Keyboard / BIOS Issue - Alienware PC

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 10 Jan 2009 Posts: 1

Hi There,

Apoligies about this being my first post in this area, I have a real serious problem I could do with some help with.

My son is out of town for a few days and his Alienware Laptop BIOS failed. They says it is under the keyboard and needs a trained engineer to do this as it will cost at least 70 bucks plus shipping.

I thought I could help him and offered to do this before he returns. I have tried looking under the keyboard, please see attached picture but I cannot find where this is?

I assume I am looking for a round battery???

Also, the keys are not clicking straight back into place - is there a method I should use to do this?

I apprichate any help here as he's not excatly going to be very happy with me and I only have a couple of days to get this sorted.

I'll not touch his stuff again once sorted, I think I've learnt my lesson here to not be so tight.

Thank you.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Put the laptop on the top rack of a dishwasher and run it through a regular cycle. Do NOT add any soap, that will mess things up. Check in after that and I will walk you through the process of re-flashing your BIOS.

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:52 pm

Y´know... I guess you should´ve gotten to the BIOS through the bottom of the PC, the fact that it´s under the keyboard doesn´t mean it´s accessible through the keyboard...
I don't know how much force it took you to get the key's of, but I'm guessing they aren't supposed to come off. Also, after a few key's it should've been fairly obvious that there was no chip-like stuff underneath it.

All in all, I don't think trying to fix a computer is such a good idea when you don't know too much about it, maybe you should've looked it up on the internet before trying anything. As for the BIOS, you'll probably find it somewhere on the motherboard, if you google for the PC's specs you might find what kind of motherboard it has and googling the motherboard might reveal you where the BIOS is?
Maybe 2 days is not too late to bring the thing over to someone who can fix it...

EDIT: The thing doesn't even look alienware-like...
EDIT2: Alternative, cheap solution. Paste the keys on the inside of one side of a binder. On the other side draw a screen. It's bound to work, example image here

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:13 pm

Hey MoP where did you get that photo of MY PC from Laughing

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:20 pm

Sadly I think MoP is right. By saying "under the keyboard" they do NOT mean prise all the buttons off. Getting them back on will be nigh on impossible.

Usually you can Google instructions (try something like "reset BIOS alienware laptop" or some such, until you get a hit.

On most laptops the keyboard is removed by removing a strip of plastic between the keyboard and the screen, then unscrewing some screws. However on some the whole process of accessing the battery requires going in the back as well. I would have gone with the $70 option. Sorry

ETA - on the bright side, you can get a whole replacement keyboard, so you don't have to throw the laptop away.

My advice is to package it up with $70 and the cost of a new keyboard and send it away.

Then take your son out for an ice-cream, a new car or a hooker - whatever will calm him down - and call this an expensive lesson.

(And that's why we charge $90/hour for what we do)

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:21 pm

The BIOS is a small rudimentary operating system (basic input/output system) stored on a chip on the computer's motherboard, not a battery. It checks the hardware, then starts Windows booting up.
The keyboard should come out in one piece and removing all the key caps won't help.
Sorry, but I think you are out of your depths and that you will only cause more harm if you proceed.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

My son is out of town for a few days and his Alienware Laptop BIOS failed. They says it is under the keyboard and needs a trained engineer to do this as it will cost at least 70 bucks plus shipping. Wink

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 12:36 pm

www.pchelpforum.com; forum.notebookreview.com; 419eater.com - yeah, that makes sense: all good computer sites! Very Happy

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:57 pm

HOW ARE YOU TODAY, FINE I HOPE. THIS EMAIL MAY COME AS SOME SURPRISE TO YOU BUT IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT YOU HAVE BEEN THE VICTIM OF AN ONLINE BIOS SCAM. I HAVE BEEN APPOINTED BY BARACK OBAMA TO HELP YOU IN THE RECOVERING OF YOUR FAILED BIOS. PLEASE REMIT YOUR $750.00 RECLAMATION FEE VIA WESTERN UNION AND WE WILL GUARANTEE THE RETURN OF YOUR BIOS IN PERFECTLY WORKING CONDITIONS. THIS OFFER IS 100% RISKY FREE.

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:02 pm

Welcome to Eater, Hammer09. Read the sticky keys, and slim those batteries safely.

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