Alien ware Command Center - Windows 8.1

The Preboot system assessment will not be able to determine if the IO board is damage that is why it will say that there are no hardware problems. 

Yes, but i have also run the dell system assessment and it also stated that there were no hardware problems so I have absolutley no idea whats wrong. Additionally I have also checked in the device manager and it states that there are no "unknown" devices.

Is there something else I should check that would let me know if there was anything wrong?

Thanks so much

Hi tesla,

Firstly I would like to than you for all your help however I am slightly confused as i am not sure whether or not your talking about the preboot diagnostic or the post one in the system. Additionally is states that there are no unknown devices under the universal serial bus in the device manager

however I have taken a screenshot of the preboot diagnostic? please let me know if you meant something else

however I have taken a screenshot of the preboot diagnostic? please let me know if you meant something else

Yes, that is the right test.

However, notice how MIO-Board is NOT listed in left column? I'm pretty sure that means it is broken and/or offline.

This is what mine looks like, notice

Master I/O Thermal Sensors Detections
MIO Cable
LEDs
Master I/O USB Device

The Preboot system assessment will not be able to determine if the IO board is damage that is why it will say that there are no hardware problems.

I was part of a post 2months ago called MIO board died. To try to help, I tried my test on a working mio board, I took a screenshot. I saw no mio test.

Next I tried my 32-bit diagnostics burned to cd, I received an error. 32-bit media may not work anymore on R4 (or R3?). Tesla showed a screen-shot of his 32-bit diag test. R4 does not have this test in F12 nor will 32-bit diag media work which we use for R1/R2 (like Tesla used).

I do not know how to test your, or my, or anyone's freaking R4 mio board. I'd like to find out, I forgot to look into it 2months ago.

Now what do we all do?

below, pics/text from 'mio board died', confirming R4 has no mio tests I could find. Mine works.

http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/p/19627030/20751482#20751482

On my R4, I hit F12 & I can enter Diagnostics as part of my ePSA test:

R3 & R4 PSA+ vs ePSA

The 32-bit DIAG software isn't on the R3 download page, I could be wrong but I assume if when you hit F12 at the BIOS logo on R3, if you see PSA+ available, maybe you can try the 32-bit DIAG test burned to CD / flashdrive, perhaps as part of your utility partition if you still have one, I do not have one.

I saw no MIO test in there, but, in my build right now I have nothing connected to my #1 USB header. The test knows that too (see above). My mio works however, & until I know more about whether there is a specific mio test in this ePSA, it is possible a bricked or 'dormant' mio may not be detected also as a usb device:

• my mio is on usb#3
• if it were bunk, or acting bunk, I suspect my test here would also say: error on USB#3 etc.

- 32-bit DIAG Error on R4 -

I can not use my 32-bit CD on R4; if you get this error on your R3, try an ePSA if you have that & look for a USB device error, similar to my USB#1 error. Hopefully a more experienced member will tell us what to expect in the ePSA testing for with a mio dead or alive.

Are these not different tests though because the only test screen looks different also referring to the persons post bellow mine?

They are different tests. I posted in your thread:

• to let Tesla know that his advice to run 32-bit diagnostics doesn't seem to work on R4
• to let you know that his screenshot is of the 32-bit test, outside of windows, that you can't run
• it appears to be applicable to R1/R2 (& Area-51 R1) only

you're welcome to try it, but I got a 147 error as you saw.

• Alienware 32-Bit Diagnostics (GUI for Alienware projects), v.A1382A0/A0494, A1382A0
• http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=R267117&fileId=2731113571&osCode=W764&productCode=alienware-aurora-r2&languageCode=EN&categoryId=DI

1. I do not know how to test your, or my, or anyone's freaking R4 mio board. I'd like to find out, I forgot to look into it 2months ago.   2. Now what do we all do?

Cass-Ole,

Thanks for the post, the history, and your work in that other thread. I had no idea that Dell neglected to have proper Diags software written and installed on these machines.

1. Seems that Dell gets another FAIL. 

When they replaced Dell Diagnostics on Alienware desktops with PSA/ePSA, it is missing the functionality to check the MIO-Board. It's missing software module to check a key piece of hardware in every Aurora R4 (and likely R3 as well) ... their flagship gaming desktop thru 2 or more Intel processor cycles.

2. Hope your MIO-Board doesn't go bad or need to be tested.

You will have to skip key "outside of Windows" hardware tests and instead, rely on only in-Windows diagnostics. They not only require Windows, but also Dot-Net. Also, perfectly installed Command-Center and it's un-conventional (mostly hidden) PnP core-driver suite.

I see no updated PSA/ePSA available for download that might provide MIO-Board testing. Since all Aurora's are now discontinued ... nor do I expect one.

Nish, if you live in the US or Canada, try eBay for a replacement master i/o board as a last resort:

• http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=ALIENWARE&LH_PrefLoc=1&_sop=10&_oac=1&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XALIENWARE+AURORA+MASTER.TRS0&_nkw=ALIENWARE+AURORA+MASTER&_sacat=0
• http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=ALIENWARE+AURORA+MASTER&LH_PrefLoc=1&_sop=10&_oac=1&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XALIENWARE+AURORA+i%2Fo.TRS1&_nkw=ALIENWARE+AURORA+i%2Fo&_sacat=0

yours will have a 5-digit part# on it, find what yours is, replace with same. sooner or later you'll need a spare anyway, as a tester or go-to part. this one is V51MH.

note the green jumper in the middle. I posted a how-to for doing a 'jumper reset' on Area-51 in that dead mio post link, find it in my prior post here, Aurora may be similar so perhaps try a jumper reset followed by instances of install/uninstall/reinstall CmndCntr, see if yours responds to this or not, if not, try a replacement as last resort in hopes it works right after you put it in your case.

when my R4 got here, all the exterior lights were white before CmdCntr was installed, pnly then could I change colors. I don't know what to make of your lights being red, if that is a sign you mio is good or not. try the jumper reset and report back. Always make sure your mio usb cable is plugged into the mthrboard & the mio itself

So is there no way of solving my problem??

Thanks so much for all of your replies

twice now I 've come across people inserting the mio usb cable in the top left, when they needed to plug in the bottom right, next to the 4pin power plug. I realize yours worked & then one day stopped working, so if it is plugged into the mio board, make sure the usb cable's inserted into the mthrbrd also.

advice when reinstalling windows is to unplug the mio usb cable during install. afterwards, you'd plug it in, see if windows loads drivers for it, then install CmndCntr (so long as you have the appropriate .net framework in place 3.5/4.0/4.5 etc).

You might try a windows 7 install as a test, perhaps .netframework 4 in place, then CmndCntr

during a windows install, your fans shouldn't be freakishly loud, so are they or were they? they shouldn't be full-blast during as simple a task as accessing the bios either, are they still loud? Loud fans might be a sign the mio board isn't pulsing data back&forth with the mthrbrd.

try a win7 or 8 reinstall, with mio usb cable unplugged from the mthrbrd. when install is over, plug it in, see if drivers load for it, that's what I might try

I got on my R4, ran it & shut down. Unplugged the mio usb cable, tapped F12, ran ePSA, it gave me a usb cable unplugged error, that is all. Also noticed my lights all turned white.

I'm on CmndCntr 3.5, where we note there is no option to change the lights to white. By unplugging the mio usb cable I tried to replicate a faulty mio (one who will not pulse usb data back & forth to the mthrbrd). It is possible that 'white lights' is a sign of trouble, so it might be that your red exterior lights is a sign of life. I do not use win8, so if my mio/CmndCntr was acting up like yours, I would try a win7 reinstall as I described earlier, usb cable unplugged, plug it in after reinstall looking for win7 to install drivers, noting if my lights came on, then install CmndCntr hoping everything acted normal. You might try a similar procedure with win8, knowing you said you tried a reinstall already.

You have red lights, before buying & trying a replacement mio, yours might be salvageable. All I can say at this point is try the jumper reset, the power drain, & instances of Cmnd Cntr install/reinstall on a fresh win7/8 installation. If no good, look for a new mio. I don't know what else to tell you as a free fix & I'd  apologize if a new mio didn't cure your troubles there of course. If the normal steps do not fix this, I'm out of advice, for now anyway, til I hear back after you give us an update

System  Aurora R4 3 years old

Well it is Nov 22 2015 - and we are STILL dealing with this Command Center ***.  The non ALienware people offering solutions (although very appreciated)  ARE shooting in the dark . The Alienware staff is confounded and their only suggestion is "Do a NEW Windows reinstall"  ... After One week of calls I just decided to take matters in my hands.

I noticed that the services for alienware were set to delayed Start(That must have been done by a AW tech)

Also they had Windows set up to start in  SELECTED STARTUP (I have been running the system for 2 years with a test startup) . NORMAL STARTUP is the WAY to run your PC.

AFter the week went by I pulled out tools and started doing it myself and this is what I find.

Some Service Packages from MS WILL slam ALL the Alienware utilities

Obviously DELL & Microsoft are not talking at the right level.

Alienware software is sheer lazy program which does not clean after itself so you MUST manually clean the register of about 92 references

Alienware will install in either in  Program Files or Program Files (86) if you do ANY uninstall through Control Panel  then you can be uninstalling 1 installation but the other is still there.

If you changed the folder to ANYTHING but defaults . YOU ARE IN TROUBLE

If you extract and then run the install YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.

The services of alienware REMAIN  installed and running in delayed mode ( your system performance takes a 15% hit.

Command Center 3.6  has YET a "slight" and new problem it shows your CPU FAN  at 0(ZERO) RPM there's no CPU FAN - So this is for a different model than the Aurora R4 but it pops up randomly.

MY personal resolution  was to manually clean up ALL references to Alienware. DELETE (not stop) the services.

Clean ALL references to Command Center in the registry. Dig up an old 3.5 version of the Command Center. Make sure there's no Alienware install in Program Files or Program Files (86)

check up your .NET frameworks (couple of useful programs out there)

GO TO SLEEP

NEXT DAY (FRESH) do an installation

CRITICAL : If the end of the installation does not end with Command Center installed click OK to REBOOT . (AND THAT TAKES almost an hour) you did NOT installed the Command center properly.

Wait for the reboot .

VOILA .... NO error (about 20 hours work) .

AFter 2 weeks of a perfect boot up - the error appeared again. ! Starting with the:

System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for 'AlienLabs.ThermalControls.Controller.Classes.ThermalControls' threw an exception. --->

I swallowed HARD and COLD BOOTED

The error did NOT appear.

So now it is intermittent when I reboot.

The conclusion here is clear  . NOTHING else I have installed keeps throwing.NET CLASS  exceptions.

My .NET programs are meticulously tested (plenty of software to do this).

MY VS.NET projects go to the client PERFECTLY SOLID and *I* am not even a good programmer.

As per Microsoft THIS is something you should NOT see on any .NET program

AlienLabs.ThermalControls.Controller.Classes 'threw an exception. 

 Clearly ALIENWARE has a VERY poor level of software engineering and we all pay for this.

Hardware wise my system is a MONSTER , I do NOT hear FANS or drives. It is FAST, RELIABLE WELL MADE and probably the BEST $3,400 I have ever spent . BUT trying to keep the "style/looks"  theme whacks everything else out of "perfect" . It is a SHAME  that no one at DELL will ever take care of this problem.