M18x R1 5 beep error code & wont start

Hi, i've recently purchased a M18x R1 off fleabay, it wouldn't give any signs of life.

I've disassembled it and soldered one 25V 100uF near the power jack that has apparently left for some reason and one ceramic capacitor that has been knocked off near the secondary gpu.

Now the laptop starts but i get 5 beeps.
I've removed the LCD but i guess it initializes later so i still got 5 beeps.
I've removed the ram and i've got 2 beeps upon power up.

Since it's actually responding to missing ram that leads me to beleive that the motherboard isn't completly fried.
Any1 any clue what should i do next?

The 5 beep relates to CMOS Battery Error, and the instructions say to press Fn on startup... tried that but with no luck.

I'll test the ram and two 6970M's for functionality, a cheap i5 cpu is already on it's way and if nothing helps i think i'll be in the market for a M18x R1 motherboard....

While i wait for the CPU, i'll appreciate any suggestions on what to do next, this is my first M18x, so i'm kinda new to it

 

Not identical to your issue, but I have an R1 which seemingly bricked itself out of nowhere. After hours of research and some help from the great people here on nbr, I was finally able to get it posting again by stripping it down and removing all but one ram stick and the secondary gpu (leaving the primary). I'm still not sure exactly what happened to it, but it still runs fine to this day (aside from the discrete gpu's failing, but they're 6990m's so, yeah...)

 

Ok, thanks I'll try that later ... although i think i've tried pretty much the same thing ....
So i just have mobo, 1 ram, primary gpu, the cpu, both fans, screen, touchpad + keyboard (no additional ram's or the optical drive, hdd's, daughterboard)?

 

Right. You might also want to try each ram stick individually, just in case one/multiple are part of the problem. Booting with intregrated graphics to cut out the discreet "middle man" may also be something worth trying. If all that fails, I'd recommend doing a blind bios flash via a usb drive in the e-sata port if you haven't explored that avenue already.

The guide to doing so can be found here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...r-all-m18x-r1-in-case-of-corrupt-bios.606715/

 

Already checked ram, all modules check out. I'll try the bios flash next

 

The cards are actually 2x 6990M, and from testing in the M17x R2 i can tell that the primary one is busted, I'm swapping them around and then trying what @inasense reccomended.
Still haven't received the CPU, so i'll not be able to say for sure where is the problem unless one of the suggestions works.

 

One of my 18x r2's did the exact same thing to me, ended up being bad primary gpu.

 

Ok, i've finally got some time to tinker with the laptop again, and i can confirm that it ended up being just that, a busted primary GPU, was trigerring CMOS beep code for some odd reason.

Now, does any1 know for 100% if the slot next to wifi can host a msata ssd?

Edit: by host i mean if the msata ssd is working in the slot

 

Also, If any1 has a broken motherboard I'd be interested in purchasing the chipset heatsink, Mine seems to have come without it ... or if the price is right entire motherboard

 

No, it does not. It is a USB port, not PCIe in spite of the socket type. I have tried it on the M18xR1 and R2 and even a USB mini-PCIe card in that slot is not bootable, although it does work fine for adding an internal USB port. I have a tiny 32GB Sandisk flash drive in there that I store downloaded programs and drivers on.

 

Ah too bad :/... how did you hook up a USB to that port ?

 

Finally the laptop is fully working, i'm just curious what temps are you seeing with the M18x and i7 CPU's?

I have a i7 2760QM QS and it's going to 80-85°C under load with no OC, compared to the M17x R2's i7 820QM (max 70-75°C) running a light 12% FSB OC.
Are this chips that hot?... i was also looking for a 3-pipe heatsink, where could one get that?

 

Regarding your cpu temps: The 2xxx series generally run a bit a bit hotter than the 8/9xxx do. 85c top under load is about normal-a bit on the warm side perhaps, but nothing I'd personally be concerned about. If you're really concerned, a repaste wouldn't hurt.

The triple pipe heatsink (0MXJ5) can be found on ebay, as well as a couple sites you can find with a quick google search of the part name. You may source one (undoubtedly cheaper) directly from dell's part supply/technical support line, but those older parts are becoming more & more scarce.

Good luck.

 

I've repasted and I'll be running a stress test again soon ... I've also noticed that my CPU is actually OEM, why does the M18x report it's QS?...

Well the thing is dell in my country doesn't sell the X Alienwares (M18x, M15x, M17x, M14x,.... ) but only the new models (M18, M17, M15, ...) and that's why i doubt theyll be able to provide me the HS for a normal price.. (I was thinking of paying around 50€, is this okay price)?