Got my m15x back today, yeah there are 2 problems with it now

I sent my m15x back to Alienware for a minor repair, got it back today, new lid with no creaks , installed my app's back on it then I decide hey I'll put it in stealth mode but I can't.

The Alienware Command Center touchpad icon & the Stealth Mode touchpad icon both don't work, when I press down on them they both don't get highlighted & the AW Command Center doesn't pop up & there is no notable performance if I press the Stealth Mode touchpad icon. The Wi-fi icon is a little slow to react when I press down on it, the bluetooth icon works perfectly as does the volume slider.


Also on a sidenote when I booted it up for the first time since I got it back it took me straight into an Administrator account, I created my own Admin user account since this admin seemed to have a password basing on the user account settings, so I logged off & it showed only my new account (I just created) on the log on screen so I logged into my account. Then the next time I restarted the pc it logged me automatically into that very same admin account, so everytime I want to use my account I have to log off this admin account.


I can only guess that its the account Alienware use to access the pc since it doesn't appear on the log on screen & I can only guess Alienware forgot to do something with it since everytime I start the pc it bypasses the log in screen & goes straight into this admin account so I have to log off & then log into my account.

And also everytime it logs into this admin account it pops up with this System Preparation Tool which I haven't touched yet since I'm unsure what exactly it does:
http://i35.tinypic.com/2r5daj4.jpg



EDIT: They said they replaced the keyboard too though the reason it went it for (minor crack) had nothing to do with the keyboard, could a poor job of putting a new keyboard in caused the touchpade problem?

 

suonds like you may need to upgrade some firmware or some such thing...
not 100% but it sounds like it...

 

beats me what firmware might solve this touchpad problem, unless you mean the X34 bios update which I already have on the m15x.

 

They are so lame how could they leave this unconfigured?? Awright lets fix the software part.. not sure how to fix the hardware issue. Sysprep is a utility used to automatically deploy windows. I am not going to tell the entire story, read it here if you care about it - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc783215.aspx

To disable automatic logon,

1) Open registry editor
2) Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3) on the right hand side look for AutoAdminLogon and set it to 0
4) Also delete DefaultUsername and DefaultPassword

Restart your machine and it should be fixed now

 

I have no DefaultUsername and DefaultPassword in that directory in the registry editor, does that matter?

Pic of that directory in the registry editor:
http://i33.tinypic.com/4qs85.jpg

 

Select the Winlogon and see what you have on the right hand side display

 

here it was it contains:
http://i33.tinypic.com/t5q8mw.jpg

 

awright... this is happening because they have forgot to complete the sysprep process. Login to built in admin account once again and check the "generalize" check box under sysprep. Hit ok and it will restart the machine after setting the changes. This will also disable the built in system account, so make sure you have a admin user account created to login next time it starts

 

try reinstalling osd drivers for the touch controls.

 

.

I checked the generalize box, didn't change anything else, clicked ok, it finished setting the changes, then it automatically rebooted then it goes to this "Please wait while Windows sets up your computer.." screen, just wondering but how long does it normally take to do this since its been on this screen for 1hr now?


I only checked the generalize box then clicked ok, reboot was already in the box so I left it instead of changing to shut down, does this matter?, should I have changed it shutdown instead or reboot, & what's this screen "Please wait while Windows sets up your computer..".?

 

Reinstalling the OSD drivers requires uninstalling the Command Centre (just for the information of those who might not know)

this is definitely an option, there is a possibility that the keyboard replacement could've made the touchpad connector loose or somewhat disconnected... to check it, you'll have to lift up the keyboard...

directions: here

 

I do not see that as a good option, it looks like a hardware problem to me. Touch controls will work whether or not you have OSD installed. OSD only shows you status of them on screen. the light status should change even while you are not running windows (you can test while being in BIOS Setup)

 

.

What will happen if I turn off the pc manually (just hold power button) while still in this "Please wait while Windows sets up your computer.." screen since its been almost 3 hours now?



EDIT: btw this is what the "Please wait while Windows sets up your computer.." screen looks like:
http://i37.tinypic.com/2ngud1s.jpg

 

You have no other choice than rebooting it now... see my private IM

 

fixed the weird account problem with the help & guidance of findvikas, thanks again man.

Now just to get this touchpad working again, I have a feeling I'm going to be sending this bad boy (literally) back to Alienware next week.

 

I am happy for you. That really seem like a hardware issue to me, it cant be a software issue.

 

another problem, I went to play a game & it said video adaptor not supported I think its because its missing a driver, somehow that System Preparation Tool thing has screwed up the driver.

EDIT: Installed 167.55 driver, it now recognizes the 8800GTX, tested it on Crysis graphics are fine, works fine.

But when I use Binary GFX & reboot using the Intel Card its stuck in 1024x720 resolution (can't go any higher) & in device manager it doesn't list the Intel Card only VGA Adaptor & the Video Controller driver is missing too & on properties says this:
http://i34.tinypic.com/2d9odvd.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/2r7c1eu.jpg

Anybody know the right Intel driver & Video Controller driver?

 

Can't windows update find it ? You can get almost all drivers for Quanta machine (yea thats what m15x is) here - http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=2476&lang=eng

 

Windows tries to find the video controller online but can't. I checked Alienware UK site to see which Intel card the m15x came with, seems to be the PM965 (on the US AW site it says GM965, strange). & the first thing I did when I encountered this problem was go to Intel & it lists that PM965 card but its like the only card which doesn't have a driver to download as you can see here:
http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/sb/CS-025753.htm

& I don't have a clue where to find the video controller driver since I don't know what the video driver on the m15x is called, is it the "Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver" on the link you provided me with:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/fil...ndows+Vista*+32&lang=eng&strOSs=164&submit=Go!

 

No, it should be more of a software problem than it is a hardware problem. I've run into this problem quite a few times (my own fault for playing around with the boot files). Just uninstall the Alienware Command Center then reinstall it with the one found in the MyHive, located on the Alienware website.

My touch controls have been unresponsive also (twice actually, both my fault), but after reinstalling the Command Center, I managed to fix the touch controls. Try it out.

Edit: On a side note, I just realized I got promoted to a "Notebook Geek." Notebook Guru sounded a lot cooler than Geek. ):

Edit #2: Is this what you were looking for?

Scroll down a bit and you should be able to find it. Everything listed there is for the m15x on a Vista platform.

 

I'll try reinstalling the Command Center to see if it fixes the touchpad problem.


The only thing with the GM965 driver is that I'm from the UK so I got my m15x from alienware.co.uk & on the tech specs of the m15x it lists the Intel PM965 card while the the US alienware.com site lists on the tech specs an Intel GM965 card, is there a difference between the GM965 & the PM965?


EDIT: Thanks man, installed driver, worked fine fixed the Video Controller driver & VGA Adaptor driver, thanks man

 

I'm quite sure it's the same. If not, I'll go try to find the UK version for you.

Edit: The GM965 and the PM965 are similar, but they're not entirely the same. In your case though, the UK website is giving me the same drivers for your m15x. It also list it as the GM965 Graphics Driver.
http://support.alienware.co.uk/Support_Pages/Restricted_Pages/driver_downloads_processed.aspx?os=WV&cat=32&manu=8&item=653

Scroll down a bit and you should be able to find: Intel® GM965 Graphics Driver 7.14.10.1350. This should be the integrated graphics driver for Vista. It even says so itself.

By the way, where did you find PM965 as your chipset?

 

Double post.

Didn't see this until after I posted another post. No problem. Have you tried out reinstalling the Command Center (Centre) to fix the responsiveness of the touch controls?

 

Tried it a few mins ago unfortunately it didn't work

 

Don't know if you mentioned this already but what BIOS version are you running? People have reported much more responsive touch controls on the X34 BIOS.

 

Was this before or after you've installed the Intel graphics driver? Also, if it is at all possible, which touch controls are affected? (Is it just certain touch controls that are affected or are all of them unresponsive?) Oh, and one last question. When you go to your Device Manager, are there still any components that have a exclamation mark or a question mark beside it?

I still believe it's a software problem. I hope with these questions, we can pinpoint where the problem is.

Edit:

I totally forgot about this too. Thanks Ennea for the reminder.

 

X34 BIOS, double checked, triple checked.

After I reinstalled the Command Center the two touchpad controls (Commander Center one & Stealth Mode) both didn't seem to work but when I was showing my brother the problem the Command Center touchpad control worked but the Stealth Mode touchpad control still doesn't work, so maybe it is a software problem but the Stealth Mode Touchpad still doesn't work.


Summary of what has happened so far:
Alright as soon as I got the m15x back from AW yesterday I noticed straight away that two of the touchpad icons weren't working, & at the time all drivers were working (8800 GTX & Intel).

But when I tried to fix my other problem which you can read on page 1 & page 2 of the this thread I had to restart after AW had forgot to close the account they use. I then later tried to play a game but it wouldn't let me, I thought it must of been cause I was using the Intel card or something so I went into the Device Manager & it said driver was missing, then I used binary gfx & it said the same thing about the Intel card, that AW admin account I had to close down myself with the help of another member guiding me through the process had along the way muddled up the drivers for both the 8800GTX & Intel Card. So after getting help from you & others I installed the correct drivers which solved all the driver problems.


1# The 2 touchpad controls haven't worked since I got'em back, before I had the driver problem, while I had the driver problem, & after the driver problem was fixed.

2# its only the Touchpad controls for the Command Center (which now works) & Stealth Mode (still doesn't work), the rest work perfectly.

3# There are no exclamations marks next to anything in Device Manager, the Intel Driver fixed both the VGA adapter driver & Video Controller.

 

Sorry, went and read through all of the posts again to reconfirm what we're dealing with here. (It's 4:01AM over here.)

Theoretically, the Alienware Command Center should work after you reinstall it and Stealth Mode should also be functioning now that you have the Intel Graphics driver properly installed. It might be invalid registry files keeping it from binding all of the functions together into the touch controls. Anyway, try the following steps:

#1. Restart the computer (if you haven't done so already after installing the Intel graphic drivers).
#2. See if the touch controls are functioning after the reboot.
#3. If the touch controls still do not function, try uninstalling the Alienware Command Center again. Do not reinstall this yet.
#4. Install CCleaner. I normally use RegistryBooster 2 (a pay-to-use program) to fix registry errors but this should suffice since it's free and almost as effective.
#5. When you run CCleaner, there should be a registry tab. Click on that and then click "Scan for issues."
#6. After scanning, it should come up with a list of some invalid registry files it has found. Click on "Fix Selected Issues" and when it prompts you on whether you want to make a backup to the changes, click yes and then save the backup file somewhere.
#7. Repair all issues by clicking "Fix All Selected Issues."
#8. After that's done, exit CCleaner then reinstall the Alienware Command Center.
#9. Try out if these buttons work now. If not, I'll look further into it.

Edit:

Bingo. Here we go. So the problem came while it was there. This means that if it is indeed a software problem (which I'm 90% sure is the case), it must have been affected by one of the diagnostic scans or any tweaks made on your computer. I know this because rearranging the boot files (to speed up the boot time) have made my touch controls either completely unresponsive or out of control (ex. bluetooth turns itself on and off constantly).

I forgot to mention that when I fixed my touch control problem, I repaired all of the invalid registry files before I reinstalled the Command Center. This should clear up any conflicting residue before you reinstall the program.

 

Just so happens I have RegistryBooster 2 on my other PC, uninstalled Command Center, scanned the registry, made a back up, currently now repairing the registry.

EDIT: Restarted pc, now installing Command Center.

 

Cool. Best of luck to you, mate.

Edit: Also, another thing you might want to keep in mind. Use the Alienware Command Center they give you in your online invoice. This should be found by logging into My Hive, clicking on the corresponding invoice, then scrolling down to the linked Command Center program. Using a different version may affect how the touch keys respond.

Edit #2: I managed to research one last possible fix if the last one didn't work.

 

Nope, just finished restarting after installing Command Center, Stealth Mode still doesn't work.

 

got the BIOS updates in there? x34 and v41?

 

He said he triple-checked that he has X34 but not sure about the v41.

 

Alright. Here's my last suggestion. If even that doesn't work, then I'm all out of ideas (at least, until I research it further.) It's a more promising suggestion, so I hope to God this will work.

Because the Command Center requires you to have the On-Screen Display Utility (OSD) drivers first, you could try uninstalling the Command Center once more, (re)installing the Vista On-screen Display Utility, then reinstalling the Command Center.

The Vista On-Screen Display Utility could be found here:
http://support.alienware.com/Support_Pages/Restricted_Pages/driver_downloads_processed.aspx?os=WV&cat=32&manu=8&item=1050

Scroll down a bit to find the Vista On-Screen Display Utility 00020.

Also, make sure you have the right Command Center version. The one you should be using is the one given to you on your online invoice on the Alienware website after you log into My Hive.

The v41 firmware update is part of the X34 BIOS update. He should already have it if he has the X34 BIOS update. An Alienware representative just confirmed this on the official Alienware forums.

 

Double post again, sorry Chaz.

Since it's almost 5AM over here, I'm going to do a follow-up immediately later in the afternoon (I'll be sleeping till then). Hopefully you would have your issues solved by then (either with my assistance or with the assistance of the other members here at NBR), but if not, I'll research further into it.

I have already gathered some leads on some other possible solutions, but at the moment, I can't really say for sure if it's solid enough to suggest it. I'll have to reconfirm any further findings later to make sure that I don't keep pushing you into numerous trial-and-error steps.

Sorry I wasn't able to help much. Based on my personal experience, I thought I was able to help you resolve the issue the way I have, but it seems like this situation is a bit more complex than I thought. Maybe it's because you're running a Vista (I'm running XP.) Eh, I thought it'd work out all the same. Guess not.

Anyway, heading to bed. I'll do a follow-up when I wake up. Until then, cheers and good luck.

 

Ok I'll try this out, but I have to go out for an hour or two so I'll try this stuff when I get back, hope it does work.

EDIT:And yeah the Command Center version is the one from My Hive section.

 

Good. If even that doesn't work, you can probably assume that it might be the Stealth Mode function itself that isn't functioning correctly. (The Alienware Command Center touch key wasn't working because the Alienware Command Center was either not installed correctly or because there was something wrong with it.)

Since Stealth Mode involves compliance from both your CPU and your video card [ 1], you can assume that either of the drivers may have not been installed correctly. Work with reinstalling the video drivers first.

You can find the drivers here:
http://support.alienware.com/Support_Pages/Restricted_Pages/driver_downloads_processed.aspx?os=WV&cat=2&manu=29&item=1073

Either opt with the Vista NVIDIA Graphics Driver 167.55 or the Vista NVIDIA Graphics Driver 175.80 Beta, reboot, then see if your touch controls are functioning.

This is another trial-and-error suggestion. This wasn't what I originally had in mind before, but it was a last-minute idea that just came to mind just a few minutes ago.

If even reinstalling the OSD Utility didn't resolve the issue and if you do not have any further leads on what to do, you could try and see if this works. Otherwise, listen to any suggestions made by the other NBR members.

Anyone is free to refute my solutions as they please. If there is anything anyone would like to add or change, please go ahead and do so. All of my suggestions are based off my own personal knowledge so it may be entirely wrong. Just a disclaimer to throw out there.

 

i had the problem where every other touch control button worked except the stealth mode button.

roswell told me to first try to reinstall the OSD drivers and since that didnt work for me i had to update to bios v41. bios v41 fixed it for me so im guessing the solution should be the same for you.

 

Alrighty, tried this, still didn't work. I also tried reinstalling the 8800GTX driver, still no change.

I sent AW an email yesterday explaining my problem & they just replied back saying first reinstall the "Vista Chipset Driver 8.3.0.1014" then reinstall the OSD Utility. Tried what they told me, still didn't work.

What is the v41 bios, I thought somebody said previously it was included in the X34 bios which I already have.

 

i dont know if its included but it doesnt hurt to try and update to it. if it has it, during the update it will just say bios is the latest version. if it doesnt then you might be able to fix your issue.

 

One thing, I'm from the UK & on My Hive it only shows the X34 bios, there is no v41 listed to download.


http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=267956
I've read most of the posts in this v41 thread & somebody else from the UK didn't have it in his My Hive either any chance you could upload it somewhere?

 

it doesnt seem to be in my , myhive anymore. and the link from the v41 bios is released thread is dead. did you try calling roswell tech support yet?

 

What Roswell Support, I never had the option to have it when I bought the notebook, is it something for only US customers? & there's no mention of Roswell on the Alienware UK site anywhere.

I'm just gonna reply back to technical support with my problem.

 

roswell is for the us but uk people can talk to them. the only problem is that UK people will have to pay for the call while U.S people wont.

Roswell is AW's best customer service so they should definitely be better than the tech support you are speaking to.

 

v41 should have been already included in the X34 BIOS. Roswell is worth calling, but if you cannot afford the call, I'll have Rebeca from Roswell help you with your issue via email. Either that or I could just ask her myself about the problem you're having and see what she suggests you doing.

She's pretty prompt with her replies and should be able to resolve your problem.

Edit: I left her a message regarding your issue. When I get a response, I'll post it on here for you.

 

thanks man, much appreciated

 

Just got a reply in the morning from Roswell. I'll copy and paste her reply.

The V41 Multimedia Board Update should have been included in the X34 BIOS update, but I suppose you could try re-flashing it again to see what happens. As for the second suggestion, I guess you can take their word for it and try. Since your computer was repaired, perhaps something wasn't seated properly or was loose. Who knows.

 

i actually use kevin all the time. hes really helpful. hes the one that solved all my problems

his number is

1-866-ROSWELL ext: 6177

 

We all have our favorites, don't we? I haven't had any experience with any other Roswell agent other than Rebeca and I personally think she's a great customer support representative.

 

Well this is f'd up, I go to my Hive & I can't download the x34 bios update, the link just takes me to the login page of the American site, anybody who's American, any chance you download it & reupload it somewhere so I can download it, it would be much appreciated.