Advanced troubleshooting, Diagnostic lights, System lights – Dell Precision 650 User Manual
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Advanced Troubleshooting
Dell Precision™ Workstations 450 and 650 User's Guide
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities
Diagnostic Lights
System Lights
Located on the front of the computer, these lights can indicate a computer problem.
Diagnostic Lights
To help you troubleshoot a problem, your computer is equipped with four lights on the front 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.
Diagnostic Light Codes Before POST
Power Light
Hard-
Drive
Light
Problem Description
Suggested Resolution
Solid green
N/A
Power is on, and the computer is operating
normally.
No corrective action is required.
Blinking green
Blank
The computer is in the suspended 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. See "
Power
Button
."
Blinks green several times and then
turns off
N/A
A configuration error exists.
Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is
identified.
Solid yellow
N/A
The Dell Diagnostics is running a test, or a
device on the system board may be faulty or
incorrectly installed.
If the Dell Diagnostics is running, allow the testing to
complete.
Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is
identified. See "
System Board Problems
."
If the computer does not boot,
contact Dell
for technical
assistance.
Blinking yellow
Blank
A power supply or system board failure has
occurred.
Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is
identified. See "
Power Problems
" and "
System Board
Problems
."
Blinking yellow
Solid
green
A system board or VRM failure has occurred.
Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is
identified. See "
System Board Problems
."
Solid green and a beep code during
POST
N/A
A problem was detected while the BIOS was
executing.
" 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
N/A
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 Monitor Problems
."
Solid green power light and no
beep code but the computer locks
up during POST
N/A
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.
CAUTION:
Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the System Information Guide.
Light Pattern
Problem Description
Suggested Resolution
No electrical power is supplied to the
computer.
Connect the computer to its electrical outlet. Ensure that the front-panel power light is on.
If the power light is off, ensure that the computer is connected to a working electrical outlet