Alienware Aurora R3 Sensor Failure?

Question

Hello everyone, I posted another topic here recently, but I am going to post another now that I have a good deal of more information.

What my computer will do is this; The mouse will cease to function, the Alien Head light on the front of the tower will light up yellow and fade into orange, then the fans will flare then slowly die down. This continues indefinitely until the computer is restarted. When I look at the command center while this is happening, ALL sensors report in at 0c, the fans say 0rpm (even while they are flaring) and the CPU Pump says FAILED. If I wait a bit, all sensors will report a normal temperature, the fans will return to showing their RPM (including the flares), and the CPU Pump goes back to saying Running.

I have tried switching to a different mouse while this is going on, but I do not regain control of the cursor. I have opened the case and felt various components (safely) and none of them are even warm! I even went and downloaded a program called Real Temp, which can supposedly use the actual sensors on the internal components to gain a more accurate temperature reading, and they read out at an average of 40c.

As frustrating as it is, I want to know as much as I can before I settle down with calling the support line. So thank you for your replies, everyone!

EDIT: I wanted to add that while all this is going on, ALL of my USB devices, excluding my mouse, continue to function normally.

EDIT EDIT: This is only occuring while I play World of Warcraft. I spent almost all day with Skyrim running, with no problems. No more than 5 minutes into playing WoW, the issue starts. I checked the RealTemp program as soon as the problem started and all temperatures were normal. I am convinced this is not a heat issue, but now I am wondering if WoW specifically is causing a program to fail?

LAST EDIT: I got on the phone with dell support, they did a remote diagnostics with me and used the Alien Autopsy tool to run tests on every component in my computer, and they all came up as passing... Which left us to conclude that it is probably World of Warcraft causing the issues. I will use my Dell CD to set everything to factory defaults, perhaps that will get me where I need to be, but I will keep this post updated!

DaDAWG1 · Answer

read this and see if it helps. support.dell.com/.../document

Tesla1856 · Answer

Because of the USB issues, I would call Dell for support. Sounds like your motherboard might be going out. There have been other reports of Aurora R3 users with strange USB problems. Be sure you have the latest Intel SandyBridge chipset drivers installed.

Sounds like you think it has something to do with MIO-Board (AlienFX Controller). If you want to know for sure, you can remove the cable from the motherboard's USB-1 header. The MIO-Board will no longer be able to change the operation of the machine. Of course, the CommandCenter apps will complain on Windows startup, and the lights and auxiliary fans won't work temporarily.

If you are not familiar with working inside the machine (or know of the proper precautions to take) you should call Dell for assistance to prevent additional damage to your machine (and making the problem worse).

However, the main cpu pump and fan will continue to work (so no chance of major overheat). If you continue to have problems, you will know it's something other than the MIO-Board. If it works better like this, you will know the problem is the MIO-Board... and you can trouble-shoot from there.

gracessurprise · Answer

Posting again to thank everyone for their responses, but also to add I found that this problem is only occuring when I play World of Warcraft.

Whiteraven2014 · Answer

Hello,

After one year my Alienware pc started with continuous beeps and a black screen. I've been looking online trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with my PC. I've tried all the simple fixes suggested by other people who are experiencing the same issues. Now I have just had it. My TOP-F-THE-LINE Alienware PC just keeps beeping with black screen.

One thing I have noticed is that THERE ARE A LOT of other people experiencing the exact same issue with their Alienware PC - and it seems they experience this issue approximately 1 year from purchase. The most suggested cause seems to be a fried motherboard or a solder job not done correctly on motherboard. When I follow other people's threads to see if they resolved the black screen/continuous beep problem. A person from Dell comes on, makes a few comments to person experiencing issues. Then gives the person a link to contact them directly to work on issue. This is frustrating because the person does not come back to forums to let the rest of us know how they fixed their Alienware PC. I did not purchase an extended warranty for my PC as PC's generally come with a few (note: most Alienwares started experiencing problems 1 year from purchase) And I assumed I was buying a top-of-the-line PC.

What I am wondering is this.... Exactly how many of Dell's Alienware PC's have come up faulty. And what is Alienware doing about it..... Or are the people who purchased the Alienware's going to do something. I'm looking for some type of online list of Alienware purchasers whose PC's have gone bad so we can figure out what we can do as well as how Dell/Alienware is taking responsibility.

Also, if anyone has figured out how to fix this issue, can you please post?

Not a fan of Dell & Alienware right now!!

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Alienware Aurora R3 Sensor Failure?

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