The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    No Plug = No Play!

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Doc Allan, Mar 4, 2012.

  1. Doc Allan

    Doc Allan Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    My M17 R2 will not start up without being plugged in. It gets to "Loading Windows" then shuts down. The battery is fully charged and all power settings are set logically. This little M17 runs like a champ when it's plugged in... no problem starting up, shutting down, re-starting ect... but pull the plug and I can't get it to fire up!

    It's really upsetting that I can't take my laptop anywhere without the charger. When making proposals to clients (in their homes), it's embarrassing to have to ask for an electrical outlet to plug into! BTW... it's less than a year old!

    If anyone has ANY solutions they can offer... I'd be really grateful.

    Thanks in advance...
     
    Doc Allan, Mar 4, 2012
    #1
  2. Luthair74

    Luthair74 Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    4
    Messages:
    86
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    not sure on Alienware, but I had a Dell Insperion with a very similar problem. Refused to boot unless plugged in, once past Post it would let me unplug and run off battery, but if I went into hibernate or shutdown I had to plug in to reboot.

    After much t-shooting, came down to a MB replacement, was a bad capacitor.
     
    Luthair74, Mar 4, 2012
    #2
  3. vic_doom69

    vic_doom69 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    87
    Messages:
    248
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    call dell, warranty should cover it
     
    vic_doom69, Mar 5, 2012
    #3
  4. M11xDude

    M11xDude Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    65
    Messages:
    229
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Could be a bad battery?
     
    M11xDude, Mar 5, 2012
    #4
  5. xeroxide

    xeroxide Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    487
    Messages:
    1,390
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    56
    i'd call dell.
    just a quick check for the battery though,
    download an app called batterycare
    once installed double click on the new system tray icon
    click on the detailed information button and check your battery wear level
     
    xeroxide, Mar 5, 2012
    #5
  6. Salticid

    Salticid Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    110
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    If your machine is under a yr old, you're still in warranty. Call Dell & use it. :) Sounds like battery maybe can't hold a charge. Only way to test that is with a known working battery. Could also be loose from contacts, so you could try holding it against the chassis when you unplug...
     
    Salticid, Mar 13, 2012
    #6