Alienware Alienware M17x R4 User manual

Alienware M17x R4
Owner’s Manual
Computer model: M17x R4
Regulatory model: P11E
Regulatory type: P11E002

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make
better use of your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to
hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage,
personal injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2012 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission
of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarksused in thistext: Dell™ and the DELLlogoaretrademarks of Dell Inc.; Alienware®
is a registered trademark of Alienware Corporation; Bluetooth®is a registered trademark
owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under license; Microsoft®, Windows®, and
the Windows start button logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the
entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary
interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
2012 - 04 Rev. A00

Contents | 3
Contents
1 Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Turn Off Your Computer and Connected Devices. . . . 9
Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Recommended Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2 After Working Inside Your
Computer 11
3 Removing the Battery Pack. . . . . . . . . . 12
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4 Replacing the Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . 13
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5 Removing the Compartment Door. . . . 14
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
6 Replacing the Compartment Door . . . . 15
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7 Removing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . 16
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8 Replacing the Coin-Cell
Battery 17
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9 Removing the Hard Drive(s). . . . . . . . . . 18
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

4| Contents
10 Replacing the Hard Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . 21
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
11 Removing the Memory Module(s) . . . . 22
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
12 Replacing the Memory Module(s) . . . . 24
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
13 Removing the Graphics-Card
Heat Sink Fan 26
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
14 Replacing the Graphics-Card
Heat Sink Fan 28
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
15 Removing the Processor
Heat-Sink Fan 29
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
16 Replacing the Processor
Heat-Sink Fan 31
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
17 Removing the Graphics-Card
Assembly 32
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Contents | 5
18 Replacing the Graphics-Card
Assembly 34
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
19 Removing the Processor
Heat-Sink 35
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
20 Replacing the Processor
Heat-Sink 37
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
21 Removing the Processor
Module 38
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
22 Replacing the Processor Module . . . . . 40
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
23 Removing the Center
Control Cover 41
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
24 Replacing the Center
Control Cover 44
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
25 Removing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

6| Contents
26 Replacing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
27 Removing the Mini-Card . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
28 Replacing the Mini-Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
29 Removing the WirelessHD
Card 53
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
30 Replacing the WirelessHD
Card 54
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
31 Removing the Power
Button Board 55
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
32 Replacing the Power
Button Board 56
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
33 Removing the Display
Assembly 57
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Contents | 7
34 Replacing the Display
Assembly 60
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
35 Removing the Status
Light Board 61
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
36 Replacing the Status
Light Board 63
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
37 Removing the Palm
Rest Assembly 64
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
38 Replacing the Palm
Rest Assembly 66
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
39 Removing the Bluetooth Card. . . . . . . 67
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
40 Replacing the Bluetooth Card . . . . . . . 69
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
41 Removing the Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
42 Replacing the Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

8| Contents
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
43 Removing the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . 73
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
44 Replacing the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . 76
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
45 Removing the System Board. . . . . . . . . 77
Prerequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
46 Replacing the System Board . . . . . . . . 79
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Postrequsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Entering the Service Tag in the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . 80
47 System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Configuring the System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Entering System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
System Setup Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
System Setup Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
48 Flashing the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Before You Begin | 9
Before You Begin
Turn Off Your Computer and Connected
Devices
CAUTION: To avoid losing data, save and close all open files and exit
all open programs before you turn off your computer.
1Save and close all open files and exit all open programs.
2Click Start and click Shut down.
Microsoft Windows shuts down and then the computer turns off.
NOTE: If you are using a different operating system, see the documentation of
your operating system for shut-down instructions.
3Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.
4Disconnect all telephone cables, network cables, and attached devices from your
computer.
5Press and hold the power button for about 5 seconds, after the computer is
unplugged, to ground the system board.
Safety Instructions
Use the following safety guidelines to protect your computer from potential damage and
ensure your personal safety.
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety
best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance
Homepage at dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
WARNING: Disconnect all power sources before opening the
computer cover or panels. After you finish working inside the
computer, replace all covers, panels, and screws before connecting to
the power source.
CAUTION: To avoid damaging the computer, ensure that the work
surface is flat and clean.
CAUTION: To avoid damaging the components and cards, handle
them by their edges and avoid touching pins and contacts.
1

10 | Before You Begin
CAUTION: Only a certified service technician is authorized to remove
the computer cover and access any of the components inside the
computer. See the safety instructions for complete information
about safety precautions, working inside your computer, and
protecting against electrostatic discharge.
CAUTION: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground
yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface, such as the metal
at the back of the computer. While you work, periodically touch an
unpainted metal surface to dissipate static electricity, which could
harm internal components.
CAUTION: When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on
its pull-tab, not on the cable itself. Some cables have connectors with
locking tabs or thumb-screws that you must disengage before
disconnecting the cable. When disconnecting cables, keep them
evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. When
connecting cables, ensure that the connectors and ports are
correctly oriented and aligned.
CAUTION: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from
your computer and then unplug the cable from the network device.
CAUTION: Press and eject any installed card from the 8-in-1 Media
Card Reader.
Recommended Tools
The procedures in this document may require the following tools:
•Phillips screwdriver
•Plastic scribe
•Small flat-blade screwdriver

After Working Inside Your Computer | 11
After Working Inside Your
Computer
After you complete replacement procedures, ensure the following:
•Replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside your computer
•Connect any external devices, cables, cards, and any other part(s) you removed
before working on your computer
•Connect your computer and all attached devices to their electrical outlets
CAUTION: Before turning on your computer, replace all screws and
ensure that no stray screws remain inside the computer. Failure to do
so may damage your computer.
2

12 | Removing the Battery Pack
Removing the Battery Pack
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1Slide the battery latch to the unlock position as shown.
The battery pack pops up.
2Remove the battery pack.
1 battery pack 2 battery latch
3
1
2

Replacing the Battery Pack | 13
Replacing the Battery Pack
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
CAUTION: To avoid damage to the computer, use only the battery
designed for this particular Alienware computer.
Align the tabs on the battery with the slots on the battery bay and snap the battery into
place.
Postrequsites
Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.
4

14 | Removing the Compartment Door
Removing the Compartment
Door
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Prerequsites
Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.
Procedure
1Remove the screws that secure the compartment door to the computer base.
2Slide and lift the compartment door away from the computer.
1 compartment door 2 screws (2)
5
2
1

Replacing the Compartment Door | 15
Replacing the Compartment
Door
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1Align the tabs on the compartment door with the slots on the computer base and
slide the compartment door into place.
2Replace the two screws that secure the compartment door to the computer base.
Postrequsites
1Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.
2Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.
6

16 | Removing the Coin-Cell Battery
Removing the Coin-Cell
Battery
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Prerequsites
1Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.
2Remove the compartment door. See "Removing the Compartment Door" on page 14.
Procedure
Use a plastic scribe to pry up the coin-cell battery from the slot on
the system board.
1 plastic scribe 2 coin-cell battery
7
1
2

Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery | 17
Replacing the Coin-Cell
Battery
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1Hold the coin-cell battery with the positive side facing up.
2Slide the coin-cell battery into the slot and gently press until it snaps into place.
Postrequsites
1Replace the compartment door. See "Replacing the Compartment Door" on page 15.
2Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.
3Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.
8

18 | Removing the Hard Drive(s)
Removing the Hard Drive(s)
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
WARNING: If you remove the hard drive from the computer when the
drive is hot, do not touch the metal housing of the hard drive.
CAUTION: To help prevent damage to the system board, remove the
main battery. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.
CAUTION: To prevent data loss, turn off your computer . See "Turn Off
Your Computer and Connected Devices" on page 9. Do not remove the
hard drive while the computer is On or in Sleep state.
CAUTION: Hard drives are extremely fragile. Exercise care when
handling the hard drive.
Prerequsites
1Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.
2Remove the compartment door. See "Removing the Compartment Door" on page 14.
Procedure
1Loosen the captive screws that secure the hard-drive assembly to the computer
base.
2Using the pull-tab, lift the hard-drive assembly to disconnect it from the connector
on the system board.
3Lift the hard-drive assembly out of the computer base.
9

Removing the Hard Drive(s) | 19
Primary hard-drive assembly
Secondary hard-drive assembly
1 captive screws (3) 2 primary hard-drive assembly
1 captive screws (3) 2 secondary hard-drive assembly
1
2
1
2

20 | Removing the Hard Drive(s)
4Remove the screws that secure the hard drive to the hard-drive bracket.
5Lift the hard-drive off the hard-drive bracket.
6Remove the interposer from the hard drive.
CAUTION: When the hard drive is not in the computer, store it in
protective antistatic packaging. See "Protecting Against
Electrostatic Discharge" in the safety instructions that shipped with
your computer.
1 interposer 2 screws (4)
3 hard drive 4 hard-drive bracket
1
2
4
2