m5550 major help needed please!

hey all, ive got a problem with my m5550i-r3 laptop, after googling and several phone calls and emails to alienware, im still nowhere near to getting it fixed

i noticed this site popping up a lot during my google searches, so decided to register and post for much needed help. A cookie for whoever gets it fixed!

so here is my problem...

The other day i loaded Call of Duty 4 up and the screen just turned itself off, i thought maybe the laptop had hung while loading so I held the power button down and restarted the computer. But the screen never came back on.

However, Windows continues to load as you can hear the startup music, the USB mouse still plugs in and plays the music too, and i can turn the laptop off by pressing the Windows Key + U + U.

I noticed after shining a light at the screen I could see a dim image, which made me think there was a fault with the inverter, but after replacing the inverter the problem is still occurring.

However, the computer does not always load into Windows, I noticed that if the Hard Disk LED light flashes during bootup, the Hard Disk spins, the CPU fan usually turns on and Windows loads. Otherwise, if the LED doesnt flash, the Hard Disk spins quietly, the CPU fan doesnt move and the computer simply does nothing (but stays powered on).

I think that there may be a power fault or a failed motherboard, but this is just guess work, im hoping someone has a better answer?

Also, I've asked Alienware several times if I can send the laptop for repair, but for some reason, after emails and phonecalls to Alienware, nobody seems to know the price or process of sending my laptop back for repair.

Im in need of deperate help! Please, if anyone has any advice, let me know!

Thanks in advance.

 

P.S.

i was about to replace the graphics card and ram, i was also thinking about replacing the motherboard to if i can, but dont know the cost of doing this, if anyone knows?

i wanted to put the 8600m GT gfx card in my laptop.

 

The main problem that a lot of the M5550's had was an issue with the GPU's temperature. Try moitoring your GPU temps because I think that could be an issue.

Get riva tuner and use that to monitor.

 

Try booting up in safe mode and see if you can see Windows normally. If that works, then try uninstalling & reinstalling your GPU driver in safe mode as well.

 

thanks for replies, but the screen is dim soon as i press the power button. I cant even see ther BIOS splash screen, i got to flash a light on the screen to see an image. so i would of thought that would be a hardware issue and not a software/driver issue?

i think alienware said they want about 180 pounds for me just to send it to them for diagnostics. im thinking for that price i could buy most of the spare parts and just replace everything for cheaper.

 

have u tried hooking up an external monitor to the laptop

 

i tried yesterday and the laptop kept restarting itself straight from bootup. i let windows load up today and tried plugging the monitor in again, nothing seemed to happen, i pressed the function key + monitor and within a minute the laptop restarted and stayed dead (but powered on)

 

Do you still have any warranty left? The best way to go would be to send it in for repairs.

 

its about 6 months out of warranty

i would love to send it to alienware for repair, but ive emailed and rang them several times, but nobody seems to know how i send it to them for repair. I keep waiting for "an update from another department".

They cant even tell me the cost of sending it back to them for repair.

 

another thing i should mention, before the screen dimmed out. I noticed every now and then when playing a film or tv show with VLC the graphics would change windows into like an old win98 style (i got xp), the blue title bars would become grey, and the curves of the windows would become square.

also, when i turned the computer off because of this, during shutdown i would have black square patches on the screen (always in the same place too).

if this is any help?

 

Ive figured out if i leave the laptop on long enough (from a minute to 10 minute) the LED will finally flash and windows will load.

So my fears of it being the power supply or motherboard are gone. Im guessing its to do with either the graphics card, inverter, or backlight bulb.

i was going to replace the gfx card anyway, so im going to try that, but i was wondering if there is a way to test the inverter? maybe using a multimeter to test the voltage or something? I know the shop already tried it, but i just want to test it out myself.

 

Solster, try calling the Roswell Crew. They can help you out. Their times and phone number are in my signature. Let us know how it turns out.

 

hey mate, I emailed them when i seen your signature in another post lol. sent it yesterday, just waiting for them to get back to me.

its a good job you got it in your signature, coz its impossible to find it on their website.

cheers.

 

If they don't reply to your email, which they most likely will not do, give them a call instead. I prefer calling in than emailing.

 

lol ok

but before i do... 1 last thing i have noticed while playing about with it

when trying to switch to an external monitor, the laptop gets a pile of writing of what looks like a typical blue screen of death.

and i think i also noticed red (and possibly green) vertical lines while the screen was booting up windows.

does this sound like a GPU problem?

thanks

 

have you updated the GPU drivers?

 

yeh, first thing i do when i installed xp was downloading ATi's latest drivers, because of the gaming i do i try to take care of the GPU due to the laptops overheating issues.

 

correct me if i am wrong because i did not see you post it, but do you have ATI cards in the unit now or nVidia?

 

sorry, i have an ATi x1400, and was about to order an nvidia 8600 GT for upgrading

 

I don't think that the 8600 works in an m5550, solster. The x1800 works though.

 

Oh the ATI X1400 wasn't the card with the problem. The main card with the problem was the 7600GO. I wouldn't recommend upgrading to the X1800 as it puts off a lot more heat so unless you have your computer over a cooling fan I wouldn't recommend it.

 

yup the 7600 gave me a load of troubles when I still had my m5550. And AW could never solved my lagging skipping video problem even after a couple of GPU swaps...

 

i checked on the mxm-upgrade website and the guy im buying the card off, who says most of had success upgrading to the 8600. i guess its just gonna have to be trial and error lol

compatibility wise there shouldnt be an issue, but why is it some people have trouble upgrading this card?

also, i have a cooling fan my laptop sits on and a normal fan i have blowing onto the keyboard lol

ive just googled about and found that the mobo causes most issues with the 8600 GT, but the GS works? confusing!

would the x1900 be a better upgrade option? basically whats the best card for the m5550, which requires no messing with bios, etc - simply plug it in and it works?

 

I would say 7600Go since it is the coolest card in terms of performance / staying cool. Unfortunately I can't help you with the x1800. I know one user (a year ago on these forums) installed a x1800 into his m5550.

You might want to do a search on the forums and check.

 

the 7600 seems good, but cant find anywhere that sells it.

i get lost searching these forums, so much good information that i come back knowing more but getting even more confused lol

these are really my only choices as they the only ones i can find to buy: the 8600 GT for 250 US, the 8600 GS for 179 US, and the x1800 for 200 EURO (i think maybe, the x1900 is overkill?)

all i really want is a graphics card that will provide a good frame rate for Call of Duty 4 (Multiplayer), and Empire: Total War (singleplayer) when it is out. dont bother with much else.

thanks for everyones help with this! im a bit of a tool when it comes to graphics related stuff, only ever played football manager before cod4

 

i have found this site that sells the x1800: http://ztronics.com/store/mobility-radeon-x1800-p-452.html

its really cheap compared to the rest, i dont understand why? its even cheaper than my current x1400?

is it too good to be true, or a bargain?