Alienware R15 GPU not attached - less than 2 month old

Click on the following link for help.

https://www.dell.com/support/article/ca/en/cadhs1/sln85593/alienware-laptop-does-not-detect-its-discrete-video-card-s-?lang=en

If you have tried these methods without success and the system is only 2 months old, then give Dell tech support for your region a call. It is possible that the GPU (which is part of the motherboard) is defective.

Thanks for the quick reply.  I tried this option as well.  I have the picture showing that the discrete graphics is detected.

I also re-flashed the bios but still no luck.

Not really sure what to do next.

I did call them and they said I had to pay for any additional help!  That's why I reached out to the forum.  I will call them gain as I see this as a hardware issue and not a software issue as what Dell told me.  I was told because I was updating my drivers it was not their issue without payment.  It seems unfair, we are always updating drivers.  I checked my warranty info and it states I have Onsite Service After Remote Diagnosis (Consumer Customer)/ Next Business so not sure why I got the response I got.

Hi @AV0101,

Send me a private message with the Service Tag so I can review your case and warranty information. 

I discovered today that I have the following error when I troubleshot Windows.

Intel PCIe controller - 1901 error

Even after using windows to scan and update I still keep getting the same error.

Can this be related to my GPU not attached?

Also since Alienware OC automatic update a few days ago on start up it takes a very long time (1 minute) for explorer to start up (after I put my windows password in when I start my laptop)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

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@AV0101 wrote:

I did call them and they said I had to pay for any additional help!  That's why I reached out to the forum.  I will call them gain as I see this as a hardware issue and not a software issue as what Dell told me.  I was told because I was updating my drivers it was not their issue without payment.  It seems unfair, we are always updating drivers.  I checked my warranty info and it states I have Onsite Service After Remote Diagnosis (Consumer Customer)/ Next Business so not sure why I got the response I got.

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 Cause you mentioned it could be a program issue. If it has to do with Drivers, you are NOT a premium customer thus must pay to get it to work (Software).

If it's only 2 months old, you can try doing a factory reset to rule out software problem. My Support Assist is FUBAR on my 15 R3, but everything works so I ignore support assist. Worst case is you send your laptop back to Dell and they fix it.

It IS possible, that it has become disconnected. Which case, you can watch a tear down video and do it yourself, or.. have them diagnose your PC through remote Connect (Support assist help) and if so, they can dispatch a tech to fix it.

Thanks for the response.  Out of just getting this fixed I did the following:

First a recap of my issues.

-Laptop about 2 months old

-After a driver update the laptop went into a continuous loop of trying to repair windows, tried all options but could not get the laptop to reboot.  

-After reading forums it was suggested that I refresh windows which I did.

-Once refreshed windows would not detect my GPU, it was detected in the BIOS but not in device manager.  I tried all the options suggested to me and still no luck.

-Support stated what you stated above BUT who does not update drivers?  Their support via chat on 2 occasions was way below par, a company where you are just a number not a a customer.  This is the first time I have bought a laptop from dell and will not again (Just like buying insurance you know how good your insurance company is when you have to use it).  I understand policy but support could have been more empathetic, all I got was pay $400 for additional help and no real solutions for me to try on my own.  The ONLY help I got was from the moderators in this forum (which did not fix the issue).  Let me pose the question, if you revert to factory settings does that invalidate the warranty?  Probably not but updating a driver is?

-Furthermore my review on the dell website was rejected as it did not meet their guidelines, its great when you can filter out reviews!  That's an example of a very transparent company!

-I have noticed issues specifically after alienware programs were updated.  I had gone through 2 cases where windows was stuck in the cannot repair loop.

-So to anyone who is willing and to save $400 this is what I did: Total clean install to factory settings, the recovery program is great (you can back up what you need to back up via USB or external hard drive) and then conduct a clean install.  Re-installing the backup was also a breeze and now I have my GPU back!

-what I did additionally: Create a back up image once I was happy with my re-install, do not allow alienware to automatically install updates.

Best,

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@AV0101 wrote:

I have both an SSD and mechanical.  Its been about a week since the total re-install and I see similar trends again.  After putting my laptop in sleep mode in my Alienware bag, I was devastated to find that for the second time the laptop turned on in the bag and was very hot.  This is the second time this has happened and I am 100% sure it was shut down because I always let it cool down after putting it to sleep before putting it in the bag.  I have now reverted to shutting the laptop down instead of putting it to sleep.

Thanks for your input.

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Always shut it down, tho if its waking up from sleep, it can be a number of things. You need to go into Device Properties and uncheck the box that says "Allow this device to wake the PC" for almost all, wireless, etc. One of the devices is waking the laptop up. It's always best anyways just to shut it down if your on the move versus sleep... OR... Hibernate the PC if you must.