Alienware M17x R3 - Power Issue - Won't Boot - 7 beeps

Hi guys, I really need your help on this one as im completly out of ideas. I read a lot of different thread with the same issue but found no solution, and i'm pretty sure there is one. It is the second time I have this problem so i'll explain everything in details to be as complete as possible.

1st experience with the problem on March 1st:
I left my system on sleep mod for approximately 18 hours. When I tried to get it out of the sleep mod, it just won't start up, I pressed the alien head and nothing happened, so I removed the battery and the cord and plugged it again, then I pressed the power button and the fans ran, the keyboard lighted up, but not the alien head nor the scroll / caps / num buttons lighted up. Also, I had a black screen and 7 beeps.
So I tried to do a power drain, it did not work.
So I thought it was a motherboard issue. As I was pretty busy I just left my computer plugged with the battery.
11 days later, I tried again to do some power drains, I tried it 6 or 7 times, but still I had the black screen and the 7 beeps, and the power button did not light up. So I decided to drop it, I just left my computer plugged next to me. However, approx. 45min later, I heard a loud and long BEEP, and my computer started by itself and worked fine. I ran some tests and I just had a timeout concercning the test : "SMART short self test"
SInce then, It worked perfectly well !

Today, May 1st:

I shut down my laptop completely normally last night, This morning when I tried to start it, same issue, keyboard lights up, not the power button, black screen, 7 beeps..
Tried a dozen power drain, still nothing.
So now i am pretty sure it is not a mother board issue even if it's 7 beeps. My CPU temperature were perfectly fine (85° celsius maximum).

So here are my assumptions and ideas:
- Not a mobo issue 99% Sure
- Might be a static electricity issue?
- Might be a Bios issue? ( I never touched it and have no clue how this may impact my computer)
- I bought my laptop in the US but live in France, so im plugging it through a french adaptater, might cause problem? (not the same voltage?)
- Last time it happened was on March 1st, now it's May 1st, is it a coincidence? haha

So here it is, Any help; advices or new assumptions would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry if I was not clear enough, please feel free to ask for any clarifications.

Thanks in Advance

 

Well, 7 beeps indicates a CPU failure of some sort. If you are under warranty, I'd get in touch with Dell.

Alienware Beep Codes Table

 

You're right, but after my first time having this problem, i ran some tests and everything seemed OK. My computer was running perfectly fine. So i'm hoping that it is not related at all.
And unfortunately i'm not under warranty anymore!

Thanks for your answer.

 

Y'know, I've seen some folk call Dell outside of warranty, get an extention (paid for, of course) and Dell have kindly repaired said problem. Of course, they don't have to but it could well be worth a try. They might be able to at least help you diagnose it as a definite cpu issue before you go out an buy a replacement et etc.....

 

One thing to try is hold down the "fn" key while booting.

While going through my check everything out with the tech on the phone, I got a beep code (Not sure if it was 4 then 3 or just 7) and he had me reboot while holding in the fn key.

So I'm not sure what it does, but it's just something to try.

 

I tried the fn thing but with no success.
And Steviejones do you now how much would it cost for an extended warranty + a transfer of warranty to an other country? My warranty expired since october 2012.
I'll give them a call anyway.

Thanks to you two for your quick answers

 

The price for a warranty extension may vary, you can get the amount for yours using the link below. As your warranty already expired you may need to have the laptop re-certified for an additional fee (You'll need to check if the warranty can be extended as it has been OOW for quite some time now).

Dell | Warranty Extensions & Upgrades

The warranty transfer process is free of charge.

 

Thanks ! Will keep this link for future use.
I managed to restart the computer by trying an other power drain and it worked out. I still do not understand what can be the reason of such a problem
THe computer is now working perfectly well again.

However, can you advice me some test I can run to verify the integrity of my hardware and to try diagnose if something is deteriorated / malfunctionning?

 

You want to run Alienware™ Enhanced Systems Diagnostics, it does exactly what you're looking for.

 

Here I am again, Since May 11th my Alienware is in a Coma, same reason, no way to get around those 7 beeps. Any new suggestions would be welcomed !!
I did the Alienware™ Enhanced Systems Diagnostics and everything went well, and when I restarted it, 7 beeps. I'm stuck since more than 2 month with this issue !

I never opened my computer to try reseat my memory sticks or to clean it up perfectly. If I do so, and if I want to make a warranty extension, will it still be ok? Or does the fact of unscrewing the computer void the warranty?

Thanks !