Major Problem W/M9750, Where to go from here

i was on a normal everyday web site. the screen/computer froze, so i held the power button down to restart it now the screen wont come on.. what do i do now?

where can i take this question to get help since i dont see a tech support on this web site? thank you guys!

 

do you get to the post screen/alien head? if not, your vid cards=dead....

if you do, reinstall windows...

 

i get nothing just a black screen.. but if the vid card went out wouldnt it go black when it froze?

 

some sort of hardware died... otherwise it would at least get to the POST screen.


the mobo could have gone too...

 

anyway to test which hardware went bad? or just take it in to a local shop and bend over when they ask for the money

 

there is a 99% chance that they wouldn't have the parts to test it anyway...


and buying parts at random can get very expensive, very fast... $140 for 1 vid card, $100 for the LCD, $50 for the cpu, $10 for the memory, and if the mobo is dead you have to spend another $200+ on one...


IMO your better off parting it and buying something newer...




If you really want to get it fixed, I will be selling my m9750 barebone kit in a few days/week(basicly mobo+case+LCD)

 

I've moved your thread to the Legacy sub-forum. From what you describe, I am thinking GPU issue as well. Have you experienced any abnormal artifacting or temp issues prior to this?

Also, just in case -

If you have some type of warranty remaining,

Alienware Legacy Systems

Quote Src: Alienware Support - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

 

Does it seem like everything else is running? Like do the lights above the keyboard light up, and can you hear/feel the HD loading up?

Could be a GPU problem if you turn it on into just a black screen. Check with an external monitor to see if it's your LCD Screen.

If not, it could be broken solder on your GPU. I had a similar problem (mine didn't die, just didn't show anything on the screen the next day), and it turns out it was broken solder on my GPU causing no image on the screen.

Unfortunately mine crapped out again after 3 months after repair, and just got it back again, so fingers crossed it stays this time, otherwise time to buy a new GPU.

 

i bought it back in 2008 and didn't by any extended warranty so i doubt its still under warranty =/ ....

That's the weird part, i have never ever experienced anything that would suggest that the graphic cards would be going bad.. Just out of now where the screen/computer froze up...

Im also not able to shut it down either. Iv tried holding the power button down to force a shut down, but that keeps making it restart.. I'v also tried letting it load up for a while to know its at the desktop, and i press the windows key and right arrow 3 times and enter which will also shut it down, but nothing happens... i just ended up taking the battery out and unplugging it to turn it off, the second i plug it back in though it starts up again.

the lights light up and the fans kick on and the hard drives i can hear loading up as well. i plugged in an external monitor and it says no sync. Iv never plugged in an external monitor before, so should it just pick it up automatically at start up? or do you have to change the nvida multi display?

im going to fix this one, then sell it and build a desktop. eff these laptops (in most cases they are pointless over a desktop). battery on the comp dies in less then 10min.. my phone is all i need for a portable computer.

 

Sounds like the same problem I had/have with mine. Mine gave no signs at all of a GPU problem, I just turned it on one day and nothing.

If you want, you can find a local PC repair shop who can reball or reflow the GPU (have them run a diagnostic first to see if that is the problem). A local shop that I took mine to cost me around $199.

I would recommend just buying a new GPU on ebay or somewhere else. I made the mistake of trying to repair mine, and it ended up failing again 3 months later (still under the 90 day warranty for the shops repair), so they literally just fixed it again the other day.

In the end, if it is the same problem, I would cut your losses and buy another GPU (which will probably be cheaper than a fix). If your desperate, and you have tried everything, you can always bake the GPU.

Here is the link to someone here on the forums who baked his card back to life:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...r-your-dead-graphics-card-your-alienware.html

Not sure how long it will last you though, I highly doubt it's a permanent fix.

 

but why cant i shut it down? i have to take the battery and charger out to have it shut off. the second i plug it back in, it boots up..

 

Sounds like your gpu died and the resulting issues could be fixed by replacing it and resetting your CMOS battery.

Let me know if you need a 3870 replacement as I have both a master and slave.

 

You could probobly bake them, or pull one out, and try to use them single. One of them probobly works, its VERY rare that both die like that. Make sure you use them single in the middle slot.

 

another thing you could try is using a heat gun... there is a little less risk than baking, but not everyone has access to one.