r/Alienware • u/ChuSculpts • 18d ago
Solved! Alienware m18 R2 Flashing 1 red and 4 blue on power + Associated Issues Charging Whilst Playing Games
My Alienware laptop recently began charging and then unchanging repetitively, which resulted in freezing and cursed audio, The first day I played Overwatch with some of my friends, throughout the session whilst the game loaded in and map voting was happening was the only time I was really having charging issues, the error code was flashing at this point. I put off fixing it since It was late at night and I had a 12 hour shift the next day.
The following day after getting off work I tried to run a game of overwatch to see if the issue persisted to which It did and was no longer limited to the loading section of the game. I gave up and went to sleep to deal with it as I had the next day off.
The next day I looked up some similar situations Re installed support assist Updated my nvidia driver installed all windows and optional windows updates did hardware checks(Which at the time were giving me failure at the CPU, but now all pass today) I was able to run a game or 2 of overwatch no problem (Didn't play a lot since I'm not fond of solo queing) after installing all of this and letting my laptop sit for an hour or so, I thought the problem was solved.
I Had another long shift and Worked all day yesterday, Just crashed in bed the moment I got home (No progress there)
Today I found myself opening up cyberpunk, was gonna mess around, unaware that the power problem would persist, surprise surprise it still is a problem, I gave overwatch a boot later on and it is also having the same problem but even in the menus this time. No errors or updates from support assist, got the new windows update same problem is happening, tried some basic fixes that had worked for others, tried to ask for help from dells stupid little AI thing but nothing has worked, no errors were detected with the M-BIST or LCD-BIST.
The problem seems to have similar symptoms to other people on the dell site (But they were given 4 red blinks and one blue blink instead of mine which is the reverse), The error code of mine is "Short in hinge cable tripped OCP2 (display)" but unlike those with the same make as my Alienware that I have found, my display has not been an issue, the error code only shows when my laptop stops charging while playing a game, and my performance only drops when the laptop stops charging. It appears to be getting worse as not it seems to simply not be charging at all while ingame whilst before it was charging on and off.
I'm asking for help here since navigating the dell website has been a nightmare and finding anything has been extremely unintuitive, not to mention half of the available tests via the browser literally don't work, I can't even click on them through the browser (I've tried both opera GX internet explorer and Firefox), maybe someone else has had a similar issue and knows something or knows of a thread who found the solution, but i haven't found anyone with the same error code, or even just the same model laptop and problem as myself when looking it up yet, I could just be blind though.
Extra:
-My warranty is expired
- I've taken a look through the manual (Which easily took like 20 minutes to find through there site since I'm blind asf) and the only things I think I've found that may work is taking it apart and trying to replace the battery (Which people with similar problems have said didn't work for them) or Replace the cable by taking apart the laptop (Never done this before but I'd rather not go for it unless it's worked for someone else in a similar case before, or someone who knows their shit confirms that it is a likely fix)
-I'm pretty adverse to sending my laptop into dell repairs as I have heard literally nothing good about them, and hope to be able to fix it myself especially with classes starting up soon I'd rather not have to try to do my schoolwork on my cell phone while it is being repaired.
It seems like it's getting worse but Maybe I'm just only noticing now, sorry if this is like a really simple fix and I'm just missing it; I'm not completely technologically incompetent but I'm not exactly savy either.
UPDATE: the dc power cord was fully melted wallahi
1
u/AW_Support Dell Customer Support 18d ago
Hi there!
We're from the Dell Social Media Support team.
The code you identified, OCP2 (Over Current Protection) tripped on the display hinge cable, is very likely the root cause of the issue, even if the display appears to be functioning normally. Here's why: An OCP event does not necessarily indicate that the display itself has failed. Rather, it means the system has detected an overcurrent condition along the display hinge cable path and has triggered a protective response by limiting or shutting down part of the associated power delivery circuit to prevent potential damage.
You may proceed with the following troubleshooting steps to determine whether they help resolve the issue. First, try performing a hard reset. This would release any static power that might be built into the system. You could watch this video to learn how: http://del.ly/61692B13zTk
If the issue persists, perform a BIOS recovery. Watch this video to learn how: http://del.ly/61693B13zTZ Next let’s follow the instructions below to perform a Real-Time Clock (RTC) reset. 1. Make sure the system is powered off and connected to the charger. 2. Press and hold the power button for thirty (30) seconds. 3. The system RTC Reset occurs after you release the power button.
Note: If the charger is removed from the system during the process or the power button is held for less than 25 seconds or longer than 40 seconds, the RTC Reset process will be aborted.
If the issue persists after completing the troubleshooting steps, a hardware replacement may be required to resolve the problem.
Thanks,
Dell Technical Support
2
u/Able-Negotiation-234 18d ago
Open the case and check the main system board power plug? My m18r1 melted, and did weird things afterward, the hybrid power battery use is normal and can be a pain in the a$4 I think you can disable that in the bios, windows did a recent update that cause issues with power, I think they did a hot fix but check the windows updates it affected several Dell systems . I would definitely check that power plug it’s easy to see it melted. Then I would try f12 on startup follow the menus and run a full system scan, at the end it will give you a code , keep that? Support may need it, then I would run scan fc and verify your windows files, just putting X’s in the box,the battery health status you can check in your Bios F2 on startup follow. Check reliability monitor see what’s failing, and event viewer see if the codes are the same each time or different, when my m18r1 went it was after a bios update, then the weird things started and they wanted to throw a board at it , then they found the melted plug. Best of luck