M17x-R3, game crash, blank screen

Hi Zorro990,

Please provide the system model and the Operating system to assist you further. Also let me know if you tried the steps suggested earlier by Dell – Saharsh K.

Hi Sujatha

Here is a screenshot of the online diagnostic I ran  on the Dell site, as you can see it was the short video test and the video stress test and the only one that failed was the primary surface test in the short video test with the error "WVC07-L1M". I am not sure what was suggested to fix this problem, I read this thread and I only saw that you suggested to run these 2 tests and to send the results, so this is what I did. Also the version of the nvidia driver I have installed is 320.49 and I installed it after I started getting these problems. The driver version I had installed when the problem started is 310.90

Also you asked for my system model and the operating system:
The model is a Alienware M17xR3 and I am running Windows 7 Ultimate x64.
For completeness, my graphics card is a GeForce GTX580M, I have a Intel core i7 2nd gen 2.5Ghz and 16Gb DDR3 1600Mhz of RAM and I have 2 SATA drives in connected Raid0.

Any Advice for solving this problem please?

Hi Zorro990,

Thank you for providing the issue in detail. Please update BIOS and video driver from the links given below:

BIOS: http://dell.to/1f5qAiS

Intel 3000: http://dell.to/19dc3g0

NVidia GeForce GTX 580M: http://dell.to/18xLuWH

(Note: Check if the video driver link is the same version you have installed. If it is the same you may ignore the video driver installation).

Let me know if this helps.

Hi Sujatha

I downloaded the 3 files you suggested, the self extractor of the bios did not seem to work correctly and would not proceed with the installation so I extracted it manually and ran the .exe for the bios update and it seemed to install sucessfully.

I also checked the Geforce GTX580M Bios driver I have currently installed against the one you provided in the link and they are the same so I did not install that one as you mentioned.

The intel 3000 file would not install no matter what I tried. The self extractor worked just fine and but when in came to running the installation I just got a error message that said "your computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software". I checked in all the readme files that got extracted and  my laptop does meet all the requirements stated there. I then proceded to try running the setup.exe manually(and as a administrator) neither worked and I just got the same message both times. I also updated my nvidia driver to the latest version (327.23) and then proceded to try running the short video test again to check if the updated bios had any positive results. It failed on the primary surface test again with the same error as before.

Here is a image of the failed test again and the error message that the intel3000 installation.

I then decided to try and follow what Blindpet said in his earlier post about turning off FRAPS and then rerunning the test. And the test succeeded on all counts. And just as I was about to post that it worked and how the problem was solved when I got the same problem where the screen(s) just blacked out and I had to force shutdown and restart in order to do anything.

This is a big problem for me now because pc-doctor does not find any more problems and all test complete successfully but the problem I had initially remains. I did run a complete virus scan just in case, and nothing turned up. The fact that the Intel3000 file also did not install and the error message it gives also bugs me alot. Do you have any advice please? I have contacted Dell support locally but it has been 3 days now and they have not yet responded.

Hi Zorro990,

Thank you for the update. I am researching on this issue. I will keep you posted ASAP.

Hi Zorro990,

Please send me a private message with the system service tag to assist you further. Please click on my name and click Start Conversation to send me a private message.

I feel your pain. I know firsthand the issue you are going through because I am having the same issue myself. It is likely that the ram of the gpu is overheating or failing. I have done numerous tests myself in order to rule out other possibilities, but this is the ultimate conclusion. I am waiting until tomorrow to get a replacement card ordered to swap it out. 

Also, I would assume that you have the 3d version of the m17x r3, because the intel 3000 driver did not install. If I am correct in this assumption, then there is nothing to worry about. The 3d version of the m17xr3 has the IGP (intel), but it does not use it like the non 3d model does. It uses the nvidia 580m for all graphics needs. So the driver update cannot detect the intel 3000 because the system is not utilizing it at all. It is the design of the system. 

The best thing to do is send the PM as asked and see if repairs can be set up. For now, update all drivers as best as possible, and keep the system cool. 

Hi Phoenix

Thanks for the feedback, since my last post I've been in contact with dell/alienware support and also heard about the intel 3000 not being used on the 3D displays (so yes to answer your question, I've got the 3D display). On the note of keeping it cool, I do use a coolermaster laptop cooler in order to manage the problem where Nvidia Optimus forcebly lowers performance when GPU load becomes high so I do try and keep it cool always.

So a lot of tests/diagnostics and a hour or so on the phone with alienware later we also came to the conclusion that the graphics card needs replacing, so there should be a technician on his/her way to me now to do just that.

Hi Sujatha

Thanks for the help, will post here to say if the graphics card replacement did the job to resolve the issue (I believe it will)

It would be helpful to me as well if you could post whether this solution works or not.  I am having the exact same problem with my M17 where the screen goes completely blank and I have to shut it down manually and reboot.  I've seen many other posts with the same issue.  Is there a problem with the 580m card?

Hi Jerry

So far as I (and the alienware support guy over the phone) could tell it is a problem with the card yes. Because for a long time now I've constantly been using a laptop cooler to manage the optimus performance issue(for which I would also very much like a better solution) like i mentioned earlier, but I also always had Nvidia inspector running in the background on the additional monitor I have connected so that I could keep and eye on the card temperature. And the temperature of the card never got dangerously high. The fact that it was not overheating, no type of driver or software updates or even a factory restore of the laptop did the job and the fact that in the windows reliability history some of the shutdowns/crashes (in my case at least) registered as "video hardware error" lead us to the conclusion that the graphics card itself had to be the issue. I hope this answered your question about whether it was the card or not, sorry for the long reply, just wanted to tell you how we got to the conclusion for in case you want to try the same things on your end.

I haven't received the new card yet because apparently Dell did not have any GTX580M's in stock, but like I said, after receiving the card and testing it I'll post here again to give the results.

Below is a pic of the reliability history so you can see what I mean, the history only goes back a couple of days because of the factory restore I did. Hope this helps a bit.

I have the exact system/setup as you.  I'm also struggling with the same issue.  Though I CAN confirm that the graphics card is not the issue.  My crashes started about 2 years ago and I had a hassle with tech support.  Finally I got a tech to come out and replace the graphics card.  The issue resolved for about a week, if that long, and then started happening again.  This time more sporadically, and gradually started happening more often.  Now it happens so often I hardly use my laptop.  Also, it originally happened only while gaming.  Now it crashes even while browsing the web or while doing just about anything.  This is so frustrating, i'm out of warranty and am required to pay around 300$ just to have a tech talk to me about a problem that started while the laptop was still under warranty. 

Hi Rbarr

A dell technician did come by and he replaced my graphics card and heat sink. And thus far everything seem to run 100%. I have not yet had a black screen crash and ever the severe performance reductions when the card heats up under load(nvidia optimus is the main culprit) is a thing of the past. Well so far at least.

It has only been a couple of days now, but in the last week I've tried gaming as much as I can to put it under load and it hasn't missed a step. So I'm hoping this problem is resolved permanently now. Luckily I've still got more that a year left on my next day hardware support, so if I get this problem again, hopefully not, but then we should be able to fix it properly.

Hi, well since my last post the Nvidia forcible performance reduction under heavy load optimus problem seem to have returned (albeit to a lesser degree). The person(s) at nVidia who implemented this should get a high five... in the face... with a brick...

But I can honestly say that since the graphics card and its respective heat sink replacement I have not had a black screen freeze or game crash, and it has been several months. So thus far it is a constant fix yes(on the crashes).

Hope it helps you.