Unable to Change Lighting Status and User Selectable Thermal Tables When Stealth Mode Enabled

Summary: This article discusses users unable to change the lighting status or the User Selectable Thermal Table (USTT) mode when Stealth is Enabled on Alienware laptops.

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.

Symptoms

Affected Platforms:

  • Alienware m16 R2
  • Alienware m18 R2
  • Alienware x16 R2

User may report that when they press FN + F2 to enable Stealth mode, they cannot change the lighting and USTT mode.

Light behavior when Stealth mode is enabled:

Note: See Additional Information for a detailed explanation of the RGB color system used below.
  • Alien head on LCD cover: OFF
  • Keyboard: White (100, 120, 120 or 212, 255, 255), static and keep KB lighting On or Off status the same
  • Touchpad (surrounding or Touchpad): OFF
  • Tron light: Off
  • Power button:
    • AC adapter plugged in: White (100, 120, 120 or 212, 255, 255)
    • Battery: Dim white (64, 76, 76) or thirty percent lightness off
  • Go Dim or Go Dark: Disable
  • Keep Stealth mode ON or OFF state after modern standby, S3, or S4 resume back to the default mode after computer restart.
Keys Description
FN + F1 Disable or enable Performance Boost
FN + F2 Enable or disable Stealth mode. When Stealth mode is enabled, AlienFX lighting is turned off. Performance settings change to Quiet mode.
Note: The AlienFX lighting zone varies depending on the configuration of your computer.
FN + F7 Adjust keyboard backlight brightness
FN + F8 Switch to external display
FN + F9 Disable or enable Bluetooth
FN + F10 Decrease display brightness
FN + F11 Increase display brightness
FN + F12 Disable or enable touchpad

Cause

Working as designed.

Resolution

Press F2 to disable stealth mode and revert to normal mode.

Reference the Owner’s manual for more information.

Additional Information

RGB color space, also known as the RGB color system, allows us to construct all colors based on combinations of Red, Green, and Blue. Each of these colors uses 8 bits, resulting in integer values ranging from 0 to 255. This enables 16,777,216 possible colors (256 * 256 * 256).
The RGB value consists of three numbers, each within the 0 to 255 range. The magnitude of each number represents the brightness of red, green, or blue light. By varying the proportions of these three colors, we can create different hues. Any color on a screen can be expressed using an RGB value. Hence, red, green, and blue are often referenced as the primary colors of light, denoted as R (red), G (green), and B (blue).

Affected Products

Alienware m16 R2, Alienware m18 R2, Alienware x16 R2
Article Properties
Article Number: 000224247
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 17 Apr 2025
Version:  4
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