Alienware x51 won't wake up after Clean Reinstall

[gregrocker]

Thanks, Archie. The thread should be treated by Hicoga as a checklist to make sure everything has been done. It's entirely possible something short of BIOS reflash may resolve this.

 

[Hicoga]

Thanks, Archie. The thread should be treated by Hicoga as a checklist to make sure everything has been done. It's entirely possible something short of BIOS reflash may resolve this.

Sounds like a good plan Greg. I'll start with the Trace and then work my way down through the thread.

 

[Hicoga]

I've been gaving some issues getting the trace to work and I posted in the forums thread to ask for help.

I was, however, able to deactivate hibernate.
I deactivated it and then went into the start menu and selected 'Shut Down'. The computer shut down the lights on all my peripherals and the screen went dark as if the computer had shut off but the lights on the computer remained on and I could hear the computer working so it was still on. I then performed a hard shutdown and rebooted the computer. Without hibernation enabled it read 'Starting Windows' instead of 'Resuming Windows' but this didn't seem to fix the problem at all.

 

[gregrocker]

While you wait for help from Carl in the trace tutorial, please complete the step requested by Archie here so he can apply his talents for you:

Greg, as I posted earlier in post #9, some files may help us to figure an idea about exactly what is going on during sleep-hibernate power transition.

Upload your MSINFO32.nfo file.

1. Click on the start button
2. Type "msinfo32" (without quotes) in the search bar of the start menu, click the resulting link. It will open the System Information window.
3. File>Save. In the "File Name" filed, put "MSINFO32" (without Quote), give the save location to desktop, and click the "save" button.
4. Give the time for processing, it will save a .nfo file on your desktop.
5. Zip it, and upload it following the instruction.

Upload the list of all the third party drivers Using NirSoft DriverView :

• Download and execute Driverview
• View > Hide Microsoft Drivers
• Edit > Select all
• File > Save Selected Items
• In the Save dialog, Set the path to desktop, Put "Driverview" in the name field, and save.
• Zip the .txt file and upload it.

If the OP follows it, I can have a look.

 

[cluberti]

The problem isn't Windows here, so troubleshooting with tracing tools showing what Windows is doing isn't going to be helpful. Windows has sent the shutdown command to the hardware and has unloaded itself completely, but the hardware is not honoring it and following up with sending the hardware interrupt commands to shut the hardware down or restart it - hence why you see a proper "resuming" or "starting" message on reboot from Windows after you physically power off the device and restart, even though it wasn't a "proper" shutdown or reboot in reality - it was to Windows, but not by the hardware underneath it. Unless the hardware BIOS or tools from Dell/Alienware can provide information on what's not happening here, you're going to be grasping at straws in the dark and underwater. The hardware vendor should be engaged here.

 

[gregrocker]

Based on Carl's determination I would work with SanDeep to get the BIOS reworked. This is apparently a fault with the BIOS update as you already acknowledge. Dell really needs to make it right since your tower lights worked correctly until the BIOS update.

 

[SandeepP]

I've been gaving some issues getting the trace to work and I posted in the forums thread to ask for help.

I was, however, able to deactivate hibernate.
I deactivated it and then went into the start menu and selected 'Shut Down'. The computer shut down the lights on all my peripherals and the screen went dark as if the computer had shut off but the lights on the computer remained on and I could hear the computer working so it was still on. I then performed a hard shutdown and rebooted the computer. Without hibernation enabled it read 'Starting Windows' instead of 'Resuming Windows' but this didn't seem to fix the problem at all.

Hi Hicoga,

Please let me know the if you have X51 or X51 R2. Also, if you can show me the picture of the lights that are constantly on the system.

I might not be able to assist in downgrading the BIOS but I if it is a flaw in the BIOS update I can definitely ensure it to be resolved in the next update.

Also, have you checked Alien Command Centre to check for option for disabling the the lights. Keep us posted with the results so we can advise you further.

 

[luv2whelie]

Alienware Wake-up fix

Your battery is likely failing. Replace it and start smiling again. I had the same wake-up problem with my Lenovo laptop some years ago and it took forever to figure out that it was a weak battery. Recently, my Alienware laptop began doing the same thing. There's a built in system check with Alienware laptops, and mine passed everything except the battery, which it said was operating at 60% of potential. I replaced the battery with a new one, and the problem is cured. Press F12 during boot, choose Diagnostics, and see if your battery health is good. Mine was at 60% before replacing it, and everything worked great, except for the wake-up feature.

 

[gregrocker]

Sometimes there's another listing on the Boot Menu when you tap the f12 key at boot, besides Diagnostics there will be a Utility partition which is the actual choice to get all of the hardware tested. I would run both.

What is the battery rating?

 

[Hicoga]

Hi Hicoga,

Please let me know the if you have X51 or X51 R2. Also, if you can show me the picture of the lights that are constantly on the system.

I might not be able to assist in downgrading the BIOS but I if it is a flaw in the BIOS update I can definitely ensure it to be resolved in the next update.

Also, have you checked Alien Command Centre to check for option for disabling the the lights. Keep us posted with the results so we can advise you further.

I have the regular X51, not the R2.

I've been checking for a new BIOS update but none have been released.

We've tried disabling the lights with the command center but it didn't seem to change anything. The computer was still running when turned off.

 

[gregrocker]

I thought only the tower effects lights remain on when it shuts down. Is there anything else running: fans, CPU or HD activity LED?

There was also a question about whether it is even Shutting Down since it said that it was Resuming on pressing the Power Button. THis means it was only in a Hibernate state. What happens if you disable Hibernation so that it cannot enter that state, and then choose Shutdown? Hibernate - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Forums

If it still won't shutdown via the Shutdown button, what happens if you force it to shut down using the power button. Is this how you are ultimately disabling the tower lights when they won't extinguish with a mere Shutdown?

 

[Hicoga]

I thought only the tower effects lights remain on when it shuts down. Is there anything else running: fans, CPU or HD activity LED?

There was also a question about whether it is even Shutting Down since it said that it was Resuming on pressing the Power Button. THis means it was only in a Hibernate state. What happens if you disable Hibernation so that it cannot enter that state, and then choose Shutdown? Hibernate - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Forums

If it still won't shutdown via the Shutdown button, what happens if you force it to shut down using the power button. Is this how you are ultimately disabling the tower lights when they won't extinguish with a mere Shutdown?

The tower lights stay on when I press 'Shutdown' but the computer is definitely still going as I can hear it working and fans going and such. The screen goes black and I can't control anything or get the display to come back by any input from the keyboard or the mouse. The lights on my backlit keyboard go off as well.

So the only option is to Hard Shutdown and then the computer goes quiet and the lights turn off.

I disabled Hibernate and tried to shut it off again. It was no different other than it did say 'Starting Windows' instead of 'Resuming Windows'. The lights still remained on when I selected Shutdown and the computer was still running until I Hard Shutdown.

 

[gregrocker]

That this persisted through a Factory Recovery and Clean Reinstall makes me think it is strictly a hardware issue. The Factory Recovery should supply everything needed to work exactly as it did before, unless some patches or fixes were released later after the PC shipped.

I would go to the Dell Support Downloads webpage for your tag number and study closely all of the drivers listed, to see if there are any patches Dell may have issued for this very problem, or other drivers to try. Make sure you read through every tab there for your model since often problem solutions are queued in links on one tab.

Unfortunately SanDeep no longer works for Dell, so you'll need to approach them via the phone, chat or email portal to plead for support on this as a hardware issue that should be remedied. They may make some kind of exception like extending the warranty purchase opportunity or help you outright. Let us know what they say.