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Black screen after BIOS update for Alienware desktop Area51 series

Summary: If you experience a delay in POST/black screen following a BIOS update this can be expected. Please read this article for more information.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

On certain Alienware Area51 desktops after BIOS update the display monitor may show a black screen and the keyboard has no function or no light for a few minutes.  

The specific platforms are:

  • Alienware Area-51 R4 and R5 
  • Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition R3 and R6 
  • Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition R7

Cause

Cause information is not available.

Resolution

This is the expected behavior of the system and we recommend that you wait for approximately 300 seconds (depending on system configuration) for POST to complete.

If the black screen lasts over 300 seconds please follow the steps in our BIOS recovery article to ensure the update was processed correctly.

For information on updating your BIOS, refer to KB article Dell BIOS and UEFI Update Download and Installation Guide

Affected Products

Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition R3 and R6, Alienware Area-51 R4 and R5, Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition R7
Article Properties
Article Number: 000142994
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 17 Feb 2025
Version:  7
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