Error occurring on laptop exclusively when the power cord is removed
Error occurring on laptop exclusively when the power cord is removed
Hello! While I am a software engineer, this is definitely not my area, so any help you can give is much appreciated! I'm going to give as much detail as I can here, but if you need more details, let me know. I'm not sure how much of this is related or separate problems.
Laptop: Alienware m17 R5 AMD
OS: Windows 11 Home Edition (checked for updates, it is fully up-to-date)
For some time now (and Dell support has been no help, despite this still being under warranty), the laptop has been booting up directly into the Alienware hardware check utility. It does this because it suspects a hardware issue, but the tests always pass. Windows loads fine after the check. I haven't been able to troubleshoot this as much as I've wanted to, due to some very difficult recent life events.
I finally had some time to do a little debugging and discovered that this only happened when the wireless mouse fob was plugged in, though so far I've only been using the one port I always plug that into. I could reliably reproduce the boot-up hardware check or lack thereof by plugging in or unplugging that fob. I thought, okay, I'll plug other things into the port and test, but before I was able to do that, I had a Zoom meeting. I had a webcam plugged into that port, intending to test the reboot after the Zoom. But, during the Zoom, the webcam sizzled and dimmed. I immediately pulled out the plug from the USB. The webcam is fried, it doesn't work anymore.
This is when the BSODs started. After a little bit of debugging on that, I realized that it only happens when the laptop is unplugged. Again, I can reliably reproduce this; within minutes of unplugging the computer, the BSOD happens. I've had four of them so far. WinDbg analysis gives the same bugcheck code each time, 20001, hypervisor. Dell told me to turn off Hyper-V, but this is Windows 11 Home; there is no Hyper-V on it. They told me to reinstall Chrome and turn off hardware acceleration in the settings. I tried first turning off hardware acceleration, but it didn't help. I haven't reinstalled it yet. I am skeptical that Chrome is the issue, since only one of the BSODs referenced Chrome as the process name. The others are System (twice) and AWCC.Backgroun.
Dell doesn't think this is a hardware issue, so, they are refusing to send a technician out at all. I bought a USB multimeter. Readings so far are between 5.18v and 5.21v from all three USB-A ports, while the laptop is plugged in. No power is coming from the USB-C port at all, but again, I'm not a hardware person, so maybe that's normal. Next, I will try to get MM readings after unplugging the laptop's power cord, see if anything changes there after it is unplugged. Since that will cause a BSOD, I'll come back here and update this with those results.
I've also downloaded and run USBTreeView, a great tool for looking at the USB hierarchy. If there is any data desired from that, let me know and I'll add it here.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer! Have you verified whether your laptop's BIOS requires an update? You might also attempt to reinstall your chipset drivers through an elevated command, such as right-clicking the installer and selecting Run as Administrator. If the device is still under warranty, consider sending it in for an RMA, as this could indicate a problem with the motherboard or power input.
Dell has released the latest firmware yesterday and confirmed it. I tried to explain the process but haven’t installed chipset drivers before. Do you have any guidance on how to do that? Also, thank you for your welcome and the reply! I’m also worried about a hardware problem. The onsite support from Dell is proving challenging. If I collect enough evidence of the issue, perhaps they’ll honor the warranty I paid extra for. I’d prefer to keep working as long as I avoid letting the power cord come out. They offered to send it to a center instead of coming to me, but this is my only computer and it’s essential for my income. I’m patient for the time it takes to fix things. I might consider getting another computer, though I’d rather not incur extra costs right now. I’m also unsure if installing more than one copy of my software (like IntelliJ) would be possible without losing others or facing higher fees, and the setup would take too long before I can resume work. It’s a tough situation.
Here are some questions you might find useful.
Do you notice any issues when no USB ports are connected and the device is powered from battery? Could a sudden flash of light help reveal anything about the USB port—such as debris, bent pins, or missing connections?
If it works when plugged in, it might be due to proper grounding through the power supply or more stable power delivery.
Yes, with no USB connections and using battery power, it triggers the BSOD. I checked inside with a bright light—no debris, bent or missing pins. The battery was changed a few months ago; could this be the cause? Dell suggests reinstalling the entire OS, thinking it's due to the operating system. It's confusing how an OS could damage a webcam and then only show blue screens when using battery power. Is that really possible?
Something new came to mind! Alienware’s Command Center app can adjust hardware settings, like pushing them past standard limits, such as overclocking. I’m curious—could a software like this, if it had problems, lead to issues like this? I can remove it easily and test it, since I mainly use it to change keyboard and mouse light colors. Dell also provides an uninstallation guide with cleanup steps, because it seems many users need to reset it completely.
Ensure you shut down completely, unplug the power brick, take out the battery, and clean the contacts on both the battery and its connection point on the laptop. Try reinstalling and check if it resolves the issue.
My BSOD is less bothersome compared to why your USB stopped working with your camera.
The usual response from Dell suggests you can reset your entire operating system for a faster solution.
Often, the forum here provides assistance without needing extreme measures.
It's been easier than I imagined, thanks! It's been a long time since I worked with hardware or OS/driver level tasks. A lot has changed. My career has taken me higher each year.