Start-Up Routine
Dell™ PowerEdge™ 500SC Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Checking Connections and Switches
Alert Log Messages From the System
Management Server Agent
Application programs, operating systems, and the system itself are capable of identifying problems and alerting you to them. When a problem occurs, a message may appear on the monitor screen or a beep code may sound.
Several different types of messages can indicate when the system is not functioning properly:
This section also describes each type of message and lists the possible causes and actions you can take to resolve any problems indicated by a message.
Performing some initial checks and procedures can solve many basic system problems. The system indicators and the back-panel features are illustrated in Figure 2-1 and Figure 2-2.
Looking at and listening to the system is important in determining the source of a problem. Look and listen during the system's start-up routine for the indications described in Table 2-1.
When the bezel is in place on the system, it has four indicators (see Figure 2-1). There is a CD drive activity indicator, diskette drive activity indicator, hard drive activity indicator, and system power indicator.
Look and listen for the indications described in Table 2-1.
|
Look/Listen for: |
Action |
|---|---|
An error message | See "System Messages." |
Alert messages from the system management server agent software | See "Alert Log Messages From the System Management Server Agent" in "System Messages." |
The monitor's power indicator | See "Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem" in "Troubleshooting Your System." |
The keyboard indicators | See "Troubleshooting the Keyboard" in "Troubleshooting Your System." |
The diskette-drive activity indicator | See "Troubleshooting the Diskette Drive" in "Troubleshooting Your System." |
The hard drive activity indicators | See "Troubleshooting Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System." |
A series of beeps | See "System Beep Codes." |
An unfamiliar constant scraping or grinding sound when you access a drive | See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see "Abbreviations and Acronyms." | |
Improperly set switches, controls, and loose or improperly connected cables are the most likely source of problems for the system, monitor, or other peripherals (such as a printer, keyboard, mouse, or other external equipment). A quick check of all the switches, controls, and cable connections can easily solve these problems. See Figure 2-2 for the back-panel features and connectors.
Figure 2-2 shows the back-panel features of the system.
Figure 2-2. Back-Panel Features
Complete the following procedure to check all the connections and switches:
If it is not receiving power, plug it into another electrical outlet. If it still is not receiving power, try another PDU.
See "Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem."
See "Troubleshooting the Keyboard."
See "Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions."
System messages alert you to a possible operating system problem or to a conflict between the software and hardware. Table 2-2 lists the system error messages that can occur and the probable cause for each message.
 |
NOTE: If you receive a system message that is not listed in Table 2-2, check the documentation for the application program that is running when the message appears and/or the operating system documentation for an explanation of the message and recommended action. |
|
Message |
Cause |
Corrective Action |
|---|---|---|
Address mark not found | Faulty diskette, CD-ROM, or hard drive subsystem (defective system board). | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Alert! Maximum memory size exceeded. Limiting memory size to 2 GB | System supports up to 2 GB of memory. | Remove a memory module pair so that the maximum amount of memory is 2 GB or less. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." |
Alert! Single-bit memory error previously detected in xxxx xxxxh | Improperly seated or faulty memory modules. | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Alert! Previous processor thermal failure | The microprocessor exceeded its recommended operating temperature during the previous operating session. | Remove and replace the defective microprocessor. See "Replacing the Microprocessor" in "Installing System Board Options." |
Alert! Primary processor is out of rev | System detected that the primary processor is not the correct revision. | Replace the microprocessor. See "Replacing the Microprocessor" in "Installing System Board Options." |
Alert! Processor thermal probe failure detected | Faulty processor or defective system board. | Replace the defective microprocessor. See "Replacing the Microprocessor" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, the system is defective. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Alert! Unsupported memory in DIMM slot(s) | Unsupported memory module(s) installed in specified slot(s). | Replace one or more memory modules so that the memory module pairs are the same type. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." |
Alert! Uncorrectable memory error previously detected in xxxx xxxxh | Improperly seated or faulty memory modules. | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Attachment failed to respond | Diskette drive or hard drive controller cannot send data to associated drive. | Replace the defective drive. See "Installing Drives." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Auxiliary device failure | Mouse cable connector loose or improperly connected, defective mouse. | Check the mouse cable connection. "Checking Connections and Switches." If the problem persists, replace the mouse. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Bad command or file name | Command entered does not exist, is faulty, or is not in pathname specified. | Faulty command and syntax, or incorrect filename. |
Bad error-correction code(ECC) on disk read Controller has failed | Faulty diskette, CD-ROM, or hard drive subsystem (defective system board). | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Boot: Couldn't find NTLDR | A nonbootable diskette formatted with Win-dows NT was detected in the diskette drive. | A nonbootable diskette is preventing the system from booting. Remove the diskette to boot the system from the hard drive or from a bootable diskette. |
CAUTION! NVRAM_CLR jumper is installed on system board. Please run SETUP | The NVRAM jumper is installed. | Remove the NVRAM jumper. See "Figure A-2" for jumper location. Run the System Setup program to correct the diskette drive type. See "Using the System Setup Program," in the User's Guide for instructions. |
CD-ROM drive not found | Improperly connected or missing CD drive. | Check that the CD drive unit is seated properly against the interposer board on the peripheral cage. See "Inside the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System" for the location of the CD drive. Replace the drive. See "Installing Drives." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Data error | Faulty diskette, diskette drive, or hard drive. | Replace the diskette, diskette drive, or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." |
Decreasing available memory | One or more memory modules improperly seated or faulty. | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Diskette drive 0 seek failure | Faulty or improperly inserted diskette, incorrect configuration settings in System Setup program, loose diskette drive interface cable. | Replace the diskette. Run the System Setup program to correct the diskette drive type. See "Using the System Setup Program," in the User's Guide for instructions. Check the interface cable and power cable connections to the system board. See "Installing Drives." |
Diskette drive 1 seek failure | ||
Diskette read failure | Faulty diskette, faulty or improperly connected diskette drive. | Check the interface cable and power cable connections to the system board. See "Installing Drives." |
Diskette subsystem reset failed | Faulty diskette controller (defective system board). | Replace the system board. See "Installing Drives," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Diskette write protected | Diskette write-protect feature activated. | Move the write-protect tab on the diskette. |
Drive not ready | Diskette missing from or improperly inserted in diskette drive. | Reinsert or replace the diskette. |
Gate A20 failure | Faulty keyboard controller (defective system board). | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
General failure | Operating system corrupted or not installed properly. | Reinstall the operating system. |
Hard disk controller failure | Incorrect configuration settings in System Setup program, improperly connected hard drive, faulty hard drive controller subsystem (defective system board), or loose power cable. | Check the hard drive configuration settings in the System Setup program. See "Using the System Setup Program," in the User's Guide for instructions. Reinstall the hard drive. See "Installing Drives." Check the interface cable and power cable connections to the system board. See "Installing Drives." |
Hard disk drive read failure | ||
Hard disk failure | ||
Invalid configuration information - please run SETUP program | Incorrect configuration settings in System Setup program, faulty battery, or NVRAM jumper is installed. | Check the System Setup configuration settings. See "Using the System Setup Program," in the User's Guide for instructions. Replace the battery. See "Replacing the System Battery" in "Installing System Board Options." Remove the NVRAM jumper. See "Figure A-2" for jumper location. |
Invalid CPU speed detected | Microprocessor not supported by system. | Install a correct version of the microprocessor in the specified microprocessor connector. See "Replacing the Microprocessor" in "Installing System Board Options." |
Invalid NVRAM configuration, resource reallocated | System detected and corrected a resource conflict when system resources were allocated using the System Setup program. | No action is required. |
I/O parity interrupt at address | Expansion card improperly installed or faulty. | Reinstall the expansion cards. See "Installing Expansion Cards" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the expansion card. See "Removing Expansion Cards" in "Installing System Board Options." |
Keyboard failure | Keyboard cable connector loose or improperly connected, defective keyboard, or defective keyboard/mouse controller (defective system board). | Check the keyboard cable connection. Replace the keyboard. If the problem persists, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Keyboard data line failure | ||
Keyboard stuck key failure | ||
Keyboard clock line failure | ||
Keyboard controller failure | Defective keyboard/mouse controller (defective system board). | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Memory address line failure at address, read value expecting value | Faulty or improperly seated memory modules or defective system board. | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
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 | ||
Memory allocation error | Faulty application program. | Restart the application program. |
Memory parity interrupt at address | Improperly seated or faulty memory modules. | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Memory tests terminated by keystroke | POST memory test terminated by pressing the spacebar. | No action is required. |
No boot device available | Faulty diskette, diskette subsystem, hard drive, hard drive subsystem, or no boot disk in drive A. | Replace the diskette or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." If the problem persists, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
No boot sector on hard drive | Incorrect configuration settings in System Setup program, or no operating system on hard drive. | Check the hard drive configuration settings in the System Setup program. See "Using the System Setup Program," in the User's Guide for instructions. |
No timer tick interrupt | Defective system board. | Replace the system board. See, "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Non-system disk or disk error | Faulty diskette, diskette subsystem, or hard drive subsystem. | Replace the diskette or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." If the problem persists, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Not a boot diskette | No operating system on diskette. | Use a bootable diskette. |
Read fault | Faulty diskette, diskette subsystem, or hard drive subsystem (defective system board). | Replace the diskette or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." If the problem persists, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Requested sector not found | ||
Reset failed | Improperly connected diskette drive, CD drive, hard drive, or power cable. | Check the interface cable and power cable connections to the diskette drive, CD drive, or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." Reinstall the hard drive. Check the interface cable and power cable connections to the system board. See "Getting Help." |
ROM bad checksum = address | Expansion card improperly installed or faulty. | Reinstall the expansion cards. See "Installing Expansion Cards" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the expansion card. See "Removing Expansion Cards" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Sector not found | Defective sectors on diskette or hard drive. | Replace the diskette or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." |
Seek error | Defective sectors on diskette or hard drive. | Replace the diskette or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." |
Seek operation failed | Faulty diskette or hard drive. | Replace the diskette or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." |
Shutdown failure | Defective system board. | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
System halted | System microprocessor is not supported. | Replace the unsupported microprocessor with a supported microprocessor. See "Replacing the Microprocessor" in "Installing System Board Options." |
Time-of-day clock stopped | Defective battery or faulty chip (defective system board). | Replace the system battery. See "Replacing the System Battery" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Time-of-day not set - please run SETUP program | Incorrect Time or Date settings, defective system battery, or NVRAM jumper is installed. | Check the Time and Date settings. See "Using the System Setup Program," in the User's Guide for instructions. If the problem persists, replace the system battery. See "Replacing the System Battery" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Remove the NVRAM jumper. See "Figure A-2" for jumper location. |
Timer chip counter 2 failed | Defective system board. | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Unexpected interrupt in protected mode | Improperly seated memory modules or faulty keyboard/mouse controller chip (defective system board). | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
Unsupported CPU speed in CMOS | Microprocessor not supported by BIOS. | Upgrade the BIOS. See "Using the System Setup Program," in the User's Guide for instructions. |
Utility partition not available | <F10> key was pressed during POST, but no utility partition exists on the boot hard drive. | Create a utility partition on the boot hard drive. See "Using the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD" in your User's Guide. |
Write fault | Faulty diskette or hard drive. | Replace the diskette or hard drive. See "Installing Drives." |
Write fault on selected drive | ||
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see "Abbreviations and Acronyms." | ||
When an error that cannot be reported on the monitor occurs during a boot routine, the system may emit a series of beeps that identify the problem.
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NOTE: If the system boots without a keyboard, mouse, or monitor attached, the system will not issue beep codes related to these peripherals. |
When a beep code is emitted, record it on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist in "Getting Help," and then look it up in Table 2-3. If you are unable to resolve the problem by looking up the meaning of the beep code, use the system diagnostics to identify a more serious cause. If you are still unable to resolve the problem, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
|
Code |
Cause |
Corrective Action |
|---|---|---|
1-1-3 | CMOS write/read failure | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
1-1-4 | BIOS checksum failure | This fatal error usually requires that you replace the BIOS firmware. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
1-2-1 | Programmable interval-timer failure | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
1-2-2 | DMA initialization failure | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
1-2-3 | DMA page register write/read failure | |
1-3-1 | Main-memory refresh verification failure | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
1-3-2 | No memory installed | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
1-3-3 | Chip or data line failure in the first 64 KB of main memory | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
1-3-4 | Odd/even logic failure in the first 64 KB of main memory | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
1-4- | Address line failure in the first 64 KB of main memory | |
1-4-2 | Parity failure in the first 64 KB of main memory | |
2-1-1 through | Bit failure in the first 64 KB of main memory | |
3-1-1 | Slave DMA-register failure | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
3-1-2 | Master DMA-register failure | |
3-1-3 | Master interrupt-mask register failure | |
3-1-4 | Slave interrupt-mask register failure | |
3-2-4 | Keyboard-controller test failure | Check the keyboard cable and connector for proper connection. If the problem persists, run the keyboard test in the system diagnostics to determine whether the keyboard or keyboard controller is faulty. See "Running the System Diagnostics." If the keyboard controller is faulty, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
3-3-1 | CMOS failure | Run the system board test in the system diagnostics to isolate the problem. See "Running the System Diagnostics." |
3-3-2 | System configuration check failure | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
3-3-3 | Keyboard controller not detected | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
3-3-4 | Screen initialization failure | Run the video test in the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics." |
3-4-2 | Screen-retrace test failure | |
3-4-3 | Search for video ROM failure | |
4-2-1 | No timer tick | Replace the system board. "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
4-2-2 | Shutdown failure | |
4-2-3 | Gate A20 failure | |
4-2-4 | Unexpected interrupt in protected mode | Ensure that all expansion cards are properly seated, and then reboot the system. |
4-3-1 | Improperly seated or faulty memory modules | Remove and reseat the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the memory modules. See "Adding Memory" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
4-3-3 | Defective system board | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
4-3-4 | Time-of-day clock stopped | Replace the battery. See "Replacing the System Battery" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
4-4-1 | I/O chip set failure (defective system board) | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
4-4-2 | Parallel-port test failure (defective system board) | Replace the system board. See "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
4-4-3 | Math coprocessor failure (defective microprocessor) | Remove and reseat the specified microprocessor. See "Upgrading the Microprocessor" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the microprocessor. See "Upgrading the Microprocessorr" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
4-4-4 | Cache test failure (defective microprocessor) | Remove and reseat the specified microprocessor. See "Upgrading the Microprocessor" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, replace the microprocessor. See "Replacing the Microprocessor" in "Installing System Board Options." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help," for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see "Abbreviations and Acronyms." | ||
A warning message alerts you to a possible problem and asks you to take corrective action before the system continues a task. For example, before you format a diskette, a message may warn you that you may lose all data on the diskette, as a way to protect against inadvertently erasing or writing over the data. These warning messages usually interrupt the procedure and require you to respond by typing y (yes) or n (no).
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NOTE: Warning messages are generated by either the application program or the operating system. See "Finding Software Solutions," and the documentation that accompanied the operating system and application program for more information on warning messages. |
When you run a test group or subtest in the system diagnostics, an error message may result. These particular error messages are not covered in this section. Record the message on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist (see "Getting Help"), and then follow the instructions in that section for obtaining technical assistance.
The optional system management software generates alert messages for your system. For example, the server agent generates messages that appear in the SNMP trap log file. Alert messages consist of information, status, warning, and failure messages for drive, temperature, fan, and power conditions. More information about alert messages is provided in the system management software documentation found on the Online Documentation CD that shipped with your system.