Alienware Area-51m Service Manual Computer Model: Alienware Area-51m Regulatory Model: P38E Regulatory Type: P38E001
Notes, cautions, and warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. © 2019 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Contents Before working inside your computer................................................................................8 Before you begin ................................................................................................................................................8 After working inside your computer..................................................................................9 Safety instructions.....................................................................................
Replacing the wireless card.............................................................................................. 27 Procedure......................................................................................................................................................... 27 Post-requisites...................................................................................................................................................28 Removing the solid-state drives........................
Removing the coin-cell battery........................................................................................ 46 Prerequisites..................................................................................................................................................... 46 Procedure.........................................................................................................................................................46 Replacing the coin-cell battery...........................
Replacing the left power-adapter port............................................................................67 Procedure......................................................................................................................................................... 67 Post-requisites...................................................................................................................................................67 Removing the processor..........................................
Removing the macro keys.................................................................................................92 Prerequisites..................................................................................................................................................... 92 Procedure.........................................................................................................................................................92 Replacing the macro keys.................................
Before working inside your computer NOTE: The images in this document may differ from your computer depending on the configuration you ordered. Before you begin 1 Save and close all open files and exit all open applications. 2 Shut down your computer. Click Start → Power → Shut down. NOTE: If you are using a different operating system, see the documentation of your operating system for shutdown instructions. 3 Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.
After working inside your computer CAUTION: Leaving stray or loose screws inside your computer may severely damage your computer. 1 Replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside your computer. 2 Connect any external devices, peripherals, or cables you removed before working on your computer. 3 Replace any media cards, discs, or any other parts that you removed before working on your computer. 4 Connect your computer and all attached devices to their electrical outlets.
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 more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. WARNING: Disconnect all power sources before opening the computer cover or panels.
• When unpacking a static-sensitive component from its shipping carton, do not remove the component from the anti-static packing material until you are ready to install the component. Before unwrapping the anti-static packaging, ensure that you discharge static electricity from your body. • Before transporting a static-sensitive component, place it in an anti-static container or packaging. ESD field service kit The unmonitored Field Service kit is the most commonly used service kit.
Transporting sensitive components When transporting ESD sensitive components such as replacement parts or parts to be returned to Dell, it is critical to place these parts in anti-static bags for safe transport. Lifting equipment Adhere to the following guidelines when lifting heavy weight equipment: CAUTION: Do not lift greater than 50 pounds. Always obtain additional resources or use a mechanical lifting device. 1 Get a firm balanced footing.
Recommended tools The procedures in this document may require the following tools: • Philips screwdriver #1 • Flat-head screwdriver • Plastic scribe 13
Screw list NOTE: When removing screws from a component, it is recommended to note the screw type, the quantity of screws, and then place them in a screw storage box. This is to ensure that the correct number of screws and correct screw type is restored when the component is replaced. NOTE: Some computers have magnetic surfaces. Ensure that the screws are not left attached to such surface when replacing a component. NOTE: Screw color may vary with the configuration ordered. Table 1.
Component Secured to Screw type Quantity Hard-drive assembly Palm-rest assembly M2.5x5 4 Hard-drive bracket Hard drive M3x3 4 Power-adapter port bracket Palm-rest assembly M2x3 1 Rear-I/O cover Computer base M2.5x2.5 4 Rear-I/O cover Palm-rest assembly M2.5x7 2 System board Palm-rest assembly M2.
Removing the base cover WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Loose the six captive screws that secure the base cover to the computer base.
Replacing the base cover WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Connect the battery cable to the system board.
3 18 Tighten the six captive screws that secure the base cover to the computer base.
Removing the battery WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Lithium-ion battery precautions CAUTION: • Exercise caution when handling Lithium-ion batteries.
3 20 Lift the battery off the palm-rest assembly.
Replacing the battery WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Align the screw holes on the battery with the screw holes on the palm-rest assembly.
Removing the memory modules WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base cover. Procedure 1 Locate the memory modules on your computer.
3 Remove the memory module from the memory-module slot.
Replacing the memory modules WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Align the notch on the memory module with the tab on the memory-module slot.
Removing the wireless card WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base cover. Procedure 1 Locate the wireless card on your computer.
5 26 Disconnect the antenna cables from the wireless card.
Replacing the wireless card WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure CAUTION: To avoid damage to the wireless card, do not place any cables under it.
Post-requisites Replace the base cover.
Removing the solid-state drives WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Solid-state drives are fragile. Exercise care when handling the solid-state drive.
4 Slide and remove the M.2 2230 solid-state drive from the M.2 solid-state drive slot on the system board. Procedure to remove M.2 2280 card NOTE: This procedure applies only to computers shipped with a M.2 2280 card installed. NOTE: Depending on the configuration ordered, the computer may have up to two M.2 cards installed. Supported card configurations per M.2 card slot: • M.2 2230 solid-state drive • M.
Replacing the solid-state drives WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Solid-state drives are fragile. Exercise care when handling the solid-state drive.
5 Replace the screw (M2x3) that secures the M.2 thermal shield to the palm-rest assembly and system board. Procedure to replace M.2 2280 card NOTE: This procedure applies only to computers shipped with a M.2 2280 card installed. NOTE: Depending on the configuration ordered, the computer may have up to two M.2 cards installed. Supported card configurations per M.2 card slot: • M.2 2230 solid-state drive • M.
4 Replace the screw (M2x3) that secures the solid-state drive and the thermal shield to the computer base. Post-requisites Replace the base cover.
Removing the hard drive WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Hard drives are fragile. Exercise care when handling the hard drive.
5 Disconnect the interposer from the hard-drive assembly. 6 Remove the four screws (M3x3) that secure the hard-drive bracket to the hard drive. 7 Lift the hard drive off the hard-drive bracket.
Replacing the hard drive WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Hard drives are fragile. Exercise care when handling the hard drive.
3 Connect the interposer to the hard-drive assembly. 4 Align the screw holes on the hard-drive assembly with the screw holes on the palm-rest assembly. 5 Replace the four screws (M2.5x5) that secure the hard-drive assembly to the palm-rest assembly. 6 Route the hard-drive cable through the routing guides on the computer base. 7 Connect the hard-drive cable to the system board.
Post-requisites Replace the base cover.
Removing the rear-I/O cover WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base cover.
Replacing the rear-I/O cover WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Removing the audio daughter-board WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover.
Replacing the audio daughter-board WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Slide the audio daughter-board at an angle into the slot on the palm-rest assembly.
Removing the speakers WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the solid-state drive (in SSD2 slot).
Replacing the speakers WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
4 Replace the base cover.
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 working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Removing the coin-cell battery resets the BIOS setup program’s settings to default.
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 working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Adhere the coin-cell battery to the slot on the palm-rest assembly.
Removing the touchpad WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the solid-state drive (in SSD2 slot).
6 Lift the touchpad off the palm-rest assembly.
Replacing the touchpad WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Place the touchpad into the slot on the palm-rest assembly.
2 Replace the speakers. 3 Follow the procedure from step 4 to step 7 in Replacing the hard drive. 4 Replace the solid-state drive (in SSD2 slot). 5 Replace the battery. 6 Replace the base cover.
Removing the display assembly WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the wireless card. 3 Remove the rear-I/O cover.
9 Remove the two screws (M2.5x8) that secures the computer base to the display assembly. 10 Turn the computer over. 11 Remove the four screws (M2.5x2.5) that secure the display hinges to the palm-rest assembly.
12 Lift the display assembly off the palm-rest assembly.
Replacing the display assembly WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
12 Replace the screw (M2x3) that secures the display-cable bracket to the system board. Post-requisites 1 Replace the rear I/O cover 2 Replace the wireless card. 3 Replace the base cover.
Removing the computer base WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the wireless card.
10 Peel off the display cable and the camera cable from the computer base. 11 Remove the screw (M2.5x12) that secures the computer base to the palm-rest assembly. 12 Remove the 14 screws (M2.5x8) that secure the computer base to the palm-rest assembly.
13 Lift the computer base off the palm-rest assembly.
Replacing the computer base WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Align the screw holes on the computer base with the screw holes on the palm-rest assembly.
13 Connect the hard-drive cable to the system board. Post-requisites 1 Replace the rear I/O cover 2 Replace the solid-state drive (in SSD1 slot). 3 Replace the wireless card. 4 Replace the battery. 5 Replace the base cover.
Removing the heat-sink assembly WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. WARNING: The heat sink may become hot during normal operation.
4 Lift the heat-sink assembly off the system board.
Replacing the heat-sink assembly WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Incorrect alignment of the heat sink can damage the system board and processor.
Post-requisites 1 Replace the computer base. 2 Replace the rear I/O cover 3 Replace the wireless card. 4 Replace the solid-state drive (in SSD1 slot). 5 Replace the battery. 6 Replace the base cover.
Removing the left power-adapter port WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the wireless card.
Replacing the left power-adapter port WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
7 68 Replace the base cover.
Removing the processor WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the wireless card.
4 70 Lift the processor straight up to remove it from the system board.
Replacing the processor WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Removing the graphics card WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the wireless card.
5 Lift the graphics card off the system board.
Replacing the graphics card WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
6 Replace the battery. 7 Replace the base cover.
Removing the system board WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. NOTE: Your computer’s Service Tag is stored in the system board.
2 Turn the palm-rest assembly over. 3 Remove the two screws (M2x3) that secure the graphics card cables on the system board. 4 Lift the two graphics card cables off the system board. 5 Peel the tape that secures the audio daughter-board cable to the system board. 6 Open the latch and disconnect the audio daughter-board cable from the system board. 7 Open the latch and disconnect the touchpad cable from the system board. 8 Open the latch and disconnect the keyboard cable from the system board.
11 Remove the left power-adapter port.
12 After performing all the above steps, you are left with the system board.
Replacing the system board WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. NOTE: Your computer’s Service Tag is stored in the system board.
9 Replace the two screws (M2x3) that secure the graphics card cables to the system board. 10 Turn the palm-rest assembly over.
11 Connect the power-button board cable to the system board. Post-requisites 1 Replace the processor. 2 Replace the graphics card. 3 Replace the right power-adapter port. 4 Replace the heat-sink assembly. 5 Replace the coin-cell battery. 6 Replace the computer base. 7 Replace the rear I/O cover 8 Replace the wireless card. 9 Replace the solid-state drive. 10 Replace the memory modules. 11 Replace the battery. 12 Replace the base cover.
Removing the right power-adapter port WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the memory modules.
Replacing the right power-adapter port WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Connect the left power-adapter port cable to the system board.
10 Replace the battery. 11 Replace the base cover.
Removing the keyboard WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the memory modules.
4 Lift the keyboard bracket from the macro side and slide out of clips on the opposite side. 5 Open the latch and disconnect the macro-keys cable from the keyboard. 6 Open the latch and disconnect the macro-keys backlight cable from the keyboard. 7 Peel off the macro-keys cable and the macro-keys backlight cable from the keyboard.
8 Lift the keyboard from bottom and slide out of the clips at top.
Replacing the keyboard WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure 1 Insert the tabs on the top side of the keyboard into the slots on the palm-rest assembly.
8 Connect the keyboard cable to the keyboard and close the latch to secure the cable. Post-requisites 1 Replace the system board. 2 Replace the right power-adapter port. 3 Replace the heat-sink assembly. 4 Replace the computer base. 5 Replace the rear I/O cover 6 Follow the procedure from step 4 to step 7 in Replacing the hard drive. 7 Replace the wireless card. 8 Replace the solid-state drive. 9 Replace the memory modules. 10 Replace the battery. 11 Replace the base cover.
Removing the macro keys WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the memory modules.
Replacing the macro keys WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Insert the tabs on the top side of the macro keys into the slots on the palm-rest assembly.
11 Replace the battery. 12 Replace the base cover.
Removing the palm-rest assembly WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Remove the battery. 3 Remove the memory modules.
Replacing the palm-rest assembly WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in Before working inside your computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in After working inside your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Place the palm-rest assembly on a clean and flat surface.
11 Replace the coin-cell battery. 12 Replace the speakers. 13 Replace the coin-cell battery. 14 Follow the procedure from step 4 to step 7 in Replacing the hard drive. 15 Replace the wireless card. 16 Replace the solid-state drive. 17 Replace the memory modules. 18 Replace the battery. 19 Replace the base cover.
Device drivers Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility In the Device Manager, check if the chipset driver is installed. Install the Intel chipset updates from www.dell.com/support. Video drivers In the Device Manager, check if the video driver is installed. Install the video driver update from www.dell.com/support. Intel Serial IO driver In the Device Manager, check if the Intel Serial IO driver is installed. Install the driver updates from www.dell.com/support.
System setup NOTE: Depending on the computer and its installed devices, the items listed in this section may or may not be displayed. System setup CAUTION: Unless you are an expert computer user, do not change the settings in the BIOS Setup program. Certain changes can make your computer work incorrectly. NOTE: Before you change BIOS Setup program, it is recommended that you write down the BIOS Setup program screen information for future reference.
• Access System Setup by pressing F2 key • Bring up the one-time boot menu by pressing F12 key The one-time boot menu displays the devices that you can boot from including the diagnostic option. The boot menu options are: • Removable Drive (if available) • STXXXX Drive NOTE: XXX denotes the SATA drive number. • Optical Drive (if available) • SATA Hard Drive (if available) • Diagnostics NOTE: Choosing Diagnostics, will display the ePSA diagnostics screen.
General-System Information Maximum Clock Speed Displays the maximum processor clock speed. Processor L2 Cache Displays the processor L2 Cache size. Processor L3 Cache Displays the processor L3 Cache size. HT Capable Displays whether the processor is HyperThreading (HT) capable. 64-Bit Technology Displays whether 64-bit technology is used. Device Information SATA-0 Displays the M.2 SATA SSD-0 device information of the computer. SATA-1 Displays the M.
System Configuration Enable External USB Port Enable or disable booting from USB mass storage devices connected to external USB port. Audio Enable or disable the integrated audio controller. Keyboard Illumination Enables you to choose the operating mode of the keyboard illumination feature. Keyboard Backlight Timeout on AC When the backlight is enabled, this feature defines the timeout value for the keyboard backlight when an AC adapter is plugged into the computer.
Table 7. System setup options—Secure Boot menu Secure Boot Secure Boot Enable Enable or disable the secure boot feature. Secure Boot Mode Modifies the behavior of Secure Boot to allow evaluation or enforcement of UEFI driver signatures. Expert Key Management Expert Key Management Enable or disable Expert Key Management. Custom Mode Key Management Select the custom values for expert key management. Table 8.
Intel Software Guard Extensions Fn Lock Options Enable or disable the Fn lock mode. Fastboot Enable to set the speed of the boot process. Default: Thorough. Extend BIOS POST Time Configure additional pre-boot delay. Full Screen Logo Enable or disable to display full screen logo. Warnings and Errors Sets the boot process to pause when Warnings or Errors are detected. Table 9.
Clearing CMOS settings CAUTION: Clearing CMOS settings will reset the BIOS settings on your computer. 1 Remove the base cover. 2 Disconnect the battery cable from the system board. 3 Remove the coin-cell battery. 4 Wait for one minute. 5 Replace the coin-cell battery. 6 Connect the battery cable to the system board. 7 Replace the base cover. Clearing BIOS (System Setup) and System passwords To clear the system or BIOS passwords, contact Dell technical support as described at www.dell.
Troubleshooting Flashing the BIOS You may need to flash (update) the BIOS when an update is available or when you replace the system board. Follow these steps to flash the BIOS: 1 Turn on your computer. 2 Go to www.dell.com/support. 3 Click Product support, enter the Service Tag of your computer, and then click Submit. NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, use the auto-detect feature or manually browse for your computer model. 4 Click Drivers & downloads → Find it myself.
Running the ePSA diagnostics 1 Turn on your computer. 2 As the computer boots, press the F12 key as the Dell logo appears. 3 On the boot menu screen, select the Diagnostics option. 4 Click the arrow at the bottom left corner. Diagnostics front page is displayed. 5 Click the arrow in the lower-right corner to go to the page listing. The items detected are listed. 6 To run a diagnostic test on a specific device, press Esc and click Yes to stop the diagnostic test.
Light pattern Problem description 2,6 System board or chipset error 2,7 LCD failure 3,1 CMOS battery failure 3,2 PCI or video card or chip failure 3,3 Recovery image not found 3,4 Recovery image found but invalid 3,5 Power rail failure 3,6 SBIOS flash corruption 3,7 Timeout waiting on ME to reply to HECI message Camera status light: Indicates whether the camera is in use. • Solid white — Camera is in use. • Off — Camera is not in use.
5 Click Reboot to complete disabling your Intel Optane memory and restart your computer. WiFi power cycle If your computer is unable to access the internet due to WiFi connectivity issues a WiFi power cycle procedure may be performed. The following procedure provides the instructions on how to conduct a WiFi power cycle: NOTE: Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) provide a modem/router combo device. 1 Turn off your computer. 2 Turn off the modem. 3 Turn off the wireless router.
