Indicators, Messages, and Codes

Diskette-drive activity indicator

Flashes when the diskette drive is reading or writing data to a diskette.

Hard-drive activity indicator

Flashes when the hard drives are reading or writing data to the hard drives. The light might also be on when a device such as the CD drive is operating.

Power indicator

The power indicator blinks or remains solid to indicate different states. To exit from a power-saving state, briefly press the power button or click or move the mouse.

Power button

Press this button to turn the system on or off.

NOTICE: Ensure that the voltage selection switch on the power supply is set to the appropriate voltage before turning on the power. See Figure 2-3 for the location of the switch.

Solid green

N/A

Power is on, and the system is operating normally.

No corrective action is required.

Blinking green

Off

The system is in the suspended state.

Press the power button, move the mouse, or press a key on the keyboard to wake the system.

Blinks green several times and then turns off

N/A

A configuration error exists.

Check the diagnostic indicators to see if the specific problem is identified. See Table 2-4.

Solid yellow

N/A

The system diagnostics is running a test, or a device on the system board may be faulty or incorrectly installed.

If the system diagnostics is running, allow the testing to complete.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. See "Troubleshooting the System Board" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

If the system does not boot, see "Getting Help" for technical assistance.

Blinking yellow

Blank

A power supply or system board failure has occurred.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. See "Troubleshooting the Power Supply" and "Troubleshooting the System Board" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Blinking yellow

Solid green

A system board or VRM failure has occurred.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. See "Troubleshooting the System Board" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Solid green and a beep code during POST

N/A

A problem was detected while the BIOS was executing.

See "System Beep Codes" for instructions on identifying the beep code. Also, check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. See Table 2-4.

Solid green, no beep code, and no video during POST

N/A

The monitor or the video card may be faulty or incorrectly installed.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. See "Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Solid green, no beep code, and the system locks up during POST

N/A

An integrated system board device may be faulty.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. See Table 2-4. If the problem is not identified, see "Getting Help" for technical assistance.

Activity

Flashing amber indicates that network data is being sent or received.

When off at the same time that the link indicator is off, the NIC is not connected to the network.

Link

Steady green indicates that the NIC is connected to a valid link partner on the network.

When off at the same time that the activity indicator is off, the NIC is not connected to the network.

A possible processor failure has occurred.

Reinstall the processor (see "Processor" in "Installing System Components") and restart the system.

Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure has occurred.

Remove and reinstall all memory modules. See "System Memory" in "Installing System Components." Ensure that all the connector tabs are locked. For optimal performance, install the memory modules in pairs (1 and 2, 3 and 4).

Restart the system.

A possible expansion-card failure has occurred.

Determine if a conflict exists by removing a card (not the video card) and restarting the system. See "Expansion Cards" in "Installing System Components."

If the problem persists, reinstall the card that you removed, remove a different card, and restart the system.

Repeat this process for each card. If the system starts normally, troubleshoot the last card you removed from the system for resource conflicts. See "IRQ Assignment Conflicts " in "Finding Software Solutions."

If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

A possible video card failure has occurred.

Reinstall the video card (see "Expansion Cards" in "Installing System Components") and restart the system.

If the problem still exists, install a video card that you know works and restart the system.

If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

A possible diskette or hard drive failure has occurred.

Check all power and data cable connections, and restart the system.

A possible USB failure has occurred.

Check cable connections, reinstall all USB devices, and restart the system.

No memory modules are detected.

Remove and reinstall all memory modules. See "System Memory" in "Installing System Components." For optimal performance, install the memory modules in pairs (1 and 2, 3 and 4).

Restart the system.

A system board failure has occurred.

Perform the procedures in "Troubleshooting the System Board" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

Memory modules are detected, but a memory configuration or compatibility error exists.

Ensure that there are no special memory module placement requirements. See "System Memory" in "Installing System Components."

Verify that the memory modules that you are installing are compatible with your system. See "System Memory" in "Installing System Components."

Reinstall the memory modules and restart the system.

If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

A possible system board resource and/or hardware failure has occurred.

Perform the procedure in "Troubleshooting the System Board" in "Troubleshooting Your System" and see "IRQ Assignment Conflicts" in "Finding Software Solutions."

If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

A possible expansion card failure has occurred.

Determine if a conflict exists by removing a card (not the video card) and restarting the system. See "Expansion Cards" in "Installing System Components."

If the problem persists, reinstall the card that you removed, remove a different card, and restart the system.

Repeat this process for each card. If the system starts normally, troubleshoot the last card you removed from the system for resource conflicts. See "IRQ Assignment Conflicts " in "Finding Software Solutions."

If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

Other failure has occurred.

Ensure that the cables are properly connected from the diskette drive, hard drive, CD drive, and DVD drive to the system board.

If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

The system is in a normal operating condition after POST.

None.

A filename cannot contain any of the following characters:
\ / : * ? " < > |

Do not use these characters in filenames.

A required .DLL file was not found

The program that you are trying to open is missing an essential file.

Remove and then reinstall the program.

See the program documentation for installation instructions.

Alert! CPU Fan Not Detected

The processor cooling fan is not installed, has failed, or is not properly connected to the system board.

Ensure that the cooling fan is properly installed and working. See "Processor Cooling Shroud and Fan" in "Installing System Components." Also, ensure that the processor airflow shroud is properly installed.

Alert! OS Install Mode enabled. Amount of available memory limited to 256MB

The OS Install Mode option in the System Setup program is set to On. This limits the amount of available memory to 256 MB because some operating systems will not complete installation with more than 2 GB of system memory.

After the operating system is installed, enter the System Setup program and set the OS Install Mode option to Off. See your User's Guide for details.

Alert! Previous attempts at booting this system have failed at checkpoint [nnnn ]. For help in resolving this problem, please note this checkpoint and contact Dell Technical Support

The system failed to complete the boot routine three consecutive times for the same error.

See "Getting Help."

Alert! Previous Fan Failures

The fan caused errors the last time the system was used.

Ensure that nothing is blocking the airflow vents and that all fans are properly installed and operating correctly.

Alert! Previous Processor Thermal Failure

The processor overheated the last time the system was used.

Ensure that nothing is blocking the airflow vents and that all fans are properly installed and operating correctly. Also, ensure that the processor heat sink is properly installed. See "Processor" in "Installing System Components."

Alert! Previous Shutdown Due to Thermal Event

The processor or hard drive overheated the last time the system was used.

Ensure that nothing is blocking the airflow vents and that all fans are working correctly. Also, ensure that the processor heat sink is properly installed.

Alert! Previous Voltage Failure

Voltage used by the system either exceeded or fell below acceptable thresholds.

See "Troubleshooting the System Battery" and "Troubleshooting the System Board" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Alert! System Battery Voltage is Low

The system battery is providing inadequate voltage.

See "Troubleshooting the System Battery" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Alert! Uncorrectable Memory Error Previously Detected... Address xxxxxxxxh

One or more memory modules might be improperly seated, or faulty or the system board may be faulty.

See "Troubleshooting System Memory" and "Troubleshooting the System Board" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Attachment failed to respond

The diskette or hard-drive controller cannot send data to the associated drive.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Bad command or file name

Ensure that you have spelled the command correctly, have put spaces in the proper place, and have used the correct pathname.

Bad error-correction code (ECC) on disk read

The diskette or hard-drive controller detected an uncorrectable read error.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Controller has failed

The hard drive or the associated controller is defective.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Data error

The diskette drive or hard drive cannot read the data.

For the operating system, run the appropriate utility to check the file structure of the diskette drive or hard drive.

See your operating system documentation for information on running these utilities.

Decreasing available memory

One or more memory modules might be faulty or improperly seated.

Reinstall the memory modules and, if necessary, replace them. See "System Memory" in "Installing System Components."

See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Diskette drive 0 seek failure

A cable might be loose or the system configuration information might not match the hardware configuration.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Diskette read failure

The diskette might be defective, or a cable might be loose.

If the diskette-drive indicator turns on, try a different disk.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Diskette subsystem reset failed

The diskette drive controller might be faulty.

Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."

Diskette write protected

The diskette is write-protected.

Slide the write-protect notch to the open position.

Drive not ready

No diskette is in the drive.

Put a diskette in the drive.

Gate A20 failure

Faulty keyboard controller (faulty system board).

See "Getting Help."

General failure

The operating system is unable to carry out the command.

This message is usually followed by specific information. Take the appropriate action to resolve the problem.

Hard-disk configuration error
Hard-disk controller failure
Hard-disk drive failure

The hard drive failed initialization.

Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."

See "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Insert bootable media

The operating system is trying to boot from a nonbootable diskette or CD.

Insert a bootable diskette or CD.

Invalid configuration information - please run SETUP program

The system configuration information does not match the hardware configuration.

Enter the System Setup program and correct the system configuration information. See your User's Guide for details.

Keyboard Controller Failure

KeyBoard Stuck Key Failure

Keyboard failure

A cable or connector might be loose, or the keyboard or keyboard/mouse controller might be faulty.

See "Troubleshooting the Keyboard" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Memory address line failure at address, read value expecting value

A memory module might be faulty or improperly seated.

Reinstall the memory modules and, if necessary, replace them. See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Memory allocation error

The software you are attempting to run is conflicting with the operating system, another program, or a utility.

Turn off the system, wait 30 seconds, restart the system, and then try to run the program again.

If the error message appears again, see the software documentation for additional troubleshooting suggestions.

Memory data line failure at address, read value expecting value

Memory double word logic failure at address, read value expecting value

Memory odd/even logic failure at address, read value expecting value

Memory write/read failure at address, read value expecting value

A memory module might be faulty or improperly seated.

Reinstall the memory modules and, if necessary, replace them. See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Memory size in CMOS invalid

The amount of memory recorded in the system configuration information does not match the memory installed in the system.

Restart the system. If the error message appears again, see "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

No boot device available

The system cannot find the diskette or hard drive.

If the diskette drive is your boot device, ensure that a bootable disk is in the drive.

If the hard drive is your boot device, ensure that the hard drive is installed, properly seated, and partitioned as a boot device.

Enter the System Setup program and verify the boot sequence information. See your User's Guide for details.

No boot sector on hard- disk drive

The system configuration information in the System Setup program might be incorrect.

Enter the System Setup program and verify the system configuration information for the hard drive. See your User's Guide for details.

If the message continues to appear after verifying the information in the System Setup program, the operating system might have been corrupted. Reinstall the operating system. See your operating system documentation for reinstallation information.

No timer tick interrupt

A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning.

Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."

Non-system disk or disk error

The diskette in the diskette drive or your hard drive does not have a bootable operating system installed on it.

Replace the diskette with one that has a bootable operating system or remove the diskette, and then restart the system.

Not a boot diskette

The operating system is trying to boot from a diskette that does not have a bootable operating system installed on it.

Insert a diskette that has a bootable operating system.

Not enough memory or resources. Close some programs and try again

You have too many programs open.

Close all windows and open the program that you want to use. In some cases, you might have to restart your system to restore system resources. If so, try opening the program that you want to use first

Operating system not found

See "Getting Help."

Plug and Play Configuration Error

The system encountered a problem while trying to configure one or more cards.

Turn your system off, unplug it from the electrical outlet, and remove all but one of the cards. See "Expansion Cards" in "Installing System Components."

Plug in your system and reboot it.

If the message reappears, the installed card might be malfunctioning. If the message does not reappear, turn off the system and reinsert one of the other cards. See "Expansion Cards."

Repeat this process until you identify which card is malfunctioning.

Read fault

The operating system cannot read from the diskette or hard drive, the system could not find a particular sector on the disk, or the requested sector is defective.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Requested sector not found

The operating system cannot read from the diskette or hard drive, the system could not find a particular sector on the disk, or the requested sector is defective.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Reset failed

The disk reset operation failed.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Sector not found

Seek error

A faulty diskette drive or hard drive.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Shutdown failure

A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning.

Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."

The file being copied is too large for the destination drive

The file that you are trying to copy is too large to fit on the disk.

Try copying the file to a blank diskette or using a larger capacity disk.

Time-of-day clock stopped

The battery might be dead.

See "Troubleshooting the System Battery" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Time-of-day not set

The time or date stored in the System Setup program does not match the system clock.

Enter the System Setup program and correct the Date and Time options. See your User's Guide for details. If the problem persists, see "Troubleshooting the System Battery" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Timer chip counter 2 failed

A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning.

Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."

Unexpected interrupt in protected mode

The keyboard controller might be malfunctioning, or a memory module might be loose.

Ensure that all memory modules are properly installed. See "System Memory" in "Installing System Components." If the problem persists, replace the memory module(s). If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."

WARNING: Dell's Disk Monitoring System has detected that drive [0/1] on the [primary/secondary] EIDE controller is operating outside of normal specifications. It is advisable to immediately back up your data and replace your hard drive by calling your support desk or Dell

During initial start-up, the drive detected possible error conditions.

When your system finishes booting, immediately back up your data and replace your hard drive. See "Hard Drives" in "Installing drives."

If no replacement hard drive is immediately available and the drive is not the only bootable drive, enter the System Setup program and change the appropriate drive setting to None. See your User's Guide for details. Then remove the hard drive from the system.

Write fault

The operating system cannot write to the diskette drive or hard drive.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

Write fault on selected drive

The operating system cannot write to the diskette drive or hard drive.

See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" or "Troubleshooting IDE or SATA Hard Drives" and "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

x:\ is not accessible. The device is not ready

The diskette drive cannot read the diskette.

Insert a diskette into the drive and try again.

1-1-2

CPU register test failure

See "Troubleshooting the Processor" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

1-1-3

CMOS write/read failure; faulty system board

See "Getting Help."

1-1-4

BIOS error

Reflash the BIOS.

1-2-1

Programmable interval-timer failure; faulty system board

See "Getting Help."

1-2-2

DMA initialization failure

See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

1-2-3

DMA page register write/read failure

1-3-1

Main-memory refresh verification failure

1-3-2

No memory installed

1-3-3

Chip or data line failure in the first 64 KB of main memory

1-3-4

Odd/even logic failure in the first 64 KB of main memory

1-4-1

Address line failure in the first 64 KB of main memory

1-4-2

Parity failure in the first 64 KB of main memory

1-4-3

Fail-safe timer test failure

1-4-4

Software NMI port test failure

2-1-1 through
2-4-4

Bit failure in the first 64 KB of main memory

3-1-1

Slave DMA-register failure; faulty system board.

See "Getting Help."

3-1-2

Master DMA-register failure

3-1-3

Master interrupt-mask register failure

3-1-4

Slave interrupt-mask register failure

3-2-2

Interrupt vector loading failure

3-2-4

Keyboard-controller test failure

3-3-1

CMOS failure

3-3-2

System configuration check failure

3-3-3

Keyboard controller not detected

3-3-4

Video memory test failure

3-4-1

Screen initialization failure

3-4-2

Screen-retrace test failure

3-4-3

Video ROM search failure

4-2-1

No timer tick

4-2-2

Shutdown test failure

4-2-3

Gate A20 failure

4-2-4

Unexpected interrupt in protected mode

See "Troubleshooting an Expansion Card" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

4-3-1

Improperly installed or faulty memory modules

See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

4-3-2

No memory modules installed in the first memory module connector

Install a memory module in the first memory module connector. See "Installing a Memory Module" and "Memory Module Installation Guidelines" in "Installing System Components."

4-3-3

Faulty system board

See "Getting Help."

4-3-4

Time-of-day clock stopped

See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

4-4-1

Super I/O chip failure; faulty system board

See "Getting Help."

4-4-4

Cache test failure; faulty processor

See "Troubleshooting the Processor" in "Troubleshooting Your System."