x17 R2, keyboard working only in BIOS?

They replaced keyboard and motherboard on my X17 R1 to resolve the same issue and it re-occured after a couple days. I'm going to install Windows 10 and then install the Keyboard Firmware patch that was released specifically for this issue. Sadly, there is no patch for Windows 11 because Dell seems to have trouble seeing that it is still an issue. That happens when your head is in a certain orrifice.

Thank you very much for your response. They told me this is the same solution but I'll not acept a replaced motherboard / keyboard on a brand new €5000 computer, I have been quite explit about this with them and asked a whole new computer if they are planning to give me ANY new hardware on my hands. 

Let's be real, we are paying big money for a top end laptop, in my case it's just 6 month old, of course you should expect a top end service and a replacement if you would call ANY hardware failure, I'm not paying this much money for a refurbished computer that this one is going to become after being "fixed".

Even after all this mess I'm quite convinced it is a firmware / bios problem, at the moment I just bought another keyboard that I'm placing above my palmrest, quite stupid for what I spent, but.. Meh, I guess that the only thing we can do is wait for an update / new computer (that anyway as far as I am concerned will be needing the same updates sooner or later)

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

When integrated keyboard works in BIOS and not in Microsoft Windows visit Device Manager and delete keyboard's unknown USB device, then Restart (not Shut Down). During Restart, windows should replace missing keyboard driver. 

With external keyboard, please phone Get Support using number within SupportAssist (Freephone), click on Get Help Now (onscreen icon), visit your online Dell account to create Service Request, or click on Dell Technical Support to get online session to fix software problems. 

Hi! I am having the  exact same issue, on an Alienware m15 R7. Did the Windows 10 downgrade work for you? I had no idea there was a patch for windows 10.

You;re not the only one, I own x15r2 and met this problem after 2 months usage^^, I also make many topics to get help and figure out a resolution, but no  hope.  And now my laptop out of warranty, and they never realeased or do anything to fix this, very bad serivce, we waist our money, this is the first and will be the last I use this brand

I’m sorry to hear that guys, I got the problem “fixed”, if that’s how I should call it, by having the whole computer replaced with a new unit.

I’m still thinking there has to be some firmware / software error that got some of our keyboards stop working around December, I don’t know if it is related to windows, to the cherry keyboard (the one I got) or directly to dell, but my guess is that they also have no clue so it’s easier to replace the keyboard / motherboard or the whole computer if asked.

After using the laptop for a little over a year, I noticed that the keyboard was not functioning properly. I contacted Dell customer service to inquire about getting the keyboard repaired, but I was informed that I would have to pay for the repair, as well as for shipping costs, even though the laptop is less than 2 years.

I was extremely disappointed to hear this, as I had expected better from a company like Dell and a premium product like the Alienware XPS x17 R2. I paid a premium price for this laptop and I believe that it should function properly for a reasonable amount of time without requiring repairs.

I would like to request that Dell provide a resolution to this issue. I would appreciate it if Dell could repair or replace the keyboard at no cost to me, or offer a reasonable solution that will allow me to use my laptop without having to pay additional fees.

I am also having this issue on my X17 R2 (also with cherry mechanical keyboard). I'm not sure exactly when it started as I typically use a separate mouse and keyboard, but I noticed it about a week ago when I was packing up for a trip (I ended up having to bring a keyboard with me).

I'm not sure I agree this thread should be flagged as 'Solved'. Everyone around the web seems pretty much in agreement that this is a software/driver issue. Replacing hardware is not a solution for software issues. 

I hope Dell comes out with a patch for Windows 11 users because I am a month past warranty.

I encountered this issue on an Alienware x17 R2. It was brought into us because the keyboard suddenly stopped working. The keyboard completely passed the Dell Diagnostics in the bios and worked flawlessly before any kind of OS boot.

I reinstalled Windows 11 with a fresh install and was able to get the keyboard to work (albeit strangely) until some series of updates ran and it ceased to function again. I was then never able to get it to work again.

As a means of troubleshooting I decided to try installing Windows 10 (again a fresh install) and test it there. I was unable to get the KB to work there (this was all done with an external) but after running all the Dell updates (namely the Intel HID drivers etc) I ran an in place upgrade to 11. This allowed for the keyboard to work from the start. Even during the setup the keyboard worked flawlessly (during a normal fresh install you have to use an external because there is no driver available for the keyboard). 

Once the system was done updating to 11, and even after all the updates were installed (including the Alienware Command Center) everything worked perfectly. 

I suspect that there is some very horrible driver issue going on with the Intel HID device stack that is associated with this keyboard that needs to be resolved and Dell needs to investigate this. Considering how many people there are with these issues (based upon internet searches it's thousands) this problem is going to get worse, not better. Replacing the keyboard is likely not the answer. I suspect that might be fixing the problem in some cases only be changing the GUID in windows and performing a clean device reinstall. 

Just my input. Hopefully this helps someone.

"I'm experiencing an issue with my x17 r2 keyboard: it doesn't work with Windows 11, but it does work in BIOS. This is a serious inconvenience. Regrettably, because I'm located in Ukraine, I can't access full support or a replacement. So now, I'm forced to use my old MSI ge75 laptop and 16" MacBook. Thank you for your 'elite' product.

UPD: After Windows update and sometimes after reboot the keyboard may start to work. Magic.

agree with you, this thread shouldnt be flagged as" Solved" , nothing solved here, and I been wating more than 1 year for the update to fix this problem and got nothing from Dell, very very disappointed

same here, opened another thread to search for solution

Dell support is clueless and they want money to replace the keyboard as i'm out of warranty, ofc i will not do it but it's crazy that i have to deal with this stuff with a 4k $ notebook

Extremely disappointed with Dell, i would have never thought to receive such response from an high end company and high end product

I am having the same issue. Keyboard worked fine for a long time, then just stopped. Works in bios with no issues, external keyboard works fine.

I did notice the following error in the event logs:

Device settings for USB\VID_0000&PID_0002\5&15d4f9a0&0&9 were not migrated from previous OS installation due to partial or ambiguous device match.

Last Device Instance Id: USB\VID_1908&PID_0226\6&209ecaa2&1&1
Class Guid: {36fc9e60-c465-11cf-8056-444553540000}
Location Path: 
Migration Rank: 0xF000FFFFFFFFF102
Present: false
Status: 0xC0000719

I also noticed that I now have an in the device manager, I have an Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed ) which I believe is related to the above error. 

I have tried to remove all the USB devices and let it rebuild during boot. Nothing seems to have worked. 

I have not tried a OS rebuild, which is my next step. But it seems clear this started after some windows update in the recent past.