Alienware 17 R4 won't boot. BSODs all over the place. Please help.

System is out of warranty, before anyone asks.

512GB SSD (wiped, no OS)
1TB HDD (wiped, no OS)
7820HK
GTX1080

Whenever I try to install via bootable USB (win10 image), I get a BSOD after a minute when it prepares files for install.

Things I've tried:

- Memtest86+, 24 hours, no error
- Boot with just the SSD
- Boot with just the HDD
- Remove both sticks of RAM, testing with just 1 of both, tested with both
- Reset CMOS (removed CMOS cable and battery cable, replaced them)
- Boot from a linux image (linux mint 19, getting a kernel panic as soon as it tries to install)
- Stress-testing the CPU from Ultimate Boot CD's CPU Burn-In utility (24 hours, no error)

I'm at my wits end with this, please advise.

-

 

What is the BSOD message that it gives?

 

It's never the same message, but I did get those ones:

IRQL_NOT_GREATER_OR_EQUAL
TRAP_CAUSE_UNKNOWN
REFERENCE_BY_POINTER
BAD_POOL_HEADER
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

and probably a few other ones I'm forgetting about

 

Tried another win10 installer I guess?

 

Tried 2 different Win10 images on two different USB sticks, also tried 2 different linux images (linux mint and openSUSE)

 

so i'm guessing your m.2 port is bad. try moving the ssd over one, or removing it and installing directly to the hdd? sorry i know it says you tried "Booting with just HDD' but i wasn't sure if that meant you tried installing direct to the sata without any m.2 installed or moving to another m.2 port.

 

tried with just the hdd in without any m.2 to no avail

 

Is there anything that happened to start this problem?

 

Not really, I was playing Call of Duty Black Ops 4 when I had a first BSOD, I rebooted then got a second one minutes after. I formatted on the newest Win10 Pro image I coukd get from the media creation tool, proceeded to install all of the available drivers for my system then a couple games and apps. Couple hours later I tried playing Rocket League and BSODed after only 3p secs-1min. Rebooted, BSODed again and never was able to boot after that.

 

Is there a way to disable the nvidia graphics and run on cpu onboarding or is that disabled on that model? Kinda sounds like a component has failed on the mainboard and is causing a short in the main power? Have you inspected the motherboard carefully for burns or components out of place?

 

This guy seems amazing at figuring out issues. I would contact him if you can before you buy a new motherboard.

 

theres a fn key combo to disable it but it only works in Windows it seems, and I can't get there

interesting. will give it a shot if all else fails

 

update: Dell agreed to take care of my case free of charge even if the system has been out of warranty for more than a year now, as i've had my share of issues with my unit. i will send them my laptop.

 

Wow thats the best possible outcome. THeres another guy here with similar issue, hopefully he can get Dell to fix as well. The fact these boards are so expensive to replace is really a disaster for consumers. One thing goes wrong and the whole thing is junk.

 

Exactly. This is not just an issue with AW though, its an issue with any high-end BGA laptop...

Lesson learned though, as soon as this is fixed I have the possibility to buy an extended warranty, which I will gladly do and should've done in the first place.

 

The only items that have problems are the ones that I dont buy extended warranty on. I have a mint Samsung Note 5 cell phone that was working flawlessly. I got a new S8 and was keeping the Note as a spare and use in the summer at the lake as it gets great reception in poor service areas. I went to use it the other day after it sat for a month and now the battery wont charge. It has a 2.45 Amp draw when plugged into USB. I am 99% sure it has a shorted charge IC chip but its under a RFI shield and local shops want $200.00 to replace it. I bought a used mainboard from China for $45.00 US so hopefully it works good. Why would that charge IC just short out like that for no reason? Its almost as though Samsung sent a self destruct bug thru wifi to ruin the phone.

 

That happened to me with an older Moto X Play, exact same issue

 

I was gonna suggest you try using one of the USB c ports to install windows if you can.

My 15 R4 has some USB port issues that have me nervous. They're really intermittent. My system is still under warranty, so I may bark at Dell to replace my motherboard now while I still can but I was wondering if this wasn't your issue.

You could try popping the drive into another computer, installing win10 until it reboots, then shut the system off at reboot, pop the HDD into the Alienware and let it finish initial setup to see if it continues with the BSOD.

It would be all academic at this point though

Super congrats on that warranty replacement. I have NEVER heard of Dell doing this, but I have seen them go head over heels to fix folks who do have issues. (They once sent me a super upgraded version of my laptop because i kept having so many issues. Which is what keeps me coming back to dell, despite the issues)

 

Thanks, I needed to bark a bit but remained patient and calm and simply mentionned I've had quite a lot of problems. They offered a one-time exception for this problem but for the extended warranty I'll have to pay, which is OK with me.

Lesson learned, dont cheap out on warranty for a laptop so pricey!

 

The last time I had a BSOD with the first line you got above, it turned out to be a bad ram stick. I did the same as you testing each ram in turn using the built in Dell diagnostic tests at boot which pointed to the bad stick using the quick test. That what was causing BSOD in one game specifically for me, and didn't affect any others. The first clue I got was looking at error log the game actually produced that stated a memory address error. Both BAD_POOL_HEADER and MEMORY_MANAGEMENT seem to be referring to physical memory.

Since you've tested the memory, the only other thing I can think of is running Windows native CHKDSK to look for disk sector errors. The only other time in the pass I've recieved a IRQL_NOT_GREATER_OR_EQUAL was due to a driver conflict, but that doesn't make sense considering you've wiped your hard drives.

 

Couldn't run a CHKDSK since Windows wasn't loading and/or installing. I ended up sending the unit in for repairs and they sent it back with a new motherboard.

 

So how much did the warranty cost? Is the machine working good now? Everything performing as it should?

 

They did the repair for free, then I got an extended 2 year warranty for 350$ (canadian dollars, taxes included). Just got the basic warranty, no premium support or in-home repair.

 

Curious how far out of warranty the machine was?

 

A bit more than a year. Warranty expired Feb. 2018

Thing is I've had a lot of issues with this laptop since I got it, I don't think they would've done the repair for free if it was my first issue.