AW18 r3 5/8 beeps at boot

Hello,

My Alienware has 5 beeps and also 8 beeps at start up.

It won’t display anything on the LCD, if I close the lid and open it the back light does come on.

I get 8 beeps which is a signifier of an LCD fault however if I remove the CMOS battery I get 5 beeps which is a gpu error.

I’ve tried:

Removing CMOS
Flashing the bios.
Booting with no ram
Booting with one stick of ram
Booting with no SLI
Booting with one gpu
Booting with the other gpu
Switching gpu sockets with one card at a time
Fully removing the screen (this is an Alienware laptop)
Just removing the LCD cables from the motherboard.
Power cycling the laptop
Stripping the computer down to absolutely nothing and rebuilding it
(No sign of damage)
Holding the fn key on boot
Holding the D key on boot
Arching the CMOS terminals with a pin
Full power discharge
Unplugging CMOS for an hour
Booting without OS media

I did manage to get it down to 1 beep when I tried to boot it with all my peripherals attached but it soon went back to 5 and then 8 beeps.

I’ve also tried booting it HDMI’d to a different display. The display picks up the fact that a hdmi signal is there as the monitor tells me it’s switched to bla x bla @60hz which it does not do unless connected to something.

All the USB ports deliver power and it seems the hdmi is also outputting.

Would this suggest gpu rather than motherboard?

I find it hard to believe that both GPUs died at the same time in some sort of suicide pact.

Does anyone else have any ideas please?

 

When you do a CMOS reset, you will get 5 beeps every time on first power up.

If you booted with no GPUs and still didn't get a signal (you say booting with no SLI then with each GPU), and it still isn't passing POST and displaying, it is most likely the motherboard. AW18 motherboards are known for dying.

What GPUs were you running?

Have you visually inspected the mosfets and vrms and power port area carefully for any damage?

 

Yes it gave 8 beeps after trying different cards.

I’m using two gtx 780ms so they are getting on a bit.

This AW had its motherboard changed back in 2014 by dell tech when it was still under warranty so it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the motherboard.

I’m quite good with computers but the hardware side I have to say I’ve maxed out my knowledge and I’m not sure what mosfets and vrms are.

I did do a visual inspection of the computer, nothing looks burnt out and no pins look damaged.

The very last thing I did before it died was I disabled the page file and rebooted to make the changes, but it never booted back up and did 8 beeps.

P.s thanks for helping me

 

Just removed both gfx cards again.

The back light of the screen comes on without cards but I still get 8 beeps

 

Did you try booting it with just the battery or just the AC power without any battery? You've done basically everything else there is to do without physically inspecting the motherboard.

 

My battery died a year or so ago and it doesn’t hold charge so it’s not been involved in any step of the process, so I’ve done everything with AC power.

I’ve had a look on eBay and the only motherboard for sale is £400

 

To reset the BIOS, remove all RAM and then reinsert one module when you hear the beeps on startup. Saved me from the same exact issue years ago. Best of luck!

 

Does that include disconnecting the CMOS or can I literally remove all ram, boot it and stick a stick in while it beeps?

 

Photos. Sorry about the bit of leg visible in some of them lol

I tried the above but it didn’t work.

Can anyone see any damage?

 

Reply from dell:
———
I am sorry that you are experiencing problems with your system again. I will do my best to solve it as soon as possible.

I would say that the problem lies most probably in the motherboard. The new motherboard costs 102.43 £.
However, the best would be if the computer was picked up by a courier and diagnosed / fixed at our depot. This diagnostic Collect and Return service costs 89.00 £. They would let us know which exact parts are faulty and need to be replaced. I would then inform you about the prices of the parts.

Would you agree with this chargeable Collect and Return service?
If yes, please send me your billing address and phone number. I will create a quote for you.

—-
Removed
—-

Thank you very much.

 

Not worth repairing, part out and sell whatever still works, recycle what doesn't. Alienware 18 was always a garbage platform.

 

Did you fix it?

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No, I still have 8 beeps at boot.

 

i am sorry to hear that. what are you going to do ?

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Thank you

I am going to send it away to be diagnosed/fixed as I cannot afford a new computer so will need to keep this one a while longer.

I wish I could get a new one but this computer is the only thing I own these days! I may upgrade a gpu from 780m to 1060 in the future so I can use it even longer.

 

best of luck.i also hope my m18 can boot.

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I noticed you had some different RAM than me, maybe try putting in your stock RAM?

 

do you means that hotswap another ram?

which ram slot do you put it in?

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So last week Friday I think it was I asked Dell to collect the laptop from my home. I told them I have it already bubbled wrapped and box ready for collection, almost a week later they have just stated the process of sending me a box (a box I told them not to send and just have ups collect it) and they are sending it from... Germany! Did we run out of boxes in the United Kingdom?! Why they couldn’t of just send me the label to stick on my box I don’t know.

I now have to wait 4 days for the box I don’t need to arrive...sigh.

 

hey，brother. my laptop have reboot successfully. i'm very happy. maybe you can do it ,just like me.
then , do you open the screen cover and get off the CMOS when you hotswap RAM..


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Did you use any kind of graphics card temp monitoring software like afterburner? This could very easily be an EDID corruption like on the M18X r1 and r2 couldnt it? difficult to fix, but not a mobo error correct?

 

Actually I have been using evgaX for about 6 months to push my clock speed.

But I’ve never had a problem.

The only thing I have recently done different is use Nvidia inspector to force an SLI profile on a game and turn off page file

 

Do you have a space LVDS display you can test? just need to plug the current cable going to the back of your monitor to a different one, (doesnt have to be same size screen) and make sure you pulled the HDD's so it doesnt boot and fry that one if it is the case


on my m18XR1 my friend used afterburner and bricked the display, was a big problem for a long time, and i just assumed you shouldnt with aw18 as well, and my reading had told me not to use afterburner or evgaX either on AW18


http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/fixed-m18x-r1-8-beeps.801950/

 

any chance you updated EVGAX recently before the 8beep?

 

I don’t think so, unless it updated itself and didn’t inform me.

It’s being collected by ups today (finally after a very long wait! Well the box is being delivered anyway, I’m going to try and talk the driver into taking the thing today as I’m not waiting another week for it to be collected).

I’m not sure if my Linux laptop has that display but if the laptop comes back unfixed then I’ll see if it does and give it a go

 

Urrg I’m so angry! I’ve been waiting a week for the bloody UPS man, never leaving home, always in. I go out for 30 minutes and he comes!!!

 

Seems as my laptop didn’t make the post today I stripped it down again, took the screen out and the screen out of my other laptop, unfortunately the screen connections are not the same. So I can’t try the edid fix

 

if youve got any scrap laptops or something, i even had a 10" netbook with the same connector. (the connector on the back of the screen might be the same, the one on the mobo will probably be different

 

It’s finally being collected for shipping back to Germany today. I’ve been rocking Ubuntu on an old pentium laptop retro gaming.

Hope they fix it quickly!

 

So dell are trying to screw me:

XJY7J - LCD (liquid): 245.72 £
NC4YP - LVDS (liquid): 26.36 £
18N13 - LCD cover(liquid): 216.84 £
TMN17 - Palmrest (broken): 57.79 £
1609W - Base cover (broken): 170.89 £
TJ6G8 - Heatsink(missing screw): 35.41 £

When I sent it it had no liquid damage at all?!

 

Wow. So sorry to here that.

 

When this comes back every bit of it will be for sale. If anyone wants any of it let me know and we’ll agree a price.

2 x gtx 780m
I7 4th gen processor 4930mx
32 gb ddr3L 1600mhz ram
And the rest of it.
(Not the hard drives though until I retrieve my data)

 

Do check if liquid damage, they could claim that the lvds has liquid damage when it's just a bricked display

 

It’s definitely not liquid damage, they sent me a picture and their ‘liquid damge’ Is a self repair to damage on the case. It’s been there for 2 years and causes no problems!

 

I feel it necessary to state the following in regard to dell as thy have treat me with nothing but disrespect:

I spend over £3000 on a laptop from them, it was my 2nd Alienware, my first was when Alienware was still in Ireland before dell bought them.

I’ve had this laptop since 2013 and to be honest it is around about the time I would consider starting to look at my next computer but I wanted to give this one a bit more life and get it repaired after started giving me 8 beeps.

From here is where I started getting fleeced and disrespected.

1. I was asked to send my laptop in for ‘diagnosis’ - this would cost £80 and include delivery and collection. The collection took over a week and then my laptop took a week to arrive at dell with no confirmation of when it arrived

2. The ‘diagnosis’ involved no actual IT knowledge or ability, they ignored the at least 2 pages of previous diagnosis I did myself and provided them narrowing down the actual issue to two possible things. They instead present me a bill for £780 of unnessasaery repairs and ‘mandatory’ repairs meeting £500.

3. The chap who I was speaking with via email obviously did not read my previous emails and told me my laptop wasn’t covered by warranty for repair... I already told him this as it’s 5 years old and sent for an out of warranty repair!?! He then ignored me for two days and then told me my laptop had liquid damage and that’s why it was broken....liquid damage to the LCD base and internals!? How...that laptop has been kept dryer than the sun for every moment I’ve owned it and can promise you it’s been near no liquid. He then ignored my email stating that any liquid damage would of been from transit.

3. I cancelled my repair because of the stupid price, they then accidentally put my laptop forward for repair and stuck it on ‘awaiting parts’ for almost two weeks ignoring all of my emails asking them what they are doing. I then today out of nowhere get a text telling me it’s booked for delivery.

What sort of company keeps someone property for two weeks, ignore them and then doesn’t apologise?

They have treat me like a moron, someone who has spent at least £5000 on Alienware over the past 10 years.

They have lost a customer and I will never ever buy a single dell product for the rest of my entire life and I will make it my life’s mission to tell everyone I know.

If my laptop comes back more damaged than it was sent then I will take them to court and make sure they pay for treating me like scum.

Dell you are a poor company with poor practice. Shame on you.

 

Sorry you had bad experience.

 

I have exactly the same thing happening to my AW18 , i get the 8 beeps with all the cards i tried including 675m , i think i enable legacy mode by mistake.The machine came originally with 770m in sli but then i upgraded to 980`s and the 8 beeps started.I understand there is no blind flash method for the AW18 so is the system bricked for good?

 

Remove 980Ms, try booting again. Will default to IGPU

 

Thanks for the reply , tried that and same old 8 beeps.
Update , noticed a mosfet for the backlight was burnt , took it in for repair , will update when i get it back.
I hope 8 beeps in my case was the display.