more m15x volume slider craziness

Kelevrav,

Unfortunately not...

The multimedia board, the board that contains the power button, stealth mode control, volume slider, etc. Plugs directly into the motherboard into one of the onboard ports.

There is no way to deactivate the board because it works by sending keyboard keypress commands to the motherboard. Only possible option would be to physically disconnect the board from the motherboard, however that does create its own problem...

The power button is on that board!

Disable the board and you can't turn the notebook on.

That's part of the reason this issue frustrates so many people, there are really no suitable workarounds.

Whatever you do, make sure you alert Roswell of the issue. Right now they're working with the engineering group for a solution so any and all additional info they can get will help all of us.

- Denver

 

Guys,

I Have an update....

Over this past week I've been working with Rebeca and her engineering contact to assist them in getting us a long-term permanent fix for this problem.

We've had a very productive exchange of ideas and they are continuing to examine the issue, firmware, etc.

In the meantime, Rebeca was able to tell me that my m15x's motherboard is now replaced, the unit passed every test they threw at it and it is now in the hands of FedEx and on its way back to me.

I've volunteered to continue to assist them in any way I can in order to get this issue resolved for everyone.

I should know much more on Wednesday when my 'alien' returns home. Hopefully the motherboard replacement cured the issue. I'll post as update as soon as I learn more.

- Denver

 

Do I dare ask if they had the sense to test the unit whilst charging, or did they merely run 3dMark and call it a day? I find the notion of AW thoroughly testing a system apocryphal as my own system shipped new with multiple problems.

Also, thanks again for spearheading this issue. If I could rep you again already I would.

 

Thanks TwoBall,

I expressed exactly the same concern to Rebeca...

Apparently she and the engineering folks have been working very closely with the service center on this repair. She said that they were specifically testing it under stresses and situations known to produce the 'Volume slider from Hell' symptoms.

They started early the morning and we just received confirmation that all appears to have passed around 6:00pm this evening, just in time to meet the FedEx cutoff.

I must say, through this entire ordeal, Rebeca and the engineers have been fantastic to work with. They've been listening to all of the information that I've been able to provide. They've asked very specific questions which I was able to answer and appear to be getting significantly closer to identifying exactly what's caused this goofy issue.

Based on our conversations I honestly don't think they even imagined how widespread this issue had become until I started pointing them to the forums and online blogs.

- Denver

 

Thanks for the update Denver. I'm hoping that the same goes for me too, once my motherboard gets swapped as well. If this is the only fix, then there will be a lot of shipping back of m15x's, that's assuming that if owners do want to send it back in.

 

I can see it now... 6 month lead time for m15x mobo replacements.

Discounting shipping times of course.

 

Well, I realise that I am probably well behind on this, but as I have only had the laptop for a month or so, I've only just started getting onto Alienware about this.

I don't know if you guys are all in the states, but I am in scotland and I must say that the UK support, although very fast at responding, are very blunt! By the sounds of things, I think the call center is Switzerland!! - basically the accents Scottish/Swiss can be a hindrance! lol.

Anyway long story short, the first thing he asked me to do was reset it to factory settings! I was like 'No way jose!' It took me about 4 days to build the bloody thing and the issue was happening way before I installed anything. I told him about this forum and the fact that there are others experiencing the exact same issue. He was a bit dismissive of it and when I mentioned the volume flicker he has asked me to run the laptop on battery only and then try with AC only (no battery). I realise that this won't solve anything, but I suppose I have to go through these steps in order to get more help from Alienware. One thing to note though, is that the volume flickered like mad whilst charging, but now that the battery is fully charged, the volume hasn't flickered for ages. However when we run it on battery and the battery drains we will no doubt witness the flickering again.

I was just wondering if anyone else here was in the UK?

 

nanefy,

It's a longshot, but you might want to contact Kevin Mills in the Roswell division (305-251-9797 x6177, [email protected]).

I remember Kevin mentioning awhile ago in the forums that he's the only Roswell member who has access to Alienware Europe's systems and customer records.

All of the Roswell folks know their stuff and have been very much 'in the loop' on my issue and everything Rebeca and I have found out about it.

That may be the fastest way to get you a resolution if regular support isn't helping.

- Denver

 

Hey Denver,

Thanks for the heads'up. I have contacted him and I am just waiting for a reply. Fingers crossed, he is able to help, because I just think its a waste of time going through all the same old troubleshooting, when I know that there is an inherent problem.

I've never used Alienware before, but was fairly confident that, with it being a gaming laptop, that it would be the best High Spec laptop to go for. I dont understand how they could ship out these laptops with such an inherent fault! The fact is, that within a couple of hours of using it, I was aware of the issues, so why was this not picked up on during testing!!!

Anyway, rant over! Fingers crossed we all get a solution soon, or we're going to be left with a £2k frisbee!

 

Well Denver,

You are a legend!!!

I emailed Kevin yesterday and he got back to me today to confirm that he is more than happy to help!!!!

Its good to know that the people who already know about the issue are going to be dealing with it.

Thanks once again for the headsup!

 

nanefy,

Thanks.... Glad I could help.

My m15x is 'out for deliever' with FedEx.... I should know in a few hours if the motherboard replacement fixed the issue.

Fingers, toes and everything else are crossed at this point..

- Denver

 

If it helps, I'll keep my finger, toes and everything crossed as well!!!!!

 

I've been on pins and needles since I read the "out for delivery" news over lunch. So Denver, what's the good word? Should I start packing up my m15x right now, or do I sit back and enjoy a diet Dr. Pepper while Rebeca and her team of engineers continue to scratch their heads?

 

Guys,

So far, so good... After heavily using my m15x on both battery and AC till around 2am, I had no volume slider issues this evening. Also, it appears that the wierd audio popping that I chalked up to a driver issue is gone as well.

I'm going to send it through its paces and report back to Rebeca on Monday. However, things are looking very promising at this point.

Unfortunately, during the reassembly of my notebook the tech forgot to reinstall the Intel Turbo Memory module which I discovered during my own 200-point inspection.

I've contacted Rebeca and am awaiting a new mini-pci card and two screws. Given how that thing is mounted and its lack of markings I can see how it could easily get missed.

As soon as I learn more I'll post an update....

Trisha should have received her notebook back by now. I'm wondering how it's doing.... I PM'd her, but haven't received a response. It will be really cool (though expensive for Alienware) if this does permanently solve the problem.

- Denver

 

Well this all sounds promising!

Can I just say though, that during the build process of the directors laptop, I started getting a BSOD and it was because of the Intel Turbo Memory, so I disabled it!!! Is this a bad idea and does anyone else get the BSOD with it enabled?

 

nanefy,

Did you happen to order your director's notebook with the 64-bit operating system?

The BSOD from the Turbo Memory module is a known issue with the original drivers. Intel released updates to the Matrix Storage Manager driver and Turbo Memory drivers to fix that.... you can snag from the support section of the Intel site.

No sense in disabling something you paid for


So far, everything with mine appears to be corrected - except the missing board which Rebeca is sending.

She's also updating the engineer that this appears to have a strong possibility of being a potential fix for both the volume slider and popping. It also makes me wonder if the two symptoms are somehow related to a component that is failing or has failed.

Like I said, I should know more after a weekend of heavy use.

- Denver

 

Honestly I haven't sent my system in yet, as the last time I sent it in, they re-imaged it.

I've been slow about re-backing it up.

Hearing that this fixed your machine tends to make make want to get mine in quicker.

 

Thanks for the update Denver. I'm glad to hear your notebook is running tip-top. Shame about the turbo memory being left out. AW's nothing if not meticulous.

I'd love an update after a week of general use. If things look good, I might have to talk myself into sending this lump of poo back to AW.

I read through the thread again to remind myself what exactly AW was repairing/replacing on your notebook, and I noticed that you mentioned this:

Have you had a chance to try all your batteries, and of the batteries described, are any of these a smart bay battery?

Also, if you would indulge a few more questions of mine, was the mobo the only thing swapped out, or did they give you another multimedia board as well? Invisible turbo memory maybe?

Do you know, was the OS installed using the respawn utility when they shipped it or did they go to the trouble of an old fashioned install?

Were there any ordered driver installation sequences used?

Oh yeah, how great is it to finally have it back?

 

TwoBall,

During my testing I tried two different regular batteries, one large capacity battery and a smart bay battery along with a spare AC adapter. All exhibited the problem... no difference. The problem isn't with the batteries.

In my case, Rebeca and the engineering folks mutually agreed to pull and replace the motherboard. (Having just replaced the multimedia board in December.) My original motherboard was slated to be returned to engineering. No other components other than the motherboard were replaced this time -- unless you count the Turbo Memory module and two screws that they're sending me.

Actually, the repair center didn't do a thing to my install... Everything was exactly as I had left it. All of my documents, programs, etc. Only thing they did do was screw up my AlienFX settings -- I assuming to test to make sure that everything was working as it should.

I hope I've answered your questions...

I was too tired last night to mess with the m15x. After a 17hr day I didn't even make it to bed. I fell asleep on the couch!

My plans this weekend are to really send the notebook through its paces. For some reason heavy gaming always brought out the worst in the volume slider issue for me so this will be a good test. I'm scheduled to report back to Rebeca and the engineer on Monday.

The one interesting thing is the wierd audio popping I was experiencing is now completely gone and none of the drivers were changed -- I checked. Makes me wonder if that is somehow related to the slider issue and the motherboard.


On these forums we hear so much 'alien-bashing'... All-in-all, even with forgetting to reinstall the Turbo Memory board, Alienware blew me away with the level of support that they were willing to provide. Being an IT person myself, oftentimes companies treat us like newbies which is extremely frustraiting and oftentimes insulting.... Roswell treated me as one of their own. Listened to my ideas and even arranged for direct consultation with the engineers. I've never dealt with ANY company that has provided that level of service.

Hopefully my issue is resolved... However I should know more on Monday.

 

Everyone,

I'm happy to report that the wierd volume slider issue appears to now have a fix... motherboard replacement.

After numerous hours of gaming, testing, etc. I finally believe that my notebook is fixed and is working as it was originally designed.

The unusual audio popping that I had attributed to a driver issue is also gone as is the wierd battery drain issue I saw when the notebook was shutdown and stored in its case.

I don't know if these two issues are related to the volume slider problems, but whatever their cause, it appears that the motherboard replacement took care of it.

I still have a couple of hours of testing this evening yet to do but things appear to be corrected. I'll need to followup with Rebeca and the engineers in the morning with the results.

- Denver

 

Guys,

After extensive testing it appears that the issue with the volume slider has now been resolved. I am now confident that this problem is gone for good.

Replacing the motherboard fixed the issue. Ironically, it also eliminated the wierd audio popping that I was experiencing as well as the unusual overnight battery draining problem.

After speaking with Rebeca this morning it appears that Alienware is now replacing the motherboards of machines affected with the dreaded 'Volume Slider from Hell' (thanks Oceanus for such an appropriate name) based on the testing she, I and their engineers have done. They feel that it's in the best interest of their customers and has proved to be 100% effective for those replaced.

- Denver

 

Very good Denver! Yeah, I'm getting a motherboard swap too. Besides the volume slider issue being fixed, have you noticed anything else that's improved such as better system response etc...?

 

dhoange417,

Funny you should ask that....

Actually, things do seem to work faster... I'm not sure if it is actually faster, but it does seem like somethings definitely changed.

- Denver

 

Alright Denver, I'll be looking forward to my m15x's return from repairs. Thanks for all of your hard work.

 

Hey Guys,

This is brilliant news. Can I ask one question though, was anyone else getting the random sleep mode issue? Denver - I am just wondering if you did have this issue and if the Mobo replacement fixed the issue?

Cheers.

 

I would guess his power button (the button that falsely registers a key press and sleeps the notebook) is also working as it should now that the mobo's been swapped with a proper one.

I too experienced this part of the problem, but I had the excellent fortune to have set my power button to shut down.

 

TwoBall,

You are correct... my power button functions perfectly.

That particular issue is tied to the volume slider problem.

- Denver

 

I purchased mine in march of 08. My warranty is over.

 

If it was in AW's hands for any of that time, you can insist that they add it to your warranty period. Also, I believe you can extend your warranty while under warranty. Perhaps AW would be willing to work something out?

 

Well I'm glad the problem was fixed. I'm not sure what I should do. Have my m15x for about 3 weeks now and have experienced the problem, although it does seem to go away if I don't touch the volume slider xD

Thing is I live in spain and ordered mine from the UK, not sure if its worth the hassle. Anyone here talk to a UK rep to see if they could help?

Edit: Took it to class today and at first no problems at all but once I had a break and recharged it for 20 mins, everything went a little crazy. The touch buttons didn't work anymore and the volume slider was moving up and down all the time. Not a great first day in class for my laptop hehe. Is there anyway to disable the on screen notification for the volume as a temporary way to lessen the annoyance of this issue until I get it fixed?

 

anyone? any help would be appreciated. Although recently my trips to class are going quite well, no volume slider issues. I think it only appeared when I left it charging in sleep mode between classes, maybe the trick will be just to turn it off or have enough battery for a day. fingers crossed hehe

 

Kelevrav,

Unfortunately the only permanent fix appears to be motherboard replacement. Before they left, Roswell began replacing motherboards for folks who were having this issue.

With them no longer in operation, the only thing I can suggest is contacting the UK support directly and explain the situation. Hopefully you can get a representative willing to cooperate without jumping through a million hoops.

After a few weeks now, my system is still working 100% perfect... no issues (battery drain, sound popping, or slider from hell).

You may try PM-ing one of the Alienware reps here in the forum (ie. Armando, etc.) They may be able to assist in Roswell's absence.

Sorry I'm not much help, but without Roswell I'm just not sure where to send you to get a fast resolution.

- Denver

 

I don't know if I have the same issue as you guys did
My volume will change itself only if I wake up from sleep mode(on battery mode), and it only happens, I would say, 60% of the time

 

Gonna be sending mine back for the same issue, got it about 3 weeks ago and the problem is severe whenever charging or running on battery same as the rest. My volume flickers constantly and then every once it a while it puts itself to sleep. One additional problem is waking it up from sleep, I have to close and open the lid, if I touch the power button it will power up and then shutdown every single time. And that occurs whether it is on power, battery or power and no battery.

 

Good luck on the fix, jdeclue, sorry to hear that it's messing up within only 3 weeks! I'll be getting my m15x back this weekend with a fixed hinge and slider volume too. I'll update on my situation here for everyone to know really soon. It's been a month already.

 

I'd send mine in but the warranty has expired in March. I keep the problem at bay by not charging while I'm using it and not using white color scheme. Those are the conditions that trigger mine to go erratic.

 

Which BIOS, Command Center and OSD versions are you guys all using?

 

SneakyFspy,

I was using:

Bios X36
Multimedia Board v41
Command Center 1.0.28 (32-bit)
OSD 00020

I was using these versions prior to replacement as well.

Since the motherboard replacement, everything is still working perfectly for me. Even the audio popping issue was resolved.

- Denver

 

Bios x36
Command Center 1.0.33.0 x64
OSD 0.0.0.12 x64

 

I was using x36 bios with multimedia board v41, and latest OSD software for windows vista x32, prior to shipping in for repairs.

 

Found a good enough solution for my problem. When I'm in class I turn everything down/off and use stealth mode. Basically, I get 4 hours or so just using word, alien fx off and everything. In my breaks I shut it down, charge it, and then turn it back on for later use. What I did notice is that while I'm using it, if I turn alien fx on, the volume slider flips out. I make it "go dark" and everything is fine again. At home I just take out the battery and use the AC and never have a problem. So that works for me, no need to send in a replacement. Thanx for the help everyone and I hope my solution works for someone else too.

 

Update:

My hinge on my m15x has been replaced well. It still creaks a little though. The light pipe looks a lot better now too. And the slider volume button hasn't gone nuts yet, so it's good. I'm pleased with Alienware's repair job. Good work.

 

Hi guys,
I too have an m15x and I too have the sound problem. I read most of the thread, and understand the Roswell is out? I was about to email Kevin Mills but now I don't know. I'm running of AC without battery for now, and I must admit that my laptop being my principal work tool, I'm a bit reticent about sending it for a long time to support to replace the motherboard. So far is there anything to do to keep the laptop here? And is emailing mister Mills is a good thing to do?

Thanks in advance

 

Hi Guys,

my name is Marcel, i'm from Germany!
Since one month i'm owner of the Alienware m15x. And i have the same problem with that touch panel volume slider.
Sometimes i have the same problem with the bluetooth touchbutton - it enables and disabled his self all the time - very annoying.

is there any solution for that problem?


thank you and greetings from Germany,
Marcel

 

The only way is to get a motherboard replacement unfortunately...

 

Damn how does that work? what i'm going to do now?

 

norimberga,

Just contact technical support...

Make sure to let them know that US support is aware that this is a 'known issue'. Before Roswell was disbanded Rebeca and Kevin were in the process of issuing a support bulletin so that all techs would be aware that this issue require motherboard replacement to correct.

- Denver

 

Hi Denver,

i called the german technical support (they speak a horrible german!) - and he told me to make a BIOS update - even if i have the latest BIOS version.

and i dont know why, but currently all works fine - even my problem with the stealth button is solved - before that update i had to PRESS the stealth button - now i can touch him and he switches to stealth on/off

i hope that my problem is solved now *hehe*

greetings from germany
marcel

 

It's possible they may have been able to correct this with a BIOS update...

Before they replaced my motherboard they had me test 2-3 different beta BIOS's to see if they made a difference.... For me, they didn't.

Maybe they found one that now works

Regardless... I hope the issue is fixed for you. Of all the PC problems I've encountered over the years, this is one of the MOST frustraiting.

- Denver

 

Man I hate to hear that the only way to fix this is to get the mobo replaced. I have already had my mobo replaced once when the power button went out. Than I sent it in again when the hinges started creaking badly and a piece actually fell off. Now I hear I have to send it in a third time and have the mobo replaced..., yet again. This is so lame. It is still under warranty but all of these issues for such an expensive computer all they could think of was putting plastic parts on everything.