MattyB

yeah that's always a good option since optical drives are mostly useless these days. You'll just need to keep the optical drive ribbon cable and the mounting bracket that goes around the current optical drive.

Not to add memory but you could add a little bit of extra storage, you'd just need to find a USB drive that will fit inside. I haven't tested the one I just got but I'm assuming it will work just like any other USB port. It would be ideal for a wireless mouse or keyboard that uses a receiver.

Here is a mini USB adapter that you should be able to use in the WiHD port. This is similar to what I found in the R1 that I purchased recently. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/394451348944?chn=ps&_ul=AU&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1n_Ot75nVS8ulnYAW9ySJhQ67&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=394451348944&targetid=&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9070857&poi=&campaignid=19657035965&mkgroupid=&rlsatarget=&abcId=9305370&merchantid=548704885&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyLGjBhDKARIsAFRNgW9H7k_flZlCAcxjWYHGBjzXb5q_2qnZmO9xAfiFi_5RacqUmIGYFuUaAsl3EALw_wcB

Those ribbon cables used to be $80-100 which was insane. I grabbed another dead R2 and used the cable from that and used the other parts for another rebuild. The connectors are the hard parts to find. The small plastic securing latches can easily break if you pull them up too hard. The little legs are the most fragile things in the universe. Aliexpress have them. To replace the latch you need to remove it from the rest of the connector and not break these legs in the process. You have to cut them out carefully and then push them back in the old connector carefully. I've done it a few times. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32840833971.html Or get someone cleaver to remove the old connector and solder on the full replacement.

It's pretty much plug and play from what I remember, There could be something required to change in the BIOS but i would have to try and remember. The only issue is that the MXM slot provides constant power when the adapter is installed, even when power is removed so if you have the adapter installed then it will draw power. If you have the mains power turned off then the battery will drain. If you have the power on then the NVMe will log usage hours. You need to keep it unplugged and the battery removed when you're not using it. It's not much of an issue with the M18x as the battery is so easy to remove. It's a pain on the Alienware 18 though. Finding the adapter can also be a challenge, I think Aliexpress could be the only place these days.

if the latch isn't working properly or you jammed something in there then some of the pins may not be connecting so there's a good chance that you'll lose the drive when this happens.

Is this because the SSD connector is broken? Is it the little latch on the connector that is broken or the ribbon cable? I do have spare connectors if it's just the latch but I could be one of the last people with these spare connectors. I'm sure there are more out there but finding them is the problem. The ribbon cables can break if you try to bend them and they can be expensive to replace. Also, yes, you can easily grab an mSata SSD and use it to run the system. It is usually very hard to find mSata's that are 1tb or larger. Most are 512gb or smaller but I haven't had a look for a while. My ribbon cable broke a while back and i ran my R2 off the mSata until I could get a replacement cable, that didn't cost me a kidney. On the R2 you can also use the secondary MXM slot with an NVMe adapter and run the system off that. That's what I currently have in my R2 as my boot drive I can find some 2tb ones on ebay and they are about $208AUD so maybe like $140USD Here is my post on the Dell site for my NVMe adapter. https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware/M18x-R2-NVMe-Boot-Drive/td-p/7762416

I'm getting that error even though the file is way under the required size. Also getting some other weird error. Given up trying for now.

I'm having issues trying to upload some pictures here for some reason. I'm assuming you're talking about the small space just under the CMOS battery. There should be a small PCB installed here which you can plug in an mSata SSD. The port that is next to the wifi card is for the WiHD card but you can also get other cards that can use this port. I recently bought a broken R1 and the past user had a USB card in there. It has an actual USB port connector attached to it. I'm assuming to put in a bluetooth adapter for a wireless keyboard or mouse. I'm not home right now but I can get a photo of it later. `

Check out this site which shows the WiHD and mSata cards. No mention of the WiHD antenna cable though. https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=151&subid=432&refine=circuit+board The R2 had a different WiHD card than the R1 and I was told that they aren't cross-compatible. I have a the card, antenna and a receiver for an M18x R1 / M17x R3 but I've never set it up. It's still wrapped up from the day I bought them about 3-4 years ago.

The slot next to the wifi card was for the WiHD card. It was for wirelessly sending the display signal to a TV. You also needed an antenna which fed from the card up into the monitor and then you needed a receiver for the TV. The tech was scrapped after a few years as it had some lag and it only worked off the intel graphics (from what I've seen) so you couldn't wirelessly display demanding games which needed the dedicated GPU. There is a Youtube video somewhere where they are playing a game though. The other emply slot is for an mSata SSD. It doesn't look like you have the mSata connector PCB installed though, which is weird. The R1 didn't have this option as mSata started with the R2 generation. You have the R2 right?

@Siplast and @xapachewolfx the HDD ribbon cable connectors are hard to find and they are incredibly fragile. The was a seller on eBay that used to sell them but he doesn't seem to be selling anymore. I do have some left, both for the M18x R1 and M18x R2.

M18x R2 motherboards are usually crazy expensive and it can often be a better option trying to find another complete system, or at least one with a working board. What happened to the old board? Whichever way you do it you'll have to reflash the unlocked BIOS if you want to install certain GPU's, unless but some fluke the replacement board has the unlocked BIOS already on it. I always suggest to update the OEM BIOS versions one at a time until you get to the same version as the unlocked one you want to use, then flash the unlocked one.

Ok thanks, I'll try and get some time to try it out soon. I can't access those links.

I'm not sure what version programmer I have, I'll have to take a look after work. I've got both the M14x R2 .bin files for the BIOS and EC and the chip locations, all found on here. I've just never used the programmer properly before. I had a little play with it some time ago and finding the right program that would work properly was a pain.