Solving Problems; Diagnostic Lights - Dell OptiPlex 170L User Manual

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Solving Problems

Dell™ OptiPlex™ 170L User's Guide
Diagnostic Lights
Beep Codes
Battery Problems
Card Problems
Clearing NVRAM and Restoring Default Settings
Drive Problems
Dropped or Damaged Computer
Error Messages
General Problems
Keyboard Problems

Diagnostic Lights

To help you troubleshoot a problem, your computer has four lights labeled "A," "B," "C," and "D" on the back panel. The lights can be yellow or green. When
the computer starts normally, the patterns or codes on the lights change as the boot process completes. If the POST portion of system boot completes
successfully, all four lights display solid green. If the computer malfunctions during the POST process, the pattern displayed on the LEDs may help identify
where in the process the computer halted.
CAUTION: Before you perform any of the procedures below, follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide.
Light Problem Description
Pattern
off The computer is in a normal
off off condition or a possible
off pre-BIOS failure has
off occurred.
yellow A possible processor failure
green has occurred.
yellow
yellow
green Memory modules are
green detected, but a memory
yellow failure has occurred.
yellow
yellow A possible PCI expansion
yellow card failure has occurred.
green
yellow
yellow A possible IDE drive failure
green has occurred.
green
yellow
Memory Problems
Mouse Problems
Network Problems
Power Problems
Printer Problems
Serial or Parallel Device Problems
Sound and Speaker Problems
System Board Problems
Video and Monitor Problems
Suggested Resolution
Verify that the computer is plugged into a working electrical outlet and that you have pressed the
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power button.
Reinstall the processor and restart the computer.
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If you have one memory module installed, reinstall it and restart the computer.
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If you have two memory modules installed, remove the modules, reinstall one module, and then
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restart the computer. If the computer starts normally, reinstall the second module.
If available, install properly working memory of the same type into your computer.
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If the problem persists, contact Dell.
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Determine if a conflict exists by removing a card (not the video card) and then restarting the
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computer.
If the problem persists, reinstall the card that you removed, remove a different card, and then
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restart the computer.
Repeat this process for each card. If the computer starts normally, troubleshoot the last card
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removed from the computer for resource conflicts (see
Incompatibilities").
Move each card one at a time to a different PCI slot and restart the computer after each move.
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If the problem persists, contact Dell.
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Reseat all IDE drive power and data cables and restart the computer.
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"Resolving Software and Hardware