M17xR2 won't boot if unplugged.

Posted this on the Alienware forums, but thought I'd try here, as well.



I've had an odd problem with my M17xR2 since i received it last September. If the power adapter is removed while the laptop is powered off, then it will not boot either with the adapter removed or reseated. The only way to get it to boot at that point is to remove the battery and reseat it. Also, if I remove and don't reseat the battery, then it will boot with the power adapter connected. Bottom line, I can't remove the adapter from a powered down laptop or it will not boot. So I always have to first boot the laptop before I can move it to another location. Strange take on portability. Makes my "desktop replacement" more of a desktop pc.



Otherwise, the M17xR2 is all I'd hoped for.



Any suggestions?

Suilebhan

Alienware M17X R2 Nebula Red | Intel i7 Q840 | 1GB AMD Radeon HD 5870 (2) CrossFireX | 8GB DDR3 | 500GB HDD | 1920x1200 RGB Display | Slot Load Blu-Ray Burner | Windows 7 Home Ultimate x64

 

What BIOS are you running? I had that problem when I had the A08 BIOS before I upgraded to 9 and then the custom one eventually.

You also might need to do a battery drain.

 

Need a bit more detail to help.
Does it begin to load Windows and freezes? Does it not power on at all? Do the lights come on? If you remove the battery and press the test button, is the battery dead? If you are plugged into AC power and remove the battery with the laptop running, does this do anything?

 

Thanks for responding. I have the A10 bios, which fixed the charging issue. When I have the failure to boot, the keyboard does light up and the fan can be heard full blast, but the screen stays dark, never get to setup/boot option screen let alone windows. Not to complicate things, but I get the same issue with resuming from sleep, regardless of the adapter. I have tried the battery drain procedure, but it did not fix either issue.

Alienware M17X R2 Nebula Red | Intel i7 Q840 | 1GB AMD Radeon HD 5870 (2) CrossFireX | 8GB DDR3 | 500GB HDD | 1920x1200 RGB Display | Slot Load Blu-Ray Burner | Windows 7 Home Ultimate x64

 

Time to call dell......

 

Did you do the CMOS battery drain or w/e too?

 

I had a very similar problem a little while back (my computer is very similar to yours with the exception I have the 940 CPU). To make a whole long story short: DELL replaced the computer.

 

I have not tried the cmos battery drain. Could you point me to a thread that explains that? And I hesitate to call Dell, having read so many tech support horror stories. Also, I fear that a refurbished replacement could have more serious problems than I'm currently facing.

 

Dont fear calling support, feel empowered because you have the experiences we (yes Ive had experience) have already been through. I have had bad support calls, and Ive had really good ones that restored my faith in Dell/AW. The issue you are having I would let support help you with. Be clear and precise and dont expect more than you are owed. A lot of users think they are entitled to be compensated for their inconvenience, just expect your system fully functioning. But dont settle for less.

You may be pleasantly surprised.

 

Get Found is right: Their support is very favorable. They WILL do whatever they reasonably can to help you. Remember, to some extent, hardware is very cheap for them, so I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they replace a lot more than you might expect (assuming it needs it.) No one is perfect, but they do actually try hard.

 

Thanks to all. I'll give tech support a try and report back with the results.