Alienware M17x R4 usb 3.0 problem

Happens to me too with my WD 1tb portable hd usb 3.0. Only happens when i plug it on the right side usb ports of the laptop... weird

 

^ Thanks, so far it is working flawlessly!

 

That is some useful information that you should really add to an ongoing thread named "m17x r4 usb 3.0 problem" link- http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/675401-alienware-m17x-r4-usb-3-0-problem-10.html

 

That seems to be correct, all my drives work just fine in the ESATA port evertime I plug them in....It is a drag but it really does not bother me all that much, I am sure someone will fix it eventually.

 

Thanks for the reply, yeah I guess I'll just go ahead and buy a 1tb WD 3.0 drive and assume that ill have 3.0 capability in the future . I can't wait until faulty computer hardware\software will be a truly rare occurrence heh heh.

 

As long as there are new developments, there will be new problems. You want reliability, buy older technology. People on this thread have reported problems with the WD 1TB drives as well.

I really doubt that the laptop would have a problem with total power capacity. It has a 240 watt power adapter and these drives take about 5 watts each. The AMD 7970 video has got to take more than 100 watts by itself. So if you are not stressing the video, these hard drives have a huge amount of power available to them.

If you read my breakdown around page 8, I suspect power is an issue on the USB 3.0 ports only. It is likely some combination of power and driver issues which causes the drives to disconnect.

I would also speculate that any drive more than 750 GB would have a problem. 750 is the largest drive that fits internally, because larger drives have more platters. More platters = more weight = more power required.

 

750 GB drives are not the largest that can fit internally. There are so many R4 system out there come with 2 Terabyte Disk Space ( 2 x 1 Terabyte ). Inlcuding my system.

All 2.5 " drives, of all sizes , USB 2.0 or 3.0 work flawlessly on all ports when used under USB 2.0 mode. You can test it by removing the Intel Extensible Driver and thus all your USB 3.0 ports will work FLAWLESSLY under USB 2.0 mode. All drives

Some keep refuting this.
An intelligent person would know this is not the advocated solution but its meant to demonstrate all the ports work but just not stably in USB 3.0 which is mode enable when Intel Driver is installed. This is to show that the causality would favour the driver issue compared to power insufficiency at the ports.

One user whose drive is being powered separately from the wall was facing this very same issue. That shouldn't be the case should it if its power related?

Unless one can show clearly that running at USB 3.0 requires more power. Does it?

NO! IT DOESNT.

USB 3.0 was released in November 2008. The standard specifies a maximum transmission speed of up to 5 Gbit/s (625 MB/s), which is more than 10 times as fast as USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/s, or 60 MB/s), although this speed is typically only achieved using powerful professional grade or developmental equipment. USB 3.0 reduces the time required for data transmission, reduces power consumption, and is backward compatible with USB 2.0.

USB 3.0 is not fresh of the oven tech. Its been implemented for quite sometime already. I really would doubt that motherboards are being fitting with hardware ports that draw insufficient power.

If its indeed hardware, touchwood! then its going to be very painful year for Dell.

QUOTED FROM WIKIPEDIA.

So it all point to driver or incompatibility between Drive manufacturers and Intel.

This is my opinion.

However it seems very queer that the Dell or Alienware Reps in this forum are silent over this issue. At least there should be some word on the directions all this is heading.

Problems reported mounting USB 3.0 external drives on new MacBooks | ZDNet

Okay so update: I went to the Apple Store and he tried it on a couple of Retina models and it wouldn't work either. He seems to think it is the cable and the driver from the hard drives thinks it is still a USB 2.0 like the older models and the MBPR are trying to read it as [USB]3.0. He sent the info onto engineering (as he was doing this he came across a USB 3.0 trouble shooting guide because apparently they are aware there are issues and are getting on top of it) but basically said it will come down to 3 options: an update from Apple, an update from each manufacturer, or worst case they just won't be compatible and people that have these HDD with problems will have to buy ones that are known to be compatible.

This is a very critical issue.

 

Well, spoke to WD support and they're treating this as a cable issue first. So they're sending me USB 3.0a cables to use with the hard drives. Not sure it's a cable issue though since USB 3.0 cables are shipped with the drive.

 

Okay, call me crazy, but I think this proves that it is a power issue, this cable works.
Newegg.com - Cavalry CBUSB20002 20" USB 3.0 Y-Cable - Standard-A to Micro-B Connector M-M

Spoke too soon. While several folders of files transferred fine, a movie will not play for more than a few seconds. The Y cable is not helping. It must be some king of software reset or driver bug. Unless this cable is not actually providing additional power as has been noted else where with USB 3.0 Y cables, but that is hard to prove and it is really a simple cable. I've got the power tap plugged into the USB2/eSATA port.

 

Any eta on a fix? This can probably be fixed in drivers but if no one is taking ownership then how will it ever get resolved? I know that Renesas had the same issues with hard drives dropping and stuff and eventually a new drivers was developed that resolved it. Well it sorta did. It gave an option to disable power management in its utility application that allowed the drives to stay connected.

 

Still nothing from Alienware,

I'm very disappointed.... that company can stay mute on issue like that.....

I don't know is there something about issue on official alienware forum ....

 

After several tests, the 3.0 USB ports work correctly.

Some external drives have shown to be not fully compatible with Intel boards. Aside from specific drives, all 3.0 connection tests were stable, therefore this is not considered an issue with the 3.0 ports in the M17x R4, M18x R2 and M14x R2.

Intel occasionally posts updates and we will be sure to provide those as soon as they're available. Other than that, be sure to keep an eye out for new firmware released by the manufacturer as it may be the fix for your current issue.

 

Thank you for getting back to us. Considering this to be the case, while I'm not saying I agree with the conclusion, could you publish a complete list of these specific drives you've found to be incompatible so that we can move forward with our own troubleshooting and provide other AW owners the potential opportunity to avoid wasting money? Thank you.

 

Unfortunately we are unable to provide such a list. An internet search can provide such details on known issues for particular drives.

 

Fair enough. How about a list of 3.0 drives you guys have confirmed to be working without any issues after these tests? Surely you could provide that.

 

As a company we can not recommend one brand over another.

 

We are not asking for a recommendation. We are asking for which drives tested incompatible or compatible in your lab. Surely you can provide that. Other component manufacturers generally do not have an issue with providing a list of tested components for compatiblity.

 

To that point I would state that in this situation you wouldn't be doing so. You would be providing a list of hard drives found to operate within consistent and standard conditions while utilizing the 3.0 ports on the Alienware hardware used in your tests.

Assuming you are absolutely unable to provide any type of list to us, though, what steps are you officially recommending members here to take with regards to the issue of finding and purchasing suitable external USB 3.0 storage for use with these laptops?

There seem to be many people here with drives they can't use as promised (by Alienware/Dell or the third party vendors) on these 3.0 ports who have patiently awaited a resolution. We, along with new Alienware owners looking to purchase external storage, need something more conclusive than a recommendation to search the Internet for problematic hardware. This is an unreasonable standard for us, as each hardware manufacturer can produce a build with inconsistent variables. This could lead to an exorbitant amount of searching, trial and error on our machines with money we don't necessarily have to spend.

 

I ditto his statement. I'm trying to figure out what drive to buy yet even after many searches I have yet to find a drive that is conclusively free from the issue in question.

 

I just purchased a new M17XR4 in Singapore a week ago and also purchased 2 My Passport 2 GB USB 3.0 drives AT $299 each. Now I'm back in very rural Thailand and have been struggling for a few days trying to copy to these drives. I could have saved $600 if I'd known they don't work with my new laptop as I didn't discover this forum until after I started having problems. Perhaps the shop should have warned me(?).

 

you are right about that....

but at least they are aware that they have problem.... will it be solved, probably not...

still I believe that this is global problem.... so sooner or later it will be fixed...

 

Try using your drives through the esata\usb2.0 port for stability until\if it is fixed.

 

WD Product Update

it look like they have fix problem, I will try then I will let everybody know!!!!


STILL THERE IS NO SOLUTION, SAME PROBLEM PRESENT !!!!!!

 

I think you are missing the point here....Its absolutely within your prerogative to issue an unbiased statement which entails the broad and detailed mention of this issue.

You can always mention that at the moment given the variables influencing the compatibility issue, the list of drives that are found to be working trouble free 100% as of time of print.

You can add that more is being done to solve this problem by the various stakeholders.

Simply stating its not your policy is outright lame. If that were the case then we can also question as to why you had determined the stability of USB 3.0 drives using Intel Boards. You also failed to mention that Intel board may or may not be compatible with some external drives since you went ahead and used Intel Board. The customer has every right to know. That would give us, the users the right to determine if the Alienware product is something we wish to proceed in purchasing or not.

Being cooperative, transparent and helpful is one thing, but to test just to ensure your hardware is all fine and proceeding to shirk the greater responsibility in an absolute manner is another. Especially when you know with 100% certainty that some are not working as should and some are flawless.

We salute to know your hardware is not the culprit.
You can always legally mention list of products that are clearly working problem free with your product.

The true reason why these people refuse to issue such a list is because they are using their drives for system assembly...especially Seagate and Western Digital. Dell also sells other 3rd party portable Hard drives.

You simply don't want to step on their toes or there are more than one culprits in this issue. Each one may be hoping the other will bear the cost of correcting the issue. Perhaps its more cost effective to have customers grow fed up and keep quiet after some time.

A culture that is nauseating.

 

If I remember, when you buy main board, there is always in manual witch memory types they prefer.....

So I have already spend 250 $ on HDD's that I cant use, and now I need to go and buy 3-4 models to see (test) witch one will work with my laptop that I have payed more then 2000$

Alienware was my wish for 8 years.....

Now when I can afford it, I'm very disappointed.... very ....

 

I will provide some more feedback to our engineering team, but I need to let you know our policy is essentially we support what we sold, and we did not sell nor guarantee the functionality of any 3rd party hardware.

I'll keep you posted if I get any updates

 

Louis, I comprehend what you are saying, but I think the policy you are mentioning is being quoted here unnecessarily.

If that were the case can we ask why do you have USB ports? Why do you have DVD or BluRay drives? Why do you have Display Ports etc etc.

If you are not supporting 3rd Party Products that obey the basic specification set for using these ports and components etc., then what is it do you actually support.

Does Dell manufacture USB hard drives, USB flash drives etc etc.

What Dell guarantees is the functionality of its product with 3rd party products which meet the requirement set for the various components or as whole. This is the basic policy.

So accordingly your lab etc has determined some are not meeting the required specification set for the proper working of the USB 3.0 on the Intel boards.

Hence its only logical for Dell to help its customers by declaring which one are currently meeting the requirement.

By doing so you are supporting your own product, not a 3rd party product. There is no question of supporting a 3rd party product.

I can only see conflict if Dell is selling USB 3.0 hard drives which are working fine but other 3rd party products are not. Then we may say it is a conflict in terms of profitability for Dell etc.

Now Dell doesnt sell such products either.Even if you do its again 3rd party. So people who buy your systems are one way or the other entirely dependent on 3rd party products to use the ports etc as they are meant to.

It will only reflect extremely positive on Dell Part to bravely come forth to help its loyal fans and customers.

I dont see any law that prevents you from providing a simple feedback on current problem free USB 3.0 external drives, unless this is more of a " corporate dilligence " to not do so.

 

I totally agree with what xxiv24 has stated above. I'll be getting one soon as well and I have 2 USB 3.0 drives with no idea if they will work properly or not with the laptop. Both work fine with my existing XPS 17 in the USB 3.0 ports so I would hope they would work in the new laptop. They are as follows.

HP pd500a (500GB)
Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex (1TB)

 

I repair computers for a living and I've been an electronics technician of some kind for nearly 20 years. One of the reasons I bought an Alienware was the reputation. It has everything, and nothing is short-changed. This is my second, my first was the M11xR2. I build all my own computers, and many for others, but I wanted a laptop that could do it all, and to show off. Most people buy cheap laptops, I want to show them what you can do if price is not your only concern. This laptop makes me more productive, so it is worth more to me. It is kind of hard to recommend this to others if something as basic as the USB ports fail to function properly.

After a month of testing, we get nothing. No solution, no work-around, not a breakdown of the problem, not even acknowledgement of the problem! Just acknowledgement that others are having problems, [sarcasm] but that's not our fault![/sarcasm] Did they test at all? We certainly have no proof of that. At the end of the day it does not matter if it is Intel's fault, we have no say in that. That decision is Alienware's, or Dell's, so they have the responsibility to us for their chosen hardware. We can only hold Alenware responsible, they must hold Intel responsible themselves. They need to press Intel for a fix, or come up with a work-around themselves.

At this point I can only assume that Dell realizes that it is their fault, but does not want to admit responsibility. Any details they give would confirm that to us.

I am pretty much stuck with this laptop now, it is not worth it to exchange it since I can still use USB 3.0 flash drives and a USB 3.0 powered hub with my WD 2TB external drive. For now I am just letting people I show this off to how the USB 3.0 is broken. But if this problem is not fixed soon, it will tarnish Alienware's reputation, and I will look elsewhere for my next laptop. And Dude! It ain't gonna be a Dell!

 

I'm in agreement with the others above. The burden here is not (nor has it been) on which third party external storage solutions need to be recommended or supported by Alienware: It is on supporting and ensuring the intended function of the hardware that Alienware is providing. If information has been found that could help a customer make a more informed decision regarding the as-described use of an Alienware product, I believe it is absolutely Alienware's responsibility to get that information or a proper resolution out to the public as soon as possible.

 

It is but will they do so???

 

Louis maybe your response was not supposed to sound the way it did hence it lead to us stating our opinions loudly. But if it was the intended meaning, then what we said are all pretty justified.

One more thing, do you all realise your respond sounds like what one might hear from an Apple Techinician or Case Resolver when one complains about some incompatibility issue.

Eg.

Apple System Owner - Sir, I am not able to get the Thunderbolt Cable adapter from XXXX brand to work.It meets all basic specification. Do you know which are the ones that work?

Apple Technician - I am sorry but we do not recommend or provide a list of 3rd party hardware products that may or may not work. It is for this reason we strongly recommend you to purchase only Genuine Apple Products in order to attain 100% compatibility.


* Now though it is a way of making money on Apple's part, there is also genuine attempt to provide hassle free expansion products etc. Dell or most PC companies do not feature this kind of all around products which are exclusive for their systems. Hence its a co-dependent environment in the PC world from the point of fabrication, manufacture to end user. So a PC producer like your company shouldn't talk about the policy you mentioned in the earlier response unless its about just 1 single brand that has issues with your system. Even then proactive manufactures are always keen to troubleshoot issue as a team which is what the spirit of engineering and innovation is all about. Not a bunch of guys/girls in shiny suits running around pointing at one another.

 

You may not guarantee the functionality of 3rd party software. This falls under the "No S***, Sherlock!" Category. I'm sure we can all agree that we're tech saavy enough to know that Dell/AW cannot and will not support some other mftr's product.

If someone takes a USB3.0 device that works perfectly fine on another computer and can prove that it doesn't work fine on the AW, then it's not about Dell/AW supporting that 3rd party device, but supporting the hardware they sold that's clearly not working well.

Is not USB3.0 a universal standard? You can't seriously sit back and tell us that only some products will work, while others will not, w/o giving a reason or a list.

For the amount of money we spend on these products, we expect better treatment/recognition. Be like Intel and Nokia, own up that there's a problem and then get on top of getting a fix.

 

That is reason why, will I sell laptop, and buy desktop.....

I'm very disappointed with treatment that we have from Alienware.... very....

people sometimes, after experience like this change manufacturer totally, or system...

maybe my laptop should be Asus....

 

I have several sets of rotating backup USB 3.0 drives, all less than a year old.

I've proven that 500 gb and 1 TB WD Passport series will not work. I have a total of 8, and all disconnect the way that has been described in other posts.

Current model Seagates, although I only have 3, work. My Hitachi Touro 2 gb self-powered externals do not work.

To have something that does work with the Alienware, I have purchased up to now 6 Buffalo Mini station Plus and Mini Station extreme 1 TBs and they work flawlessly.

Given that 3.0 is an established standard, and has been in shipping products for over a year and a half now, I find it bizarre that the drives of the largest manufacturer of USB externals just don't work. With 8 WDs and not a one that works with the M17x R4 I can say that I have a big enough sample to conculude that there is a signficant issue beyond... way beyond... the point where the "we can't support niche hardware" / "we don't guarantee 100% compatibility" excuses are not valid. this is where sloppy testing and/or engineering enters the picture as a possibility.

I bought my first Alienware after 11 successive ThinkPads, ending with W500, W510 and W520 models. Now, I have had to switch much of my work back to the W520 and am looking to buy a W530 this month or next as I can't do daily backups that take 6 to 8 hours under USB 2.0 that should take 90 minuets were Dell's USB 3.0 to work on industry standard hardware.

For me, this was a nice experiment where, as a result, I am now going to be all the more convinced about buying another Thinkpad. I like much about the AW, but if it can't talk to the real world via its ports, it's a risky, frightening proposition.

The Alienware representative's answer stating that the issue is basically the buyers' fault caps the situation for me. It's no my fault for buying the biggest selling brand of 3.0 externals and it's not my fault for expecting my M17x to work with them. It's Dell's fault for not accepting and fixing the problem.

 

Is there a list of compatible drives/enclosures we can use in the meantime?

 

Agreed...They only heartening thing right now is the fact that some Drives do work. Which shows the hardware shud be fine, and I believe its a industry wide issue.

Perhaps there is a tug of war between manufacturers, Intel and drive makers. Its an awful problem but there is an eerie silence amongst all of them. Well I have a 3 Year CC Warranty. So lets see if Dell wants to play russian roulette with its customers. Maybe all of us should create an online petition and sign to be sent everywhere necessary.

Buffalo is being sold by Dell in places like the States etc as accessories. But hey how many people around the world know Buffalo more than Western Digital and Seagate.

Update

I have been running the final release for manufacturing copy of Windows 8 Pro. When you upgrade from Windows 7 it is required that we uninstall the USB 3.0 driver.

Windows 8 seems to have a driver of its own for this purpose. Its date is also newer than the one listed on Intel website.

I have not tested my current Windows 8 installation with a USB 3.0 drive. If anyone can please do pray, try and tell....

 

Just curious (and maybe it was already mentioned) did anyone try the most recent USB 3.0 driver from Intel's site?

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...ntroller+Driver&DownloadType=Drivers&lang=eng

It is version 1.0.5.235 dated 6/7/2012.

 

Yup and yep. Tried that, the SES driver, and latest couple firmwares on my drive. No good.

 

one more problem with my alienware....


http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ow-flashing-red-green-blue-white-black-5.html

I'm disappointed with laptop...

 

The best work-around I have found is to use the smallest USB hub you can find. My powered USB 3.0 hub still works when I connect it with no additional power. As long as there is some device between the laptop and the hard drive it seems it will work. To be clear for those not following the entire thread:
1. Alienware M17xR4 USB 3.0 ports - known problem with WD HD frequent disconnects during data transfer
2. Use a USB 3.0 hub (powered or not) - any standard cable by itself will not work
3. WD 2 TB My Passport USB 3.0 external hard drive - known to cause this issue
4. plays video as I copy and delete files from external drive just fine at USB 3.0 speeds

So, while I am really irritated that Alienware support is proving to be unwilling to provide any actual support for this issue, the work-around is not that difficult, it is just a bit inconvenient for a portable device as it is more crap to carry around and plug in.

How hard would it be for Alienware support to mention this? If they recommended the use of a hub, that does not require naming specific manufacturers. Since they cannot offer any kind of work-around, that sounds like they are either incapable, or unwilling to resolve this problem. Like I said before, we have no evidence that they ever actually looked at this problem. All we have is lip-service.

I will say it again if I wasn't clear, I can use my external drive just fine now. So, it is not worth getting rid of the laptop since I already have it, but it would still likely be a disqualifying reason to purchase if I was still looking. It is more concerning that support is so useless than this problem specifically.

And Robert,
I am sorry that you have video problems now, but that entire thread you linked concerned an older model GeForce chip that was known to have a manufacturing defect. I really doubt you have the same defect. It is more likely something like a driver problem that did not run the fan fast enough and it fried the video chip. So, you would have the same symptoms, even the same broken component, but the root cause must be different as you have a different laptop and video chip. At this point I think you are disillusioned with Alienware and understandably exasperated.

This is why support is so important to get right. Fixing the problem is only half of your concern, fixing the customer concerns are just as important, because it is they who you need to convince to buy your next product. This includes work-arounds, updates, and correcting customer misconceptions. You need to make the customer happy by fixing whatever the problem is as well as their perception of it.

 

Hi!


video problem is gone...... for now.... I hope....

But anyway for that name brand ..... man ... I'm very very disappointed......

I cant buy here usb 3.0 hub... but next month on R&R i will...

 

Thanks for the workaround Nar....but I am wondering if connecting multiple drives to the hub and feeding it into a single USB 3.0 port will bottleneck performance if you use multiple drives at once? Also the USB 3.0 hubs for sale are all pretty expensive and/or shoddy looking...

Still, I guess its better than nothing. I am wondering if anyone in this thread has turned off USB power management options in Windows also....

 

Just got my dell gift card... should I go ahead and buy a 1tb WD passport or should I get the buffalo that is reported to not have issues. OR maybe a dell brand external HD?

 

USB is always bottle-necked by the controller, 4.8 Gbps across all ports, and it doesn't matter if they are all through a hub. If you want more speed then you need a second controller. I use two USB 2.0 controllers on by office computer for that reason. I can copy drive to drive with both getting the full 35MBps speeds. I use a Tripp Lite USB 3.0 hub: model U360-004-R. Tripp Lite is a good quality brand, and I like this hub. I use it without power now, but it does have a power adapter that it comes with.

I just ordered a smaller hub to minimize clutter when traveling: StarTech ST2300CUSB3, but that is a less reputable brand. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

Archtech...

Avoid WD drives for your M17x R4 for now, at least if you want it to be portable. I have not heard them work for anyone, and that includes 500GB drives as well. I cannot verify any model that does work right now, just hearsay.

 

Alright, well I wonder if anyone has tried using Dell's external HDDs. You would think that would be on their list of external HDDs that worked.

 

Too bad I already have 3 x 2TB drives from WD and I can't use them on the USB 3.0 ports.

Funny thing, I tried the new cable that came from WD today and it was the same problem (told em it wasn't going to change anything). Then I tried the USB 2.0 port and it said that I would get faster speeds using the USB 3.0 port. Haha.

Just felt funny when that prompt appeared.

 

I think I am going to buy some Seagate enclosures off ebay since radiodavid says his Seagates work.

 

Bump.........