A few issues with my Alienware M17xR3

Hello everyone,

I havent been on these forums in quite a while seeing as I have been enjoying and playing on my alineware in the passing time

However, the good honeymoon stretch has ended for me unfortunately.

I have three issues:

1. I sometimes get redirected from clicking a google search link to some random ad website or another search engine. I have used several anti-malware/spyware programs to detect infections to no avail (mainly used windows security essentials, malwarebytes, kaspersky, and avast)

I deleted google chrome to see if it has fixed the problem. Using IE, I have not had this issue yet.

2. Upon booting my computer and typing in my password to enter my desktop...the computer just stays on a black screen and I cant get to the desktop. Even task manager doesnt come up.

Also, when I am playing Skyrim/MW3/BF3 the computer will often freeze up. Task manager will be unable to be opened and I have to do a hard restart. The computer's physical memory constantly reads around 50% despite the CPU being 2-7%. I have not yet defrag my HD.

3. Since I had those crashes while playing games, I decided to driver sweep my ATI CCC and all 6990 drivers (I was using the 12.1). I need a link for the best/newest drivers please. The official website says "incompatible" with my hardware or what not. Not to mention the ATI CCC would not even open when I had it!!!!

Please give me any tips/advice/suggestions that you can and thank you fellow aliens!

 

1. I sometimes get redirected from clicking a google search link to some random ad website or another search engine. I have used several anti-malware/spyware programs to detect infections to no avail (mainly used windows security essentials, malwarebytes, kaspersky, and avast)
I deleted google chrome to see if it has fixed the problem. Using IE, I have not had this issue yet.

Although your anti malware/spyware didn't find any threats/infections, this still does sound like you had some addons loaded in chrome you'd rather not want. This kind of behavior 99,9% of the time is just some addon which installed itself through some other software, bugging the shiznit out of you. Next time, try to see in the addons and plugins to see what the browsers loads on startup, and disable everything you don't want or don't recognize.

2. Upon booting my computer and typing in my password to enter my desktop...the computer just stays on a black screen and I cant get to the desktop. Even task manager doesnt come up.
Also, when I am playing Skyrim/MW3/BF3 the computer will often freeze up. Task manager will be unable to be opened and I have to do a hard restart. The computer's physical memory constantly reads around 50% despite the CPU being 2-7%. I have not yet defrag my HD.

Tell us the temperatures of your CPU and GPU when this happens, this looks like something is locking up, and this can oftenly be a heat issue.

3. Since I had those crashes while playing games, I decided to driver sweep my ATI CCC and all 6990 drivers (I was using the 12.1). I need a link for the best/newest drivers please. The official website says "incompatible" with my hardware or what not. Not to mention the ATI CCC would not even open when I had it!!!!

You should be able to get them here: http://support.amd.com/us/Pages/AMDSupportHub.aspx
If this doesn't install, then install the drivers from the Alienware/Dell website first, and after this try again with the AMD drivers (without uninstalling the DELL/Alienware drivers).
You can find the Dell/Alienware drivers here: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/Product/alienware-m17x-r3

Though, you have such an amount of 'weird' problems, are you sure something else isn't going on, like a lot of unwanted software/addons/spyware etc causing strange and annoying behaviour?
When I run into those kind of problems on pc's of friends or family, I wipe it clean and do a fresh install.

 

Thank you for the timely response!

I will give those drivers a look and see if they work for me. I did uninstall Chrome so I dont know if those addons would still be lingering around in other internet browsers.

I would love to wipe my computer clean and do a fresh install but I do not have my windows 7 disc with me and I do not have a way to save all of my games/files/etc at the moment.

Even if I did, I dont know how to wipe it clean and do a fresh install (never done it before lol).

 

Oh man I have a problem now!!!! I cant even install the Dell drivers from there M17x support webpage. I get them downloaded, go to install then it says "this zip folder is apart of a multizip package, please insert the disk to continue". What disk!? I dont have one! And then I click "Ok" then an error pops up.

I dont know what to do now.

 

Sounds like you could possibly have a root kit in your system with some of the symptoms you are having. I would boot the unit into safe mode with networking, then go to support.kaspersky.com/5350 hit the + sign that says how to remove a virus and download TDSS killer. When you open the program you will want to hit change parameters and make sure verify file digital signatures is checked and also detect TDLFS file system is check then hit continue and start scan. At work i have recently seen a massive amount of computers with them and they do all sorts of crazy things in the OS. My guess is if you find one it will be the Pihar.c rootkit which can cause blue screens which will generally say irq lesser error, otherwise it will start disabling things randomly on the computer and even cause random power downs.

 

Doing a fresh install is really easy. Did you get an Alienware respawn disk with your system? Or a windows 7 dvd?
We can help you do this, it's not hard.

Here is 2 usefull links to read through to give you an idea:
Driver install order: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...er-install-order-guide-alienware-systems.html
Get back the look & feel: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ook-feel-after-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

And for just installing windows, there really isn't much more to it then make sure you backup most of the files on your system you won't be able to recuperate (documents, personal photo's etc) and store them on an external HD or something. Pop in the dvd and go through the install process (which basically is nothing more then deleting the hard drive partition, creating a new partition, select it to install windows on, enter your legit Windows key, and next next next next finish).

With an Alienware Respawn disc, it's all even easier.

 

Just to add. Whilst i am not condoning piracy, if you cant find your Windows install disk, It maybe worth your while "obtaining" a copy of Windows from "some where" and using your legit key to activate it (Found on the bottom of you R3). If you download it, create a USB bootable media or a bootable DVD.

The guides linked above will give you a step by step guide.

 

I actually think downloading a Windows DVD isn't illegal, as long as the serial you use is legit.

 

Download windows 7 SP1 from here http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-digitalriver-windows-7-sp1-13-languages.html back up current activation, use ABR Beta With Windows 7 Support ABR (Activation Backup and Restore) | directedge.us download http://directedge.us/files/abr/ABRbeta.exe unzip with 7zip>double click activation_backup.exe>copy the ABR folder (w/backup text file) and keep it somewhere safe. Once windows is installed run activation_restore.exe as administrator>go to system properties>check if windows is activated. Not always the provided key works (COA sticker key), ABR 100%.
Use this http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe to copy the ISO file to a USB stick.

 

Also install stock video drivers from Drivers & Downloads | Dell United States, only after that install newest from AMD/ATI, but that will broke your brightness control (while on ATI).

Please also add your comment to Alienware support forum for DELL to release new video drivers.

 

Thank you all for the comments. I managed to get rid of the problem by uninstalling Google Chrome. I had to use Driver Sweeper to completely clean out my AMD drivers. I reinstalled the Dell drivers (8.51 I believe). Do any of you guys have a link that works for the new or best AMD drivers? When I go to the ATI site, I download it and it says "not compatible with my hardware". The AMD link that was provided didnt really help me much as it takes me to the same place: the official download site which is incompatible with switchable graphics hardware. I think I need an EXE download :/

Also, with the Dell stock drivers I am only getting 16-22 fps in Borderlands 2 on max settings according to FRAPS (this is with Overclock enabled) This cant be right. I am pretty sure my temps were normal.

 

http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/amdcatalyst132betadriver.aspx

This should work.

 

I dont know whats going on honestly. I ran a Furmark test at 1920x1080 with AA off and did a 1080 benchmark and only was getting 10-12 fps. My temps ranged from 68-72 degrees.

sigh

 

Do a 3dMark Vantage or 3dMark 11 run (and your exact system specifications), and post the link with the results here, we should be able to start pinpointing the problem.