Hi cloughjdc,

I suggest that you shut the system down, remove the battery and disconnect the ac adapter and all peripherals, press and hold the power button for 20 to 30 seconds.  Now connect only the ac adapter and wait for 30 seconds and turn on the system. This will drain any residual charge in the capacitors.

Refer to the link below and try running hardware diagnostics on the system:

http://dell.to/OUGnqT.

If the 3 beep issue persists, I suspect the motherboard is faulty and consider replacing it. Please click on the link below to check the warranty of the system. In case the system is under warranty, send me a private message with the system service tag to assist you further.  Please click on my name and click Start Conversation to send me a private message.

http://dell.to/12Bz4Il

In case the system is Out of warranty let me know the region you belong to, to provide the contact information to get the system serviced.

Hi Sujatha k,

Many thanks for replying.

Unfortunately this hasn't made any difference. The machine with the problem was bought for my mother and is hardly ever used. I have exactly the same machine and wondered if I could swap parts over to identify the problem. The warranty ran out 10 months ago and the region we are from is Essex in England.

Thanks

Cloughjdc

Hi cloughjdc,

If you are comfortable swapping parts, you may try to isolate which part is bad. 3 beeps indicate it is the motherboard failure.  Please find the link below for the service manual.

http://bit.ly/YVmiFk

The contact number for Out of warranty department is 844-338-1000.