Alienware 17R1 - System won't boot unless CMOS is cleared.

Hey lads,

I have been having this issue lately and tried everything to diagnose it but I am running out of ideas and nothing is working. So was wondering if anyone faced this behavior before:

(1) Out of the blue my system may hang or freeze and after trying to boot from forced shutdown I need to reset CMOS for it to work (It just hangs before POST)
(2) Sometimes from a cold boot system won't boot and same procedure as in point (1) has to be done

What I tried so far:

1- Complete dismantling of the system, taking the MOBO out and alcohol cleaning of all contacts and reinstallation of everything (even the processor and GPU)
2- Changed my CMOS battery with a new one
3- Changed my power adapter with new one
4- Tried all possible ram configurations and tested RAM for errors
5- Checked all conductors on MOBO to see if any is bulging and all of them seem in order
6- All of my temperatures are in check even the PCH
7- Flashed the system and Bios and GPU vBios several times and it doesn't have an impact

I need to highlight that the computer could work flawlessly for weeks and then this happens out of a sudden or I can have this more than once a day. Also, changing processor properties (voltage, speed ... etc.) using either IntelXTU and/or ThrottleStop could trigger the behavior instantly.

Brother @Mr. Fox ... Any idea what is going on? Maybe you witnessed something like this before. I am suspecting a motherboard problem or a processor problem, which do you think could be?

 

I was going to suggest resetting your cpu oc till i saw your sig. It sounds like power instability. Or something mimicing it. Do you have another cpu you could use? Might give you a better idea. If it still does it even with the new cpu the motherboard might be the culprit considering everything youve done already

 

Wish I had a CPU to test it ... Checking ebay the cheapest 4700 runs for 120 euros ... that's a lot of euros for testing

 

might as well step up to the 4930MX/4940MX

 

I am a poor university student, I can't even afford the 4700m

 

So am I, in a sick sort of way, I cut out food/other necessities to make way for my mobile power addiction, or used to.

 

Same here sadly