Full nuclear-option wipe and rebuild of your M17x-R2: A full, detailed description.

Let's say you own a m17x-R2 and you would like to wipe the system of all software bloat and errant files, and/or you need to roll the system back (or just into) a best-possible default state before proceeding to load just the things you want on it or working to diagnose any issues you might be having. Take it from me, if you go reading the Alien website or Dell's, it rapidly becomes clear that there are no good instructions anywhere as to how to do this, particularly, which order in which one should install the drivers for all the system's hardware. In fact, you will probably find up to 4 (!) different sets of instructions scattered in various places within the Dell realm, all of which are contradictory and are not even tailored to the hardware than an Alien contains, so it's hard to even compare them.

I have a new beast, and I wanted to start fresh with it, using only my own softwares and choices. On new systems I never do un-installs; I do scorched-Earth campaigns, wiping it to a lonely blinking cursor on a black screen. Then I put it very carefully all back together exactly like I want it, with no junk present. Along the way, I learn as much as I can about it and how to deftly recover it in case disaster strikes later on down the road. I absolutely hate being at the mercy of whoever sold me the computer, having their junk on it, their vendors' promo programs that I won't use, and their often-suboptimal choices and setups. I want my machine clean and running great, and I want complete control and knowledge of what is on it. Don't you just hate those cryptic folders buried deep in the program tree that contain gigabytes of advertising-based who-knows-what for programs that you never wanted installed anyway? It makes me feel so violated (okay, maybe I'm overstating that a bit.)

So anyway, my specific machine has ATI/AMD 5870 Crossfire cards and RAID storage (and no TV tuner), and I reference those components here, but essentially all ATI/AMD-based systems will be very similar with respect to the information I have here. Apart from BIOS updates and minor hardware differences, probably nVidia machines will be similar too. I have compared many driver install sequences, and I called an Alienware tech who was very confused and uncertain about the sequence himself but eventually came up with a near-recitation of a driver sequence I had seen posted for earlier Aliens. I tried his sequence and proved that it was not correct, as it was throwing errors with the OSD application. I researched this forum some more and also studied instructions offered by 'Grimfan' and 'steviejones133' (thanks guys!), taking everything I could into account. I executed some wipes and redos that failed due to errors generated by drivers that were not in a compatible sequence. Eventually, after an incredible amount of trouble, I whittled it all down to the following proven approach. This is not the only sequence that will work, but it will work and it is the one I used with success after some failures and setbacks.

I wrote this assuming you know very little about doing this (it will admittedly be way over-detailed for some readers) and have not yet updated your main BIOS or VBIOS, if yours needs an update there. Note that this is not based on a "Respawn" factory image disk, or a recovery partition, or any other cleanup shortcut. This is the real McCoy, strip-it-to-the-studs-and-rebuild Alienware wipe job that will cleanse all software-based nasties from your system. It will take 2-3 hours to do once you have everything ready, so plan a good uninterrupted block of time for it.

Update: Steviejones himself has added a valuable comment below that will be good for Respawn users. It will add a modification to my upcoming drive partition wiping instructions, so decide for yourself what you want to do before proceeding. My procedure is the absolute most "nuclear" option you can do, and it is totally safe and clean, but those with recovery partitions may not want to delete them. It is your choice. Also, Stevie has indicated how to change back to an Alienware logon screen, or one of your own choosing, after the rebuild. My procedure will produce the default Windows logon screen (you know, the blue screen with the Windows logo, birds, squiggly lines, etc.)

Go to the Dell support site and download all of the latest drivers for your system, including any needed BIOS updater. You will need to know exactly what hardware you have to do this, so refer to the email you received when you bought your system, or the shipping list, or your account at Dell, or whatever. There can be significant detective work involved in figuring out exactly what you need, including cross-comparisons of version numbers between "properties" tabs and the download site, folder names in the driver directory on the hard drive, the list(s) you already have for the system (assuming you have those at all), vendor names (Broadcomm, Realtek, Widcomm, etc.), the Windows device manager, and other options. Do not expect to use the included so-called "Resource disk" that came with your system for drivers. It is out-of-date and confusing, with old driver versions, poor organization, and I read that the command center application on it may actually be corrupt, depending on the vintage of the disk. There is a "My System" tab in its HTML file when you have it open, and that supposedly discovers what components you need for the system it is running in, using little check-marks, but I can confirm that it doesn't properly flag all of your needs, and it may flag things as needs when you don't actually have them installed in your particular build of R2 Alien. I would strongly suggest you not use it for anything other than perhaps basic discovery and reference.

Run the flashing utility to update your main BIOS to the latest version (which as of Feb. 2011 is A10) before beginning if you haven't already. You only need to do this once, so if you have already done it, you needn't do it again. It is flashed on a chip on the motherboard, so it always survives OS wipes once in place. If there is a video BIOS update available, flash it now too. A VBIOS update will require you to make an image on a disk or flash memory from which to boot the machine. Booting from things other than the hard drive is mentioned just ahead in these instructions, for the Windows OS disk, so follow that approach if you need help. VBIOS updates are burned onto permanent (EEPROM) chips too, so doing it once is all you need until the next update (if ever).

Use your Windows 7 install disk to boot the machine by starting up with it in the drive (you will have placed it in before shutting down previously), holding down F12 as soon as you see Alien life on the screen, and then choosing the "boot from CD/DVD/..." option from the gray menu. Even if you have a damaged operating system, an unstable system, or have blown one install already, this always works because it only relies on firmware permanently on the motherboard. You are living exclusively in the BIOS while doing these tasks, and you do not need to change your machine's boot order in the BIOS to accomplish this step because the F12 option is the one-time boot menu for just this need. The machine refers to the BIOS boot order normally, but that's no issue here.

If you are using your Alienware-branded Win-7 disk, you will not need to enter any product key number or do any special activation procedures at any point in this process. They set those up to be tied to the Phoenix OEM Alienware BIOS in such a way that it is a seamless install. If you do not have an Alienware OS disk and are therefore using a retail Win-7 copy, you will have to enter a key and do a little activation step somewhere along the way. You will be prompted accordingly by the installer (it's no big deal), but be prepared for that step if necessary.

Follow the prompts and when you arrive at the list view of your machine's drives and storage locations, select the 'Drive options (advanced)' link, then go through each partition on the drive, format it, and then DELETE it (you might not really need the format if you are just deleting, but it won't hurt). At the end you will have only unpartitioned space on the drive, and that's where you will install Windows to get one big "C:" drive at the end, like you almost certainly had when you started this task. If you want to set up a partitioned drive, this would be the time to use the options you see to do it, but I didn't (and wouldn't, since everyone I know from the past who ever partitioned their main drive eventually decided they didn't like it that way and went back to having one big "C:" drive. Dual-boot people who have, say, both Windows and Linux operating systems on the same machine might want it differently, but they will know what to do here.) At this point EVERYTHING you had stored or installed on the machine is truly gone, for all practical purposes. Incidentally, if you are wondering why the main drive always ends up being "C" and not "A" (for example), there are good reasons for it, most of which are somewhat historical, but Wikipedia has articles explaining it. Basically, you can't go lower than "C" in a modern consumer PC by default, and you have no choice here. I'm digressing, sorry...

Okay, now let the Windows installer run and do its tasks. A few restarts will occur, you will respond to a few setup prompts, and you end up back to a full squeaky-clean Windows installation in about 40 minutes. With only standard Windows drivers it will be a little unsophisticated, but it's functional and you are ready to install all OEM (Dell and others) drivers now.

When installing each driver, take the downloaded .exe installer out of any folder you had it stored in and place it naked on the desktop before running it. This is particularly true with the video driver, which could cause a very minor Windows error if you take the immediate restart while the Windows Explorer (folder contents manager) program is open. This is why the driver installers usually say "It is highly recommended that you close all programs before installing." An open folder is equivalent to an open program: the Windows Explorer. Anyway, if you forget and experience an error, it isn't damaging since the driver will have already installed itself fully by the time the error occurs, so don't get all squeamish or worried to the point of quitting and redoing over it; just keep going.

Install in the following sequence, preferably restarting after each installed product (I would, even if it doesn't require it.) Do NOT allow the system online until directed later. This is important because Microsoft has now supplied an infrared driver and it will come with an update that you should take. You want to get the ITE OEM driver in first, then let the update happen. If you do it the other way around, you will not be able to install the factory driver at all (it is very cranky), but then you will have already unzipped its install package and made a (minor) mess of things. Trust me, I've been through this already. Anyway, here's the sequence:

1. Intel Ibex Chipset -- This is a package of critical updates to very low-level hardware drivers and you must do it first.

2. Video card driver -- There are several options in this installer if you want to change from a default installation, but I don't see why you would want to.

3. IDT audio driver

4. LAN network driver -- This one is a little different because you choose to install drivers from a panel that includes some other choices and you have to click to exit the application manually once the driver is installed. Most of the others just finish in an obvious way.

5. Wireless card driver

6. Bluetooth module driver -- This driver installs many smaller specific component drivers and will trigger a bunch of status balloons. You may get one saying "failed to install driver" or something similar but it is normal (but poorly stated) because the system doesn't yet have anything paired to it and isn't fully built up. It doesn't mean that the whole Widcomm Bluetooth package failed to install. It means that some peripheral, likely optional, wasn't seen at the time, and it will straighten itself out whenever you add that thing later, if you do. Be happy, it's fine.

7. Synaptics touchpad driver -- I highly recommend that once installed you un-check the box in the touchpad controls that disables it when an external mouse is detected. Otherwise, if you have a mouse problem you might find yourself stuck at some point needing mouse control and not having any backup control via the touchpad. Did they offer that just for battery life improvement? Hmm, but being plugged in so much, you should set yourself up for maximum utility.

8. On-screen display (OSD) application -- This makes your little Alienware touch panel work and provides the little animated screen popups.

9. Intel RAID manager aka "RST application" -- Note here that there is an option checkbox in the installer to install an additional add-on manager at the same time, but the checkbox defaults to un-checked. Leave it that way is my preference. Whatever that other manager is, you don't really need it. All your RAID management will be fully enabled by default without adding anything more. Also, whatever RAID state (0 or 1) you were in when this process began is the one you will be in when it's over. The BIOS knows what to do, so don't plan on changing your RAID mode during this process. I should have mentioned before, but if you want to change your RAID mode, do it in the manager right before you begin all this. The change will definitely wipe-out all your data and you will then have to go through this, but that's how you do it if you want to. Also, for those who do not have a RAID setup at all, but have just a single hard drive: You can still install this drive management software. It works great and will add some nice little features. I have a friend with a single drive system and this manager was installed from the factory. Certainly, it would not be necessary, so ideally you will have already played with this software before the wipe and will have a sense of what you would like to do here if this situation applies to you.

Note: Those with solid-state drives may have a controller to be installed for the drive. I don't know much about them yet, so if you are one to whom this applies, your sequence might be slightly different. Perhaps such a controller goes right after the chipset? Research it and perhaps give me a PM and we can expand these instructions for others?

10. Free-fall sensor driver (aka "accelerometer", since that's what it actually is. If you drop the machine, for the brief moment that it is logging air time before meeting with the ground, it cannot feel the downward pressure of gravity because it isn't sitting on anything, and the accelerometer can detect the low-acceleration state and instantly throw a command under battery power to the hard drive(s) to lock the heads safely. Pretty cool, eh?)

11. Ricoh media card reader driver -- This provides functionality to your various memory card slots.

12. CIR/infrared driver -- It says "Smart Your NB" on its splash screen when installing.... uh, whatever, it's from ITE in Taiwan!

13. Install your antivirus program (just in case you start surfing around with the embedded Internet Explorer), place the system online, get your antivirus program updated immediately and wait and accept (a large bunch of) Windows updates. Restart during this and be sure to get all cycles of them. Some updates prepare the way for subsequent ones, so you might get a few volleys of them before it's over. I think it took me 4 complete checks and update installs before everything was done, but this will change over time as Microsoft adds new updates and repackages older ones.

14. Install the Alienware command center -- This likes the latest .NET Framework installed and should be last anyway, so this is why you should get updates first.

Congratulations! Your machine should now be as clean and functional as it's going to get. Now proceed with all other software installations and personal setups. You are done!

Note: If you actually want the webcam software or the vendor-supplied disk burning software, Cyberlink media player, etc. you will find these on the "Resource disk" that came with the machine. Use at your own risk, or do what I did and "just say no." You are not missing any important drivers or critical functionality. You cannot download them at the support website because they don't want the whole world to be able to get them without buying a system. In Win-7, Windows Media Player is better than ever, now featuring built-in DVD playing codecs and other good stuff, so much of the vendor softs on the disk are now totally superfluous. Do you actually like webcamming with your grandma, putting on avatar hair, or looking like a tranquilized dog in a room full of bubbles? Okay, that was a cheap shot, sorry...

As a general rule, if you don't see your needs covered by this list and procedure, it is safe to assume that the higher-level and more sophisticated an application is, the later in the sequence it should go. Some techs say the sequence doesn't really matter, as long as things like the chipset, video driver, audio driver, and any other low-level functions are well-established first. I can prove from my own actual experience that this is not always exactly true, but so long as you don't see errors and keep the large fancy applications that only provide embellishments to the system later in your sequence, you are probably fine.

A note about Turbo Boost: Core i7 CPUs generally (actually, I think always) have Turbo Boost Technology, which is a neat dynamic clocking utility that can throttle each execution thread independently as resources become available or drop away. It is completely CPU- and BIOS-supported; there is absolutely no driver required to have it, so don't worry about it in the slightest. It's still there and active if your machine ever had it in the first place. Note that there is a Turbo Boost Technology "driver" at the Dell download site, but you will not be able to install it on your machine; if you try, it will not install. I don't know why it is there, but it may be an early version of what I mention next.

If you would like to see TBT in action, you can go to Intel's website and get a desktop gadget that one can install that will give you a little desktop square with an animated barplot of its real-time activity. This link worked in December 2010:

http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-031441.htm?wapkw=(turbo+boost)

I had it installed at one time, just for fun, then quickly realized that it wasn't telling me anything that I desperately needed to know, so I didn't replace it after the rebuild. These high-end Core i7 machines have 4 CPU cores and 2 execution threads per core, for a total of 8 (!) execution threads. This is why when you open the device manager you see what looks like 8 independent processors. They aren't perfectly independent like they are in a real multi-processor cluster ($$$$$$), it turns out, but the more sophisticated applications these days can nevertheless get a big performance boost by spreading computational demands across all the threads. It depends on how the application is coded, and not all are real sophisticated about this, but over time they will keep getting better at recruiting more thread horsepower. I run a large scientific computing package that can literally take over all threads when I tell it to and do mathematical parallel-processing on all eight at once if I write my code right for it. Talk about "firing on all eight"! (A little old-school car buff lingo for ya.)

I hope this helps someone. It was a big project that I am glad to have finally finished! Both Grim and Stevie have good related driver install procedures here too, so you can compare or mix-and-match if you want.

 

Great guide. This will come in handy for the SP1 rebuild!

+Rep

 

​

Fantastic user friendly guide!! + rep for all the effort and hard work !

The only thing alot of people may or may not be aware of is that by deleting all partitions on the HDD will effectively "nuke" the recovery partition too.....if you want AlienRespawn "reloaded" onto your system (down to preference) I would leave the recovery partition in tact so you can follow instructions here http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...datasafe-software-respawn-faq-discussion.html to get it back and working. You will need Respawn if thats how you want to perform back-ups, although there are alot of other "aftermarket" back up tools out there that do the same thing. Its down to personal preference.

If you HAVENT already created recovery media, I would also STRONGLY suggest doing so BEFORE starting this procedure to ensure you have an "out of box" image stored for future use. Keep it safe and should you need to revert to this state, you should be able to boot from it and restore your system to factory conditions. If you dont require Respawn to be on your HDD, fine...go ahead and "nuke" the lot but it wont re-install if you have killed off your recovery partition.....

EDIT: One other thing worth noting - if you want to use AMD drivers instead of Dell 8.763, have them downloaded and to hand too as it will save having to uninstall Dell ones and make for a squeaky clean video driver install eh? (note. if you havent flashed to the latest dell vbios, you will need to have 8.763 installed to do so - THEN, if you wish, dump Dell drivers and go to AMD) - no odd bits leftover after removing the Dell drivers you would normally add at stage 2 of the above process. This would be assuming you have updated to the latest Vbios as mentioned in the original post.

 

Also, after you fresh install of windows OS, you will find that the log-on screen has defaulted back to that of windows colour scheme...if you want to revert back to an Alienware log-on screen (or any other of your choice for that matter) you can do so by using this program ..... you can customise your log-in screen easily but if you prefer, you dont have to, it aint gonna impact on system performance, just aesthetics.... this small program can be found here Windows 7 Logon Background Changer - Customize your Windows 7 welcome screen wallpaper and it will give your system that "Alienware" feel again....if aesthetics is up your street.....if not , it isnt that imperative.

Just thought i would mention it for those who wondered where their AW login screen had disappeared to!!!

 

There is a much easier and 'no software needed' way to accomplish that.
This is how I did it:

1> run REGEDIT
navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background

Make a new value, type dword. When you've done this give it the value 00000001
Now close Regedit

2> Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\oobe, (If you miss the oobe directory, make sure your OS shows hidden files and folders which you can turn on from the control panel, if you still do not have it, then create the directory yourself).

3> Copy your image you want to use to that folder. Make sure the image is not bigger then 256Kb in size, and is a JPG. Name the image backgroundDefault<resolution>.jpg.
Example: background1360×768.jpg
You can put several images here to use with different resolutions

Now you're done.

It's also easy to re-ad Manufacturer information and an Alienware logo to your Computer properties, as well as an alienware logo as icon for your user. Let me know if people want to know how to do this.

 

Very nice guide, explained somethings I did not know about the drivers. Why its best to do in a certain order. Also I keep a win 7 USB another with all the drivers, and a third with the recovery Image on it. All kept in my bag in case the worst ever happens. +Rep

 

Thanks Wolf! It was a project, but I'm glad I went through with it. I learned a lot.

I do exactly like you do, maybe with an embellishment or two: I have a folder I call my "Rebuild" folder that I keep on an offline hard drive, and within it I have a bunch of sub-folders, with each one containing the .exe file for its driver and nothing else. Then I have each folder named with what driver it is (since the file names are just version/product codes) and the order number for its installation. I spent a few hours downloading and assembling all of that before embarking on the rebuild. When ready, I do the Win-7 wipe job, then I just plug in my external drive, copy that one big folder onto the desktop, and go one-by-one through the install sequence, always being sure to delete the package and containing folder after each one. This way, if I get distracted or pulled away mid-stream, I always know exactly where I was in the process and can pick right up where I left off. Works perfectly reliably every time, and now I have no more fear of redoing the beast. Other than the big software installs, I can do the whole job in about 3 hours with a fast internet connection.

Well, I hope it can serve you well, if you ever need it. Actually I hope you never need it; that would be best of all!

 

good to see your getting some recognition Dave....excellent thread that i have recommended to many. Keep up the sterling work fella...(id rep you again but it wont let me LOL)

 

Nice guide, but my opinion is you're overthinking it. I never follow any particular order and never had any problems with drivers. Probably because the stuff that comes with default Win install already contains most of the important chipset drivers etc. so they just need to be updated. Last time I remember install sequence mattered was in Win98 or so.

Btw, might wanna install DirectX runtime too at some point. I always forget about it, until I run Media Player Classic to make sure things work and then it reminds me.

 

Yes I did it, I deleted the partition and now I am unable to complete the installation. I am getting this screen using the Win 7 cd-dvd provided with the laptop:



and if I try to use a regular Win 7 CD-DVD I have an other different mesagge:



I don't know what I have to do to get my M17x running one more time.
Please I need advices, comments or suggestions!

Regards

PD. how I can eject the CD-DVD?

 

If you have already upgraded your vbios for 5870's, can you still follow this guide?

 

Dont know how you have gone about doing your OS reinstall. I personally have also used the OS disc that came with the laptop. I inserted the disc, restarted the laptop and hit F12 when the large Alienhead pops up to get to the boot menu.

From there, I just selected "boot from cd/dvd" option and the OS Install starts. It should then just go through its thing, giving you the option to select partitions or delete them and choose what partition to install OS to.

I left mine as default OEM partition/Recovery partition then I deleted the remaining partition to create unallocated space. Then click on that "unallocated" partition you just created and choose to install OS to that partition.

After doing that , it should just be a case of waiting whilst the OS install is completed - you will be prompted to select several things such as password/timezone/keyboard layout/language etc but that should be it!

Have you done it in a different way? - You may wanna check out this http://social.answers.microsoft.com...r/thread/8bb148bc-8035-4847-9696-888f7a0a9720 for info on repairing "missing bootmgr" - sounds to me like this should solve your problems...hopefully.

Also, can you use the touch sensitive buttons to eject? - the one on the extreme left of the touch panel? - if you can access "start/computer" then you can also right click on your optical drive and choose "eject"

Yes. The vbios flash along with system bios flashes are a permanent change to your system - reinstalling the OS does not affect these and you wont have to do them again.

 

Thanks, finally ready to nuke the system. I am not sure though how to set up the raid 1

 

I did already few times on the past using the OS disk provided with the laptop, but I use F2 to change the boot order on the bios. My mistake was to delete all the partitions, the first message pop up after delete the partitions and the start to load the system files. And when I try to use microsoft OS disk, just don't let me to use. And with the touch iluminated bottons on upper right those are not responding.


I will start a new tread

 

To ElSerch - when I had my R1 - I had to change the Bios Sata settings to Legacy Sata to boot from the CD/DVD. Did you do that?

 

Are you sure you want Raid 1? - most users only use this type of array if they are concerned about data loss. Basically, Raid 1 will "mirror" your internal hard drives so that if one fails, you have an exact copy of the other on "the other" hard drive.

Raid 0 offers the best for performance but all data is written across the two drives so if one goes, you will have to get a new one and reinstall everything. Personally, I dont see this as a issue, as long as you have your important data/files backed up externally.

You can change your raid setting in bios, by hitting f12..also CTRL & I when booting to manage RAID. Once in bios, i think from recollection its the second tab across on the top and the settings are toward the bottom of the screen. You can then use the arrow keys and enter to change to the raid you want. You cant do any harm in bios unless you exit and save, so you might wanna have a play about in there (i know i did) and see where various bios options are located.

Once thats done, it should be a case of doing the OS install as normal.

If you want the same raid array that you had before reinstalling the OS, there is nothing else to do....just reinstall using Dave's guide.

Hope that helps out.

If you created recovery media when you were prompted to do so WHEN YOU GOT THE SYSTEM....you should be able to revert back to "out of box" state by using those discs you created.

If you didnt create them, and you have deleted recovery partition, its gone for good as far as i am aware.

As for ejecting manually, I dont think theres is a manual way to do that (poor design) by pushing a paperclip into a hole like other laptops manual eject feature. I think it may be a case of opening up if you cant find a way to eject the disc.

 

I don't have recovery disks. I got this laptop from eBay and the guy who sold me the laptop never send those disks to me if he created.

But right now I am in the Middle Of Nowhere! I can't boot the laptop

 

ElSerch - I thought you said earlier that you had the Win 7 DVD. If you're trying to rebuild your system - that's all you neeed to get things going.
As I mentioned ealier, on my R1 I had to change the Bios (originally had a Raid setup but was moving to AHCI with a =n SSD) SATA settings to Legacy Sata before it would boot from the Win 7 DVD.
After you get Windows reinstalled - you can follow this great guide on installing your Dell specific drivers (remember to download them so they're at the ready). Good Luck

 

Yes I did, I hit F2 and went to boot tag and change the order, I left cd-dvd as firts
2 USB storage
3 Hard Drive and so on

Regards

 

ElSerch - I'll ask one more time. Did you change the Bios settings for SATA. This has nothing to do with boot order. When the Disk settings were on Raid or AHCI native - then my Win 7 would NOT boot from the DVD (on my R1)

 

Well I am not sure what you try to let me know. But let see If I undestood.
On Bios Setup Utility, advanced tab, SATA Operation: Have to read "AHCI"
and on SATA AHCI Mode: Have to read "Legacy AHCI"?

Regards

 

ElSerch - yes you are correct. That's what I had to do when I was using a Win 7 64 Pro DVD & doing a clean build on my R1 system (I now have an R2 so some of the words I use my not be exactly correct - but that's what I remember).
Then the WIn 7 DVD should boot for you (since you have it being looked at first in order).
Once it boots you can do a clean Win 7 install. Good Luck.

 

ElSerch: I am having some trouble understanding your exact problem. It *seems* to me that you are trying to change the boot order before the "big nuke"... right? Well, you do not need to do that. In the instructions I say to hit F12 at the first instant you "see Alien life on the screen." You can then select to boot from the DVD directly. Boot order is irrelevant; it just specifies to the machine how to boot-up under normal circumstances. There might be other issues going on here, but yes, you will see the missing 'bootmgr' error if you don't get into the boot menu properly as soon as the system tries to start. Okay, so if you get stuck there, do the requested Ctrl+Alt+Del and go around again. You have to hit it quickly or you will miss.

Next item: Are you trying to also change RAID modes at this juncture? There is a Ctrl+I key combination that you can hit when the BIOS fires up (again, it's one of those super-quickies you have to catch like in a half-second or the opportunity passes) and there is a crude RAID manager built in there. Now, I'm not sure I would change RAID modes that way, because I much prefer the Rapid Storage Technology application that you would normally have running with your OS, but I guess you may not really have an OS running on the machine right now. I haven't done a RAID switchover via the Ctrl+I method before, so I guess I won't say anything further, although it may be okay to do that way.

Another thing: Do you actually have a proper Win-7 install DVD (not a "Resource disk" or other disk)? If you have a valid Win-7 install disk, that is all you need to do everything. You may not retain a recovery partition, but if I didn't make that clear in my original instructions, you don't need it. If you have the disk, you are always safe. Some people have recovery partitions (Stevie does, I know that) but I don't. You CAN "nuke" down to nothing but unpartitioned space and go with just a clean OS install, build up all the drivers, and you are good to go.

Somehow I suspect I still haven't helped you, but post again, maybe more clearly, and one of us can probably help you, okay?

 

VoiceInTheWilderness! you got me may be my firts post was not too clear as have to be
But I open an other tread, please see this and let me know if the issues of my problem is more clear.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...alienware-os-disk-not-responding-my-m17x.html

Regards

 

Great guide, Voice! +rep

 

So which Windows 7 install DVD can you use? I only have the alienware DVD and another Windows 7 home basic install DVD. I have home premium on mine.

 

GoodToGo: Your Alienware DVD is the one to use, preferably, but really any authorized copy should work. However, there are slight customizations to the vendor-supplied version (in this case Alienware.) Actually, if you watch really closely as you are installing, you will see them. One of them is an Alienware logo during the configuring of the OS, plus I think some of the Windows defaults that you get once it is installed are set by Alienware/Dell. They are completely changeable of course, but the system will be in certain default states that are tailored by the company when you use the Alien disk.

You don't have to enter any product key number when you use your factory-supplied disk, but I think you might have to do such if you purchase a regular boxed copy. Has anyone done it this way? I haven't myself.

 

Thanks for your help. Did a full wipe and set up Raid 1 as I wanted. Everything seems to be working so far...

 

Yes, I have and you are totally correct about this.

The brand-specific OEM version of an OS re-installation disc requires no product key or activation when used with the intended brand of computer. Certain installation files are matched up with the proprietary BIOS and that is what makes this work correctly. A retail version or a generic OEM version of a Windows OS will require a unique product key and activation because they are designed for use with any system.

 

Thanks Mr. Fox! I had read long ago that they do link the vendor-supplied OS disks to the OEM BIOS with certain install files, such that a matched machine/disk combo goes together without key numbers or activation. I may go ahead and add a minor (short) edit to the instructions to note that.

 

Another difference between discs is that the Alienware OS reinstall disk also has no option to repair your installation, which could eliminate the need for the full nuclear wipe. The Alienware disc is (in my personal opinion) just a tad better to use for the reinstall. In addition to requiring no activation, there are a few little things like the branding in System properties.

Anyone that has only the Alienware disc and no access to a normal OEM or retail version should make a Windows 7 System Recovery Disc while their machine is fully functional, unless they have an alternate means of doing so after disaster strikes. More information and downloadable ISO files are available at Neosmart's site. Here's the link: Download Windows 7 System Recovery Discs.

 

Excellent guide, just followed it with complete success - thanks.

3 questions - Is the Intel Rapid Storage Tech driver for those of you who have a RAID setup?

Does the Intel Turbo Boost Tech driver work for the i7 840QM processors?

When connecting an external moniotr via HDMI I keep getting an error message to do with WMI data, and then the OSD app has to close. IS this normal?

Cheeers

 

Intel Rapid Storage Technology is for RAID. You can install it on a non-RAID system if you want to. It does not hurt anything, but it is not required. It does provide you with a minimum amount of detail on drive status on a non-RAID setup. (I am running in non-RAID AHCI mode and have it installed. See screen shot below.)

I don't know why Dell has the Turbo Boost driver posted. You don't need it and cannot install it. In fact, you'll get an error message if you try to install it and the wording of the error message is misleading. Turbo Boost works on Intel CPUs that have it. You should install the latest Intel Chipset drivers. If you have, you're good to go.

I'm not totally sure about your last question. Did you install the OSD program from your Alienware resource CD or the one available from download from Dell Support? If you used the one on your CD, that may be causing some issues for you. Use version 1.13 from Dell Support. It could also be something with the video driver. What video drivers are you using?

 

OSD from support site ver 1.13 a03, video drivers 8.73.100810.., again from dell website.

 

Shaco - I too get the OSD WMI error if I've got the External Monitor plugged in (I also use HDMI). If I use just the laptop screen - No error. Many of us have this problem. Since I'm on Extrenal monitor 90% of the Time - I took OSD out of the startup process

See this Thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/553553-m17x-r2-osd-error-program-startup.html