I'm so angry. Neither version of the M17x is any good

So, yeah. I had my M17x exchanged for an M17x R2 due to latency and lock ups. I received these specs: 920xm, 2 hdd raid formation, dual 4870s in crossfire, RGB LED screen, 4gb of memory and I'm having worse problems than before. It seems like every time I touch the machine it bluescreens with a 0x0a error and the machine restarts. I clean installed the machine and the problem continues to happen. All diagnostics are telling me the machine is fine. I was able to get the 3dmark06 to complete and it says the system has 18,203 marks, which is pretty good in my opinion. No matter what I do I can't get the machine to be stable.

If anybody has any ideas at all, I would be extremely open to them.

I really had high hopes for this machine, being the best machine I've had so far.

 

Well, start from scratch:
First check the memory and HDDs for errors. You can remove them, leaving a single RAM stick, then a single HDD, then swap those to see if you can find the culprit. If they're fine:
1)Re-flash the BIOS
2)Re-format and re-install the OS + updates and drivers.
See what happens. If the problem persists call Dell again.

 

I've already reflashed the BIOS to try and solve this. I went and bought different memory and that didn't fix anything. I'll try the hard drive thing, but I have my doubts.

 

Yeah, I can understand your pain. Got the R2 exchange myself with a faulty secondary GPU and a poor quality RGB LED.
There's not much to do but try your best and call them again, either asking for another replacement or a refund.

 

What were your symptoms when you had the video card replaced again? Also, how do I know if I have a poor quality RGB? Mine looks fine as far as I can tell.

 

Sounds like a driver error for the USB/1394 storage device.Try uninstalling that driver, and see if you get the same issue. I think you might be able to do it through safe mode but I'm not sure. If not that driver, then it may be another. But I would do what Akimox stated. Try starting with a fresh install

 

There's a way to analyze every blue screen, since the Windows writes crash logs (called "dumps") every time it crashes. This program helps a bit to do that:

http://majorgeeks.com/BlueScreenView_d6200.html

It will tell you which file caused BSOD. This should be the first step to do. Maybe it's just due to some buggy driver. If it says the problematic file is one of the windows kernel files (e.g. win32k.sys), you need to do more extensive analysis. Luckily, Windows come with a tool called "verifier". An example how to do that is here:

http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/36757-firefox-wordpad-cause-bsods-win32-sys.html

At least this can identify the error. If it ends up being a driver issue, as others suggested, try installing another version.

 

or you could give up on overclocking it. & just enjoy the natural sweetness of it.

I scored a 13,171 on 3D Marks 06.
I have not blue screened once, no errors & loving every minuate of it.

 

Dude, I'm not even considering overclocking this machine. Those scores are stock. I appreciate the suggestions keep 'em coming.

 

Also, I ran the BlueScreen view and it looks like ntoskernl.exe+ef6a2 is the main problem. There is one listing for dxgmms1.sys and ntoskernl.exe+ef6a2. I'm not sure but it looks OS related, can anyone confirm?

 

To fix this error read this....

http://www.exeadvisor.com/ntoskrnl-exe?gclid=CMrp29mlyKACFUdd5Qodp0nCgA

 

OS to be sure. How did you install the OS? Does the R2 not come with a respawn DVD or is it Dell DataSafe Local? Either way, restore using the factory image they provided.

Once the restore is complete, we can begin the troubleshooting process again. Keep note of what you do after the restore - driver updates, how you update, etc.

No offense to fish, but I would stay away from that 'free' tool. You are on NBR and we provide better assistance

 

No offense taken, it's been my rule to do a fresh installation on any PC that has been Ghosted in some manner since a corrupt beginning is a tough way to start....

 

I have a Dell branded Windows 7 CD, but the current image is a retail version of Windows 7 ultimate.

 

Do the restore like BatBoy suggested. A lot of the time the problem is a simple case of PEBCAK.

 

Har-Har very funny Joker. Have you received the replacement R2 yet? Are you having any issues?

 

i hope this is a typo, i score higher than that with my M17 with the 3870s

 

nah man it's not thats actually the highest I've scored...
i cant seem to get higher than the bottom 13,000s
everything is at stock. no overclocking. I play games like a champ with avg Frame rates of 58... highs in the 70's & minnimums in the low 40s.

I think 3D mark 06 is not very i7 friendly not stock anyway.

 

I just ran 3dmark06 awhile ago and scored low 13000 as well running stock. Are you saying that's bad cause Ive been having a few problems with my machine.

 

3dmark06 is very CPU dependent. If you want a better synthetic test, run vantage or an actual gaming benchmark.

 

That score seems way to high for stock settings, but as you said you haven't oc'ed.

Edit: I take that back, just checked the benchmark thread and that seems normal with the 920. Why not try a clean install.

 

Off to reinstall windows. Are the ATI 10.3 drivers the best ones out right now?

 

Yes...10 char

 

All right. I've reinstalled windows using the Dell branded 7 disk. I've installed all the updates and all the drivers. I decided against installing the command center for now. If its not installed is there a way to ensure that the machine is not in a stealth mode environment? Also I chose to install the 10.3 driver but not the Catalyst Control Center. I installed the ATI tray tool to turn on Crossfire.

I haven't had any problems so far, but I haven't played any games yet.

Any more ideas would be great!

 

Yep, the machine just bluescreened with 0x000000a. Not sure what to do from here.

 

Did you let memtest run overnight?

It might just be a bad mobo. I would call Dell and complain like crazy and have them send a new system or new mobo.

 

Do you have it overclocked? On BIOS is everything on default?

 

Hi grey_hammer777,
Does your bluescreen make mention of a memory dump? If so, then that is the primary source of the issue. I know that you've already tried swapping the memory, so the motherboard might have an issue. Unfortunately, there is no real diagnostic for this. I would try replacing the memory once more and testing.

Thanks,
Gabe

 

Yes everything is completely stock and default. I'll be running MemTest all night.

 

I agree with GabeZ.
If it's not the memory, you might need to replace the mobo.
Also did you try replacing the HDD?

 

I have yet another idea in regard to the bluescreens. Is McAfee installed? If so, remove it and test. Also, do your caps, scroll, and num lock keys blink in any pattern when it blue screens?

Thanks,
Gabe

 

It's possible that the motherboard is faulty, but what about the video cards? It seems to happen during the act of opening the lid or soemtimes just on the desktop. Should I try the system with crossfire turned off?

 

Based on the error strings you listed, I wouldn't think it would necessarily have anything to do with the video card. It seems as though it's either a memory bus related issue or possibly an application (McAfee is known to cause these issues).

Gabe

 

Well, you can certainly try, you can even remove the secondary card with the CF cable out and test. Though I doubt it's the culprit.
To me it looks like a faulty HDD or memory, maybe even the mobo itself.

 

Actually no, the machine is nearly completely clean. It only has the drivers installed needed to satisfy the device manager and only required updates from Microsoft. In other words Command Center, OSD, bluetooth (but present), any games are not installed.

 

Call alienware in that case. You definitely have defective hardware. I'd ask for a system exchange instead of doing trial and error hardware swaps.

 

Does it get the same blue screen codes with your other memory installed?

Gabe

 

That's kind of where I'm at right now, Joker. This will be M17x number 3, I guess.

 

Yes it does. Same bluescreen stop code. So, I doubt its system memory related. That leaves motherboard, hard drives or video cards.

 

You may want to get them to send you a new one and then just sell it new while it's in the box and wait it out for the 5870s. I might do that w/the one I have coming tomorrow.

 

I hope I did the attachment right. But, that's a picture of the latest Reliability Report.

 

Sounds like a plan to me as well. Might do the same .

 

At least you got R2 for R1....all I got is another bad R1...and no Fedex way bill to send back. I'm in the process of trying to return the old one but no one at dell can tell me to where after they transfer me 3 times from customer service to xps and then to tech support costa rica which also said they can't help me. I finally hung up and emailed unresovled issue. The new R1 also came with a bad mouse pad after 1 hour of tech support reseating the cables nothing has change! Well, good luck with your exchange as I am struggling too.

 

Is there any recent news regarding the 5870's?

 

Can you pull the secondary GPU out and test again?

 

Yeah it beats waiting for dell spare parts to get them in stock and then spending another grand or more on the cards. I'll buy the 5870 version right away and then sell the new one in the box. Hopefully we should hear something about a 5870 release in a week.

 

I have a good feeling about the upcoming week.

 

You should have identified the memory as the culprit before buying new memory.

Test each stick individually with both hard drives still in and then test each hard drive inidividually with both memory sticks in. If the problem persists through all (what should be four) of those trials, then you can generally be certain that it isn't your memory or hard drives that is causing the problem.

Disable crossfire to test to see if the secondary video card is causing the problem. (unless you have a spare, it would be hard to test the main video card through this process of elimination, because the secondary card can't act as a master in its place)

If all of these tests don't identify the problem, you might possibly have a bad motherboard. A wire could also be lose. I know for a fact that there are two connectors that come out of the keyboard. The one in the center, if not connected properly, keeps the system from getting power. It completes a circuit. If it were lose or damaged, it could be causing problems.

Also, the title of your thread is false. The system you see in my specs I'm typing to you on. Its running flawlessly. DCP checker is constantly green (even while playing the ironman 2 trailer in 1080P while running furmark in extreme burn mode).

My highest 3dmark06 score was 18,896 and my highest vantage was 11,980, both admirable scores considering I don't overclock.

 

I didn't bother to read everything in this thread, but IMHO, return the darn thing. I would never go through all this with a new computer. Sorry, doesn't work, take it back. I'd insist on them paying return shipping too. Especially with the kind of coin you must have thrown at them to get this rig.

 

You have to understand my angst. I've really been wanting this model to work for me and so far I'm 0/2.