Skip to main content
Sign Out

Welcome to Dell

My Account
  • Place orders quickly and easily
  • View orders and track your shipping status
  • Enjoy members-only rewards and discounts
  • Create and access a list of your products
  • Manage your Dell EMC sites, products, and product-level contacts using Company Administration.
Sign In Create an Account Dell Financial Services Premier Sign In Partner Program Sign In
Contact Us

Your Dell.com Carts

Article Number: 000152161

Dell PowerEdge: Troubleshooting a Server that Does Not Start (No Power, No POST, No Boot and No Video)

Summary: This article provides Dell PowerEdge server troubleshooting for No Power, No POST, No Boot and No Video issues. This includes blade, rack, and tower servers.

This article may have been automatically translated. If you have any feedback regarding its quality, please let us know using the form at the bottom of this page.

Article Content

Symptoms

Note: This article is part of the Server Tutorials: Support Tools, available from How-To Dell Server: Support Tutorials and Diagnostic Tools.

Cause

Not applicable

Resolution

Table of Contents

  1. Definitions
  2. Before starting troubleshooting a Dell PowerEdge Server
  3. Troubleshooting No Power on a Dell PowerEdge Server
  4. Troubleshooting No POST on a Dell PowerEdge Server
  5. Troubleshooting No Boot on a Dell PowerEdge Server
  6. Troubleshooting No Video on a Dell PowerEdge Server
  7. Other Resources

1. Definitions

 

When a server has an issue, check what stage your system has reached. This aids troubleshooting by helping to identify the root cause of your issue.

No Power
Once the power button is pressed, no diagnostics LEDs are illuminated. The power button LED is also not illuminated. The system has no signs of power. The fan remains silent as it is not spinning. The iDRAC should not respond to pings. This is defined as no power. Follow the No Power troubleshooting steps below.

No POST (Power On Self-Test)
Your system appears to have power, but does not complete POST once the power button is pressed. During POST, the system goes through a series of internal checks. If any of these checks should fail, the system shows an error on the LCD if present, or have LEDs illuminated to help indicate the potential problem. This is defined as no POST. Follow the No POST troubleshooting steps below.

No Boot
Once the system has loaded the Dell splash screen and finishes the POST checks, the Dell splash screen disappears and the system operation hands over to the operating system. If the operating system does not start for any reason, this is called a No Boot issue. A common symptom is also that there are not any boot device available, and the following error is displayed: "No boot device found." This also occurs if the virtual disks are not online due to a hard drive or PERC issue. Follow the No Boot troubleshooting steps below.

No Video
Once the power button is pressed, the system powers on and displays the POST checks where you may see the diagnostic LEDs illuminate for a short period. The power button LED and the keyboard LEDs illuminate, but there are no signs of video on the display. If the iDRAC is working, and video output may be seen in the virtual console (Virtual Console is available for Enterprise licenses), you have a No Video situation. Follow the No Video troubleshooting steps below.

2. Before starting troubleshooting a Dell PowerEdge Server

 

Collect the following information:

  • What events preceded the failure? After which steps does the problem occur?
  • What has been changed since the time that the server was working?
  • Did you recently add or remove hardware or software? If so, did you remember to change the appropriate settings in the server setup utility, if necessary?
  • How long has the server experienced problem symptoms?
  • If the problem occurs randomly, what is the duration or frequency?

Once you have obtained the following information, you should then check the iDRAC logs for additional information that can help with troubleshooting. (This is not possible for no power issues.)

Log in to the iDRAC to view the logs. Also, view the LifeCycle logs, as they may also aid troubleshooting. 

iDRAC9: Go to Maintenance, then LifeCycle Logs + System Event Logs.

iDRAC8: Go to Logs + LifeCycle Logs.

How to export the iDRAC logs for Dell Tech Support and view the overall health of your system:

Troubleshoot any error messages. For information about troubleshooting the error, search for the error code in qrl.dell.com. Go to Look Up and then Error Code.

Troubleshooting No Power on a Dell PowerEdge Server

Collect troubleshooting information as per Before starting troubleshooting a Dell PowerEdge Server.

Troubleshooting No POST on a Dell PowerEdge Server

Collect troubleshooting information as per Before starting troubleshooting a Dell PowerEdge Server.

  • Remove both power cables and then hold the power button in for ten seconds to drain any residual power.
  • Reconnect the power cables and then wait two minutes for the iDRAC to initialize before attempting to power on.

Confirm that the server is receiving power by checking if the power LED on the power supply is lit green.

Note: When removing or replacing parts, always remove the AC power cables and allow 10 seconds for the flea power to dissipate. After reinserting the AC power cable, allow two minutes before powering the server on. This allows time for the iDRAC to power on. Otherwise, error messages are not reported correctly.
See the appropriate Owner's Manual for detailed instructions on how to remove components.
  1. Remove all external devices except the monitor (including mouse and keyboard).
    • After removing the devices, attempt to POST the server.
      • If the server now completes POST, plug the external devices back in one at a time until the defective device is found. Replace the defective device once it has been isolated.
      • If the server still does not complete POST, go to the next step.
         
  2. Remove all third-party components and parts.
    • After removing the parts, attempt to POST the server.
      • If the server now completes POST, plug the parts back in one at a time until the defective part is found. Replace the defective part once it has been isolated.
      • If the server still does not complete POST, go to the next step.
         
  3. Disconnect the hard drives from the server.
    • After removing the parts, attempt to POST the server.
      • If the server now completes POST, plug the parts back in one at a time until the defective part is found. Replace the defective part once it has been isolated.
      • If the server still does not complete POST, go to the next step.
         
  4. Disconnect the optical drive and any internal tape drive.
    • After removing the parts, attempt to POST the server.
      • If the server now completes POST, plug the parts back in one at a time until the defective part is found. Replace the defective part once it has been isolated.
      • If the server still does not complete POST, go to the next step.
         
  5. Remove PCI cards including integrated NDC/PERC if applicable.
    • After removing the parts, attempt to POST the server.
      • If the server now completes POST, plug the parts back in one at a time until the defective part is found. Replace the defective part once it has been isolated.
      • If the server still does not complete POST, go to the next step.
  6. Reseat the control panel connector.
  7. Test with minimum to post. This is usually the power supply unit (PSU), motherboard, CPU 1, one stick of RAM, and the backplane. Full details for minimum to post can be found in your Owner's Manual under Minimum to POST.
    • If the server now completes POST, plug the parts back in one at a time until the defective part is found. Replace the defective part once it has been isolated.
    • If the server still does not complete POST, the remaining parts have to be considered (for example, the motherboard, backplane, control panel, and PDU).

Troubleshooting No Boot on a Dell PowerEdge Server

Collect troubleshooting information as per Before starting troubleshooting a Dell PowerEdge Server.

No boot means that the server powers on and the Dell screen appears, but when the operating system should be loaded, the error "No Boot Device Available" is displayed and nothing happens.

After the server completes the power-on self-test (POST) phase, it tries to boot a bootable device. A bootable device is any piece of hardware that can either read the files or contains the files that are required for a system to start. A default bootable media can be selected in the BIOS. By default, the raid controller card (PERC) is selected first. Files available in a bootable device (RAID, USB drive, DVD, ISO file) contain instructions to start the operating system. When these files cannot be found, the error "No Boot Device Available" is displayed.
A few actions can be performed to check what is not working properly.

Resolution: Manually select the boot device.

The first thing to check is which device is selected as the primary boot. To do a quick check, use F11 to launch the manual boot selection.

  1. Restart the system.
  2. Press F11 during POST to enter the Boot Manager.
  3. Select the correct Hard Disk drive (Virtual Drive), where the operating system is installed.
  4. Boot from this device.

If the system now boots into the operating system, the hardware is fine, and there is a boot order conflict in the BIOS settings. The most likely cause for this is that the system is set to boot from CD, DVD, or USB before the drives, which is a logical setting. To resolve this, ensure you do not have a USB or CD or DVD inserted when powering on the system.

Note: Wrong settings in the boot mode can also cause this error. An operating system that is installed in UEFI mode cannot boot in BIOS mode and the opposite way.

You can change the boot order setting permanently in the System Setup to boot from the drive first. To change this:

  1. Restart the system.
  2. Press F2 during system start to enter the System Settings.
  3. Change the Boot Sequence in the Boot Settings.
  4. Leave the menu using Exit in the upper right corner of the screen.
Note: After this, you must press F11 if you want to boot from a CD, DVD, or USB later.

Troubleshooting No Video on a Dell PowerEdge Server

Collect troubleshooting information as per Before starting troubleshooting a Dell PowerEdge Server.

If the server has completed post and booted to the operating system, but the system has no video on a directly connected monitor.

  • Check that monitor input selection is set to the correct input.
  • If using a KVM, ensure that the correct system is selected.
  • Remove the monitor cable to perform the monitor self-test to ensure that the monitor is operational.
  • If the monitor fails the self-test, test with another monitor. For more information, reference How to Run a Diagnostic Test on a Dell Monitor.
  • Swap the monitor cable with a knowing working cable.
  • Bypass any KVM and test directly on the front and the rear output of the server.
  • If the monitor fails on only the front panel connection, try to reseat the front panel cable connection if applicable. If reseating the cable does not help, replace the front control panel.
  • Confirm that the monitor cable is connected to the correct video output on the server. If an add-on video card has been installed, be sure that the monitor cable is connected to it rather than the integrated video source.
  • Power drain the server then check for video on post to rule out the operating system. For more information, reference How do I Reset and Drain Power of my Dell PowerEdge Server?
  • Ensure that the monitor cable is connected to the first video card based on PCIe enumeration when the embedded video controller is set to disabled.

If the system is still showing no video from the front panel and the rear, contact Dell Support.

Article Properties

Affected Product
Servers, PowerEdge R200, PowerEdge R210, PowerEdge R210 II, PowerEdge R220, PowerEdge R230, PowerEdge R240, PowerEdge R250, PowerEdge R300, PowerEdge R310, PowerEdge R320, PowerEdge R330, PowerEdge R340, PowerEdge R350, PowerEdge R360, PowerEdge R410 , PowerEdge R415, PowerEdge R420, PowerEdge R420XR, PowerEdge R430, PowerEdge R440, PowerEdge R450, PowerEdge R510, PowerEdge R515, PowerEdge R520, PowerEdge R530, PowerEdge R530xd, PowerEdge R540, PowerEdge R550, PowerEdge R610, PowerEdge R620, PowerEdge R630, PowerEdge R640, PowerEdge R6415, PowerEdge R650, PowerEdge R6515, PowerEdge R660, PowerEdge R710, PowerEdge R720, PowerEdge R720XD, PowerEdge R730, PowerEdge R730xd, PowerEdge R740, PowerEdge R740XD, PowerEdge R740XD2, PowerEdge R7415, PowerEdge R7425, PowerEdge R750, PowerEdge R750XA, PowerEdge R750xs, PowerEdge R7515, PowerEdge R7525, PowerEdge R760, PowerEdge R760XA, PowerEdge R760xd2, PowerEdge R760xs, PowerEdge R7615, PowerEdge R7625, PowerEdge R805, PowerEdge R810, PowerEdge R815, PowerEdge R820, PowerEdge R830, PowerEdge R840, PowerEdge R860, PowerEdge R900, PowerEdge R905, PowerEdge R910, PowerEdge R920, PowerEdge R930, PowerEdge R940, PowerEdge R940xa, PowerEdge R960, PowerEdge T105, PowerEdge T110, PowerEdge T110 II, PowerEdge T130, PowerEdge T140, PowerEdge T150, PowerEdge T310, PowerEdge T320, PowerEdge T330, PowerEdge T340, PowerEdge T350, PowerEdge T360, PowerEdge T410, PowerEdge T420, PowerEdge T430, PowerEdge T440, PowerEdge T550, PowerEdge T560, PowerEdge T610, PowerEdge T620, PowerEdge T630, PowerEdge T640, PowerEdge T710 ...
Last Published Date

22 Feb 2024

Version

12

Article Type

Solution

Back to Top