WARNING: M15x owners do not install CC from resouce disk.

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http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...not-use-command-center-your-resource-dvd.html

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just a warning to M15x owners with A05 bios do not install command center from the resouce disk.

this has not been confirmedd yet, but i've seen a few cases already where the owner install the cc from the resource disk and ended up killing the fx controller. and only a new motherboard will fix this. things they have in common is A05 and old cc installed.

so again it not comfirmed but i just put it out there to be safe.

quoted from dttran83:
It not installing CC from the resource disc that brake the alienfx. I had the bios version A05 and installing the CC from resource work just find. It when you update to the new alienfx from dell website and went back back to the old version on resource disc. That what I did and it broke my alienfx. I just had my motherboard replace yesterday by a dell tech. Everything is working good now. So do not go back to the old version once you update it to the new CC on the dell website.


Confirmed Cases so far:
1, ddtran83
2. villosa
3. SoccerThierry
4. Layer Cake
5. Avengement
6. hub1100

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MOD EDIT:

All current drivers, BIOS and AW Command Center should be downloaded directly from Dell. Use this link for the M15x. Be sure to change the OS to match what you are running.

Drivers & Downloads - Public Sector

-BatBoy
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Thanks for posting this. Exactly what happened to me with my M15x. Installed CC from the Resource Disc and boom... AlienFX controller fried...

 

yeah just been seeing too many of these popping up, so i decided just to put it out there.

 

i nearly did this lol but i then went to the site for command center for some bizarre reason idk why then i redid the fresh install with the latest drivers rofl

 

confirm! a friend of mine has failed to light up the alienFX keyboard ! Im sure he need a motherboard replacement

 

More than likely you will always need a new motherboard if you installed Resource Disc CC with bios A05.

 

Resource Disc CC?

 

Resource disc Command Center lol.

 

the never updated mass produced cd we all get

 

No thats not what I mean.. I got what it was.
My question was more confusion as to how the resource disk.. was the problem!

 

well its got outdated drivers for everything period except for a few drivers that are still up to date like the audio and bluetooth i believe but other than its not really needed wish they would update it so people would stop bricking their systems would save everyone time and money imo.

 

how does a installing software fry a mboard with a particular bios..explains please lol

 

Seems hard to imagine that the CC would damage the fx controller. I could see getting incompatibilities, or wigging it out with a power cycle and flash fixing it. What are people seeing when this happens?

 

Very easily I am sorry to say ( The BIOS turns a lot of things on and off and even has control of the system voltages and clocks. It would not take but 20sec to modify a firmware upgrade to default to max voltages and clocks and hence fry everything. Of course, that is an extreme situation but makes my point. The BIOS probably saves and writes some values to the FX controller and the old CC software interacts with these new values to cause a issue.

 

Ah I see thanks!

 

Thanks! I'm considering buying a M15x. This is helpful!

 

after the install people started seeing error messages saying fx controller is no longer being recognized. i haven't seen a fix for it yet, other then a mobo replacement. there could be a fix but i just want to put it out there to save people from headaches.

 

Thanks for putting that up bro. Anyone tried a fresh install to see if the problem could be related to a windows error?
Anyway, Inhad that problem and my mobo will be replaced on friday. Cant wait!

 

I never use those discs anyway.

Good practice is to always hit up support.dell.com and download everything there and make your own resource disc

 

It not installing CC from the resource disc that brake the alienfx. I had the bios version A05 and installing the CC from resource work just find. It when you update to the new alienfx from dell website and went back back to the old version on the resource disc. That what I did and it broke my alienfx. I just had my motherboard replace yesterday by a dell tech. Everything is working good now. So do not go back to the old version once you update it to the new CC on the dell website.

 

thanks will update it to include this in the post.

 

Come to think of it that's the pattern I saw too. I first did a fresh reinstall due to the HDD to SSD swap and installed from the Dell site. One of the drivers had an error and just wouldn't install. I've had some mobo problems and decided to reinstall my OS yet again, except this time I went with all Resource Disc drivers and software. Biggest mistake ever. AlienFX dies after doing that. Fix=mobo replacement.

 

Yup that what exactly happen to me too.

 

I also encountered this issue with my 2 day old M15x. I wanted to reinstall Win 7 and installed CC from the resource disk and the lights stopped working. Spoke with Dell support staff today and he remote linked to my laptop and tried to reinstall some drivers. However we came to the conclusion that the AlienFX board is now messed up and I'll getting a new mboard installed

 

Thanks for the info. Will keep in mind since my M15x would be coming in a week or so.

Quite strange that the driver/software fries the AlienFX and mobo replacement is the only fix ..

 

If the mods can sticky this for awhile that would be great. Just to make this issue known to all. Thanks

 

I second the sticky, it is a rather big problem since DELL provides both the motherboard bios A05 and the resource disc that kills the lights...
It's up in the air whether the AlienFX firmware is up to date. My new mobo had to be flashed to the new firmware when the NEWEST CC was installed. All in all, stay away from the resource disc.

 

bump..anyone got any tips for someone who will be getting his mobo replaced due to a failed alienfx chip next week? All I've heard is horror stories from people on this forum about incompetant techs and I'd like this to go as smoothly as possible.

 

Good to know I got scared for a second.

 

lol thanks for the tip.. Good looking out.

Its amazing how many people just deal with things like this.. the bios bricking from a03, and the throttling. Im trying to raise a stink with AW now, and many here react like its no big deal. Craziness!

 

Yeah I was sad when I saw my lights were not working, but Dell were cool about it. a tech came to my house, replace my mobo and fixed my sister's XPS problem even though his laptop was not covered by a warranty anymore!
So yeah, Dell sure does a lot of hardware mistakes and all, but their service is very good, so I'm quite pleased!

 

just updated to add a list of the people who had this issue.

 

Hey friend can anyone tell me if i want to install Windows again from recovery disk how will i avoid CC to not to install from recovery disk?

 

install usiing the drivers from here:
Drivers & Downloads

takes longer but all the drivers are up to date

 

Friend i mean i will use the Alienware recovery discovery but how will i avoid drivers to install automatically?

 

well if your using the recovery method then you can't avoid it because its written into the partition it will recover back to factory. i think you will be ok, the problem is only when having new cc then going back to the older cc. as long as you don't have the old one installed then it should be ok. but much safer and better to reformat and start from scratch.

 

But then i'll not get wallpapers,icons and screensaver and alienware extras

 

i have a backup of all the alienware wallpapers and avatars. other than that you will have everything the same. i can also show you how to get your alienware login screen again also.

Download wall and avatars.rar from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

 

And friend sendspace is blocked in my country please any other link.

Thanks Inap, would you like to become my friend and friend is there anything special in Alienware recovery disk? Can i install Win 7 ultimate from scratch and do tell me how to get the login screen. Thanks again friend, you guys are great

 

sure, just pm me your email and i will send you the file.
just use this tool in the link to get back your login screen,

How To Change Windows 7 Logon Screen Easily [Without Using Hacks & Tools]

also you can just back up your wallpapers and avatars to a disk or flashdrive from your hdd.

 

just had another confirmed case: hub1100

 

Hey guys ! Last day i have issues with my Command Center ( latest ver ) i don't read this topic before and i install old Command Centers from Resources Disk and Alien FX don't work , but when i un-install old Command Center and reinstall latest Command Center on Dell site is work again ??? my M15X BIOS is A05 ?? Are i'm so lucky or this issues can be fix with out Mobo Replacement ?? hope it's helpful for some one ???

 

Your motherboard, though A05, must've contained the old firmware used by past Command Centers and it didn't flash right when you installed the latest one. The problem happens when you update to the latest Command Center successfully, like yourself, and then install the old Command Center for some reason. That is what causes the FX controller to brick.

 

Hi guys so a Dell tech replaced the mboard of my new M15x today with a refurbished mboard due to the CC issue mentioned earlier. When he turned it on the lights turned on however the laptop failed to boot up. Some of the icons next to the caps lock icon kept flashing indicating some sort of problem with boot up. He removed ram and replaced it to see if it was a ram issue. Still same problem. So he called Dell tech, who didn't have a solution and they're sending me a replacement. Now I have to wait at least 3 weeks going through the whole ordering process again Morale of story: throw away the resource disc!

 

Are you sure it was a refurb mobo? One should never settle for a refurb when you bought brand new. Glad they're at least sending you a replacement, new I hope. When my mobo died, I got a new one with a cmos battery, A05 etc

 

Yes, the tech said so himself. Actually I wasn't too happy with the tech either. I told him the AlienFX board was a hardware issue and he was adamant it was a software issue as he handles similar issues all the time and thought that replacing the mboard wouldn't fix the lights issue. It was funny how when he replaced it and turned the power on low and behold: blue lights Anyway, I'll make sure they send me a new one

 

Lol, most techs I've read about said it's software. Clearly, the FX controller is shot and is located on the motherboard, which needs replacing. Next time, do yourself a favor and ask the tech to just drop off the part lol. Self repairs are the best.

 

Ok, so I just want to tell everyone how angry I am right now! I have had so many problems I should not be having when paying for premium items. Lets go through the list of some things I have noticed with my M15x I received for my 17th birthday in april.

1. The sound in my laptop is faulty, and I have yet to call and get it fixed as I am only 17. I get hissing, buzzing, and a ton of distortion at higher levels of volume though headphones. This, I have noticed has been happening to a few people, not many.
2. Why does my laptop contain an Intel core i5 "430m" when what was selected on the site clearly says "540m"?
3. The touchpad driver is TERRIBLE, LAGGY, and UNRESPONSIVE, so I am forced to use windows default driver.
4. This is my newest problem. Today, I decided to reinstall windows because I kept having some problems that were making me angry, and I felt cluttered so a fresh install sounded good. After installing, I proceeded to get out my resource disk and use it to install all the drivers I needed to get functioning, until I could install the most recent versions. After installing the CC and the OSD on the disk neither of them have worked at all. I get "Usb device not recognized", and the CC program gives me an error as well.
5. Oh yeah I forgot to include the GPU throttling issue! I'll be playing a game and after a while the clocks will decrease, causing me to have to restart.

SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!! Now I have to call in a dell tech for sure. The touchpad, sound, gpu throttling, and cpu (sorta) I could live with, but now its 5:30 am and I have been up all night on a school night trying to fix this issue! I am freaking mad! Alienware where the heck is your head at!?

 

the flashing lights could indicate that there is a loose connention somewhere, try removing your keyboard and reseating your display connectors.

well if you really dissatified with i recommend calling for a replacement or refund. if your still within your 21 return period you have the rights to do so.

 

Wow... Well yeah call dell asap!
Make sure the receipt you receive says that you ordered the I5 540m.
I'm also 17 and I had no problem to reach dell's rep and tech, they came to fix my lights whithin a week. But I can see that you have a LOT of problems, so you might want to have a whole new system instead. So call them asap! And angrily ask for freebies, you could very well be granted few accesories!