Dell T105 User Manual
Dell™ PowerEdge™ T105 Systems
Hardware Owner’s Manual
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Notes, Notices, and Cautions
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of
your computer.
NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data
and tells you how to avoid the problem.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury,
or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2007-2009 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly
forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Inspiron, Dell Precision, Dimension, OptiPlex,
Latitude, PowerEdge, PowerVault, PowerApp, PowerConnect, XPS, and Dell OpenManage are
trademarks of Dell Inc.; Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, and W indows Server are either trademarks or
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; Red Hat
is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc.; UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the
United States and other countries; EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming
the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and
trade names other than its own.
March 2009 P/N JN551 Rev. A01
Contents
1 About Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Other Information You May Need . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Accessing System Features During Startup
Front-Panel Features and Indicators
Back-Panel Features and Indicators
Connecting External Devices
NIC Indicator Codes
Power Supply Indicators
Diagnostic Lights
System Messages
Warning Messages
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Diagnostics Messages
Alert Messages
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
. . . . . . . . . . . . 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
. . . . . . . 12
. . . . . . . . . . 13
. . . . . . . . . . 15
2 Using the System Setup Program . . . . . . 31
Entering the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Responding to Error Messages
Using the System Setup Program
. . . . . . . . . . . 31
. . . . . . . . . 32
Exiting the System Setup Program
. . . . . . . . . . . 33
Contents 3
System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Main Screen
Memory Information Screen
CPU Information Screen
SATA Configuration Screen
Integrated Devices Screen
System Security Screen
Exit Screen
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
. . . . . . . . . . . . 35
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
System and Setup Password Features
Using the System Password
Using the Setup Password
Disabling a Forgotten Password
. . . . . . . . . . 39
. . . . . . . . . . . . 40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
. . . . . . . . . . 43
3 Installing System Components . . . . . . . 45
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Inside the System
Opening the System
Closing the System
Front Drive Bezel
Removing the Front Drive Bezel
Replacing the Front Drive Bezel
Removing an Insert on the Front Drive Bezel
Replacing an Insert on the Front Drive Bezel
Removing and Inserting Blank Drive Inserts . . . . . . 51
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
. . . . . . . . . . 49
. . . . . . . . . . 49
. . . . 50
. . . . 50
4 Contents
Diskette Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Removing the Diskette Drive
Installing a Diskette Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . 52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Optical and Tape Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Removing an Optical or Tape Drive
Installing an Optical or Tape Drive
. . . . . . . . . 57
. . . . . . . . . 60
Hard Drives
Expansion Cards
Memory
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Hard Drive Installation Guidelines
Removing a Hard Drive
Installing a Hard Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Removing an Expansion Card
Installing an Expansion Card
SAS Controller Expansion Card
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Memory Module Upgrade Kits
. . . . . . . . . 64
. . . . . . . . . . . 70
. . . . . . . . . . . . 72
. . . . . . . . . . 73
. . . . . . . . . . . 75
Memory Module Installation Guidelines
Addressing Memory With 8-GB Configurations
(Microsoft
System Only)
Removing a Memory Module
Installing a Memory Module
Microprocessor
Removing the Processor
Replacing the Processor
®
Windows® Operating
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
. . . . . . . . . . . . 77
. . . . . . . . . . . . 77
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
. . . . . . 75
Cooling Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Removing the Cooling Fans
Replacing the Cooling Fans
System Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Removing the System Battery
Installing the System Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
. . . . . . . . . . . 89
. . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Contents 5
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Removing the Power Supply
Installing the Power Supply
. . . . . . . . . . . . 91
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Chassis Intrusion Switch
Removing the Chassis Intrusion Switch
Installing the Chassis Intrusion Switch
Bezel (Service Only Parts Procedure)
Removing the Bezel
Replacing the Bezel
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
. . . . . . 93
. . . . . . . 94
. . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
I/O Panel Assembly (Service Only Parts
Procedure)
System Board (Service Only Parts Procedure)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Removing the I/O Panel Assembly
Replacing the I/O Panel Assembly
Removing the System Board
Installing the System Board
. . . . . . . . . 97
. . . . . . . . . 98
. . . . . . . . . . . 100
. . . . . . . . . . . . 101
. . . . 100
4 Troubleshooting Your System . . . . . . . . 103
Safety First—For You and Your System . . . . . . . . 103
Start-Up Routine
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
6 Contents
Checking the Equipment
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Troubleshooting External Connections
Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem
Troubleshooting the Keyboard
Troubleshooting the Mouse
. . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Troubleshooting Serial I/O Problems
Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device
Troubleshooting a USB Device
. . . . . . 104
. . . . . . 104
. . . . . . . . . . 105
. . . . . . . . . 106
. . . . . . . 107
. . . . . . . . . . 107
Troubleshooting a NIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Troubleshooting a Wet System
Troubleshooting a Damaged System
Troubleshooting the System Battery
Troubleshooting Power Supply
Troubleshooting System Cooling Problems
Troubleshooting a Fan
Troubleshooting System Memory
Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive
Troubleshooting an Optical Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
. . . . . . . . . . 110
. . . . . . . . . . . 111
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
. . . . . . . 113
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
. . . . . . . . . . . . 114
. . . . . . . . . . . . 116
. . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Troubleshooting an External SCSI Tape Drive
Troubleshooting a Hard Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Troubleshooting a SAS or SAS RAID Controller
Troubleshooting Expansion Cards
Troubleshooting the Microprocessor
. . . . . . . . . . . . 123
. . . . . . . . . . 125
. . . . . 119
. . . . 122
5 Running the System Diagnostics . . . . . . 127
Using Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . 127
System Diagnostics Features
When to Use the System Diagnostics
Running the System Diagnostics
System Diagnostics Testing Options
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
. . . . . . . . . . 128
. . . . . . . . . . . . 128
. . . . . . . . . . 128
Contents 7
Using the Custom Test Options . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Selecting Devices for Testing
Selecting Diagnostics Options
Viewing Information and Results
. . . . . . . . . . . 129
. . . . . . . . . . 129
. . . . . . . . . 130
6 Jumpers and Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . 131
System Board Jumpers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
System Board Connectors
Disabling a Forgotten Password
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
. . . . . . . . . . . . 135
7 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Online Services
Automated Order-Status Service
Support Service
Dell Enterprise Training and Certification
Problems With Your Order
Product Information
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit
Before You Call
Contacting Dell
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
. . . . . . . . . 139
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
. . . . . . . 139
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
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. . . . 140
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
8 Contents
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Contents 9
10 Contents
About Your System
This section describes the physical, firmware, and software interface features
that provide and ensure the essential functioning of your system. The
physical connectors on your system’s front and back panels provide
convenient connectivity and system expansion capability. The system
firmware, applications, and operating systems monitor the system and
component status and alert you when a problem arises. System conditions
can be reported by any of the following:
• Front or back panel indicators
• System messages
• Warning messages
• Diagnostics messages
• Alert messages
This section describes each type of message, lists the possible causes, and
provides steps to resolve any problems indicated by a message. The system
indicators and features are illustrated in this section.
Other Information You May Need
CAUTION: The Product Information Guide provides important safety and
regulatory information. Warranty information may be included within this
document or as a separate document.
• The
• CDs included with your system provide documentation and tools for
• Systems management software documentation describes the features,
• Operating system documentation describes how to install (if necessary),
• Documentation for any components you purchased separately provides
Getting Started Guide
up your system, and technical specifications.
configuring and managing your system.
requirements, installation, and basic operation of the software.
configure, and use the operating system software.
information to configure and install these options.
provides an overview of system features, setting
About Your System 11
• Updates are sometimes included with the system to describe changes to
the system, software, and/or documentation.
NOTE: Always check for updates on support.dell.com and read the updates
first because they often supersede information in other documents.
• Release notes or readme files may be included to provide last-minute
updates to the system or documentation or advanced technical reference
material intended for experienced users or technicians.
Accessing System Features During Startup
Table 1-1 describes keystrokes that may be entered during startup to access
system features. If your operating system begins to load before you enter the
keystroke, allow the system to finish booting, and then restart your system
and try again.
Table 1-1. Keystrokes for Accessing System Features
Keystroke Description
<F2> Enters the System Setup program. See "Using the System Setup
Program" on page 31.
<F10> Opens the utility partition, allowing you to run the system
diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics" on page 128.
<F11> Enters the boot menu selection screen, allowing you to choose a boot
device.
<F12> Initiates PXE boot.
<Ctrl+C> Option is displayed for some SAS controller expansion cards. Enters
the SAS Configuration Utility, which includes RAID configuration
options. See your SAS adapter User’s Guide for more information.
<Ctrl+S> Option is displayed only if you have PXE support enabled through
the System Setup Program (see Table 2-1). This keystroke allows you
to configure NIC settings for PXE boot. For more information, see
the documentation for your integrated NIC.
12 About Your System
Front-Panel Features and Indicators
Figure 1-1 shows the controls, indicators, and connectors located on the
system's front panel. Table 1-2 provides component descriptions.
Figure 1-1. Front-Panel Features and Indicators
1
6
5
4
3
2
Table 1-2. Front-Panel Components
Item Component Icon Description
1 USB connectors (2) Connects USB 2.0-compliant
devices to the system.
About Your System 13
Table 1-2. Front-Panel Components (continued)
Item Component Icon Description
2 power button The power button controls the DC
power supply output to the system.
NOTE: If you turn off the system using
the power button and the system is
running an ACPI-compliant operating
system, the system performs a
graceful shutdown before the power
is turned off. If the system is not
running an ACPI-compliant operating
system, the power is turned off
immediately after the power button is
pressed.
3 power light No light — The system is off.
Steady green — The system is
powered on.
Blinking green — The system is in a
low power state.
Steady amber — A BIOS failure
occurred before Power-On Self Test
(POST). See "Diagnostic Lights" on
page 18.
Blinking amber — There is a
problem with the power supply.
4 flex bay Holds an optional diskette drive.
5 lower 5.25-inch drive
bay
6 upper 5.25-inch drive
bay
Holds an optional optical or tape
backup unit drive.
Holds an optical drive.
14 About Your System
Back-Panel Features and Indicators
Figure 1-2 shows the controls, indicators, and connectors located on the
system's back panel.
Figure 1-2. Back-Panel Features and Indicators
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1 voltage selection switch 2 power connector
3 USB connectors (5) 4 NIC connector
5 video connector 6 serial connector
7 I/O expansion-card slots (4)
About Your System 15
Connecting External Devices
When connecting external devices to your system, follow these guidelines:
• Most devices must be connected to a specific connector and device drivers
must be installed before the device operates properly. (Device drivers are
normally included with your operating system software or with the device
itself.) See the documentation that accompanied the device for specific
installation and configuration instructions.
• Always attach an external device while your system and the device are
turned off. Next, turn on any external devices before turning on the system
(unless the documentation for the device specifies otherwise).
See "Using the System Setup Program" on page 31 for information about
enabling, disabling, and configuring I/O ports and connectors.
NIC Indicator Codes
The NIC on the back panel has an indicator that provides information on
network activity and link status. See Figure 1-3. Table 1-3 lists the NIC
indicator codes.
Figure 1-3. NIC Indicators
1
1 link indicator 2 activity indicator
16 About Your System
2
Table 1-3. NIC Indicator Codes
Indicator Type Indicator Code Description
Activity Off When off at the same time that the link indicator
is off, the NIC is not connected to the network or
the NIC is disabled in the System Setup
program. See "Using the System Setup Program"
on page 31.
Blinking Indicates that network data is being sent or
received.
Link Off When off at the same time that the activity
indicator is off, the NIC is not connected to the
network or the NIC is disabled in the System
Setup program. See "Using the System Setup
Program" on page 31.
Yellow 1000-Mbps connection
Orange 100-Mbps connection
Green 10-Mbps connection
Power Supply Indicators
The voltage selection switch on the back panel of the system allows you to
select one of two primary voltage inputs. Ensure that the switch is set to the
proper voltage according to Table 1-4.
Table 1-4. Voltage Selection Switch
If your power source is: The voltage selection switch should be set to:
110 V
220 V
115
230
For information on system power requirements, see "Technical Specifications"
in your Getting Started Guide.
About Your System 17
Diagnostic Lights
The four diagnostic indicator lights on the system front panel display error
codes during system startup. Table 1-5 lists the causes and possible corrective
actions associated with these codes. A highlighted circle indicates the light is
on; a non-highlighted circle indicates the light is off.
NOTE: If the power LEDs blink amber, there is a problem with the power supply. If
the power LED shows a solid amber, a BIOS failure occurred before Power-On Self
Test (POST).
Table 1-5. Diagnostic Indicator Codes
Code Causes Corrective Action
The computer is in a
normal off condition or a
possible pre-BIOS failure
has occurred.
The diagnostic lights are
not lit after the system
successfully boots to the
operating system.
The system is in a normal
operating condition after
POST.
BIOS checksum failure
detected; system is in
recovery mode.
Possible processor failure. See "Troubleshooting the
Plug the computer into a working
electrical outlet and press the
power button.
Information only.
See "Getting Help" on page 137.
Microprocessor" on page 125.
Memory failure. See "Troubleshooting System
Possible expansion card
failure.
18 About Your System
Memory" on page 114.
See "Troubleshooting Expansion
Cards" on page 123.
Table 1-5. Diagnostic Indicator Codes (continued)
Code Causes Corrective Action
Possible video failure. See "Getting Help" on page 137.
Diskette drive or hard
drive failure.
Possible USB failure. See "Troubleshooting a USB
No memory modules
detected.
System board failure. See "Getting Help" on page 137.
Memory configuration
error.
Possible system board
resource and/or system
board hardware failure.
Possible system resource
configuration error.
Ensure that the diskette drive and
hard drive are properly connected.
See "Hard Drives" on page 64 or
"Diskette Drive" on page 52 for
information on the drives
installed in your system.
Device" on page 107.
See "Troubleshooting System
Memory" on page 114.
See "Troubleshooting System
Memory" on page 114.
See "Getting Help" on page 137.
See "Getting Help" on page 137.
Other failure. Ensure that the diskette drive,
optical drive, and hard drives are
properly connected. See
"Troubleshooting Your System"
on page 103 for the appropriate
drive installed in your system. If
the problem persists, see "Getting
Help" on page 137.
About Your System 19
System Messages
System messages appear on the screen to notify you of a possible problem
with the system. Table 1-6 lists the system messages that can occur and the
probable cause and corrective action for each message.
NOTE: If you receive a system message that is not listed in Table 1-6, check the
documentation for the application that is running when the message appears or the
operating system's documentation for an explanation of the message and
recommended action.
CAUTION: Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove the system
cover and access any of the components inside the system. See your Product
Information Guide for complete information about safety precautions, working
inside the computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.
Table 1-6. System Messages
Message Causes Corrective Actions
A filename cannot
contain any of the
following characters:
\ / : * ? “ < > |
A required .DLL file
was not found
Alert! Cover was
previously opened.
Alert! Error
initializing PCI
Express slot n (or
bridge).
The application that
you are trying to open
is missing an essential
file.
The system was
opened.
The system
encountered a problem
while trying to
configure a PCIe
expansion card.
Do not use these
characters in filenames.
Remove and then
reinstall the application.
See the application’s
documentation for
installation instructions.
Information only. To
reset the chassis
intrusion switch, see
"Using the System Setup
Program" on page 31.
See "Troubleshooting
Expansion Cards" on
page 123.
20 About Your System
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
Alert! Incompatible
processor detected.
Alert! Previous fan
failure.
Alert! Previous
Processor Thermal
Failure
Attachment failed to
respond
Bad command or file
name
The fan caused errors
the last time the
system was used.
The processor
overheated the last
time the system was
used.
The diskette or harddrive controller cannot
send data to the
associated drive.
Use only Dell supported
processors. See the
Getting Started Guide for
a list of supported
processors.
Ensure that nothing is
blocking the airflow
vents and that all fans
are properly installed and
operating correctly. See
"Troubleshooting
System Cooling
Problems" on page 113.
Ensure that nothing is
blocking the airflow
vents and that all fans
are properly installed and
operating correctly. Also,
ensure that the processor
heat sink is properly
installed. See
"Microprocessor" on
page 79.
See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116 or
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
Ensure that you have
spelled the command
correctly, have put spaces
in the proper place, and
have used the correct
pathname.
About Your System 21
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
Bad error-correction
code (ECC) on disk read
CAUTION! NVRAM_CLR
jumper is installed on
system board. Please
run SETUP
CD-ROM drive not found The operating system
Controller has failed The hard drive or the
Data error The diskette drive or
Decreasing available
memory
The diskette or harddrive controller
detected an
uncorrectable read
error.
NVRAM jumper is
installed.
cannot read from the
CD-ROM drive.
associated controller is
defective.
hard drive cannot read
the data.
One or more memory
modules might be
faulty or improperly
seated.
See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116 or
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
After an NVRAM jumper
is installed, run the
System Setup program.
See "Using the System
Setup Program" on
page 31.
See "Troubleshooting an
Optical Drive" on
page 118.
See "Troubleshooting a
Hard Drive" on page 120.
For the operating
system, run the
appropriate utility to
check the file structure
of the diskette drive or
hard drive. See your
operating system
documentation for
information on running
these utilities.
Reinstall the memory
modules and, if
necessary, replace them.
See "Troubleshooting
System Memory" on
page 114.
22 About Your System
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
Diskette drive 0 seek
failure
Diskette read failure The diskette might be
Diskette subsystem
reset failed
Diskette write
protected
Drive not ready No diskette is in the
General failure The operating system is
Hard disk Fan was not
detected
A cable might be loose
or the system
configuration
information might not
match the hardware
configuration.
defective, or a cable
might be loose.
The diskette drive
controller might be
faulty.
The diskette is writeprotected.
drive.
unable to carry out the
command.
The processor cooling
fan is faulty or the fan
assembly is not
installed correctly.
See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116.
If the diskette-drive
indicator turns on, try a
different disk. See
"Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116.
Run the system
diagnostics. See
"Running the System
Diagnostics" on
page 128.
Slide the write-protect
notch to the open
position.
Insert a diskette in the
drive.
This message is usually
followed by specific
information. Take the
appropriate action to
resolve the problem.
Ensure that the
processor cooling shroud
is properly installed. See
"Troubleshooting
System Cooling
Problems" on page 113
and "Microprocessor" on
page 79.
About Your System 23
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
Heatsink was not
detected.
Insert bootable media The operating system is
Keyboard Controller
Failure
Keyboard Stuck Key
Failure
Keyboard failure
NIC failure. See "Troubleshooting a
No boot device
available
Heatsink failure. Ensure heatsink and
shroud assembly are
properly attached. See
Figure 3-21.
Insert a bootable
trying to boot from a
nonbootable diskette or
CD.
A cable or connector
might be loose, or the
keyboard or
keyboard/mouse
controller might be
faulty.
The system cannot find
the diskette or hard
drive.
diskette or CD.
See "Troubleshooting
the Keyboard" on
page 105.
NIC" on page 108.
If the diskette drive is
your boot device, ensure
that a bootable disk is in
the drive.
If the hard drive is your
boot device, ensure that
the hard drive is
installed, the interface
cable is properly
connected, and the hard
drive is partitioned as a
boot device.
Enter the System Setup
program and verify the
boot sequence
information. See "Using
the System Setup
Program" on page 31.
24 About Your System
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
No timer tick interrupt A chip on the system
board might be
malfunctioning.
Non-system disk or disk
error
Not a boot diskette The operating system is
Not enough memory or
resources. Close some
programs and try again.
The diskette in the
diskette drive or your
hard drive does not
have a bootable
operating system
installed on it.
trying to boot from a
diskette that does not
have a bootable
operating system
installed on it.
You have too many
programs open.
Run the system
diagnostics. See
"Running the System
Diagnostics" on
page 127.
Replace the diskette with
one that has a bootable
operating system or
remove the diskette, and
then restart the system.
If the problem persists,
see "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116 or
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
If the problem persists,
see "Getting Help" on
page 137.
Insert a diskette that has
a bootable operating
system.
Close all windows and
open the program that
you want to use. In some
cases, you might have to
restart your system to
restore system resources.
If so, try opening the
program that you want
to use first
About Your System 25
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
Operating system not
found
PCI BIOS failed to
install
Plug and play
configuration error
Read fault The operating system
Requested sector not
found
BIOS checksum failure
detected.
An attached device is
improperly configured.
cannot read from the
diskette or hard drive,
the system could not
find a particular sector
on the disk, or the
requested sector is
defective.
The operating system
cannot read from the
diskette or hard drive,
the system could not
find a particular sector
on the disk, or the
requested sector is
defective.
See "Troubleshooting a
Hard Drive" on page 120.
If the problem persists,
see "Getting Help" on
page 137.
Ensure that all network
cards and connections
are functioning properly.
See "Troubleshooting
System Memory" on
page 114."
If the problem persists,
see "Getting Help" on
page 137."
See "Troubleshooting
Your System" on
page 103.
See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116 or
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116 or
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
26 About Your System
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
Reset failed The disk reset
operation failed.
X
SATA Port
found.
device not
NOTE: X is the drive number
(A-D).
Sector not found
Seek error
SMART Failure Predicted
on Hard Disk (SATA
port #)
WARNING: It is
advisable to
immediately back up
your data and replace
your hard-disk drive by
calling your support
desk or Dell Inc.
System Fan was not
detected
A faulty diskette drive
or hard drive.
The Disk Monitoring
System detected an
error, or the SMART
drive function failed.
The processor cooling
fan is faulty or the fan
assembly is not
installed correctly.
See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116 or
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
Run the system
diagnostics. See
"Running the System
Diagnostics" on
page 127. Also, see
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116 or
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
See "Troubleshooting a
Hard Drive" on page 120.
If the problem persists,
see "Getting Help" on
page 137
Ensure that the
processor cooling shroud
is properly installed. See
"Troubleshooting
System Cooling
Problems" on page 113
and "Microprocessor" on
page 79.
About Your System 27
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
The amount of system
memory has changed
The file being copied
is too large for the
destination drive.
Time-of-day not set —
please run SETUP
program
Timer chip counter 2
failed
Memory has been
added or removed, or a
memory module may
be faulty.
The file that you are
trying to copy is too
large to fit on the disk.
The time or date stored
in the System Setup
program does not
match the system
clock.
A chip on the system
board might be
malfunctioning.
If memory has been
added or removed, this
message is informative
and can be ignored. If
memory has not been
added or removed, check
the SEL to determine if
single-bit or multi-bit
errors were detected and
replace the faulty
memory module. See
"Troubleshooting
System Memory" on
page 114.
Try increasing disk space
on the destination drive
by deleting unnecessary
files.
Enter the System Setup
program and correct the
Date and Time options.
See "Using the System
Setup Program" on
page 31. If the problem
persists, see
"Troubleshooting the
System Battery" on
page 111.
Run the system
diagnostics. See
"Running the System
Diagnostics" on
page 127.
28 About Your System
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions
Warning! A fatal error
has caused system
reset!
Please check the system
event log.
Warning: The installed
memory configuration is
not optimal.
Write fault
Write fault on selected
drive
<drive letter>
accessible. The device
is not ready.
:\ is not
A multibit ECC error
has occurred.
A DIMM configuration
is unsupported. The
installed memory
modules are not
matched pairs.
The operating system
cannot write to the
diskette drive or hard
drive.
The diskette drive
cannot read the
diskette.
Run the system
diagnostics. See
"Running the System
Diagnostics" on
page 127.
Reinstall the memory
modules and, if
necessary, replace them.
See "Troubleshooting
System Memory" on
page 114.
See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on
page 116 or
"Troubleshooting a Hard
Drive" on page 120.
Insert a diskette into the
drive or replace the
existing diskette, and try
again.
Warning Messages
A warning message alerts you to a possible problem and prompts you to
respond before the system continues a task. For example, before you format a
diskette, a message will warn you that you may lose all data on the diskette.
Warning messages usually interrupt the task and require you to respond by
typing y (yes) or n (no).
NOTE: Warning messages are generated by either the application or the operating
system. For more information, see the documentation that accompanied the
operating system or application.
About Your System 29
Diagnostics Messages
When you run system diagnostics, an error message may result. Diagnostic
error messages are not covered in this section. Record the message on a copy
of the Diagnostics Checklist in "Getting Help" on page 137, and then follow
the instructions in that section for obtaining technical assistance.
Alert Messages
Systems management software generates alert messages for your system. Alert
messages include information, status, warning, and failure messages for drive,
temperature, fan, and power conditions. For more information, see the
systems management software documentation.
30 About Your System
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