: POST Issue After Windows Insider Crash (Attempted CMOS Reset, BIOS Recovery, etc.)
: POST Issue After Windows Insider Crash (Attempted CMOS Reset, BIOS Recovery, etc.)
Hey there,
I’m facing a major problem with my Alienware m15 R3 and am reaching out for advice. Here’s what happened:
Event Sequence:
The green screen appeared, indicating data collection. I forced a restart because it had been unresponsive for some time. After that, the laptop entered a Dell hardware diagnostic mode. It started testing memory and the hard drive—though I’m not sure which component was affected—but it became stuck at 100%. I then force shut it down again. The next time I tried, it froze at 29% during the same diagnostics for two attempts, so I had to restart once more. After leaving the laptop off for a day and trying again, it wouldn’t even boot properly—what I think is a complete no POST state.
What I’m experiencing:
The laptop powers on with fans running loudly, but nothing shows up on screen. The Caps Lock key doesn’t work or change, and the keyboard feels unresponsive. USB devices like the mouse and keyboard don’t receive power—no lights or activity detected. There’s no Alienware splash screen or any BIOS/UEFI boot signal; just a blank display.
Steps I’ve tried to fix it:
- Drained any remaining power by holding the power button for 30 seconds with the battery and charger disconnected.
- Reset the RTC clock as Dell recommended.
- Used BIOS recovery via USB and the Ctrl+Esc method (no response, likely USB ports won’t power up).
- Removed the internal battery and left it out for over 20 minutes (since the m15 R3 doesn’t have a dedicated CMOS battery).
- Repeated the CMOS/RTC reset process several times.
System Details:
- Alienware m15 R3
- 32GB RAM (likely soldered, so can’t be replaced)
- Two SSDs: one with Windows 11, one with Ubuntu 22.04
- RTX 2070 graphics card
I’m at a loss and think the system is stuck in a no POST or completely powered-off condition. Anyone else had a similar issue? Would you recommend any additional steps I should try? Your help would be really appreciated.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
This laptop has 32GB RAM (it seems to be soldered in, so you can't re-seat it), and I found a motherboard for it.
You should have two x86 laptops with 16GB sticks; try using one stick at a time on either slot.
It's likely your motherboard is damaged.
Thank you for your assistance, though I think you might have confused the 15 R3 motherboard with the M15 R3 motherboard, which includes soldered RAM.