To help you troubleshoot a problem, your computer is equipped with four
lights on the back panel labeled "A," "B," "C,"
and "D". These lights can be yellow or green. When the computer starts
normally, the lights flash. After the computer starts, the lights remain green.
If the computer malfunctions, the color and sequence of the lights identify the
problem.
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the steps listed in "Safety Instructions."
Diagnostic Code
Definition
Corrective Action
Power up default.
Make sure that the computer is connected to a known working electrical outlet, and then check whether the front-panel power light on the power button is on or off. If the power light is off, check the power supply. If the problem persists, see "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
See "Safety Instructions," and then remove all cards. If the computer still does not start, see "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
Recovery mode from BIOS failure.
See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
Microprocessor has failed a BIOS test.
See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure has occurred.
If you have one memory module installed, reinstall it, and then restart the computer.
If you have two or more memory modules installed, remove the modules, reinstall one module, and then restart the computer. If the computer starts normally, reinstall an additional module. Continue until you have identified a faulty connector or reinstalled all modules without error.
If the problem persists, see "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
PCI bus failure has occurred.
Determine if a conflict exists by removing a card and then restarting the computer.
If the problem persists, reinstall the card that you removed, remove a different card, and then restart the computer.
Repeat this process for each card. If the computer starts normally, troubleshoot the last card removed from the computer for resource conflicts (see "Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities").
If the problem persists, see "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
Video controller failed to initialize or respond.
If the computer has a video card, remove the card and reinstall it.
If the problem persists or the computer has integrated video, see "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
IDE bus failure has occurred.
Reseat the drive cables.
If the problem persists, see "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
To eliminate the possibility of a faulty memory connector, remove all memory modules, reinstall one memory module (if the computer supports a single module), and then restart the computer. If the computer starts normally, move the memory module to a different connector and restart the computer. Continue until you have identified a faulty connector or reinstalled all modules without error.
If the problem persists, see "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
System board failure.
See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
Memory modules are detected, but a memory configuration or compatibility error exists.
Be sure that there are no special memory module/memory connector placement requirements.
If the monitor cannot display errors or problems, during POST the computer might emit a series of beeps, or beep code, that identifies the problem. The POST beep codes are listed below.
The hard drive is not working or is not configured correctly.
Ensure that the drive is installed correctly in the computer and defined correctly in the system setup program.
Cache Memory Bad, Do Not Enable Cache
Cache memory is not operating.
See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
CH-2 Timer Error
An error is occurring on the timer on the system board.
See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
CMOS Battery State Low
CMOS Checksum Failure
CMOS System Options Not Set
CMOS Display Type Mismatch
CMOS Memory Size Mismatch
CMOS Time and Date Not Set
The system configuration information in the system setup program is incorrect, or the battery charge may be low.
Enter the system setup program and verify the system configuration; then restart the computer.
Diskette Boot Failure
Drive A or B is present but has failed the BIOS POST.
Ensure that the drive is installed correctly in the computer and defined correctly in the system setup program. Check the interface cable at both ends.
DMA Error
DMA 1 Error
DMA 2 Error
Error in the DMA controller on the system board.
The keyboard or system board may need to be replaced.
FDD Controller Failure
HDD Controller Failure
BIOS cannot communicate with the floppy drive or hard drive controller.
Ensure that the
floppy drive or the hard drive is installed correctly in the computer and defined correctly in the system setup program. Check the interface cable at both ends.
INTR1 Error
INTR2 Error
Interrupt channel on the system board failed to POST.
The keyboard or system board may need to be replaced.
Invalid Boot Diskette
The operating system cannot be located on drive A or drive C.
Enter the system setup program and confirm that drive A or drive C is properly identified.
Keyboard Error
The BIOS has detected a stuck key.
Make sure that nothing is resting on the keyboard; if a key appears to be stuck, carefully pry it up. If the problem persists, you may need to replace the keyboard.
KB/Interface Error
An error occurred with the keyboard connector.
Make sure that nothing is resting on the keyboard; if a key appears to be stuck, carefully pry it up. If the problem persists, you may need to replace the keyboard.
No ROM Basic
The operating system cannot be located on drive A or drive C.
Enter the system setup program and confirm that drive A or drive C is properly identified.
The Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system provides System Restore to allow you to return your computer to an earlier operating state (without affecting data files) if changes to the hardware, software, or other system settings have left the computer in an undesirable operating state. See Windows Help for information on using System Restore. To access Windows Help, see "Finding Help Information."
NOTICE: Make regular backups of your data files. System Restore does not
monitor your data files or recover them.
If problems occur after installing a device driver, first try using Device Driver Rollback. If that is unsuccessful, then use System Restore.
NOTICE: Before restoring the computer to an earlier operating state, save
and close all open files and close all open programs. Do not alter, open, or
delete any files or programs until the system restoration is complete.
Click the Start button, point to All Programs—> Accessories—>
System Tools, and then click System Restore.
Ensure that Restore my computer to an earlier time is selected, and
then click Next.
Click a calendar date to which you want to restore your computer.
The Select a Restore Point screen provides a calendar that allows you to see and select restore points. All calendar dates with available restore points appear in bold.
Select a restore point, and then click Next.
If a calendar date has only one restore point, then that restore point is automatically selected. If two or more restore points are available, click the restore point that you prefer.
Click Next.
The Restoration Complete screen appears after System Restore finishes collecting data, and then the computer automatically restarts.
After the computer restarts, click OK.
To change the restore point, you can either repeat the steps using a different restore point, or you can undo the restoration.
NOTICE: Before undoing the last system restore, save and close all open files
and close all open programs. Do not alter, open, or delete any files or programs
until the system restoration is complete.
Click the Start button, point to All Programs—>
Accessories—> System Tools, and then click System Restore.
Select Undo my last restoration and click Next.
Click Next.
The System Restore screen appears, and then the computer automatically restarts.
If you reinstall Windows XP with less than 200 MB of free hard drive space available, System Restore is automatically disabled. To see if System Restore is enabled:
Click the Start button, and then click ControlPanel.
Click Performance and Maintenance.
Click System.
Click the System Restore tab.
Make sure that Turn off System Restore is unchecked.
A driver is a program that controls a device such as a printer, mouse, or keyboard. All devices require a driver program.
A driver acts like a translator between the device and the programs that use the device. Each device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver recognizes.
Many drivers such as the keyboard driver come with your Microsoft® Windows® operating system. You may need to install drivers
if you:
Upgrade your operating system
Reinstall your operating system
Connect or install a new device
If you experience a problem with any device, perform the steps in the following sections to identify whether the driver is the source of your problem and to update the driver, if necessary.
NOTICE: The Dell Support website and your Dell Dimension ResourceCD
provide approved drivers for Dell™ computers. If you install drivers obtained
from other sources, your computer might not work correctly.
If a problem occurs on your computer after you install or update a driver, use Windows XP Device Driver Rollback to replace the driver with the previously installed version.
To use Device Driver Rollback:
Click the Start button and click Control
Panel.
In the Control Panel window, under Pick a
Category, click
Performance and Maintenance.
In the Performance and Maintenance window, click
System.
In the System Properties screen, click the
Hardware tab.
Click Device Manager.
In the Device Manager window, right-click the device for which the
new driver was installed, and then click Properties.
Click the Drivers tab.
Click Roll Back Driver.
If Device Driver Rollback does not resolve the problem, then use System Restore to return your operating system to the operating state it was in before you installed the new driver.
If using Device Driver Rollback or System Restore does not resolve the problem, then reinstall the driver from the Dell Dimension ResourceCD:
With the Windows desktop displayed, insert the ResourceCD into the
CD or DVD drive.
If this is your first time to use the ResourceCD, go to step 2. If not, go to step 5.
When the ResourceCD installation program starts, follow the prompts
on the screen.
When the InstallShield Wizard Complete window appears, remove
the ResourceCD and click Finish to restart the computer.
When you see the Windows desktop, reinsert the ResourceCD into
the CD or DVD drive.
At the Welcome Dell System Owner screen, click
Next.
HINT: The ResourceCD
displays drivers only for
hardware that came on
your computer. If you
installed additional
hardware, those drivers
might not be displayed by
the ResourceCD. If those
drivers are not displayed,
exit the ResourceCD
program. For drivers
information, see the
documentation that came
with that product.
A message stating that the ResourceCD is detecting hardware in your computer appears.
The drivers that are used by your computer are automatically displayed in the
My Drivers—The ResourceCD has identified these components in your system window.
Click the driver that you want to reinstall and follow the instructions
on the screen.
If a particular driver is not listed, then that driver is not required by your operating system.
Microsoft® Windows® XP IRQ conflicts occur if a device either is not detected during the operating system setup or is detected but incorrectly configured.
To check for conflicts on a computer running Windows XP:
Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
In the Device Manager list, check for conflicts with the other devices.
Conflicts are indicated by a yellow exclamation point (!) beside the conflicting device or a red
(X) if the device has been disabled.
Double-click any conflicting device listed to bring up the Properties
window to determine what needs to be reconfigured or removed from
the Device Manager.
Resolve these conflicts before checking specific devices.
Double-click the malfunctioning device type in the Device Manager
list.
Double-click the icon for the specific device in the expanded list.
The Properties window appears.
Resolve any IRQ conflicts, as described in step 5.
If an IRQ conflict exists, the Device status area in the Properties window reports the cards or devices that share the device's IRQ.
You can also use the Windows XP Hardware Troubleshooter:
Click the Start button.
Click Help and Support.
Type hardware troubleshooter in the Search field, and then click
the arrow to start the search.
Click Hardware Troubleshooter in the Search Results list.
In the Hardware Troubleshooter list, click I need to resolve a hardware
conflict on my computer.
If you are reinstalling the Windows XP operating system to correct a problem with a newly installed driver, use Windows XP Device Driver Rollback to replace the device driver with the previously installed version.
If Device Driver Rollback does not resolve the problem, then use System Restore to return your operating system to the operating state it was in before you installed the new device driver.
To reinstall Windows XP, perform the steps in the following sections in the order in which they are listed.
The reinstallation process can take 1 to 2 hours to complete. After the reinstallation is complete, you will need to reinstall the device drivers, virus protection program, and other software.
NOTICE: The Operating System CD provides options for reinstalling Windows
XP. The options can overwrite files and possibly affect programs installed on
your hard drive. Therefore, do not reinstall Windows XP unless instructed to
do so by a Dell technical support representative.
NOTICE: To prevent conflicts with Windows XP, disable any virus protection
software installed on your computer before you reinstall Windows XP. See the
documentation that came with the software for instructions.
When the Windows XP Setup screen appears, press <Enter> to
select To set up Windows now.
Read the information in the Microsoft Windows Licensing
Agreement screen, and then press <F8> on your keyboard to accept
the license agreement.
If your computer already has Windows XP installed and you want to
recover your current Windows XP data, type r to select the repair
option, and then remove the CD from the drive.
If you want to install a new copy of Windows XP, press <Esc> to
select the fresh copy option.
Press <Enter> to select the highlighted partition (recommended),
and then follow the instructions on the screen.
The Windows XP Setup screen appears, and the operating system begins to copy files and install the devices. The computer automatically restarts multiple times.
NOTICE: When the computer restarts, you will see the following message:
Press any key to boot from the CD. Do not press any key when this
message appears.
When the Regional and Language Options screen appears, select the
settings for your location, and then click Next.
Enter your name and organization (optional) in the Personalize Your
Software screen, and then click Next.
If you are reinstalling Windows XP Home Edition, at the What's your
computer's name window, enter a name for your computer (or accept
the name provided), and then click Next.
If you are reinstalling Windows XP Professional, at the Computer Name and Administrator Password window, enter a name for your computer (or accept the one provided) and a password, and then click Next.
If your computer has a modem installed, the Modem Dialing
Information screen appears. Enter the requested information and click
Next.
Enter the date, time, and time zone in the Date and Time Settings
window and click Next.
If your computer has a network adapter, select Typical in the
Networking Settings screen and click Next.
If your computer does not have a network adapter, you do not see this option.
If you are reinstalling Windows XP Professional, you may be prompted
to provide further network information regarding your network
configuration, such as the domain name or workgroup name. If you are
unsure of your settings, accept the default selections.
Windows XP installs the operating system components and configures the computer. The computer automatically restarts.
NOTICE: When the computer restarts, you will see the following message:
Press any key to boot from the CD. Do not press any key when this
message appears.
When the Welcome to Microsoft screen appears, click Next.
When the How will this computer connect to the
Internet? message appears, click Skip.
When the Ready to register with Microsoft? screen appears, select No,
not at this time, and then click Next.
When the Who will use this computer? screen appears, you can enter
up to five users.
Click Next.
Click Finish to complete the setup, and remove the CD from the
drive.
