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Internal Components: Dell Precision WorkStation 620 Systems User's Guide
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Internal Components: Dell Precision™ WorkStation 620 Systems User's Guide
This section provides troubleshooting procedures for components inside your computer.
Before you start any of the procedures in this section, do the following:
You need the following items to perform the procedures in this section:
- The Dell Precision ResourceCD
- A small flat-blade screwdriver and a #1 Phillips-head screwdriver (or quarter-inch hex-nut driver)
Your system also includes an interior system service label affixed to the inside of the
computer cover (see Figure 1 for the location of
this label). This label shows the location of components within the chassis and locations
of system board components and connectors. It also contains an important notice that
provides instructions you need to follow to help prevent damage to your system board while
you troubleshoot your computer system.
Figure 1. Mini Tower Chassis Interior Service
Label
The procedures in this section require that you remove the cover and work inside your
computer. While working inside your computer, do not attempt to service the computer
except as explained in this guide and elsewhere in Dell™ documentation. Always follow
the instructions closely.
Working inside your computer is safe—if you observe the following precautions.
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CAUTION FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY AND
PROTECTION OF THE EQUIPMENT |
Before you start to work on the computer, perform the following steps:
- Turn off the computer and all peripherals.
- Touch an unpainted metal surface on the computer chassis, such as the metal
around the card-slot openings at the back of your computer, before touching anything
inside your computer.
- Disconnect the computer and peripherals from their electrical outlets. Doing so
reduces the potential for personal injury or shock. Also disconnect any telephone or
telecommunication cables from the computer.
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NOTE: Before disconnecting a
peripheral from the system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the
standby power light-emitting diode (LED) on the system board has turned off. For the
location of this LED, see Figure 1
in "Installing System Board Options." |
- While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the computer
chassis to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal components.
In addition, Dell recommends that you periodically review the safety instructions in
your System Information Guide.
See "Removing the Computer Cover"
and "Replacing the Computer Cover."
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NOTE: Before disconnecting a peripheral from
the system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power
LED on the system board has turned off. For the location of this LED, see Figure 1 in "Installing System
Board Options." |
Liquids can damage your computer. While you are not likely to submerge your computer,
spills, splashes, and excessive humidity can also cause damage. If an external device
(such as a printer or an external drive) gets wet, contact the manufacturer for
instructions. If your computer gets wet, perform the following steps:
- Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their electrical outlets. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication
cables from the computer.
- Remove the computer cover.
- Let the computer dry for at least 24 hours. Make sure that it is thoroughly dry before
you proceed.
- Remove the accelerated graphics port (AGP) card brace according to the instructions in
"Removing and Replacing the AGP Card Brace."
- Remove all expansion cards installed
in the computer except a drive controller card and video expansion card.
- Replace the computer cover,
reconnect the system to an electrical outlet, and turn it on.
If the system has power,
proceed to step 7.
If the system does not have power, see "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
- Turn off the system, disconnect it from the electrical outlet, remove the computer
cover, and reinstall all expansion cards that you removed in step 5.
- Replace the AGP card brace.
- Replace the computer cover, and reconnect the system to an electrical outlet. Also,
reconnect any telephone or telecommunication cables to the computer.
- Insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD into the CD-ROM drive, reboot the system,
and run the System Board Devices test group in the Dell
Diagnostics.
If the tests complete successfully, your system is operating properly. If any of the
tests fail, see "Getting Help" for instructions on
obtaining technical assistance.
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NOTE: Before disconnecting a peripheral from
the system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power
LED on the system board has turned off. For the location of this LED, see Figure 1 in "Installing System
Board Options." |
If your computer was dropped or damaged, you should check your computer to see if it
functions properly. If an external device attached to your computer is dropped or damaged,
contact the manufacturer of the device for instructions or see "Getting
Help" for information on obtaining technical assistance from Dell. To
troubleshoot a damaged computer, perform the following steps:
- Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their electrical outlets. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication
cables from the computer.
- Remove the computer cover.
- Check all the expansion-card connections in the computer.
- Check the diskette/tape drive, hard-disk drive, and all other internal connections to
make sure that all cables are properly connected and that all components are properly
seated in their connectors and sockets.
- Replace the computer cover,
reconnect the system to an electrical outlet, and reconnect any telephone or
telecommunication cables.
- Insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD into the CD-ROM drive, and reboot the
system.
- Run the System Board Devices test group in the Dell
Diagnostics.
If the tests complete successfully, your system is operating properly. If any of the
tests fail, see "Getting Help" for instructions on
obtaining technical assistance.
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CAUTION: A new battery might explode if
you install it incorrectly. Replace the battery only with the same or equivalent type
recommended by the manufacturer. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer's
instructions. |
|
NOTE: Before disconnecting a peripheral from the
system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power LED on
the system board has turned off. For the location of this LED, see Figure 1 in "Installing System
Board Options." |
If an error message indicates a problem with the battery or if System
Setup loses the system configuration information when the computer is turned off, the
battery may be defective.
To troubleshoot the battery, perform the following steps:
- Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their electrical outlets. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication
cables from the computer.
- Remove the computer cover.
- Reseat the battery in its socket.
The battery is a coin cell that snaps into a socket on the system board.
- Replace the computer cover and
restart the system.
- If the problem is not resolved, replace the battery.
Your Dell system uses a 3-V CR2032 coin cell battery.
If the problem is still not resolved, you may have a faulty system board. See "Getting Help" for instructions on obtaining technical
assistance.
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NOTE: Before disconnecting a peripheral from
the system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power
LED on the system board has turned off. For the location of this LED, see Figure 1 in "Installing System
Board Options." |
If an error message indicates an expansion-card problem or if an expansion card seems
to perform incorrectly or not at all, the problem could be a faulty connection, a conflict
with software or other hardware, or a faulty expansion card. To troubleshoot expansion
cards, perform the following steps:
- Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their electrical outlets. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication
cables from the computer.
- Remove the computer cover.
- Remove the AGP card brace according to the instructions in "Removing and Replacing the AGP Card Brace."
- Verify that each expansion card is firmly seated in its connector. If any expansion
cards are loose, reseat them.
- Verify that any cables are firmly connected to their corresponding connectors on the
expansion cards. If any cables appear loose, reconnect them.
For instructions on which cables should be attached to specific connectors on an expansion
card, see the expansion card's documentation.
- Remove all expansion cards except
the video card.
- Replace the computer cover,
reconnect the system to an electrical outlet, and turn it on.
- Insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD into the CD-ROM drive, reboot the system,
and run the RAM test group in the Dell Diagnostics.
If
the tests complete successfully, proceed to step 9. If any of the tests fail, see "Getting Help" for information on obtaining technical
assistance.
- Turn off the system, disconnect it from the electrical outlet, and remove the computer
cover.
- Reinstall one of the expansion cards that you removed previously, and repeat steps 6 and
7.
If any of the tests fail, the expansion card you just reinstalled is faulty and needs to
be replaced. If the tests complete successfully, repeat steps 8 and 9 with another
expansion card.
If you have replaced all the expansion cards removed previously and the expansion card
problem is not resolved, see "Getting Help" for
information on obtaining technical assistance.
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NOTE: Before disconnecting a peripheral from
the system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power
LED on the system board has turned off. For the location of this LED, see Figure 1 in "Installing System
Board Options." |
A computer memory problem can be a faulty memory module or a faulty system board. If a
random-access memory (RAM) error message appears, the computer probably has a memory
problem.
When you turn on or reboot the system, the Caps Lock and Scroll Lock indicators on the
keyboard should flash momentarily and then turn off. If the Num Lock
option in System Setup is set to On, the Num
Lock indicator should flash momentarily and then remain on; otherwise, it should turn off.
Abnormal operation of these indicators can result from a defective memory module. To
troubleshoot system memory, perform the following steps:
- Turn on the system, including any attached peripherals.
- If an error message indicates invalid system configuration information, enter System Setup and check the System
Memory option. If the amount of memory displayed does not match the amount of
memory installed, turn off the computer, disconnect it from the electrical outlet, remove the computer cover, and reseat
the memory modules in their sockets.
- Replace the computer cover,
reconnect the system to an electrical outlet, and turn it on.
- If the problem is not resolved, insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD into the
CD-ROM drive, reboot the system, and run the RAM test group in the Dell Diagnostics.
If the Dell Diagnostics identifies a faulty memory module, replace that memory module. If the Dell Diagnostics
determines that the system board is faulty, or if the Dell Diagnostics does not identify
the cause of the problem and the problem is still not resolved, see "Getting Help" for instructions on obtaining technical
assistance.
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NOTE: Before disconnecting a peripheral from
the system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power
LED on the system board has turned off. For the location of this LED, see Figure 1 in "Installing System
Board Options." |
Troubleshooting video problems involves determining which of the following is the
source of the problem: the monitor, the monitor interface cable, or the integrated video
subsystem.
Before attempting to troubleshoot the video subsystem, perform the procedure found in
"Troubleshooting the Monitor"
to determine whether or not the monitor is the source of the problem.
If the monitor is not at fault, perform the following steps:
- Check the monitor cable connections as indicated in "Checking Connections and Switches."
- If the problem is not resolved, insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD into the
CD-ROM drive, and reboot the system. Run the Video test group in the
Dell Diagnostics.
If any of the tests fail, see "Getting Help" for
instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
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NOTE: Before disconnecting a peripheral from
the system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power
LED on the system board has turned off. For the location of this LED, see Figure 1 in "Installing System
Board Options." |
A system board problem can result from a defective system board component, a faulty
power supply, or a defective component connected to the system board. If an error message
indicates a system board problem, perform the following steps:
- Insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD into the CD-ROM drive, and reboot the
system. Run the System Board Devices test group in the Dell
Diagnostics.
If any of the tests fail, see "Getting Help" for
instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
- Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their electrical outlets. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication
cables from the computer.
- Remove the computer cover.
- Remove the AGP card brace according to the instructions in "Removing and Replacing the AGP Card Brace."
- Verify that the power cables from the power supply are firmly connected to the
connectors on the system board.
- Replace the AGP card brace.
- Replace the computer cover,
reconnect the system to an electrical outlet, and turn it on. If the problem is not
resolved, proceed to step 8.
- Perform the procedure in "Troubleshooting
Expansion Cards."
If the problem is not resolved, proceed to step 9.
- Perform the procedure in "Troubleshooting the Keyboard."
If the problem is still not resolved, see "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
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NOTE: Dell Precision WorkStation 620 systems are
equipped with diagnostic LEDs to help provide
information about possible problems. Make note of any LED codes you observe before
contacting Dell for technical assistance. |
If the system cannot boot and you have exhausted all other troubleshooting options,
perform the following steps:
- Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power
cables from their electrical outlets. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication
cables from the computer.
- Remove the computer cover.
- Remove the AGP card brace according to the instructions in "Removing and Replacing the AGP Card Brace."
- Install a jumper plug on the RTCRST
jumper pins and then remove it.
- Replace the computer cover,
reconnect the system to an electrical outlet, and turn it on.
If the problem is not resolved, see "Getting Help" for
instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
|
NOTE: Before disconnecting a peripheral from
the system or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power
LED on the system board has turned off. For the location of this LED, see Figure 1 in "Installing System
Board Options." |
If the monitor displays a system error message to indicate a drive problem during
execution of either the boot routine or the Dell Diagnostics, or if
a drive is not operating correctly, perform the following steps:
- Enter System Setup, and verify that the problem drive is
configured correctly. Make any necessary changes, and reboot the system.
- If the problem is not resolved, turn off the system, including any attached peripherals,
and disconnect all the AC power cables from their electrical outlets. Also, disconnect any
telephone or telecommunication cables from the computer.
- Remove the computer cover.
- Verify that the DC power cables from the power supply are firmly connected to the
connectors on each drive. Also verify that the interface cable for each drive is firmly
connected to the drive and to the system board.
- Replace the computer cover,
reconnect the system to an electrical outlet, and turn it on. If the problem is not
resolved, proceed to step 6.
- Insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD into the CD-ROM drive, reboot the system,
and run the appropriate test group in the Dell Diagnostics.
If the Dell Diagnostics identifies a faulty drive, replace the drive. If the Dell
Diagnostics identifies a faulty controller, the system board may be faulty. See "Getting Help" for instructions on obtaining technical
assistance.
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