Your Alienware x17 R1 likely has either the Fn lock / function-key mode set oddly, or the Alienware keyboard/OSD drivers are missing or broken. On this model, the BIOS usually has a Function Key Behavior setting, and Dell’s forum guidance also points to the Alienware OSD / Intel HID Event Filter drivers as common causes when Fn combos stop working.

1. Plug in a USB keyboard if your built-in F-keys are unreliable.

2. In Windows, open Device Manager and check for keyboard, HID, or unknown USB device errors.

3. Reinstall these Dell components for the x17 R1 from Dell Support:

   • Alienware OSD.

   • Intel HID Event Filter Driver.

   • Alienware Command Center if your Fn shortcuts for performance/lighting also fail.

4. Reboot and test again.

If you can get into BIOS, look for Function Key Behavior under the Advanced tab and set it to the mode you want, then save and exit. Dell users specifically report that this setting controls whether the top row acts as F1–F12 or media keys by default.

If Fn+Esc does nothing

On some Alienware keyboards, the Fn lock toggle is not obvious, and some models rely on other combinations or the firmware setting rather than Fn+Esc alone. If the keyboard layer is misbehaving, reinstalling the Dell keyboard/OSD stack is often what restores it.

Because you also said volume, Home, End, and Delete are failing, this sounds less like just a single Fn-lock toggle and more like a broader keyboard mapping/driver issue or partial keyboard firmware problem. Alienware x17 R1 users have reported similar keyboard/fn failures that were fixed by BIOS/driver updates or by reinstalling Dell’s keyboard-related packages.