not a key combo on these that activates the keyboard backlight? i seem to remember when building these that there was a key combo of Fn and one of the arrow keys to turn on/off the backlight...

If that's true then you sir are a wizard

xsiborg

here it is-

http://webtrickz.com/how-to-enableturn-on-backlit-keyboard-on-dell-laptops/

tommyjin83

Jizzer28 wrote: »

Snap! I got the exact specs you did except mine was €850 which included a €114 discount? I got free anti virus and lojack too, weird!

Hi Jizzer,

I got one of those coupouns with 10% discount on top of that €114.00 savings of the internet. It was very much a good deal.

Tommy

tommyjin83

xsiborg wrote: »

here it is-

http://webtrickz.com/how-to-enableturn-on-backlit-keyboard-on-dell-laptops/

Em.... souonds good. I must go home and check it out tonight.

Cheers

jimoc

Sorry to hijack this a little, but I'm actually looking at this same laptop as my 5.5 year old HP laptop suffered a graphics card failure last night.

How is it at playing games?
I'd love to know if it can run DC Universe Online and Star Trek Online so if you could check it out at canirunit.com I'd buy you a virtual pint

Jizzer28

Typical, ups attempt delivery a day early when im in work! I ordered it at 10pm thurs last and it is here at 9:30 following wed that's impressive, ah well I'm off tomorrow will try that trick for the backlit keyboard too

Jizzer28

jimoc wrote: »

Sorry to hijack this a little, but I'm actually looking at this same laptop as my 5.5 year old HP laptop suffered a graphics card failure last night.

How is it at playing games?
I'd love to know if it can run DC Universe Online and Star Trek Online so if you could check it out at canirunit.com I'd buy you a virtual pint

No problem I'll do it as soon as I get my greedy little hands on it

Jizzer28

Mods can kill this thread if they like I got a mail back stating that the xps does NOT have a backlit keyboard, thanks to all contributors

EGriff

jimoc wrote: »

Sorry to hijack this a little, but I'm actually looking at this same laptop as my 5.5 year old HP laptop suffered a graphics card failure last night.

How is it at playing games?
I'd love to know if it can run DC Universe Online and Star Trek Online so if you could check it out at canirunit.com I'd buy you a virtual pint

I wouldn't trust that site at all tbh. I'm using an XPS 15 and it's telling me i can't run Crysis, Oblivion or The Witcher. I've been playing all 3 of them on med/high and they play grand.

Jizzer28

This is a late bump i know but!!!
I have found out to my glee that a genuine xps backlit uk layout keyboard can be bought on ebay for as little as €40 and it works and even shows up in the little customised by dell graphic when you hit the lilttle icons near power button and its a straight plug in

cookie1977

A late one but a worthy one

Decoda

xsiborg wrote: »

lads is there not a key combo on these that activates the keyboard backlight? i seem to remember when building these that there was a key combo of Fn and one of the arrow keys to turn on/off the backlight...

This is one of the reasons that I love Boards. Thanks lads. I have had a Dell XPS M1730 for nearly a year and a half, and by chance while reading a thread about the same laptop, find a guy who tells me how to turn on the backlit keyboard that I never knew I had:D

'Fn' button and right arrow. I've really got to start reading the manuals....:rolleyes:

Thanks to xsiborg:)

DC

northerngift

Hi guys,

Just joined the forum after searching for a backlit for my XPS17 and coming across this thread.

I've found this website that sell backlits for the XPS15/17. Just ordered a UK backlit which will be with me on Wednesday hopefully.

Don't know if anyone is still looking but thought I would dedicate my first post to the cause

Steve

tommyjin83

northerngift wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just joined the forum after searching for a backlit for my XPS17 and coming across this thread.

I've found this website that sell backlits for the XPS15/17. Just ordered a UK backlit which will be with me on Wednesday hopefully.

Don't know if anyone is still looking but thought I would dedicate my first post to the cause

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the post.

I am indeed still looking for a back lit keyboard but am worried that i won't be able to replace it myself.
Sure, let us know how you get on with yours then maybe share your experience with us.

Cheers

northerngift

tommyjin83 wrote: »

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the post.

I am indeed still looking for a back lit keyboard but am worried that i won't be able to replace it myself.
Sure, let us know how you get on with yours then maybe share your experience with us.

Cheers

Will do!!!

Forgot to mention...The guy who runs the Kuzotronic store (Lee) is a big hitter on NotebookReviews.com and has helped people out there with LCD screens and keyboards etc. He's really helpful and you can ask him anything. His tag is 'barlow00' and you can get hold of him at lee@kuzotronic.com. There are some PDF instructions for the keyboard on the site but I'm sure he can email them to you so you can decide whether the installation is right for you.

This is the only place I have seen that sells the genuine XPS keyboards and the customer feedback is great too. They aren't the cheapest but I suppose if they are providing the genuine article (and hard to get items) it's not going to be eBay prices!! And to be honest, I have no problem shelling out a few extra $$$ if it means I get treated like a customer and not just a number.

Anyway, my keyboard is 'in the delivery network' and should be with me tomorrow as promised.

Cheers
Steve

Razzuh

A fantastically timely thread for me. I got my new XPS17 last week and like the OP was just hoping it came with a backlit keyboard. A little disappointed when it arrived and found it didn't. I knew XPSs in the past did. I'm still happy overall since the price was a million miles better than similar spec I could find anywhere else.

I'll be interested to see how those people buying replacements keyboards with backlighting get on also, as it's definitely something I'd consider.

Does swapping the keyboard void the dell warranty on all the parts? I imagine it does, so I might wait a while first and see if anything gives out in case I'm sending it back.

I'm a bit annoyed Dell give US customers backlighting and not EU ones. What's the point in that?

As for delivery times, mine arrived early also (10 days). I imagine they must be doing a ryanair on it and deliberately overestimating delivery times to prevent complaints and give themselves plenty of breathing room. Let me know how you get on with new keyboards lads!