Alienware M15x dedicated GPU not detected

Hi DwayneG,

I apologize for the  inconvenience that has been caused to you.

The Graphics Card Drivers are not installed on the system, that is why you are getting Standard VGA Graphics Adapter under Device Manager. Once you install the Video Drivers, you will be able to see the name of Graphics Card installed on your system there. Alienware M15X was shipped with following two graphics cards:

• Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M
• Nvidia GeForce GT 240M

You will need to install the drivers of the one that came installed on your system. Please share the screenshot of the Device Manager, so that I can check and assist you with drivers installation. Also, you may refer to the article How to reinstall drivers in the correct order or video of Downloading and Installing Windows 7 Drivers in the Correct Order.

Hope this helps. Please reply if you have any questions.

I hadn't seen the Insert/Edit Media button there.  The screenshot is below.  I'm now going to try reinstalling all the drivers in the correct order.  I'll post my results when I finish or encounter a problem.

Thanks,

DwayneG

Thank you.  My dedicated GPU is working again.  I also found several other drivers that I still needed.  There's still one last driver, which the website doesn't seem to be giving me.  A quick search on Google suggests it might be for a freefall sensor.  I don't remember reading about that coming with my laptop, but it's been nearly 4 years since the time I really looked through the specs that closely when I ordered it.  See the screenshot below for the hardware IDs of the unknown device.

Hi DwayneG,

Yes, you are correct, this indicates that ST Microelectronics DE351DL Free Fall Sensor driver is missing. You may install the driver from the link http://dell.to/1cGrQJO. Download the driver and follow the onscreen instructions to install it.

Share the results, I'll be happy to assist further.

Thanks again.  I no longer have any unknown devices or anything like that listed in my device manager.  I think I'm all set now.

UPDATE: Actually, there is one other thing.  I wasn't able to reinstall the Alienware Command Center.  There was some issue with dependencies.  I think it was called Quicksilver or something.  Can you please help me get that stuff back too?

Thanks,

DwayneG

Hi DwayneG,

Apologies for a delayed response as I was out of office. Glad to know that all the drivers are installed. Please try downloading and installing the Alienware Command Center from the link http://dell.to/1fzaekg. Follow the onscreen instructions to install it.

Hope this helps.

The installation failed.  Here's a screenshot of the error message:

Is there a way to fix this?

Hi DwayneG,

Please download and save the driver on the desktop. Right click on the driver and select the option of Run as Administrator to install it. Check if you still receive any error message. Also, refer to the link How to Uninstall and Reinstall Alien Command Center for more help.

Hope this helps. Please share the results.

I think that almost worked, however, my PC crashed just as installation was getting finished.  I've been getting quite a few of these lately, and my Windows updates repeatedly fail to install as well.  I'm thinking I might need a new hard drive, b/c I've gotten a few disk I/O error messages.  I'm really hoping that's not the case, as circumstances in my life are different now than they were when I got this computer, so I lack the funds to simply order a new hard drive right now.  Here's an image of one of the blue screens I've gotten.

It was difficult to get a picture of that, as they disappear so quickly.  I don't know if this will be useful or not with the right side slightly cut off like that.

As for the Alien Command Center, as soon as I got back into Windows, I got this:

Hi DwayneG,

Please run hardware diagnostics on the system to confirm hardware functionality. Here are the steps:

• Restart the system and immediately start tapping the 'F12' key to enter the 'Boot Menu'.
• Use the 'Down Arrow' key to highlight the 'Diagnostics' option. Press the 'Enter' key.
• The diagnostics will begin. Please note the exact error message/code, if any appears on the screen.

Also, follow the steps shared in the video from the link http://dell.to/153NeEh. Share the results, of the Blue Screen Analyzer tests.

Awaiting your response!

I just managed to run the diagnostics.  The hard drive test failed.  Here's a screenshot.

I'll see what I get from the Blue Screen Analyzer tests, and post those results when I get them.

UPDATE: I just finished running the Blue Screen Analyzer tests.  Everything was fine, except for the hard drive.  The following tests failed: Targeted Read Test, Random Seek Test, and Linear Read Tests 1 and 2.  I think the SMART Short Self Test and SMART Threshold Test 2 failed as well.  The analyzer doesn't really give you much time to look at the individual test results.  It just switches back to the screen where I get to select options to scan for viruses, run system diagnostics, etc. as soon as it's finished running the tests.

So, is there anything I can do to fix this, or does the SSD need to be replaced?

Thanks,

DwayneG

So, is there anything I can do to fix this, or does the SSD need to be replaced?

Find out who made the HDD or SSD. Download that manufacturer's low-level diagnostics and check it. There is usually a "destructive to existing data" surface scan that will write zeros to the whole disk. This will set-aside any bad sectors and re-allocate them to the spare space. Also, try to see what SMART data says before and after.

If you can finally get a good quick or long surface scan, the disc MIGHT be good enough to use again. PSA should also give drive a Pass.

Once the hardware is all good, you will have to clean install Windows7-64 again from scratch. See my Favorite posts.

Thanks Tesla.  I have a Samsung SSD PM810 2.5" 256 GB ATA device.  I went to Samsung's site, but it seems to be broken.  I can't search for anything without the model number, and, apparently, "PM810" isn't it.  Furthermore, browsing through products for support is entirely broken, as the interface does not allow you to proceed beyond selecting the "Memory & Storage" category.  I could probably get around this mess through their live chat feature, but I have other things I need to do today, so I was kinda just hoping to find out where the diagnostic tools are that I'll need, so that I can get to them easily later.  That, and I doubt I have any sort of external storage device large enough to store the files that I really need to keep, and I currently lack the funds to purchase such a device.  It just so happens that I have several projects in Java and other languages, which I really just can't stand to lose.  So, I'll need a good while to save up for a decent external drive before I can proceed further.

Also, I noticed that, in your Favorite posts, the post you made for how to do a clean install of Windows 7 on an Alienware Desktop has some steps that involve messing with internal hardware ("Unplug the MIO-Board communication cable", etc.).  Since I'm using a laptop, would that stuff not apply to my system?  I've never worked inside a computer before, so excuse me if my question seems kinda stupid.  I know someone who has built his own rigs, so, if my PC will still need to be opened up, I know I won't have to worry about touching something wrong, and damaging the whole system beyond repair.