I can't get my Alienware Casing back on!

[Kharnage]

Hey. First time using this, so no clue if I'm doing it right. I wanted to check my alienware Area51 to see whether or not the motherboard would be SLI compatible and for some cleaning, since it was getting a bit dusty on the interior.. Getting the side panel off was fine.. But I can't get it back on, despite my best effort. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Any tips or ideas on how to get it back on? It's the casing with the grill.

 

[Kharnage]

I managed to get it on, but the LED alienhead symbol on the side isn't glowing anymore.. there was a loose cable but I had no idea where it would've plugged into as I saw no available ports.. My biggest worry is that since the LED isn't working, neither will the fan.. and thats /bad/.. I feel a very slight breeze coming through the side grill where the fan is, but I don't know..

 

[Kharnage]

3 replies to myself in a row. XD, The cable was very small, and there appeared to be a contact point on the base of the case that lined up with another contact point on the fan.. so I figured thats where it gets the power from.. I jus worry that this tiny cable did more than power the LED..

 

[13thmonkey]

take the side off and see if the fan works with the side off, thats all i've got.

 

[Kharnage]

It wouldn't. The fan is integrated into the side of the panel that comes away. If I took the side off there'd be no power to it regardless. I'm hoping that the copper contacts on both the fan unit and the computer case is what powered it. The tiny cable is hopefully for the LED alienware head. There appears to be a faint breeze coming through the grill where the fan is.

 

[ominous prime]

Check your user's manual. And you should be able to see the fan in motion, is this random cable a 4pin or 3pin fan connector? I know when I had my dell XPS 720 there were a bunch of unconnected cables to allow for expansions.

 

[ominous prime]

It wouldn't. The fan is integrated into the side of the panel that comes away. If I took the side off there'd be no power to it regardless. I'm hoping that the copper contacts on both the fan unit and the computer case is what powered it. The tiny cable is hopefully for the LED alienware head. There appears to be a faint breeze coming through the grill where the fan is.

So the fan is powered by contact? Where is this cable coming from, what is it connected to currently? I wouldn't worry much about your fan, but I would definitely take a peek at your user's manual. Also use CoreTemp or RealTemp to monitor your hardware's temperature to make sure everything is within reasonable limits.