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6 Posts
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25793
October 7th, 2013 07:00
Multicard 19 in 1 reader not working (nor is USB plug in drives)
Hey folks,
Hoping for some help on the forums, as my product warranty expired in 2011. My Alienware Area 51 hard drive crashed; had to re-install OS and everything else. Since the Re-install, I'm not having any success with putting in any SD cards into the Multi-Media Card Reader (takes a bay above my DVD drives). Inserting SD card turns the green light on in the drive, but its not being recognized by the computer. Similarly, If I plug in an external USB Drive reader, same issue - the USB external drive 'installs', but doesn't read any SD cards. I have no idea what brand the multicard reader is; OS installed is Win 7 64 bit. I believe the 2 SD card(s) are fine - my camera can read it easily, as well as my dell laptop;but can't seem to get it to work on my desktop.
Any suggestions?
First time poster, plz dont flame!
-Jit
jitster
6 Posts
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October 22nd, 2013 17:00
Hey guys,
Wanted to get back to you. Thanks for taking the time to write this up. The solutions above (alien autopsy, etc) were all new to me, so that was good.
How I solved my problem. I shut down the computer, unplugged the computer for like 5 min to let the motherboard memory expire, and then plugged everything back up. That fixed my problem!
-Jit
NJEnjineer
7 Posts
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October 7th, 2013 10:00
There could be a few things going on, first off - double check any hardware connections inside.
Then - check the Dell Software / Drivers downloads for your system.
The general list for the Area 51 is here.. http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/19/Product/alienware-area51, but you may get a better subset of downloads by entering your service code.
First, make sure system BIOS is current. Reboot if necessary.
Next, install the Dell System Software ( no link on that same page.. find it through general maintenance)
Install Alien Autopsy http://www.dell.com/support/contents/us/en/19/article/Product-Support/Dell-Subsidiaries/alienware-support-site/alien-autopsy if you haven't already.
Install the Chipset drivers.. from the software download page.
Restart.
Run windows updates, and look for .NET updates if you don't see them automatically installed.
(.NET framework 3.5 , install manually if needed, then update after a restart. > http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=22 )
After all that, if the multi drive won't work, ( likely the chipset software) .. run the Autopsy application and it should look for updates on Dell for you.
Here's some of the Dell Documentation on your system if you want to dig deeper: http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?smh=sup&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cat=sup&k=multi%20SD%20drive
Tesla1856
10 Wizard
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17.9K Posts
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October 7th, 2013 16:00
I've clean installed a few times. According to my notes, the "Alienware 19-in-1 Media Card Reader" doesn't require any addition drivers (just uses bundled Windows USB Storage drivers ... possibly from WindowsUpdate online) . IIRC, it's a USB device (possibly connected to extra USB channel at MIO-Board).
x58 chipset drivers should have been installed first (see my Favorite threads). That should get MCR and other USB ports working.
However, this along with other external card readers not working points to a deeper problem. Have you tried a USB flash drive?
jitster
6 Posts
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October 22nd, 2013 17:00
Thanks NJEngineer - this post was all new to me.
So, to go thru this 1 by 1:
I entered my subset of downloads for my service code, but for the Serial ATA section, it gives me 5 options - how do i know which is the one I need:
JMicron JMB36X RAID Controller, v.1.17.63.01, A05
Intel Matrix Storage Manager (OS Pre-Install Driver Only), v.8.9.0.1023, A00
Intel Matrix Storage Manager Driver
Intel Rapid Storage Technology, v.9.6.0.1014, A03
Silicon Integrated Systems SIL3132, v.1.0.15.6, A02
From AlienWare Autopsy/Motherboard its showing:
Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller
Serial ATA Cotnroller
JMicron JMB36x Controller (doesnt list RAID Controller)
and a bunch of Intel ICH10 Family USB Universal Host Controllers 3A37-3A3A
I don't' know what a Chipset driver is - the download catagories are Audio, Network, Removable Storage, Serial ATA, and Video.
Also, can't tell if my BIOS version is the latest (or where to get the new one). The one that I have is Alienware Release Date 7/30/2010 and Bios Version String A09.; never mind - when I UNrefined my Results, I got A10 BIOS