Alienware 15r2 7 beeps of death

I was downgrading do A00 as the USB's kept disconnecting when the nvidia driver was installed.

Many thanks t456. This worked perfectly, also I tried a dump I found online of this same board and It worked.
I'm writing with the AW17 , when I get to the other pc, I'll upload the files I found later.

This post should be sticky, I will help others
Again, many thanks.

 

As promised, here are the links of the files I found:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-Lbe8BQKSvINHNzU2luX0tWODQ
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-Lbe8BQKSvIUkRJTTlaZ0hjc28

I've got a question, I just noticed that my nvidia 980m doesn't work, I've tried installing the drivers again, cleaned up with GURU 3D tool, reinstalled W10. And still the same.
Here's a pic: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-Lbe8BQKSvIV3pwa0wyc18zVms

Is this caused by the bios, vbios or should I check for another thing?. I just checked the mobo and everything looks fine. I'll try to desolder the vBios but I guess if it's not soldered correctly it wouldn't give any video.

 

I've checked the vBios and I miss-soldered one pad, somehow this made the eeprom corrupt. I reprogrammed it and it worked again.

 

can you get a hold of the 17 r3 compal pdf? I can't find it anywhere or if you could get the 15 r2 ? tThey are both board are very similar.
i any case can anyone get ahold of the of of the 17r3 or 15r2 schemetics.pdf? I personal have the i7hk 8gb vram 980m but it will not matter for these. I have dumps for all the chips on boards but no schemetics /cry...lol

 

Just signed up on this forum to ask for help with the same problem. My eye tracking wasn't working yesterday (it has worked in the past) so eventually I tried updating the bios to see if it would fix it. I downloaded the newest bios for it, from December 4th, version SKL1.2.1_KBL1.2.1. I didn't disable CPU performance mode prior to updating, which is most likely the reason for failing. It gives 7 beeps and the alien head flashes red 2 times, then blue 1 time (cpu failure according to the 17 R4 service manual). Dell has an article here about this specific problem, stating that it is caused by not disabling CPU performance mode before updating: http://www.dell.com/support/article...r4--7-beeps-on-post-after-bios-update?lang=en
I tried holding the power button for 4 seconds and whenever I start it up that way, the alien logo lights up 3 red and 3 blue (meaning, recovery image not found). Is this some sort of hidden bios recovery tool that Dell made for these to flash bioses from USB or something? Just an assumption. Trying to fix things the easy way before ripping it apart and trying to reflash the bios chips.

 

This is an older alienware. You can post in AW 15 r3 owner's lounge.

 

Hello,

Sorry to bring up an old thread!

Just signed up because I just had the exact same problem :
Alienware 15R2, trying to flash BIOS to mitigate Spectre and Metldown (v1.4.4), flashing stuck at 10% for 2 days.
Manually shut down the computer, now whenever it starts, I have the exact same symptoms as GalactusBar.

Followed the whole process and bought :
- CH431a programmer (black version : https://www.amazon.fr/WINGONEER-EEPROM-Routage-Programmeur-CH341A/dp/B01H938PRK)
- A sop8 adapter ( https://www.amazon.fr/Haljia-Soic8-Sop8-Test-Socket-Adpter-24-25-93-95-Programmateur/dp/B0713V5GGL)

Dismounted the motherboard, downloaded the binary posted by t456, used the program ch341a programmer, but had the same problem : 7 bips.
To be sure that the whole flashing process went well, after flashing, I :
- disconnected the sop8 adapter
- closed the program ch341a programmer
- reconnected the adapter
- reopened the the program
- read the chip and save to a file
- compared the checksum (sha256) of both original binary from t456 and the chip => they are the same.

So now I wondered : may be I used the wrong program or wrong tool.

The chip on my motherboard is a 25Q128fVSQ 1540, GalactusBar had a 25Q128fVSQ 1502, and my program list only a WINBOND 25Q128BV...
I used in the program the 25Q128BV (as it detected my chip as this), bu now I don't know if I should go for another programmer?

If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate.

Thank You in advance

 

try this method if you are on 15 r2 and above *OFFICIAL* Alienware 13 R3 Owner's Lounge

 

Thank You very much for your answer Vasudev.
Did try this method before disassembling everyhting and flash BIOS by hand as GalactusBar did.
My laptop (Alienware 15R2) while holding CTRL+ESC and pressing power button (Alien head), did fall to the same 4 reboots and 7 bips pattern... No BIOS recovery, no screen, nothing...

 

Did you check if DC cable isn't burned and sometimes if you have no screen you can hear high fan speeds for 10 mins and reboot after finishing.
I'd suggest hitting enter key when you hear fans at 100% and that might do the trick if your display is broken.
@t456 has lot of experience in these and can get you out of this tricky problem.

 

All cables seem fine to me. no burn spot on the motherboard nor on the cables.
Yes I was expecting this pattern of high fan speed signifying BIOS update procedure ongoing, but nothing. The Ctrl+esc method did nothing more than if I wasn't pressing them : it lead me to black
screen, 4 reboots, and 7 bips at the end.

 

I hope you have wiped golden contacts of SSD, RAM sticks and after 30 secs put them back and test. Some guide says 7 beeps means its a CPU failure.

 

Well, no I did not. But those 7 bips came right after the BIOS Update failure and the manual reboot of the laptop...
Failure at RAM should be 5 bips no? Computer does not need a hard drive to boot normally, so did my reboot test after flashing eeprom without any disks (NO SSD and NO hard drive). Only RAM was in.

 

Anyone ? :')

 

Can you feel fans spinning being bootup? The beeps indicate cpu failure or in worst case your mobo.
I reckon nothing is coming up on external monitor on HDMI or thunderbolt?

 

Just to be sure; do a full file compare with HxD. Also, look for other eeproms on the board; even though 128Mbit is more than ample for bios, ec and me it does not necessarily mean they're all stored solely on this chip.

And please provide a link to the bios version that caused the brick.

 

@Vasudev : Not at all, well whenever I boot, fan are very very quiet usually, so I should say it is as usual. Nothing comes on my HDMI.
HDMI outputs only when under Windows, not before.

@t456 : I did a full compare actually. Once I flashed with the version you posted (which should be the 1.3.6 version of BIOS) I did read the flash again, and register it to a binary file, then compare your binary and the one I just saved from the reading of the chip : no differences at all, exact same hash (sha256 : 978BA30784E08CDD64958AF024200896A53ABC7E7200686B17FAE0906A478A9D)
The BIOS that bricked my 15R2 is this one : https://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER04771660M/1/Alienware_15R2_17R3_1.4.4.EXE

 

Ok, give me a few days. Will make a flashable binary using the v1.4.4, perhaps that might work better with your system.

 

@t456 Thank you very much! Will wait for you for sure

 

one guy here on the forum had the same problem as you, and he managed to fix with whith the help of @t456

 

@t456 Does 15 r2 really have Dual BIOS like most MB vendors? What does hdr and rom file contain? For me hdr file was 8MB and rom file was 12MB. But how were you able to create a 16MB flashable bin file?
So what does 16.8MB bin file contain? Can you please elaborate, I'm curious to know..
I tried to flash modded BIOS by using fpt -BIOS dump and unlocked all options using AMIBCP and flashed it back, for some reason I got ROM Image invalid and constant reboots. Luckily @c69k bios recovery method in Dell recovery page helped me recovering the BIOS and bring the PC back to life!
I'm not so knowledgeable in these matters and learning.

 

@t456 Reading the thread and this is very good to save people's laptop.. Is there a dummy guide on using a programmer?

 

Here's a cobbled-together v1.4.4:
M15R2_fixed_v1.4.4.bin.7z

It's not perfect and neither is the v1.3.6. For that we'd need a working, full 16MB dump since that will include the ME. This can't be extracted from the hdr or rom. It wouldn't be a problem since the latest ME can simply be downloaded, but unfortunately some settings are system-specific and have to be adjusted in the image. With a full dump it's possible to find out what these settings have to be and create a binary that has the latest ME. Both linked 16MB versions have the old, potentially broken ME from @GalactusBar 's system, so a proper flash afterwards is advisable.

It might also be possible to run the regular bios update on a working system and copy the files from the temp folder, wherever they're written to. @Violent Kain managed to copy/paste the ME file using that method on a 17 R2. Don't have Alienwares myself and running the bios updates on my systems doesn't get it as far as the extract step.

Hex-editing, using the crippled dump as a template. The ME, EC and (v)bios are usually padded to nicely rounded values, so without even looking at the data the manufacturer knows where to expect each part in the eeprom. The extracted hdr (header) and rom are really identical, the rom just having an extra copy and more padding. The 16.8MB is a true hdr file, meaning that it includes actual header data (which won't be flashed).

There's some old, closed ones on these forums. They're still accurate though, so you might search for these.

 

@t456 Thank You very much! Will try your fix as soon as I get back home tonight! Just for my information : Do I have to disconnect CMOS battery while reprogramming the chip?

Thank You again!

 

Hmm ... don't see how it would matter, but always remove it myself out of habit.

 

@t456 Thank You again for your help and your time! Really appreciated it a lot! I can't thank you enough!
I tried to flash the new binary you provided, I still have the 7 beeps. I am using the CH341A programmer. Writing and verifying the content of the chip went well, but still, no good result for me.
My last solution before buying a new motherboard will be to take the laptop this afternoon or tomorrow to a shop to desolder the chip and replace it. (that will cost 200USD if it succeeds, but still, it is less than a new laptop or a new motherboard)
Thank You again

 

The default TPM settings on your system may be getting in the way. We'd need the ME dump to make a binary that will pass the checks. Also check you've firmly re-inserted the RAM banks (that would cause 7 beeps as well).

Another possibility is that this particular motherboard has additional eeproms even though it doesn't strictly need them. Fixed a bricked Clevo that had 4 separate eeproms that needed re-flashing. You could check for other '*25*' chips on the board and read them out with the programmer. The dumps will tell us what firmware they contain.

That $200 is an insanely high price and will do little good without having a working image. A chip swap is a 15-30 minute job, so $30-40 would already be on the upper end of the range. Don't pay this much unless it's quid pro quo.

 

I have dumped the two others Winbond 25Q80 chips, they had what GalactusBar had actually... So my best bet is the chip that is wrong or fried...
I double checked the RAM because this was, as you said, one of the possible problem of the 7 beeps. But no luck for me..
As I don't want to mess my motherboard, because I don't have the good soldering iron for this job (I do have a classic one, but not electronically controlled), I am hesitating...
But if someone on this forum is ready to do it for me for less than 200USD, I would be more than interested!

 

Can do that free of charge, only need to pay return shipping (Europe).

Would prefer that ME dump then, just to rule out a bios check hiccup. A working R2 would be required to run the normal flash tool and copy the files from the temp folder (flash doesn't actually have to take place). Could also simply search the C drive for '*.bin' on any system that has run a bios update at some point or another since it might not tidy up after flashing. The ME file would be about 1.5MB.

 

Does it really need a programer to dump the BIOS.

 

No, something like AFUDOS or Universal BIOS Backup ToolKit can be used to make a software backup and the bios bit can be extracted from the downloaded Dell files as well. It's just the ME part that is trickier; the programmer or Intel's FPT would be needed or, as before, the temp copy from Dell's flash tool. Hm, perhaps UBBT might also work in this instance since the bios and me are on the same eeprom and the size of the dump can be manually adjusted (in case it won't read the full 128Mbit by default).

 

Hi there, i hope im not late, if you are still there then thats cool.. (thank god) so i happen to get the same problem with my AW15 R2 7 beeps after turn on...(the reason i repeat explaining the same pronlem is because my problem was not caused by Bios update)... so the problem happened at random.. i was at the office and then my laptop went to sleep, i tried to wake it up, it kinda like got stuck pressed every key on they keyboard w/out success, so i decided to shut it down by holding the power button. then after i did that it didnt come back and started the 7 beeps thing... it does power on like three times then at fourth it starts the beeps, can anyone please help me on this in basic level i tried reading out on this post im kinda comfused thats why. please i'd appreciate it, all of my work depends on this laptop. (also im from Tanzania not so many tech savy here! this is my only chance)


thanks in advance.

Sent from my BLL-L21 using Tapatalk

I hope you are still there!

Sent from my BLL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

Yes, still here. Welcome to the forum, btw .

First thing to try is a CMOS reset. Google or, better, search this thread or forum for a how-to, if you don't know how that works on this model. Also remove all extraneous components and see whether it will boot then. Eeprom programming is really a last resort and there's no guarantee that's actually the problem with this particular system (and you can easily kill the motherboard in the process). But if if comes to that then first locate the correct chips; posted some guides and tips in this thread before, so that should point you in the right direction.

If those posts were too technical; can't make it any easier, I'm afraid. And if you're not comfortable with a programmer or soldering iron then you should inquire with some electronics shops. There's bound to be quite a few that can do this. Just don't look at a specific ' laptop repair' type of place; smartphones, radios and TVs all need the same kind of tools and skills. Only the programmer might be a bit specific (though all of these devices have firmware + storage chips). Even so, you could buy a pre-programmed chip from ebay instead and have a shop do the swap. I could also envelope-mail you such a chip, in case there's no seller willing to ship to your location.

Either way, if it is the bios, ec or me then you won't have it fixed within a few days, especially if you can't find a decent store. If you need it for work then presumably the main thing is the data on the device? If so, then get a SATA->USB adapter asap and use that to access your data from another machine while you either purchase the tools or hunt for that elusive electronics shop. Once found; simply point them to this thread and they ought to know how to handle things from there.

 

Like t456 said, CMOS reset step is mentioned here https://www.dell.com/support/articl...ienware-13-r2-15-r2-and-17-r3-7-beeps?lang=en

 

thanks for replying, forgot to mention that i have tried that already.! with no success.,

Sent from my BLL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

Have you tried cleaning the gold contact of RAM module with a cloth? I almost threw out a RAM module which I thought was faulty and few weeks back I decided to try it only to find the RAM module was fine and it was a BIOS bug.

 

yup, as right now i have the laptop with me, whatever you say i do right away though i tried that already let me try again.


Edit: No success.!

Sent from my BLL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

Hi "T" thanks alot, i actually didn't see this idk why.. but okay so let me start with the option, so i dont want get too talky about the condition in my country but we happen to have a problem with people worling in that particular work, they are not to be trusted at all.. not once not twice not 1000 times they intentionally swap some parts in laptops/i have lost 3 laptops because of these people, im not the only one... its very very hard to get then one to get work done w/out exchanging something on your laptop so they can make money off it.! its known by everyone in my country.! unless u stay and look while they are walking. which is very hard (they have this "staff only" room), so its kinda bad and hard to believe but really nobody has done anything about it like the government and stuff.
Anyways i didn't wanna bring this up but hope it helps understand why i dont trust these tech people,

also Its not about data, its the work i am doing really depends on this laptop,

Okay so i was thinking about getting the pre programmed chip, and if you can make one then i'm willing to get it from you. for the rest i will see how it will be done.. so where do we start?


Sent from my BLL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

I'm familiar with that type of operation; friend has a similar experience here in the EU (reputable chain store, too). Only noticed since she asked me to have a second look once she received the laptop back as 'unrepairable' (and having to have paid a service fee of €25). Apart from missing components, including the cpu, the motherboard also magically morphed from an AMD to an Intel socket (...). They count on people not taking apart the laptop themselves. And why should they? Someone capable of diy repairs would never take it to a shop in the first place or they'd take only the mb.

You'll need a soldering iron with a small tip then, that would be the easiest option. Multimeter would be helpful too, but not strictly necessary. And I'd need to know what eeprom size is on your motherboard revision, preferably also the bios version, if you can remember that. I'll send a PM.

 

wow, so this happens almost everywhere then.. i feel sorry her.

im guessing this https://www.ebay.com/p/Fine-Tip-60w...C-Tips-and-Solder/1186848841?iid=123178613920
would be okay? i think i have seen one like that down town..,

i do remember the Bios version yes,


im not sure how do i show you the size?

here's a photo of my MB incase needed.!

Sent from my BLL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

t456 did post a bin file of 1.3.6 BIOS. The chips will be Winbond 25Q128 or W25Q64B. Its a 16MB file.