17 R4, turning on and off on a loop after firmware TPM

Question

Warranty expired 3 years/4 months ago. After seeing the system requirements for Windows 11 (the 17 R4 is not validated for Windows 11) I learned that my laptop doesn't have TPM enabled. I went into BIOS and enabled Firmware TPM option, restarted the machine and now it doesn't turn on. Usually when Alienware's don't turn on they give a sequence of lights through the power button to know the cause of the failure. This time no sequence. The system starts turning on normally, the power button lights up, the keyboards light up, sometimes even the tron lights light up but before the screen turns on everything goes off and after 2-3 seconds this whole thing loops. Feels almost as if the system tries to boot up then something trips and it abruptly shuts down. I talked to Dell on the phone and told them that I think the motherboard is dead, they told me to go to a service center to verify it and afterwards buy the motherboard. I took the laptop to the service center and after a while they said it can't be repaired and that maybe the motherboard is fried. After coming home I was pretty sure the motherboard was dead but I turned on the machine once and it booted to the BIOS (since I removed the drives). I went to check the Firmware TPM option to find it disabled. I waited a while and pressed F10 to reboot. Now it doesn't turn on again. I am willing to buy the motherboard if it comes to that but the screen turning on once made me think that maybe the motherboard isn't totally dead.Most near to situation: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/alienware-13-r2-turns-on-and-off-then-repeats.3400337/ tldr; No error sequence on power button, tries to turn on but goes off before screen boots, screen booted once so maybe motherboard isn't dead i7 6700HQ, GTX 1070, 16 GB RAM, 17.3 1080p 60Hz, No Tobii eye tracker only Tobii Aware

OldCappy · Answer

I had a similar issue with my AW 17R4. No power button light display, etc. I was able to force it to boot into bios a few times but it would never get past post.

Motherboard was replaced today. It took about a month to get a replacement part (my MB is a little different than yours, i7-6820HK and GTX1080).

DELL-Cares · Answer

We tried reaching you on a private message asking for the Service Tag number to ascertain the warranty but did not receive a response. Please feel free to reply to the private message whenever you are available.

AqeelHashim · Answer

Im facing the exact same issue, what was the outcome?

Were you able to solve it, did you replace the motherboard?.

Also @DELL-Cares what can be done to get in contact with someone about this?

Thank you

A51-06 · Answer

Have you tried power draining the laptop and making sure everything is cleared out before booting? also i recommend doing a BIOS reflash as this can probably be a false positive (based on the laptop turning on).

AqeelHashim · Answer

@Alienware Area-51 ALX 2006 thank you for the tip, I did try that with both the clrp1 connectors and reconnecting the cmos battery.

However it didn't work, the issue persisted until it no longer provides any response.

It seems like this is a weird issue in a some laptops when they enable tpm for windows 11 insider preview.

Hopefully I'll be able to salvage this laptop.

crimsom · Answer

Hi @AqeelHashim thank you for sharing update.

BIOS will not allow POST to complete without TPM handshake with original TPM Windows 10 or TPM Windows 11 (C:) boot disk.

Windows 10 (and Windows 11) will take ownership of the TPM automatically unless Windows 10 (or 11) is specifically instructed not to take ownership. This is a security feature that disables PC function if stolen and a different OS(C:) boot manager is installed to try and restore PC function. Only the original owner can get PC working again. TPM unable to change between 1.2 or 2.0 because TPM is owned | Dell US

The TPM ownership needs to be cleared before the TPM firmware update can run correctly. How to Successfully Update the TPM Firmware on your Dell Computer | Dell US

Dell service center does not have the ability to undo the TPM changes you have made. Even if you can produce evidence of ownership, Dell service center should respond as if the PC was stolen.

Update to Windows 11 problems are not part of the Windows 10 Dell warranty.

Please click on Kudos to say thank you for response from user that is not employed by Dell. Please share an update on progress, so that other users derive benefit from your experience. Thank you.

A51-06 · Answer

Try this:

Turn off the laptop all the way.

Open up the back panel.
Disconnect Battery cable from the motherboard.

Disconnect CMOS Battery.

Remove RAM by holding it from the sides.

Remove All Harddrives and Boot Media.

Hold the Power Button for 20 Seconds.

Reconnect Battery and try to turn on laptop.

If it flashes that means no RAM and no CMOS is installed which is good.

Then disconnect the battery and hold the power button again for 20 seconds.

Plug CMOS Battery and One RAM Stick in any slot (preferably the first one).

Then Plug Battery back into motherboard and turn on the laptop.

as soon as the alienware logo starts keep pressing F12 and enter ePSA.

crimsom · Answer

Hi @gamejutsu do you still have the original TPM Windows (C:) boot drive to try and get your 17 R4 to work? If your motherboard's security feature refuses to be unlocked or has been corrupted, a new motherboard is your only option.

Please share an update on progress, so that other users derive benefit from your experience. Thank you.

Alienware

17 R4, turning on and off on a loop after firmware TPM

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