M17xR2 Bios A10 ('Plugged in, not charging' Fix) Discussion Thread

I have it since 2 days ago, but this bring me a problem, when the battery is full the alienhead (front and back) keep changing his color (red to orange, the signal for chargin), so, this mean its charging ?, im sure thats not happen when i had the A9, now i have to press F2 and turn the battery off.
Anyone have this problem?
Edit: To be more specific, my battery reach the 100% and "still charging", i have to press F2 and this stop, and, if i press F2 again, i get the battery enabled icon from BSOD, but, the alien head dont change color, which mean that is not chargin.

 

You could try uninstalling Command Centre, reboot and reinstall it....I have experienced issues with AlienFX lighting which were corrected by a clean reinstall of CC (although it was not related to A10 - im still using A09)

 

Thanks stivie, i will taake a look

 

Came here to see about this very problem. Been having the same thing happen since updating my bios on Friday. Doesn't seem to be effecting anything for me, but it bugs me. I'll try the OSD uninstall and reinstall and see if that helps.

 

Please, let us know, im not now at my Laptop, so i cant test.
Thank you

 

Now I'm starting to get new messages apart from the plugged in, not charging problems I had before. It's saying, adapter is not supported, system will continue on battery, connect supported A/C adapter. This is new since the update to A10.

 

Seems to have worked so far. Did a solid three hours of Fallout New Vegas and not once did I see the light change as if it were charging.

 

CC is tempremental at best....sometimes uninstalling it (along with OSD) can help cure some issues....hope you guys have got it sorted????

 

Im back at home and turn on my baby, the battery is 100% but the alienhead is not changing color, which mean not charging, i think the problem is solved, all what i did, lastnight, was an power drain, need to keep watching.

 

That's not good. If you do the power discharge trick and you still get that message it may be a sign of a defective AC adapter. If the problem persists after the power discharge ritual, call 1-800-ALIENWARE and have them send you a new AC adapter. I used to run into that error message about once every 4-5 months with a Dell XPS M1730 and every time Dell sent a replacement battery and AC adapter (4 times in less than 2 years). Twice, they sent a motherboard in addition to the AC adapter and battery.

That's a bunch of bull to have to go through just so your BIOS can verify the customer is only using a part supplied by Dell. They need to get a clue and stop producing proprietary crap. I bet it costs Dell way more money in warranty repairs than they would ever stand to lose from an aftermarket replacement parts competitor. There is no reason whatsoever to make an AC adapter proprietary, other than maybe greed and predestined obsolescence. (Neither of which are good ways to run a business.)

I'd love to see someone come up with a way of defeating that system, because the AC adapters that are lying to the BIOS about not being a supported AC adapter would probably still continue to function in most cases.

 

Well....I updated my BIOS to 10 the day it came out...I have been fine since...until today. The problem is back showing "plugged in, not charging". I popped the battery out and back in and it started charging, gained 2% and went back to "plugged in, not charging". Man, after spending $4k on a notebook, it really shouldn't be doing this crap. frustrating!

 

Wow, this problem really isnt going away is it?.....

This is my 5th system...most were returned partially because of this issue. There was no fix for it then and doesnt look like there is now. Im happy with my current one as I dont have these issues.

I feel for you guys experiencing this issue of "plugged in - not charging" or "ac adaptor not recognised - will continue on battery" cos I had it loads of times.

Initially, Dell sent me a new PSU...had a Flextronics one with problems...I heard that the Delta version was the solution. I was sent one. Cant say I have had any problems since.

I have had my current system now for a fair few months.....never experienced the messages again....got a Delta 240w PSU and am running BIOS A09.

No messages of any kind re: power supply/battery.

I wonder what proportion of you guys experiencing problems are using a Flextronics PSU? - would be interesting to correlate the problem with the PSU instead of BIOS - just a thought.

Anyway, keep banging on to Dell about it - with any luck there will be a decent fix for the issues that plague so many with no justification for such an issue in the first place....

Afterall, these are LAPTOPS....they NEED to charge AND accept a charge REGULARLY - otherwise, they are rendered useless. Dell need to get this sorted once and for all.

 

Funny you mention that...mine is a Flextronics. I will call Dell and see if I can get a different adapter to see if that makes any difference.

Thanks for the info.

 

Yup, same dang thing happened to me today and I did the same workaround to make the problem go away. It's not the end of the world, but it is absolutely NOT what any customer would expect from a high end product. For the price, the product should be nearly flawless.

Stevie, I have a Delta brand 240W PSU like you do, and I have the same issue as AWDanO with his Flextronics PSU. Mine is the original part, and since applying the x33/x34 BIOS followed by the recent A10 BIOS update, the occurrence is far less frequent.

 

Mr. Fox - yours happen to be a Flextronics adapter also?

 

No, mine is the Delta PSU like Stevie has. That was the point of my response to Stevie. It was a really smart idea, but I have the same brand he does and have the same problem that you have. So, it's not the Flextronics AC adapter causing this problem.

The M17x is still definitely as kick-butt product in spite of this issue.

 

weird because I had the delta with the problem and Dell sent me the flextronics as they said that is the correct PSU to solve the problem...and it did.

 

Clearly, it's an engineering problem, not a PSU brand problem. The XPS m1730 has the same issue at a far more severe level than the M17x. And, some of the other Dell and HP laptops that employ a proprietary charging system have similar problems. I have heard there is some sort of chip inside the AC adapter that has to "shake hands" with the BIOS to validate the PSU is "approved" for use.

I have heard that CrApple has done the same thing with some of their notebooks. My theory is this is merely a strategy to inhibit third-party vendors from manufacturing more affordable replacement parts and forces customers back to the OEM for the most common wear-and-tear replacement parts. It also stops some people from using the same laptop for years and years, as the replacement parts are either no longer available or just too darned expensive to purchase for an old machine.

If that's the real reason, then it's just flat-out wrong.

If you look at the laptops that do not use this type of system, new compatible AC adapters can be purchased from aftermarket sources for less than $20 and new batteries for under $50. I have a couple of laptops that are about 5 years old and I have purchased new batteries and AC adapters for them in this price range. (Imagine how messed up the automotive industry would be if replacement parts for all cars were available exclusively from the OEM.)

 

you can add HP to the list of vendors who are applying this 'new' tactic. and I am pretty sure the flat-out wrong reason is the correct one, sadly ...

 

Any other R2 folks seeing this issue return after moving to A10?

I haven't come across it on my 17xR1 and R1 owners received a similar fix with the last BIOS update also.

I dont believe the Flex vs Delta is going to cause a difference. If I remember right from the original thread on this issue (we had two, 1 for the R1 and 1 for the R2), both were seeing this.

 

I found out Bios A10 fix my dxdiag's Approx Total Memory , it was 7xxmb , now 4070mb

 

The same problem, the battery is full and this thing keep charging, can i get back to A09?, this is annoying

 

Flashing back to A09 should be no problem , you can get it here

 

First it was that it wouldn't charge, and now it's that it won't stop charging!

Sure seems like there's no making some people happy!

 

and is that the behavior you are seeing on your system since flashing to A10?

Try changing FX Themes. Sounds like an issue with your current theme. This happens every now and then on my R1. I dont believe this is a BIOS specifc issue.

 

I have two separate AC adapters and both exhibit the problem. I think I've had maybe 4-5 replacement adapters over the past year in addition to the replaced motherboards, etc. They just can't get it fixed.

 

Strange, I have had two XPS M1730's and have never seen the issues I've seen with the M17xR1 and R2. Maybe just luck of the draw.

 

I had it on mine once, they had to swap mobo for it, not to mention that it took Dell 4 years to release a BIOS for the M1730 that controlled the fans in a way that it does not burn your video card every 6 months, and even then mine still failed I'm getting an R2 now (still don't have it). I hope I will have luck with the draw this time. I'm getting bored with my expensive laptops dying all the time (first M1710, now M1730)

 

Hi, i recently received the following replacement Alienware M17x R2 as a replacement for my broken R2,

Alienware M17xR2 Nebula Red, Intel Core i7 Processor 740WM, 4GB DDR3 1333MHz, 2x500GB, 2x1GB ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5870, 17" RGB LED 1920 x 1200 - Beyond HD, Slot-Loading Blue-ray

First time i switched on a completed a BIOS upgrade to A09, now A10 is available, since this i have been experiancing battery charging light whenever it whats, games like call of duty black ops taking around 10 mins to load, slow down when browsing to websites like youtube.

Unable to install intel turbo boost driver as it stats incompatable hardware?

I downgrade the BIOS back to A08 but still having issues. Any idea's?

I have only had this since Monday last week, i have emailed Alienware today.

 

Have you tried a Complete new windows installation? That's what i always do when i get a new computer. Every time i get a new computer is loaded with so much crap and bugs that make it slow.

 

Yeah, have rebuilt a few times over the weekend. I have monitored all the temps etc and everything looks fine.

It almost seems like there is a lag then it comes to life again.

 

Make sure Stealth Mode is not enabled. Also, you are plugged in to ac right? Sorry, have to ask. You'd be amazed at how many folks believe that the performance under battery should be on-par with AC.

 

I am plugged in AC, stealth mode has been activated and deactivated successfully and monitors show everything running at normally.

 

I have found after using on battery for a while then plug in AC adaptor sometime i cycle Stealth Mode On/Off and battery starts charging. Give that a try

 

If AlienRespawn or DataSafe Local is still on the system, I suggest doing a recovery to the 'out of box' state.

 

I all seems to be like this since i upgraded the BIOS from A08 to A10 now downgrade to A09 but still having issues.

This was the first thing i did, then completed a fresh installation.

 

have you tried the x33 bios??

 

No, what is it and where can it be downloaded from

 

Since this is something you are encountering after flashing to A10, can you please move the discussion to that thread? As for X33, I would stay away from it. That was a test BIOS which Dell-Chris pushed out to us. A10 was a result of it. We have no idea what changed between their test BIOS and the A10 release. Just a thought.

I am merging your thread with the BIOS thread.

 

My M17xR2 seems to work correctly now with A10. The Alienhead turns off when not charging (and when turned off).

 

I will uninstall the CC now, and see, i did change my theme but stills, be right back later after some test.

 

I have the R2, I've had it since feb 2010. i've never had this issue. is it only affecting certain users? Why? sometimes i drain my battery dry and then give it a full recharge...

 

Funny thing about that is, I seldom have this problem. When I do, it only happens when I drain the battery level way down low and attempt to begin charging. Most of the time I am tethered to a wall outlet and only run on battery for a few minutes at a time. I never have the "plugged-in, not charging" problem with a high battery charge level.

 

Yeah - i am pretty much the same kind of user you are - tied to the wall most of the time on ac power. I did/do run the battery right down from time to time and I always use FnF2 to disable battery charging when on ac.

I drained the battery yesterday to 7% (where the system pops up with a reminder that it will hibernate unless alternative power is found) - was left connected to the wall but no ac juice to the laptop.

When I turned it back on at the mains - no problems! - began to charge right away - and Im using Bios A09 as A10 doesnt seem to have done anything for those who suffer from this.

Personally, with this system/psu, I have not encountered any instances of this issue - yet

 

I'll have to try that to see if it makes any difference in my case. It would be interesting to know, but it will not help in my situation. For me, the trouble is when I do run on battery, it's normally because I do not have access to AC power (on a plane or in an airport with no available power outlet).

 

Hi Guys - so I've had this laptop for about a month or so. Got it from the outlet for a great price. Originally it shipped with the 210W adapter, so I called Dell and they sent the Flextronics 240W. I have been dealing with the 'Plugged in Not Charging' thing since the beginning. I have been following this thread and have updated to A10 from A09. I try to stay on battery power as much as possible and I use this beast primarily for internet browsing... so when it runs down (below 10%) and I go to plug it in I get the 'Plugged in not Charging message' I pop the battery out and back in and all is well till the next time. My question is do I complain to Dell? Has it been determined what is actually wrong with the system? I can wait - it's not a big deal, but something is wrong. I eventually want some sort of resolution. Any thoughts?

 

I agree, it's not a big deal to me either. This is an awesome machine and if this is the worst issue it ever has I will still be a proud owner, but I think all of us would like to have the problem fixed. A laptop this expensive should be a little bit closer to flawless.

It sounds like you have discovered what several of us have mentioned on this forum. The "plugged in, not charging" issue seems to be far more prevalent when the battery is run down very low on power, like around 10% more or less. If I keep my battery level around 20% or higher I rarely experience this.

Yes, Alienware is aware of the issue and they are working on it. The A10 BIOS was released as a direct result of their effort. A Dell liaison, DELLChrisM, has been an advocate for us and we really do appreciate him.

 

I can't report anything new - this is just to add my "me to" on this problem. I just received my R2 (replacing an R1) and have experienced this not charging thing. What I will say is that it has happened the two times I've run on battery (usually plugged in) and this time (minutes ago) I still supposedly had 38% power remaining.

The 1st time I went through the pull battery/hold power button to fix it & I suspect that's what I'll have to do this time too.

 

hi
I updated to A10 and when i run the battery down and plug the charger in it is still giving me the plugged in, not charging but if i turn stealth mode on and off a couple of times that sometimes does the trick to get it chargin and it does not matter what % it is run down to

 

Another update with more detail - just in case Dell is monitoring this thread (because I'm not going to call them about this any time soon). As mentioned earlier, this time I was on battery at 38% remaining then plugged in the adaptor.
It acknowledged that I was now on AC - but not charging. When done working, I restarted the system. Same status. When I powered down system the lid Alien head slowly blinked blue THis is NOT usual
(if charging it cycles thru a couple of colors - red-pink-blue otherwise no blinking at all)

I let it sit like that for a while. Powered back up - it was still at the 38% and still wasn't charging. I then pulled the battery - did the hold power button (master reset process) & when I plugged it back in - it started charging (alien head color cycling). I then powered up to confirm.

I'm on Bios A10, this was a clean install (to go from Raid to SSD non Raid), no overclocking or tweaking of any kind. Do have the power adaptor warnings turned off, OSD is disabled in startup - all else is pretty vanilla.