Games crashes - desperate (new m17x)

Hi,

Need your help!

I am desperate now, as I read almost everything that could lead to my problem, did HDD, Ram tests and extended and system diagnostics, nothing was found.

Updated all drivers that i could find, i even installed 186.81 GPU drivers, but still got the same problem.

Vista 64 Home Pr.

Problem: Game crashes.
Playing Warcraft 3 and Counter Strike source mostly and those game crashes ramdomly but within 30 minutes every time i start playing.
I did try Crysis and it crashed, even Anno 1404. Basically every single game.

Warcraft 3 - shows FATAL ERROR
Program: path/war3.exe
Exception:0xC0000005 (ACCESS_VIOLATION) at 0023:6F474F03
The instruction at '0x6F474F03' referenced memory at '0x000000098'.
The memory could not be 'read'

Counter Strike Source - shows h2.exe stop working

The other 2 don't remember, but similar to stop working or memory prob.

When I got this PC, I had a problem with large archieves which i downloaded from the web, all were currupted tried different sources also were
corrupted, people didn't comment anything on the source that files were corrupted so I asume that they were fine, but could be wrong as I no longer have that problem. Only games to my knowledge. Don't have BSOD. Re installed windows using cd which was provided (3 times). Had raid 0, now i have 2 separate HDD.

Also i have something dodgy with my sound, for example if its muted (tested in game and in windows) i do have half a second sound coming through and then no sound again as it is supposed to be.

My spec:
Q9300 Extreme 2.53
280M SLI
1T - 2x500
4GB Ram

I almost ready to crash that laptop! Talked to support team from Alienware like 10 times now, all they advice do test, re install, etc. I won't find a solution will send them this laptop for check up, but don't think they would find anything if I cannot find as tried almost everything now.

 

Have you tried a format and reinstallation of everything?

 

yes, as i re installed windows 3 times, games even more than that.

The paradox is that I cannot find any hardware problem using all sorts of diagnostics software.

By the way, I have noticed another problem, I enabled in BIOS so that external devices from USB should get power even when laptop is switched off, but i doesn't work. I have wireless mouse and i would like to charge it when laptop. Power led and alienware logo on the display glowing when the laptop switched off, but doesn't get power from USB to my mouse.

Is it common ?

 

It might be one of two issues then:

1. Bad video card (hardware). Bad ram (try pulling on stick out and testing it then the other)
2. Temperatures are too high. Post some temps

 

it could just be the entire motherboard.
if the options are not working in your bios then its a strong possibility.

i had a similar problem on my a7700 and the fix was a new motherboard.

 

is there any chance that windows provided is corrupted and causing all this problems?

I have noticed that SP2 wasn't available for an update, it just showed me that my vista is up to date, however I didn't have SP2. I had to manually download it and install it (that was happening every time i reinstalled my OS)

 

What are your ram timings?

 

timings ?

I am at work now, as soon as get home will check that if you could explain what am i looking for as i am not that expert yet ?

 

You can open the memory tab in Nvidia System Tools or use Everest. Not familiar with M17x BIOS, but could be in there, if it is could have been inadvertantly changed causing the instability and BSOD's.

 

As i can see that none of you have similar problems and your advice is something wrong with hardware, i have decided not to proceed any further, as i think i have done everything so it is time for someone else to have a look.

Just organized for a collection. Hope people from Dell will find a problem and get me working laptop.

Thnx for those who replied, even not many

P.S. Always thought by buying more expensive technology gives you less hustle but now I know, that I was wrong.

Alienware/Dell technical support is helpful but damn, i had to convince them that I did everything i could in order for them to collect it and investigate. That i didn't like, so buying such expensive laptop + extended warranty + accidental coverage for 3 years, still puts me in possition to beg, please take your faulty laptop and check (NOT replace but check). On that part, it is very bad experience, also if everything works perfectly, everything is perfect but when something is not and especially if it is not common then it is completely different story.

I will let you know how it would go, hope that from my experience someone would find a solution or won't spend time by doing all re installation, investigation, testing, memory swapping, raid0 to non raid, updating, reading all different sources, visiting dozens of forums.

 

the better and more expensive usually means newer and more complicated

 

For those who wants to know what was wrong with my laptop:
Just talked to technical support (very good service)
they confirmed that they want to change
1) Motherboard
2) Video cards
3) Ram

Lol, i guess i got a lucky laptop

But the quality of service, i like it very much, they make notes every time we speak, so doesn't matter who i am dealing with, that person always knows what is happening or happened, so don't need to explain all over again, even to the smallest details, and they got good skill level personal who knows what they are talking about, quite basics but very sadly a lot of other companies can not follow them.

Overall: shame that I was the luckiest to get faulty laptop but very satisfied that they are replacing almost everything

P.S. Can I edit my topic title ? I want to erase desperate and add "solved".