Please help me with my m17!

Hi guys...im kinda hoping some of you will help me out here with diagnosing some problems with my 5th replacement laptop. (brand new r2 shipped with latest a08 bios ect)

What i need to know is:

1) When you press the power on/off button on your systems, does it illuminate right away with flashing to indicate hdd activity or does it not light at all until you get to the desktop? - mine is doing the latter.

2) Does your power on/off button and alienhead on the lid glow when plugged in to charge with the laptop turned off? (closed lid or open) - mine doesnt light at all when off and plugged in with partially discharged battery (even when its 15%)

I seem to have some problems here that i cant quite put my finger on....the illumination of these has always been the same on my original system (THEY HAVE LIT IMMEDIATLY AND WHEN PLUGGED IN WITH LAPTOP OFF) and i am trying to rule out wether its normal or not.

With my original system, if its off and lid closed, i can plug the ac in the rear and the head on the lid will glow to show charging (as does the on/off button if the lid is open whilst off and charging.)

With this and the last replacement i had, this doesnt happen and when i boot, the lights dont come on at all till i get to the desktop.

Please could you test this on your systems and let me know what you get?

Many thanks
Steve.

 

Stevie, please go to ProgramFolders (C:\Program Files\Alienware\Command Center) and tell me what AlienwareAlienFXTester.exe gives out for Board information to you.

 

Grim, it comes up with:

Current version: 1.00.09
Upgrading to: 1.01.03

Few options below

Firmware upgrdae - skipped
Set leds red
Set leds green
set leds blue
set leds white
reset tester and close....

 

Is it possible for you in this tester to update? (I can't even click the button as i'm up-to-date in there. Greyed out if you want.)

If not, download the latest Command Center from Dells Support and i'm sure the lights will be like they have to be again, just like mine, then we can start comparing for real if we are both on 1.01.03

 

Grim, if this helps, on the task bar icon for osd it says v113 which i am assuming is correct given that the system im on was only received from the factory 2 days ago and has the latest stuff installed?

 

Please do as i said, and OSD is irrelevant for this what i'm trying to help. And no, you can't assume you are up-to-date if something says 1.00.09 and a bit lower it says 1.01.03. If you're not up-to date, don't expect the system to behave correctly as others expect.

Why did you get a replacement again anyway, this is not an issue to go mad about... Just update that AlienFX via Tester or ReInstall of Command Center.

 

whers the option to update? i dont see one.

 

In the AlienFXTester, can you click that button? Firmware Update

Mine is german (Firmware Aktualisierung), looks like this, upper button there:

 

Nah, and i just opened CC and checked for updates - none available....

 

Not in CC, in the Tester, see above post.

Then uninstall CC and Reinstall, it will cure it once you do a reinstall i promise, you have to update that to 1.01.03 if you want your lights work properly

Alienware Command Center:
http://support.dell.com/support/dow...dateid=-1&formatid=-1&source=-1&fileid=402594

 

Ok, so uninstall via ??? and then reinstall the latest CC from dell website???

 

yup thats the window i had opened....couldnt get to highlight/click on it so guess it wasnt available as an option. From your advice, i should just uninstall CC via control panel/programs/uninstall and then reinstall the latest CC via dell webiste?

 

Not questioning your expertise here grim but just checked the latest version of CC via dell website and shows as 2.5.54.0

Now when i go to programs/uninstall it shows the same version so wouldnt i just be reinstalling the same thing?

 

Uninstall it so it's gone, download it, so you know it's the latest, then install that one completly fresh and your Tester should look as mine, and when we are there, your problem should be gone, until you get there it's up to you now Good Luck and Enjoy once it worked

I hope you did not get an exchange for something silly as this, then i would be pretty bummed...

And no, not the same thing, as your AlienFX Board has an outdated firmware compared to mine, which works nicely and yours is maybe not compatible to the latest bios or command center that is up to date.

 

Grim is right Stevie my firmware is the same as his and I also do not have any of these issues. IDK as to why your alien FX controller wasn't updated if you have the latest CC installed.

 

Grim...just uniinstalled CC, rebooted....reinstaled from Dell Support....rebooted again..all fine.....shutdown to see if when i plug the ac in if the head on the lid glows and low and behold IT DOES! and so does the on off button!!!

Dya know, i spent an hor on the phone to AW tech just now and he got an R1 out and an R" and well, was as much use as a chocolate fireguard....

Cant thank you enough as it was doing my head in...

 

No he didn't install it so far, he got it like that from factory, Dell simpy forgot to do that step.

But Stevie can do it simply by himself, no biggie to uninstall and reinstall something. When he does it correctly with the provided information, he should get the same as we do.

Edit: Ah, he did now, congratulations. Well now we can compare for the correct behaviour of the lights...

 

Good man Grim! I like the issues in your sig sums up Dell's engineering up till the less issues part

 

Well, that would be the ideal case The problem is that when they develop or build something and try to fix it, they break something else or forget to add something that was previously fixed. But that's how engineering is sometimes.

 

Can report back after a few shutdowns and pluggin in that indeed the lights on the lid and the power button glow and illuminate as they should to indicate a charge....i forgot to check on wether or not the power button on./off illuminates immediatly on pressing...nut i will check now....

 

I think everything illuminates like 2 seconds after pressing the power button.

 

yep..all is working fine.....lights right away and lights wehn off and plugged in....why the HELL didnt they do this at the factory!!!!!!!! - ive just spent hours thinking its knackered...

The only thing i have noticed after several start ups is that my windows start up jingle had gone.......

 

Lol Mine plays the last half of the sound. I just don't pay it any mind as I hate calling Dell. @ any rate glad your lappy is working Stevie, after so many problems FIngers crossed

 

That's why i always do a fresh install of any system i buy. I can't stand things i don't know what kind of program it is and why it's installed. I'm more comfortable in setting up my system as i like it best, and if i install crap, i notice that much better and can sort out the culprit fairly fast normally

 

Well, thanks guys, the main problem has been sorted and the jingle, well, as far as i can tell at the minute, it plays some of the time but not al the time....hmmmmm....

Can you guess yet that i am a sufferer of Obssesive compulsive disorder LOL.....i like things to work as they should and well, just bugs the hell out of me when someting is random.....

Anyway, i must go out and find some more cracks in the pavement to not step on purposely lmao

 

I am having a similar problem...

Ok, so I was playing 'round with the AW theme editor, and came up with a cool looking pulsating theme (blue/purple). But when I reboot the only thing light up is the keyboard, I must wait for the rest of the lights to come on when the computer is finished booting, (all the lights do come on when the computer finishes booting).

My questions are these -

Should I be worried about this? Should I go back to a standard them? Is there a way to boot with all lights working? And dose any one other than me get this "problem"?

I have tried some of the things in this forum, but it seems most are not answers, they are questions, I think it may be that I am on an R1, not an R2...? 0_o

 

Did you read and try all the things Stevie tried? Start with AlienFXTester if you get the same picture as mine, if not uninstall and install latest Command Center provided with the link a few posts later, cheers

 

I have this issue on the R2 I have tried re-installing CC b4 but didn't fix it.

This is an issue where an advanced theme is not loading properly untill CC loads. Basic themes are ok though for me, are they for you?

But I actually Have G2g. So I will check back on my phone or later on tomorrow after my hangover wears off.

 

I have tried reinstalling the program, and yes it is the most up to date one online. same thing still happens.

And Mkelliny, yes, my standard themes are loading fine, within 2 seconds of hitting the power button, it is just the advanced themes that seem not to be saved to the AW control card, and there for must wait to be loaded when AW Effects and such is loaded with windows. Oh, and best of luck with the hangover, make sure you hide the tiger if your GF is home =^_^=

 

Oh, can you provide your advanced theme, upload it on MediaFire, i'd like to test it. Wanna enjoy your bug aswell

 

sure, one moment -

there - http://www.mediafire.com/?jyb2qv7j4c6zjbv

 

Yeah, i have the same issues, only keyboard, power button and alienhead are light up. But the purple is vibrating before windows upon starting nicely, only the touchpad, the front and the OSD doesn't seem to light up.

 

Same... Odd eh? so can it be "fixed"?

 

Yeah, i wonder if it's too complex or if it's just a bug that like you said does not allow some information from the advanced theme to be written to the FX Board.

Did you try to make it less complex and see when it would start working again... Or can you start a new theme and create it very simple, so we can say it's only advanced theme releated...

 

Seems to be any advanced theme (with motion/pulse/blink in it). Only my standard themes load from boot... "All" advanced themes, even just solid colors, wont start till the AW program is loaded with windows.

Not too pissed about it, as my boot is under 15 seconds... but I just want the 15 seconds to look cool too, ya' know =^_^= and there is the issue of possible damage... will booting like this have the ability to cause any damage? I know the FX board is touchy, so not loading a "working" theme to the firmware... Hmm... that seems bad.

 

Does anybody know if there's a way to update the firmware on the control board without having to un-install and re-install the Command Center software?

 

I know the answer to that one talking to the AW techs... no you must uninstall, clean your reg- and reinstall... $hitty, I know.

If reinstalling, and you are not getting the "black screen showing the flashing of the board" you have damage to your board. The only fix for this is to get it replaced. I have had my board damaged B4 when updating the FX editor, and got a botched flash. So, new board for me. no problems since... save the advanced boot lights >_< so looks like I will be sticking to a basic theme.

Note -

If you are going to update anything from AW, research first! may releases of their programs have been known to damage the ever so touchy FX board.

bed time for me, I will follow in the footsteps of so many as I am in college, and get smashed so I can pass out in piece/s, night night all

 

Lol this made me laugh, I am so drunk right now Tiger is gonna be outta his cage erally soon. lol Grim here is meh file.

Theme 1.ath

 

1:00pm... oh, my head.

So back to this theme... cant be "fixed"?

 

Well that's a pretty good question, or if it's limited and has to be accepted for the moment. I think it would be cool if Brian (erawneila) could look into this and give us some official state on how to look at this issue... I don't think there is a easy workaround for us around this, than just smaller the used commands/cycles and more lights will show up. I kinda tested yesterday a little smaller cycle of your purple rainbow and i got the front on aswell, so only OSD and touchpad were off during start up... Might be a proble of complexity vs. some cache or the inabilty to write it properly to the alienfx board.

 

every time I try, before and after the reinstall, I would get light coming from the keyboard, powerbutton, and the back "head" thing. the touch pad, the grill, and OSD were off till the pc finishes booting... every time... *sigh*

 

It doesn't matter i guess with the latest Command Center. We need a fix or it's just physically not possible to save such a complex theme to the alienfx board, try to remove some sequences with the MINUS. The less sequences i had the more would come up again, might have to find the maximum amount of that, hope you understand what i mean...

 

I will try taking the pulse out of the grill, see what that dose. but other than that, I would be killing the "cool"nes of the theme, and will just go back to a standard one.

I will let ya' know what happens, but not tonight as I dont even have time to write this stuff I am writing now 0_o *looks at his watch* "I am late, I am late, for a very important date"!