m17 R2, USB circuit board doesn't work after reinstalling

Question

Hello community! So I had purchased a new USB circuit board for my 2019 Alienware m17 R2 laptop because it has the Wireless Network card attached to it that I need to replace. Unfortunately the card is factory soldered onto the board hence the reason I'm needing the whole USB circuit board. Very easy to disassemble too. The one I purchased sadly wasn't the same part number as mine so I had to returned it for a refund with no time table when the right one would be available. No worries because the Wireless Card I'm replacing still worked, just wasn't getting the usual "full" Wi-Fi signal. I normally use Ethernet so no big deal...so I carefully re-assembled the circuit board back inside my laptop, connected the wire that goes to the board, reinstalled the battery, reconnected the laptop battery to main motherboard, put back cover on then turned on laptop. From there I'm prompted to go into BIOS to set default settings again and after rebooting I was back in business. Or so I thought. The Wi-Fi still works as it did before but neither of the two USB ports that are also attached to that circuit board work now...even after uninstalling/reinstalling all the USB drivers. So I have no idea why the ports are no longer working and I would really appreciate if anyone here in this very nice and helpful Dell Alienware Community could help me fix this issue. I've also attached a picture of what the circuit board looks like as well. Thank you all in advance for any solutions you may have in regards to this discussion. Have a good day.

Ronster253 · Accepted Answer

Update: New USB circuit board finally arrived. After removing battery & doing Flea power release then disconnecting CMOS battery cable & repeating the power release again, I was able to uninstall the faulty circuit board then installed the new one. Next I booted into BIOS to reset to optimal defaults then after a quick reboot, both of the USB ports on new circuit board are functioning properly once again.

crimsom · Answer

Hi @Ronster253 welcome to this free user-to-user Alienware laptop discussion forum.

The Dell Alienware m17 R2 Alienware m17 R2 Right Side WLAN Card / USB Ports IO Circuit Board - Killer 1650 is DP/N THCRT and it has white label on reverse of the circuit board.

If the system board (aka motherboard) has not been damaged, reinstalling this circuit board to reseat the electrical connections may be sufficient. Remember to power down laptop and wait for capacitors to fully discharge (Flea power release) before working on these parts.

Ronster253 · Answer

Hi @crimsom  Thank you for your reply and suggestion. When I initially disassembled the circuit board in question, I had already done the steps you mentioned above and I also removed the battery as well (which one has to do to remove this particular circuit board) and did the Flea power release a second time before continuing the board disassembly steps. Just as a side note, my system board (motherboard) has never been damaged in any way and while working on or around the motherboard I always wear an anti-static wristband that is properly connected to a solid ground I installed in my work shop...and I only use screw drivers, etc. from a pc repair tool-kit I purchased this year. I will try the board  removal steps again but this time I'll disconnect the CMOS battery and drain any power left over from that and then reinstall board, reset BIOS to optimal default settings and hope these two particular USB ports come back to life. Because without them I'm unable to connect certain devices I use for online gaming as well as external hard drives I frequently use...and of course the all important external cooling pad (fans) that I definitely need to keep this particular Alienware heat producing beast as cool as possible. In the meantime, any other suggestions for the issue I'm having will still be very much appreciated. Thank you all and have a great day!

crimsom · Answer

Hi @Ronster253 thanks for sharing update.

Electrical potential differences kill electronic components. Anti-static wristband and the electronic item being worked on must be at the same electrical potential.

The local solid ground earth connected to water table is good for reducing a person's static charge having walked on house carpet and/or wearing inappropriate clothing when entering workshop.

Ronster253 · Answer

That is correct and duly noted. The solid ground I mentioned installing in my shop was done by a friend who builds residential houses from the 'ground up' (pardon the pun) and he made sure to do mine by NEC regulations as well so I'm good there. But thank you again for your wisdom and knowledge in regards to this topic.

John harper · Answer

Check USB ports or cables for physical damage.
Reset BIOS to factory defaults.
Run a hardware diagnostic test.
Check the USB device functionality on another computer.
Check Windows Device Manager for errors.

Regards,
John

Ronster253 · Answer

Hi @John harper thanks for your recommendations. I've done all of those steps you mentioned multiple times lol.

Hopefully installing a whole new USB circuit board here in the near future will be the all-in-one solution to this problem. Because I've literally tried pretty much everything else. Glad this laptop fell into my hands at the low low price of free! So investing in a whole new board seams like a small price to pay compared to the huge headache it's already given me. Lol. So, we shall see.

Alienware

m17 R2, USB circuit board doesn't work after reinstalling

Was this post helpful?