I have an Alienware X51 desktop running Windows 10 and it won't power on anymore after I got a blue screen of death (code DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL; with the new windows BSOD this is all the information I got).
When starting the computer, the fans and lights turn on but there is no video and no beeps. I've tried leaving it on for about 20 minutes to see if anything happened but there was nothing. I have tested the monitor, HDMI cable, mouse and keyboard and they all work fine.
As I don't have a lot of experience with this, I would like to know your thoughts. Does this indicate what is broken exactly (graphics card, motherboard, etc.)? What do you recommend I try before replacing parts?
EDIT: It's a 2013 Alienware X51 R1 with all its original parts. After some digging I found my original system configuration.
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You need to systematically troubleshoot in order to nail down to the root issue. First disconnect HDD, DVD and any external devices. If you have on board Graphics, remove PCIe card and plug monitor cable to on board. Just mobo, CPU RAM and keyboard and boot. If still the same issue, remove RAM sticks and boot. Does it give Beeps then your CPU should be fine. Clean RAM slots and try reinserting RAM one by one and alter the slots and retry. If it boots and you can enter Firmware, then start attaching components one by one and try again. Above are just one of the troubleshooting options.– patkimFeb 18, 2017 at 14:46
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An exact year/model would be handy. If it lights up, its slightly less likely its the power supply but there's not enough information to tell.– Journeyman Geek ♦Feb 18, 2017 at 14:58
1 Answer
Unfortunately, HDMI output is ready post POST. (Sorry for the pun). Assuming all hardware components is good, speculating, Windows might have lost the setting to output to the secondary display (i.e., HDMI) after the BSOD.
If there is an old 15-pin video cable and a monitor to connect to via cable, boot the machine up to see what is on-screen. If you are lucky, you should be able to see the machine/Windows happily boot completely and waiting for login credentials. If so, log in and switch the display output to secondary display. (Windows shortcut: Windows key+P).
Note: The Windows shortcut also works before login. It can be used without the cable/monitor diagnostic above but it will need to be done blindly, assuming it boots to Windows. It may require several attempts and iterations of left/right arrow keys.
Hopefully, this helps and avoids possible hardware replacement. If it still fails to boot and there are error messages (hopefully visible) during the boot process, then a different approach can be taken (e.g., booting to safe mode).
Good luck.
