Alienware M11x R1 backlight wrong colour

My keyboard backlight is having a weird problem. It has been light blue since forever but today it inexplicably turned to green. I tried to change it through the command center but it seems every colour is messed up as well.

For example, I tried to change to dark blue but it turns the light off (black still turns the light off). I tried white and it becomes yellow. I must point out that this is not a "reshuffling" of the colours. It seems like there is a genuine error with it. For example, there is no more pink/purple colour. The command center shows the correct colour but the keyboard LED colours are wrong.

Also, there is another weird thing. If i press my left shift (left ctrl & Fn works as well) button slightly harder, the problem is solved. I get the correct colours which corresponds to the command center. But if I let go of the left shift (or left ctrl or Fn), the problem presists.

It seems like this problem is somehow linked to that left shift & ctrl & Fn area of the keyboard.

Please advise.

 

Blue=green
White=yellow
Red=orange?


Sounds like the yellow is "stuck" on.

Call Dell and get them to fix it. Is it only the keyboard zone? Or the other zones too? May need a new keyboard.

 

Yeah only the keyboard. I dont think it's a problem of yellow being "stuck" on. I can still get red. It's just that yellow, orange, red all result in red keyboard light.

Call Dell again? Oh man, I just had my hard disk replaced not two weeks ago (I think the hard disk got too hot and failed) Before that, I had my monitor replaced because of the failing hinges issue.

I was hoping if anyone had similar problem to their M11x and maybe help me solve this without consulting Dell first.

 

Your blue light is dead. The flex is not making contact,You should ask a replace or fix of your keyboard. Period.

 

LED lights rarely die. I doubt his LED is dead. I think its software problem. Try reinstalling Control Center.
Sometimes this happens to me but I can just switch it to another color and go back and it will work again.

E.g.
Red > Green > Blue > Red

 

I think it's software too. But can anyone figure out the apparent relation between pressing the left shift key hard and the keyboard LED?(if I press the Lshift or Lctrl or Fn key hard, the problem seems to solve itself, but it returns as soon as I let go of the key)
Could it be a hardware problem as well?

EDIT: reinstalled command center, rebooted. Doesnt seem to help :/

 

adan, see my post here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/7456566-post3.html

This will correct the issue you are running into. Your keyboard cable connections need to be re-seated.

If you are not comfortable doing this, contact support.

 

agree with BatBoy

i think the ribbon is loose.

 

This could be the root of the issue.

I recently had my hard disk replaced by a Dell technician. Maybe something went loose as he replaced the hard disk.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

I have the perfecy solution, and its called : RE-INSTALLATION
Have you try to reinstall the command center ? Try it and tell me if the problem was fixed


( here is the link for the drivers http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&cs=2684&l=en&s=pub&os=W764&osl=en&catid=&impid=&SystemID=ALW_LP_M11X)

 

already suggested that if you read above and he said it doesnt work.

 

Oh i didnt see it until now.

 

Hey there, new user to the forum.

I have the exact same problem with the back lighting on the keyboard. The blue lights won't work either, and they'll turn green or shut off instead. I tried the key board re-seating - I removed the components listed on the guide, removed the keyboard completely, and set it back. This did not solve the issue though. Any other ideas?

 

Same here guys. I need to try reseating it but if anyone else has a fix that would be awesome. If I hold down ctrl pretty hard it is fine as long as I hold it. Besides that Red is the only color that works.

I guess I should look at it as "power saving". lol

 

it sounds like an issue with the connection the keyboard makes to the mainboard via one of its ribbon cables. You will probably have to take it apart to fix it. Unfortunately getting the keyboard out requires you dissasemble most of the computer. You can find a video of the teardown procedure here Alienware M11x Teardown **READ SAFETY PRECAUTIONS PRIOR TO REPLACING PARTS** (Official Video) - YouTube

Also you should know that the tech in this video removes the ribbon cables INCORRECTLY!! Where the cables plug in to the mainboard they have tiny flip-up fasteners which put pressure on the cable and keep it in place. Using your fingernail or a small screwdriver you can flip those fasteners up and the cables will slide freely out. Be careful when doing this as they can also pop out of the plug and fly across the room and be lost. If you can not properly see the fasteners I suggest you get a magnifying glass and use it to view exactly what I mean.

Also keep careful note of which screws go in which holes. It is easy to get the long ones and the short ones confused during reassembly.

Probably just unplugging the keyboard cables and plugging them back in will fix it. If it does not you may need a new keyboard.

One other thing, be very careful to put all cables back in the same positions you found them in during dissasembly. If you put them in the wrong places they can become pinched or damaged which can cause all sorts of fun problems.

 

I ran into this same problem, and reseating the cable didn't fix the problem. It ended up being the connection where the keyboard LED ribbon cable (the smaller copper colored one) went up into the keyboard itself. When I pinched that area the blue would light up. I taped the ribbon down and put a small shim where the keyboard bottom meets the ribbon connector on the body of the laptop and it's working as it should be. Easy fix that saves having to buy a new keyboard.

 

I know this thread is old but I was recently experiencing the same problem. aaronmjr is 100% correct. I took the keyboard off the notebook leaving the ribbons connected. On the part of the ribbon that connects to the keyboard if you push the ribbon against the laptop further the lights start working again. Before I read aaron's post I taped the ribbon down but realized that wasn't enough. I folded up some tape and shoved it under the keyboard so it would push the ribbon against the keyboard and it worked for a while. Now it keeps shutting on and off intermittently. It seems the only fix is to replace the keyboard or somehow fix the ribbon. Depending on the extent of the damage you may be able to put a piece of electrical tape under the keyboard and see if it helps.