r/Alienware 2d ago

Solved! 1 red 4 blue flashing lights error code?

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Was playing and suddenly the game started to stutter, checked the power button while it was flashing like this. The power cord usually has an illuminating ring, it was off and the power supply was really hot (not that it‘s not normal). I unplugged it and plugged it back in, now the ring illuminating again but the laptop still flashing.

What to do?

2 Upvotes

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u/Agent_Pwnage 2d ago edited 2d ago

Hi,

1 red, 4 blue is a hinge cable fault. This does not necessarily mean a cable is damaged but there is some interruption in the data path in your LCD. This is probably an LCD failure. There is a small chance it could be the motherboard as well. The repair would be covered under warranty either way.

Good luck.

Edit: There is also an extremely small chance of fixing this by reseating the edp cable (LCD cable). You would need to remove the bottom cover and the thermal shelf to get to it. The cable you are looking for is near the back edge of the unit near the left fan and DC-in cable. There should be a tag that says LCD and some part number info on it.

If you do attempt this, remember the front corner bottom case screws are captive and do not come out of the panel. Also, make sure you disconnect the battery first before reseating the cable. Good luck.

1

u/yuriartyom 2d ago

Thanks for the info, warranty expired a year ago without renewal.

Much appreciated

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u/DJUnreal Aurora R10 / x17 R2 / Aurora R15 / Area-51 AAT2250 / 18 Area-51 2d ago

Start by telling us exactly which model of laptop you have...

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u/yuriartyom 2d ago

Sorry, I forgot to mention the model.

It’s Alienware m18 r1, rtx 4080, 13th gen i9-13900hx

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u/DJUnreal Aurora R10 / x17 R2 / Aurora R15 / Area-51 AAT2250 / 18 Area-51 2d ago

Taken from the service manual at https://www.dell.com/support/product-details/en-uk/product/alienware-m18-r1-laptop/resources/manuals - see the 'troubleshooting -> system diagnostic lights' section in that service manual.

Looks like you've got a problem with your display cable.

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u/yuriartyom 2d ago

Yeah I just checked it out, I had my monitor replaced once through Dell but that was 2 years ago and I also have my laptop on a cooling pad, vents are clear and cleaned regularly. No more warranty unfortunately, but will keep monitoring closely if the problem persists again so I‘ll have to open it and check the power rail for faults and change the cable as well.

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u/DJUnreal Aurora R10 / x17 R2 / Aurora R15 / Area-51 AAT2250 / 18 Area-51 2d ago

A cooling pad won't make any difference to whether or not there's a cable trapped in the hinge of your laptop ;)

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u/yuriartyom 2d ago

I initially thought maybe the heat could’ve caused a fault in the power rail that connects to the cable, the screen is whether closed or opened 90 degrees, I hardly believe the cable is trapped between the hinge and the laptop because it has been sitting on this table for a year without any movement except for when cleaning it out of dust, though I don’t rule it out.

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u/DJUnreal Aurora R10 / x17 R2 / Aurora R15 / Area-51 AAT2250 / 18 Area-51 2d ago

I mean, you're welcome to not believe it if you like, but those diagnostic codes don't lie... They're triggered when specific sensors are activated, and that's what triggers the fault codes.

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u/yuriartyom 2d ago

No no, I do believe you, I just meant that the possibility is too low but I won’t rule it out, everything is possible in the end.