GTX 580 FREEZING whole M17xR3 - help needed

um, eh, where should I start. lets take it from begining. its a story....

I bought M17xR3 in October 2011. I configure it, and for the first 6 months, I had 0 (read ZERO) issues with it. No reboots, no BSOD, no single freeze, nothing. Since 1/11/2012 I install oficial verde drivers 285.62 and use it, and had 0 problems for the whole 6 months (i played over 400 hours BF3)

The first problems started on 29/3/2012, when a BIG patch for BF3 has been released. Since that day, igot BSOD with codes 0x00000116 which points to GPU problems (drivers). till that day BF3 was playing smooth on the drivers 285.62. after that patch (it has around 1.5 GB im not sure now), it started to run about 160-180% of its own speed. (on the same drivers), and i had a lot of BSOD. I created a topic here for this. The soultion was reinstall drivers, but the issue with the speed was still there. So i decided to upgrade drivers to 296.10. But here starts a real pain in **** (you know). it freezes the system, when i play BF3 somtimes. It let 0 entries in logs , and i had to reboot manualy. The screen stays frozen in game, nothing works. I try to run benchmarks on these drivers like 3dmark11, and it freezes also in this. complete hangup. sometimes in 10 seconds, somtimes in 3 minutes. So i finaly decided to try also beta drivers 301.24, which gives me a lot more FREEZE, even in updating WEI index (9 ALU, or 10 ALU bechmark), as well as ingame BF3 (same as 296.10).
I try to reinstall drivers forward, backward, and here is my summary:

WHQL 285.62:
- gives me a lot BSOD (error 0x00000116)
- speed up BF3 up to 160-180% of its own normal speed (weird thing is, the servers handles this speed as well, so its realy bizard), and this issue started 29/3/2012. its continuing till now, when i again use 285.62.

WHQL 296.10:
- freeze the whole laptop during gaming BF3 (the screen freeze, nothing works, I had to reboot manualy) - somtimes during selection screen, sometimes after 2 hours of play.
- will freeze also 3dmark11 (lets say 5/10 attempts),
- no BSOD

BETA 301.24:
- freeze the whole laptop during gaming BF3 (the screen freeze, nothing works, I had to reboot manualy) - somtimes during selection screen, sometimes after 2 hours of play.
- freeze also during updating WEI index (when it reaches 9 ALU, or 10 ALU test)
- NO BSOD

I read also temperatues during gaming and 3dmark11, it never goes above 69 degree celsius, which seems to be ok. so no overheating GPU.



So, i backup up my data. im ready to try anything. I need advice, im not able to say, its HW(GTX580, MoBo, PSU problem) or SW(drivers, directX) related. If its needed i can go to FACTORY RECOVERY image install and try something from there.

But i need something. If there is a program, with which I can stress the GPU (gtx580) and say, where the problem is or isnt, i will use it.

And good advice is appreciated.

If anyone had similar issues, please write here also.....

 

When you installed the latest drivers, did you do the express or custom install?

If you select the Custom installation and check the box to "perform a clean installation" it should set your card back to stock settings and it may undo anything that was changed otherwise.

You may want to enter Windows Safe mode and uninstall all of your current nVidia drivers, then download and run this program Driver Sweeper - CNET Download.com You will need to run this in Safe Mode as well and be sure to target the nvidia drivers only.

After that, try reinstalling the 296.1 drivers but be sure to use my above recommendation for installing the drivers.

Let us know if this helps.

 

Yes im aware of this clean setup.

I always use CUSTOM , and clean setup. Always did for all driver change.

EDIT:
hm. So look like i have to use factory recovery image, and after that, try to install clean 296.10.

But what if the freezing will continue there ?

EDIT2:
I reinstall FACTORY recovery image. Right after it has completes the build i only run 3dmark11. And guess what ?

It crashes during first 3-4 minutes EVERYTIME.
the factory drivers are 269.03.

when it crashes , then there is BSOD with 0x00000116. (i attached screen , you can see there the last 4 BSOD, right after the factory build, and running 3dmark11)

So im dead now. It looks like GPU is malfunctioning 90% I think, or maybe mobo 10%.

So it looks like when the first problems appears, around april (after 6 months), then it was GPU related , probably HW. Not SW.

PROBLEM: i order M17xR3 in USA, but im from Czech Republic.
What should do i do now ? I need help. Thank you.........

 

I'd have to see the dump files from the the BSOD's and analyze them with Windows debugger to be sure but according to bluescreenview the faulting module is dxgkrnl.sys which is the DirectX driver. See if you have the latest version of DirectX and if you do, try reinstalling it. It could still be a hardware issue but since dxgkrnl.sys was mentioned, it's worth a try before going through Dell.

If you'd like, you can zip and upload your dump files for me to analyze.

0x0116 stop errors are TDR errors where the system couldn't recover the faulty driver. TDR bluescreens aren't really a true crash since the stop error was initiated only because the graphics driver and/or hardware was unresponsive to recovery attempts. You can read up on TDR errors here: NVIDIA Statement on TDR Errors Display driver nvlddmkm stopped...

 

first id like to thank you for your help.

here are the files, all the same. 4 files included.

probably its not 100% clear from what i said, so:
Today:
I completely reinstall the system from the Factory recovery image, that is on hidden partition.

it completely format my HDD and copied there the factory image.
so all the files there are as the day 1, when i unbox the laptop.
After this, i ONLY install 3dmark11, and run it 10 times now. all 10 attempts failed with the same error, you can see in the DMP files.

My question is, IF it could be DX related problem , why it didnt happen since the first day in october11 ? for the whole 6 months, no single freeze/reboot.
Becuase i doubt, there are errors on the recovery partition. (i created also USB stick with this, and result is the same.)
And I dont know what do you mean DX latest version. This is W7, ) DX11 inbuild. There arent latest version...

and the drivers are the ones that was inbuild in the recovery image 269.03.

But as i say, i have tried also 269.03(reboots with BSOD error 116) 285.62(reboots with BSOD error 116), 296.10(freeze system) 301.24(freeze system). all now freeze/reboot within lets say 1-10 minutes of running something through GTX 580m.


Im trying to think what it could be , but it doesnt make sense. i read a couple of posts on internet with this 0x00000116, and a lot end with GPU replacement

but thank you again if you find something......

EDIT: I read the article you gave me, and I have to add, that nothing was OC in the system since day1. All default speeds/clock.
And again, i read temperatures trhough BF3 and 3dmark11, and in both cases, it never goes above 69 degree celsius on GTX580m. (its not overheating problem, no throttle problem.)

 

There are too many possibilities for me to say for sure and you're right; many TDR errors are due to GPU failures I hope your's isn't!

I just analyzed the dumps and, as you mentioned, they're all largely the same; 0x0116 TDR error caused by nvlddmkm.sys (not dxgkrnl.sys; there's no mention of that file in the actual dump...proof of why I don't like programs like whocrashed and bluescreenview for debugging ).

However the dump from the latest BSOD had an extra line that mentioned overlapped modules:

Spoiler

Code:

*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 116, {fffffa800d5564e0, fffff8800f55495c, ffffffffc000009a, 4}

Unable to load image \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\nvlddmkm.sys, Win32 error 0n2
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for nvlddmkm.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for nvlddmkm.sys
Probably caused by : nvlddmkm.sys ( nvlddmkm+c795c )

Followup: MachineOwner
---------

7: kd> !analyze -v
*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (116)
Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from timeout failed.
Arguments:
Arg1: fffffa800d5564e0, Optional pointer to internal TDR recovery context (TDR_RECOVERY_CONTEXT).
Arg2: fffff8800f55495c, The pointer into responsible device driver module (e.g. owner tag).
Arg3: ffffffffc000009a, Optional error code (NTSTATUS) of the last failed operation.
Arg4: 0000000000000004, Optional internal context dependent data.

Debugging Details:
------------------


[COLOR="Red"]OVERLAPPED_MODULE: Address regions for 'bowser' and 'sdbus.sys' overlap[/COLOR]

FAULTING_IP:
nvlddmkm+c795c
fffff880`0f55495c 488bd1          mov     rdx,rcx

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  GRAPHICS_DRIVER_TDR_FAULT

CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT:  1

BUGCHECK_STR:  0x116

PROCESS_NAME:  System

CURRENT_IRQL:  0

STACK_TEXT: 
fffff880`0395ca48 fffff880`10161000 : 00000000`00000116 fffffa80`0d5564e0 fffff880`0f55495c ffffffff`c000009a : nt!KeBugCheckEx
fffff880`0395ca50 fffff880`10134867 : fffff880`0f55495c fffffa80`1138b000 00000000`00000000 ffffffff`c000009a : dxgkrnl!TdrBugcheckOnTimeout+0xec
fffff880`0395ca90 fffff880`10160e0f : fffffa80`ffffd84d fffffa80`0d288010 fffffa80`0d5564e0 fffffa80`113917a0 : dxgkrnl!DXGADAPTER::Reset+0x2a3
fffff880`0395cb40 fffff880`0f437ec1 : fffffa80`0d170010 00000000`00000080 00000000`00000000 fffffa80`11391010 : dxgkrnl!TdrResetFromTimeout+0x23
fffff880`0395cbc0 fffff800`02d2832e : 00000000`0248e577 fffffa80`113a8770 fffffa80`0d080840 fffffa80`113a8770 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWorkerThread+0x101
fffff880`0395cc00 fffff800`02a7d666 : fffff800`02bfee80 fffffa80`113a8770 fffff800`02c0ccc0 fffff880`01431cb0 : nt!PspSystemThreadStartup+0x5a
fffff880`0395cc40 00000000`00000000 : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiStartSystemThread+0x16


STACK_COMMAND:  .bugcheck ; kb

FOLLOWUP_IP:
nvlddmkm+c795c
fffff880`0f55495c 488bd1          mov     rdx,rcx

SYMBOL_NAME:  nvlddmkm+c795c

FOLLOWUP_NAME:  MachineOwner

MODULE_NAME: nvlddmkm

IMAGE_NAME:  nvlddmkm.sys

DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP:  4e07aea4

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x116_IMAGE_nvlddmkm.sys

BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x116_IMAGE_nvlddmkm.sys

Followup: MachineOwner
---------

I've highlighted the line in red. It mentions sdbus.sys which, if I'm not mistaken is the system file for the card reader. So things that I would try if you haven't already are:

1) Clean install of nVidia drivers
2) Clean install of DirectX (still worth a shot IMO)
3) Clean install of card reader drivers
4) Make sure your GPU is on the latest version of the vBIOS (go to nVidia Control Panel>System Information>Video BIOS verion: 70.24.2B.00.06)
5) SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

Let me know how it goes. Good luck!

 

1) this is the clean instalation of driver 269.03 (included in recovery image)
2) still dont know what do you mean by this. I never instaled any DX package on windows 7 (there is DX11 inbuild).
3) huh, do you think this could be caused by a card reader ? i never installed a driver for this, so again its inbuild in the recovery image. never touch that.
4) yes it is.
5) yes i check it - 0 errors.


btw, another 4 files.

and... what about if its not GPU, but faulty mobo ? I trys also run diagnostics in bios, and from 20 runs, 2 times, it gives me different SYSTEM BOARD errors:
one of them was:
error code 2000-0221
val. 5586
MSG: system board - internal timer not functional

the other one was:
error code 2000-0233
MSG: system board - RTC "seconds" count is not updating


after i run the tests again, it was ok.

and yes, when i see the BSOD rebooting, there is always in the middle :

nvlddmkm.sys error


and last information- the situation was :
first 6 months no single freeze/reboot, then first BSOD on 285.62. the next goes after lets say another 30 hours, then another in 20, another in 10....... its getting worse and worse. now the sitution is, it always crashes in the first 5 minutes of play BF3/3dmark11.

and what really believes me, its HW related GPU or Mobo, is , that right now i have there absolutely CLEAN OS + drivers install, from factory image. And its still there.

 

Error code 2000-0221 is a BIOS/Motherboard error, specifically Interval Timer Channel 0 (mode 0) is not generating interrupts. Error 2000-0233 is a variation on the same theme. See Pre-Boot System Assessment (PSA) Diagnostics and Error Codes For Dell Computers | Dell. The recommended fix by Dell is to update the BIOS, then rerun the PSA. If the error still occurs, call Dell for further solutions.

The most recent BIOS for the R3 is A10, available here: Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]. It suffers from the side effect of downgrading SATA ports from SATA III to SATA II, but you can cross that bridge later if and after stability is established.

 

I have there A08.

Ok, updating now to A10... then rerun the 3dmark, an let yo know.

EDIT: ok A10 instaled, behaviour of GPU is the same freeze in first 2 minutes and BSOD , reboot.
i noticed that the GPU fan has 3 speeds, slow , medium, high. Now when it switch to high, it goes for a while, then freeze sceen, BSOD, and immediately GPU fan is turned off. When the laptops reboots, it spins for a while and then its quite, which is ok, becuase it goes on internal GPU, which seems to be ok.

So ? becuase the interval between BSOD/freeze is smaller and smaller (counting last 2 months), i think the GTX580m is dying somehow... (even if it never goes over 69 degree celsius in full load) W T H ?


but, could it be instead of GPU, MOBO ?


I check the warranty on web, its still covered, with basic 1 year waranty international.
Questions for technicians:
- how can the tech recognize, its GPU which is faulty, or MoBo ? What is the technique for this ?
- is gtx580m still in production ? or in the case, the gtx580m is faulty, they gave me similiar card, which is now GTX 675m ? Thx.

 

Well, for discerning between if it is the Mainboard or the GPU they may have some tools to test the MB or GPU specifically. Beyond that, it's more an educated guess of installing a new GPU and seeing if the issues persist. If issues persist with the known good GPU, then it would be a mainboard issue.

Also, I do know with Dell technical support (might be different in your country) they usually do remote diagnostics before getting replacement parts if I am not mistaken.
This means that they will likely take a look at your dump files and see if they can reproduce the issues themselves.

Usually, though Dell/AW may be a bit different, the manufacturer keeps a couple of extra parts on hand just for warranty purposes.

It would obviously be up to Dell/AW which card you would get whether it is a 580M or the 675M. They should be able to get you an equivalent card either way.

 

The last dump file from the latest BSOD mentioned sdbus.sys was involved in the error so I was suggesting a reinstallation of the driver to rule out driver conflicts which can cause TDR errors. It's sort of a last ditch effort to rule out driver/software problems to see if the hardware could be saved. However seeing as the system failed a hardware diagnostics it looks like it is indeed hardware related

It's good to hear that it's still under warranty though
As Revelator mentioned, both the error codes you posted point to a faulty motherboard. Info How To Use Dell ePSA Diagnostics Error Codes

 

so last try i updated the driver for card reader from dell site, and it didnt include sdbus.sys i check it. but its still failing to BSOD.

EDIT:
look the screen. Dell isnt giving support for AW ? wth ?


and as someone has mention, the remote assistnce, you mean this page ? http://www.gotoassist.com/ph/dell-aw-us-en

 

It doesn't mean Dell isn't giving support for AW, it's stating that they won't do a chat session for AW. You're going to have to call them.

 

The chat system connects you to the India support centers; you want Alienware support in Costa Rica. They are more knowledgeable about AW systems, more accommodating and a helluva lot easier to understand. My few experiences with AW Costa Rica have been excellent, but it still takes time with the remote connection/diagnosis, etc. However, that process can often be short-circuited once they determine that you are reasonably knowledgeable and honest, avoiding repetition of troubleshooting steps and curative efforts you've already tried. Few guarantees in this world, but the AW support people in Costa Rica that I've dealt with are pretty decent, completely different from the run-of-the mill Dell tech support people.

 

revelator: good to hear this. Do you have some phone number,or other direct conection to that center ? And can they provide remote access to europe ? Guess they can, from what i saw ´, its citrix based. thank you.

BTW, im working in bank, and we have support center in India as well. Geeeez, i hate that. nothing against India, but its nearly impossible to understand them, and sometimes, they are not well prepared for basic things. uh.

 

so... after contacting european support, transfering waranty, etc, a dell AW technician with new GPU will come to me on monday. They have discovered, i did enough "tests and identify of rootcause" so after 10 minutes, they decided to change the GPU. I only pray, HE is skilled enough, not to break my M17x.....

 

Good deal and good luck with the home tech. The ones I've dealt with have been excellent, but based on the experiences of others, the quality seems highly variable. Hard to screw up a GPU replacement in an R3 with minimal care.

 

im sad panda indeed. The story continues as follows.......

1) technician came after 3days to me (everyday calling the eu hotline of urgency) with new GPU gtx580m.
He dismount the back, replace the GPU. Mount it.
The GPU was not shown in windows, so we went to BIOS, where stayed:
Discrete Graphics : NOT DETECTED.
weird. he unmount again whole GPU, and put it again together.
Again NOT DETECTED.
W T H. so we think, the GPU is faulty from factory, and he went for another one.

2) next day
technician came, with 2nd NEW GPU gtx580m.
again, umount mount repaste.
again , under BIOS: NOT DETECTED.
sounds crazy, but ye, again dismount mount, repaste. again bios: not detected.
So we decided to put back "the broken" original GPU.
we dont know what, how, or what the hell is going on, but this old one, is the only one, that the mobo recognize as "nvidia GFX".
Both the new GPUs (GTX 580m, with the same bios - checked, sealed from factory = NOT DETECTED in bios).
We decided to flash again bios in mobo. back to A08, no change, back to A10, still no change.
always for both new cards NOT DETECTED in bios.

Can you believe that ?
Hes got a long phonecall with another technician who is specialized in AW HW, and he told him, he had something similiar on M17x, it was broken MOBO.
So now, believe or not, it could be, the original GPU is working right, also the both new GPUs, he brought himself, and there is after 6 months broken MOBO in my M17x'R3.

So, the other guy, said, he should order complete new combo, mobo+gpu+heatsink (in some cases he said, the heatsink could cause a huge problems also.) and replace all 3 parts in my laptop, which means, dismount whole laptop to the ground.

Today he went for all the parts, probably tommorrow, we start with the complete HW rebuild.

so, even if it points from beginning to the GPU malfunction, it now points to MOBO. (It really could be, i had also in bios by diagnostics, 2 errors that came from MOBO, but they dissapear.)
So BSOD with 0x00000116, could still be also fautly MOBO instead of GPU.

Im sad panda, because the technican said, he never unscrew whole M17 for mobo replacment. So it will be his first..........

I think he can broke 1000 +1 things..... but I cannot do anything else, because he said this model is rare in Czech republic, so nearly no technician has expirience with this.

The repair will be done at my home, so I will probably assist.
I need LUCK indeed...... with this. God bless me....

 

Good luck mate, and a good thread, I've been haveing some funny issues with my AW as well not as bad as yours though but similar

 

thank you. Im trying to keep this updated, so maybe in the future this can help someone, and also, becuase there are a really good people in this forum , that trying help as hard as they can. thank you guys.

 

The tech probably has the service manual (I hope he does!!) but I have links to the service manual in my sig. You may want to download it and keep it handy. Look up some disassembly videos. I haven't been able to find a complete teardown of the R3 but the service manual describes it pretty well. Good luck!

edit: Just found a complete teardown video: Alienware M17x R3 R4 complete teardown / how to take apart / disassemble - Hidevolution.com
Boo... the [youtube] [/youtube] tags don't work on this forum

 

Almost no techs have done complete teardowns on AW machines. I am in America and had to get a mobo replaced and the tech had never done it. Just look up the service manual and follow the steps. It provides everything you need, order of the screws, how to get the screwless parts apart, what order to do it all, etc.

One big thing, make sure to get the display cable back in the correct slot for your machine. Note when you take it apart which slot it is plugged into and put it back correctly. Otherwise just watch the tech, follow the guide, and you should be fine. It isn't hard, just time consuming.

 

Here is an excellent teardown guide for the Alienware M17 Alienware M17x R3 R4 complete teardown / how to take apart / disassemble - Hidevolution.com - YouTube
He does a really nice job.

 

thank you very much. Yes he said, he has the manual already..... in 5 hours, he gives me a call, if all 3 parts are ready, then the hell will open its gate......... Ill keep you informed.

EDIT:
he called me, there are currently problems with motherboards availaibility for M17xR3 in europe. minimum 1 week wait. .

 

The story continue....

You would think im crazy but im not.

So..

A technican came to me, skilled enough for complete teardowns. no problems here. So far so good.
He replaced mobo + gpu + heatsink.
Now i have 4th gtx580m, 3rd motherboard, 2nd heatsink.

The BSOD + freezing completely dissapears now, so the 1st GPU was really faulty after 6 months of usage.
But 1 weird problem still remains.
Its so weird.
The computer is speeding up randomly, in games, even in windows.
behaviour:
i can play a game 2 hours normaly, then this speedup appears. the game is going 160-180% of their speed. The voice inthere is also speed up, for exmaple character speeking faster then its normal.
in windows for example, normaly opening a explorer or window take 1 - 1.5 seconds, which is normal. If the speed up is on, the whole computer reacts quicker. a explorer opens approx in 0.3 seconds. Its so weird.
No reboot help, no complete shutdown help. When it appears, it stays like this, for example another 3 hours.

Im at the end.
All parts that could cause this were replaced. the speed-issue started after the 6 months when first BSOD appears on GPU. and it still remains, although the BSOD are gone now completely.

I need help. i dont know what to do now....
Anyone knows what could cause this speedup ?





additional info:
3rd mobo gives me in bios (A10, A08) the same error messages somtimes, somtimes not, same as on 1st mobo:

error code 2000-0221
val. 5586
MSG: system board - internal timer not functional

the other one was:
error code 2000-0233
MSG: system board - RTC "seconds" count is not updating


and other thing. The 3rd mobo had bios A09. never saw that. But for unknown reason, the internal GPU was not detected this time, only dedicated. We updated bios to A10, then it shows up. But windows itself didnt catch this. it always use internal gpu instead of dedicated (it runs games on internal, even if I say in nvidia control panel use gtx580m only).
the only solution for this was completely reinstall windows. Then it worked again.

The speedup issue appears on both combinations:
1st gpu + 1st mobo + 1st heatsink (after 6 months)
4th gpu + 3rd mobo + 2nd heatsink

 

So i think the problem is in the motherboard again..,.

Issue: speeding up whole laptop randomly.

1st and 3rd mobo has 2 error in bios diagnostics:

error code 2000-0221
val. 5586
MSG: system board - internal timer not functional

the other one was:
error code 2000-0233
MSG: system board - RTC "seconds" count is not updating


I think, becuase of this, both mobos, have problems with counting the real time. and because of this , the speeding up happend.
update bios didnt help.

Can any skilled technician write here, how to fix this manually? what part of mobo is responsible for this.
And its a failure in global, i mean failure in mobo design ?
I think because of these errors, the GPU and maybe other components are under heavier load then usual, and maybe because of this, my 1st GPU died.

I really need a help, please.

how to fix this ?

 

Hi, This is really weird, sorry I can't offer anything over what has been tried BUT; you've had 3 (or more?) engineer visits and parts replaced, and according to the Dell engineer I spoke to you are eligible to get a replacement. Just call in and say you want it replaced (very nicely!).

I did this with my 6 month old AW after 2 HD's and video card. When they said they would like to try a mobo, I said that I had been through enough loss of work and stress, had paid a lot of money and PLEASE can I get a new one? Guy told me the above and he would check with his supervisor. 5 minutes on hold and voilla, 'you will get a call to arrange the replacement'.

You've done more that enough to try to fix this machine and you have paid for a good warranty so maybe time to cut your losses?

 

you wouldnt believe what has happend. I still cant believe this is international support.

I call again eu callcenter for AW, which is in slovakia, and they told me now, i dont have original configuration (RAM) and they are not obliged to do any repair for me. (even if I bought it as 1 piece from hidE), I talked also with their supervisor.
he told me, that they send me a technician 3x times and it was only their goodwill.

And that I have to call the seller, for full refund. (hidevolution). they will not help me anymore.

i cant believe that.

Right now contacing hidevolution, and im leading them here to this topic, so they can see, i have done ALL, and still no solution.

you know the piece cost me 3000$, its still under waranty, and noone is able to help me now...... will see what hidevolution will do.


If not already said. Im from Czech Republic, bought it from Hidevolution (US). that is also a problem.

 

Boy are you having a bad day, week, month

Purchasing from a non-dell reseller in a different country puts a slightly different perspective on it.

I'm assuming that either you or Hid transferred the warranty when you purchased it. Otherwise you should not have got any support using your service tag. I have purchased machines in the US, transferred them to other countries (Mexico and Brazil) and the warranty transferred in-full to the new location. The only thing I lost was accidental damage coverage that was not offered in those countries at that time but those were purchased directly from Dell.

If the machine is not registered to you you'll need to go to the Dell site and do an 'International Warranty Transfer'. Simple process

A replacement is probably not going to happen as this IS goodwill in every case after the the initial return period has expired but to just refuse any help is unacceptable.

Take a look through the owners lounge thread as Dell reps are there and I believe (can't find it right now) there is a 'dellresolution' email that people have used with success when warranty difficultys occur

 

Yes, the waranty transfer was done by HIDEvolution a weeks ago.

Yes i learn a hard lesson from that.

1) dont buy anything outside my country, because the poor repair services (i mean here in czech republic, i know in US its working as it should.)

2) ill never buy again AW/dell in my life, and Ill widening my expirience with this poor service. because of this. As i said, i have 4th GPU, 3rd mobo, 2nd heatsink, and still problem isnt solved. and service is giving hands away.

Im tired. The problems started in april, and its my only PC. 3 months and now dell cr/sr told me, sorry we cannot repair it, becuase non original RAM. They even dont understand where is the problem.

this is customer service ? No its not. Its a huge lie. The ram isnt causing any problems there, but noone is listening.......

last chance is hidE. If they failme, I waste 3000$ half year ago........

 

Try to hang in there, I know how you feel, it took me 6 months to get a fully working system (in the UK) but sometimes you have to work pretty hard at it!

Since the machine is correctly registered the Dell warranty is in full operation. A replacement is NOT part of the warranty, Dell usually do this when they give-up on sending engineers (+3 times) but it's totally at their discretion.

They do have an 'out' of the contract with the non-standard ram, but if you take a look at the signature file of all the dell reps that post here, they clearly state that dismantling your machine will not invalidate the warranty. I'm going to search for one after writing this and I'll edit it in.

Taking this into account all Hidevo need to do is send you the original ram, you put that in and it becomes Dell's problem again . But maybe Hidevolution will go a little further with customer service?

You're suffering because the third-party company Dell employ for your region is sticking to the letter of the contract, whereas elsewhere, like the US where I worked for a number of years, they are much more flexible.

But 'yes' saving money up-front with off-shore purchases can bite if there is a problem

Edit: Dell Rep's sig file :

Dell | Alienware Technical Support Alienware Arena
Opening your case and/or replacing parts yourself does not void your warranty, check our disassemble videos on YouTube
Quickest way to get support from Dell: Twitter via @AlienwareTech or Facebook.com/Alienware using the "message" link.
I can't always reply to PM's, please for extra assistance use any of the Facebook and Twitter links

 

Thank you.

I never change anything, its original build from HidE, but this doesnt matter, czech AW dell doesnt listen to that. Hid put there the ram 4x4 GB , and from what I understand that is also a problem, because here in this land Czech Republic, a "standard" AW has ony 1x 4 GB. Anything that isnt 1x 4GB is for them non standard, and they will not repair it. I can only laugh to that stupidity. Sometimes some said we have idiots here in Czech republic/ mid EU.

I agree. We have.


Now waiting for HidE as last turn......

 

There are idiots everywhere, they are just under better control in some parts of the world

Edit, just reread and it must have been registered with the ram you have so your only course of action is Dell directly. They can force the issue with the local supplier if need be

Another option I just though of is to just take out the extra 3 ram sticks, if you have 4x4, and leave one in there? Hid probably purchased it with the minimum ram so they could add their own cheaply. You can check what your 'Dell' configuration should be using your service tag on dell's site. Once you have a 4gb machine if that is what it says, you can call Dell back...

 

This is nearly no way, because the idiots told me, that HidE unscrew it, to put there 4x4 GB, and this operation only is "not covered by their services". so it will be same, beacuse they now know i have there 4x4, so telling them i have there now only 1x4 means, someone have hands inside laptop, and they are out of the business.

....

 

Then it has to be Dell direct you need to talk to. As I showed you, dell do not care if the machine has been opened up, only if it was damaged in the process. It's your local *idiots* that are being difficult and they work for dell! You are covered by dell's warranty but their agents are refusing so only dell HQ can get you movement.

Don't go into all the details of the problems, keep it simple. The machine is not working properly, parts have been replaced and now they cannot fix it so are refusing to assist. They can look up the service history for all the details that have been entered and tell you why they will not honour the warranty - or get it fixed.

Good luck don't give up yet!

Pick one of the dell reps here, you can find one at least on the first page of the forum list and ask for help.

 

ok, i send PM to one, waiting for answer....

 

'Fingers crossed' then. I did try the twitter route #dellcares when I was having another problem but by the time they responded the guy I asked here had sorted it.

If you end up trying this way just send an open message asking for help. Once they add you, you can send a 'direct message' (private message) to them with the details they will ask for - basically the service tag but be careful not to post your service tag publicly. Twitter is not very friendly to use and Facebook might be better if you have used that before.

Lets hope you get a response from your PM...

 

still waiting, i contacted "bill.." or something like so....

i dont have twitter or FB, i know, but i hate these....

 

Well, it is the weekend and these guys are actually working when they come on here. Dell Bill was the guy that helped me out with warranty service but it was in a thread about the specific problem.

If you get no response then you may have to create a twitter account. I did this just to contact Dell.

What you are looking for is 'warranty resolution'. I know I saw an email @dell.com for this but I can't find it. You have a valid claim on the dell warranty so also try one of the other dell reps, you just want to get to someone in dell that deals with warranty issues!!! Frustrating, I know

 

I know he is a busy guy, ill wait till tomorrow.
And waiting also for hidE for their answer as well.

EDIT:
one additional info, ivgot info from technician that was by me, there here in czech republic, dell will NEVER use NEW m17xr3 mobo. Never.
They will only use scrap or refurbished motherboard for this model. Can you believe that ? looks like czech republic is bangladesh, or cambodia ? W T F. mid EU, 100 hundert years behind apes.

So big warning to all people in this area. DO NOT EVER buy AW machine here. service will only use scrap motherboards.

 

I can say that dell have this policy worldwide. All parts used in repairs for warranty claims may be refurbished - another way of saying used but tested. When my machine was considered as 'not viable for further repair', the first thing the guy said is that he will check if there is a refurbished one of the same spec before sending a new one.

Saying 'never' though is very bad for dell's credibility. I doubt you'll find any manufacturer with better waranty service unless they make them in-country.

In my experience often the big manufactures use the same service company in a specific country so the 'dell' engineer becomes HP at his next call. Parts of the world that have lower profits for US companies get a level of service that is usual for the location. This is just the way it is. I had a small fight to get waranty service for a US purchased machine when I was working in Brazil. That service company started to claim 'cultural differences', What does that mean?!

Chill it a bit while you are still trying to get help from them, I feel for you but trashing the company you are asking for help from is never a good idea

Good luck

 

ye ye. all said is true, I know. Im thinking the same about the support guy area, but this isnt good situation. Isnt. I may get some refurb, parts that will work for 3 months, and then vuala screw up again. Then out of warranty, i can continue never ending repairs but only for my own cash.

Sorry, I refuse that.