I did run the diagnostic, it came up with no errors, I made sure the boot sequence was set to boot off the hard drive, even went to the boot menu and had it boot off the hard drive, neither helped :/

Hi,

I would advise you to run the inbuilt hardware diagnostic test on the system to make sure whether there are any hardware issues.

To run the tests follow the steps below.

1. Turn off the system.

2. Press and hold the Fn Key.

3. Switch on the system while you are holding the Fn key.

4. Once the system switches on let go of the Fn key.

5. The Pre boot System assessment test will start running.

Run the initial test and check if you are getting any error code. If all the tests pass, there should not be any issues with the memory or any other hardware components.

Also, ensure that no other external devices, printers, CD/DVD in the system when you are switching it on. I would also advise you to check the boot sequence in BIOS. You can do this by following the steps below.

1. Power on the system and hit F2 key to enter the BIOS or system setup.

2. On this screen click on the Boot option at the top row.

3. Make sure the hard drive is the 1st boot device.

4. Save and exit from the BIOS and restart the system.

Note: This system has a capability to have a maximum memory of 8 GB, so if you are adding more memory than 8GB there may be issues.

Please reply if you have any further questions

Hi,

Thank you for the reply.

I really appreciate your expertise with the troubleshooting. If the diagnostics have passed, it may be an issue with the operating system. I will recommend you to try reinstalling your operating system or restoring the system to defaults.
You can try reinstalling the system to the Factory default settings. Go to the link below and choose the operating system on the computer. Follow the steps to reinstall to factory default settings. (PC restore is done from a image saved in partition in the hard drive. If you have tried an operating system installation previously, PC restore may not work.)

http://dell.to/UHQRIP

Note: Restoring the original factory image erases ALL existing data. This includes files, folders, programs, drivers, E-mails, photos. Before performing a PC Restore, back up all personal files. If you do not back up your personal files, the data will be lost.

If the PC restore doesn’t work you can also try reinstalling the Operating system from the restoration CDs.You can check the following link for help with the Operating system reinstallation steps for different Operating Systems.

http://dell.to/Us8DQ8

Once this is reinstalled enter the Drivers and Utility cd. Click on Autorun.rcd, extract and install it by choosing the positive options. Once installed “Welcome Dell system Owner”   page will come up. Click on next. On the next page on the bottom left side look for Topics, choose Drivers on the dropdown under Topics. All the drivers will be listed on the right side. First install the chipset driver, followed by the network, video, and audio and so on. You can also check the link below for the correct order for installation of drivers.

http://dell.to/OmZXY6

I am adding you as a friend in case of any difficulties. Please accept my friend request and send me a personal message with the system Service Tag so that I can check the system warranty details and help you accordingly.

Please reply if you have any further questions