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Command Center Thermal Controller not working correctly
Hi all,
Recently bought an Alienware Aurora. Delivery was fine, Unboxing was great, Set-up... not so great.
So, after doing the usual first setup of Windows 7, Microsoft decide to upgrade my graphics drivers and such, to a point that Catalyst Control Center doesn't work with the drivers any more. I eventually undo everything that happened and turn off automatic driver updates, only to find Steam does the exact same thing after I launch it for the first time. So you can imagine my fustration after 2 days of digging through drivers and what not.
Well, I only recently discovered that all these driver issues have screwed up the ThermalController in the Command Center application (read somewhere online that the newer ATI drivers mess with the Alienware thermal measurement drivers).
When i access the thermal section of the command center, it is noticable straight away that something is wrong. Ambient Sensor 1 AND 2 both report temperatures of 0 degrees (yes, zero) while Ambient sensor 3 reports 65 degrees. This strikes me and absurd, why would this happen? and is this issue solvable?
Also, the Fans run quite loudly (consistently 22% when there is absolutely nothing going on - maybe 1% CPU usage max) and if i try to change this in the Command center, using Manual > Fixed > 0% > apply, Nothing changes. The fans stay at 22%. They never change, except while the BIOS is loading during startup where they are 100% (i guess) and then scale back.
Having had so many issues with Drivers and such, I have been on the verge of sending this machine back and getting my money back, but at the same time I really don't want to because it's such a beautiful piece of design. Any help would be much appreciated!
Bjkelley1973
2 Posts
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January 26th, 2012 07:00
Yes anyone have info on this?
My thermal sensors never worked but I didn't really care until this morning I got an error message with it for the first time.
I reinstalled ACC and now I can open thermal controls but they still refuse to change the fans and I still have no sensors working.
I'm on an Area 51 btw not that it matters I don't think, Nvidia drivers not ati.
I'm getting really annoyed now because the fans won't turn down and they are really getting on my nerves.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
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17K Posts
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January 26th, 2012 11:00
I've never heard of video drivers messing up Command Center apps.
@ xD-Dunce
I assume that is a refurb ... if you have some warranty, now is the time to call Dell tech support. They will help you re-install Command Center and get machine fixed if need parts.
If either of you are out of warranty, you can read my posts in this thread:
en.community.dell.com/.../19823361.aspx
JustBen
1 Message
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February 8th, 2012 09:00
probably realtet issue with my Area51ALX
It helps to disconnect the PC from power between booting. Wait a moment - it needs some time to get really poweless. After that the Sensors are working (when i don't disconnect the fans get to 100%). But no matter how much i'm updating the drivers and bios (i did much of this during the last 2 years) - i've got frequent crashes of the ATI-Drivers during which Thermal Controller also crashes.
I reportet it to the dell after unboxing - but i didn't want to give this beautiful beast back for checking so i got a small amount of the price back instead.
Now the crashes of the graphic-drivers / cards get more often and more serious - so any help would be apreciated.
AwaitingDeath
2 Posts
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February 27th, 2012 13:00
I had this exact same problem, and was able to figure out the issue:
THE PROBLEM
I had updated my video drivers, and the control center began to malfunction. What had occurred, is that I have AMD ati radeon video cards, and the AMD Catalyst Control Center interferes with the Alienware Control Center.
THE SOLUTION
Uninstall your AMD drivers completely, then reinstall the latest drivers. When you are reinstalling the drivers, check CUSTOM install. It will provide you a list of what it will install. Uncheck the AMD CATALYST CONTROL CENTER install, which is about 150mb in size.
Restart your computer, and all should be fine!
Good luck!