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Alienware m15 R2, m17 R2 and Alienware Area-51m Cannot Detect the Alienware Graphics Amplifier

Summary: How to resolve an issue with Alienware graphics amplifier not detected on Alienware m15 R2, m17 R2 or Area-51m laptop.

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Symptoms

Symptom

Alienware m15 R2, m17 R2, and Area-51m cannot detect the Alienware graphics amplifier when it is connected to the computer. Windows device manager shows a yellow notification error for the graphics card under Display adapters.
SLN321292_en_US__1alienware-graphics-amplifier-device-manager-driver-error
Figure 1: Illustration of graphics driver error in Windows Device Manager

Affected systems

  • Alienware m15 R2
  • Alienware m17 R2
  • Alienware Area-51m

Solution

To resolve this issue, download and install the latest Nvidia graphics driver from Dell Drivers & downloads website.

SLN321292_en_US__2icon Note: Dell recommends downloading the drivers for your Dell computer, printer, tablet, and other Dell devices from Dell Drivers & downloads website.
  1. Browse to the Dell Drivers & downloads page:
  2. Select the Operating System.
  3. Under Category, select Video.
  4. Locate the latest Nvidia graphics driver.
  5. Click Download and save the file to your computer.
  6. Insert the graphics card into the Alienware graphics amplifier and power on the Alienware graphics amplifier.
  7. Connect the Alienware graphics amplifier to the computer.
  8. Open File Explorer and browse to the location where the downloaded file is saved.
  9. Double-click the Nvidia graphics driver setup file and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

Affected Products

Alienware Area-51m, Alienware M15 R2, Alienware M17 R2