Diagnostic Error Code Standardization For 2015 & 2016 Laptop and Tablet Systems
Summary: This article provides information about diagnostic error codes for 2015 and 2016 laptops or tablets with Skylake, Kaby Lake, Purley, and Cherry Trail chipsets.
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Resolution
Diagnostic Error Code Standardization
Dell has moved to a single error code system across all lines of business. The goal of this standardization is to simplify interpretation of error indications by incorporating the same platform across all Dell computer models.
This change is initially applying to Dell Laptops and Tablets and will be applied to future Desktop and All In One designs in 2017.
Diagnostic Error Code Tables
The tables below define the LED/Beep codes for Dell laptop and Tablet systems:
| Form-Factor Specific Error Codes - Hardware Controlled | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dell OEM Beep/LED Flash Code | |||||
| LED # of Flashes | Fault Description | Fault(s) | Laptop | Desktop | Tablet |
| 1,1 | Bad Motherboard | Motherboard Failure - Pre-POST indicators | N | Y | N |
| 1,2 | Bad MB, PSU, or Cabling | Motherboard, Power Supply Unit, or PSU Cabling | N | Y | N |
| 1,3 | Bad MB, DIMMS, or CPU | Motherboard, Dual In-Line memory modules, or Central Processing unit Failure | N | Y | N |
| 1,4 | Bad Coin Cell | Bad Coin Cell | N | Y | N |
| Form-Factor Specific Error Codes - BIOS Controlled | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic Beep/LED Code | |||||
| LED # of Flashes | Fault Description | Fault(s) | Laptop | Desktop | Tablet |
| 4,1 | CPU configuration or CPU Failure | Incorrect Central Processing Unit Configuration or CPU Failure | N | Y | N |
| 4,2 | Generic POST Video Error | Generic POST Video Error (POST Completed no hand off to Operating System | N | Y | N |
| Standard Error Codes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic Beep/LED Code | |||||
| LED # of Flashes | Fault Description | Fault(s) | Laptop | Desktop | Tablet |
| 2,1 | CPU | Central Processing Unit (CPU) Failure | Y | Y | Y |
| 2,2 | Motherboard BIOS ROM Failure | Motherboard, covers BIOS corruption or ROM Error | Y | Y | Y |
| 2,3 | Memory | No Memory/RAM Detected | Y | Y | Y |
| 2,4 | Memory | Memory/RAM Failure | Y | Y | Y |
| 2,5 | Memory | Invalid Memory Installed | Y | Y | N |
| 2,6 | Motherboard, Chipset | Motherboard, Chipset Error | Y | Y | Y |
| 2,7 | LCD | LCD Failure | Y | Y | Y |
| 2,8 | LCD | LCD Failure | Y | Y | Y |
| 3,1 | RTC Power Failure | CMOS Battery Failure | Y | Y | Y |
| 3,2 | PCI/Video | PCI or Video Card Error | Y | Y | Y |
| 3,3 | BIOS Recovery 1 | Recovery Image Not Found | Y | Y | Y |
| 3,4 | BIOS Recovery 2 | Recovery Image Invalid | Y | Y | Y |
| 3,5 | Power Rail Failure | EC Ran into Power Sequencing Failure | Y | N* | Y |
| 3,6 | SBIOS Flash Corruption | Flash Corruption Detected by SBIOS | Y | N* | Y |
| 3,7 | ME Error | Time out Waiting on ME to Reply to HECI Message | Y | N* | Y |
| 4,1 | Memory | Memory DIMM power rail failure | N | Y | Y |
* Current desktops have 5555 or 5553 SIO with Mask ROM, not sure yet if it can support these new LED codes using "patch region."
| Power Button LED Stand Behavior | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power LED | Power State | Description | Laptop | Desktop | Tablet |
| Off | S4 | Hibernate or Suspend to Disk | Y | Y | Y |
| Off | S5 | Off | Y | Y | Y |
| Steady Amber | - | Boot Failure - This is a system fault error condition, including the power supply. Only the +5VSB rail on the power supply is working correctly. | N | Y | N |
| Blinking Amber | - | Boot Failure - The computer is receiving electrical power, and power supplied by the power supply is normal. A device might be malfunctioning or incorrectly installed. | N | Y | N |
| Blue (or Green or White) | S0 | Normal Operation | Y | Y | Y |
| Blinking Blue (or Green or White) | S1 or S3 | Sleep or Stand By | Y | Y | Y |
| LED Selection by Form Factor | |
|---|---|
| System Type | LED |
| Laptop | Battery LED |
| 2-in-1 | Power and Charging LED |
| Dual Color | |
| Tablet | Power and Charging LED |
| Dual Color | |
| Desktop/IoT | Power LED |
| AIO | Power LED |
| Fixed Workstation | Power LED or Quad-Pack (TBD) |
| Wyse | TBD |
| Chromebooks | N/A |
| Platform Rollout | |
|---|---|
| System Type | Generation/Chipset Intercept |
| Laptop | CT15/Skylake |
| 2-in-1 | CT15/Skylake |
| Tablet | CT15/Skylake/Cherry Trail |
| Desktop/IoT | CT17/Kaby Lake |
| AIO | CT17/Kaby Lake |
| Fixed Workstation | CT17/Purley/Kaby Lake |
| Wyse | CT17/Kaby Lake |
| ChromeBooks | N/A |
Article Properties
Article Number: 000146184
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 22 Aug 2025
Version: 5
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