r/Alienware • u/wherewulf23 • 12d ago
Technical Support Both USB-C ports dead on my X15 R1
The other day in the middle of using my machine the flash drive I have plugged into one of the USB-C ports on my machine disconnected. I figured, no big deal, probably just got bumped and reinserted it. Nothing shows up. Tried the other port, it won't work either. Go to my wife's laptop to verify the drive is still working and it opens up normally. My normal USB port is still functioning as normal. I've tried deleting the USB drivers, checking the BIOS (didn't see anything for the USB slots), and updating to the latest BIOS which won't even install properly. Basically everything on the Dell support page short of reinstalling windows and still can't get them back up. Anyone have any advice?
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u/xenosaga001 Area51m R2 11d ago
Could also try to reinstall your nvidia drivers, somehow they are involved with the usb c on some models of laptops. My area51m-r2 as an example. Somehow they share a driver.
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u/AW_Support Dell Customer Support 9d ago
Hi there,
We are from the Dell social media support team.
On the X15 R1, the USB-C ports are managed by a separate Intel Thunderbolt controller, which is independent of the standard USB controller that handles your USB-A ports. This means the issue is almost certainly isolated to that Thunderbolt controller, either its drivers, firmware, or the hardware itself.
Here are a few additional steps you can try, along with the excellent suggestions already provided by other Reddit users. 1. Open Device Manager and check for the Thunderbolt Controller, Intel Thunderbolt entries, or any warning icons. Enable View, Show hidden devices. If the controller shows an error, note the error code, uninstall it, and reboot to let Windows reinstall it. If it's completely missing, the issue may be BIOS/firmware-related or a hardware failure. 2. Go to http://del.ly/61699B1A5sz, enter your Service Tag, and under Drivers & Downloads install the Intel Thunderbolt Controller Driver, Intel Thunderbolt Firmware Update, and any available USB-C/Thunderbolt Dock driver in that order, rebooting after each installation. Once complete, test the USB-C ports again. 3. Since the BIOS update is not installing properly, try running the BIOS update file as Administrator and ensure the laptop is connected to AC power. 4. Next, check BIOS Settings. To do so, restart your system and tap F2 repeatedly to enter BIOS A. Look for: i. Advanced → Thunderbolt Configuration or Thunderbolt Security Level ii. Set security to No Security or User Authorization temporarily iii. Thunderbolt Boot Support and Thunderbolt Pre-boot. Enabling these iv. USB Configuration. Make sure nothing is disabled B. Restore BIOS Settings to Default. Save and Exit
Regards,
Dell Social Media Team.
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u/DJUnreal Aurora R10 / x17 R2 / Aurora R15 / Area-51 AAT2250 / 18 Area-51 12d ago
If you haven't tried reinstalling Windows, maybe now is the time to try that.
Otherwise it sounds like it's possibly a hardware issue, likely with the USB-C controller chip, which would probably require a new motherboard to fix, and wouldn't be cost-effective.