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Area-51 ALX having trouble making it to POST
Hello, I have an Alienware Area 51 ALX desktop with the intel i7 975ee cpu, for some reason now when I start up the computer the cpu fan just runs at maximum speed but doesn't make it to the bios screen, the monitor stays blank and in stand by. then a few seconds later it shuts down and re boots normally like nothing happened, though at times it repeats this cycle of testing, resetting and testing again for several minutes. Its only doing this when I completely turn it off and switching off at the powerpoint. It will do this once and i can shut down as many times as i want until i switch off at the powerpoint then it does like a test start again. Is anyone else having this problem I thought it could be the video card and the alienware command centre but ive updated them and still no luck.
note, most of this is quoted from another thread in the general hardware discussion forum, but 1) I have the exact same problem, and 2) they never got a response. Help?
morblore
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October 14th, 2010 13:00
When shutting off the power to the system it will do this. This is just like resetting the board. Don't unplug it or shut off the power strip it's plugged into.
Carigon
6 Posts
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October 14th, 2010 14:00
i apologize, in copying the previous post by the other member, I forgot to change a section. I don't turn off the computer with the actual power button, but always turn it off through the start menu. It only does the test/cycling after it's been sitting over night or longer. It's understandable if it has to run through tests on a reasonably regular basis, but when it gets stuck there for an extended duration of time, that says to me that there is something that might be wrong. Especially since this isnt behavior that was exhibited by the system when i got it a few months ago.
Sadly, in the other thread, apparently it was an issue with the motherboard (at least it was apparently solved by installing a third party mobo) but I'm hoping there might be some other solution that I'm over looking.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
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17K Posts
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October 14th, 2010 14:00
Disconnect all peripherals except keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Disconnect anything new inside the PC. Basically, return the computer to it's original shipping config. and try it that way.
If it works, add the peripherals one-at-a-time until you find the offending one.
morblore
2.4K Posts
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October 14th, 2010 20:00
Ok because the other post said he was shutting it off at the wall " Its only doing this when I completely turn it off and switching off at the powerpoint" and when you do that then it will act just like he said it was.
Keep in mind these systems take forever and then some to boot through the bios. Installing a 3rd party mobo will fix the issue because its not the same bios. What you are seeing may be normal.
Then again you are saying it wasnt doing it when you first got the system so maybe its something you added to it. You gotta unplug everything like Tesla said and see what it does. You can also try resetting the bios back to defaults. What version BIOS do you have? Did you update it yet?
Carigon
6 Posts
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October 15th, 2010 08:00
Right now i'm running the A08 bios (have been for a while, wasn't displaying any of these issues after i upgraded them). I also tried disconnecting all of the peripherals (barring speakers and monitors) but it still is'nt making its way through. As regards slow bios... yeah, that's something i noted in comparison to my past rigs when i got the beast, but right now it's not even making it to said bios screen. Seems to be hanging up well before that point. Sadly, The issue seems to be a progressive problem, as in, I'm writing this message on a laptop, as the alienware doesnt seem to want to make it regardless of the time and nursing i bestow upon it.
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
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54.2K Posts
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October 15th, 2010 10:00
Carigon,
* Power the PC off
* While testing, the PC power cord should be plugged directly into the wall outlet. Remove it from the UPS or surge protector
* Unplug the power cord from the PC
* Hold the PC power button down to drain any remaining power
* Reconnect the power cord to the PC
* While testing, the only devices that are plugged into the PC are mouse, keyboard, and monitor DVI or VGA. Disconnect the monitor USB uplink cable from the PC. The USB mouse and keyboard should be plugged into the rear PC USB ports
* Once you have done this, power the monitor on, then the PC. What happens?
Carigon
6 Posts
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October 15th, 2010 11:00
Had actually done this previously, with the exception of making sure my pc was directly connected to the wall... Regardless, I did so again, with the same results. I turn on the computer, and it goes through what is the typical test that i was used to initially (vents flare and fans spin to max), at this point the fans quiet for a moment, then the perpetual spinning starts. I let it sit spinning for a couple minutes spinning before i shut it off.