Dell Alienware M17x Service Guide

							CHAPTER 14: INPUT/OUTPUT BOARD 
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CHAPTER 13: INPUT/OUTPUT BOARD
CHAPTER 14: INPUT/OUTPUT BOARD 
						

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CHAPTER 14: INPUT/OUTPUT BOARD 
Removing the Input/Output Board
Follow the instructions in “Before You Begin” on page 1. 6.
Remove the battery pack (see “Removing the Battery Pack” on page 2. 11).
Remove the center control cover (see “Removing the Center Control Cover” 3. on page 33).
Remove the keyboard (see “Removing the Keyboard” on page 4. 38).
Remove the palm rest (see “Removing the Palm Rest” on page 5. 42).
Remove the left and right brackets (see “Removing the Brackets” on 6. page 47).
Remove the magnesium cover (see “Removing the Magnesium Cover” on 7. page 50).
Input/Output Board
WARNING:  Before  working  inside  your  computer,  read  the  safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices  information,  see  the  Regulatory  Compliance  Homepage  at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. 
CAUTION:  To  avoid  electrostatic  discharge,  ground  yourself  by  using  a wrist  grounding  strap  or  by  periodically  touching  an  unpainted  metal surface (such as a connector on the back of the computer). 
CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell™ is not covered by your warranty. 
CAUTION: To help prevent damage to the system board, remove the main battery  (see  “Removing  the  Battery  Pack”  on  page 11)  before  working inside the computer.  
						

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CHAPTER 14: INPUT/OUTPUT BOARD 
Disconnect the speaker cable, right speaker light cable, and audio cable from 9. the respective connectors on the system board and remove the cables from the routing guides. 
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2
354
1speaker cable connector4earthing cable
2right speaker light cable connector5audio cable connector
3input/output board
Release the connector latches on both ends of the ExpressCard cable and 8. remove the cable.
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1input/output board2ExpressCard cable 
						

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CHAPTER 14: INPUT/OUTPUT BOARD 
Replacing the Input/Output Board
Place the input/output board in the computer base. 1. 
Replace the earthing cable and the three screws that secure the input/2. output board to the system board.
Route and connect the speaker cable, right speaker light cable, and audio 3. cable to the respective system board connectors.
Slide the ExpressCard cable into the connector and pull down the connector 4. latches at both ends of the ExpressCard cable to secure the cable to the connectors.
Replace the magnesium cover (see “Replacing the Magnesium Cover” on 5. page 51).
Replace the left and right brackets (see “Replacing the Brackets” on page 6. 47).
Replace the palm rest (see “Replacing the Palm Rest” on page 7. 44).
Replace the keyboard (see “Replacing the Keyboard” on page 8. 39).
Replace the center control cover (see “Replacing the Center Control Cover” 9. on page 35).
Replace the battery pack (see “Replacing the Battery Pack” on page 10. 11). 
CAUTION: Before turning on the computer, replace all screws and ensure that  no  stray  screws  remain  inside  the  computer.  Failure  to  do  so  may result in damage to the computer.
Remove the three screws that secure the input/output board to the system 10. board and remove the earthing cable. 
Tilt the input/output board at an angle and lift it out of the computer base.11. 
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2
3
1screws (3)3earthing cable
2input/output board 
						

							CHAPTER 15: OPTICAL DRIVE 
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CHAPTER 14: OPTICAL DRIVE
CHAPTER 15: OPTICAL DRIVE 
						

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CHAPTER 15: OPTICAL DRIVE 
Removing the Optical Drive
Follow the instructions in “Before You Begin” on page 1. 6.
Remove the battery pack (see “Removing the Battery Pack” on page 2. 11).
Remove the center control cover (see “Removing the Center Control Cover” 3. on page 33).
Remove the keyboard (see “Removing the Keyboard” on page 4. 38).
Remove the palm rest (see “Removing the Palm Rest” on page 5. 42).
Remove the left and right brackets (see “Removing the Brackets” on 6. page 47).
Remove the magnesium cover (see “Removing the Magnesium Cover” on 7. page 50).
Remove the input/output board (see “Removing the Input/Output Board” on 8. page 62).
Optical Drive
WARNING:  Before  working  inside  your  computer,  read  the  safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices  information,  see  the  Regulatory  Compliance  Homepage  at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. 
CAUTION:  To  avoid  electrostatic  discharge,  ground  yourself  by  using  a wrist  grounding  strap  or  by  periodically  touching  an  unpainted  metal surface (such as a connector on the back of the computer). 
CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell™ is not covered by your warranty. 
CAUTION: To help prevent damage to the system board, remove the main battery  (see  “Removing  the  Battery  Pack”  on  page 11)  before  working inside the computer.  
						

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CHAPTER 15: OPTICAL DRIVE 
Remove the five screws that secure the optical drive bracket to the optical 11. drive.
1
2
3
1optical drive3screws (5)
2optical drive bracket
Remove the two screws that secure the optical drive to the computer base.9. 
Release the connector latch and disconnect the optical drive cable from the 10. system board connector.
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2
3
4
1optical drive cable3optical drive
2screws (2)4connector latch 
						

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CHAPTER 15: OPTICAL DRIVE 
Replacing the Optical Drive
Connect the optical drive cable to the optical drive. 1. 
Replace the five screws that secure the optical drive bracket to the optical 2. drive.
Place the optical drive in the computer base.3. 
Slide the optical drive cable into the system board connector and pull down 4. the connector latch to secure the cable to the connector.
Replace the two screws that secure the optical drive to the computer base.5. 
Replace the input/output board (see “Replacing the Input/Output Board” on 6. page 64).
Replace the magnesium cover (see “Replacing the Magnesium Cover” on 7. page 51).
Replace the left and right brackets (see “Replacing the Brackets” on page 8. 47).
Replace the palm rest (see “Replacing the Palm Rest” on page 9. 44).
Replace the keyboard (see “Replacing the Keyboard” on page 10. 39).
Replace the center control cover (see “Replacing the Center Control Cover” 11. on page 35).
Replace the battery pack (see “Replacing the Battery Pack” on page 12. 11).
CAUTION: Before turning on the computer, replace all screws and ensure that  no  stray  screws  remain  inside  the  computer.  Failure  to  do  so  may result in damage to the computer.
Disconnect the optical drive cable from the optical drive and remove the 12. cable.
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2
1optical drive2optical drive cable 
						

							CHAPTER 16: WIRELESS MINI-CARD(S) 
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If  you  ordered  a  wireless  Mini-Card  with  your  computer,  the  card  is  already installed.
Your computer has two Mini-Card slots:
one Full Mini-Card slot• 
one Half Mini-Card slot• 
The types of Mini-Cards supported are:
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) — Half Mini-Card• 
Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) or Internal Card with Bluetooth• ® Wireless Technology — Full Mini-Card
NOTE: The WLAN slot supports a half Mini-Card.
NOTE: Depending  on  the  configuration  of  the  system  when  it  was  sold, 
one  or  more  of  the  Mini-Card  slots  may  not  have  Mini-Cards  installed  in them.
CHAPTER 15: WIRELESS MINI-CARD(S)
CHAPTER 16: WIRELESS MINI-CARD(S) 
						

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CHAPTER 16: WIRELESS MINI-CARD(S) 
Wireless Mini-Card(s)
WARNING:  Before  working  inside  your  computer,  read  the  safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices  information,  see  the  Regulatory  Compliance  Homepage  at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance. 
CAUTION:  To  avoid  electrostatic  discharge,  ground  yourself  by  using  a wrist  grounding  strap  or  by  periodically  touching  an  unpainted  metal surface (such as a connector on the back of the computer). 
CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell™ is not covered by your warranty. 
CAUTION: To help prevent damage to the system board, remove the main battery  (see  “Removing  the  Battery  Pack”  on  page 11)  before  working inside the computer.