Chapter 5: Troubleshooting; Recovering The Operating System; System Diagnostic Lights - Dell Alienware m17 R3 Service Manual

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Troubleshooting

Recovering the operating system

When your computer is unable to boot to the operating system even after repeated attempts, it automatically starts Dell
SupportAssist OS Recovery.
Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery is a standalone tool that is preinstalled in all Dell computers installed with Windows 10 operating
system. It consists of tools to diagnose and troubleshoot issues that may occur before your computer boots to the operating system. It
enables you to diagnose hardware issues, repair your computer, back up your files, or restore your computer to its factory state.
You can also download it from the Dell Support website to troubleshoot and fix your computer when it fails to boot into their primary
operating system due to software or hardware failures.
For more information about the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery, see Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery User's Guide at
support.

System diagnostic lights

NOTE: The system diagnostic lights and the power-status light are at the power button (Alienhead).
NOTE: The color of the status lights depends on the configuration set in the Alienware Control Center (AWCC).
Power-status light: Indicates the power status.
Solid
Computer is turned on.
Power adapter is connected, and the battery has less than ten percent charge.
Breathe—Computer is in sleep state.
Off—Computer is in hibernation or turned off.
The power-status light blinks amber along with beep codes indicating failures.
For example, the power light blinks red two times followed by a pause, and then blinks blue three times followed by a pause. This 2,3
pattern continues until the computer is turned off indicating no memory or RAM is detected.
The following table shows different power light patterns and associated problems.
Table 11. LED codes
Diagnostic light codes
2,1
2,2
2,3
2,4
2,5
2,6
2,7
3,1
3,2
3,3
3,4
3,5
Problem description
Processor failure
System board: BIOS or ROM (Read-Only Memory) failure
No memory or RAM (Random-Access Memory) detected
Memory or RAM (Random-Access Memory) failure
Invalid memory installed
System-board or chipset error
Display failure
Coin-cell battery failure
PCI, video card/chip failure
Recovery image not found
Recovery image found but invalid
Power-rail failure
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