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June 30th, 2012 17:00
Help with Aurora Area ALX, no POST test
Hi,
recently after series of blue screens my son's Alienware Area ALX stops working.
After pressing power on fans started and nothing else going on, nothing appears on the screen and motherboards did not even beep.
MB would not beep even with removed video card or memory, so it just did not go to POST. If I press the test button on the poser unit the green light turns on and fan noise can be heard, so I concluded then it is either MB or CPU.
My unit if off warranty, and I do not have all necessary tools at home so I bring the unit to MicroCenter near me, where they declare that it is indeed MB and they can order a new one from DELL for $450 (+job) and replace it. I search the internet and bought new MB for $180.
After installation of new MB I got nothing to work. Even the power unit test stop working after I attach the MB connectors without not attaching any other connectors. This puzzled me completely and now I think that probably a power unit if flawed, not MB. But I wold not be happy spending even more money buying new power unit and founding that it did not help as well.
I am not new to the world of computers, but I am not an expert and will be happy if someone will give me a good advice what I can do.
One thing I am suspicious is that unlike most computers, Alienware has a lots of additional whistles and bells, like case lights, many fans, temperature detectors etc. and I can imagine that some detector id glitching and blocking the system from turning on. How I can check this?
Thank you!
TWGAMER666
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June 30th, 2012 20:00
May I ask, how long have you had the computer?
What is the spec? and is this the first time you have had any problems?
Pamor
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June 30th, 2012 21:00
Thank you for answering!
We have it for about two years. If I enter service tag on Dell pages it tells that warranty is expired.
MB MS-7591 / CPU I7-930, 2.8, 8MB / VIDEO ATI Radeon HD 5870 U121A / RAM 6GB (2x3) / HDD 2x500 / Liquid CPU cooling / DWD RW / Card reader / Fancy case with lights etc.
Thank you again!
Pamor
3 Posts
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June 30th, 2012 21:00
Just in addition to the previous information: no overclocking of tampering with unit. It was doing what it suppose to do and no interventions were necessary.
TWGAMER666
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June 30th, 2012 22:00
Hi there...
lol at "fancy case with lights". Ok first, I am no expert, so what I suggest may need some further opinions from other users.
It stinks that your system is out of warranty, seems typical that your warranty expires then the system dies.
I have been unfortunate enough to be in your situation with the computer I am using now (not an alienware) where the system powers up, but no BIOS, windows, bleeps etc.
The answer in my case was that the PSU (power supply unit) had died, and although it was still powering up, it was not doing so efficiently enough to power up the mother board and BIOS. I replaced the PSU and the problem was solved. So bare that in mind. Also, if you are going to buy a new PSU, it is well worth going for the higher brands with high Wattage if you intend playing a lot of games on your PC. My current PSU is 900w and comes with a 10 year warranty from e-buyer.
On one other occasion similar to the problem you mentioned, I was down to a faulty stick of RAM. If this is the case, it is easy to test. If you think you may have faulty RAM, remove all but one stick of RAM at a time and power up the machine. If you have faulty ram, the machine will not go past the BIOS screen (at least it didn't in my case) and you will therefore be able to single out the bad RAM. So try this first if you havn't already done so.
With regards to the system lights etc, I have come across a few examples yesterday on various websites that show some alienware systems have problems with the lights initiating. With you being out of warranty, I am not sure what to reccomend here.
Either way, sounds to me like your PSU has given up - not very impressive for an alienware. Please obtain other opinions before going for new power supply as I would hate to recommend spending more money unecessarily.
Hope this helps.
Tesla1856
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July 1st, 2012 00:00
You test the Power Supply with a Digital Power Supply tester. MicroCenter should have been able to do this for you but who knows.
Sometimes people sell stuff like motherboards on the net that they know are bad (but they say they don't know for sure). Could also be someting you moved over (RAM, CPU, etc.).
You can completely disconnect the MIO-Board and the machine will still start (but it will only run for about 5 minutes before it over-heats). Then shut it down and re-connect so your liquid pump and radiator fan will run. Only those 2 parts are vital. Ignore the other case fans and lights for now.