M17x: Failing power supply during extended stay in the Philippines

Hi folks,

I am staying in the Philippines with my Alienware M17x. For the past week POST has been reporting insufficient wattage. I had this problem with Dell's XPS M1710 several years ago, so I know that it is only a matter of time before this system will be rendered unusable for want of adequate wattage from the power adapter.

I have to be here for 6 more weeks, and I have to use this computer for work during my stay. Dell does not ship Alienware components to the Philippines, even if you purchase them and pay for shipping--their bloated bureaucracy won't permit it.

I need options, and I need them quick. I'm staying in the Manila area.

Any feasible ideas will be welcome.

Thanks.

 

Have a friend in the US buy the power adapter and then Fed-Ex it to you.

 

That's already the last resort plan, because of the cost of Fed-Ex to the Philippines. The power supply will cost US119, but Fed-Ex'ing that component will cost nearly twice that. I've done it before, and the cost is exorbitant.

I'm looking for local purchase options. Connections. Anything that could help me get a replacement through Dell, the Alienware subdivision, or Flextronics (the manufacturer of the power supply) outside normal channels.

 

Did you update your bios to A04 by chance?
If so... go back to A03 (should help with the problem)

Good luck

D.

 

debaucher: I did! There was a thought somewhere in the back of my brain that A04 might be more sensitive to wattage changes with the power supply, but I had no idea that there could be a major problem with the latest BIOS release.

Is there really a problem of this sort with the A04 BIOS? Where can I read about it?

By the way, although the power supply supports 100 to 240 volts input (220 here), I have been using the 110v output port on a 500 watt voltage regulator (smooths out voltage spikes and drops so that the power supply isn't bothered by anything unusual). So, as far as I can guess, the power supply should be in good shape.

 

Which part of the Philippines are you staying in? You're not in America, it may just be power supply spikes/drops as you've suggested attempting to cure with your voltage regulator. If the problem persists and you need it just for work, forcing the computer to work in IGP mode in the BIOS will drop the power draw significantly. Even then the 9400M isn't a realy slouch, it has 16 Universal pipelines, so it *can* run some games. If It still has the problem in IGP mode when the computer's maximum draw should be < 100W, then you can likely assume it *is* a PSU issue. At that point, I'd look over ebay for a new one. If you have a premium warranty, you should be able to still return the old non-functional PSU to dell for some credit, it may be possible with the other warranty services as well, but I've only had this experience with the premium on my m17x


this is the only PSU I could find on ebay, the seller ships worldwide but does not quote a timeframe on shipping for that, the shipping cost for the Philippines is $45.95. I would imagine if you needed it before you left you would need to be willing to shell out big $$$, as I can guarantee dell is not going to credit you even close to $90, and they're not going to reimburse for shipping either.

 

There is a bug in A04 BIOS which reports the adaptor is only providing 193 watts and will not charge the battery.

If you have flashed A04 you may want to reset the laptop and / or flash A03 back

 

dave-p: What do you mean by "reset the laptop"?

 

lozz: Thanks for the link. I had completely forgotten about Ebay, being in another part of the globe, but it is still a fantastic resource. I'll hold that in mind as this scenario progresses.

 

Turns out that it was, in fact, the A04 BIOS that was causing my problem. I'm back to A03 and life seems to be resuming normalcy.