My friend Marcus is an amazing computer technician, and has found a way to prevent his Alienware Laptop from over heating.
I came home yesterday and started working on the laptop. After finding that their image uses a Japanese version of Direct X, I wiped the HDD and started over with my own build. I installed all the most up to date drivers, so on. I started with the most basic issue I have had, game crashes. The Event Viewer didn’t have anything to report.
Usually when that happens it’s a hardware to software write fault and it happens to fast for the Event Viewer to get a record. Games appeared to be crashing therefore from an unknown device. Based on my past experience with the laptop and known issues with the NVIDIA 6800 Ultra, I started there. The drivers are from 9/28/05, not that old, but not very up to date compared to Dell’s site. Sadly, the drivers are proprietary in design for laptops so I can’t use the Dell 6800 driver. Since I couldn’t go any further in that direction, I decided to look at any other video settings. The driver itself appears to be a basic default of options, nothing remarkable.
Then I decided to look at the laptop case and all of it’s physical options. There is a button on the keyboard for external video. It allows 3 settings for an additional external monitor. The first setting allows for a mirror image to be displayed on both the laptop screen and the external. Both run the same resolution which is based on the max res of the laptop’s screen. Next setting allows for one desktop to be expanded to both screens. The last setting turns off the laptop screen and puts the image only on the external monitor. This unassuming switch happens to be the root of all my laptop’s evil. If the 3rd option is used and video signal is sent only to the external monitor games crash and for that matter, IE crashes. I found that any time the video card reads a monitor that can go beyond the max res of the laptop’s own screen, the laptop overheats shuts off, crashes..so on.
This means that my laptop will now run as a standalone and only if the external monitor is set to mirror. Oh, it also means that it won’t run using the image they sent and that the video card driver needs a major update. I could send the laptop back using the RMA they gave me, but I [doubt] they will never figure out that their own HDD image is one of the problems. … My laptop has been operational with incredible performance the last 2 evenings without a single error.
So does your laptop STILL run since you’ve changed this switch?
“The last setting turns off the laptop screen and puts the image only on the external monitor. This unassuming switch happens to be the root of all my laptop’s evil. If the 3rd option is used and video signal is sent only to the external monitor games crash and for that matter, IE crashes. I found that any time the video card reads a monitor that can go beyond the max res of the laptop’s own screen, the laptop overheats shuts off, crashes..so on.”
This 3rd option is how I use my laptop now on a regular basis. I sent the Alienware back in for another repair several months ago and after another thousand dollars (warranty work) in repairs they fixed my video port issues. (Note: the original price of my laptop was a bit over $5000 and to date they have put in a bit over $3000 in parts and labor to just stop the blue screens.) Though my machine was successfully repaired in regards to video issues, over-heating and random unexplained blue screens, I will say that the technicians at Alienware are so incompetent that I no longer have sound via any external port and the PCMCIA port is dead (therefore no wireless support now.) I decided not to send the machine back for fear of what new problems I would inherent this time. Since this is truly the most impractical “laptop” I have ever used, I have it set up via docking station so that I NEVER touch it for fear of breaking something else. I also have it elevated 3-4 inches off the desk via pedestal to let in enough air to ventilate the unusual amount of heat it expands.
What are the display settings set at? I just wiped everything off of my m7770 Aurora, reinstalled windows, drivers form the Alienware web site, and a new Nvidia 6800 ultra video card (compliments of Alienware, thank goodness!) I was looking at my display settings in the control panel and saw it was set to Nvidia multiple monitors. I have no desire to go to an external monitor. There is also a Nvidia default, but I am scared to change anything because right now it is working! Still, I am getting an EXTREME heat from this notebook right around the v card. I would like to prevent the notebook from blowing another v card, seeing as there is only a 90 day LIMITED warranty on refurbished systems. Any help would be much appreciated! 🙂
My laptop appears to still be stable, though unimpressive for it’s price, running at 1920 by 1200, highest (32 bit). It’s also set to run this on an external 24″ Dell monitor. I really do recommend keeping everything clear from around the laptop and elevating it several inches above the surface it rests. I have my laptop resting on inverted glass tea-light candle holders. The glass resists the heat and in my case, it actually even looks nice sitting on my all glass desk. I keep all paper away from the bottom on the laptop. I had a paper notebook sitting next to it and the heat was so great that the notebook’s cover curled.
Be persistent with Alienware. They may like to play the role of, “This is all new to us,” and “Your problem is so unique.” Rest assured they are just calculating the numbers to make a profit and it has nothing to do with quality or customer support. Never accept second rate support! Good luck to you!