Diagnostic Lights; Advanced Troubleshooting - Dell Dimension 4600 Series Service Manual

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Advanced Troubleshooting

Dell™ Dimension™ 4600 Series Service Manual
Diagnostic Lights
Beep Codes
System Messages

Diagnostic Lights

To help you troubleshoot a problem, your computer is equipped with four lights on the back panel labeled "A," "B," "C," and "D." These lights can be yellow or
green. When the computer starts normally, the lights flash. After the computer starts, the lights remain green. If the computer malfunctions, the color and
sequence of the lights identify the problem.
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in your Owner's Manual or Product Information
Guide.
Light Pattern Problem Description
The computer is in a normal
off condition or a possible
pre-BIOS failure has
occurred.
Memory modules are
detected, but a memory
failure has occurred.
A possible expansion card
failure has occurred.
A possible video card failure
has occurred.
A possible floppy or hard
drive failure has occurred.
A possible USB failure has
occurred.
No memory modules are
detected.
Memory modules are
detected, but a memory
Suggested Resolution
Verify that the computer is plugged into a working electrical outlet and that you have pressed the power
button.
If you have one memory module installed,
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If you have two or more memory modules installed, remove the modules,
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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
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If the problem persists, see "Contacting Dell" in your Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining
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technical assistance.
1. Determine if a conflict exists by
computer.
2. If the problem persists, reinstall the card
restart the computer.
3. 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 Owner's Manual).
4. If the problem persists, see "Contacting Dell" in your Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
If the computer has a video card,
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If the problem still exists, install a video card
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If the problem persists or the computer has integrated video, see "Contacting Dell" in your Owner's
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Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
Reseat all power and data cables and restart the computer.
Reinstall all USB devices, check cable connections, and then restart the computer.
Reinstall all memory modules
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To eliminate the possibility of a faulty memory connector,
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memory module at a time (if the computer supports a single module), and then restart the
computer. If the computer starts normally, move the memory module to a different connector and
restart the computer. Continue until you have identified a faulty connector or reinstalled all modules
without error.
Ensure that there are no special memory module/memory connector placement requirements.
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Verify that the memory modules
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reinstall it and restart the computer.
of the same type into your computer.
removing a card (not the video card) and then restarting the
that you removed, remove a different card, and then
remove the card and reinstall
that you know works and restart the computer.
and restart the computer.
remove all memory
that you are installing are compatible with your computer.
reinstall one module, and
it, and restart the computer.
modules, reinstall one