Studio XPS 8100, 6 beeps, real time clock?

Question

Hi all,

I have a Studio XPS 8100 which has'nt been switched on for a while. However, upon booting I receive 6 beeps which according to Dell beep codes means Real Time Clock Failure.

So far I have tried:

1) A different motherboard (still get the same result!)

2) Taking the CMOS battery out and putting it back in.

3) Different ram and combinations of it

4) With and without a graphics card installed

Still getting the 6 beeps so any ideas? About the only thing left to try is a different CPU?

Thanks

gavrd1 · Accepted Answer

Just a quick update on everything after leaving the machine for a week without the cmos battery in. Tried it again with all drives and header connectors disconnected, just one stick of ram in but still the same.

Then took the cmos battery out again, something I've done dozens of times to it before and now all of a sudden it had life. From there I then just very carefully added each header, drive, ram stick etc one at a time rebooting after each to see if any would cause it to fault again.

Luckily none did so now I have a working machine again. Did'nt do anything different to what I'd been doing before but now it seems we have joy and all components have passed the builtin diagnostics tests!

fireberd · Answer

Replace the battery with a new one. See if that makes a difference.

5 beeps is also RTC problem and a new battery is suggested.

Disconnect the AC power cord. Hold the power button in for 30 seconds. Then open the case and remove the CR2032 battery FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES. Install the new battery, reconnect the AC power cord and try.

If its still bad, I would suspect the motherboard, not the CPU.

RoHe · Answer

Does 'two different motherboards' mean they were both identical XPS 8100 boards or did one come from some different model PC? And did you try replacing the motherboard battery on the other board too? Off-brand CR2032 batteries don't last very long, even when 'brand new' in the package. :Wink: Are you sure the replacement battery is inserted right-side-up and fully seated in the socket? You might remove the battery, gently wipe the socket and battery with lint-free cloth and hold the battery by the edges when installing it. If you remove all RAM from the motherboard and try to boot, do you get 2 beeps (= no RAM detected)? If not, motherboard issues... Typically, pressing/holding the power button for ~30 sec after removing the battery with PC unplugged is sufficient to reset BIOS.

gavrd1 · Answer

Thanks Fireberd,

I forgot to mention that I've tried a brand new cr2032 battery in it too and get the same result.

I've left it out of the machine overnight for now and will try it again tomorrow morning.

Just seems very strange that two different motherboards are both giving exactly the same error? Especially when one has been definately been working ok previously?

gavrd1 · Answer

Hi Ron,

2 different boards as in both the same model board and the other came out of an identical model machine.

I've tried 3 different batteries now and all been cleanly installed. I've also held the power button in for 30 secs along with leaving the cmos battery out overnight but still no joy.

I've tried booting with no ram and get the 2 beeps as expected.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks

RoHe · Answer

Have you double-checked all the connections to motherboard from PSU, from CPU, from front panel, drives, etc. and re-seated PCI cards?

If you reboot and immediately press F2, can you get into BIOS setup? If you can, try setting the date/time correctly, and save the changes before exiting setup.

Was the other PC that was source of 2nd motherboard working before you removed its board? Did you transfer the entire board, including RAM, CPU, and cards to the other PC or just the bare motherboard?

If you put the motherboard back in the other PC will it work now?

RoHe · Answer

Glad you got it working again. :Yes: Now's a good time to back up all your personal files on external media, and/or image the hard drive on external media, to be safe. :Wink:

Simon4433 · Answer

I've tried all of the same and still have the same problem.  Is there a Dell mother board problem here?  Right now I have just put in 1 memory stick in it and a new video card, not the same kind but a new card.  This problem has been bothering me for a few days now and from what I see here in these forums does not give me any hope of resolving this issue.  The battery has been out for about 25 minutes and I'm going to wait for another 5 before giving it one more try.  This is an XPS 8100 purchased in 2010 that has been a very good machine until this took place.  I sure hate to have to replace a workhorse computer for an unknown reason.

RoHe · Answer

@Simon4433 wrote:

I've tried all of the same and still have the same problem. Is there a Dell mother board problem here? Right now I have just put in 1 memory stick in it and a new video card, not the same kind but a new card. This problem has been bothering me for a few days now and from what I see here in these forums does not give me any hope of resolving this issue. The battery has been out for about 25 minutes and I'm going to wait for another 5 before giving it one more try. This is an XPS 8100 purchased in 2010 that has been a very good machine until this took place. I sure hate to have to replace a workhorse computer for an unknown reason.

Are you getting 5 or 6 beeps? According to the setup guide, six beeps = Video card or chip failure, not real time clock failure (motherboard battery).

How many GB are on that one RAM module? This PC requires a minimum of 4 GB.

Are you sure the new video card is compatible with your motherboard. Just because it fits in the slot doesn't mean it's compatible. Does the card have DDR3 RAM on it? If it has any other type (eg, DDR2, DDR4) it may not be not compatible.

Does the power supply meet the recommended minimum wattage for the new card?

Physically remove the video card. Put in a minimum of 4 GB of RAM, total, in the slots with white retention clips, starting with 2nd slot from CPU (slot DIMM1). Remove motherboard battery and press/hold power button for ~30 sec. Reinstall the battery, close up and connect monitor directly to either of the two onboard video ports (HDMI or DVI)*. Connect mouse and keyboard and see if it boots now. Note: If you use a power strip or surge protector, remove those and connect PC directly to a working wall outlet.

If not booting, what color is the power button and is it steady or blinking? How many beeps? And check the power supply LED on the rear of the PC, below the power cord socket. It should be green as long as the PC is connected to a working outlet.

*If you connect the monitor to a different onboard video port than the one you used with the video card, make sure your monitor is set up correctly. Some monitors are dumb so you have to open its On-Screen Display (OSD) by pressing a button(s) on the monitor itself. Then make sure the OSD is set to accept signal from the type of port it's connected to on the PC.

Simon4433 · Answer

I've done everything you have said. New video board has DDR3, new battery (actually a few just in case), power cord plugged straight into the outlet, green LED below power cord on power supply. The power button just blinks amber, cannot find out what that means though. All in all, still just the 6 beeps. Oh I did try the memory thing by just putting in 2 memory sticks in just the white sockets, tried numerous sticks to see if it might be that. With no memory I get the 2 beeps. I even tried putting in the old video board just for the heck of it. I cannot seem to find any way to get it to come on...

Any other thoughts?

RoHe · Answer

@Simon4433 - Blinking amber - There may be a problem with either the system board or the power supply.

Strip the motherboard down to bare essentials. Remove all PCI-e cards, including video, remove all RAM modules, except the one in DIMM1 (2nd from CPU), disconnect all drives, except boot drive. Remove motherboard battery and press/hold power button for ~30 sec. Reinstall the battery and close up. Connect monitor to onboard video, and only mouse and keyboard to rear USB ports. See if it boots now.

If not, remove the RAM module in DIMM1 and put a different module in DIMM3 (closest to CPU). Do the "battery thing" again and see if it boots now.

If not, try one RAM module in each of the other 2 slots.

And if not, suspect motherboard failure...

Simon4433 · Answer

Will try that next.  Not at home right now but will do so as soon as I can. Thanks so much for your help sir...

Elerrion · Answer

I've been having issues with this motherboard too, mine is the CMOS Battery is draining within 3 months, and obviously once its drained, the BIOS is giving that dreaded beeps, which i fix with a new battery. Remember, you need a GFX card in the PCI-E slot to boot it as the i7's font have a gpu in them, even tho there is a DVI and HDMI connector on that board (think its for the younger models which have a built-in GPU). Ive checked the CMOS Jumper and PSWD jumper to check they aint on (they both in pos 2-3 which is normal) Anyone else had this problem with this board and battery drain ?

RoHe · Answer

@Elerrion-

Low quality batteries?

Are you disconnecting the PC from the AC power by turning off a power strip or pulling the plug out of the wall?

You don't need a video card in the PCI-e x16 slot. You can use the onboard Intel Graphics by connecting a monitor to one of the onboard video output ports. BUT, if a PCI-e video card is installed in the x16 slot, the onboard video ports are disabled. So to use the onboard video, you have to physically remove the add-in video card.

RoHe · Answer

@Epsilon16 wrote:

Oh my god this solved my booting issue... Seriously??? You need a separate GPU to get this to boot properly? Then why even put an HDMI port on the motherboard itself!? Dang, was dealing with this for almost an hour now. thank you for this saying this.

I bought this this Studio xps 8100 from a goodwill for $20
Came with
4x 2gb ddr3
1gb Radieon GPU
wifi card

Only thing missing was the drive, thought those 6 beeps meant no drive found or bad battery. No, 6 beeps means video. Thing is full of DUST. The GPU is sounding like a jet inside, probably needs new thermal because it was super dusty too.

No, you don't need a separate video card to boot this PC. But if a separate video card is installed, the monitor has to be connected to the card, not to the onboard video ports.

If you physically remove the add-in video card, you should be able to use either the onboard Intel HDMI or DVI connector for the monitor. But without a bootable drive installed or if not booting from a bootable USB stick, all you'll get is a "drive not found" error.

And "sounding like a jet" happens if the video card drivers don't get installed, which happens if there's no bootable HDD installed and you didn't boot from a USB, and/or if the video card is DOA.

But here's another question...Did this PC come with a Windows installation disc? Since it doesn't have a drive, you're going to have to install one and load Windows on it.

Your only option is likely to be Win 10, since Microsoft removed all the Win 7 files after it stopped supporting Win 7 in Jan'2020. Even if you buy a (used) Win 7 installation DVD, Microsoft won't offer any security updates or patches beyond what's on that disc.

And -assuming this PC runs Win 10 since Dell only supported Win 7- you may have to purchase a Win 10 license from Microsoft, if you don't have a valid Win 7 product key sticker on the PC, and/or if Microsoft won't accept that Win 7 key and allow a free upgrade to Win 10.

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Studio XPS 8100, 6 beeps, real time clock?

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