Alienware M18x Service Manual

Service manual

Hide thumbs Also See for Alienware M18x:

User manual (72 pages)

Table Of Contents

Table of Contents

Quick Links

Summary of Contents for Alienware Alienware M18x

Page 1 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.
Page 2: Base Cover
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 3: Battery Pack
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION: To avoid damage to the computer, use only the battery designed for this particular Alienware computer.
Page 4: Before You Begin
Use the following safety guidelines to help protect your computer from potential damage and to help to ensure your own 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 www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer).
Page 5 2. Turn off your computer (see Turning Off Your Computer). CAUTION: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from your computer and then unplug the cable from the network device. 3. Disconnect all telephone or network cables from the computer. ...
Page 6: System Setup
Back to Contents Page System Setup Alienware M18x Service Manual Configuring the System Setup Configuring the System Setup The System Setup options allow you to: Change the system configuration information after you add, change or remove any hardware in your laptop. Set or change a user-selectable option. View the installed amount of memory or set the type of hard drive installed.
Page 7 Displays the memory size installed in DIMM A. Memory Bank 0 Displays the memory size installed in DIMM B. Memory Bank 1 Displays the memory size installed in DIMM C. Memory Bank 2 Displays the memory size installed in DIMM D. Memory Bank 3 ...
Page 8 Ratio Limits Allows you to enable or disable the memory override option support. Memory Override Support Disabled: The memory override support is disabled. Enabled: Displays additional memory override support options. Memory Voltage Allows you to modify memory voltage. Memory Frequency Allows you to modify memory frequency.
Page 9 Back to Contents Page ...
Page 10: Internal Card With Bluetooth Wireless Technology
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 11: Replacing The Bluetooth Card
Replacing the Bluetooth Card 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin 2. Align the screw hole on the Bluetooth card with the screw hole on the system board. 3. Replace the screw that secures the Bluetooth card to the system board. ...
Page 12: Coin-Cell Battery
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 13 CAUTION: Before turning on the computer, replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside the computer. Failure to do so may result in damage to the computer. Back to Contents Page ...
Page 14: Processor Module
Regulatory Compliance Homepage at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer).
Page 15: Replacing The Processor Module
CAUTION: To ensure maximum cooling for the processor module, do not touch the heat-transfer areas on the processor thermal cooling assembly. The oils in your skin can reduce the heat transfer capability of the thermal pads. CAUTION: When removing the processor module, lift the module straight up. Be careful not to bend the pins on the processor module. ...
Page 16: Processor Heat-Sink
If you remove the processor heat-sink from the computer when the heat sink is hot, do not touch the metal housing of the processor heat-sink. CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer).
Page 17 CAUTION: Incorrect alignment of the processor heat-sink can damage the processor. NOTE: The original thermal grease can be reused if the original processor heat-sink is reinstalled. If the processor heat-sink is replaced, use the thermal grease provided in the kit to ensure that thermal conductivity is achieved. ...
Page 18: Processor Heat-Sink Fan
The processor heat-sink may be very hot during normal operation. Ensure that it has had sufficient time to cool before you touch it. CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. ...
Page 19 6. Replace the battery pack (see Replacing the Battery Pack). CAUTION: Before turning on the computer, replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside the computer. Failure to do so may result in damage to the computer. Back to Contents Page ...
Page 20: Display Assembly
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 21 Mini-Card cable routing Mini-Card 12. Note the routing of the antenna cables, and then remove the cables from the routing guides on the computer base. 13. Remove the four screws that secure the display assembly on the computer base. ...
Page 22: Replacing The Display Assembly
display assembly screws (2) 17. Gently slide out the antenna cables through the slot on the computer base. 18. Move the display to a perpendicular position to the computer base, and then lift the display assembly off the computer. Replacing the Display Assembly ...
Page 23: Flashing The Bios
To flash the BIOS: 1. Turn on the computer. 2. Go to support.dell.com/support/downloads. 3. Locate the BIOS update file for your computer: NOTE: The Service Tag for your computer is located on a label at the bottom of the computer.
Page 24: Hard Drive(S)
Dell or Alienware does not guarantee compatibility or provide support for hard drives from sources other than Dell or Alienware. NOTE: If you are installing a hard drive from a source other than Dell or Alienware, you need to install an operating system, drivers, and utilities on the new hard drive.
Page 25 secondary hard drive (HDD 1) interposer primary hard drive (HDD 0) 8. Remove the four screws that secure the primary hard drive (HDD 0) and lift the hard drive out of the hard-drive bracket. 9. Remove the four screws that secure the secondary hard drive (HDD 1) and slide the hard drive out of the hard-drive bracket. hard-drive bracket secondary hard drive (HDD 1) screws (8)
Page 26 10. Connect the hard-drive cable to the connector on the system board and press down on the connector latch to secure the cable. 11. Replace the base cover (see Replacing the Base Cover). 12. Replace the battery pack (see Replacing the Battery Pack).
Page 27: Center Control Cover
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 28: Replacing The Center Control Cover
center control cover CAUTION: Be extremely careful when removing and handling the center control cover. Failure to do so could result in scratching the display panel. 7. Place the center control cover on the palm rest. 8. Lift the connector latch and disconnect the central control cover cable from the connector on the system board. 1 center control cover cable connector ...
Page 29 Back to Contents Page ...
Page 30: Video-Card Heat-Sink Fan(S)
The video-card assembly may be very hot during normal operation. Ensure that it has had sufficient time to cool before you touch it. CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. ...
Page 31 1 secondary video-card heat-sink fan cable 2 secondary video-card heat- connector sink fan 3 captive screws (3) 9. Lift the video-card heat-sink fan(s) along with the cable away from the computer base. Replacing the Video-Card Heat-Sink Fan(s) 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin.
Page 32: Table Of Contents
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.
Page 33: I/O Board
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 34 Replacing the I/O Board 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin. 2. Align the connectors on the I/O board with the slots on the computer base and gently press down on the I/O board. 3. Replace the five screws that secure the I/O board to the computer base. ...
Page 35: Removing The Keyboard
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 36: Replacing The Keyboard
1 keyboard-cable connector 2 keyboard-backlight cable connector 9. Lift the keyboard off the palm-rest assembly. Replacing the Keyboard 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin. 2. Slide the keyboard cable and keyboard-backlight cable into their connectors on the system board, and press down on their connector latches to secure the cables.
Page 37: Status-Light Board
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 38 screw 11. Lift the status-light board off the palm-rest assembly. Replacing the Status-Light Board 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin. 2. Align the slots on the status-light board with the alignment posts on the palm-rest assembly and secure the status-light board in place. ...
Page 39: Removing The Macro Keyboard
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 40: Replacing The Macro Keyboard
1 macro-keyboard cable 2 macro-keyboard backlight-cable connector connector 9. Lift the macro keyboard off the palm-rest assembly. Replacing the Macro Keyboard 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin. 2. Slide the macro-keyboard cable and the macro-keyboard backlight cable into the respective connectors on the system board, and press down on the connector latches to secure the cables.
Page 41: Memory Module(S)
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 42: Replacing The Memory Module(S)
Replacing the Memory Module(s) 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin. NOTE: If you need to install memory modules in two connectors, install a memory module in the lower connector before you install a memory module in the upper connector. ...
Page 43: Wireless Mini-Card
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 44 8. Install the drivers and utilities, if required. NOTE: If you are installing a Mini-Card from a source other than Dell or Alienware, you must install the appropriate drivers and utilities. Back to Contents Page ...
Page 45: Optical Drive
Regulatory Compliance Homepage at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer).
Page 46: Replacing The Optical Drive
14. Remove the five screws that secure the optical-drive bracket to the optical drive. screws (5) optical-drive bracket 15. Remove the optical-drive bracket from the optical drive. 16. Remove the interposer from the optical drive. interposer Replacing the Optical Drive ...
Page 47 13. Replace the base cover (see Replacing the Base Cover). 14. Replace the battery pack (see Replacing the Battery Pack). CAUTION: Before turning on the computer, replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside the computer. Failure to do so may result in damage to the computer.
Page 48: Palm Rest
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 49: Replacing The Palm Rest
11. Remove the three screws that secure the palm-rest assembly to the computer base. screws (3) palm-rest assembly 12. Turn the computer over. 13. Remove the six screws that secure the palm-rest assembly to the computer base. ...
Page 50 5. Replace the three screws that secure the palm-rest assembly to the computer base. 6. Connect the power-button cable, status-light board cable, speaker-LED board cable, touch-pad cable, and video-card connector cable to the respective connectors on the system board. ...
Page 51: Power-Button Board
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 52 5. Replace the center control cover (see Replacing the Center Control Cover). 6. Replace the base cover (see Replacing the Base Cover). 7. Replace the battery pack (see Replacing the Battery Pack). CAUTION: Before turning on the computer, replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside the computer. Failure to do so may result in damage to the computer.
Page 53: Removing The Speakers
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 54: Replacing The Speakers
Replacing the Speakers 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin. 2. Align the screw holes on the speakers with the screw holes on the computer base and replace the four screws that secure the speakers to the computer base.
Page 55: Removing The Subwoofer
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 56 5. Replace the 11 screws that secure the system board to the computer base. 6. Slide the optical drive cable into the connector on the system board and press down on the connector latch to secure the cable. ...
Page 57: System Board
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal surface (such as a connector on your computer). CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. CAUTION:...
Page 58: Replacing The System Board
21. Disconnect the speaker cable and the subwoofer cable from the connectors on the system board. 22. Lift the connector latch and disconnect the optical-drive cable from the connector on the system board. speaker-cable connector subwoofer-cable connector optical-drive cable connector ...
Page 59: Entering The Service Tag In The Bios
10. Replace the video card(s) (see Replacing the Video Card(s)). 11. Replace the video-card heat-sink(s) (see Replacing the Video-Card Heat- Sink(s)). 12. Replace the Bluetooth card (see Replacing the Bluetooth Card). 13. Replace the palm-rest assembly (see Replacing the Palm Rest).
Page 60 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.
Page 61: Video Card(S)
The video-card assembly may be very hot during normal operation. Ensure that it has had sufficient time to cool before you touch it. CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. ...
Page 62 secondary video card screws (2) 11. Lift and slide the video-card(s) out to disconnect it from the connector on the system board. Replacing the Video Card(s) 1. Follow the instructions in Before You Begin. 2. Insert the video card connector at a 45-degree angle into the connector on the system board. ...
Page 63: Video-Card Heat-Sink(S)
The video-card assembly may be very hot during normal operation. Ensure that it has had sufficient time to cool before you touch it. CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. ...
Page 64 captive screws (4) secondary video-card heat-sink Replacing the Video-Card Heat-Sink(s) CAUTION: Incorrect alignment of the video-card heat-sink(s) can damage the video card(s). NOTE: You can reuse the original thermal grease if you are reinstalling the original video-card heat-sink(s). If you are installing a replacement video-card heat-sink, use the thermal grease provided in the kit to ensure that thermal conductivity is achieved.

Alienware M18x Service Manual

Quick Links

Related Manuals for Alienware Alienware M18x

Summary of Contents for Alienware Alienware M18x

Table of Contents