No lights on the left side!

I just purchased my new Area 51 two weeks ago from Frys and noticed tonight that the three lights (numbers 1,2 and 3) are not lighting up. Since this is the side the doesn't face me I am not sure how long it has not worked or if they ever did. Any ideas where to look to see why they are not lighting up? I did go into the software and change the lighting but those three lights still do not come on
Thanks for any tips.

 

They are working now!

 

Glad it's working. For future reference this is the legacy Alienware forum. Your laptop sounds new so you will get better responses in a sub-forum for the newer models.

 

Yeah I did and the mod moved it here. Oh and the lights went out again but after a restart they were back, odd huh?

 

I can assure you nobody moved your thread.

 

Can a moderator move it to the right category as I am still having the same intermittent problem?

 

Still having problems with the lights on the left side going off

 

Did you figure it out yet? Loose connection on the side panel or something?

 

Still having the same problems. Sometimes the lights stay on all day but the next morning they are out. I will check inside the left panel tomorrow to see what I can see.

 

My lights don't work sometimes after sleeping, but it's all the lights usually. I would just pop the side open and reattach the door see if that helps maybe a loose connection.

 

Well I am still having the same problems with the lights be on and off when Boot up so I finally decided to open the triad and guess what? I press on the clip and nothing happens as in the side does not release! I tried the other clip on the other side and still nothing. I try to pull the side open even with a flat head screwdriver and it doesn't release. Can someone help me with this?

Thanks.

 

there's like a latch on the top (rear) with a Philips screw next to it, right? don'tcha back the screw out 1st so the side panel lifts can freely lift up? http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19615279 sound about right? btw, my sides don't light on 1st boot either, I have to shutdown 1st, then restart, then they both come on, it's annoying

 

Thanks for the help, but I did figure out the screw removal after finding it on google. My lights problem is similar though I believe that the side with the problem is not close enough when it is closed to allow for the necessary parts to touch and cause the lights to work. Does that make sense?

 

make sense? uh-huh. since the doors are interchangeable, & it only takes a second, u can swap them, try the other side on there, see what each of them do. The door contact-plates have been iffy since Aurora, every now & then someone's door won't make perfect contact & led's fail to light up. An intermittent deal where sometimes they work and sometimes do not work, perhaps 'shift' the door this way or that, see if it helps since the door seems to have a little play in it, wiggle it with a micro-adjustment in any direction. A last resort would be taking a tool of some sort and bend the gold-contacts (not the plate on the door, but the stationary module bolted to the inner chassis) 'closer' toward you, closer toward the door, just a smidge, bump 'em out a smidge, see if it helps increase the contact-area between plate & pins. be careful how far u bend 'em of course *poke*

'Bend but don't break' ... the part# should be on the harness if you tear that one up *wink*

 

Yep that is the problem. I boot up and the lights are not on. Then I open the side panel and close it snugly and the lights are on, however many times when I stop pushing in on the panel the lights go out. How can I fix this without a tech's help?

 

I'm not sure how it is made, so I'll take a stab at a suggestion based on assumption. Maybe adjust or tweak the bracket the contact switch is mounted to. For testing, stack up several layers of masking tape where the switch contacts the side panel and see if installing the side panel will press the plunger deeper. If it is not a plunger type switch and relies on metal-to-metal contact you could put a layer of foil on top of the tape stack. If that works, you can either bend/tweak what the switch is attached to, or glue a metal shim, magnetic cabinet door latch striker plate, or a coin on the inside of the side panel. Using the stacked layers of masking tape would help you figure out how much thickness is needed.

 

Thank you so much Mr. Fox. I will do as you advise and see what I discover.

 

Check the contact pins on the side panel as they can sometiems get bent slightly to prevent full contact. Learnt that from an old Dell/AW forums years ago. Option two is check the connectors inside the case - all connectors as often one or more will come losoe (same source).

 

Merci beaucoup Monsieur Fox ☺.

I didn't expect a likes this from anyone other than a possible thanks from the OP if either of my suggestions gave the fix.

We all like to help others when we feel qualified to do so and a thanks is all it takes when your help was appreciated although I suspect the likes this is this forums way.

 

OP,

Thanks for the likes this but as per my previous post, better if one of my suggestions resolves the problem you have. then thank the one who gave the suggestion via a Thank You post (within the thread).

If you also wish to click a likes this etc then thats your choice.