Dell XPS 410 Blank Screen Issues

I will get back to you on the memory upgrade

I don't think this can be done with no display sir, i have no display, thanks so much for answering, any other suggestions?

Hi Micheal,

Welcome to the Community.

Let me know the specification of the memory used for upgrade.

Meanwhile, I would suggest you to run diagnostics on the computer which will isolate the issue.

Unplug the power cable. Press and hold power button for 10 seconds. Plugin the power cable and turn on the system. Tap F12 key to access One Time Boot Menu. Highlight Boot to Utility Partition and hit Enter to start the diagnostics.

Please refer to the link mentioned below for error codes:

Also, look for any diagnostic indicators and refer to the table mentioned below:

LED pattern	Code Translation
	System POST complete – LED timeout has occurred.
	BIOS checksum failure – Recovery mode.
	CPU configuration activity or failure.
	Memory subsystem configuration activity or failure.
	PCI device configuration or failure.
	Video subsystem configuration or failure.
	Storage device configuration or failure.
	USB subsystem configuration activity or failure.
	No memory detected.
	Fatal system board failure detected.
	Memory detected – Configuration or compatibility error.
	System activity preceding video initialization.
	System resource configuration.
	Reserved
	POST complete – Onscreen error message.
	POST complete – OS hand-off complete.

Thanks & Regards
Manshu S
#iworkfordell

Indicator 3 & 4 are illuminated

Hi Micheal,

Thank you for the reply.

If there is no display after flee power (Unplug the power cable. Press and hold power button for 10 seconds. Plugin the power cable and turn on the system), let me know the status of the diagnostics indicator.

Thanks & Regards
Manshu S
#iworkfordell

Hi Micheal,

Thank you for the reply.

As mentioned in the table above,  indicate memory subsystem configuration activity or failure. I would suggest you to reseat the memory using the manual mentioned below:

http://bit.ly/XZRNHv

Also try with one memory stick at a time to check if it is an issue with the memory slot.

Thanks & Regards
Manshu S
#iworkfordell

Manshu, sorry for the long delay i had to take the computer to a shop. i brought the machine to a shop and the guy in the shop said t he reseated the hardware dusted it out and the display came back on, for a whopping $85.00. He claims he tested the RAM and it was ok. This something i could of done myself i just didn't really have the time.

Also you have to hit the start button twice most times for the machine to fire up. The guy in the shop says it's a bad mother board, not sure how he came to that conclusion, but he also said that the motherboard on the Dell Dell XPS 410 cannot be replaced or upgraded because it's old and i will most likely have to get a new machine is this true? Why can't it be replaced or upgraded?

Also you have to hit the start button twice most times for the machine to fire up.

Somebody is just trying to sell you some new PC! :emotion-12:

You can buy the motherboard here for $32 and here for $79, probably on eBay, etc.   Always ask if new / used / refurbished, about warranty etc. :emotion-5:

Upgrades in Dell cases can be difficult because they typically use a custom cable connector between front panel and the motherboard

But from the symptoms, it sounds - to me - more like a power supply problem rather than a motherboard problem. 

Power supply was tested, he says it's the mobo controller which is bad, it's not sending signal to the HDD, thanks so much for find that board for me Ron i appreciate it!

Power supply was tested, he says it's the mobo controller which is bad, it's not sending signal to the HDD, thanks so much for find that board for me Ron i appreciate it!

That doesn't sound right to me. If you press the power button once the PSU should kick in, and you should see the Dell Splash Screen as it does the POST. And if the HDD isn't starting or communicating, you should get "No boot device found" error.

If you press the power button once, and nothing happens, what color is the power button at that stage, steady or blinking? Do you see anything on monitor? And what color are the 4 diagnostic LEDs on the front of the tower?

 The XPS 410 is old tech, so you do have to decide whether to put any $ into it or into some newer tech. On that point I would agree with the shop.

If you press the power button once, and nothing happens, what color is the power button at that stage, steady or blinking? Do you see anything on monitor? And what color are the 4 diagnostic LEDs on the front of the tower?

As far as the above I cant answer that because I have not got the machine back yet. However if he says he did test the power supply I believe him. As far as your questions as soon I get the machine back which will be Wednesday night I will answer your questions.