UH OH - M17x R3 failing to post

Hey guys,

I have an M17x R3 (arrived today). Put A08 on it. All was fine. I was in the bios switching from Nvidia to IGP, I don't remember exactly which setting I changed for Primary Display at this point but now the computer won't POST.

I turn it on and it sits there making a click once per second. It sounds like the speaker is trying to beep but nothing's coming out - just a faint click.

I have removed the CMOS battery for 2 minutes, put it back in and get the same thing.

Suggestions?

 

If we assume the clicks are beeps, you should recognize a pattern.
We could better help you if you could post this pattern, like 8 beeps - pause - 8 beeps - pause etc.

 

click pause 1 second click pause 1 second click pause 1 second

 

took this from GandalfTW's guide found here

1. Using 7Zip extract bios file M17xR3A08.EXE you got from dell. (Right click on the exe, and use the Win Explorer context menu for 7Zip -> Extract to "M17xR3A08\")

2. The archive contains "PAR00MEC.fd". Rename it to -> "PAR00X64.fd" (without quotes) and copy just this file to a Fat16/Fat32 formatted USB stick. Copy it to the root of the USB stick.

3. Run flash A04 package you downloaded from dell and go ahead flash it. Once done flashing your laptop will reboot. After reboot you can verify through bios that you're on A04 ( I always let it boot at least once into Windows to make sure the system is still operational)

4. Shutdown. Remove battery, remove power cord, also remove anything that you have pluged in like other USB hard drives, devices etc.

5. Plug in USB stick with renamed bios file into ESATA/USB combo port.

6. While holding the END key plug in the power cord in the back. You need to keep holding the END key till the laptop shuts down after beeping for a while. (60 seconds or so total time). It will start up and shut down once or twice after that automatically, just wait for this to finish.

7. When this cycle is finished and laptop stays shut down, just put the battery back in, and hit the power button. Once the system boots remove USB stick and test throttling and 3D if you have it.

This is it. You now got the latest bios with no bios throttling. Same steps can be used to install modified A08 bios that you can get from the bios forum thread above. You just take the moded bios, rename it and drop it on USB stick for blind flashing step.

 

Right - but I can't do the initial A04 flash here because the computer won't boot. So shall I just power it on and work from step 5?

 

make sure the bios is renamed correctly but then yes, I believe you should proceed from there.

 

doing it now......... doesn't seem to want to shut down tho. holding end key down as i type this

stopped holding the end key down after 5 or so minutes. Computer is still powered up, fans full blast.......

 

that sounds about right

 

it didn't shut itself off

 

hmm you sure you renamed the bios on the memory stick and everything?

 

trying again

 

if it fails again there is another thing you can try. Some people Have had success with pulling the graphics card out and then putting it back in. If you were planning on doing a repaste, you might as well try it and see what happens.

 

ok ill try one more time then look into that
thanks dude

 

really hope you get this fixed,. 'll post more idea's as They come to me.

 

There is a linux dvd in the slot drive. Could it be that when i flash it is trying to boot the dvd instead of the usb key? Any ideas how to get the dvd out?

By the way - reseated the GPU and that had no effect

Still no joy. I've just done the blind flash steps again. After about 3 minutes of holding down end I've let go. I'm going to let the machine just sit here for another 15 or so to see if it reboots. More and more I think me switching the GPU/IGP in the bios was perhaps a coincidence and there's just something fundamentally wrong with this new machine

 

bigtony has you on the right path...you definitely need to reset your bios

Have you tried, pulling your cmos battery?

 

Yes. Here's the things we've tried so far tonight

1. Pulled CMOS Battery, and main battery, waited 30 seconds, put CMOS back in, tried rebooting

2. Pulled CMOS battery and main, held power button for 30 seconds. Put CMOS back in, tried rebooting.

3. As above, but this time tried rebooting without CMOS battery in

4. Removed main battery. Put USB key with BIOS (renamed correctly) into SATA port. Held E, inserted power.

5. Same as above with both CMOS and main battery removed.

6. Same as above but with a different USB slot

7. And again, with yet another USB slot.

8. Removed CMOS and Main, removed graphics card. Reseated GPU. Put CMS back in, inserted USB key, held E, added power etc.



Currently I'm sitting waiting on it again. CMOS battery is in, main is out. USB is in SATA. Held E key for about 3 minutes. Just leaving the machine now for about 15 or so minutes to see if anything happens (like the expected reboot - which hasn't ever happened yet)

Was just reading in another thread and got the impression some people were doing this blind flash and reboot without the GPU in the computer at all. Did I read that correctly?

What's the process there? Remove the GPU, blind flash and when it finally shuts down (if it does), put the GPU back in?

 

if you pull the GPu, it should still work, but it will run off the integrated Intel HD graphics

 

well, maybe this can help you http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/607993-no-bios-boot-just-8-beeps-sequence.html

 

Well with an incredibly HUGE HUGE HUGE amount of thanks to BigTony and SlickDude, my brand new M17X R3 is now working again (thank F...well you know).

I pulled the GPU out and was able to blind flash A08 successfully. I then put the GPU back in and booted her up. I had a bit of a heart attack at that point since the Alien beeped 5 times and refused to do anything. From reading around on here 5 beeps could be anything from something not seated right to OMG!! My motherboard just died. Thankfully it was none of those things and after shutting down and trying again all seems fine.

The pad underneath the GPU was very very loose, so much as I was resisting messing with thermal pads and paste and all that malarky I think I now shall have to; there's quite some evidence of shoddy Dell workmanship going on in there which really needs to get addressed.

But for now, we're good. The machine is running, and I'm back to installing software ready for the work day tomorrow.

Thanks again guys- you truly rock!

Thanks Normen - it's all good now. I managed to blind flash the BIOS and now we're back in business. Thanks again for taking the time to offer your help though - it's very much appreciated.

 

phew! you were getting me worried for a bit lol...glad it worked out

DEFINITELY repaste! The stock paste job is terrible. Plus they use this grey goo that barely passes for thermal paste....and they normally apply way too much of that grey goo until its oozing all over the sides of the gpu die and all over the pcb.

 

Glad to see you got this resolved as well. I was starting to think You bricked your mobo.

@slick I know this is off topic, but what are the most current stable drivers for an AMD card?

 

BigT, i'd say 12.1 beta...amd actually recommends these

AMD Catalyst? 12.1 Preview driver

 

thanks, somebody was asking in the owners lounge and I really don't have a clue when it comes to the AMD drivers atm. thanks for the help

 

Surprised no-one mentioned that it happened to me as well. You can read about me literally crying here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...7x-r3-w-clevo-6990m-advice-4.html#post8101699

Luckily I figured to take the GPU out and then was able to flash the bios thanks to peeps who helped me

Crazy stuff - glad you have it working again - I know the feeling.

 

hahahahaha...i remember that. Since, both of you suffered the same issues, I now know to tell people to take out the GPU before flashing back the bios

 

that's the incident I remembered. I should have gone back and found the old thread and suggested that first. oh well, guess I know for next time

 

It's all good. The floundering around taught me a great deal about this machine and that knowledge is no doubt going to prove invaluable over time.

 

Hi !
I switched to PCI in the PEG/Auto/PCI/iGP/SG menu in the A09 ulockedBIOS.
Now I'm stuck getting the 8beep-sequence.
I tried to unplug my graphics card, BLIND flash with genuine A04, A09 & A08, unlocked A08 & A09. No success.
Power drain with/without coin cell.

Do you have any idea ?
Please help me, I really need to get this PC working. I hope it is still under warranty.

Val'