Your application programs, operating system, and the computer itself are capable of identifying problems and alerting you to them. When a problem occurs, a message may appear on your monitor screen or a beep code may sound. See "System Messages" or "System Beep Codes" for information about each message or beep code.
If you receive a system message, see Table 1 for suggestions on resolving any problems
indicated by the message. The system messages are listed alphabetically.
| Message |
Cause |
Action |
| Address mark not found |
The BIOS found a faulty disk sector or could not find a
particular disk sector. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Alert! Card-cage fan not detected. |
Expansion card cage fan not installed in mini tower chassis; expansion card cage fan has failed; expansion card cage fan is not connected to the system board. |
Ensure that an operational expansion card cage fan is installed and
connected to the system board. |
| Alert! Cover was previously removed. |
The computer cover was removed. |
Reset Chassis
Intrusion in System Setup. |
| Alert! Hard drive thermal probe not detected. |
No hard-disk drive thermal probe is installed; system has a defective thermal probe; thermal probe cable is not connected to the control panel. |
Ensure that an operational hard-disk drive thermal probe is installed and connected to the control panel. |
| Alert! Power supply fan failure. |
Power supply fan has failed or is blocked. |
Ensure an operational power supply fan is installed and that chassis
ventilation slots are not blocked. |
| Alert! Previous card-cage fan failure. |
Expansion card cage fan has failed or is blocked. |
Ensure an operational expansion card cage fan is installed, connected
to the system board, and that chassis ventilation slots are not blocked. |
| Alert! Previous hard drive temperature failure. |
Hard-disk drive(s) exceeded recommended operating temperature range during the previous operating session. |
Ensure fans are operational and that chassis ventilation slots are not blocked. |
| Alert! Previous power supply fan failure. |
Power supply fan failed or was blocked during the previous operating session. |
Ensure an operational power supply fan is installed and that chassis
ventilation slots are not blocked. |
| Alert! Previous shutdown due to thermal event. |
Microprocessor(s) or hard-disk drive(s) exceeded recommended operating
temperature range during the previous operating session. System was shut down to protect
the components. |
Ensure fans are operational and that chassis ventilation slots are not blocked. |
| Alert! Previous system fan failure. |
System fan failed or was blocked during the previous operating session. |
Ensure an operational system fan is installed, connected to the system board, and that chassis ventilation slots are not blocked. |
| Alert! Previous temperature failure at Processor 0. |
Primary processor exceeded its recommended operating temperature range during the
previous operating session. |
Ensure an operational processor fan is installed, connected to the system board, and that chassis ventilation slots are not blocked. |
| Alert! Previous temperature failure at Processor 1. |
Secondary processor exceeded its recommended operating temperature range during the previous operating session. |
Ensure an operational processor fan is installed, connected to the system board, and that chassis ventilation slots are not blocked. |
| Alert! Previous voltage failure. |
System voltage exceeded or fell below acceptable thresholds. |
See "Troubleshooting the System Board." |
| Alert! Processor 0 failed Build-In Self Test(BIST). |
Primary processor is faulty or improperly seated. |
Reseat the processor, or replace a faulty processor. |
| Alert! Processor 1 failed Build-In Self Test(BIST). |
Secondary processor is faulty or improperly seated. |
Reseat the processor, or replace a faulty processor. |
| Alert! Processor Cache Size Mismatch. |
Two processors with different L2 cache sizes are installed. |
Replace one of the processors so that the L2 cache sizes match,
or install a termination card in PROC_1 slot on system board. |
| Alert! Processor Speed Mismatch. Install like
processors or one processor and a termination card. |
Two processors that are not of the same speed are installed. |
Replace one of the processors so that the speeds match, or install a
termination card in PROC_1 slot on system board. |
| Alert! Processor Type Mismatch. Install like
processors or one processor and a termination card. |
Two processors that are not of the same type are installed. |
Replace one of the processors so that the types match, or install a
termination card in PROC_1 slot on system board. |
| Alert! Single-bit memory error previously
detected in XXXXh. |
Faulty or improperly seated RIMMs or defective system board. |
See
"Troubleshooting System Memory"
and "Troubleshooting the
System Board." |
| Alert! System battery voltage is low. |
System battery is providing inadequate voltage. |
See
"Troubleshooting the Battery." |
| Alert! System fan not detected. |
No system fan is installed; system fan has failed; system fan is
not connected to the system board. |
Ensure an operational system fan is installed and connected to the system board. |
| Alert! Uncorrectable memory error previously
detected in XXXXh. |
Faulty or improperly seated RIMMs or defective system board. |
See
"Troubleshooting System Memory"
and "Troubleshooting the System
Board." |
| Attachment failed to respond |
The diskette drive or hard-disk drive controller cannot
send data to the associated drive. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Bad command or file name |
The command you entered does not exist or is not in
the pathname you specified. |
Make sure you have spelled the command correctly,
placed spaces in the proper location, and used the correct pathname. |
| Bad error-correction code(ECC)
on disk read |
The diskette drive or hard-disk drive controller
detected an uncorrectable read error. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Controller has failed |
The hard-disk drive or the associated controller is defective. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Data error |
The diskette or hard-disk drive cannot read the data. |
Run the ScanDisk utility in Microsoft®
Windows® to check the file structure of the diskette or hard-disk drive.
See your operating system documentation for more information.
If you are using another operating system, run the appropriate utility to check the file
structure of the diskette or hard-disk drive. See your operating system documentation. |
| Decreasing available memory |
One or more RIMMs may be faulty or improperly seated. |
See
"Troubleshooting System Memory." |
Diskette drive 0 seek failure
Diskette drive 1 seek failure |
A cable may be loose, or the system configuration
information may not match the hardware configuration. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Diskette read failure |
A cable may be loose, or the diskette may be faulty. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Diskette subsystem reset failed |
The diskette drive controller may be faulty. |
Run the Diskette tests in the
Dell Diagnostics. |
| Drive not ready |
No diskette is in the drive. The operation requires
a diskette in the drive before it can continue. |
Put a diskette in the drive or close the drive latch. |
| Diskette write protected |
The diskette write-protect feature is activated. |
Remove the diskette from drive A and move the
write-protect tab to the unlocked position. |
| Gate A20 failure |
One or more RIMMs may be loose. |
See
"Troubleshooting System Memory." |
| General failure |
The operating system is unable to carry out the command. |
This message is usually followed by specific
information—for example,
PRINTER OUT OF PAPER. Respond by taking the appropriate action. |
| Hard disk configuration error |
The hard-disk drive failed initialization. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
Hard disk controller failure
Hard disk failure
Hard-disk drive read failure |
The hard-disk drive failed initialization. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Invalid configuration information -
please run SETUP program |
The system configuration information does not match
the hardware configuration. |
Enter System
Setup and correct the system configuration information. |
Keyboard clock line failure
Keyboard controller failure
Keyboard data line failure
Keyboard failure
Keyboard stuck key failure |
A cable or connector may be loose, or the keyboard or
keyboard/mouse controller may be faulty. |
See
"Troubleshooting the Keyboard." |
| Memory address line failure at address,
read value expecting value |
One or more RIMMs may be faulty or improperly seated. |
See
"Troubleshooting System Memory." |
| Memory allocation error |
The software you are attempting to run is conflicting with
the operating system or another application program or utility. |
Turn off the computer, wait 30 seconds,and then turn it on.
Try to run the program again. If the problem persists, contact the software company. |
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 |
One or more RIMMs may be faulty or improperly seated. |
See
"Troubleshooting System Memory." |
| Memory size in CMOS invalid |
The amount of memory recorded in the system configuration
information does not match the memory installed in the computer. |
Reboot the computer. If the error appears again, see
"Getting Help" for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance. |
| Memory tests terminated by keystroke |
The memory test did not complete. |
Rerun the memory test. |
| No boot device available |
The computer cannot find the diskette or hard-disk drive. |
Enter System Setup, check the
system configuration information for the diskette and hard-disk drive, and if necessary,
correct the information. |
| No boot sector on hard-disk drive |
The system configuration information in System Setup may
be incorrect, or the operating system may be corrupted. |
Enter System Setup, check the system
configuration information for the hard-disk drive, and if necessary, correct the information.
If the message persists, reinstall your operating system. See the documentation that came
with your operating system. |
| No timer tick interrupt |
A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning. |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| Non-system disk or disk error |
The diskette in drive A or your hard-disk drive does not
have a bootable operating system installed on it. |
Either replace the diskette with one that has a bootable
operating system, or remove the diskette from drive A and restart the computer. |
| Not a boot diskette |
There is no operating system on the diskette. |
Boot the computer with a diskette that contains an operating system. |
| Plug and Play Configuration Error |
The system has encountered a problem in trying to configure
one or more expansion cards. |
Turn your system off and unplug it. Remove all but one of
the cards. Plug in your system and reboot it. If the message persists, the expansion
card may be malfunctioning. If the message does not appear, turn off the power and
reinsert one of the other cards. Repeat this process until you identify the malfunctioning card. |
| Read fault |
The operating system cannot read from the diskette or hard-disk drive. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Requested sector not found |
The system could not find a particular
sector on the disk, or the requested sector is defective. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Reset failed |
The disk reset operation failed. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Sector not found |
The operating system is unable to locate a
sector on the diskette or hard-disk drive. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| Seek error |
The operating system is unable to find a
specific track on the diskette or hard-disk drive. |
If the error is on the diskette drive, try
another diskette in the drive. |
| Shutdown failure |
A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning. |
Run the System Board Devices
tests in the Dell Diagnostics. |
| Time-of-day clock stopped |
The battery may be dead. |
Enter System Setup
and correct the date or time.
If the problem persists, see
"Troubleshooting the Battery." |
| Time-of-day not set |
The time or date displayed in the system
configuration information does not match the system clock. |
Enter System Setup
and correct the date or time. |
| Timer chip counter 2 failed |
A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning. |
Run the System Board Devices
tests in the Dell Diagnostics. |
| Unexpected interrupt in protected mode |
The keyboard controller may be malfunctioning, or one or more
RIMMs may be loose. |
Run the System Memory and
the Keyboard tests in the Dell Diagnostics. |
| WARNING:Dell's Disk Monitoring System has
detected that drive [0/1] on the [primary/secondary] EIDE controller is operating outside
of normal specifications. It is advisable to immediately back up your data and replace
your hard-disk drive by calling your support desk or Dell Computer Corporation. |
|
POST has queried the EIDE drive for status
information. The drive has returned a parameter from the call that indicates it has
detected possible error conditions for its operating specifications. |
When your computer finishes booting,
immediately back up your data and replace your hard-disk drive. Restore the data to the
replaced drive.
If a replacement drive is not immediately available and the drive is not the only bootable
drive, enter System Setup and change the appropriate drive
setting to None. Remove the drive from the system. This should be done only after you have
backed up the data. |
Write fault
Write fault on selected drive |
The operating system cannot write to the diskette or hard-disk drive. |
See
"Troubleshooting Drives." |
| NOTE: For the full name of an
abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary. |
When errors occur during a boot routine that cannot be reported on the monitor, your
computer may emit a series of beeps that identify the problem. The beep code is a pattern
of sounds: for example, one beep, followed by a second beep, and then a burst of three
beeps (code 1-1-3) means that the computer was unable to read the data in nonvolatile
random-access memory (NVRAM). This information is invaluable to the Dell support staff
if you need to call for technical assistance.
| Code |
Cause |
Action |
| 1-1-2 |
Microprocessor register failure |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 1-1-3 |
NVRAM |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 1-1-4 |
ROM BIOS checksum failure |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. |
| 1-2-1 |
Programmable interval timer |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. |
| 1-2-2 |
DMA initialization failure |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. |
| 1-2-3 |
DMA page register read/write failure |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. |
| 1-3 |
Video Memory Test failure |
Run the VESA/VGA Interface tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 1-3-1 |
RIMMs not being properly identified or used |
See
"Troubleshooting System Memory." |
| 1-3-2 |
No RIMM detected |
Install RIMM pair or reseat RIMMs. |
| 1-3-3 through 2-4-4 |
RIMMs not being properly identified or used |
See
"Troubleshooting System Memory." |
| 3-1-1 |
Slave DMA register failure |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. |
| 3-1-2 |
Master DMA register failure |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. |
| 3-1-3 |
Master interrupt mask register failure |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 3-1-4 |
Slave interrupt mask register failure |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 3-2-2 |
Interrupt vector loading failure |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 3-2-4 |
Keyboard Controller Test failure |
Run the Keyboard tests in the Dell Diagnostics. Otherwise, see
"Getting Help" for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance. |
| 3-3-1 |
NVRAM power loss |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. |
| 3-3-2 |
NVRAM configuration |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. |
| 3-3-4 |
Video Memory Test failure |
Run the VESA/VGA Interface tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 3-4-1 |
Screen initialization failure |
Run the VESA/VGA Interface tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 3-4-2 |
Screen retrace failure |
Run the VESA/VGA Interface tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 3-4-3 |
Search for video ROM failure |
Run the VESA/VGA Interface tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 4-2-1 |
No time tick |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 4-2-2 |
Shutdown failure |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 4-2-3 |
Gate A20 failure |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 4-2-4 |
Unexpected interrupt in protected mode |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 4-3-1 |
Memory failure above address 0FFFFh |
Run the System Memory tests in the
Dell Diagnostics. |
| 4-3-3 |
Timer-chip counter 2 failure |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 4-3-4 |
Time-of-day clock stopped |
See "Getting Help"
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. |
| 4-4-1 |
Serial or parallel port test failure |
Run the Serial Ports and the Parallel
Ports tests in the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 4-4-2 |
Failure to decompress code to shadowed memory. |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 4-4-3 |
Math-coprocessor test failure |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 4-4-4 |
Cache test failure |
Run the System Board Devices tests in
the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 5-2-2-1 |
Mismatch RDRAM device count; unsupported RIMM device
count or technology |
Replace RIMM pair with supported matching device
count. |
| 5-2-2-2 |
Mismatch RDRAM technology or timing pair; unsupported
RIMM timing |
Replace RIMM pair with matching technology and timing. |
| 5-2-2-3 |
RDRAM levelization failure |
Reseat RIMMs and C-RIMMs or replace faulty or
unsupported RIMMs. |
| NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or
acronym used in this table, see the Glossary. |
A warning message alerts you to a possible problem and asks you to do something before
execution continues. For example, before you format a diskette, a message may warn you
that you may lose all data on the diskette as a way to protect against inadvertently
erasing or writing over the data. These warning messages usually interrupt the procedure
and require you to respond by typing a y (yes) or
n (no).
Table 3 lists the codes for the front panel diagnostic LEDs,
probable causes, and suggested corrective actions.
When you turn on your system, it performs a power-on self-test (POST), which is a series
of self-diagnostic checks. A successful POST ends with a single beep that signifies the
start of normal operation. If the system fails to emit the single beep or appears to stop
responding during POST, a series of LEDs located at the rear of the computer can help you
understand which POST test failed or why the system stopped responding. These LEDs indicate
problems encountered during POST only, not during normal operation.
The LED patterns described in Table 4 can help you determine what to do to resolve
the problem. If a problem resolution requires you to open the computer chassis, refer to
"Working Inside Your Computer" for procedures
you need to complete prior to performing the suggested resolution. If the problem persists
after you perform the suggested problem resolution(s), contact
Dell Technical Support for further help.
Table 4 lists the codes for the back panel diagnostic LEDs, probable causes, and
suggested corrective actions. The LED patterns are shown as they appear on the back
of your mini tower chassis. Use this circle to match the LED pattern your computer is
displaying with one of the patterns shown in Table 4.
The system board contains a number of LEDs that tell you the state of the CPUs, memory,
and logic circuitry.
Table 5 lists the descriptions for the system board LEDs.
Your system can generate several Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) platform
event trap (PET) messages that are sent to network management software to inform the
network manager that specific events have occurred on your system.
Table 6 lists the SNMP platform event traps you system may create.
