# Alienware M 14x (built in 2011) suddenly shut down.



## Revenwyn (Apr 11, 2011)

*My Alienware m 14x of one year four months suddenly just switched off yesterday. There were no power surges or anything going on before hand, I was loading a game I always play, nothing out of the ordinary. It literally was loading and then one second later just went black. The power cord lights up when plugged into the wall, but the light goes out immediately if I plug it back into the laptop. It will not turn on. I am pretty pissed. It seems like it waited for my warranty to expire and unfortunately I do not have the funds to run all sorts of tests to see what it is. I know some laptops will not run if the battery stops working, could that be what happened? My computer was plugged in at the time, I can only hope it is not more serious, that I didn't lose any data, etc. I saw no indication of the battery going out either. *



*A week and a half ago or so (I forget but it was fairly recent) the power supply overheated and my computer switched to battery mode, but I gave it a rest and the power supply seemed to be fine after I did that. But now nothing. I cannot run it plugged in, and I cannot run it on battery. *

*In looking for potential battery/power supply replacements however, I came across this: http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=11582*
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*Would it fit for this to be the part that blew? Think about it. I can't power it on with the cord and it also does not work with the battery. But if this blew it would not be able to turn on either way. Any thoughts?*


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## AceRimmer (Nov 12, 2008)

Looks like a short. The AC adapter turning off when you plug it in reaffirms that thought. Unfortunately, this is normally a motherboard replacement. It's along shot and doesn't do anything for shorts but you can try unplugging both AC adapter and the battery. Then hold the power button down for 30-60 seconds. Then replug adapter and/or battery before turning it back on. Check the adapter plug for damage, bent pin, etc... You can also check the power jack and see if it's damaged. Sometimes they loosen up,get bent, etc... Nonetheless, you'd have to open it up and see if anything's loose, damaged, blown, dangling, etc...and then maybe you can remove/resolder the damaged parts.


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## Revenwyn (Apr 11, 2011)

Could it be possible that the part that shorted is the power button circuit board? (That was the part I linked to, the site says that this circuit board powers it on and off.) If it were shorted it wouldn't work. 

Yeah I already went through the steps you said multiple times today. Apparently I can't even get a replacement motherboard for this.


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## Revenwyn (Apr 11, 2011)

Alienware said it's most likely the motherboard.  This sucks. I paid $1500 for it only for it to end up costing about $100 a month for how long it lasted me. They can do a full repair for $430+ tax but that is more than half our income for one month and we're behind in debt already.

This sucks. Majorly.


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## Samtrix (Aug 22, 2011)

Something similar happened to me a few months ago. My computer randomly turned off and wouldn't come back on, despite all the lights coming on and everything being plugged in. I brought it in to be repaired and it turned out to be a virus, despite having anti-virus. Only cost $40 to repair. If you happened to get a virus too, it'd be much cheaper than a new motherboard.


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## Billius (Aug 7, 2012)

If you can find someone good with a soldering iron and a screwdriver they *might* be able to fix the board. people mistakenly think pcbs are ****ed once anything bad happens, sometimes they can be fixed, most of the time though...


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## zork2001 (Oct 29, 2011)

Not clear did you actually remove the battery and then plug it in to see if it boots. I have seen a lot of laptops that will not boot with a bad battery regardless if it is plugged in or not.


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## Revenwyn (Apr 11, 2011)

zork2001 said:


> Not clear did you actually remove the battery and then plug it in to see if it boots. I have seen a lot of laptops that will not boot with a bad battery regardless if it is plugged in or not.


Yep I removed the battery to see if it booted. It did not.


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## Minato (Sep 9, 2012)

Damn that sucks. Why did you think a gaming laptop was a good idea anyway? Not dependable and when they break down, you can't fix it yourself. Def sounds like a fried mobo.

Def should of went with a 3 yr warranty minimum on a gaming laptop. But the damage is done. No real suggestions really, it is fried. You can most likely get your data back by just taking the HDD out of the laptop.


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## fishstew (Dec 5, 2012)

i can sum it up in one problem

"DELL"


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## Minato (Sep 9, 2012)

Dell makes excellent laptops. I have one from 2008 and it still works perfectly.

Also back before I built my own PC, I owned like 5 dell desktops, all worked and never broke. I have no idea why people put down dells just because of what they heard.

Just never buy a laptop without some serious warranty coverage... Just taking the free 1 year is foolish beyond belief.


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## Revenwyn (Apr 11, 2011)

Yeah I couldn't afford the 3 year. I also needed a laptop because I don't have internet access at home.


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## rmiller1107 (Mar 8, 2015)

I have the same laptop revenwyn. I know it's been a while but what did it turn out to be??


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