Dell POWEREDGE 840 User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ PowerEdge™ 840 Systems
Hardware Owner’s Manual

Notes, Notices, and Cautions
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.
NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the
problem.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2006 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarksusedinthistext:Dell,theDELLlogo,Inspiron,DellPrecision,Dimension,OptiPlex,Latitude,PowerEdge,PowerVault,PowerApp,
PowerConnect, and XPS are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft,
MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat,
Inc.;SUSEis a registered trademarkofNovell,Inc.; UNIX is a registeredtrademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries;
EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products.
Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
June 2006 P/N DJ894 Rev. A00

Contents 3
Contents
1 About Your System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Other Information You May Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Accessing System Features During Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Front-Panel Features and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Back-Panel Features and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Connecting External Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
NIC Indicator Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Diagnostics Indicator Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Hard-Drive Indicator Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
System Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Diagnostics Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Alert Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Baseboard Management Controller Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2 Using the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Entering the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Responding to Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using the System Setup Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
CPU Information Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Integrated Devices Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Console Redirection Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
System Security Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Exit Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

4Contents
System and Setup Password Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Using the System Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Using the Setup Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3 Installing System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Inside the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Opening the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Removing the Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Removing the Cover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Front-Panel Drive Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Removing the Front-Panel Drive Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Installing the Front-Panel Drive Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Closing the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Replacing the Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Installing the Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Connecting Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Interface Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Drive Cable Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
DC Power Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Diskette Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Removing a Diskette Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Installing a Diskette Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Optical or Tape Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Installing an Optical or Tape Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Hard Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Hard Drive Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Configuring the Boot Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Removing a Hard Drive from the Drive Bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Installing a Hard Drive in the Drive Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Removing a Hard Drive from a Lever-Release Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . 59
Installing an Hard Drive in the Lever-Release Drive Carrier . . . . . . . . 60
Hot-Plug SATA Hard Drives Using the SAS Backplane. . . . . . . . . . . 61
Removing a Hot-Plug SAS or SATA Hard Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Contents 5
Cooling Shroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Removing the Cooling Shroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Installing the Cooling Shroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Cooling Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Removing the Front System Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Installing the Front System Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Removing the Back System Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Installing the Back System Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Removing the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Replacing the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Expansion Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Installing an Expansion Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Removing an Expansion Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Replacing the SAS Controller Card Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
General Memory Module Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Installing Memory Modules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Removing Memory Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Removing the Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Installing a Processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Installing a RAC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
System Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Replacing the System Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Front I/O Panel (Service-Only Parts Procedure). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Removing the Control Panel Assembly and Chassis-Intrusion
Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Installing the Control Panel Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
System Board (Service-Only Parts Procedure) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Removing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Installing the System Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

6Contents
4 Troubleshooting Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Safety First—For You and Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Start-Up Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Checking the Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Troubleshooting IRQ Assignment Conflicts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Troubleshooting the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Troubleshooting the Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Troubleshooting Serial I/O Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Troubleshooting a USB Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Troubleshooting a NIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Troubleshooting External Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Troubleshooting a Wet System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Troubleshooting a Damaged System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Troubleshooting the System Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Troubleshooting Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Troubleshooting System Cooling Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Troubleshooting a Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Troubleshooting System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Troubleshooting an Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Troubleshooting an External SCSI Tape Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Troubleshooting a Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Troubleshooting SATA Hard Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Troubleshooting a SATA Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Troubleshooting a SATA Hard Drive in a RAID Configuration . . . . . . 106
Troubleshooting a SAS RAID Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Troubleshooting Expansion Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Troubleshooting the Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Contents 7
5 Running the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Using Dell PowerEdge Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
System Diagnostics Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
When to Use the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Running the System Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
From the Utility Partition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
From Removable Bootable Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
System Diagnostics Testing Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Using the Custom Test Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Selecting Devices for Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Selecting Diagnostics Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
6 Jumpers and Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
System Board Jumpers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
System Board Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Disabling a Forgotten Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
7 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
AutoTech Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Automated Order-Status Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Support Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Dell Enterprise Training and Certification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Problems With Your Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Before You Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

8Contents
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

About Your System 9
About Your System
This section describes the physical, firmware, and software interface features that provide and ensure
the essential functioning of your system. The physical connectors on your system’s front and back
panels provide convenient connectivity and system expansion capability. The system firmware,
applications, and operating systems monitor the system and component status and alert you when a
problem arises. System conditions can be reported by any of the following:
• Front or back panel indicators
• System messages
• Warning messages
• Diagnostics messages
• Beep codes
• Alert messages
This section describes each type of message, lists the possible causes, and provides steps to resolve
any problems indicated by a message. The system indicators and features are illustrated in this
section.
Other Information You May Need
CAUTION: The Product Information Guide provides important safety and regulatory information. Warranty
information may be included within this document or as a separate document.
• The Getting Started Guide provides an overview of system features, setting up your system, and
technical specifications.
• CDs included with your system provide documentation and tools for configuring and managing
your system.
• Systems management software documentation describes the features, requirements, installation,
and basic operation of the software.
• Operating system documentation describes how to install (if necessary), configure, and use the
operating system software.
• Documentation for any components you purchased separately provides information to configure
and install these options.

10 About Your System
• Updates are sometimes included with the system to describe changes to the system, software, and/or
documentation.
NOTE: Always check for updates on support.dell.com and read the updates first because they often
supersede information in other documents.
• Release notes or readme files may be included to provide last-minute updates to the system or
documentation or advanced technical reference material intended for experienced users or
technicians.
Accessing System Features During Startup
Table 1-1 describes keystrokes that may be entered during startup to access system features. If your
operating system begins to load before you enter the keystroke, allow the system to finish booting, and
then restart your system and try again.
Table 1-1. Keystrokes for Accessing System Features
Keystroke Description
<F2> Enters the System Setup program. See "Entering the System Setup Program" on page 29.
<F10> Opens the utility partition, allowing you to run the system diagnostics. See "Running the
System Diagnostics" on page 112.
<Ctrl+E> Enters the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) Management Utility, which allows
access to the system event log (SEL). See the BMC User’s Guide for more information on
setup and use of BMC.
<Ctrl+C> Enters the SAS Configuration Utility. See your SAS adapter User’s Guide for more
information.
<Ctrl+R> Enters the RAID configuration utility, which allows you to configure an optional RAID
card. For more information, see the documentation for your RAID card.
<Ctrl+S> Option is displayed only if you have PXE support enabled through the System Setup
Program (see "Integrated Devices Screen" on page 34). This keystroke allows you to
configure NIC settings for PXE boot. For more information, see the documentation for
your integrated NIC.
<Ctrl+D> If you have the optional Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC), this keystroke allows
access to selected DRAC configuration settings. See the DRAC User’s Guide for more
information on setup and use of DRAC.

About Your System 11
Front-Panel Features and Indicators
Figure 1-1 shows the controls, indicators, and connectors located on the system's front panel. Table 1-2
provides component descriptions.
Figure 1-1. Front-Panel Features and Indicators
1 power button 2 power-on indicator 3 hard-drive activity indicator
4 system status indicator 5 security lock 6 USB connectors (2)
123
4
6
5

12 About Your System
Table 1-2. Front-Panel Components
Item Component Icon Description
1 Power button The power button turns system power off and on.
NOTICE: If you turn off the system using the power button and the
system is running an ACPI-compliant operating system, the system
can perform an orderly shutdown before power is turned off. If the
power button is pressed for more than 4 seconds, the system power
will turn off regardless of the current operating system state. If the
system is not running an ACPI-compliant operating system, power is
turned off immediately after the power button is pressed.
The power button is enabled in the System Setup program. When
disabled, the button can only turn the system power on. For more
information, see "Using the System Setup Program" on page 29 and the
operating system's documentation.
2 Power-on indicator On: System power is on.
Blinking: System is on but in standby state, or system is off but still
connected to the power source.
3 Hard-drive activity
indicator
Flashes when data is being read from or written to the internal SATA
hard drives that are connected to the integrated controller.
4 System status
indicator
Blue: Normal system operation.
Amber: Flashes when the system needs attention due to a problem with
power supplies, fans, system temperature, or hot-plug hard drives.
NOTE: If the system is connected to AC power and an error has been
detected, the amber system status indicator flashes regardless of whether
the system has been powered on.
5 Security lock Controls access to the system’s internal components.
6 USB connectors Connects USB 2.0-compliant devices to the system.

About Your System 13
Back-Panel Features and Indicators
Figure 1-2 shows the connectors located on the system's back panel.
Figure 1-2. Back-Panel Features
1 AC power connector 2 mouse connector 3 keyboard connector
4 serial connectors (5) 5 video connector 6 USB connector (2)
7 NIC connector 8 expansion slots (5)
1
5
7
4
3
2
6
8

14 About Your System
Connecting External Devices
When connecting external devices to your system, follow these guidelines:
• Most devices must be connected to a specific connector and device drivers must be installed before the
device operates properly. (Device drivers are normally included with your operating system software or
with the device itself.) See the documentation that accompanied the device for specific installation
and configuration instructions.
• Always attach an external device while your system and the device are turned off. Next, turn on any
external devices before turning on the system (unless the documentation for the device specifies
otherwise).
See "Using the System Setup Program" on page 29 for information about enabling, disabling, and
configuring I/O ports and connectors.
NIC Indicator Codes
The NIC on the back panel has an indicator that provides information on network activity and link
status. See Figure 1-3. Table 1-3 lists the NIC indicator codes.
Figure 1-3. NIC Indicators
1 link indicator 2 activity indicator
Table 1-3. NIC Indicator Codes
Indicator Type Indicator Code Description
Activity Off When off at the same time that the link indicator is off,
the NIC is not connected to the network or the NIC is
disabled in the System Setup program. See "Using the
System Setup Program" on page 29.
Blinking yellow Indicates that network data is being sent or received.
Link Off When off at the same time that the activity indicator is
off, the NIC is not connected to the network or the NIC is
disabled in the System Setup program. See "Using the
System Setup Program" on page 29.
On (green) Indicates active link.
12

About Your System 15
Diagnostics Indicator Codes
Four diagnostic indicator lights are located behind the bezel on the I/O control panel. To access the
lights, see "Opening the System" on page 43. These lights display error codes during system startup.
Table 1-4 lists the causes and corrective actions associated with these codes and the power light status
before system POST. Table 1-6 lists the causes and possible corrective actions for these codes during
POST. A highlighted circle indicates the light is on; a non-highlighted circle indicates the light is off.
Table 1-4. Diagnostic Indicator Codes
Code Causes Corrective Action
No power is applied to
the system.
See "Troubleshooting Power Supplies" on
page 98.
A possible processor
failure has occurred.
See "Troubleshooting the Microprocessor" on
page 109.
Memory failure. See "Troubleshooting System Memory" on
page 100.
Possible expansion-card
failure.
See "Troubleshooting Expansion Cards" on
page 108.
Possible video card
failure.
See "Troubleshooting Expansion Cards" on
page 108.
Diskette or hard-drive
failure.
Ensure that the diskette drive and hard drive(s)
are properly connected. See "Hard Drives" on
page 53 for information on the drive(s)
installed in your system.
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
= yellow
= green
= off

16 About Your System
Possible USB failure. See "Troubleshooting a USB Device" on
page 95.
No memory modules
detected.
See ""Troubleshooting System Memory" on
page 100.
System board failure. See "Getting Help" on page 121."
Memory configuration
error.
See "Troubleshooting System Memory" on
page 100.
Possible system board
resource and/or system
board hardware failure.
See "Getting Help" on page 121."
Possible expansion card
failure.
See "Troubleshooting Expansion Cards" on
page 108.
Other failure. Ensure that the diskette drive, optical drive,
and hard drive(s) are properly connected. See
"Troubleshooting Your System" on page 91" for
the appropriate drive(s) installed in your
system.
If the problem persists, see "Getting Help" on
page 121."
The system is in a normal
operating condition after
POST.
Information only.
Table 1-4. Diagnostic Indicator Codes (continued)
Code Causes Corrective Action
= yellow
= green
= off
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D
A B C D

About Your System 17
Hard-Drive Indicator Codes
If an optional SAS backplane is installed in the system, two indicators on each of the hard-drive carriers
provide information on the status of the hard drives. See Figure 1-4 and Table 1-5. The SAS backplane
firmware controls the drive power-on/fault indicator.
Figure 1-4. Hard-Drive Indicators
1 drive status indicator 2 drive busy indicator
2
1

18 About Your System
Table 1-5 lists the drive indicator patterns. Different patterns are displayed as drive events occur in the
system. For example, if a hard drive fails, the "drive failed" pattern appears. After the drive is selected for
removal, the "drive being prepared for removal" pattern appears, followed by the "drive ready for insertion or
removal" pattern. After the replacement drive is installed, the "drive being prepared for operation" pattern
appears, followed by the "drive online" pattern.
NOTE: If a RAID controller is not installed, only the "drive online" indicator pattern appears. The drive-activity
indicator also blinks when the drive is being accessed.
System Messages
System messages appear on the screen to notify you of a possible problem with the system. Table 1-6 lists
the system messages that can occur and the probable cause and corrective action for each message.
NOTE: If you receive a system message that is not listed in Table 1-6, check the documentation for the application
that is running when the message appears or the operating system's documentation for an explanation of the
message and recommended action.
Table 1-5. Hard-Drive Indicator Patterns
Condition Indicator Pattern
Identify drive The green power-on/fault indicator blinks four times
per second.
Drive being prepared for removal The green power-on/fault indicator blinks two times
per second.
Drive ready for insertion or
removal
Both drive indicators are off.
Drive being prepared for
operation
The green power-on/fault indicator is on.
Drive predicted failure The power-on/fault indicator slowly blinks green,
amber, and off.
Drive failed The amber power-on/fault indicator blinks four times
per second.
Drive rebuilding The green power-on/fault indicator blinks slowly.
Drive online The green power-on/fault indicator is on.
Table 1-6. System Messages
Message Causes Corrective Actions
Amount of available
memory limited to 256MB OS Install Mode is enabled in the System Setup program.
Disable OS Install Mode in the
System Setup program. See "Using the
System Setup Program" on page 29.

About Your System 19
Attempting to update
Remote Configuration.
Please wait....
Remote Configuration is in
progress.
Wait until the process is complete.
BIOS Update Attempt
Failed BIOS remote update failed. Retry update.
Caution! NVRAM_CLR jumper
is installed on system
board.
NVRAM_CLR jumper is installed. Remove the NVRAM_CLR jumper.
See "System Board Jumpers" on
page 115 for the jumper location.
Data error Faulty diskette, diskette drive,
optical drive, hard drive.
Replace the diskette. Ensure that the
diskette drive, optical drive, and hard-
drive cables are properly connected.
See "Troubleshooting a Diskette
Drive" on page 101 or
"Troubleshooting an Optical Drive" on
page 102 for the appropriate drive(s)
installed in your system.
Decreasing available
memory Faulty or improperly installed memory modules.
Ensure that all memory modules are
properly installed. See
""Troubleshooting System Memory"
on page 100.
Diskette drive 0 seek
failure Incorrect configuration settings in System Setup program.
Run the System Setup program to
correct the settings. See "Using the
System Setup Program" on page 29.
Faulty or improperly installed
diskette, loose diskette drive or
optical drive interface cable, or
loose power cable.
Replace the diskette. Ensure that the
diskette drive and optical drive cables
are properly connected. See
""Troubleshooting a Diskette Drive"
on page 101" and ""Troubleshooting
an Optical Drive" on page 102" in
"Troubleshooting Your System."
Diskette read failure Faulty or improperly inserted
diskette.
Replace the diskette.
Diskette subsystem reset
failed Faulty diskette drive or optical drive controller.
Ensure that the diskette drive and
optical drive cables are properly
connected. See "Troubleshooting a
Diskette Drive" on page 101 and
"Troubleshooting an Optical Drive" on
page 102. If the problem persists, see
"Getting Help" on page 121.
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions

20 About Your System
Drive not ready Diskette missing or improperly
inserted in diskette drive.
Reinsert or replace the diskette.
Error: Incorrect memory
configuration. Ensure
memory in slots DIMM1_A
and DIMM1_B, DIMM2_A and
DIMM2_B match identically
in size, speed, and rank.
An unmatched pair of memory
modules is installed.
Install a matched pair of memory
modules, or remove the memory
module in socket DIMM1_B. See
"General Memory Module Installation
Guidelines" on page 76.
Error: Remote Access Card
initialization failure. Faulty or improperly installed RAC. Ensure that the RAC is properly installed. See "Troubleshooting
Expansion Cards" on page 108.
Error 8602: Auxiliary
device failure. Verify
that the mouse and
keyboard are securely
attached to correct
connectors.
Loose or improperly connected
mouse or keyboard cable; faulty
mouse or keyboard.
Replace the mouse. If the problem
persists, replace the keyboard.
Gate A20 failure Faulty keyboard controller (faulty
system board).
See "Getting Help" on page 121.
General failure Operating system corrupted or
improperly installed.
Reinstall the operating system.
IDE Primary drive
x not
found Improperly connected or missing optical drive or tape backup unit.
Ensure that the drive cables are
properly connected. See
"Troubleshooting Your System" on
page 91 for the appropriate drive
installed in your system.
If no drive is installed, disable the IDE
controller. See "Using the System
Setup Program" on page 29.
Invalid memory
configuration detected.
Potential for data
corruption exists!
Unsupported DIMMs are installed
in the system, or the memory
configuration is incorrect.
Replace or reconfigure the DIMMs.
See "Memory" on page 76 for memory
configuration guidelines, a list of
supported DIMMs, and supported
memory configurations.
Keyboard controller
failure Faulty keyboard controller (faulty system board).
See "Getting Help" on page 121.
Table 1-6. System Messages (continued)
Message Causes Corrective Actions