Dimension XPS R400 Problems

Question

Hi everyone.  My parents use an XPS R400 computer and have been having problems with it lately.  Almost every day when they turn the computer on, it says 'Operating System Not Found'.  Rebooting fixes it, but more than likely only until the next time the computer gets turned on then it comes up again.  This computer has the A13 Bios.  Just did a little reading here on the A13 and it sounds like some have had trouble with it and others have not.  Would it be safe to downgrade to A12 or a lower (recommended) version?  Here are the detailed specifications of this computer:   Service Tag: EN0NL 1 GHz Pentium III (Slot 1); originally a 400 MHz Pentium II 384MB memory ATI Radeon 7500 64MB AGP Maxtor 30GB (53073H4) Asus 52/32/52/16 Combo (5216A/QT_WHT) Iomega Zip 100 (3.5' bay) Encore 10/100 Ethernet PCI Integrated audio   This system also has Windows XP Pro with SP2.  I am not sure what drives are set to CS, if any.  For the most part, this system works pretty good, but when I was using it as my primary computer, I never remember seeing the 'operating system not found' message.  But back then, the hardware configuration inside this system was totally different.  I would appreciate it if anyone can give me any pointers as to where I should start so I can hopefully get rid of this message.  Thanks.

ceri sheeran · Answer

Hi,

XPS R400 old but slid machine. I still have an XPS R450

Replace the BIOS battery

3-V CR2032 coin cell

The hard disk(s) on a computer of this age are well within the window for failure. It is likely that the hard drive needs replacing

Try the computer to see if it boots from a Win 98 SE botable floppy disk http://www.bootdisk.com for an image file if you don't have one. Run the image file to create a bootable floppy.

If the computer boots from a floppy then replace the primary hard drive and re-install the Operating System.

Max hard disk capacity is 120GB unless you have XP or a PCI ATA control card.

Stick with the A12 BIOS, A13 was troublesome for many.

hth

Ceri

Majestic · Answer

BP98, since there is always a slight element of risk in doing a BIOS flash, I would try Ceri's suggestions first to see if that resolves your problems.  Then if you are still experiencing problems I would try flashing the BIOS back to version A12.  Although A12 is no longer available in the Dell File Library, it can still be downloaded from Bob Matthew's web site.  You can click here for his web site.

BP98 · Answer

Thanks for the advice Ceri.  I never thought about the 2032 battery; I will buy a new one.  Is there anything else that needs to be done before or after changing the battery?  Because I haven't done this before, and I don't want to mess it up.  The hard drive isn't the original hard drive that came installed in that computer, but I realize age has nothing to do with it as they can go bad at any time.  It's probably been in the computer for a couple of years as it was a warranty replacement for you guessed it, a bad hard drive!   Could this message also have anything to do with the way the boot sequence is in the Bios setup program?  I put hard drive first instead of removable devices because it sped up the bootup process a little bit.  Before, there was a blinking cursor in the upper left corner for 5-10 seconds while the floppy was making noise, but having the hard drive first got rid of that.

BP98 · Answer

Well I got a new battery installed.  While I had the case opened, I checked the hardware to make sure the HD, CD/DVD, & Zip were set to CS (which they were).  Decided to take the hard drive out and put in another one for testing.  When I turned it on for the first time with a new battery, I had some issues getting into the setup but eventually got in to set the date & time.  Using my other computer, I put version A12 bios on a disk and ran it on the R400.  Quick Boot really acted strange (num lock light on keyboard was blinking and could only navigate when it was on), so I put A13 back on it and it's working better again.  I am installing XP on the test hard drive as I type this.  I have noticed at times when the Dell splash screen comes up, the light on the CD/DVD drive and the hard disk light will blink together and the splash screen doesn't go away.  Pressing the reset button finally went past it.  Does anyone know what could be causing this?   Thanks, BP98

Majestic · Answer

BP98, sounds like the system maybe having a hardware detection problem during boot up.  Try tapping the ESC key as soon as the Dell logo appears.  On the XPS R model that should minimize the logo so that you can see the BIOS boot screens.  This may give an indication at what point the system is stalling.  Also I would go into your BIOS Setup and disable the options for Quiet Boot and Quick Boot.  Those two option can be found on the Boot menu of the BIOS Setup program.  With these options disabled the system will go through additional testing at boot up and display the boot up screens. If that doesn't give an indication of the problem I would next try a 'hard' reset of the NVRAM.  Since it sounds like you replaced the motherboard battery and then swapped the hard drive, the information in the NVRAM may have not been updated properly with the hardware changed or the stored information became corrupted.  Either of those two things can result in boot up detection problems.  To do a 'hard' reset of the NVRAM just do the following procedure I've listed below.  After the NVRAM is cleared the system will redetect all the installed hardware on the next reboot. With the machine unplugged from the wall remove the battery from the motherboard.  Then with the machine still unplugged press the On button for several seconds to dissipate any remaining electrical charge on the motherboard.  Then re-install the battery, plug the machine back into the wall and see if it will boot normally.If clearing the NVRAM doesn't resolve the problem then it's possible that a piece of hardware is failing. This can result in a boot delay as the system attempts to connect with the failed piece of hardware during boot up.  The only way to solve this problem is through trial and error of disconnecting a hardware item until the boot problem goes away.  From what you stated earlier it sounded like the floppy drive wasn't acting quite right.  If so that would be the first device I would try disconnecting.  Just pull the ribbon cable from the drive and see what happens.  You may have to go into the BIOS Setup and disable the floppy drive controller if you start getting floppy drive 'not found' boot up errors.  To disable the floppy controller look in the Diskette Option sub-menu of the Advance menu.

BP98 · Answer

Thank you for your advice Majestic.  When I was in the bios setup last night, there wasn't a quiet boot option, just a quick boot (my 4100 has both though).  After clean-installing XP on the test hard drive, I thought the computer seemed to work better, and there have been no problems with it today.  I checked the old battery with a battery tester and it's still saying 3 volts, even though it's from '98.  Hopefully doing what I did to it last night will make a difference.  Only time will tell!

Majestic · Answer

BP98, glad to hear everything is working out! Regarding the battery test.....  if you just checked the battery with a voltmeter, it may not give an true indication of the battery's condition.  An actual battery tester will not only test for voltage, but will test the battery under load conditions.  Just thought I would mention it as some people assume a voltmeter is a 'battery tester.'

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Dimension XPS R400 Problems

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