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Basic Troubleshooting

Dell™ PowerEdge™ 6650 Systems Service Manual

  Initial User Contact

  External Visual Inspection

  Observing the Boot Routine

  Internal Visual Inspection

  Running the System Diagnostics

  Obtaining Technical Assistance


The basic troubleshooting procedures can help you diagnose a system problem. These procedures can often reveal the source of a problem or indicate the correct starting point for servicing the system. See your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for more detailed instructions for troubleshooting your system.

You can find a brief explanation of how to load and start the system diagnostics in "Running the System Diagnostics."

Perform the following procedures in the order presented.

Initial User Contact

When you first contact a user who has a problem, ask the user to describe the problem and the conditions under which it occurs. After the user describes the problem, perform the following steps:

  1. Ask the user to back up any data on the hard drive if the system's condition permits. See the documentation provided with the operating system or applications software for information about backing up data.

  2. Ask the user to try to duplicate the problem by repeating the operations he or she was performing at the time the problem occurred.

Can the user duplicate the problem?

Yes. Proceed to step 3.

No. Proceed to the next section, "External Visual Inspection."

  1. Observe the user to determine if he or she is making an error, such as typing an incorrect key combination or entering a command incorrectly.

Is the problem a result of user error?

Yes. Instruct the user in the proper procedure or direct the user to the appropriate user documentation for the correct procedure.

No. Proceed to "External Visual Inspection."

External Visual Inspection

Improperly set switches and 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.

The external visual inspection consists of a quick inspection of the exterior of the system, the monitor, (if attached), the keyboard (if attached), any peripherals, and cables. While performing the visual inspection, make any necessary corrections.

To perform the external visual inspection, perform the following steps:

  1. Inspect the status indicator LEDs for indication of component malfunction.

  2. Turn off the system, the monitor (if attached), and all peripherals.

  3. Verify that all power cables are properly connected to the system, the monitor and peripherals, and their power sources.

  4. Inspect connections to any attached devices including network cables, keyboard, monitor, mouse (if used), or keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) switch (if used), as well as any devices attached to the parallel and serial ports.

  5. Inspect all external monitor controls for any obvious damage or improper settings (if used). For proper settings of the video monitor controls, see the documentation for the monitor.

  6. Inspect the keyboard (if used) to ensure that no keys are sticking. If one or more keys are sticking, it may be necessary to replace the keyboard.

  7. Inspect the exterior of the system, including all controls and indicators, and all user- accessible data storage devices for any signs of physical damage.

Does the inspection reveal any problems?

Yes. Proceed to the appropriate procedure in "Removing and Replacing Parts."

No. Proceed to "Observing the Boot Routine."

Observing the Boot Routine

After you have performed an external visual inspection as described in the previous section, boot the system and, while the boot routine is running, observe the system for any indications of problems.

NOTE: Most of the steps in this procedure require observation of system functions and indications, some of which can occur simultaneously. It may be necessary to reboot the system several times to complete all of these steps.
NOTE: You can run the system diagnostics from the utility partition by pressing <F10> during the power-up (this method is the suggested method) or from a set of diskettes created from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD.

To observe problem indications during the boot routine, perform the following steps:

  1. If the system is off, turn on all peripherals and the system.

During the POST, the following message appears:

<F10> = Utility Mode

  1. Press <F10> to access the utility mode.

The utility partition provides a text-based interface from which you can run the partition's utilities. To select a menu option, you can either use the arrow keys to highlight the option and press <Enter>, or type the number of the menu option. To exit the utility partition, press <Esc> from the Main Menu. Exiting the utility from the setup mode causes the system to reboot to the standard operating-system boot partition.

  1. Check the power-supply indicators.

Is the red fault indicator lit?

Yes. Troubleshoot the system power supply (see your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide).

No. Proceed to step 4.

  1. Watch the <Num Lock>, <Caps Lock>, and <Scroll Lock> indicators on the upper-right corner of the keyboard. After all three indicators flash momentarily, and following a long pause (approximately 30 seconds), the <Num Lock> indicator should light up and remain on (unless the Num Lock option is set to off in the System Setup Program).

Do these indicators flash on and off within approximately 10 seconds after the boot routine starts?

Yes. Proceed to step 5.

No. Replace the keyboard with a known working keyboard. If the problem persists, troubleshoot the system power supply. If the troubleshooting procedure indicates that the system power supply is operational, troubleshoot the memory.

  1. During the boot routine, observe the system for any of the following indications:

  2. From the utility partition's main menu, select the Run System Diagnostics option from Run System Utilities and observe the monitor screen for the Diagnostics menu.

Does the Diagnostics menu appear?

Yes. See "Running the System Diagnostics."

No. Proceed to step 7.

  1. Insert another copy of the diagnostics diskette into the diskette drive, and reboot the system.

Does the Diagnostics menu appear?

Yes. See "Running the System Diagnostics."

No. Proceed to "Internal Visual Inspection."

Internal Visual Inspection

NOTICE: Before you proceed with the internal visual inspection described in this section, ensure that the user has saved all open files and exited all open application programs, if possible.

A simple visual inspection of a system's interior hardware can often lead to the source of a problem, such as a loose expansion card, cable connector, or mounting screw. When you perform the visual inspection, see "Jumpers and Connectors" to locate components referenced in the inspection procedure.

To perform the internal visual inspection, perform the following steps:

  1. Remove the bezel (see "Removing the Bezel").

  2. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the power cables from electrical outlets.

CAUTION: Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove the system cover and access any of the components inside the system. See your System Information document for complete safety information.
  1. Remove the front cover (see "Removing the Front Cover").

  2. Remove the back cover (see "Removing the Back Cover").

CAUTION: The microprocessor and heat-sink assembly can get extremely hot during system operations. Be sure that it has had sufficient time to cool before touching it.
CAUTION: When handling the microprocessor and heat-sink assembly, take care to avoid sharp edges on the heat sink.
  1. Verify that the memory modules, expansion cards, and microprocessors are fully seated in their sockets or connectors.

  2. Verify that all jumpers are set correctly (see "I/O Riser Card Jumpers and Connectors").

  3. Check all cable connectors inside the system to verify that they are firmly attached to their appropriate connectors.

  4. Replace the front cover (see "Removing the Front Cover").

  5. Replace the back cover (see "Replacing the Back Cover").

  6. Reconnect the system and any attached peripherals to their power sources, and turn them on.

Does the problem appear to be resolved?

Yes. No further steps are necessary

No. Proceed to "Obtaining Technical Assistance."

Running the System Diagnostics

You can run system diagnostics from either the utility partition on your hard drive or from a set of diskettes that you create from the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD.

To run the system diagnostics from the utility partition, perform the following steps:

  1. Start the utility partition by pressing <F10> during POST.

  2. From the utility partition's main menu, select the Run System Diagnostics option from Run System Utilities.

See "Using the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD" in the User's Guide for additional information about the utility partition.

To run the system diagnostics from the diskettes, perform the following steps:

  1. Create a set of diagnostics diskettes using the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD.

See "Using the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD" in the User's Guide for information on creating diskettes.

  1. Boot the system from the first diagnostics diskette.

If the system fails to boot, see "Obtaining Technical Assistance."

When you start the diagnostics, a message is displayed telling you that the diagnostics is loading. The Diagnostics menu appears. The menu allows you to run all or specific diagnostic tests or to exit system diagnostics.

NOTE: Before you read the rest of this section, start the system diagnostics so that you can see it on your monitor screen.

For a quick check of the system, select Test All Devices and then select Quick Tests. This option runs only the device tests that do not require user interaction and that do not take a long time to run. Dell recommends that you select this option first to increase the chance of tracing the source of the problem quickly. To test a particular device, select Test One Device. For a complete check of the system, select Test All Devices and then select Extended Tests.

To check a particular area of the system, select Advanced Testing. When you select Advanced Testing, the main screen of the diagnostics appears. This screen includes a listing of the various device groups in the system and the system's service tag.

To view data on test results, select Information and Results. Select Program Options to view the program options screen, which lets you set various test parameters.

By selecting the Device Configuration option, you can see an overview of the devices in the system.

Selecting Exit to MS-DOS exits the diagnostics and returns you to the MS-DOS® operating system environment.

To select an option from the Diagnostics menu, highlight the option and press <Enter>, or press the key that corresponds to the highlighted letter in the option that you selected.

Obtaining Technical Assistance

If at any time you do not understand a procedure described in this guide or if your system does not perform as expected, there are a number of tools are provided to assist you. For more information on these help tools, see "Getting Help" in your Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.

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