New Owner Need Input: why is my m17x r2 freezimg when I go to charge it?

Hi everyone, I just joined the forum in sake I could find a solution to my problems. I figured after hours of google searching and pointless calls to tell, that maybe a dedicated forum would know more. My name is Dustin Fickert (hello everyone) and I recently purchased an m17x r2 off of Craigslist in seeking of just a simple fix. At first the seller just told me it needed a new charger, and I figured it was the cure. I haven't gotten a new charger but I tested my old one and it was putting out the right amount 19.5v but I couldn't check the amps :/ Anyway, after I bought the laptop, I installed the windows ultimate he included in the bag. Then I had to download drivers off line off of what I think is a reliable source (I had to pay for it). Then the laptop operated fine, but wouldn't connect to the internet, it actually was missing a lot more drivers... So I called dell and this guy took over my computer and downloaded the necessary drivers for it to be fully operational, and it worked for the night. Then the next morning the charging problem came back. Every time I plug in my charger the computer will freeze. Or if I have it plugged in on start-up, the computer freezes at a black screen with the mouse cursor in the center of the screen right before you log into windows.After all this, I also started to notice, if I shut the lid to trigger hibernate or sleep mode, or even shut it down, it will freeze, with the screen off, and the alienfx (keyboard, mousepad and other leds) will still be on and the fan running. Thus, I have to hold the power button to shut it off. I have been reading that some causes are sometimes people download drivers in the wrong order? I had the dell dude download my graphics drivers, ethernet drivers, and a few other drivers, including bios I believe after I had the necessary drivers to have the computer barebone run. I just need some input on what was going on.
I have the i7 processor, with a ATI Radeon 5870 graphics card, 8 gb of ram and 300 gb in the hard drive. If anyone needs drivers, they are practically all the up-to-date drivers off of the dell website. Please help, I need this laptop running reliably for college in 4 weeks. Thanks!

Dustin Fickert

 

Drivers order will not cause an issue like that one, you need to try different components than the ones in there. Try getting different RAM and Video Card and testing it that way. Or take it to a repair shop, if you are still under warranty we can send it into our repair facility to check it for you.

 

Welcome to NBR Dustin

Is your old charger that you're using now a Dell/Alienware charger designed for the M17x R1 or R2? If not, I would suggest purchasing one as Dell use a propriety ID chip in each adapter designed for their laptops. If the laptop detects an unsupported adapter the battery will not charge and the laptop will not be able to operate at its optimal performance level.

If you are using an unsupported adapter this could also be the cause of your symptoms. I would suggest purchasing the proper adapter before trying to troubleshoot other causes. You can pick one up for fairly cheap on Amazon. The part numbers for your adapter are generally advertised as PA-9E or J938H.