Troubleshooting Tools 73
10
Troubleshooting Tools

Diagnostic Lights

CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the
safety instructions in the
Product Information Guide
.
Your computer has three keyboard status lights located above the keyboard
(see "Front View" on page 19). During normal operation, the keyboard status
lights display the current status (on or off) of the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and
Scroll Lock features. If the computer starts without error, the lights flash, and
then turn off. If the computer malfunctions, however, you can use the status
of the lights to help identify the problem.
NOTE: After the computer completes POST, the Num Lock light may remain on,
depending on your BIOS settings (see "Commonly Used Options" on page102).

Diagnostic Light Codes During POST

To troubleshoot a problem with your computer, read the sequence of the
keyboard status lights in order from left to right (Num Lock, Caps Lock, and
then Scroll Lock). If the computer malfunctions the individual lights display
a status of either On , Off , or Flashing .
Light Pattern Problem Description Suggested Resolution
The microcontroller is
handing control of
the system to the
Pentium controller. If
no processor is
installed, or there is
no FWH/ROM, this
code persists.
• Reseat the processor (see your
Service
Manual
).
• If the problem per sists, contact Dell
(see
"Contacting Dell" on page 129
).
book.book Page 73 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM