Alienware P18G M14X R1 Troubleshooting

When trying to listen to music on the computer you cannot hear any sound.

The volume setting could be set to off. Press Start → Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Adjust System Volume. Make sure the volume slider is all the way at the top and then test computer sound again. If there is still no sound it is a faulty speaker.

No sound is coming out of the speaker when all volume settings are up, means the speakers could be defective/broken and need to be replaced.

Computer dies fast, not able to charge, or completely won’t start anymore.

Make sure the power adapter is plugged in correctly and the red charging light is showing. If there is no light when plugging in the power adapter consider replacing it.

When using the computer and it says (ex. 23%) then randomly shuts off, even though you are not running heavy programs that consume all of its ram, this points to a faulty battery. Computer loses charge rapidly. Computer will not even turn on when charging it. All of these are signs of battery failure because it could have reached its maximum recharge cycles. Heat can also damage the battery over time. Replace the battery using this Battery Replacement guide.

The computer could have a completely uncharged battery, so plug it in and let it charge for at least 1 hour to get almost a full charge in the battery. Then try turning on the computer while the charger is still in. If the computer still won't turn on, then consider replacing the device because many internal components could be broken.

When inserting a CD/DVD/Disc into the computer, it will not show up on the desktop.

Optical drives have a lot of mechanical components inside that are made out of plastic. Over time these parts can break and cause the optical drive to get stuck and not function properly any more. In this case you will need to take apart the computer and replace the optical drive.

If your optical drive opens and it is not able to read/recognize discs then this could mean a faulty optical drive. Dust particles, time or even a sudden drop/shake can eventually lead to mechanical components failing the optical drive, resulting in the computer not being able to read DVDs, and CD/Discs. Replace the optical drive using this Optical Drive Replacement guide.

Computer gets very hot when using heavy programs.

Over time dust builds up in the vents of the computer trapping heat in, causing the internal components to over heat. This will lead to your battery, and CPU getting very hot to point where it will start to damage the internal components. In this case you will need to take apart the computer, and use a can of compressed air to blow away the dust from the vents and other internal components.

Usually when a computer gets very hot it is because of the cooling fan not working properly. Dust particles build up on the fan blades and clog the center axle which messes up the balance when the fan rotates, leading to the fan failing. This problem causes the computer to overheat, because if the fan is broken there isn't anything to cool down the internals of the computer. This problem leads to replacing the cooling fan in the computer.

If your computer's cooling fan is working properly, the vents are clean, and your computer still overheats then this means the thermal paste could be degrading. You will need to take the computer apart and reapply new thermal paste on the heat sink.

Computer is showing dead pixels on the screen or flickering.

Having the most recent update for your graphics card driver is important to reassure your screen is working properly. If you are having any flickering problems with your screen you should update your graphics card driver. To do so: Press Start → Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Device Manager. Under the "display adapters" you will see the information regarding your graphics card. Use this information to look up the most recent update download for the driver on the web and install it.

Dropping the laptop can cause pixels to fail in the interior screen and can also cause the exterior screen to crack. If your computer screen is showing black or rainbow lines which block actual images on the screen, means it is a faulty screen assembly which will need to be replaced.

Applications are running very slow.

If you have not reboot your computer in a while there is going to be a lot of programs that are running in the background constantly using your ram. This limits the amount of ram for the applications you are using and actually need. Rebooting your computer will free your ram from any excess background programs. To do so: Press Start → Power → Shutdown. Then let your computer be turned of for at least 1 minute and then turn it back on. This will also allow the computer to cool down from constant usage.

Using almost all of your hard drive space will reduce the performance of your computer. Free hard drive space acts as virtual memory for programs to use when swapping files. This makes the programs run smoothly. In this case if you have little free hard drive space your computer will slow down and run less efficiently. To fix this problem you should go through your computer files and delete any junk files or games that you don't play anymore. Your goal should be to have as much free hard drive space as possible with deleting any important files.

If your computer is running very slowly when using heavy applications, the computer does not have enough ram. In order to improve performance, you will need to upgrade the ram in the computer, which means taking the computer apart. This will increase your performance and your computer will run much faster when gaming or using heavy applications. Replace the RAM using this RAM Replacement guide.

The computer is unable to read files.

If your computer can not read files properly and keeps saying files are corrupted, also if you are not able to install other programs into the computer then this means your hard drive is faulty. In order to fix this problem you will need to replace the hard drive. Replace the hard drive using this Hard Drive Replacement guide.