Alienware M15x Troubleshooting

With the power adapter plugged into an outlet, the battery will not charge when the laptop is powered off.

While holding down the Fn key, press the F2 key to activate/disable battery charging.

Follow the “power drain trick” procedure. Turn off laptop, unplug power adapter and remove battery. Then, press the power button for 20 seconds, release button, replace battery and power cord. Press the power button again.

Battery Removal Guide

Follow the “hubs battery trick” procedure. Keep the laptop plugged into an outlet and powered on throughout the procedure. Tilt the computer over to access the battery panel. Be careful not to let the screen close as this will not work if the computer is in sleep mode. Remove the battery and wait 5 seconds before replacing it.

The sound coming from the laptop is distorted when played at a medium-high to high level on non-inbuilt speakers.

If the computer is connected to an outlet, turn AlienFX ON. If it is not then the setting may be on or off.

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The GPU gets overworked to the point of getting very hot and crashing.

Remove the GPU and clean off any dust. Allow the GPU to cool for a few hours before re-inserting.

GPU Removal Guide

If you have an older GPU, you may be running a more up to date driver which is not compatible with the GPU. Try reverting back to an older version of the driver. Likewise, you may need to update your driver to match with the GPU.

Make sure that the GPU is fitted properly into its appropriate slot. There should be no extra wiggle space. If the card is fitted properly, check the video cable between your computer and GPU. If you do both of these and there are still issues, the problem may be your monitor.

The USB port has stopped working.

Inspect the USB port to check that all of the pins in the USB port are straight and intact. Check that the USB port is clean of any dust or debris. This may require a light source or a magnifier.

If the visual inspection does not yield anything, try plugging in a working USB device such as a phone to test if the power is working on the USB port. If the device responds the power is working.

The fans in your laptop are stuck on maximum speed.

Follow the “power drain trick” procedure. Turn off laptop, unplug power adapter and remove battery. Then, press the power button for 20 seconds, release button, replace battery and power cord. Press the power button again.

First you will need to open up your laptop by removing the screws from the bottom of the laptop. Once the screws have been removed from the bottom of your laptop, you can now remove the keyboard and plastic bezels from your Alienware M15x laptop. Use a screwdriver and remove the screws from your Alienware M15x HeatSink Fan. You can now clean the Alienware M15x Fan. To clean your fan, use a can of air and blow out any dirt and dust from your fan.