DellTrainingforDesktopSystems

Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................................5
SafetyGuidelines......................................................................................................................................5
Directions..................................................................................................................................................5
IntroductiontoTroubleshooting..................................................................................................................6
Objectives..................................................................................................................................................6
WhatIsaServiceTag?..............................................................................................................................6
WhereIstheServiceTagLocated?...........................................................................................................6
WhatIstheUseofaServiceTag?.............................................................................................................7
WhatIsanAssetTag?...............................................................................................................................7
HowtoRuntheAssetTagUtility..............................................................................................................7
SerialNumbersforOtherComponents....................................................................................................8
BIOSOverview...............................................................................................................................................9
Objective...................................................................................................................................................9
WhatIstheBIOS?...................................................................................................................................10
WhereIstheBIOSStored?......................................................................................................................10
TypesofBIOS..........................................................................................................................................10
EnteringtheBIOS....................................................................................................................................11
SystemSetupUtility................................................................................................................................11
AdvancedConfigurationandPowerInterface........................................................................................12
SleepStates.............................................................................................................................................12
BIOSLevelSecurityforDesktops............................................................................................................14
TypesofPasswords.................................................................................................................................14
BIOSSecurityInformation.......................................................................................................................14
DiagnosticTools..........................................................................................................................................15
Objective.................................................................................................................................................15
WhereCantheDellDiagnosticsBeSourcedfrom?................................................................................15
DiagnosticProcess..................................................................................................................................16
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TheDiagnosticProcess.......................................................................................................................16
HowtoRuntheDiagnosticsProcessfromtheResourceCD..................................................................16
WhatAretheUsesoftheResourceCD?................................................................................................17
RunningtheDiagnosticsProcessfromtheSystemPartition..................................................................17
WhatFeaturesAreAvailableintheNewDiagnosticGUI?.....................................................................17
WhatDotheNewGUIDiagnosticToolsContain?..................................................................................18
WhatIstheDellCrashAnalysisTool?.....................................................................................................18
DellOptiPlexDesktop,PrecisionWorkstation,andVostroDesktopChassisAwareness...........................19
Objective.................................................................................................................................................19
TheDellDesktopChassisTypes..............................................................................................................19
IdentifyingtheDellChassis.....................................................................................................................19
WhatAretheFeaturesoftheDellChassis?............................................................................................20
OpeningtheDellChassis.........................................................................................................................20
HowtoOpenanUltraSmallFormFactorChassis..................................................................................21
OpeningtheVostroChassis....................................................................................................................21
TheDiagnosticFeatureSet.........................................................................................................................21
Objective.................................................................................................................................................21
DiagnosticFeatureSet............................................................................................................................22
DiagnosticLEDs.......................................................................................................................................22
DiagnosticLEDQuadPack......................................................................................................................22
BeepCodes.............................................................................................................................................23
VostroBeepCodesandErrorMessages.................................................................................................23
TheBootProcessExplained........................................................................................................................24
Objective.................................................................................................................................................24
WhatAretheStagesoftheBootProcess?.............................................................................................25
PowerButtonLEDStates........................................................................................................................26
WhatIstheDiagnosticQuadPack?........................................................................................................27
DiagnosticLEDPatterns..........................................................................................................................27
SleepStatesandtheBootProcess..........................................................................................................28
BeepCodesandErrorMessages.............................................................................................................28
FaultIdentification......................................................................................................................................29
Objective.................................................................................................................................................29
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TroubleshootingbyIdentifyingFaults....................................................................................................29
HowtoIdentifytheNoPowerFault.......................................................................................................30
HowtoIdentifythePOSTStageFailure..................................................................................................30
HowtoIdentifytheBootStageFailure...................................................................................................31
TroubleshootingPower...............................................................................................................................31
Objective.................................................................................................................................................31
LEDStatesandCauses............................................................................................................................32
TroubleshootingtheEnvironmentRelatedPowerFaults......................................................................32
TroubleshootingPoweroutsidetheChassis...........................................................................................33
TroubleshootingPowerinsidetheChassis.............................................................................................33
CheckingInternalComponents...............................................................................................................34
TroubleshootingSleepStates:NotEnteringSleepState........................................................................34
NotWakingUpfromSleepState............................................................................................................35
TroubleshootingPrePOST..........................................................................................................................35
Objective.................................................................................................................................................35
CausesofPrePostFailure......................................................................................................................35
IdentifyingaPrePOSTFailure................................................................................................................36
PrePOSTComponents............................................................................................................................36
Step1:CheckingtheObvious.................................................................................................................37
Step2:CheckingInternalDrives,CablesandConnectionPoints...........................................................37
Step3:SwappingComponents...............................................................................................................37
TroubleshootingPOST................................................................................................................................38
Objective.................................................................................................................................................38
CauseforPOSTFailure............................................................................................................................38
TheLEDQuadPack,TextbasedPOSTCodes,andBeepCodes.............................................................39
WhatDoLEDsandBeepCodesIndicate?...............................................................................................39
HowtoIdentifyCausesofNoPOSTFailures...........................................................................................40
Step1:RemovingComponents...............................................................................................................40
Step2:CheckingthePowerSource,thePSU,andItsConnectingLeads...............................................41
Step3:ReseatingandSubstitutingComponents....................................................................................41
Step4:RemovingInstalledMemoryModules........................................................................................42
TroubleshootingSystemActivitySubsequenttoVideoInitialization.........................................................42
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Objective.................................................................................................................................................42
SystemActivitySubsequenttoVideoInitialization................................................................................42
The1234Code........................................................................................................................................43
The123Code:.........................................................................................................................................43
Troubleshootingthe123Code...............................................................................................................44
TroubleshootingDisplayIssues...................................................................................................................44
Objective.................................................................................................................................................44
IdentifyingtheDisplayType....................................................................................................................44
DisplayTroubleshootingProcedure........................................................................................................45
TroubleshootingCRTs.............................................................................................................................45
RunningtheCRTSelfTest.......................................................................................................................45
Settings....................................................................................................................................................45
CRTConnections.....................................................................................................................................46
TroubleshootingLCDs.............................................................................................................................46
RunningtheLCDSelfTest.......................................................................................................................47
Settings....................................................................................................................................................47
LCDConnections.....................................................................................................................................48

Introduction

SafetyGuidelines
Youmusttakeprecautionstopreventelectrostaticdischarge(ESD).

StaticElectricityAchargestoredinanybody.
ElectrostaticDischargeAsuddentransferofelectrostaticchargebetweenbodiesatdifferent
electrostaticpotentialusuallyasasparkasthebodiesapproachoneanother.

ESDisamajorconcernwhenhandlingcomponents,especiallyexpansioncardsandsystemboards.Very
slightchargescandamagecircuits.DamagefromESDcanoccurimmediatelyoritmaynotbecome
apparentforsometime.ESDmayalsoresultinintermittentproblemsorashortenedproductlifespan.
YoucanminimizethechancesofadischargebywearingthewristgroundingstrapthatcomesintheESD
kitandtakingseveralprecautions:

WhilethesystemispluggedintotheEarthcircuitviathepowersocket,attachthewristgrounding
toyourwristandcliptheotherendtoagroundobject.Ifawristgroundingstrapisnotavailable,
youcandischargethestaticelectricityinyourbodybytouchinganunpaintedmetalsurface,suchas
thesystemchassis.
Unplugthemachine.

Staticsensitivecomponentsarrivewrappedinantistaticpackingmaterial.Dothefollowingwhen
handlingstaticsensitivecomponents:

UseanESDwristgroundingstrap.
Handleallsensitivecomponentsinastaticsafearea.
Ifpossible,useantistaticfloormatsandworkbenchpads.
Whenunpackingastaticsensitivecomponent,donotremovethecomponentfromtheantistatic
packingmaterialuntilyouarereadytoinstallthecomponentsintoyoursystem.

Directions

Thiscourseshouldtake12hourstocomplete(excludingtheassessment).
Foradditionaltechnicalinformation,youcanrefertosupport.dell.com.

IntroductiontoTroubleshooting

Objectives
ThismodulehelpsimproveyourfamiliaritywithDellonlinesupportresourcesandenhancesyourability
tonavigatethem.ThemodulehasabriefdiscussionontheBIOSandBIOSlevelsecurityfeatures,
includingDellspolicytowardsmanagingBIOSpasswordissues.Italsointroducesseveralsoftware
diagnostictoolsthatcanhelpdiagnosehardwareandsoftwarerelatedissues.

WhatIsaServiceTag?
Aservicetagis:

ThenamegiventotheserialnumberofaDellsystem,
printer,projectororPDA.
AsevendigitalphanumericstringdefinedatDell.
DisplayedintheBIOSandonastickerplacedonthe
outsideofthechassis.
SetbyDellbeforethesystemleavesthefactory.

NOTE:Whenreplacingasystemboard,besuretoupdate
theservicetaginformationintheBIOStomatchtheservicetagonthechassis.Itisalsoagoodpractice
toflashtheBIOStothemostrecentversionatthistime.

WhereIstheServiceTagLocated?
Aservicetagcanbephysicallylocated:

Onthetopofthechassistowardsthefront.
Onthebottomofthechassistowardstheback.
Underthefrontpanelofolderchassis.

WhatIstheUseofaServiceTag?
Aservicetagisused:

Asasystemidentifier.
Forspeedysystemidentificationwhenbrowsingthesupportsite.
Toidentifythesystemrequiringwarrantyservice.Itmustbeprovidedfor
anyhardwaredispatches.

NOTE:ThefailuretomaintainaconsistentservicetagbothintheBIOSandon
thechassisstickercouldpotentiallycauseconfusionwhenplacingwarrantycalls,
overwritingmasterpasswords,orcontrollingyourinstallbase.Itistherefore
recommendedthatyouensuretheoriginaltagnumberismaintained
throughoutthelifeofthesystem.Alwaysremembertoupdatetheservicetagin
theBIOS.

WhatIsanAssetTag?
Anassettag:

Isacustomerspecified10digitnumberforthesystem(itisoptional).
Canbeusedtofacilitatecompanysecurityandcontrolpoliciesorforauditingpurposes.
IsstoredintheBIOS.

Theassettagisanumberupto10characterslongthatcanbeenteredintotheBIOSusingtheassettag
utility.Thisutility:

IsavailablealongwithsoftwaresupportutilitiesintheresourceCD.
CanbedownloadedfromtheDellsupportsiteftp.dell.com/utility/.Thefileiscalledasseta00.exe.

HowtoRuntheAssetTagUtility
1. Savethefileasseta00.exefromthesupport
siteorResourceCDontoyourharddisk.
2. Insertafloppydiskintothefloppydrive.
3. Openthefilefromthesavedlocation.This
actionwillextractthefileontothefloppy
disk.
4. Bootthesystembyusingthefloppydisk.
5. Typeasset.xxxxxxxxontheApromptwherexxxxxxxxisyourchosenassettag.


6. Typeasset/sxxxxxxxxwherexxxxxxxistheservicetagontheAprompt.Thiswillhelpyouchange
theservicetag(onlyifrequired).
YoucanalsoruntheAssetTagutilityorflashtheBIOSusingaUSBmemorykey.

SerialNumbersforOtherComponents
Serialnumbers(20digitPPID(piecepartidentificationnumber)arerequiredtoadvanceaservice
requestorwhilereplacingthefollowingcomponents:

CRTmonitors

Flatpanels

Batteries

ACadapters

Speakers

Dockingstations

WhencontactingDelltoreplaceCRTs,flatpaneldisplays,batteries,ACadapters,speakers,anddocking
stations,youmustprovidethePPID.FailuretologthePPIDtoolmaypreventtheservicerequestfrom
beingcompleted.

BIOSOverview

Objective
UponcompletionofthistopicyouwilllearntoidentifythefeaturesoftheBIOS.

WhatIstheBIOS?

BIOSstandsforBasicInputOutputSystemandisessentiallyalowlevelsoftwareprogram
hardcodedintoanonboardCMOS(complementaryoxidesemiconductor)chip.
TheBIOScodefacilitatesthetestingandinitializationofhardware,primarilythekeyboard,monitor,
diskdrives,communicationports,memory,chipsetandprocessor,allofwhicharerequiredtoboot
thesystem.
TheBIOSalsoprovidesauserinterfaceintheBIOSsetupprogramthatisparticularlyusefulfor
troubleshooting.Forexample,youcanenterthesystemsetuptocheckwhetherdevicesareenabled
ordisabled,whetherdrivesaredetectedornot,andtweaksettingstoenhanceortailorthe
systemspowermanagement,processor,orvideoperformance.Notethattheuserinterfaceforthe
BIOSisspecifictothesystemtypeandBIOSforthemachine.

WhereIstheBIOSStored?

TheBIOSistypicallystoredinPROM(Programmable
ReadOnlyMemory),whichisembeddedintoaCMOS
chipinthesystem,anditisoftencalledPROMBIOS.
BecausePROMisavolatile,asmallbatterysupplies
continuouspowertotheCMOSchip,ensuringthat
theBIOSisalwaysavailableandcannotbedamaged
bypowerordiskfailures.Whenthebatteryisnearing
theendofitslife,youmaynoticethattheBIOS
settingsreverttotheDelldefaultswhenthesystemis
powereddown.Dateandtimereversionsareusually
mostevident.
PROMBIOScontainsthecodethatallowsasystemtoboot.

NOTE:ManycomputermanufacturersdesignsystemssothattheBIOSiscopiedfromROMtoRAMeach
timethesystemisbooted.ThisisknownasShadowBIOSROM,ShadowMemory,andShadowRAM.The
objectiveistoallowthesystemtoaccessthatinformationquickly.

TypesofBIOS
MostmodernPCshaveaflashBIOS.

AflashBIOSisaBIOSthatcanbeerasedandrewritten,typicallythroughthecombinationofan
electricalprocessandaprogram.
AflashBIOSthatcanhandlePlugandPlay(PnP)devicesisalsoknownasaPnPBIOS.

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Ifanupdateisrequired,theBIOScanbeerasedandrewrittenusinganelectricalprocess.Hence,the
technologyiscalledEEPROMorElectricallyErasableProgrammableReadOnlyMemory.Theprocedure
involvediscalledflashingtheBIOS.
IngeneralmostPCshaveafairlystandardizedBIOS,althoughthemethodusedtoflashthem,ifpossible,
canbespecifictothecomputervendor.
NOTE:YoushouldmaintainupdatedBIOS,thelatestversionofwhichcanbefoundontheonline
supportsite.
Typicallytheprocessinvolvesthefollowingsteps.
1. Downloadthefiletoyourchosenlocation.
2. Doubleclickonthefiletoexecuteit.Thisactionwilleitherpromptyouforafloppydiskorinitiate
theflashprocess.Ifitdoesnotpromptyouforafloppydisk,thedownloadedfilewillselfextract
ontothefloppydisk,makingitbootable.
3. Bootthemachinewiththefloppydiskinplace,alteringthebootsequencethroughtheonetime
bootmenu,ifrequired,andcompletetheintuitiveprocess.

EnteringtheBIOS
ToentertheBIOSsetup,youcanperformanyoneofthefollowingsteps:

Pressthe<F2>keywhenpromptedatstartup.
Pressthe<F12>keyatstartuptoaccesstheonetimebootmenu.

WARNING:Changingadvancedparameterscanleadtosysteminstabilityanddataloss.Itishighly
recommendedthatyoubackupyourharddrivecontentsbeforemakinganychanges,andthatyou
proceedwithcaution,makingeveryreasonableefforttofullyunderstandtheimplicationsofthe
settingsyoumightbechanging.Fulldetailscanbefoundintheonlineandsystemspecificmanual.

SystemSetupUtility
TheBIOSincludesauserinterface,oftencalledtheSystem
SetupUtility(SSU).Thisutilityenablesyoutoaccesstheuser
modifiablefeaturesoftheBIOS.Thesefeaturesinclude:

Bootdeviceorder
Peripheralinformationandsettings
POSTbehavior
Powermanagement

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Securitysettings

NOTE:ThefeaturesaccessiblethroughtheSSUvarybysystem,asdoesthenavigationoftheSSU.Refer
totheUsersGuideorServiceManualforyoursystemforspecificinformation.

AdvancedConfigurationandPowerInterface
AdvancedConfigurationandPowerInterface(ACPI)isanindustrystandardforrecognizinghardware,
configuringdevices,andmanagingpower.
PowermanagementisthemostvisibleaspectofACPI.

ACPImovescontrolofpowermanagementfromtheBIOStotheoperatingsystem.Thisabilitycan
beenabledordisabledintheSystemSetupUtility.
ACPIenablestheoperatingsystemtosuspendoperationandenterstandbyorhibernation.For
moreinformationaboutthesestates,seeSleepStates.

Fortheoperatingsystemtocontrolpowermanagement,thefollowingcomponentsmustallbeACPI
capable:

Operatingsystem
Powersupply
Processor
Systemboard

SleepStates
Insleeporstandbystate,thesystemturnsofftheinternalcomponentstoreducepowerconsumption.
Therearefivesleepstateindicators:

TheS0sleepindicator
GlobalStates Workingstate(G1)
SleepStates
Systemison
CPUStates
Workingstate(C0)
DeviceStates Workingstate(D0)

TheS1sleepindicator
GlobalStates Sleepingstate(G1)
SleepStates
Systemison
CPUStates
Workingstate(C0)
DeviceStates Workingstate(D0)

SystemisinanS0
ACPIstate.

SystemisinanS0
ACPIstate.

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TheS3sleepindicator
GlobalStates Sleepingstate(G1)
SleepStates
SuspendtoRAM
Contentsaved
toRAM
Alsoknownas
standby
Powerbutton
displaysa
blinkinggreen
LED
CPUStates
Nopower
DeviceStates Nopowerexceptfor
wakeuplogic(D3)

TheS4sleepindicator
GlobalStates Sleepingstate(G1)
SleepStates
Suspendtodisk
Contentsaved
todisk
Alsoknownas
hibernate
Powerbutton
displaysoffLED
CPUStates
Nopower
DeviceStates Nopowerexceptfor
wakeuplogic(D3)

TheS5sleepindicator
GlobalStates Systemstillreceiving
thefleapower(G5)
SleepStates
Softoff
Contentnot
saved
Coolboot
required
CPUStates
Nopower
DeviceStates Nopowerexceptfor
wakeuplogic(D3)

SystemisinanS1
orS3StandbyACPI
state.

SystemisinanS5,
S4,orG3ACPI
state.

SystemisinanS5,
S4orG3ACPI
state.

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BIOSLevelSecurityforDesktops
AusercansettwotypesofmasterpasswordsintheBIOSofaDelldesktop:

System
Administrator

CAUTION:Ifyouleaveyoursystemrunningandunattendedwithouthavingasystempassword
assigned,orifyouleaveyoursystemunlockedsothatsomeonecandisablethepasswordbychanginga
jumpersetting,anyonecanaccessthedatastoredonyourharddrive.

TypesofPasswords
Systempassword:Preventsauserfrombooting
toanymedia.Apasswordpromptappearsas
soonasthesystemisswitchedon.
Administratorpassword:Allowsausertoboot
totheoperatingsystemandusethemachine,butpreventsthemfrommakinganychangesintheBIOS.

BIOSSecurityInformation
BIOSpasswordsondesktopsystemscanbeenabledordisabledwithajumperonthesystemboard.

RefertoyoursystemsUsersGuideorServiceManualforthespecificprocedureforclearingpasswords.
Atypicalprocedureis:

Turnoffthesystemanddisconnectthepowercablefromtheelectricaloutlet.
Removethesystemcover.
Locatethe2pinpasswordjumper(PSWD)onthesystemboardandremoveittoclearthe
password.
Closethecover.
Connectthesystemandmonitortoelectricaloutletsandturnthemon.
AftertheMicrosoftWindowsdesktopappearsonthescreen,shutitdown.
Turnoffthemonitoranddisconnectitfromtheelectricaloutlet.
Disconnectthepowercablefromtheelectricaloutlet,andthenpressthepowerbuttontoground
thesystemboard.
14

Openthecover.
Locatethe2pinpasswordjumperonthesystemboardandattachittoreenablethepassword
feature.
Closethecover.
Connectthesystemanddevicestoelectricaloutletsandturnthemon.
Assignanewsystemand/orAdministratorpassword.

NOTE:AsupportrequesttooverridetheBIOSpasswordcannotbemadethroughtheonlinelogging
tool.Wewouldadviseyoutocalloremailyourrepresentativewiththerelevantproofofownership
information.
Proofofownershipconsistsofafaxedormailedletterheadalongwiththerequest.

DiagnosticTools
Objective
Aftercompletingthistopicyouwillbeabletoidentifyandemploytheapplicablesoftwarediagnostic
tool,includingtherelevantoptions,forbothspecificandgeneralfailureevents.

WhereCantheDellDiagnosticsBeSourcedfrom?
NewDellplatformreleasesareaccompaniedbyaGraphicUserInterface(GUI)diagnosticapplication,
whereasoldersystemwouldshipwiththeDOSbasedequivalent.Thediagnosticapplicationcantestall
majorhardwarecomponentsandtheirfunctions.Thesoftwareisavailablefromthefollowingthree
resources:

TheDellResourceCDthatcomeswithallplatforms.
TheDellsupportwebsiteatsupport.dell.com.
Thesystempartition,a32MBpartition,placedonyourharddriveduringthemanufacturing
process.

NOTE:Youcanaccessthe32MBsystempartitionbyusingtheonetimebootmenu.Forthis,press
<F12>duringthepoweronphasetoactivatetheonetimebootmenuandthenfollowthepromptsthat
appearonthescreen.However,whensystemsareimaged,thepartitionisoverwrittenandwillnotbe
present.

15

DiagnosticProcess
Youcanaccessthediagnosticapplicationbybootingtothe
resourceCDandmakingtheappropriateselectionsfromthe
displayedmenu.
TheDiagnosticProcess
1. TheDelllogoappearsonthescreenfollowedbyamessage
informingyouthattheapplicationisbeingloaded.
2. AprogramteststheRAMthatwillbeusedbythediagnostictoolsbeforeitisloadedintothe
memory.
3. TheresourceCDcheckstheBIOSforversionandsetupinformation.
4. Thediagnosticapplicationthenscansthehardwarepresent,whichitusestoensurethatthe
applicationtestsavalidconfiguration.
NOTE:The32bitDiagnosticsserveasausefultoolwhenattemptingeithertotestaspecificcomponent,
ortoperformamoregeneralsystemhealthinspection.Errormessagesreceivedcanhelppinpoint
componentfailures,whetherthereisanabsolutefailureorthedeviceisoperatingoutsideofnormal
parameters.Ingeneral,ifauserisexperiencingintermittentorstrangeerrors,systemfreezesor
questionableresponsetimes(vagueconditions),itisadvisabletorunthediagnostics.Ifthediagnostics
passwithnoreportederrors,youcanshiftthetroubleshootingeffortstowardsthesoftware
environment.Thesoftwarediagnosticsshouldalwaysbeusedasanindicatoronly.Theycannotbeused
asasubstitutefordirecthardwaretesting.Itisimperativethatallerrorcodeinformationreportedby
the32bitDiagnosticsbeincludedintheonlineservicerequesttoDell.

HowtoRuntheDiagnosticsProcessfromtheResourceCD
1. BootthesystemwiththeResourceCDinsertedintothedrive.
2. Press<F12>whenpromptedduringstartup.Thisdisplaystheonetimebootmenu.
3. Topreparethesystemtorunthediagnostics,selecttheBootfromCDROMoptionfromtheStartup
menubypressing2.
4. Tobeginsystemdiagnostics,selecttheRunthe32BitDellDiagnosticsoptionfromtheChoice
Actionsmenubypressing1.

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WhatAretheUsesoftheResourceCD?
TheResourceCD:

Canbeusedtoinstalldrivers,diskutilitiesand
applications(diagnosticorperformancebased).
Willautorunwhenplacedintothedrive,whileinthe
operatingsystem.
Canhelpinidentifyingthevariouschipspresenton
yoursystemalongwiththeirmanufacturerandtype.
Canbeusedtorunthe32bitDiagnostics.

NOTE:TheinformationontheResourceCDmaybe
outdated,soitisrecommendedthatyoufrequentlycheckthesupportsitesDriversandDownloads
pageforthemostuptodatedriversandutilitiesorboth.

RunningtheDiagnosticsProcessfromtheSystemPartition
AllfactoryshippedDellsystemsinclude,aspartofthedefaultspecification,the32bitSystem
Diagnostics,hiddenonautilitypartition.Performthefollowingstepstorunthediagnostics:

Pressthe<Ctrl><Alt><F10>sequenceor<F12>whilethesystembootsintoaccessthediagnostic
tool.
Thetoolloadstheappropriatemodules,andthestandardDellDiagnosticsmainmenuappears.
Whenyouchoosetoexitthediagnostictool,thesystemwillrebootaccordingtothenormalboot
sequenceandreturntotheinstalledoperatingsystem,ifapplicable.

NOTE:Drivessentforservicereplacementwillbeunformatted.Asaresult,theutilitypartitionwillnot
beincluded.Thecapabilitytorunthe32bitDiagnosticswillalsobeabsent.Keystrokespressedwhile
thesystemisbootingwillbeignoredonthesedrives.

WhatFeaturesAreAvailableintheNewDiagnosticGUI?
WiththenewdiagnosticGUIutilityprogramyoucan:

Performexpress,extended,orcustomtestsonone
oralldevices.
Selecttestsbasedontheproblemthatyour
systemreports.
Choosethenumberoftimesatestistoberun.
Displaytestresults.
17

Suspendtestingifanerrorisdetected.
Terminatetestingifthenumberoferrorsexceedsapredefinednumber.
Accesstheonlinehelpthatdescribesthetestsanddevices.
Receivestatusmessagesthatindicatewhethertestshavecompletedsuccessfully.
Receiveerrormessagesifproblemsaredetected.

WhatDotheNewGUIDiagnosticToolsContain?
Youareprovidedwiththefollowingfourchoiceswhenyourunthefirstscreenofthenewdiagnostic
utility:

Expresstest:
o Runsaquicktestonallcomponentsinthesystem.
o Findsobviousfaults.
o Hasanapproximateruntimeof30minutes.
Extendedtest:
o Runsindepthtestsonallcomponentsinthesystem.
o Testscomponentsattheextremesoftheirparameters
Customtest:
o Runsindepthtestsontheindividualcomponentsthatyouselect.
o Helpstotailorthetestsyourun.Usethisoptionwhenyoureceiveerrorcodeinformation
highlightingapotentiallyfaultypartoryouhaveasuspicionbasedonthesystemsbehavior
thatyouwanttovalidate.
Symptomtree:
o Isusefulifyouarenotsurewhichcomponentissuspectedtobefailingbutknowthe
symptomthatitisproducing.
o Testsallhardwarecomponentsthatcancauseaparticularsymptom.

WhatIstheDellCrashAnalysisTool?
DellCrashAnalysisTool:

Canidentifydriverandsoftwareproblems
onDellsystems.
Canbeusedifacustomergetsbluescreen
errors,lockupsintheoperatingsystem,or
randomreboots.
Listspotentialdevicedriversthatcouldbe
therootcauseoftheissueexperienced.
Canbedownloadedfrom
18

http://ftp.us.dell.com/app/r107879.exe.
Canbeinstalledandrunonanysystem,oncedownloaded.
Includesaviewer.

NOTE:IftheDellCrashAnalysisTooldiscoversafaultwithanyofthedevicedrivers,itcansavea
potentialoperatingsystemreinstall.
Thekeyprincipleuponwhichthetoolisbasedisthatdriverrelatedissuesneedtobeaddressedahead
ofunnecessaryhardwaredispatches.Inessence,ifaharddrivewasdispatchedforasoftwarerelated
issue,itwouldresolvetheproblem,atleastfortheimmediatefuture.However,chancesarethatthe
problemwouldreappearinthenearfutureifarogueormaliciousdriverisarequirementforessential
systemfunctionality.Considertheriskthatafuturefailurecouldprovemorecostly.

DellOptiPlexDesktop,PrecisionWorkstation,andVostroDesktopChassis
Awareness

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeabletoidentifyandappreciatethediagnosticrelevanceof
OptiPlexdesktop,Precisionworkstation,andVostrodesktopchassisfeatures.

TheDellDesktopChassisTypes
Thefollowingtabledescribeschassisavailabilitybyproductline.
ChassisType
Tower
Minitower
Slimtower
Desktop
SmallDesktop
SmallFormFactor
UltraSmallForm
Factor

OldOptiPlex
Desktop

9
9
9

NewOptiPlex
Desktop

9
9

IdentifyingtheDellChassis
Itisadvisedthatyouconfirmthetypeandlookofthesystem
chassisyouaretroubleshootingbeforeemployingany
strategyormethodology,because:

Youmayneedtoaccountforsubtledifferences.
19

Precision
Workstation
9
9

VostroDesktop

9
9

Differentchassistypesaretypicallycomprisedofdifferentparts.

Thechassistypecanbeidentifiedbyreferringtotheonlinesystemmanual,whichwouldinclude
pictures,makingavisibleconfirmationpossible.However,themethodsoftroubleshooting,andthe
principlesandpracticeofopeningthechassisarefundamentallythesame.

WhatAretheFeaturesoftheDellChassis?
Delldesktopchassisaredesignedtomaketroubleshootingmoresimple.Keyfeaturesinclude:

Safe,intuitivehardwareaccess:
o YoucanopenmanyDellchassiswithouttools.
o Somechassisdorequireascrewdrivertoremovethescrewsthatsecurethecovertothe
mainbodyofthechassis.
Maintainabilityandserviceability:
o Theharddrives,CDs,DVDs,andtapedrivesofmanysystemsaremountedonrails.Youdo
notneedanytoolstoremovedrivesfromthesesystems.Youdoneedascrewdriverto
removethedrivesfromtherails.
o YoucaneasilyremoveandreseatthedatacablesonIDEandSATAdrives.
o Youcaneasilyremoveandreseatmemorymodules,whicharesecuredbytwoplasticlevers.
Colorcoding:
o Componentsareoftencolorcoded:
Blueplasticindicatesacustomerremovableunit(CRU).Oldersystemsusedgreen
plastictoindicateCRUs.
BlueSATAcablesconnecttotheharddrive,whileorangeSATAcablesconnectto
theopticaldrive.

NOTE:

Together,thesefeaturessimplifyservicedelivery.Youmayfinditeasiertorequestthepartsand
installthemyourselfratherthanwaitforanonsitetechnician.
Notethatreplacementdrivesdonotshipwithmountingrails.Youmusttransfertherailsfromthe
existingdrive.
YoucanfindstepbystepinstructionsintheonlineUsersManualorServiceManual.

OpeningtheDellChassis
YoucanopentheDellchassisby:

Pressingbuttonssimultaneouslyon
eithersideofthechassis.
20

Releasingadoorlatchthat,inturn,unlocksoneofthesidepanels.
Placingthesystemdownontheappropriatesideandopeningthechassisbyusingthesliding
button.
Removingthescrewsthatsecurethecover.

HowtoOpenanUltraSmallFormFactorChassis

TheUltraSmallFormFactorhasaplasticbackassembly.First,youneed
toremovetheassembly,whichhastwoparts.Then,youcanopenthe
sidepanelbyturningthebuttononthechassis.
ThebuttonlockingmechanismontheUltraSmallFormFactorisalways
locatedatthebackofthesystem.

OpeningtheVostroChassis
BoththeVostroTowerandSlimTowerChassisusescrewstosecurethe
cover.Thefirsttimeyouremovethecover,youmustuseastandardPhillips
headscrewdrivertoloosenthesecuringscrews.Whenyoureplacethecover,
thescrewscanfunctionasthumbscrew.

TheDiagnosticFeatureSet

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeabletoidentifytheDelldiagnosticfeatureset.

21

DiagnosticFeatureSet
ThediagnosticfeaturesofDelldesktopand
workstationsystemsinclude:

Beepcodes
Errormessages
LEDQuadPack
PowerLED

DiagnosticLEDs
LightEmittingDiodes(LEDs)aresmall,efficient
lightsources.Theyaresemiconductorsthat
radiatelight.
TheLEDsthatDellusestodisplaydiagnostic
informationradiateinthevisiblespectrum.By
decodingthepatternoflight,youcantroubleshootafailedsystemorfollowasystemthroughthe
stagesofthebootprocess.

DiagnosticLEDQuadPack
ThediagnosticLEDQuadPackisoneofthekeydiagnosticfeaturesoftheDellOptiPlexdesktopand
PrecisionWorkstationsystems.ItcanbeusedintheeventofasystemfailureduringthePOSTprocess
toassistthefaultdiagnosis.TheQuadPackisfoundinoneoftheselocations:

Underthefrontpaneldoor.
OnthefrontofthechassisbetweenorbelowtheheadphonejackandtheUSBports.
Ontherearofthesystemabovethemouseandkeyboardports.
22

BeepCodes
Whenerrorsthatcannotbereportedonthemonitoroccur
duringPOST,yoursystemmayemitabeepcodetocommunicate
theproblem.Abeepcodeisaspecificseriesofsounds.
Forexample:AWorkstationT7400beepsonce,thenpauses,
beepsagain,thenbeepsthreetimes.Thisbeepcodeindicatesan
NVRAMread/writefailure.
Beepcodesarerelativelyconsistentacrossplatforms.Sothe113codewouldstillindicateanNVRAM
failureontheDellOptiPlex210LandtheOptiPlex330.ButaVostro400usesacompletelydifferentset
ofbeepcodes.

VostroBeepCodesandErrorMessages
AswithOptiPlexandPrecisionsystems,Vostrosystemsalsoreportconditionsthatariseduringthebeep
processthrough:

TextErrorMessages
TextErrorMessage
CMOSCHECKSUMERROR
CPUFANFAILURE
HARDDISKDRIVEFAILURE
NOTIMETICKINTERRUPT
NOTabootdiskette
USBOVERCURRENTERROR

Meaning
PossiblesystemboardfailureorRTCbatterylow.
Replacethebattery.
CPUfanfailure.Replacethefan.
PossibleharddrivefailureduringtheHDDPOST.
Checkthecablesandswapharddrives.
Achiponthesystemboardmightbe
malfunctioning,orthesystemboardhasfailed.
Insertabootablefloppydiskandthenrestartthe
system.
AdeviceontheUSBbusisdrawingmorecurrent
thanissupported.DisconnecttheUSBdeviceor
useanexternalpowersourceforthedevice.

23

BeepCodes
BeepCode
1

Description
BIOSROM
checksuminprogressor
failure
Nomemorymodules
detected

Chipseterror
TimeofDay
Clocktestfailure
GateA20failure
SuperI/Ochipfailure
Keyboardcontrollerfailure

SuggestedRemedy
Systemboardfailure.CoversBIOScorruptionor
ROMerror.
1.Ifyouhavetwoormorememorymodules
installed,removethemodules,reinstallonemodule,
andthenrestartthesystem.Ifthesystemstarts
normally,reinstallanadditionalmodule.Continue
untilyouhaveidentifiedafaultymoduleor
reinstalledallmoduleswithouterror.
2.Ifavailable,installagoodmemorymoduleofthe
sametypeintothesystem.
3.Iftheproblempersists,contactDell.
Systemboardfailure.PowerLEDisblinkingamber.

CurrentlyshippingVostrosystemsdonothaveLEDQuadPack.

TheBootProcessExplained

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeableto:

Appreciatethestagesofthebootprocess.
Identifythesignificanceoftheassociatedsystemindicators.

24

WhatAretheStagesoftheBootProcess?
Everytimeyoursystemboots,itpassesthroughfivedistinctbootstages.Thesequenceofthesestages
is:

Off
Inthisstage,thereisnopowersupplytothesystem.

Power
Inthisstage,thesystemreceivespowerfromapowersourceanddistributesthepowertothe
internalcomponents.

PrePOST(PowerOnSelfTest)
Inthisstage,thesystemcanreceivepoweranddistributethispowertoitsinternalcomponentsbut
cannotprocessdata.

25

POST
Inthisstage,thesystemprocessesaseriesofinstructionsthatcheck,testandinitiatesystem
components.ThesetestsarecommonlyknownasPOSTtests.Theexecutedcodethatprovidesfor
theinstructionsetisstoredintheBIOS.

Boot
WhenthesystemsuccessfullycompletesthePOSTtests,theBIOSattemptstoreleasecontrolofthe
systemtoadefinedbootdeviceandaninstalledoperatingsystem(OS).Theoperatingsystem
componentthatreceivescontrolisreferredtoasthekernel.Followingthis,thesystembeginsthe
bootstage.

PowerButtonLEDStates
ThepowerLED:

ChangesitsstatetoreflectthesystemtransitionthroughtheassociatedPOSTroutines.
IndicatesthestageatwhichtheprocessfailedduringPOST.
Doesnotidentifythecomponentresponsibleforthefailure.

WhenthesystemcompletesPOSTnormally,thechangeinLEDcodeforeachphaseoftheprocess
occursfairlyquickly,makingitdifficulttodistinguishbetweenthestages.Whenthesystemfailsto
completePOST,thePowerLEDremainsinthelastsuccessfulstate.
NOTE:OptiPlexandPrecisiondesktopsincludeavariablestatepowerbuttonLED.Theoccurrenceof
distincteventstriggersachangeinthestateoftheLED.ThevariablestatepowerbuttonLED:

Displaysfivedifferentvisualcodesorstates.
Providesyouwithinformationaboutthestateofthesystem,orthestagewhereinafailure
occurred.

26

WhatIstheDiagnosticQuadPack?
ThediagnosticorLEDQuadPackprovidesinformationaboutthecurrentstageorsetofPOSTteststhat
thesystemiscyclingthrough.

TheQuadPackLEDshighlighttheprogressofyoursystemthroughthePOSTprocess.
Ifthesystemfailsonaparticularcheckortest,theQuadPackwillhighlightthestageatwhichthe
systemhaltedviaanLEDcode.

NOTE:AlwayscheckyoursystemsUsersGuideorServiceManualtodeterminetheexactmeaningof
theLEDQuadPackcode.
ThediagnosticLEDQuadPackprovidesinformationaboutthecurrentstageofPOSTasthesystem
progressesthroughit.IfthesystemstopsPOSTing,youcanlookupthecodeinthesystemsUsers
GuideorServiceManualtodeterminewhereitstopped.Thatinformationgivesyouagoodstarting
pointfortroubleshooting.
Onsomesystems,theLEDQuadPackremainslitaftertheoperatingsystemloads.Onothersystems,
theLEDQuadPackturnsoffwhentheBIOSpassescontroltotheoperatingsystem.

DiagnosticLEDPatterns
ThemajorityofdiagnosticLEDpatternsdonothaveaonetoonerelationshipwithindividualPOST
tests.ThePOSTteststhemselvesareroughlygroupedintosetsaccordingtothecomponentstheyare
testing.ThesesetsoftestsformcategoriesaccordingtowhichanLEDpatternisthenassigned.Before
processingthetestswithinaset,thesystemdisplaystheLEDpatternforthatsetonthediagnosticLEDs.
AfterdisplayingtheLEDpattern,thesystemrunsthetestset,whichinitializesandchecksthe
functionalityofthosecomponentsincludedinthespecificcategory.
NOTE:AlthoughmanyofthePOSTtestsareexecutedinaspecificorder,theordermaynotstrictlybe
consistent.TheBIOSmayonlyexecuteoneortwoofthetestsinaset,moveontothenextsetandthen
returntothepreviousset.SomeoftheLEDcodesaredisplayedmultipletimesduringthePOSTprocess.
TheLEDpatternsstopchangingifasystemencountersafailureduringoneofitstests.

27

SleepStatesandtheBootProcess
Thesleepstatesmostrelevanttothebootprocessare:
1. Standby(S1orS3)
StandbyisalsocalledsuspendtoRAM.WindowsVistareferstoS3asSleep.
YoucantellthatthesystemisinstandbybytheblinkingPowerLED.
OldersystemsaremorelikelytosupportS1,whichleavestheprocessorandmanyperipherals
fullypowered,thanS3.
MorerecentsystemsmaynotsupportS1.
Eveniftheprocessormaybecompletelyoff,RAMispowered.
Lossofpowerresultsinalossofallunsaveddata.
ResumingfromStandbyinvolvesrestoringpowertotheprocessorandperipherals.Becausethe
operatingsystemisstillinRAM,thesystemdoesnotPOST,andtheoperatingsystemdoesnotload
again.
2.

Hibernation(S4)
ThePowerLEDisoff.
EverythinginRAMisstoredinafileontheharddrive.
Thesystemiscompletelypowereddown,exceptforfleapower.
ResumingfromHibernationrequiresanormalpoweronandPOST.WhentheBIOShandsover
controltotheoperatingsystem,itrestoresthecontentsofhibersys.dattoRAM.

3. Off(S5)
ThePowerLEDisoff,butfleapowerisstillbeingsuppliedtothesystemboard.Thisenables
peripheralssuchascertainNICsormodemstopoweronthesystem.

ThestandardbootprocessdescribedinthismoduledescribesbootingfromanS5state.

BeepCodesandErrorMessages
Youcanalsoreceiveindicationsaboutthebootprocessthrough:

Texterrormessages:Theerrormessagesprovideinformationaboutacurrentorpreviousboot
failure.
Beepcodes:Abeepcodeconsistsofthreeorfourgroupsofbeepsseparatedbypauses.Beepcodes
relaytheoffendingcheckpointinasituationwhenapreviousbootfailedbeforevideowas
initialized.

Theerrorcodeinformationprovidedbyerrormessagesand/orbeepcodescanbelookeduponline,
undertheappropriatesystemsusermanual.

28

FaultIdentification

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeabletoclassifyDellsystemfailures.

TroubleshootingbyIdentifyingFaults
Thefirststeptotroubleshootinganyproblemistocategorizethestageoffailure,whichcanbeoneof
thefollowingthreetypes:

NoPower:Occurswhenpowerisappliedandthesystemdoesnotreceiveasupplyorcirculateit
correctly.
NoPOST:OccurswhenthesystemfailsanypartofPOST.
NoBoot:Occurswhenthesystemfailstoboot.ThishappenswhentheBIOSfailstosuccessfully
handthecontroloftheremainingbootprocessovertotheoperatingsystemkernel.

29


NOTE:Afterclassifyingthecategoryofasystemfailure,youneedtotakedecisivestepstowards
identifyingthecomponentsthatareresponsibleforthefailure.ThistaskismadeeasierwiththeDell
diagnosticfeatureset,suchasSystemLEDsandothererrorcodeinformation.Additionally,youshould,
wheneverpossible,refertoDSNbyusingthecategoryfailureasasearchstring,suchasGX280no
POSTorGX280NoPowerorGX280noBoot.

HowtoIdentifytheNoPowerFault
Youcandeterminethepowerstateofadesktopsystembycheckingtheconditionsofthefollowing
indicatorsandcomponents:

PowerLED:WhetherthepowerLEDisoff,greenoramber,andblinkingorsteady.
Fleapowerindicator:WhetherthefleapowerLEDonthesystemboardison.
Systemfan:Whetherthepowersupplyfanisturning.
LEDQuadPack:WouldbeoffforapotentialNoPower.

NOTE:Whentroubleshooting,thebestdecisionsresultfromusingallavailableinformation.Remember
tocheckallindicatorsandcheckyoursystemsUsersGuideorServiceManual.Alwaysincludeyour
findingsinyouronlinewarrantyrequest.

HowtoIdentifythePOSTStageFailure
YoucandeterminewhetheryoursystemhasfailedduringthePOSTroutinehardwaretestsbychecking
thefollowingconditions:

Isthesystemreceivingpower?
IsthepowerLEDoff,greenoramber,andblinkingorsteady?
IsthefleapowerLEDonthesystemboardon?
Isthepowersupplyfanturning?
Whatstatusand/orerrorcodeinformationisdisplayedbytheLEDQuadPack?

NOTE:TodeterminethecomponentsthatshouldhavebeentestedandinitializedduringthePOST
routinechecks,youneedtorecordanydisplayedLEDcodesandtranslatetheassociatedmeaning.This
informationisavailableintheappropriateonlinesystemmanual.
Givenanyfailure,youmustincludetheLEDpatternsdisplayedinyouronlinewarrantyrequestlogto
Dell.

30

HowtoIdentifytheBootStageFailure
Bootingasystemisdefinedasloadingandpassingcontrolofthebootprocesstotheoperatingsystem
kernel.ThisisthefirstpieceofsoftwarerequiredtodisplaytheWindowsloginscreen.
Youcandetermineifyoursystemisfailingtobootproperlybycheckingthefollowingconditions:

Hasthesystemsuccessfullypoweredon?
HasthesystempassedtheinitialPOSTchecks?
Areyoureceivingavideosignalonthemonitor?
Isthereanerrormessageonthemonitor?
IsthereanybootablemediainthefloppydriveorCDROMdrive?

NOTE:

Ifyouarereceivingavideosignalonthemonitor,asolidgreenpowerLEDindicatorandaGGGGor
GGGYontheQuadpack,thereisahighprobabilitythatyouarenotgoingtoneedtotroubleshoot
thisissueasanoPOST.
GGGGsignifiesthatthesystemhassuccessfullycompletedallPOSTchecksandGGGYindicates
systemactivitysubsequenttovideoinitialization.

TroubleshootingPower

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeableto:

Identifypowerrelatedfaults.
Establishguidelinesforthesuccessfultroubleshootingofpowerrelatedfaults.

31

LEDStatesandCauses
ThefollowingtableprovidespossiblecausesforvariousstatesofthepowerindicatorsonOptiPlex,
VostroandPrecisionsystems.
PowerLED
OFF

BackPanelLED
OFF

PowerSupplyFan
OFF

FleaPowerLED
OFF

Amber

Blinking
Amber

OFF

OFF

Amber

ON

Amber

PossibleCauses
Systemnotpluggedin
PSUunpluggedfromthe
systemboard
Wallorpowerstripoutlet
faulty
Powercordfaulty
Powersupplyfaulty
Misalignedfrontbezel
Controlpanelfailure
I/Opanelfailure
CablefromtheI/Opanelto
thesystemboard
disconnectedorfaulty
Systemboardfaulty
Powersupplyfaulty
Powersupplyfaulty
Voltageselectorswitch
incorrectlyset
VoltageRegulatorModule
(VRM)failure(ifapplicable)
Systemboardfaultypossibly
shortedtoground
AsolidgreenharddriveorE
supportLEDontheControl
PanelmayindicateaVRM
failure.

NOTE:OnOptiPlexandPrecisionWorkstationsystems,youcanalsochecktheLEDQuadPack.Vostro
systemsdonothaveanLEDQuadPack.

TroubleshootingtheEnvironmentRelatedPowerFaults
Totroubleshootasuspectpowerissue,firstyouneedtoverifywhetherthefaultisrelatedto
environmentalcomponents,suchasexternalpowersourceandintermediaryorconnectingdevices.To
dothis:

Verifytheexternalpowersourceorwallsocket.
Verifytheintermediaryorconnectingdevicessuchasextensioncordsorsurgesuppressors.
32


Thisverificationisperformedthroughpartsubstitutionand/ortestingwithknowngooddevicesonthe
sameoutletorconnectingdevice.

TroubleshootingPoweroutsidetheChassis
Tryafewsimpletroubleshootingstepsbeforeopeningthechassis.

CheckthestatusofthepowerLEDandtheLEDQuadPack(onsystemsthathaveone).
Determinewhetherthepowersupplyfanisspinning.
Reseatthepowercord.
Ifthesystemhasaswitchablepowersupply,unplugthepowercordandrocktheswitchtothe
incorrectpositionandthenbacktothecorrectsettingforyourregion.
Trythepowercordfromaworkingsystemordisplay.
Ensurethatthebezelisalignedcorrectly.Improperbezelalignmentmaypreventthepowerbutton
fromactivatingthesystem.

TroubleshootingPowerinsidetheChassis
Iftheproblempersistsaftercheckingenvironmentalandexternalsystemcauses,youneedtocheckthe
possibleinternalcauses.Todothis:

Openthecaseandperformavisualinspectionofthesystemboardanditscomponentsfor
abnormalitiesthatcouldhaveanimpactonthesystemsabilitytopoweron.
Checkthestatusofthefleapowerlight,componentsthatmaybedisconnected,andcablesor
connectorsthatmaybeincorrectlyseated.
Checkthepowerconnectionstothesystemboardandwhethertheprocessorfanoranyexpansion
cardfansarespinning.
Reseatthepowerconnectiontothesystemboardandthendisconnectallpowerconnectorstothe
drives.
ReseatthecablethatconnectstheI/Opaneltothesystemboardonbothends.
IfthesystempowersonwhiletheI/Opanelisdisconnectedfromthesystemboard,determine
whetherthepowersupplyisfunctionalorthatthefaultlieswitheithertheI/Opanelanditscableor
thecontrolpanel.
ReseatthecircuitboardifthecableconnectingtotheI/Opanelisaccessible.Thecontrolpanelis
thecircuitboardtowhichthepowerbuttonisconnected.ThisboardinturnconnectstotheI/O
panel.

NOTE:Rememberthefundamentalprincipleandobjectiveofanytroubleshootingmethodologyiscause
andeffect.Wearelookingtoidentifythataction(cause)whichresultsinachange(effect)ofsymptoms
and/orerrorcodeinformation.
33


Forexample,ascorchedcomponentwouldvisiblyappearasifithasbeenburnt,eitherthrough
exposuretoheatorasuddenanduncontrolledburstofpower.Ifthisisthecase,youwillneedtocall
Dellsupportforadditionaladvice.

CheckingInternalComponents
Atthisstage,ifyouhavenotidentifiedthereasonfor
thefailuretopoweron,thefaultcouldbeduetoa
failingcomponent.Thetroubleshootingcheckscould
include:

Removeallcomponentsanddevicessuchasthe
drives,thedrivedatacables,expansioncards,
riser,audioandMolexcablesthatdonotprevent
thesystemfromreceivingpower.
Testthesystemwithcauseandeffectinmindand
focusyourattentionontheremaining
components,suchasmemory,powersupply,
voltageregulatormodule(VRM),andprocessor.
Testthememorymodulesinisolationandindifferentslots,swappingthemwithknowngood
memorymodules,ifpossible.
RemovethesecondprocessorandtheVRM,ifapplicable.Testeachprocessorindividually.Use
substituteparts,ifnecessary.
SwapthepowersupplywithaknowngoodPSU,ifavailable.

NOTE:IfthesystemhastwoprocessorsandaseparateVRM,youmustalsoremovethesecond
processorifyouneedtoremovetheVRM.AlwayscheckyoursystemsUsersGuideorServiceManual
forspecificinstructions.

TroubleshootingSleepStates:NotEnteringSleepState
Totroubleshootasystemthatdoesnotenterasleepstate:

Determineifanapplicationcausesthefailure.
Todetermineifanapplicationispreventingthesystemfromenteringasleepstate:
o Individuallycloseallapplicationsrunningintheforegroundorbackground,includingSystem
Tray(NotificationArea)applications.
o RemoveapplicationsfromtheStartUplocationsandrestartthesystem.
o Ifthesystementerssleepmode,individuallyaddtheStartUpapplicationsandtest.
Determineifaperipheralordevicedrivercausesthefailure.
34

Todetermineifaperipheraloritsdriverispreventingthesystemfromenteringasleepstate,check
theUsersGuideorServiceManualfortheperipheraltodetermineifitsupportssleepstates.Any
peripheralattachedtothesystemmaypreventthesystemfromenteringasleepstate.
Determineifanoperatingsystemsettingcausesthefailure.
CheckforOperatingSystemsettingsthatmaynotbeconfiguredcorrectly,preventingS3sleep.

NotWakingUpfromSleepState
Anoncomplianthardwaredevice,faultyhardwareoradevicewitha
noncompliantdrivercanalsopreventasystemfromwakingup.Itis
veryunlikelythatanapplicationwillpreventasystemfromwakingup.
Totroubleshootthissituation:

Reseatsuspectdevices,swappingthepartwithaknowngood
componentandupdatingthedevice.
ChecktheBIOSSettings.IfthesleepingmodeintheBIOSissetto
S1state,thesystemwillnotbeabletoenterS3state.

NOTE:TheWindows2000operatingsystemmustbeproperly
configuredintoallowcertaindevicestowakethesystem.

TroubleshootingPrePOST

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeabletoidentifytheguidelinesfortroubleshootingprePOST.

CausesofPrePostFailure
Asystemfailurecanbecategorizedasapre
POSTstagefailureifthesystemcannot
processthesoftwarecodestoredinthe
BIOS.Possiblecausesofthisfailureare:

Processorfailure
Systemboardfailure
Installedcomponentsfailure
35


DuringPOST,asystemcannotdetectortestthememory,riseroranyoftheintegratedcomponents
withoutexecutingtheBIOScode.
NOTE:Theriserisacircuitboardthatisalsoknownasarisercard.Itconnectsdirectlyintothesystem
boardandprovidesthecapabilityforadditionalexpansioncardstobeaddedtothecomputer.Theriser
istypicallyavailableindesktopsystems.
Physicalseatingissuessuchasanincorrectlyseatedmemorymoduleorcableconnectorcouldcausethe
systemtofailprePOSTduetoashortintheelectriccircuit.

IdentifyingaPrePOSTFailure
ToidentifyaprePOSTfailure,checkthestatusofthefollowing:

PowerLED
ThepowerLEDshowssolidamber.
LEDQuadPack
TheLEDQuadPackisblank.
BeepCodes
Thereisnobeepcode.

PrePOSTComponents
AprePOSTfailurecanbeofthefollowingtwo
types:

Essentialcomponentfailure:Thisisdueto
failureofcomponentsthatarerequiredfor
thesystemtoprocessdataatthemostbasic
level.Thisincludesthepowersupply,the
systemboard,theprocessorandthevoltage
regulatormodule(VRM).
Nonessentialcomponentfailure:Thisis
duetofailureofcomponentsthatarenot
requiredforthesystemtoprocessdataat
themostbasiclevel.Thisincludestheriser,
expansioncards,memorymodules,datacables,drivepowercables,audioandMolexcables,
processorfansandsystemcasefans.

36


NOTE:Onmostsystems,theVRMisembeddedinthesystemboard.Somesystemsthathavetwo
processorsalsohaveadiscreteVRM.Onthesesystems,youmustalsoremovetheVRMwhenremoving
thesecondprocessorduringtroubleshooting.

Step1:CheckingtheObvious
TostarttroubleshootingaprePOSTfollowthesesteps:
1. Removeallperipherals.
Removeallexternallyconnectedperipheralsordevices.Testthesystem,andifthesymptoms
change,oneofthosecomponentscouldberesponsibleforthefault.Addcomponentsback
individuallytoisolatetheoffendingpart.
2. Reseatthesystemprocessor/sandVRM.
OpenthecaseandreseattheprocessorusingtheDellrecommendedprocedure.TesttheVRMand
secondprocessor,ifapplicable,throughreseating,removalorsubstitution(ifresourcespermit).
Testthesystem.

Step2:CheckingInternalDrives,CablesandConnectionPoints
Ifalltheeffortsthusfarhaveproducednoresult,attempttoisolateorverifythefunctionalityofdrives,
cables,andconnectionpoints.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Reseatthepowersupplyconnectiontothesystemboard.
Removeallpoweranddataconnectionstothesystemboard.Removealldrivesandtestthesystem.
ReseatthecabletotheI/Opanelandtestthesystem.ChecktheI/Opanelagain.
Verifytheseatingofallconnections.

NOTE:Withthepowerleadconnected,thesystemwilltypicallypoweronwhentheI/Opanelis
disconnectedfromthesystemboard.IfthishappensbeforeremovingtheI/Opanel,thefailurecanbe
attributedtotheI/Opaneland/orthecableconnectingittothesystemboard.

Step3:SwappingComponents
ThelastphaseoftroubleshootingprePOSTfailuresincludespartsubstitutionwithknowngoodparts:
1. Swaptheremainingcomponentsonebyonewithknowngoodcomponents.Beginwiththose
componentsrequiredforcompletionoftheprePOST.
2. Atthisstage,thecomponentsreferredtowouldtypicallybethememorymodulesandpossiblethe
processororVRM(ifapplicable).

37

TroubleshootingPOST

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeabletoidentifytheguidelinesfortroubleshootingPOSTfailures.

CauseforPOSTFailure
POSTfailureoccurswhenacomponentoraperipheralfailsthePOSTtestsorcausesthesystemtolock
up.
YoucanidentifythestateofthePOSTfailure,whichinturnassistsintheisolationofpotentialfailed
component/s,withthehelpof:

ThePowerLED
DiagnosticLEDQuadPackcodes
OnscreenPOSTerrorcodes
Audiblebeepcodes

38


NOTE:TheLEDcodes,POSTcodesandaudiobeepcodescanbelookedupintheonlineandsystem
specificmanualswithtroubleshootingassistanceavailablefromDSN.Thesoftwarecodethatdefines
andproducesthediagnosticLEDQuadPackpatterns,onscreenPOSTerrorsandbeepcodesisstoredin
theflashBIOScodeandisreadaspartoftheactualPOSTroutine.

TheLEDQuadPack,TextbasedPOSTCodes,andBeepCodes
YoucanusePOSTtestroutinesanderrorcodeinformationtoidentifythestageatwhichthePOST
processhasfailedorlocked,whichinturnassistsinisolatingandidentifyingthecomponent/sthathave
potentiallycausedthePOSTfailure.ThefollowingcharacteristicsofthePOSTprocesshelpyouachieve
this:

ThePOSTtestroutinesandcodesaredividedintoseveraldistinctphases,whichinturnarebasedon
thecomponent/sbeingtested.
EachportionoftheroutineismadevisiblethroughabackpanelLEDpattern.Thismeansthatthe
LEDdisplaycodesandthechangestheycyclethroughmaptothedistinctPOSTphasesand
componentsbeingtestedduringthatphase.YoucanmonitorthePOSTcycleandtheresultantLED
changesduringeachroutine.
Anyerrorcode(LEDQuadPackLEDcodes,displayedtextmessages,beepcodes,oranycombination
ofthese)canhelpidentifythestageoffailure.
AstheprocessorbeginsexecutingtheactualPOSTcode,itdisplaysanLEDQuadPackcodeto
indicatetheportionoftheroutinethatiscurrentlybeingexecuted.
Asonetestfinishesandthenextonebegins,theLEDQuadPackcodechangestoindicatethenext
testset.
IfthesystemencountersaPOSTfailure,youcanisolatethecauseusingthesystemsUsersGuideor
ServiceManual,aswellastheDellSolutionNetwork(DSN),tosystematicallytroubleshootthe
failure.

NOTE:NotallsystemshaveanLEDQuadPack.

WhatDoLEDsandBeepCodesIndicate?
TheLEDQuadPackisusedtovisiblydisplaythesystemsprogressthroughtherespectivePOSTroutines
inthefollowingways:

AsaPOSTroutineexecuteswithobviouspausesforlongertests,theLEDQuadPackwillchangeto
displayadifferentsetofcodes.
Intheeventofafailure,eithertheLEDQuadPackcodeand/ortextbasedPOSTorbeepcodescan
beusedtoindicatetheroutinewherethePOSTprocessfailed.Inconjunctionwiththeonline
resources,youcanusethisinformationtoisolateandidentifythefailedcomponent/s.
39

TheLEDQuadPackandtheroutineassociatedcodewillnotchangetothenextpatternwhenthe
systemencountersafailureoralockupduringaPOSTtest.
AsolidgreenpowerLEDindicatesthattheprocessorhasbegunprocessingthePOSTtests.

RefertotheUsersGuideorServiceManualforyoursystemforthemeaningofLEDQuadPackandbeep
codes.
NOTE:Whenasystemhasalargeamountofmemorytotest,thememorypatternwillbedisplayedfora
longerperiodbeforeproceedingtothenextpattern.ApauseinthePOSTLEDQuadPackchangedoes
notsignifyafault,butindicatesthatthetestcycleislonger.

HowtoIdentifyCausesofNoPOSTFailures
PowerLED
Solidgreen

LEDQuadPack
Blank

Beepcode
None
Beepcode

LEDCode

None
Beepcode

IdentifyingthePossibleCause

Checkthebeepcodeandtroubleshoottheindicated
component.
ChecktheLEDcodeandtroubleshoottheindicated
component.
CheckLEDandbeepcodesandtroubleshootthe
indicatedcomponent.

ThestatusofthepowerLED,thecodedisplayedbytheLEDQuadPack,thetextbasedPOSTcodesand
thebeepcodeshelpyouidentifythestageatwhichthePOSTfailurehasoccurred.Thisenablesyouto
identifythepotentiallyfaultycomponent.Youcansupplementandvalidateyourunderstandingofthe
componentstestedduringthatphasewithonlineresources,suchassystemmanualsandDSN.These
resourcesincludetipsandguidanceonemployingsuccessfultroubleshooting.ThepowerLEDistypically
solidgreenduringPOST.Youdoneedtobefamiliarwithaccessingandnavigatingthroughtheonline
resources,asyouneedtochecktheLEDcodeandthebeepcodetoidentifythePOSTstagefailure,and
possiblecomponent/scausingthefailure.

Step1:RemovingComponents
CheckthestatusoftheLEDQuadPack,powerLED,andanyothervaliderrorcodeinformationafter
eachphaseordiscretestepofyourtroubleshootingstrategy.Thishelpsintheidentificationofchanges
insymptomscausedbyyouraction.YoucancheckthestatusofLEDsorerrorcodesafterremovingand
testing.

Peripheralsconnectedtothesystemortheexternalinterfaces:
Keyboard,mouse,networkcables,parallel,serialandUSBdevicesandthemonitor
Nonessentialcomponents:
40


Drivesandtheirassociatedpoweranddatacables,Molexcables,risercards(ifapplicable)and
expansioncards

WARNING:Alwaysreadtheonlineservicemanualforyoursystembeforeattemptingtoremoveor
replaceparts,astheycontaincriticalsafetyinformation.Additionally,beforeremovingany
components,removethepowercableandensurethatthefleapowerlightisdrainedbefore
proceeding.

Step2:CheckingthePowerSource,thePSU,andItsConnectingLeads
Tocheckpowersupplytothesystem,youdothefollowing:

Verifythatalltheconnectorswereproperlyseatedandthatthereisnopindamage.
Reseatthepowerconnectortothesystemboard.
Inspectthemotherboardforvisibledamageorscorching.
Removeallpowerconnectionstoinstalleddrives.
RemovethecableconnectingthesystemboardtotheI/Opanel.Thesystemmaypoweronifthe
powercordleadingintothebackofthesystemispluggedin.Ifthesystempowerson,theI/OPanel
orthecableconnectingtheI/OPaneltothesystemboardcouldbefaulty.
Swapthepowercordwithareliableoneandverifyseatingofallconnections.
Checkfordamageorbentpinsinanyconnectors.
Verifythatareliablepowersourceisused.Ifpossible,testaknowngooddeviceatthepowerpoint.
Removeallextensioncords,powerstrips,andadapters.
Swapthepowercordwithareliableone.

NOTE:
Ifthefailurecoincidedwithapowerspikeorlightningstrike,therepairmaynotbecoveredbythe
warranty.Remembertodocumenteverythinginyouronlinesupportrequest.

Step3:ReseatingandSubstitutingComponents
TroubleshootingnoPOSTfaultsthroughpartsubstitutionwithknowngoodpartscouldbethefirststep
youemployinyourstrategy.Suchastrategymayinvolve:

Swappingthosepartsnotyettestedwithknowngoodcomponents.
SwappingtheVRM,ifapplicable,andtestingtheprocessor(s).
Reseatingtheprocessorifyouarenotcomfortableremovingit.
Swappingthepowersupplytothesystem.

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Troubleshootinginconjunctionwithguidanceavailableonlinemakesforamoresoundandeffective
methodology.Forthis,useandrefertothemanualsandfollowDSN.Alwaysprovideaconcise,stepby
stepdescriptionofyourtroubleshootingprocesswhensubmittinganonlinewarrantyrequest.
NOTE:Onmostsystems,theVRMisembeddedinthesystemboard.Somesystemsthathavetwo
processorsalsohaveadiscreteVRM.Onthesesystems,youmustalsoremovetheVRMwhenremoving
thesecondprocessorduringtroubleshooting.

Step4:RemovingInstalledMemoryModules
Memorytroubleshootinginvolves:

SwappingthemodulewithaknowngoodmoduleifthePOSTroutineerrorcodeinformation
highlightsthepossibilitythatthestagefailurecouldbeattributedtoamemoryfailure.
Testingthememoryinitsoriginalmodulesindependentlyandtestingallslots,orsubstitutingwith
knowngoodmodules(preferred).
CheckingthestatusoftheLEDsaftereachactionandlisteningforaudiblebeeps,whichare
programmedtohighlightcertainmemoryeventsand/orfailures.

Generallyifthesystemmemoryisremovedandtheerrorcodeinformationsupportsthataction,the
systemboardandprocessorareruledoutasfaultycomponents.
NOTE:Youalsoneedtoconsiderthememorytechnology,suchasDDR1,DDR2,RDRAMandDual
channel,becausethisimpactsonthestrategyyouemploy.Alwaysconsulttheonlineandsystemspecific
manual,anduseDSNifpossible.

TroubleshootingSystemActivitySubsequenttoVideoInitialization

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeabletoidentifyguidelinesfortroubleshootingsystemactivity
subsequenttovideoinitialization.

SystemActivitySubsequenttoVideoInitialization
TheLEDcodeusedtosignifythesystemactivitysubsequenttovideoinitializationtypeoffailure
appearsquitevague.However,understandingwherethecodefitsinthePOSTroutineandknown
causesfortheerrorcanhelpclarifythesefailures.
42

The1234Code
The1234code:

Isthelastpatterndisplayedonthe
LEDQuadPack.
IndicatesthattheBIOShas
relinquishedcontroloftheboot
process.
Indicatesthatthesystemhas
completedPOSTandpassedcontrolto
theoperatingsystem.

NOTE:OnoldersystemsthecompletioncodeisshownasABCD.SinceallfourLEDsaregreen,thiscode
maybedescribedasGGGG.
Codemeaningcanvarybysystem.RefertotheUsersGuideorServiceManualforyoursystem.

The123Code:
The123CodeappearsontheLEDQuad
Packimmediatelybeforethe1234code
duringasuccessfulboot.Ifthecode
remainsontheLEDQuadPack:

ThesystemcompletedPOSTbutfailed
tohandovercontroltotheoperating
system.
Anerrormessageprobablyappearson
thedisplaytohelpyoustart
troubleshootingthebootfailure.

NOTE:OnoldersystemsthecompletioncodeisshownasABC.SincethefirstthreeLEDsaregreenand
thefourthisyellow(amber)thiscodemaybedescribedasGGGY.
Codemeaningcanvarybysystem.RefertotheUsersGuideorServiceManualforyoursystem.

43

Troubleshootingthe123Code
The123orGGGYcodecanappearforavarietyofproblemsrangingfromthekeyboardtothesystem
board.

Starttroubleshootingthiscodebyconsideringthemostlikelycomponentstocausetheissue:anIDE
orSATAdrive.
Considertheerrormessageonthemonitor,ifapplicable,forconfirmationandthenproceedto
thoroughlytroubleshootthestoragedevices.

Forexample:Asystemdisplaystheerrormessage:PrimaryDrive0notfound,PressF1tocontinue,F2
toenterSetup.TheLEDQuadPackcodeis123becausethebootprocesshasbeeninterrupted.To
troubleshootthisproblem,youcoulduseNobootasyourDSNsearchstringandfocusyour
troubleshootingondriverelatedissuessuchascorruptionorafailuretodetectthedrive.

TroubleshootingDisplayIssues

Objective
Aftercompletingthistopic,youwillbeabletoidentifyguidelinesfortroubleshootingvideoissues.

IdentifyingtheDisplayType
Thethreedisplaytypesinuseare:

CathodeRayTube(CRT):
Anolderdisplaytechnologysimilartoanoldtypetelevisionthatusesalarge,heavytubeand
chargedphosphorstorenderanimage
FlatScreenMonitor:
AslightlyimprovedCRTwithaflatfrontglasstoreducedistortionoftheimage
FlatPanelDisplay(LCD):
Athin,energyefficientdisplaywitha1to1ratioofpixels

NOTE:CRTandLCDbothrefertothetechnologyusedtocreateanimageonthescreenofthedisplay
unit.Althoughbothtermstechnicallyrefertoacomponentofthedisplayunit,theyarecommonlyused
torefertothewholeunit.

44

DisplayTroubleshootingProcedure
Aswithotherdevices,troubleshootingdisplayissuesisamatterofdrillingdowntotherootcause.
Thesefactorssimplifytheprocess:

Youshouldneveropenthechassisofadesktopdisplayunit.
Youaretroubleshootingasubsystem,soyouhavefewercomponentstocheck.
Mostdisplaysincorporatesometypeofselftest.

TroubleshootingCRTs
DSNandtheCRTUsersGuideorServiceManualallprovidespecificinformationtroubleshootingCRTs.
Althoughdetailscanvarybyunit,thefollowingstepsprovideageneraltroubleshootingprocedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Runtheselftest.
Testtheonscreendisplay(OSD).
Checkthesettings.
Checkallconnections.
Checkthevideocard.(Notdiscussedinthistopic)
Checkthedrivers.(Notdiscussedinthistopic)

RunningtheCRTSelfTest
Likecomputers,mostCRTsrunaselftestwhenyoupowerthemon.Theformofthetestanditsresults
canvarywidelybyCRT.
AlwaysrefertotheUsersGuideorServiceManualforyourCRTtointerprettheresultsofthetest.

Settings
YoucanadjusttheCRTssettingsintwoplaces:

TheDisplayPropertiesControlPanelappletcontrolshowtheoperating
systemattemptstocommunicatewiththeCRT.
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o
o

ResolutionssettoohighfortheCRTtohandlemaycauseanOutofScanRangeerrorto
display.
OnolderCRTs,settingtheresolutionorrefreshratetoohighcanburnouttheCRT.

TheCRTsOnscreenDisplay(OSD)isasimplemenutocontroltheCRTs
basicinternalsettings.
o BecauseCRTsdonotnecessarilyuseaonetoonerationofresolutionto
pixels,youcanusethesesettingstoforcetheCRTtodisplaysome
unsupportedresolutions.Theresultsmaynotappeartobefocused.
o Ifyouaretroubleshootingavideoissue,buttheOSDdisplayscorrectly,theproblemprobably
stemsfromdriversorsettingsintheoperatingsystem.IftheOSDdoesnotdisplaycorrectly,the
CRTprobablyhasaninternalfailureandshouldbereplaced.

CRTConnections
MostDellCRTshaveonlytwoconnections:

Thepowercord
Primarilyforpowerissues,youcan:
o MakesurethepowercordispluggedsecurelyintotheCRTandthepowersource.
o Removeanyextraneouspointsoffailure,suchaspowerstrips.
o TryaknowngoodpowercordfromanotherCRTorsystem.
TheVGAconnection
o Reseattheconnectionatthevideocard.
o OnmostDellCRTs,thevideocableishardwiredtotheCRT,soyoucannotusuallytryaknown
goodvideocable.

SomeDellCRTsweremarketedasMultimediaDisplays.TheseCRTsmayincorporateembedded
speakers,microphones,orconnectionstospeakersandmicrophones.

TroubleshootingLCDs
DSNandtheLCDsUsersGuideorServiceManualallprovidespecific
informationontroubleshootingLCDs.
Althoughdetailscanvarybyunit,thefollowingstepsprovideageneral
troubleshootingprocedure:
1. Runtheselftest.
46


2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Testtheonscreendisplay(OSD).
Checkthesettings.
Checkallconnections.
Checkthevideocard.(Notdiscussedinthistopic)
Checkthedrivers.(Notdiscussedinthistopic)

RunningtheLCDSelfTest
DSNandtheLCDsUsersGuideorServiceManualallprovide
specificinformationontroubleshootingLCDs.
AlwaysrefertotheUsersGuideorServiceManualforyour
LCDforinstructionsonrunningandinterpretingselftest.
YoumayalsofindanLCDsselftestreferredtoastheBuiltinSelftestorBIST.
ToruntheselftestonmanyLCDs:
1. PoweroffboththesystemandtheLCD.
2. Disconnectallvideocablesfromthesourcedevice,usuallythesystem.
3. PowerontheLCD.
NOTE:Notallinputsmaybetested.Forexample,theDell2405FPWUltraSharpFlatPaneldoesnottest
forSVideocompositevideoorcomponentvideomodes.

Settings
YoucanadjusttheLCDssettingsintwoplaces:

TheDisplayPropertiesControlPanelappletcontrolshowtheoperatingsystemattemptsto
communicatewiththeLCD.
BecausetheLCDsnativelyuseaonetoonerelationshipofresolutiontopixels:
o SettingaresolutionlowerthantheLCDsnativeresolutionmayresultinablurredimage.
o SettingaresolutionhigherthantheLCDsnativeresolutionmayresultinatruncatedorscrolled
image,dependingonhowtheoperatingsystemandthedriverinterpretthesettings.
TheLCDsOnScreenDisplay(OSD)isasimplemenutocontroltheLCDsbasicinternalsettings.
Ifyouaretroubleshootingavideoissue,buttheOSDdisplayscorrectly,theproblemprobablystems
fromdriversorsettingsintheoperatingsystem.IftheOSDdoesnotdisplaycorrectly,theLCD
probablyhasaninternalfailureandshouldbereplaced.

47

LCDConnections
MostDellLCDshaveonlymultimediainputsand
outputsrangingfromVGA(sub)toHighdefinition
MediaInterface(HDMI).SomeLCDsalsofunctionas
USBhubs.
Eventhoughyouhavemoreconnectionstocheck,the
basictroubleshootingprocedureremainsthesame:
reseatconnectionsandtryknowngoodcables.

48