asked on

Recovering data from a dead Alienware 17 R4 laptop to move to another Alienware 17 R4.

I have an Alienware laptop 17 R4. It died on me because of either a battery or power cable issue. I still had it under warrantee and Dell was going to fix it but the parts are on back order until the end of May (maybe). They have offered to send me a refurbished replacement with the same warranty as the one I have now. The issue is that I have some files on my desktop that I want but since the current system will not boot any suggestions. It has a 512GB PCIE SSD and a 1TB RPM Hard Drive. I thought about just switching the storage devices to the other unit and get everything I want from it. Would switching the storage devices work?

Andrew Porter

You could hook the HDDs up as a slave to another machine, or move them to another unit, although I think the first option would be the path of least resistance.

Richard Brown

ASKER

I thought about just switching the storage devices to the other unit and get everything I want from it. Would switching the storage devices work?

CompProbSolv

If the model of the new system is the same as the old and you aren't using Bitlocker (or any other encryption), it should work.

nobus

i would not try that - i would just hook it up withan usb3 adapter

Wesley Miller

You say could be "because of either a battery or power cable issue"
1.) Try disconnecting the Battery and just power it up on the AC with No battery.
If it is the battery then it should power on.
2.) The AC power brick usually has a Green Light on it that lights up to show it has power getting to it.
Then it could be the plug that that comes from the AC brick, inspect it usually there is a small needle like pin inside of the barrel that may have got bent.

If it powers up then you can transfer your data to a USB drive.

Richard Brown

ASKER

If I hook it up using USB3 adapter, would I be able to see files that are on my desktop?

Richard Brown

ASKER

"1.) Try disconnecting the Battery and just power it up on the AC with No battery.
If it is the battery then it should power on." The Alienware's battery is internal.

2.) The AC power brick usually has a Green Light on it that lights up to show it has power getting to it. It has the Green Light but when I plug it into the laptop the Green Light goes out. If I unplug it from the Laptop and unplug it from the wall and then plug it back into the wall the Green Light comes back on until I try plugging it into the Laptop again.

Wesley Miller

if you plug it into the laptop and light goes out them that is a good indication the internal battery is bad. Look on the bottom of the laptop for a pin size hole, that you could stick the end of a paperclip into. That will usially do a battery disconnect, then with laptop unplugged hold the power button to the count of 15. Plug in power see if the green light on adapter stays on. If it does then battery is issue. Try powering up to see if maybe it will power on after the full reset just done.

CompProbSolv

@nobus
If they are the same make and model, why wouldn't you simply move the storage devices?

@Richard
Yes, if you connected either drive with a USB adapter, you'll be able to access the files, assuming your drive isn't encrypted.

Richard Brown

ASKER

Look on the bottom of the laptop for a pin size hole, that you could stick the end of a paperclip into. It does not have the pin hole but I took the back off and disconnected the battery. Then I did the static discharge by holding the power key for 15 seconds. It didn't help.

Richard Brown

ASKER

I am told that it will have the same components in it.

CompProbSolv

The fact that the light goes off on the power supply when connected to the laptop says that the power supply is not capable of powering the laptop. This could either be a problem in the power supply or a condition in the laptop that is overloading the supply. A failed (shorted) battery was a possibility, but if you removed it and the symptom persists, that's not the issue.

Do you know if they are also replacing the power supply? If so, I'd try it first on your existing laptop.

Richard Brown

ASKER

They are replacing the power supply. I plan to attempt to use the power supply first. I haven't tried removing the battery because it is internal. I might attempt that since they are sending another machine anyway.

CompProbSolv

I wouldn't bother with removing the battery. If that were the issue, the system would have worked when you disconnected the battery.

nobus

here's how to remove the battery, and open the alptop : Alienware 17 R4 Battery Replacement - iFixit reparatiehandleiding
>> If they are the same make and model, why wouldn't you simply move the storage devices? << with an usb connection, you don't need to open both laptops- only one,

it can be a bad AC adapter or a bad battery, or mobo still; only way to know is by replacing them

Wesley Miller

Looking at Fixit link seems there is no external way to disconnect the batterry.
See if it has this feature per the below steps to power on into diagnostics mode:works:
Certain Dell Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, and Precision laptops are equipped with a motherboard built-in self-test (M-BIST). M-BIST is a built-in diagnostic tool that helps identify system board embedded controller (EC) failures. M-BIST must be manually initiated before Power-On Self-Test (POST) process and can be initiated on a Dell laptop that is not able to power on.

Note: The motherboard built-in self-test (M-BIST) feature is available only on select Dell Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, and Precision laptops.

Press and hold the M key and power button on the keyboard.
Check the battery status LED: Note: To learn about the location of the battery status LED, see the User Manualof your Dell laptop.
- If an error is identified, the battery status LED will turn amber. Contact Dell Technical Support for repair options.
- If there is no error, the battery status LED will remain off.