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PC powers on, blank monitor, several beeps
Hi,
I have a Dell Dimension 5150/E510 desktop that has worked faithfully for many years. It's running Windows XP Home Edition. It is an all Dell system with Dell monitor, keyboard and mouse.
It recently failed to start. It turns on, I hear fans start, I then hear a succession of low pitched beeps (almost buzzes), 1 long beep - pause - 3 long beeps - pause - 2 long beeps. The monitor stays black, nothing comes up. If I unplug the monitor cable, I get the "No Signal" display, it goes back to black when I plug it back in to the back of the computer. This tells me the monitor is OK. I had upgraded the video card years ago. All worked fine until just one day... nothing.
I replaced the hard drive two days ago thinking it was at fault, resulted in the same exact problem. I then tried inserting the Windows CD, the lights went on indicating the CD drive worked, but no change in the above. I attempted to re-seat as many boards as I could, I removed and replaced the small battery on the mother board, no change in symptoms.
Help?
Thanks in advance! Sam
speedstep
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
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47K Posts
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February 1st, 2012 09:00
Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure has occurred.
A possible graphics card failure has occurred.
speedstep
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
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47K Posts
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February 1st, 2012 08:00
support.dell.com/.../dim5150
Code 1-3-1 through 2-4-4 Memory not being properly identified or used
Reseating the Memory Modules may fix the beep code errors
System Lights
Your power button light and hard-drive activity light may indicate a computer problem.
Power Light
Problem Description
Suggested Resolution
Solid green
Power is on, and the computer is operating normally.
No corrective action is required.
Blinking green
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.
Blinks green several times and then turns off
A configuration error exists.
Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified.
Solid amber
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.
If the computer does not boot, contact Dell for technical assistance (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about how to contact Dell).
Blinking amber
A power supply or system board failure has occurred.
Check the diagnostic lights to see if the specific problem is identified. Also, see "Power Problems" in your computer Owner's Manual.
Solid green and a beep code during POST
A problem was detected while the BIOS was executing.
See "Beep Codes" 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
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 Power Problems" in your computer Owner's Manual.
Solid green power light and no beep code but the computer locks up during POST
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. See your computer Owner's Manual for information on how to contact Dell.
Hard-Drive Activity Light
Problem Description
Suggested Resolution
Solid green
The hard-drive activity light is on when the computer reads data from or writes data to the hard drive. The light might also be on when a device such as a CD player is operating.
No corrective action is required.
Diagnostic Lights
To help you troubleshoot a problem, your computer has four diagnostic lights labeled "1," "2," "3," and "4" on the front panel. When the computer starts normally, the lights flash. If the POST portion of system boot completes successfully, all four lights display solid green. If the computer malfunctions during the POST process, the pattern displayed on the lights may help identify where in the process the computer halted.
Light Pattern
Problem Description
Suggested Resolution
The computer is in a normal "off" condition, has successfully booted to the operating system, or a possible pre-BIOS failure has occurred.
Plug the computer into a working electrical outlet and press the power button. Also see "Power Problems" in your computer Owner's Manual.
A possible processor failure has occurred.
Contact Dell (see your computer Owner's Manual for information about how to contact Dell).
Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure has occurred.
A possible graphics card failure has occurred.
A possible floppy or hard drive failure has occurred.
Reseat all power and data cables and restart the computer.
A possible USB failure has occurred.
Reinstall all USB devices, check cable connections, and then restart the computer.
No memory modules are detected.
Memory modules are detected, but a memory configuration or compatibility error exists.
A possible expansion card failure has occurred.
Another failure has occurred.
The computer is in a normal operating condition after POST.
NOTE: The diagnostic lights are not lit after the system successfully boots to the operating system.
None.
svcobra
7 Posts
0
February 1st, 2012 08:00
Thanks for the super quick response!
You know, I never thought about the diagnostic lights. I recall seeing the 1 and 3 lit (I'm not at home now so I'll need to verify), this would go along with memory cards not being read properly. Since I have two, I'll try removing one, then the other.
But, would this cause the monitor to not come on at all? I have made no changes to my PC in over a year so I know the compatibibilty of the components is ok.
Thanks again!
Sam
svcobra
7 Posts
0
February 1st, 2012 11:00
Thanks again! I'll try these suggestions tonight.
svcobra
7 Posts
0
February 4th, 2012 17:00
This worked! I ended up finding a bad memory card using the trial and error method. Thanks so much for your help!