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Alienware Command Center suddenly stopped working. How do I fix it?
So I have had my Alienware Aurora R4 for almost 2 years now and it has worked pretty much 100% all the time. I have been able to use Alienware Command Center (AWCC) to set specific fan speeds whilst used in intensive applications or games to prevent overheating. As far as I am aware this is the only way to interact with the MIO fan headers(?)
Up until a few days ago, AWCC was working completely fine but the other day I opened it and there was no GUI displayed. It would come up on the task bar, but when hovered over it showed an incomplete GUI for a miniature icon but wouldn't show it on the desktop. I uninstalled, reinstalled it, followed Dell's guide on how to do this but nothing worked. I have also looked around the forums but found no other case such as my own. There is no error code either.
There has been no significant hardware or software change or update recently either so I am confused as to why this could have happened. Any suggestions/solutions would be much appreciated.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
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November 23rd, 2016 14:00
What version of Windows?
What version of Command Center?
Are you doing a "power dissipation" before clean install of AW-CC?
Some possible causes for failure:
- Incompatible Windows or Dot.Net update
- You incorrectly left "Auto-Update" on in AWCC and update failed
- Hardware failure of MIO-Board, Liquid-Cooler, USB-interface cable, etc.
mr.cul
7 Posts
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November 23rd, 2016 15:00
Windows 10
AWCC 3.6.5.0 (latest compatible with my machine) also tried previous versions
And I have tried the "Power Dissipation" before and after clean installs of AWCC
I can have a look at my .Net updates, if you know of any incompatible ones that could really help me? Thanks
And I have not touched any auto update feature inside AWCC
The liquid cooler and all USB interfaces still work as I have checked and CPU temps do stabilize after a while. The MIO-Board still works as I can access Thermal Controls.exe in the alienware folder in Program files, and I can still change one or two fans, but not all of them. I also get the desktop gadget to work for thermal controls. I can use the individual, seperate .exe's (of which there only seem to be a couple that actually run anything) but can't use the main AWCC which is very inconvenient.
Tesla1856
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November 23rd, 2016 17:00
Be sure Windows-10 Fast-Startup is off.
Uninstall all AW-CC parts and reboot.
Shut-down and power dissipate.
Install v3.6.5.0 in Win-8 Compatibility Mode
Reboot and then test.
If no help, try v3.5.10.0 (also in Win-8 Compatibility Mode).
What uninstall direction are you following?
Does AlienwareAlienFXTester.exe work?
mr.cul
7 Posts
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November 24th, 2016 03:00
The AlienwareAlienFCTester.exe worked perfectly and passed everything.
The uninstall/reinstall instructions I have followed are: www.dell.com/.../en
How do I Make sure Windows-10 Fast-Startup is disabled?
And okay, I will try uninstalling, power dissipating and then installing in compatibility mode. Will post how that went.
mr.cul
7 Posts
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November 24th, 2016 07:00
How do I make sure the Windows-10 Fast-Startup is off?
And I have tried the v3.6.5.0 in win 8 compatibility mode but no success with reboots and power dissipation.
I have also tried the v3.5.10 in Win-8 Compatibility mode but not success either.
I am following the Dell instructions found on the official website, I tried posting a link but it required verification. And yes, AlienewareAlienFXTester.exe works fine with no issues and passes all tests.
Specs of my system:
Alienware Aurora R4 - Windows Microsoft Windows 10 Home, 20GB Ram, GTX 970, Intel Core i7-4820K @4.00GHz, 256GB Samsung 850 SSD, 2TB Hard Drive
Tesla1856
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November 24th, 2016 11:00
1. from Google.
http://www.howtogeek.com/243901/the-pros-and-cons-of-windows-10s-fast-startup-mode/
2. Interesting
3. You mean these ?
http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN303405/
I have not used them or checked them for accuracy. For one, there should be a reboot after step 1.
4. If this works, and you say Thermal Controller is working ... it would be hard to believe that MIO-Board is bad. Have you reseated it's USB cable to MB?
Really looks like a software problem. You might have to clean-install Windows to fix it. You could temporarily disconnect this boot drive and install a blank one for a quick test.
EDIT: I suppose with Windows-10, you can now Reset it in place ... but you lose your current config. Not sure it counts as a true "clean-install" ... for a tough problem like yours.
Alienware-Eimy
3 Apprentice
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4.4K Posts
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November 24th, 2016 12:00
Hi mr.cul,
Uninstall and reinstall the command center following ALL the steps on the article below:
SLN303405 - How to Remove and Reinstall the Alienware Command Center
mr.cul
7 Posts
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November 25th, 2016 03:00
Hi Alienware-Eimy,
I have already tried this instructions many times, for different versions of AWCC, with reboots and power dissipation after the first step, but it hasn't worked. What is there that I can do about this?
mr.cul
7 Posts
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November 25th, 2016 03:00
1. I have turned off fast-boot and it hasn't changed anything
2.
3. And yes those instructions, and I followed them with a reboot after step 1.
4. I'm not sure it is a hardware problem as it just suddenly happened one day for no reason, and as I set my PC to hibernate mostly and not shutdown it can't have been due to a software update. Re-seating the USB cable has done nothing but it did work on a new install of windows.
Any ideas other than doing a fresh install of windows?
Tesla1856
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17K Posts
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November 25th, 2016 15:00
The .NET Framework 4.5 and its point releases (4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, and 4.6.2) are backward-compatible with apps that were built with earlier versions of the .NET Framework. In other words, apps and components built with previous versions will work without modification on the .NET Framework 4.5. However, by default, apps run on the version of the common language runtime for which they were developed, so you may have to provide a configuration file to enable your app to run on the .NET Framework 4.5. For more information, see the Version compatibility for apps section earlier in this article.
In practice, this compatibility can be broken by seemingly inconsequential changes in the .NET Framework and changes in programming techniques. For example, performance improvements in the .NET Framework 4.5 can expose a race condition that did not occur on earlier versions. Similarly, using a hard-coded path to .NET Framework assemblies, performing an equality comparison with a particular version of the .NET Framework, and getting the value of a private field by using reflection are not backward-compatible practices. In addition, each version of the .NET Framework includes bug fixes and security-related changes that can affect the compatibility of some apps and components.
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If you cannot find a suitable workaround for your issue, remember that the .NET Framework 4.5 (or one of its point releases) runs side by side with versions 1.1, 2.0, and 3.5, and is an in-place update that replaces version 4. For apps that target versions 1.1, 2.0, and 3.5, you can install the appropriate version of the .NET Framework on the target machine to run the app in its best environment. For more information about side-by-side execution, see Side-by-Side Execution in the .NET Framework.
mr.cul
7 Posts
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November 26th, 2016 11:00
I will search up about the .NET Framework as I have little time at the moment, but thank you for suggesting it, I will look it up and follow your advice.
And I did drop in a spare hard drive with win 10 on it. I meant to say in a previous comment that I have tried it and it did work. I meant is there anything else I can try other than doing a complete factory reset of the machine. Because it doesn't make sense to me if it works on a clean windows install but not on my current machine, unless it is to do with the .NET Framework. I will look into this and post about the results
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
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17K Posts
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November 26th, 2016 12:00
1. Good work. Hardware works with a fresh install of software.
2. Not likely. Glad you found a solution.
3. Software can fail at any time (corrupt itself or have it's integrity become violated). Maybe some other incompatible software could be conflicting with it.