Black screen after BIOS update for Alienware desktop Area51 series

Summary: This article provides more information if you are experiencing a delay in POST or a black screen is displayed following a BIOS update.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

On certain Alienware Area51 desktops after BIOS, update the display monitor may show a black screen and the keyboard has no function or no light for a few minutes.  

The specific platforms are:

  • Alienware Area-51 R4 and R5 
  • Alienware Area-51 Edition R3 and R6 
  • Alienware Area-51 Edition R7

Cause

Cause information is not available.

Resolution

This is the expected behavior of the computer, and we recommend that you wait for approximately 300 seconds (depending on computer configuration) for POST to complete.

If the black screen lasts over 300 seconds, follow the steps in our BIOS recovery article to ensure that the update was processed correctly.

For information about updating your BIOS, refer to the KB article BIOS Update Guide

Affected Products

Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition R3 and R6, Alienware Area-51 R4 and R5, Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition R7
Article Properties
Article Number: 000142994
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 13 Nov 2025
Version:  9
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