M17X R1 - LCD Not Working

Well, I decided to take the M17x apart and reapply some thermal compound on the CPU, as well as getting some of the dust out of its vents. Everything went smoothly, and it was easy.

Then I patch the whole thing back together, plug everything up, and my screen's in this strange blank state. I can't even see the alienware logo. Nothing. Just the screen, with a black backlight and a gray hue starting to bleed its way from the edges of the sceen towards the centre.

I have no idea what just happened here. Everything was carefully taken apart and put back together. I even inspected the LCD cables and made sure that they are plugged in correct. I even had a look at th GPUs and made sure the SLi cable was nicely plugged and seated.

Another interesting note: I can still hear the windows logon sound in the background, so clearly the system is running. Something's up with the screen. Any kind of help, or diagnostic tips would be appreciated.

 

Double check that LCD cable Kade. I have had this happen several times - that connector is a PAIN, at least on the motherboard I have here. I cant count how many times I was sure it was securely connected only to re-assemble the system and find that it wasn't...

lol

 

Dude, I've almost lost my mind here. Spent over 5 hours of the day, re-doing the assembly and reseating that danged cable. I've actually lost count of how many times I've tried to re-seat the cables; at least 30 times. . . no kiddin'. If this is similar to your problem, them mine's probably ten-times worse. I assume you got the same weirdness on screen that begins with flickering around the edges, followed by a greyness bleeding inwards.

Give me some tips on how I should check that cable. Should I be looking out for something when I plug the two of 'em in? By the way, which one determines the screen output -- the one with the wide connector, or the smaller one?

 

Actually Kade, now that I re-read your original post, could be a GPU issue.

I would re-confirm the SLI cable is properly seated - this one is also a pain at times as it can easily appear to be seated correctly when its not (at least on my system).

If you have access to one, connect an external display and power up the system - FN+F6 a couple of times to switch to the external display. Anything on it?

If not, its your GPU(s). If you do have a picture, focus on the LCD as that connector or the display itself is probably the cause.

the larger connector is for the display, the smaller one is for the camera.

 

Thanks for the advice, BatBoy.

If it is a GPU failure, then what a shame, eh? They were working fine, and I take it apart to re-do the paste and the bloody things go dead. Funny thing though is the fact that when I cleaned them up a few days back, I had no problems setting the SLi cable. This time around, I'm just puzzled.

I don't have an external monitor, but I do have an HD TV. I'll try doing what you recommended via the HDMI cable. I hope it works.

 

Not insulting your thermal application skills Kade, but if this started after your re-application of thermal compound, it could be the cause.

On my M17x, I would not touch the GPU(s) compound. CPU - no problem, but I am not messing with the GPU. I've never had an issue with temps so its not needed.

The 11x, pfft - I wouldn't mess with either the CPU or the GPU paste. Just not worth the risk.

 

I'll keep that in mind if I get the need to go for the M11x.

However, I may have been a bit unclear with my last post. I did not re-apply anything to the GPUs. I didn't even touch them. The job was done on the CPU. A few days earlier, I took the GPU's out, simply to remove the clumps of dust that were trapped. This actually fixed matters for me and the GPU temperatures dropped, as you may recall from that other thread I had started.

So to be clear, I did not remove the heat sinks off of the GPUs. They weren't even touched during this disassembly. I simply removed the bare-minimum that needed to be removed in order to access the CPU and apply some Artctic MX-4.

Anyway, I'm off to the HDTV. Feel free to add to this as a quick solution--minus Dell intervention--is always appreciated.

 

Ahhhh ok. Yeah, I read your post as you reapplied paste to the GPUs.

I'm sure you already did, but double check the other end of the SLI cable. it may not be seated correctly on the card.

 

The other end of the SLi cable is actually under the heat sink. I would have to remove the heat sink in order to be absolutely sure that the cable is seated on that end.

Edit:
An update.

Firstly, the FN+F6 did not work on the HDTV. To be honest, I am doing this blind so I can't even tell when to execute this so it seems futile.

Secondly. I just took the basic parts off the laptop, and disconnected both GPUs. I turned it back on, and I still get the EXACT same symptoms with the screen. Could this be considered grounds for ruling out GPU failure?

 

Not really - it could still be a GPU failure. We've seen weird fade out before like you described on the 1730. Its not artifacting but I wouldn't rule out a GPU issue.

Hate to say this but I am out of options - might be time to call support for troubleshooting. I'm sure they will ask about driver reinstalls. Just make it very clear to them that the drivers have been in place for some time and nothing has changed on that front. Approach this from a hardware perspective.

 

Right. Good point, my friend. Although I have to say that the evidence was going more towards a dodgy connection.

Anyway, I solved the problem -- it was a dodgy connection. All because I was trying to make sure the cable was seated properly. It apparently caused the pins--on the motherboard side--to bend. Four pins to be precise. Man, I hate this crap. I had to bend them back into position, and low and behold, the system is working fine. Man, I really do hate this crap.

Now let's keep this between the two of us and the other 2 million people that lurk around here. Dell better not find out about this, otherwise. . . let's not get into the ugly side of the bouty hunting business. Lawl. To be honest, I just couldn't afford the time and patience to have them beat about the bush changing my perfectly okay GPUs, and LCD, when the issue is on the motherboard side of things.

Anyway, thanks for the advice and information. Still learnt quite a bit and I guess it had a good and amusing ending.

 

Wonderful - glad to hear it was the connection. Figured it was as well - that cable is a pain bud. lol

Going to close the thread then - if you want to keep it open, PM me.