Alienware 18 Two Beeps

Hi All,

While applying the Haswell bios/intel xtu settings outlined here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ly-have-it-run-full-stock-turbo-speed.734696/ I seem to have made a mistake along the way. After changing the bios settings all was good, system booted normally. However, once I changed the settings in xtu and changed my RAM speed from 1333 to 1600mhz (not sure why the ram was clocked down, though now I regret ever noticing), the system fell into a no-boot status. Turning it on gives two quick beeps, which is apparently a RAM issue. I tried unplugging the cmos and doing a power drain-no luck. I'd rather avoid taking the system apart, but will if necessary. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

did you do a CMOS reset?

 

I unplugged the cmos battery, held down the power button for a full minute, then plugged the cmos battery back in. I'm not sure if that constitutes as a reset?

 

did you take out the RAM too? all of it?

 

No, just the two sticks under the rear panel. I was trying to avoid having to take off the keyboard/palm rest to access the other two, but I can do so and report back.

 

You have to take all the RAM out, turn on the computer, let it beep itself to death, then quickly reinsert a single RAM stick before it cycles power again.

In case Dell didn't hear me the first time, screw you and your downright retarded reset method. Even Apple has a keyboard based NVRAM reset.

 

Ah, yes. The joy of NVRAM filth. Unfortunately, Alienware thought it would be cute to do this to us. It wasn't.

This should erase the settings your motherboard choked on...

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Edit: Brother @Raidriar beat me to the punch.

 

There should be an amendment to that procedure. There is no need to remove the CMOS battery, it is useless for NVRAM. I never take my CMOS battery out.

 

Didn't know that back in May of 2014 when frantically looking for a way to resuscitate a machine when all conventional methods failed. I've never tried it without disconnecting the CMOS battery, but I'll take your word for it since you discovered that. On the Alienware 18, that's not a big deal since it is wide open and a cinch to unplug the wire, but on the Alienware 17 it is an absolutely miserable process since you have to remove the motherboard from the chassis or carve away part of the chassis to get access to the stupid thing.

The really stupid thing is that removing the CMOS battery on a Clevo that stores settings in NVRAM clears it. You don't have to do the silly gyrations like this on a Clevo. Why it doesn't work on Alienware 17/18 is a mystery, other than the fact they messed up a lot of things with the introduction of Haswell.

Edit: added a footnote with a credit to @Raidriar that is should not be necessary and 17 owners should attempt to skip that step due to the difficulty in accessing it.

 

Thank you for the credit. I can confirm I tested the procedure in the Alienware 17 and Alienware 18 WITHOUT removing the CMOS battery in either system when I soft bricked from too low of an undervolt when trying to reduce Haswell temps

 

Rep added

 

Thanks so much for the advice, guys. I'll give this method a try and get back with the results.

 

Bit of a (late) recap/update-the nvram reset procedure kindly illustrated by @Mr. Fox & @Raidriar remedied the problem instantly, and the machine has been functioning normally since. Thanks again guys, I really do appreciate it.

 

No problem mate, that's what we are here for~!