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103041
Dell Inspiron N7110 boot problem.. 2 beeps and the fan only..
Thanks to ejn for his help on my last question.. I have another one and hope we can sort it out.. Thanks in advance...
My Dell N7110 is booting to 2 quick short beeps along with the fan starting.. If you leave it on, it will cycle and repeat the 2 beeps after 15 seconds or so and will continue that cycle until you shut it off.. 2 beep code says RAM not recognized or needs to be reseated, or bad sockets, right? Not this time.. I've tried reseating the RAM (2 x 4GB DIMMS), I've tried swapping the sticks between socket A&B, I've removed 1 stick and tried just the other, I've tried the latter in both sockets. Nothing, still 2 beeps.. I've tried 4 different "new" RAM sticks in all of the above combinations that I listed, (2 x 2GB DIMMS) (2 X 1GB DIMMS) Nothing, still 2 beeps... I even went the extra mile and ordered a brand new motherboard from Dell (yes, I love this laptop) and after installing it and reassembling, guess what? It boots to 2 beeps.... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... Returned the Dell motherboard and waited for a replacement... It arrived, and guess what? Rinse and repeat... Boots to 2 beeps...
I'm at a loss here... Has anyone ever seen or heard of this unique problem? If so, what's the fix? Is it possible that I've got 3 bad motherboards or worse 6 bad sticks of RAM? I've unplugged as many of the peripherals as possible, but still the same...
I'm open to ideas...
Help!!
DELL-Sandeep P
1.5K Posts
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June 18th, 2013 04:00
Hi Aardvark11,
Apologies for the delayed reply. I understand with a different processor system boots to black screen. However, it is a good sign as with different processor system doesnt give two beeps at the POST procedure.
As, the motherboard replacement did not help you should try replacing the processor with a similar model and it should help you resolve this issue.
If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks and Regards
Sandeep P
#iworkfordell
katfish_gr
4 Posts
1
September 11th, 2013 12:00
I have narrowed the problem down to the multifunction daughter board, that has the vga out, nic and usb ports on it. If I remove this board, the system powers on and posts ok. If I put the board back in, I get two beeps and no post.
Just found this on a customers computer today. Part number in my case is CY4GM. Going to order a new one and see if the machine still beeps with the card install.
Aardvark11
18 Posts
0
June 12th, 2013 08:00
Is it possible that this problem has never happened to anyone else on this board? No one has any possible remedies? No one? Wow!!
DELL-Sandeep P
1.5K Posts
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June 12th, 2013 09:00
Hi Aardvark11,
I understand it is a unique issue because this issue normally relates to the motherboard or faulty RAM. However, issue still exists after replacing both.
Is there a possibility that you can try a different processor on the system. As processor is responsible for running the POST procedure which checks RAM before system goes to boot process.
If the POST procedure is not correct it might cause this issue. I understand that it is a long guess but it seems we have already exhausted the possible options.
If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks and Regards
Sandeep P
#iworkfordell
Aardvark11
18 Posts
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June 12th, 2013 10:00
Sandeep, I was thinking the exact same thing.. Could it be the CPU? What else could it be, right? The CPU is a Core i5 (2nd Gen 2410M) and I don't have a spare kicking around.. I do however have a Core i3 (2nd Gen 2310M) here in another laptop. I'll take it apart and swap them to see if that's the issue.. It certainly can't hurt to try.. I'm out of options.. Thanks a million for your help.. I'll report back when I have some more info..
DELL-Sandeep P
1.5K Posts
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June 12th, 2013 10:00
Hi Aardvark11,
Thanks for your reply. It seems to be the best logical option in this case to check with a different processor. Please check the same at your convenience and let us know.
If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks and Regards
Sandeep P
#iworkfordell
Aardvark11
18 Posts
0
June 12th, 2013 14:00
Hey Sandeep, the mystery will continue.. I took the core i5 CPU and put it into the i3 laptop and it fired right up and works perfectly. I booted into safe mode initially, uninstalled and reinstalled the graphics driver just to be safe. The laptop boots right up and is sitting here running on my desk.
Any other ideas?
DELL-Sandeep P
1.5K Posts
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June 13th, 2013 09:00
Hi Aardvark11,
Its great to hear that the system is working fine with a different processor. Please check the system with the original motherboard and memory with this processor so we can confirm it was the processor causing this issue.
If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks and Regards
Sandeep P
#iworkfordell
Aardvark11
18 Posts
0
June 13th, 2013 13:00
Sandeep, I tried the i3 in the 7110 and it boots to a black screen and the fan kicks into high gear. Nothing else. If I put the i5 CPU back in, it boots to 2 beeps. If I press FN button at power up, the LCD shows the colored screens under that test. The i3 laptop is a completely different brand, but works fine with either CPU. The 7110 is still not fixed..
Aardvark11
18 Posts
0
June 19th, 2013 17:00
Hey Sandeep, thanks for your help and advice. I ended up buying a 7110 (17R) with an i3 CPU and 4GB RAM for $250 in near perfect condition. I put my i5 CPU, 8GB's of RAM and my 750GB HDD in it and it works perfectly. I'll leave the original 7110 in storage and wait for another i5 CPU to come along and test it.. No rush.
Thanks again!!
DELL-Sandeep P
1.5K Posts
0
June 20th, 2013 00:00
Hi Aardvark11,
Its great to hear that we were able to resolve this issue to your satisfaction. Please check the same at your convenience and let us know if there are any further issues.
Glad to be of assistance to you.
Aardvark11
18 Posts
0
June 20th, 2013 07:00
Hi Sandeep, many thanks to you for your guidance. I love taking apart computers to see what makes them tick. I own a dozen Dells that I service and resell as a hobby. I'll surely be back soon! Thanks again for your assistance!!
John
DELL-Sandeep P
1.5K Posts
0
June 25th, 2013 22:00
Hi John,
It was pleasure to assist you as well as especially this was a challenging issue we had with the system. Please feel free to contact us for any future queries.
katfish_gr
4 Posts
0
September 17th, 2013 09:00
Just a follow up. Ordered the part, installed it into my customers laptop ... boots perfectly fine now. No more 2 beep post. :emotion-2:
MTT_Tech
1 Message
1
November 5th, 2015 12:00
KATFISH_GR, just wanted to say THANK YOU for staying up to date with this post. You just saved me from what would have been hours of frustration trying to diagnose this exact issue on a customer's computer.
SYSTEM: Dell Inspiron N7110, Intel i3 CPU, 6GB DDR3 RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium, Toshiba 1TB HDD
ISSUE: No video output, system fan revving, and 2 beeps after powering up the system. Pre-diagnosed as a memory failure. After replacing the memory the computer was still in the same state. Before determining it to be a motherboard failure I did some research and found this thread. I then disassembled the laptop and disconnected the daughter board. Afterwards, I powered up the system using the original RAM and it worked fine as it booted into the OS properly.
Thank you once again.