M15x probelms galore + customer service HELL

Hey guys, I am really at my wits end so I need some sane advice.
Here are my troubles in chronological order:

1. M15X fails to boot: Dell replaces GPU and motherboard.
2. Engineer breaks keyboard in the above process and comes round to replace that.
3. eSata port not working + DVD drive noisy and works occasionally: Drive replaced but doesn't work at all now.
4. DVD drive is replaced again along with motherboard: everything seems ok

Now all of a sudden these problems cropped up:

1. caps,scroll,num lights completely dead.
2. Capacitive touch controls light up and work only occasionally if at all.
3. When running games, it’s joggy and I can't hear the gpu fan like usual. Have to restart several times until the gpu kicks in and games don't jog.
4. Occasionally on boot fans don't quiet down and stay loud until I reboot.
5. Wifi ok on WEP only. Severe slow down on WPA.

I have obviously reinstalled windows with latest drivers and in correct order but none of the issues were resolved.

I called alienware today with these problems and demanded an M17x as replacement for all the trouble.
I had the misfortune of speaking with a lousy indian rep (No offence to Indians) who refused anything but repairs after consulting his "supervisor" whom I asked to speak to but was "busy".
Please, anyone here especially alienware rep point me in the right direction.

Thanks
Frustrated M15x owner.

 

hey man,

that sounds really anoying for you... but the only thing you can do is call again and again till they just "do" something.

if they just don´t agree you have to play the "angry user" helped for me though

till i bought the m15x i got

1. screen stayed black, got GPU replacement
2. fan dont worked, got mainboard replaced
3. Occasionally on boot fans don't quiet down and stay loud until I reboot. (still don´t fixed) no sollution from dell..

 

Ah.... Thanks

So I have to basically pester them until they go.. "He's already called here 93 times, just send him off with whatever he wants!"

Oh so depressing.. I'll give it a try when I can. Thanks for the advice.

 

The touch panel issues sound very much like the ribbon cable connecting the panel to the motherboard has gotten loose or damaged at some point during the repair efforts, which is not unusual. Pull the touch panel (gently) and check the ribbon cable connections at each end to be sure they are fully seated and examine for damage. Good luck. That would be a very easy solution. Perhaps too good to be true in your case.

It is possible that your joggy performance/quiet fan in game is related. It sounds exactly like Stealth Mode, which might be getting toggled or enabled as a result of a bad or inconsistent connection from the touch panel activator/indicator. For reasons unknown, stealth mode is reported to get activated on some machines without human intervention and has to be toggled off. The forum utility Stealth Mode Indicator can be used to automatically prevent stealth mode from being activated or instantly disable it in the event of activation. Easy and bulletproof.

The loud fans at boot that stay on high setting until reboot is a problem that plagues a few M15x's and has been the subject of considerable discussion. So far as I know, no solution has yet been discovered.

The Wifi issue could be a router firmware issue. Some routers have difficulty with WPA connections as configured from the factory, but work normally with WEP. Check your router manufacturer for updated firmware or workarounds which address the issue.

 

I don't think adelsmud wants to open up the computer himself, that's why he has the warrnty

Honestly, I've had more problems than you. Got my computer in December 2009, and I had to call a technician over seven times, then they replaced my system with a brand new one in January. Six months later I'm getting heating issues as well as BSODs. I'm out of warranty and out of country. Gotta love vacation!

 

Well, he doesn't need us then.

Sorry about your situation. Sounds like a nightmare. Mine has been largely trouble-free after a little over a year, other than normal maintenance, upgrades and repasting(s). I've also swapped out a bunch of components in the course of upgrading. Except for the monitor and motherboard, no major component remains the same as it came from the factory.

 

Ah... I was thinking this GPU problem smells very....stealth mode-ish. Although I never though it was on. Thanks for the heads up. Despite all these problems I love th M15x and was even planning to upgrade bits here and there soon. However I honestly don't have time for these problems (even though I ended up extending the warranty till 3013)so was thinking if I could get it swapped for an M17x even if I have to pay the difference. Overall it seem more reliable.

Anyway thanks guys!
Anyway thanks for all