Dell Vostro 3500 won't boot

Hi,

To assist you better,please confirm if the arrow lights you are referring to are flashing or steady.
Refer to the link to specify the LED status on the system :http://dell.to/QZgk24

Please reply.

Thanks and Regards
Priyanka S
#iworkfordell

Not steady, and not flashing either. They each light up once: 9, then all the arrow and volume keys. Then nothing. Then every half hour or so, I'm able to boot, but it doesn't last for long.

I was just able to boot in safe mode a couple of minutes ago, but haven't attempted any diagnostics.

Er...scratch that, it boots into safe mode, then freezes.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. As you mentioned the system freezes in safe mode, please check if the same issue occurs in BIOS also. To boot the system into BIOS, once you restart the system keep tapping F2 key. You will be in BIOS, keep the system idle for 15-20mins and check if it shuts down.

If the system shuts down in BIOS, please run the hardware diagnostics. Perform one of the following steps below:

• Hold down the Fn key while pressing the power button.
• Turn on the system, press F12 key at the initial Dell logo screen, and select Diagnostics from the boot menu.

Check for any error codes and reply to us.

Thanks and Regards
Priyanka S
#iworkfordell

I was able to boot in BIOS, but if froze a few minutes in. It does that no matter how I boot, safe, normal, BIOS. If I shut down now, I won't be able to boot for about 30 minutes.

I was able to boot and start diagnostics by hitting F12, and the computer froze during the CPU tests, about 3 minutes in.  3 minutes seems to be it's limit no matter what the computer is doing.

Thank you so much for  your help so far!

Just to fill you in on this: I thought it might be the memory, so I replaced it's current 8gigs with the original 4 gigs that the machine came with. I got a different error message: steady 9, and flashing A and Arrow, so then I tried each memory stick alone in each slot. There's nothing wrong with the memory sticks, but the second memory slot is defective. No matter what memory I'm using, if slot 2 has anything in it, the computer won't boot and the above mentioned LED lights are displayed. The computer is running now, using one 4 gig stick of ram in slot 1. Can slot 2 be replaced somehow?

The only other issue is now the trackpad is not working, but I did take the computer apart partially to clean the fan so maybe I caused it somehow, although I was really careful.

FN/F6 isn't working, could this be a result of the motherboard issue?

Hi,

Unfortunately , you will not be able to replace the slot alone as its integrated into the motherboard.

The touchpad must have got disabled.You can enable the touchpad by pressing the Fn key and F6 key.

Refer to the picture below:

Please reply.

Thanks and Regards
Priyanka S
#iworkfordell

Hi,

As mentioned by you, since you have taken apart the system to clean the fan, I recommend you to check the connections .Please refer to the manual in the link: http://dell.to/Uv4s4m

If the issue still persists, please follow the steps below:

1. Unplug the external peripherals and also the power cable, hold the power button for 30seconds to remove static power.
2. Make sure the touchpad or your finger has no dirt, grease, liquids or food on it.
3. Ensure the latest driver for the touchpad is updated.

You can also refer to the link on Dell’s support site: http://dell.to/mvdlij

Please reply with results.

Thanks and Regards
Priyanka S
#iworkfordell