Dell Precision 420 - Manual (Page 6)

6. If the problem is resolved, you have corrected a faulty connection.
7. If your monitor is not operating properly, see " Troubleshooting the Monitor ."
8. If your keyboard is not operating properly, see " Troubleshooting the Keyboard ."
9. If your mouse or printer is not operating properly, see " Troubleshooting I/O Ports ." Otherwise, see " Look and Listen ."
Look and Listen
Looking at and listening to your system is important in determining the source of a problem. Look and listen for the indications described in Table
1 .
If after looking and listening to your computer you have not resolved the problem, continue with the recommendations in " System Setup ."
Table 1. Boot Routine Indications
System Setup
Look/Listen for: Action
An error message See " Messages and Codes ."
The monitor's power
indicator Most monitors have a power indicator (usually on the front bezel). If the monitor's power indicator does not light
up, see "
Troubleshooting the Monitor ."
The power indicator Use the power indicator to help you identify a system problem when you press the power button to turn on the
computer but the system does not boot:
l A blinking yellow power indicator before power-on self-test (POST) indicates that the power supply may be
faulty. In rare cases, the system board may be faulty. See "
Getting Help " for instructions on getting technical
assistance from Dell.
l A solid yellow power indicator before POST indicates that a device on the system board may be faulty or is
incorrectly installed. Be sure that the microprocessor is properly seated,
remove all expansion cards , and
then reboot. If the system does not boot, see " Getting Help " for instructions on getting technical assistance
from Dell.
l A solid green power indicator and a beep code during POST indicate that a Rambus in-line memory
module (RIMM) may be faulty or is not properly seated.
Remove all RIMMs and reinstall or pair with
Rambus continuity modules (C-RIMMs) in the empty sockets, and then reboot. Repeat this procedure until
you identify the faulty or improperly seated RIMM.
l A solid green power indicator and no beep code and no video during POST indicate that the monitor or the
integrated video controller may be faulty. See "
Troubleshooting the Monitor ." If the monitor is operating
properly and is correctly connected, see " Getting Help " for instructions on getting technical assistance from
Dell.
l
A solid green power indicator and no beep code with video during POST indicate that an integrated
system board device may be faulty. See "
Getting Help " for instructions on getting technical assistance from
Dell.
The keyboard indicators Most keyboards have one or more indicators (usually in the upper-right corner). Press , Lock>, and to toggle the keyboard indicators on and off. If the keyboard indicators do not light up,
see "
Troubleshooting the Keyboard ."
The diskette-drive access
indicator The diskette-drive access indicator should quickly flash on and off when you access data on the diskette drive.
On a system running a Microsoft
® Windows® operating system, you can test the drive by opening Windows
Explorer and clicking the icon for drive A. If the diskette-drive access indicator does not light up, see
"
Troubleshooting Drives ."
The hard-disk drive access
indicator The hard-disk drive access indicator should quickly flash on and off when you access data on the hard-disk drive.
On a system running a Windows operating system, you can test the drive by opening Windows Explorer and
clicking the icon for drive C. If the hard-disk drive access indicator does not light up, see "
Troubleshooting
Drives ."
A series of beeps See " Messages and Codes ."
An unfamiliar constant
scraping or grinding sound
when you access a drive Make sure that the sound is not caused by the application program you are running. The sound could be caused
by a hardware malfunction. See "
Getting Help " for instructions on getting technical assistance from Dell.
The absence of a familiar
sound When you turn on your system, you can hear the hard-disk drive spin up, and the system tries to access the boot
files from the hard-disk drive or the diskette drive. If your system boots, see "
Dell Diagnostics ." If your system
does not boot, see " Getting Help ."