Troubleshooting

Dell™ XPS 200 Service Manual

Dell Diagnostics

CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide.

When to Use the Dell Diagnostics

If you experience a problem with your computer, perform the checks in this section and run the Dell Diagnostics before you contact Dell for technical assistance.

NOTICE: The Dell Diagnostics works only on Dell™ computers.

Turn on (or restart) your computer.
When the DELL™ logo appears, press <F12> immediately.

If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft® Windows® desktop. Then shut down your computer and try again.

When the boot device list appears, highlight Boot to Utility Partition and press <Enter>.
When the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu appears, select the test you want to run (see "Dell Diagnostics Main Menu").

Dell Diagnostics Main Menu

After the Dell Diagnostics loads and the Main Menu screen appears, click the button for the option you want.

Option

Function

Express Test

Performs a quick test of devices. This test typically takes 10 to 20 minutes and requires no interaction on your part. Run Express Test first to increase the possibility of tracing the problem quickly.

Extended Test

Performs a thorough check of devices. This test typically takes an hour or more and requires you to answer questions periodically.

Custom Test

Tests a specific device. You can customize the tests you want to run.

Symptom Tree

Lists the most common symptoms encountered and allows you to select a test based on the symptom of the problem you are having.

Option	Function
Express Test	Performs a quick test of devices. This test typically takes 10 to 20 minutes and requires no interaction on your part. Run Express Test first to increase the possibility of tracing the problem quickly.
Extended Test	Performs a thorough check of devices. This test typically takes an hour or more and requires you to answer questions periodically.
Custom Test	Tests a specific device. You can customize the tests you want to run.
Symptom Tree	Lists the most common symptoms encountered and allows you to select a test based on the symptom of the problem you are having.

If a problem is encountered during a test, a message appears with an error code and a description of the problem. Write down the error code and problem description and follow the instructions on the screen.

If you cannot resolve the error condition, contact Dell. For information about contacting Dell, see your Owner's Manual.

NOTE: The Service Tag for your computer is located at the top of each test screen. If you contact Dell, technical support will ask for your Service Tag.

If you run a test from the Custom Test or Symptom Tree option, click the applicable tab described in the following table for more information.

Tab

Function

Results

Displays the results of the test and any error conditions encountered.

Errors

Displays error conditions encountered, error codes, and the problem description.

Help

Describes the test and may indicate requirements for running the test.

Configuration

Displays your hardware configuration for the selected device.

The Dell Diagnostics obtains configuration information for all devices from system setup, memory, and various internal tests, and it displays the information in the device list in the left pane of the screen. The device list may not display the names of all the components installed on your computer or all devices attached to your computer.

Parameters

Allows you to customize the test by changing the test settings.

Tab	Function
Results	Displays the results of the test and any error conditions encountered.
Errors	Displays error conditions encountered, error codes, and the problem description.
Help	Describes the test and may indicate requirements for running the test.
Configuration	Displays your hardware configuration for the selected device. The Dell Diagnostics obtains configuration information for all devices from system setup, memory, and various internal tests, and it displays the information in the device list in the left pane of the screen. The device list may not display the names of all the components installed on your computer or all devices attached to your computer.
Parameters	Allows you to customize the test by changing the test settings.

Close the test screen to return to the Main Menu screen. To exit the Dell Diagnostics and restart the computer, close the Main Menu screen.

System Lights

Your power button light and hard-drive activity light may indicate a computer problem.

Power Light

Problem Description

Suggested Resolution

Solid green

Power is on, and the computer is operating normally.

No corrective action is required.

Blinking green

The computer is in a sleep state (Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and Windows XP).

Press the power button, move the mouse, or press a key on the keyboard to wake the computer.

Blinks green several times and then turns off

A configuration error exists.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified.

Solid amber

The power supply is working properly, but the system board is not completing power up.

If the Dell Diagnostics is running, allow the testing to complete.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified.

If the computer does not boot, contact Dell for technical assistance (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).

Blinking amber

The power supply is operating outside of its normal range.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. Also, see "Power Problems" in your computer Owner's Manual.

Solid green and a beep code during POST

A problem was detected while the BIOS was executing.

See "Beep Codes" for instructions on diagnosing the beep code. Also, check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified.

Solid green power light and no beep code and no video during POST

The monitor or the graphics card may be faulty or incorrectly installed.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. See "Video and Power Problems" in your computer Owner's Manual.

Solid green power light and no beep code but the computer locks up during POST

An integrated system board device may be faulty.

Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. If the problem is not identified, contact Dell for technical assistance. See your computer Owner's Manual for information on how to contact Dell.

Power Light	Problem Description	Suggested Resolution
Solid green	Power is on, and the computer is operating normally.	No corrective action is required.
Blinking green	The computer is in a sleep state (Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and Windows XP).	Press the power button, move the mouse, or press a key on the keyboard to wake the computer.
Blinks green several times and then turns off	A configuration error exists.	Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified.
Solid amber	The power supply is working properly, but the system board is not completing power up.	If the Dell Diagnostics is running, allow the testing to complete. Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. If the computer does not boot, contact Dell for technical assistance (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).
Blinking amber	The power supply is operating outside of its normal range.	Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. Also, see "Power Problems" in your computer Owner's Manual.
Solid green and a beep code during POST	A problem was detected while the BIOS was executing.	See "Beep Codes" for instructions on diagnosing the beep code. Also, check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified.
Solid green power light and no beep code and no video during POST	The monitor or the graphics card may be faulty or incorrectly installed.	Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. See "Video and Power Problems" in your computer Owner's Manual.
Solid green power light and no beep code but the computer locks up during POST	An integrated system board device may be faulty.	Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. If the problem is not identified, contact Dell for technical assistance. See your computer Owner's Manual for information on how to contact Dell.

Hard-Drive Activity Light

Problem Description

Suggested Resolution

Solid green

The hard-drive activity light is on when the computer reads data from or writes data to the hard drive. The light might also be on when a device such as a CD player is operating.

No corrective action is required.

Hard-Drive Activity Light	Problem Description	Suggested Resolution
Solid green	The hard-drive activity light is on when the computer reads data from or writes data to the hard drive. The light might also be on when a device such as a CD player is operating.	No corrective action is required.

Diagnostic Lights

CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide.

To help you troubleshoot a problem, your computer has four lights labeled "1," "2," "3," and "4" on the front panel. When the computer starts normally, the lights flash. After the computer starts, all four lights display solid green. If the computer malfunctions, the color and sequence of the lights identify the problem.

Light Pattern

Problem Description

Suggested Resolution

The computer is in a normal "off" condition, has successfully booted to the operating system, or a possible pre-BIOS failure has occurred.

Plug the computer into a working electrical outlet and press the power button. Also see "Power Problems" in your Owner's Manual.

A possible processor failure has occurred.

Contact Dell. For information about contacting Dell, see your Owner's Manual.

Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure has occurred.

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 module or reinstalled all modules without error.
If available, install properly working memory of the same type into your computer.
If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).

A possible graphics card failure has occurred.

If the computer has a graphics card, remove the card, reinstall it and then restart the computer.
If the problem still exists, install a graphics card that you know works and restart the computer.
If the problem persists or the computer has integrated graphics, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).

A possible floppy or hard drive failure has occurred.

Reseat all power and data cables and restart the computer.

A possible USB failure has occurred.

Reinstall all USB devices, check cable connections, and then restart the computer.

No memory modules are detected.

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 module or reinstalled all modules without error.
If available, install properly working memory of the same type into your computer.
If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).

Memory modules are detected, but a memory configuration or compatibility error exists.

Ensure that no special memory module/memory connector placement requirements exist (see "Memory").
Verify that the memory modules that you are installing are compatible with your computer (see "Memory").
If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).

A possible expansion card failure has occurred.

Determine if a conflict exists by removing a card —not a graphics card— (see "Cards") and 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" in your computer Owner's Manual).
If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).

Another failure has occurred.

Ensure that the cables are properly connected to the system board from the hard drive, CD drive, and DVD drive.
If there is an error message on your screen identifying a problem with a device (such as the floppy drive or hard drive), check the device to make sure it is functioning properly.
The operating system is attempting to boot from a device (such as the floppy drive or hard drive); check system setup to ensure that the boot sequence is correct for the devices installed on your computer.
If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).

The computer is in a normal operating condition after POST.

NOTE: The diagnostic lights are not lit after the system successfully boots to the operating system.

None.

Light Pattern	Problem Description	Suggested Resolution
	The computer is in a normal "off" condition, has successfully booted to the operating system, or a possible pre-BIOS failure has occurred.	Plug the computer into a working electrical outlet and press the power button. Also see "Power Problems" in your Owner's Manual.
	A possible processor failure has occurred.	Contact Dell. For information about contacting Dell, see your Owner's Manual.
	Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure has occurred.	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 module or reinstalled all modules without error. If available, install properly working memory of the same type into your computer. If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).
	A possible graphics card failure has occurred.	If the computer has a graphics card, remove the card, reinstall it and then restart the computer. If the problem still exists, install a graphics card that you know works and restart the computer. If the problem persists or the computer has integrated graphics, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).
	A possible floppy or hard drive failure has occurred.	Reseat all power and data cables and restart the computer.
	A possible USB failure has occurred.	Reinstall all USB devices, check cable connections, and then restart the computer.
	No memory modules are detected.	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 module or reinstalled all modules without error. If available, install properly working memory of the same type into your computer. If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).
	Memory modules are detected, but a memory configuration or compatibility error exists.	Ensure that no special memory module/memory connector placement requirements exist (see "Memory"). Verify that the memory modules that you are installing are compatible with your computer (see "Memory"). If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).
	A possible expansion card failure has occurred.	Determine if a conflict exists by removing a card —not a graphics card— (see "Cards") and 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" in your computer Owner's Manual). If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).
	Another failure has occurred.	Ensure that the cables are properly connected to the system board from the hard drive, CD drive, and DVD drive. If there is an error message on your screen identifying a problem with a device (such as the floppy drive or hard drive), check the device to make sure it is functioning properly. The operating system is attempting to boot from a device (such as the floppy drive or hard drive); check system setup to ensure that the boot sequence is correct for the devices installed on your computer. If the problem persists, contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about contacting Dell).
	The computer is in a normal operating condition after POST. NOTE: The diagnostic lights are not lit after the system successfully boots to the operating system.	None.

Beep Codes

Your computer might emit a series of beeps during start-up if the monitor cannot display errors or problems. This series of beeps, called a beep code, identifies a problem. One possible beep code (code 1-3-1) consists of one beep, a burst of three beeps, and then one beep. This beep code tells you that the computer encountered a memory problem.

Code

Cause

1-1-2

Microprocessor register failure

1-1-3

NVRAM read/write failure

1-1-4

ROM BIOS checksum failure

1-2-1

Programmable interval timer failure

1-2-2

DMA initialization failure

1-2-3

DMA page register read/write failure

1-3

Video Memory Test failure

1-3-1 through 2-4-4

Memory not being properly identified or used

3-1-1

Slave DMA register failure

3-1-2

Master DMA register failure

3-1-3

Master interrupt mask register failure

3-1-4

Slave interrupt mask register failure

3-2-2

Interrupt vector loading failure

3-2-4

Keyboard Controller Test failure

3-3-1

NVRAM power loss

3-3-2

Invalid NVRAM configuration

3-3-4

Video Memory Test failure

3-4-1

Screen initialization failure

3-4-2

Screen retrace failure

3-4-3

Search for video ROM failure

4-2-1

No timer tick

4-2-2

Shutdown failure

4-2-3

Gate A20 failure

4-2-4

Unexpected interrupt in protected mode

4-3-1

Memory failure above address 0FFFFh

4-3-3

Timer-chip counter 2 failure

4-3-4

Time-of-day clock stopped

4-4-1

Serial or parallel port test failure

4-4-2

Failure to decompress code to shadowed memory

4-4-3

Math-coprocessor test failure

4-4-4

Cache test failure

Code	Cause
1-1-2	Microprocessor register failure
1-1-3	NVRAM read/write failure
1-1-4	ROM BIOS checksum failure
1-2-1	Programmable interval timer failure
1-2-2	DMA initialization failure
1-2-3	DMA page register read/write failure
1-3	Video Memory Test failure
1-3-1 through 2-4-4	Memory not being properly identified or used
3-1-1	Slave DMA register failure
3-1-2	Master DMA register failure
3-1-3	Master interrupt mask register failure
3-1-4	Slave interrupt mask register failure
3-2-2	Interrupt vector loading failure
3-2-4	Keyboard Controller Test failure
3-3-1	NVRAM power loss
3-3-2	Invalid NVRAM configuration
3-3-4	Video Memory Test failure
3-4-1	Screen initialization failure
3-4-2	Screen retrace failure
3-4-3	Search for video ROM failure
4-2-1	No timer tick
4-2-2	Shutdown failure
4-2-3	Gate A20 failure
4-2-4	Unexpected interrupt in protected mode
4-3-1	Memory failure above address 0FFFFh
4-3-3	Timer-chip counter 2 failure
4-3-4	Time-of-day clock stopped
4-4-1	Serial or parallel port test failure
4-4-2	Failure to decompress code to shadowed memory
4-4-3	Math-coprocessor test failure
4-4-4	Cache test failure

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