M17X Battery not charging - R2 owners, *test BIOS* available

I hope they do as well. The only reason why I am interested in this because I want Dell to roll this out for the M17xR1 (and of course, R2 owners as well). I really would like to move to the current R1 bios instead of using A03.

Well that, and the fact that a little help from me might help in organizing our responses for chris.

So, again - a show of hands?

X34 working well?

X34 fails big time? if so, what are you seeing?

 

tried to install X34 (not sure if it's installed correctly) in BIOS still showing X33

booted on USB bootable disk

typed F (SYSTEM WAS ON 12% BATTERY NOT CHARGING)

system rebooted and Battery started to charge

will post more info later (after more tests)

@Chris or BatBoy
what shall be the bios version in BIOS after installing X34 . . mine is still showing X33. is this correct ?

 

I have no idea on what the BIOS should show after flashing X33. I do not have access to a 17xR2 - Chris and the other forum folks can better answer this.

what do you mean by:

Just to be sure, always flash BIOS, install drivers, etc. while under AC power.

Actually, I dont even know if a BIOS flash is possible under DC only.

 

I was on AC but Battery was on 12% battery not charging

this morning (on X33) I had the problem of battery not charging again and I left it on 12%

in the package of X34 there is a .bat file called F.bat so I executed it for the installation of the x34

 

Interesting. Well, hopefully someone will confirm if the system is supposed to show as X34 or if, after the X34 flash it still shows X33.

For now, I'd leave it as is and just continue to monitor. Thanks for posting the feedback. Hopefully, others will join in and share their results.

I'm actually quite amazed, this was a big issue before and not many have been posting. I know if this was on the 17xR1, I would be testing this along with many other R1 owners.

 

Yes I will do as you suggest, I will continue to monitor and take note of the situation, but I think that someting happened during the flash cos system restarted and battery started to charge (and still charging whilst typing)

I rebooted the system more then once and also disconnected the PSU from the mains, so far, battery is still charging

 

I tried flashing X34 and it does not complete.

I tried doing so in DOS from a bootable USB thumb drive. The BIOS flash program started to run, then abruptly powered off. I was very scared that it may have bricked the system.

I powered up and went into setup and was still at X33. Maybe this is also what happened to SpideRMaN-17.

 

Maybe people are apprehensive about flashing their BIOS with something that is not an official Dell/Alienware release. I admit to biting my lower lip with both the X33 and X34 BIOS updates.

 

I applied X34 using a USB Boot Drive.

I'm at work ATM and can't reboot my system to confirm, but I'm certain the BIOS revision still reads as X33, however, the EC revision is something like nn.34.

Update 1: I booted on battery and allowed it to drain. Plugged in the AC Adapter and the battery charged as expected. I'll do it again later today and ensure the battery drains to at least 12% and try again, but so far, so good.

 

Yes, it's exactly what happened to me,

now am draining the battery to 12% again to see if it starts charging when I plug in PSU

 

This happened to me as well.

I don't believe X34 is a complete BIOS revision, it only updates the EC Version. (ChrisM: Please correct me if I'm wrong!).

As I noted above the firmware revision seems to remain at X33, however, the EC version is updated to 91.34. I'm assuming the .34 refers to the X34 update.

Edit: Discharging battery now ...

 

i think the reason that you don't see much posts and testers regarding that is because, in my opinion, a lot of us do not consider it a very serious issue to warrant bothering with half baked BIOS releases.
On top of that, it has a relatively easy workaround :

• disable adapter warnings in BIOS
• whenver the battery is not charging just pull it out and put back in while the ac is connected - works every time.

What i would be testing like crazy is a fix for the SSD slowness on those machines but i am going OT ...

 

Discharged battery to 7% using X34.

"Plugged in, not charging" displayed after plugging in the AC adapter and mouse-over on battery task bar icon.

I thought this issue was resolved ... guess not ...

Edit: Doh! I feel like such a nOob ... After several minutes the battery began to charge ...

 

I tried it 3 times with what should be X34 (bios still shows X33)

all 3 times battery failed to charge (plugged in not charging)

I am replicating this issue ALL the time now if it may help

p.s. with laptop powered off and battery drained to 12% , If I plug in the PSU the alien head starts to change from Blue to Black (which according to alien affects it's in sleep mode). when I power up the laptop and boot into windows, the alien head remains blue (but battery not charging)

Thanks

 

Guys,
Had to pull X34 for now. Thanks for those that tested it and posted results.

 

Thanks for your time DellChrisM, back to A09 (for now)

 

devoidx is correct.

The behavior Mr.Fox reports is normal for the F.Bat flash process. BIOS version will still be X33, EC version will be 91.34. Just the EC section has been flashed up, core BIOS is still X33.

 

Thanks for your efforts ChrisM.

I/We look forward to the next firmware update!

Hopefully Dell will continue to review this forum and provide updates for both the R1 and R2 and not simply focus on the 'R3' in the short to medium term.

Even though these models are now 'old' there are many of us who purchased this system recently (in the case of the R2 anyway) and should not be forgotten.

I doubt there are many of us who can afford to spend AU$4,000 every 12 months to upgrade to the latest revision (and perhaps replace one set of issues with another).

 

usually i unplug it only when i take it places but as of late i haven't been going anywhere as much

 

I checked my EC version and it is 91.34, so the flash operation completed even though it did not produce the desired result.

I ran my system down to 40% on battery power last night. When I started the system on AC power this morning I had the pleasure of seeing the "plugged in, not charging" message once again.

As usual, dropping and reinserting the battery cleared it.

 

Hey Mr. Fox,

This may be a stupid question and if so, my apologies, but did you give it at least 10 minutes?

I had the same message and after approx 10 minutes the battery began to charge (Drained it to 8%).

 

I wouldn't call that a stupid question and no apology is necessary.

No, I did not give it 10 minutes. Being a typical impatient person, I implemented the workaround at the first sign of the problem to make it go away. I had tried waiting in the past (before the BIOS update) and it never made any difference. The next time this occurs--which is not a matter of if, but when--I will see if the machine decides to "heal itself".

 

Even im facing similar problems and this is mostly in cases where the battery is not used for more than 5-6days together where the machine is plugged into AC power all the time. When ever i run it on battery power on a daily basis it tends to charge automatically once it drops down to 20%. Otherwise it would drop down to 7% and go into sleep mode even if the FN+F2 is set to CHARGE THE BATTERY and the only solution is a power drain to get them charged again.

Dell India CC has no solution to this yet and don't accept this as a problem ...

 

Would anybody send me the x34 bios? I just got my alien(less than 24 hrs ago) and the battery wont charge! I have tried all work around I know of and no luck. I spoke with alien tech support and the only resolution they can offer is for me to send in the alien for refund. Any other ideas?

Everything I have tried so far:
Updated to x33.

Unpluged the battery and cord and hold the power button for 3 minutes with no results.

Booted up pc without battery and inserted battery after windows fully boots.

Removed and inserted battery after booting.

 

Got the "plugged in, not charging message" this evening. This occurred starting from a cold boot with the AC adapter connected after using my M17X R2 by battery power on a plane for about an hour, with 13% charge remaining.

Devoidx - I waited 25 minutes and it never began charging. Pulling and reconnecting the battery corrected the problem, as usual.

 

Ask them to send you a new battery and AC adapter. If that does not do the trick, take them up on the refund or hotswap. Mine had the same issue within 24 hours of arrival, but doing the things you did made it start charging. To date, there is no permanent fix for this problem. The workaround is a pain in the posterior, but it has always worked for me. The X34 test bios is no longer available, but it does not matter since it does not cure the problem.

 

can't believe this..i have the same problem. man this r2 keeps coming with new issues..lol

 

with the test bios? please be specific in issue threads. thanks.

 

I just ordered an R2, is this a problem with current R2s coming off the line also? Kinda worried about spending the money for a M17x if its going to be a pain just to charge the battery.

 

It is an intermittent issue which, as you can see, is being worked on. The M17xR1 and the M15x also encounter this problem.

 

ah in my case its with the A09.

 

It is definitely an inconvenience, but not a serious problem. In my opinion, the inconvenience is worth tolerating if you want the level of portable computing power the M17X R2 delivers. Personally, I had rather put up with this inconvenience than settle for something less. The excellent build quality alone more than compensates for having to go through the ritual of removing and reinserting the battery or doing a periodic discharge with the power button. It is sporadic... sometimes daily, sometimes once a week or even less. As long as you have an AC outlet, you will be able to function--even with no battery installed.

Having said all that, I want this fixed. Soon.

 

OK. "Plugged in, not charging". Well, that's 1 issue... not a new one, though.

What else? Maybe I'm lucky, but I'm not aware of anything else that is unique to the R2 or Alienware.

...lol... ? Why?

 

The new BIOS did not fix the problem for me. M17x2

 

I recently purchased an M17x R2 from the Dell Outlet. I got it yesterday and it would not charge at all at any point, I tried all of the procedures including the battery drain and taking the battery out. This was with the A08 bios. It showed that it was not a certified dell power supply during boot, and also showed a similar error in windows. Windows did not show any indication of charging.

Dell support spent an hour or so remotely with the computer. They upgraded to the x33 bios and it did not charge with it either. After trying numerous things already mentioned in this thread, the battery would not start charging at any point. They are sending a local tech with a new battery, power adapter, and motherboard later this week. I will report back then.

 

I have this exact problem, although for me they are only sending a new power adapter. Please let me know if/what they do to resolve the issue.

 

The problem most likely is nothing but the power adapter. Many of the support reps just use the shotgun method to repair, like many auto repairers do... "just replace everything and it's bound to cure the problem". I see that as a sign of technical incompetence and I would prefer not to have my case cracked open to replace a motherboard that does not need to be replaced. Every time you tear it apart there is a risk of something getting broken. If the AC adapter is all you need, you should actually be happy that's all they're going to do. If that does not fix the problem, they can always send a battery or even replace the mobo later.

It has always puzzled me why they are using a straight connector instead of one with a 90 degree angle. The cord is so heavy that it seems it would be highly susceptible to damaging the motherboard or the port sticking out perpendicular the case. A 90 degree connector would put the power cord parallel to the back of the machine and make it less prone to damage. It would also put less stress on the cord and make it more resistant to fatigue and shorting.

The XPS M1730 that my M17X R2 replaced had the same flawed design. Dell replaced the M1730 AC adapter under warranty 3 times in 2 years.

 

This is not necessarily the case. We have a second M17x here at work and Dell sent a power adapter and battery for it. It will not charge at all without doing the hoaky power dump procedure with either one of the test bios. If you unplug the adapter and plug it back in in windows it will freeze up. He has already returned his M17x back to dell.

The tech will be here at 3:00 to look at mine. Most likely, I will be returning mine back to Dell as well.

 

The test bios DID seem to fix my plugged in, not charging issue. I drained to 15% the other day, then plugged in. For the first few minutes the old message appeared but then changed to charging without me doing anything....

 

The tech changed the battery and power adapter on mine. It is a much more slimline power adapter than I first had. It appears to be working fine so far, still with the x33 bios.

 

There are always exceptions and you could say "not necessarily the case" about almost any subject. My point was that Dell/Alienware Support sometimes does more than truly necessary to fix problems. Sending out an AC adapter, battery and motherboard is fine, but simply replacing all of them for good measure is just silly. In my experience with the M1730 that my M17X R2 replaced, and most of what I have read on forums about the M1730 and M17X is that the AC adapters are the primary component most prone to failure.

The machine that needed to be returned apparently had something more serious wrong with it than the similar (but less onerous) problem being discussed by most of the people on this forum. Did your coworker try pulling the CMOS battery and plugging it back in before returning it? I have heard that sometimes cures the more serious problem like the one you described.

I am very glad to hear that the battery and AC adapter took care of your problem today. It's great news that they did not have to replace your motherboard.

Happy computing.

 

I updated the BIOS driver today after having the battery problem like everyone else did. I have to say, I was surprised when the icon changed to 'charging' all on it's own. I don't know if the update will hold and I will drop back to 'plugged in, not charging', but I'm hopeful.

 

Hey Guys,

Here's a new scenario, or one that I have not experienced before today. I started my M17X R2 on battery power for the first time in about a week. After Windows loads, I get a pop-up message in my system tray telling me that the AC adapter that I have connected is not supported and the system will continue on battery power, press any key to continue. (Normally, it's the stupid message telling me to connect a support AC adapter for best performance.)

HUH? What the heck? I had no AC adapter connected.

Anyway, everything seems to be functioning as it should. When I drain the battery down and have to reconnect to the grid, I anticipate going through the ritual steps to correct the "plugged in, not charging" condition.

 

Hey Guys,

Here is a list of some scenarios I've run to highlight the Adapter/Battery Issues.

View attachment m17x-R2_Battery_Woes.doc

These were run over a period over 3 - 4 hours. Happy to run other scenarios and update the document if anyone is able to provide feedback/comment.

 

Thanks for keeping track of them.

For the record, when I connected the AC adapter this time, my system immediately began charging. (No rituals had to be performed this time. )

 

I have both an m17xr1 and an r2. Great machine in terms of capability, but this Dell proprietary power mechanism has to go. If Dell really wanted to save face with me (and probably many others), release the source to this BIOS. I'm sure there are many people capable of assembly and c to be able to jump out the whole "battery not charging" business. Probably not going to happen, but why not just jump this crap out themselves.

As a side note, I also bought the m11x and this thing has its share of problems too (Hinges are very poorly designed and crack after normal use). I have had other notebooks in the past (Gateway 7x11 Asus g50v) and none of these has the nagging issues. I just bought the new Asus g53 (15 inch) and plan on giving my m17xs to my kids and wife. I even managed to find a great car power supply that works for the g53jw (ED1150). Dell and Alienware have a great machine. I wish they would just suck it up and use regular (non-proprietary power). I would bet they would dominate the high-end notebook market if they did this. It is issues like these that make me look to other manufactures. Since I know Dell uses this same proprietary power for their regular notebooks as well, I always recommend the Asus line to them.

Here is a typical routine: play some starcraft 2 on the kitchen table. Surf the web. Sleep or shutdown to take to work. Connect up and use at work to surf web. Bring home and setup again. Sometimes just disconnect mouse and power so I can take into crapper with me. Reconnect. Even as I am typing this, I am greeted with 71% available (plugged in, not charging)

I am sure Dell is R&Ding how they can stick the proprietay weenie to the consumer with the R3 instead of working hard to fix R2 and R1. So I guess it is Asus or Sager for me from now on. I was even able to play a full hour of Dragon Age with my Asus g53 while on the crapper. No stupid BIOS or battery not charging quirks there.

 

I am not throwing in the towel yet because I still love my M17X R2, and have not reached the point of a hate inducing experience that I had with the XPS M1730 it replaced.

However, you are not alone in your sentiments. To me this frequent fiddling around with things to keep a system charging is a very avoidable inconvenience. There is zero justification to deploy a proprietary AC adapter in any laptop. While this company even does it on some of its 'el cheapo' product line, when a customer pays several thousand dollars--or more--for a flagship product, that customer should be able to expect more or less flawless performance. This is not to mention problems created by intentional proprietary bull#@!? designed for the sole purpose of insulating an OEM from aftermarket competition. (I know, Apple does this with everything they make, and that's just one of the reasons I flat out refuse to purchase their products.)

Dell/Alienware do an excellent job on warranty service (most of the time) and they stand above their competitors, but why in the world is there even a need for this scenario to exist? Short answer is, there is no valid excuse for it.

So what's going to happen when these machines are a couple of years old and it's no longer cost effective for the OEM to service an ordinary wear and tear part like an AC adapter with a new replacement part? If they don't fix this problem, hopefully some bright folks with reverse engineering skills, investment capital, and manufacturing connections will develop an aftermarket solution; and they'll get my money and a lot of other people's money, to fix a problem the OEM either cannot or is not willing to thus far.

The solution very well could be as simple as writing new code for the BIOS to not insist on shaking hands with an AC adapter to allow charging. As long as the capacity and power output are handled correctly, any electrically compatible AC adapter you decide to plug in should be allowed to work flawlessly.

[Deep breath] Now that that is off my chest, it's time to go back to enjoying my Alienware.

I hope the right people are listening and decide to do something.

 

Still going strong, Teague?

 

ANyone have a working link to this bios or the M17X33+9334.zip?

TIA

D.

 

It is not available any more. I think it was pulled it because the test BIOS didn't fix the problem. I know they are working on it and I am optimistic they may have another BIOS update available before long.