Unsolved
1 Rookie
•
9 Posts
0
26
December 10th, 2024 18:46
m18 R2, HDD activity indicator?
I'm new to the block here, having just picked up an M18 R2, and I've been unable to find any documentation on whether and how any of the extensive (and incredibly flexible) lighting on this model can be dual/re-purposed to show HDD activity.
Certain operations (such as Windows updates) seem to be taking ever longer nowadays, with ever greater likelihood of locking up or getting lost, yet with ever less real-time consolation that, yes, things are still progressing so don't give up and abort yet. HDD-activity indicators can be a crude but effective way on confirming life signs.
If not yet present, is this something that could be added to a future BIOS release, even if it's a little more crude or abstracted than a "real" HDD activity LED due to limited information and/or speed in the firmware?
HedgeFundManager
2 Intern
•
477 Posts
0
December 10th, 2024 19:12
Only machine I own is my old Lenovo P52 that has an LED below the LCD to be able to show activity like a desktop
mattyb3
5 Practitioner
•
1.6K Posts
0
December 12th, 2024 11:26
@OnMyPlanet I don't have the m18 R2 but you can try holding down the Fn key and H. I believe some Dell machines will using this command to toggle HDD/Battery activity.
OnMyPlanet
1 Rookie
•
9 Posts
0
December 12th, 2024 17:25
@mattyb3 , Thanks for the suggestion, but it didn't seem to work when I tried it -- and that's not too surprising, given that Alienware is a Dell by marriage, not by blood...
Prior to searching the on-line documentation and community, I pored over the M18R2 manual and could find no mention of any such capability in the description of the power button (alien head), keyboard shortcuts, or in the BIOS set-up options. In passing, it mentions that the AlienHead power button is a lighting zone for AlienFX, but AWCC seems only to be able to change its color, not to change/extend its behavior to include HDD activity.
With all of the other overlaid functions for the AlienHead (not just power-adapter/battery status but also L-BIST, M-BIST, and POST error codes), it doesn't seem far-fetched to hope for an HDD option (similarly, as you point out, to some Dell models).
mattyb3
5 Practitioner
•
1.6K Posts
0
December 12th, 2024 20:49
I saw a reference to the x14 being able to do that so I was hoping the m18 was the same but it seems not.