The system, applications, and operating systems can identify problems and alert you to them. Any of the following can indicate when the system is not operating properly:
This section describes each type of message, lists the possible causes, and provides steps to resolve any problems indicated by a message. The system indicators and features are illustrated in this section.
The four diagnostic indicator lights on the system front panel display error codes during system startup. Table 2-2 lists the causes and possible corrective actions associated with these codes. A highlighted circle indicates the light is on; a non-highlighted circle indicates the light is off.
The voltage selection switch on the back panel of the system allows you to select one of two primary voltage inputs. Ensure that the switch is set to the proper voltage according to Table 2-4.
For information on system power requirements, see "Technical Specifications" in your User's Guide.
System messages appear on the screen to notify you of a possible problem with the system. Table 2-5 lists the system messages that can occur and the probable cause and corrective action for each message.
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Message
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Causes
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Corrective Actions
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A filename cannot contain any of the following characters:
\ / : * ? " < > |
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| Do not use these characters in filenames.
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A required .DLL file was not found
| The application that you are trying to open is missing an essential file.
| Remove and then reinstall the application.
See the application's documentation for installation instructions.
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Alert! CPU fan not detected
| The processor cooling fan is faulty or the fan assembly is not installed correctly.
| Ensure that the processor cooling shroud is properly installed. See "Cooling Fans" in "Installing System Options."
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Alert! Rear fan failure
| Cooling fan is faulty or the fan assembly is not installed correctly.
| See "Cooling Fans" in "Installing System Options."
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Alert! Previous reboot was due to voltage regulator failure
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| See "Getting Help."
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Alert! System battery voltage is low
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| Replace the battery. See "Troubleshooting the System Battery" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Alert! Unable to initialize all installed memory | One or more memory modules might be faulty or improperly seated.
| See "Troubleshooting System Memory" and "Troubleshooting Your System."
If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."
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System halted! Mixing ECC and non-ECC DIMMs is not supported on this platform |
| See "Troubleshooting System Memory" and "Troubleshooting Your System."
If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."
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Alert! Cover was previously removed.
| The system was opened.
| Information only. To reset the chassis intrusion switch, see "Using the System Setup Program" in your User's Guide.
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Alert! CPU 0 fan failure.
| The processor cooling fan is faulty or the fan assembly is not installed correctly.
| Ensure that the processor cooling shroud is properly installed. See "Cooling Fans" in "Installing System Options."
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Alert! Card-cage fan failure
| A card-cage fan is not detected during POST. The system will halt at the <F1>/<F2> prompt even if Keyboard Errors Report option is disabled in the System Setup program.
| See "Cooling Fans" in "Installing System Options."
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Alert! Error initializing PCI Express slot n (or bridge).
| The system encountered a problem while trying to configure a PCIe expansion card
| See "Troubleshooting Expansion Cards" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Alert! OS Install Mode enabled. Amount of available memory limited to 256MB
| The OS Install Mode option in the System Setup program is set to On. This limits the amount of available memory to 256 MB because some operating systems will not complete installation with more than 2 GB of system memory.
| After the operating system is installed, enter the System Setup program and set the OS Install Mode option to Off. See your User's Guide for details.
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Alert! Previous fan failure.
| The fan caused errors the last time the system was used.
| Ensure that nothing is blocking the airflow vents and that all fans are properly installed and operating correctly.
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Alert! Previous attempts at booting this system have failed at checkpoint [nnnn]. For help in resolving this problem, please note this checkpoint and contact Dell Technical Support
| The system failed to complete the boot routine three consecutive times for the same error.
| See "Getting Help."
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Alert! Previous Processor Thermal Failure
| The processor overheated the last time the system was used.
| Ensure that nothing is blocking the airflow vents and that all fans are properly installed and operating correctly. Also, ensure that the processor heat sink is properly installed. See "Microprocessor" in "Installing System Options."
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Alert! Previous Shutdown Due to Thermal Event
| The processor or hard drive overheated the last time the system was used.
| Ensure that nothing is blocking the airflow vents and that all fans are working correctly. Also, ensure that the processor heat sink is properly installed. See "Microprocessor" in "Installing System Options."
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Alert! Uncorrectable Memory Error Previously Detected
| One or more memory modules might be improperly seated or faulty, or the system board may be faulty.
| See "Troubleshooting System Memory" and "Troubleshooting Your System."
If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."
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Attachment failed to respond
| The diskette or hard-drive controller cannot send data to the associated drive.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive," "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives," or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Bad command or file name
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| Ensure that you have spelled the command correctly, have put spaces in the proper place, and have used the correct pathname.
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Bad error-correction code (ECC) on disk read
| The diskette or hard-drive controller detected an uncorrectable read error.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive," "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives," or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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bb/dd/f: Error allocating IRQ for PCI Device
bb/dd/f: Error allocating I/O BAR for PCI Device
bb/dd/f: Error allocating Mem BAR for PCI Device
bb/dd/f: Error allocating PMem BAR for PCI Device
bb/dd/f: Error allocating UMB for PCI Device
where bb is the bus number, dd is the device number, and f is the function number.
NOTE: bb, dd, and f are hexadecimal numbers.
| The system encountered a problem while trying to configure an expansion card or integrated on-board devices.
| If the device number points to an expansion card, the card can be removed. See "Troubleshooting Expansion Cards" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
If the device number points to a an on-board device, disable the device. See "Using the System Setup Program" in your User's Guide for details.
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Controller has failed
| The hard drive or the associated controller is defective.
| See "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives" or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Data error
| The diskette drive or hard drive cannot read the data.
| For the operating system, run the appropriate utility to check the file structure of the diskette drive or hard drive.
See your operating system documentation for information on running these utilities.
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Decreasing available memory
| One or more memory modules might be faulty or improperly seated.
| Reinstall the memory modules and, if necessary, replace them. See "Memory" in "Installing System Options."
See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Diskette drive 0 seek failure
| A cable might be loose or the system configuration information might not match the hardware configuration.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Diskette read failure
| The diskette might be defective, or a cable might be loose.
| If the diskette-drive indicator turns on, try a different disk.
See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Diskette subsystem reset failed
| The diskette drive controller might be faulty.
| Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."
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Diskette write protected
| The diskette is write-protected.
| Slide the write-protect notch to the open position.
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Drive not ready
| No diskette is in the drive.
| Insert a diskette in the drive.
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Floppy diskette seek failure
| A diskette drive is not connected but is enabled in the BIOS setup menu.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Gate A20 failure
| Faulty keyboard controller (faulty system board).
| See "Getting Help."
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General failure
| The operating system is unable to carry out the command.
| This message is usually followed by specific information. Take the appropriate action to resolve the problem.
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Hard-disk configuration error
Hard-disk controller failure
Hard-disk drive failure
| The hard drive failed initialization.
| Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."
See "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives" or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Drive x not found: Serial (or Parallel) ATA, SATA-(or PATA-)n
| x is the drive number (0-6) and n is SATA0-4 or PATA0-1
| Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."
See "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Insert bootable media
| The operating system is trying to boot from a nonbootable diskette or CD.
| Insert a bootable diskette or CD.
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Invalid configuration information - please run SETUP program
| The system configuration information does not match the hardware configuration.
| Enter the System Setup program and correct the system configuration information. See your User's Guide for details.
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Keyboard Controller Failure
Keyboard Stuck Key Failure
Keyboard failure
| A cable or connector might be loose, or the keyboard or keyboard/mouse controller might be faulty.
| See "Troubleshooting the Keyboard" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Memory address line failure at address, read value expecting value
| A memory module might be faulty or improperly seated.
| Reinstall the memory modules and, if necessary, replace them. See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Memory allocation error
| The software you are attempting to run is conflicting with the operating system, another program, or a utility.
| Turn off the system, wait 30 seconds, restart the system, and then try to run the program again.
If the error message appears again, see the software documentation for additional troubleshooting suggestions.
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Memory data line failure at address, read value expecting value
Memory double word logic failure at address, read value expecting value
Memory odd/even logic failure at address, read value expecting value
Memory write/read failure at address, read value expecting value
| A memory module might be faulty or improperly seated.
| Reinstall the memory modules and, if necessary, replace them. See "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Memory size in CMOS invalid
| The amount of memory recorded in the system configuration information does not match the memory installed in the system.
| Restart the system. If the error message appears again, see "Troubleshooting System Memory" in "Troubleshooting Your System." If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."
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No boot device available
| The system cannot find the diskette or hard drive.
| If the diskette drive is your boot device, ensure that a bootable disk is in the drive.
If the hard drive is your boot device, ensure that the hard drive is installed, properly seated, and partitioned as a boot device.
Enter the System Setup program and verify the boot sequence information. See your User's Guide for details.
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No boot sector on hard-disk drive
| The system configuration information in the System Setup program might be incorrect.
| Enter the System Setup program and verify the system configuration information for the hard drive. See your User's Guide for details.
If the message continues to appear after verifying the information in the System Setup program, the operating system might have been corrupted. Reinstall the operating system. See your operating system documentation for reinstallation information.
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No timer tick interrupt
| A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning.
| Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."
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Non-system disk or disk error
| The diskette in the diskette drive or your hard drive does not have a bootable operating system installed on it.
| Replace the diskette with one that has a bootable operating system or remove the diskette, and then restart the system.
If the problem persists, see the appropriate hard drive troubleshooting procedure: "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives" or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
If the problem persists, see "Getting Help."
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Not a boot diskette
| The operating system is trying to boot from a diskette that does not have a bootable operating system installed on it.
| Insert a diskette that has a bootable operating system.
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Not enough memory or resources. Close some programs and try again
| You have too many programs open.
| Close all windows and open the program that you want to use. In some cases, you might have to restart your system to restore system resources. If so, try opening the program that you want to use first
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Operating system not found
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| See "Getting Help."
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Please connect USB keyboard/mouse to USB ports on the back of the computer
| The keyboard and/or mouse is not properly connected.
| See "Troubleshooting a USB Device."
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Plug and play configuration error
| An attached device is improperly configured.
| See "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Read fault
| The operating system cannot read from the diskette or hard drive, the system could not find a particular sector on the disk, or the requested sector is defective.
| See "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives" or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Requested sector not found
| The operating system cannot read from the diskette or hard drive, the system could not find a particular sector on the disk, or the requested sector is defective.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive," "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives," or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Reset failed
| The disk reset operation failed.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive," "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives," or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Sector not found
Seek error
| A faulty diskette drive or hard drive.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive," "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives," or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Shutdown failure
| A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning.
| Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."
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The file being copied is too large for the destination drive
| The file that you are trying to copy is too large to fit on the disk.
| Try copying the file to a blank diskette or using a larger capacity disk.
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Time-of-day clock stopped
| The battery might be faulty.
| See "Troubleshooting the System Battery" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Time-of-day not set
| The time or date stored in the System Setup program does not match the system clock.
| Enter the System Setup program and correct the Date and Time options. See your User's Guide for details. If the problem persists, see "Troubleshooting the System Battery" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Timer chip counter 2 failed
| A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning.
| Run the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."
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NOTICE: The [primary/secondary/primary serial] IDE [master/slave] hard drive SELF MONITORING SYSTEM has reported that a parameter has exceeded its normal operating range. Dell recommends that you back up your data regularly. A parameter out of range may or may not indicate a potential hard drive problem.
| During initial start-up, the drive detected possible error conditions.
| When your system finishes booting, immediately back up your data and replace your hard drive. See "Installing SATA or SCSI Hard Drives" in "Installing Drives."
If no replacement hard drive is immediately available and the drive is not the only bootable drive, enter the System Setup program and change the appropriate drive setting to Off. See your User's Guide for details. Then remove the hard drive from the system.
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Write fault
| The operating system cannot write to the diskette drive or hard drive.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive," "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives," or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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Write fault on selected drive
| The operating system cannot write to the diskette drive or hard drive.
| See "Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive," "Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives," or "Troubleshooting SCSI Hard Drives" in "Troubleshooting Your System."
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x:\ is not accessible. The device is not ready
| The diskette drive cannot read the diskette.
| Insert a diskette into the drive and try again.
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If an error that cannot be reported on the screen occurs during POST, the system may emit a series of beeps that identifies the problem.
If a beep code is emitted, write down the series of beeps and then look it up in Table 2-6. If you are unable to resolve the problem by looking up the meaning of the beep code, use system diagnostics to identify the possible cause. If you are still unable to resolve the problem, see "Getting Help."
A warning message alerts you to a possible problem and prompts you to respond before the system continues a task. For example, before you format a diskette, a message will warn you that you may lose all data on the diskette. Warning messages usually interrupt the task and require you to respond by typing y (yes) or n (no).
When you run system diagnostics, an error message may result. Diagnostic error messages are not covered in this section. Record the message on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist in "Getting Help," and then follow the instructions in that section for obtaining technical assistance.
Systems management software generates alert messages for your system. Alert messages include information, status, warning, and failure messages for drive, temperature, fan, and power conditions. For more information, see the systems management software documentation.
