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Dell R740xd hangs in Initializing after latest Lifecycle and BIOS update
I was setting up a Dell R740xd server and I had it all updated to the latest bios and firmware. I was doing some work on it last week and decided to check from IDRAC if there were anymore updates. There was a Lifecycle and BIOS updates and I selected both and restarted to install. I lost my connection to IDRAC and it never came back up. I stopped onsite the next day, roughly 18hrs later and the front screen on the drive tray cover is hung on Initializing... The IDRAC nic had no link light. I pulled both power cords and let it unplugged for 30 seconds, pressed the power button with the power still disconnected, then connected the power cords and turned it on. I did that twice. It's still stuck on initializing and the fans are running full speed. Today I had the customer unplug it for 30 minutes and reconnect it with the same results. I did not put a monitor on it yet to see what it shows. What are my options for recovery??
DELL-Young E
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July 16th, 2024 00:24
Hello thanks for choosing Dell and welcome to our community.
I recommend connecting a monitor to your system then you will need to access Lifecycle controller.
https://dell.to/4c0nu09
Let us know if this helps.
Respectfully,
ozaktech
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July 17th, 2024 00:22
I connected a monitor and only get colored vertical lines. I tried 4 different monitors and 2 cables. I also attempted to do an NVRAM reset. When it's powered on, the fans ran at full speed. Sounds like a jet taking off. I removed one power supply, the drives, and the raid controller. It made no difference.
DELL-Young E
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July 17th, 2024 02:04
Hello, I'm afraid now I'm thinking this is an MB issue. The VGA is embedded in the board.
I'd recommend that you connect to the local support for confirmation. https://dell.to/465wYFZ
Respectfully,
ozaktech
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July 17th, 2024 02:43
It's out of warranty so there are no options for Dell support. I'm not real impressed that a dell update would brick an enterprise motherboard.
DELL-Rey G
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July 17th, 2024 16:07
At this point, I would suggest taking the system down to minimal config, 1 dimm, 1 cpu, disconnect and remove as much as possible, especially any riser cards. Was the monitor connected to the front vga port or the rear?
Rey
#Iwork4Dell
ozaktech
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July 17th, 2024 23:25
I tried both front and rear vga ports with same lines on both. I'll work on taking it down to minimal config.
ozaktech
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July 18th, 2024 02:44
I removed NIC, all 3 riser cards, Raid controller, CPU 2 and all ram except 1 stick an slot A1. Still no change. I switched the nvram clear jumper back and forth several times, I forget which position it should be in, can someone clarify which position is in pwrd_en and which is nvr_clr? The drawing on the motherboard shows 2 pins on the left highlighted in yellow. Is the jumper in that position the reset position? And is the jumper the farthest from the white 4 pin power connector the nvram reset?
DELL-Young E
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July 18th, 2024 08:03
Hello, would this help your understanding?
https://dell.to/3YceaCT
Respectfully,
DELL-Rey G
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July 18th, 2024 17:31
Sorry, but it appears to be toast. I have never seen that happen to a system from a bios or idrac update.
Rey
#Iwork4Dell