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80899
October 11th, 2011 18:00
"Failed at Checkpoint 7FH" error message
I have a Inspiron 531 desktop that is about 4 years old. This week it developed a state where when I power it on the fan(s) start running at full speed (very loudly) and never stop running at that speed. The system won't boot and I never hear any beeps or see any other POST messages. Before, when I would initially power on, the fans would have a momentary surge of speed but stop after about 3 -4 seconds. Now they just stay in that state and the system would not boot.
Today I was able to get the system to turn on and I got a message that said "Failed at Checkpoint 7FH" in previous boot attempts.
I have the system running now. I am not sure if this is a state that's cleared itself or if I just got lucky and the next time I power up it will return to this state.
Does anyone know what this code means? Am I experiencing some kind of component failure?
Any insights appreciated. Thanks!
RoHe
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October 11th, 2011 19:00
Checkpoint 7FH means "Extended NMI source enabling is in progress".
That error means it failed to find an "interrupt" for something. That could be caused by any number of things from a failing add-in card to a failing CPU.
If it happens again, power off, unplug and press/hold power button for ~15 sec. Then open the case and remove the motherboard battery. Press/hold power button again for ~30 sec. Reinstall the battery (right-side-up!) and see if that clears the error and allows it to boot. (BTW: When was last time you replaced that battery?)
NOTE: removing the motherboard battery will reset BIOS to factory defaults. So you probaby want to go into BIOS setup (reboot and press F2) now and write down all the current settings so you can restore them after reinstalling the battery.
If the error continues (even after replacing the battery), try reseating RAM modules, PCI cards, etc in their slots. And/or strip the system down to bare essentials to see if you can identify a bum part.
Ron
Robrote
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April 12th, 2013 15:00
Did you ever resolve this? Same problem here.
RoHe
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April 12th, 2013 15:00
@Robrote -
Always include the PC model and version of Windows in your posts.
"Same problem here" ?? Exactly what does that mean? Is the fan running at high speed and/or you get a "Failed at Checkpoint 7FH" error? Did the error clear and the system boot?
Please be specific.
Robrote
5 Posts
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April 12th, 2013 16:00
crossing fingers, but I just swapped out the battery and it's rebooted properly 5 times now. That may have been the issue.