M14x R1 giving trouble with Windows 8 !

Windows 8 automatically detected most my drivers but I had to reinstall Windows all over again cause some drivers were giving Windows a hard time.

Now I cant get AlienFX to turn off cause Windows doesn't understand that combination of FN and AlienFX. I have command center installed but it doesn't help. Cant turn it off. Can you guys tell me which drivers will work and which will not?

 

Can someone please help me out here? Windows 8 does not read most Fn Plus keys such as FN and AlienFX so I can't ever turn it off. Also it doesn't detect the volume hotkeys along with others but mute works and brightness control and some others.

Can anyone help me out as this has been really bothering me!

 

That's because Windows 8 had different plans for those keys. You can however turn it off, right-click the AlienFx icon in the tray bar and choose go dark.

 

Thanks for the reply Mr Lui. So youre telling me that there is no way we can use the old alienware hotkeys on windows 8?? If so then that sucks big time! Must be a way to fix this...

 

There is, windows 8 isn't directly compatible so drivers are scarce but are slowly coming to. For now you can use the old windows 7 drivers that came from dell themselves. You can follow the link here for all drivers for the m14x r1 Drivers and Downloads | Dell [Canada]. Just go under applications and download the OSD application same with any other missing driver. It will ask you to install using a compatibility setting. Windows 8 doesn't recognize the old formatting and will create a soft patch for it work. All drivers will work as i can vouch. All function keys will return to their old functionality. Some drivers will be automatically updated and will therefore have newer versions just don't update those drivers and move on. You may also be able to scrounge up some drivers from the m14x r2 page as well. Dell has released a new windows 8 Nvidia driver for the r2 that will work for the r1. Good luck! If you need any more help just reply back.

 

Thanks for the reply Butson. I tried installing the OSD from the link you said and it still gives me the same problems. The volume controls and alienFX buttons do not respond at all. Neither does the wifi hotkey.

 

thats weird all mine work fine :S

 

Another way around would be to disable Windows 8 hotkeys, I was annoyed by the narrator hotkey so I started looking for workarounds.

I have not tried it personally but here's what I found.

Navigate to %systemroot%\System32
In this folder a file called Narrator.exe is to be found
Right click the file and choose Properties
Choose the Security tab and press Advanced
In the top of the window press Change to change the Owner permissions
In the text field write your username and press OK to all the dialogs
Now you should be able to change the permissions of the file, this is where we remove all the permissions from your user and the user back to system, this way your user will not be able to start the Narrator.

Right click the Narrator file again and choose Properties and Security
Press Advanced
Now that you are the owner you can change permissions for other users. Choose your own user and press Edit
Remove the Read & Execute and Read permissions and press OK
Now press Change in the top under Owner and write system in the text field
Press OK to all dialogs

You could give it a shot but it would only be for 1 hotkey, anyway, maybe this methos works for others as well?

 

Wow, that's a lot of instructions. Is there any software that I can use to customize the hotkeys for Windows??

 

I haven't heard of any, if you find one let us know!