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    AW17 R4 - And so the fun starts...

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by 7leagueboot, Jun 2, 2017.

  1. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    It arrived yesterday but I didn't have time to open it so the exciting moment came about an hour ago.

    Earlier this morning, my wife said "I'll bet you can't wait to start playing with it this weekend!" to which I replied "No, not really. This will be my 4th Alienware and so far none have ever worked straight out of the box. The last one ( an AW17 R1), took 5 months of on-site visits and service calls before Dell finally decided to refund me as they could not get the laptop running correctly."

    I must admit, secretly I hoped this time would be different!

    So out it comes and my first deception was finding it only has 2 USB ports. I need at least 4 to connect my hubs to. Does anyone know if a docking station is available?

    Next, to plug it in and fire it up...
    Oh NO, the power cable they supplied is for Switzerland. It won't fit French sockets!!!!

    Phonecall to Alienware care centre and "Sorry about that sir. We will get one off to you on Tuesday, you should have it by Thursday or Friday at the latest."

    Oh well, back in its box awaiting the next episode of unwelcome surprises...
     
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  2. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    It has 2 normal USB, one USB C and a Thunderbolt connector. I have a 5 USB Device plugged into the Thunderbolt and my other hub Plugged into the USB-C all in all I have about 12 USB ports to play with when I factor in the Thunderbolt. I/O now adays seems to be all around Hubs vs being on the actual unit anymore.

    When you do get it fired up I do highly recommend you check the temps on it. Most the new ones seem to be coming out just find but there is the occasional straggler. My Feb - 17 R4 Required a repaste where my May - 17 R4 is fine on stock (Tho it will get a repaste anywho)

    Like you I'm a huge fan of them. Currently Have 3 M17x R4's, 1 Alienware 14 (2015) and now 3 17 R4. So far the new ones are my fav.
     
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  3. hypertek

    hypertek Notebook Consultant

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    Mine also came with wrong power chord , and they sent me the correct one last week lol.

    Sent from my LG-VS995 using Tapatalk
     
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  4. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    Why do you have so many? When I say this is my 4th, that is since 2009 and the AW17 R1 went back so I have actually owned 3.

    I can't wait to hear what the sound is like on the new R4 because it was awful on the R1. My MX17 R2 has terrific sound by comparison.

    I'm a bit behind with technology, never having had a Thunderbolt port before, I don't even know what it is? Could you perhaps fill me in a little please Fajo.

    If it overheats, can I get a Dell tech onsite to do the repaste? I don't feel competent enough to strip the machine down.
     
  5. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    Thunderbolt is whats on the back of your computer, It has a little lightning bolt above the port =). You can buy expansion hubs for it to give you more USB ports, tho they are not cheap as they give alot of diff ports. Amazon it you will see them. USB C is the little USB port next to your other two on left hand side of the PC, you can get a adapter or a HUB for it to turn it into a Old USB port from pretty much any retailer.

    As for PC's I am changing out my old ones, One is mine, one for my wife and the other is for the kids to replace the old AW14. I now have a few spares but ill find uses for them I'm sure.
     
  6. shadowyani

    shadowyani Notebook Deity

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    If you are patient you can repaste it better than a Dell tech. Dell techs are a classic example of haste makes waste. Your momma would be very dissapointed in them.

    You use them as heaters right? You must be too poor to have a heater since you bought all those AWs. Lol.
     
  7. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    Lol No. ;) I update all the PC's once ever 2-4 years depending on the PC. Alienwares are on a 4 Year change out in our house. Just so happened it came around this year. :) I like the systems tho. And no it did not break me for cash.
     
  8. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    Yes, I did an Amazon search for 'Thunderbolt USB hub' and found prices that were akin to the cost of a Dell Inspiron or a good quality smart phone! The trouble with these is that they usually have just 1 or 2 USB ports and then a whole range of others I would never use. What I'm looking for is a way to add 2 7-port USB 3.0 hubs. Any suggestions on make/model?

    On my M17x R2 I had 4x USB 2.0's and I used the PCI express port to add a smartcard giving 2x USB 3.0 ports. That worked great but the new R4 looks as though it is going to provide me with some challenges.

    Sorry if these are silly questions but I'm well out of touch with today's technology. What is the USB c port for other than for synching with an Android device?

    This morning I took the power cable off my R2 and fired up the R4. I have never used Win 10 before so at the moment I've come across a bundle of hurdles like the start menu (I prefer Win 7's menu) and niggles such as it being impossible to delete shortcut icons from the desktop, even though I have disabled UAC.

    Also, I have heard horror stories about Win 10 performing updates automatically and restarting while you are busy using the machine. Is there any way to stop it from doing that?

    Oh, and a final obituary comment for my R2 which will likely soon be placed in the cupboard and serve as a backup machine for when travelling. Even though it took over 3 months to get a correctly working machine, my 6 year old R2 has performed impeccably ever since and is still running like a dream. The only reason I chose to get the R4 is because the R2 can't play many of today's new games. In my opinion the R2's design was nicer than the new AW range and its lighting was much better.

    Perhaps one area where the R1's and R2's really scored was their palmrests which were fingerprint resistant, unlike the new AW's which are finger and palm print HELL!! As an example, I spent 2 hours on my brand new R4 this morning. Thanks to the deck it has fingerprints and palmprints all over it and looks like a well-used machine. In contrast, my 6 year old M17x R2, which has been used as a workhorse daily since it arrived, still looks brand spanking new. Such a shame it's underpowered because it's a lovely piece of kit!
     
  9. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    USB-C is the new standard for USB. You can hook a hub Old USB Hub's strait up via a dongle (Included a link below to one, you can also buy them at any best buy for around 20$.)

    Thunderbolt 3 (The plug on the back of the 17 R4) uses a USB-C plug and is compatible with USB devices, so you can use a normal USB hub on it via a dongle also if you like. I put some links below to get you pointed in the right direction of what you are looking for.

    Now If you already have the USB hubs you can also just buy 2 dongles and plug them into USB-C and Thunderbolt and then plug your hubs into those dongles and it will work like the original did.

    This is my hub I use on my Thunderbolt 3 plug, tho admittedly I use it for alot more then just USB.
    Click Here

    Here is one that might fit you.
    Click Here

    Or buy dongles and plug your old hubs into USB C and Thunderbolt 3.
    Click Here

    Edit.
    I did a massive edit to the post as it sounded like a jumbled mess, sorry for that I just got off a 16 hour plane ride home and am trying to catch up on crap before bed. Excuse the errors in my post. ;) Any other questions don't be afraid to ask, I maybe a little slow to answer as I'm slammed but ill get to them asap.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2017
  10. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    On to the other questions.

    Windows 10 does take some adjustment to get used to. As for the start menu you can delete pretty much all the "Tile" crap (Right click a tile and select "Unpin") if you don't like them.

    start.jpg

    As for Windows update if you have the "Pro" Edition of Windows 10 you can go into Group Policy editor and change around how it updates and when. If not and you have Home Edition the new creators update (We used to call these damn things Service Packs) that just came out will allow you to scheduled the times you want the computer to reboot and apply updates.

    I have Pro and have locked my computer down so it cant even toot without asking for permission first. :)

    As for the finger prints and palm prints I agree with you there. Tho I'm told you can get a skin (A cover basically) for the area to help ease that but it would drive my OCD Bonkers, so I just keep a cloth and a travel size spray bottle with me and clean it when I'm done with work for the day on it. Mine tends to get very bad as its plugging and unplugging into network hubs all day.

    Again, if you have any other questions don't be afraid to hit me up. I'm a little slow to answer right now as I'm slammed with network upgrades.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2017
  11. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks very much for all your input Fajo.

    I wasn't able to view your link on Apple's site as it is down for maintenance however, the other 2 gave me some inspiration and I ordered a few pieces of kit from Amazon yesterday.

    I have Win 10 Pro so was able to customize it as I needed, partly by using O&O's " Shutup 10" but also by following a tip I found on ExtremeTech.

    When I ordered this machine I asked for it to be configured as RAID 1 (mirrored) instead of RAID 0 (striped). As I have 3 drives and did not order the optional drive partioning Dell offered, I expected to see a C: partition for the 2 main SSD's and a D: partition for the 3rd SSD (data drive). But when I first turned it on and setup Windows, I was told I had My PC (C :), User files (D :), and Data (E :) which makes me think they may have set it up as a RAID 0 where the 2 primary SSD's are seen as 1 drive with 2 partitions.

    I went into the BIOS to check but the only thing I could find was "RAID enabled". Do you have any idea how I can verify which type of RAID has been used please?
     
  12. shadowyani

    shadowyani Notebook Deity

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    RAID is managed by Intel Rapid Storage Technology, found in the tray near the clock or from a search in the start menu, so you can check the configuration in Windows and even non-destructively create arrays (taking arrays apart is always destructive in iRST though).

    If you want to create the arrays before bootup you need to enable the option rom in the bios for iRST. Then I believe ctrl + I gets you into the configuration tool. Any array creation from within the option rom is destructive.
     
  13. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks shadowyani. Your use of the word 'destructive' scares the hell out of me so I'm unlikely to modify it.
    As things stand, the battery has run down almost completely so I will have to wait for the power cable to arrive before I can fire her up again.
     
  14. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    Quick update. I think my greatest concern was whether the sound quality was going to be as bad as the AW17 R1 I had to send back. Well I'm still busy installing my programs and retrieving data from my previous machine. I haven't had time to install any games yet but last night I got my first opportunity to watch a film and I was completely blown away by the sound!

    This is the first time I have had a laptop with 7.1 surround sound. If anybody had told me it was even possible I would have been more than skeptical but this baby has and it works brilliantly. Even when playing stuff on YouTube it is a whole new experience.

    Well so much for the good stuff. The rest is basically negative and mainly caused by Windows 10, which I absolutely HATE!

    Other than that, Tobii eye tracking has only connected twice in the last 5 days. I see it as just a gimmick but it would be nice if it actually worked. Anyone else having connection issues?

    This machine has no USB 2.0 ports which suits me fine as all my external drives are USB 3.0's. Nevertheless, when I connect them to the USB 3.1 hub I purchased to exit the Thunderbolt port, I always get a message saying "This device can run faster if connected to a USB 3.0 port." Windows again, no doubt!
     
  15. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    The Thunderbolt drivers might need a update from Dell, There is a fresh set of them on the support site. Windows should read it as a 3.1 / 3.0 Port when being used as such.
     
  16. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    Thunderbolt(TM) Controller Driver
    File Name: Chipset_Driver_2VCC1_WN32_16.2.52.250_A00.EXE
    Importance: Urgent

    Description: Update Package for Microsoft® Windows® (68.58 MB)
    Release Date: 04 Jan 2017

    Version: 16.2.52.250 ,A00
    Last Updated: 10 Apr 2017

    Click Here
     
  17. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    The machine was built on May 25. Is it not likely that the chipset driver is already the latest? And how can I verify which one is currently installed?

    On the other hand, I noticed in Device Manager there's an USB serial bus device named USB 2.0 BILLBOARD. What's that all about please?
     

    Attached Files:

  18. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    Tobii still not connecting. I sent Tobii support a diagnosis 2 days ago but have not had any reply. Should I contact Dell support or just wait to see if Tobii support ever replies?
     
  19. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    Newest Drivers are not always shipped on the new computers, it depends on if the image they use to install the OS has been injected with the updates and revisions. What I can tell you tho is I had to update this system and it was shipped April 17th. If it does not currently have the newest one it will update if it already has a newer one the Intel setup will abort saying newer version of the file already exists.

    As for checking the version you have it can be done via the Device manager and checking driver version and comparing it to the reversion number of the driver.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2017
  20. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    On the Tobii issue I would contact Dell support, If its not a software issue which diags should prove or disprove then it will be a hardware issue and Dell will have to be involved regardless. There were some hiccups with earlier drivers from Tobii on the R4 its possible all it needs is a Driver update which can be found Below also.

    Tobii Eye Tracking Core Feature on Alienware Notebook 17 R4 with Tobii Eye Tracker device.
    File Name: Alienware-17-R4_Tobii-Eye-Tracking-Core-Software_CN3F6_WIN_2.6.0.5735_A02.EXE
    Importance: Recommended

    Description: Update Package for Microsoft® Windows® (152.62 MB)
    Release Date: 18 Mar 2017

    Version: 2.6.0.5735 ,A02
    Last Updated: 18 Mar 2017

    Click Here
     
  21. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    Tobii did its own update a few days ago to the following version:
    Alienware_Eye_Tracking_Core_v2.9.0.6265_x86
    That's a June issued version so I'm guessing I should not roll back to v2.6.0.5735.

    Anyway, I have heard from Tobii support and the guy wants to connect to my machine. Trouble is, since I ran Alienware diagnostics this morning, it's bloody running again. Go figure!

    I tried running the chipset driver you pointed me to and that gave me only the option to remove. It did not say I was running the latest version so I'm wondering whether I have to first remove the older version before installing the new one?
     
  22. Fajo

    Fajo Notebook Consultant

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    No, with the only option being to remove simply means you are running the same version it wants to install, You can try a reinstall of it and see if that fixes it if you like. I just don't know otherwise. If everything is working fine and nothing is slowing down you could pay no mind to it or if it bugs you contact dell as it could be a hardware issue or a setting enabled somewhere. Without physically seeing the computer I have gone as far as I can on that

    As for Tobii, Go figure ;) It gives you anymore issue tho you can just contact them. I leave mine totally disabled 99% of the time as I just don't find a use for it right now until some more games start using it.
     
  23. 7leagueboot

    7leagueboot Notebook Consultant

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    I found a workaround for the Tobii not connecting issue. I don't know if this will work for everyone but it seems to work on mine:

    Close the lid and then reopen it. In the systray, right click on Tobii's icon. Nothing else necessary. It should now launch.

    I should add that having the latest version of the software installed is paramount.