Your thoughts please: my M18xR2 riddle...

So...

I decide to use the mic function of my headset for the first time in forever and jack it in. The mic is detected but does not produce sound. I fluff around for a couple of hours in software before figuring my 5 y.o. Senny headset is cactus and that I finally have a valid excuse to buy a pair of wired Astros 45s (yay!). I do so; the Astro's mic don't work! I check to see if the cam mic works and it doesn't either. Call Dell, troubleshoot, they decide to have a tech visit my place and install a new mobo.

A competent tech arrives in good time, inserts new mobo in short order, fires up the comp and it wont boot, (BIOS can't detact the msata - OS is on msata - no boot available, Legacy or otherwise). Tech rechecks everything!, calls support, further elaborate fluffing occurs, issue remains insoluble, another mobo arranged for delivery this time alongside a new msata w/ cabling.

2nd batch of parts arrive, a different competent tech arrives, inserts new mobo in short order ( not the new msata yet), fires up the comp and it still wont boot, (BIOS can't detect msata - yadda, yadda). New msata inserted, BIOS cant find it either. Tech rechecks everything!, calls support, great bafflement ensues.

So...

My machine is to be returned to a service centre.

Given the above (insufficient) information I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts as to what you think the problem may be?


(Btw competent = competent where I have used the word above. I'm not deploying it facetiously).

 

Either the drive stopped working or the mSATA slot was broken on both motherboards. Let us know how it goes after the service center.

 

I'm not sure of other variations of the M18x but the mobo on mine doesn't have a direct mSATA slot on it. Rather, their is a small separate daughter board that the mSATA plugs into that is then cabled to the mobo.

Thanks for your input L, you may well be correct.

That said - Dell-support, Pro-support and the Service Tech all seem of the firm opinion that the chance of Dell supplying two replacement mobos with identical faults to the same customer is very remote.

For it to be a drive problem - it would necessarily mean that not only did my original (previously functioning) mSATA suddenly developed a critical fault in the small window of time between the machine being first disassembled and reassembled with the first replacement mobo, the replacement mSATA was D.O.A. also.

Both the scenarios above seem highly unlikely, hence everyone's bafflement - mine included.

Here's a thought - what are the chances that the two replacement mobos have been flashed with a corrupted BIOS?

 

0.1%

 

I am inclined to agree with your estimate ML.
The above scenarios, now 3, all seem highly unlikely.

I have another to propose - the computer at some stage during the technicians investigation yesterday indicated that it had not detected the power supply as the genuine Alienware power supply it actually was. (Incidentally, as far as I am aware, the fact that this message was received was not discussed with Dell/Pro Support nor did it make the technicians repair order report).

Could a faulty AC power supply blow the mSATA specifically (and exclusively) in two successive incidents?

As further informaton, the computer does not currently find the mSATA when booted off the battery (DC). It will initialise a boot from a windows installation CD however - which could presumably be installed on the HDD (where I would lose my data). I do wonder if that Windows installation was to proceed whether there would later be a software instigated means of detecting the mSATA?

Also, as it seems at this stage I will have to proceed with a service centre return, is it possible for me to image the HDD or transfer data to backup without the machine being disassembled to extricate the HDD for that purpose?

 

2 things bro:

1) Image or backup your HDD contects by hooking it to another computer via a USB enclosure

2) Stop wasting your time, you need to be aggressive in life sometimes. Call the service center, ask to speak to a manager, tell them you aren ot trying to be demanding or pushy but so far two technicians came and wasted your valueable time and aren ot able to fix the system. Tell them you want to either have them take the laptop to their workshop and have it repaired or demand a replacement.

 

Thanks for your input again ML.
I should clarify that Dell service has been supportive throughout and a return to service centre repair request has been made available to me.

I have no idea what a usb enclosure is but I'll soon find out.

I'm posting here because it is an interesting problem and the only source/solution scenarios proposed so far seem very unlikely.

I have a very strong sense that this isn't a hardware problem, nothing seems to add up in that direction (though admittedly this sense may be incorrect as I'm not as computer savvy as the folk I have been dealing with seem to be).

 

I may have a small lead here that I am hoping ML6 or Mr Fox have the time to comment on.
I noticed in this thread from time the A10 Bios update was released - http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/m18x-r2-bios-a10-released.709286/ - someone mentions getting a similar message to the one I am currently receiving:

PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel PXE ROM.

No Boot Device Found. Press any key to reboot the machine

No mention of a missing mSATA in BIOS of course.

Anything in that thread/solution applicable in my case?