BIOS setting changed, now 8 beeps

Greetings Gents,

I tried to install Ubuntu and it hung on the start-up, so I figured it was an issue of currently using switchable graphics. Went to the BIOS setup (unlocked A08) and wasn't clear of the options and I switched from SG to - I *think* - PCI instead of PEG (as if my life doesn't have enough three-letter acronyms to figure out). Saved and rebooted, now I get 8 beeps and no POST. Pulled the coin battery out and simultaneously pressed the power button for a minute but still no POST.

Help please?

 

I have to ask (not doubting you), but did you put the CMOS battery back in?

 

Yes. It's back in.

 

you could try blind flashing it, that could fix your issue.

 

IIRC, 8 beeps is the video card. Changing to PCI will do that.
Here's the link to thread on how to do a blind flash for your refernce: BIOS Recovery in case you brick your M17xR3.

 

SuperDave, i think you have no choice but to do a blind flash

ya, choosing PCI wasn't the right one...should have chosen SG and PEG

 

Problem solved. I'm pretty sure it was 8 beeps while at work today; tried to pull the CMOS battery out again once I got home and this time it was 5 beeps. Followed the instructions here ( Alienware Mobiles - 5 Beeps after turning ON the system | Dell) and it solved the problem without doing a blind flash.

Background: Installed Ubuntu today to run OpenFOAM (a Linux-only CFD program). It hung on the reboot after installation and I figured it was Optimus that was giving it fits. Now resolved.

Also, unrelated, in case anyone cares, I have continued to get WiFi disconnects and reset connections that seemed to become more frequent recently. As a final straw, I called Dell tech support and was shipped an Intel 6300 WiFi mini-card that I will swap myself in place of the Bigfoot Killer 1103. I'll report in another thread how that goes...

Thanks again for all your help here.

 

before swapping cards, Have you installed the latest drivers from the killer wireless site? I heard they are better than the stock ones and could be worth a try as the 1103 has better performance than the intel 6200.

 

I will give the Killer wireless one last chance - it has not worked properly from the very beginning of my ownership of this laptop. What do you guys suggest - Killer drivers or generic Atheros Osprey drivers? Currently running the latter, 9.2.1.470, as recommended by SlickDude80 .

 

ah, I'm not very familiar with the killer in general as I'm just using the crappy stock wireless card at the moment. If its not working as it should, Maybe the 6200 would be better if you don't need low latency or stuff like that. Here is a comparison between the two cards if you wanna have a look by the way.

Killer Wireless-N 1103 Review: Can Qualcomm Take On Centrino?

 

try both dude...go with the latest Bigfoot drivers...if that doesn't work, try the latest Atheros.

Either way, you can't go wrong with the intel 6300...it may actually be a better choice for you given that you don't game

 

Downloading both now Bigfoot driver pack is 135 MiB vs. 22 for generic Atheros?!?! ...

 

I heard from some of people on tech inferno to disable all the bigfoot software. It was causing latency issues for certain programs. Other than that, I heard it preforms awesomely

Edit: And slick whats with the second 6990m?

 

i only have one 6990m, the one that's currently in my laptop...i may be replacing it with something a little bit...faster

 

I have not had any issues with wifi disconnections..Infact its the most satisfying card I have used compared to any of Intel iterations.

I believe I had issues when I got it initially due to drivers. I have been constantly updating the drivers. I love the way it prioritizes and reduces the latency be if for youtubing, gaming halo online or online video conferencing. I can say his for sure as I spend load of time online. I dont think the Killer card per se may be the issue. But perhaps there is something wrong on your software/driver side or your particular Killer card.

I have used 6300s for a long time too. They are good. Only one thing I might hazard to complain, that is I feel Killer card's range to catch wifi signal may not be as great as Intel 6300. I am not 100% percent sure. Its a recent observation I made when I was relocating my wifi modem.

 

Installed 10.0.0.45 Atheros drivers yesterday. My shakedown test is a specific streaming show on thecomedynetwork.ca. Before, the connection would always reset within 1-5 minutes and I would lose the time stamp on the video and once reconnected have to refresh the page and go back to where I last left off...

I've had false starts before, but so far it's looking promising...

 

about the killer nic, i'm currently using the offical driver 6.1.0.298 which i downloaded from here.

i have no issues with disconnection. the older drivers did have an issue with weak signals and some sort of confilct with itunes (100% cpu usage). all of that has been fixed with the latest drivers however.

 

Thanks xeroxide. I'm going to give the Killer 6.1.0.298 drivers a try. I've been using the latest generic Atheros drivers for 2 days now and it has seemed to solve the WiFi disconnection/reset issue, but I'm back to getting choppy video and high DPC latencies. <groan>{groan}

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