A Reference Guide to Vostro Desktop Diagnostic Indicators
Summary: The following article is a reference guide to what the diagnostic Light Emitting Diode (LED) indicators mean on Vostro Desktop and All in One (AIO) computers.
This article applies to
This article does not apply to
This article is not tied to any specific product.
Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Instructions
Dell Vostro desktops have a long history of integrated diagnostic indicators. These can be audible beeps, power buttons that display different states and colors, specific diagnostics LEDs or a combination of them all. Indicating at which point during the Power On Self-Test (POST) a device is having problems.
The following article is a reference guide to the codes available for each model and what those codes mean. They change and improve through the various models and years. These indicators are a starting point to narrow down any troubleshooting you are carrying out to identify the cause of your problem. You can use these codes to narrow down which troubleshooting guide you must follow. Alternatively, you can contact technical support for further help and they are also looking for these indicators.
Table of Contents:
- Diagnostic LEDs for the Vostro Desktop series (2020 to Present)
- Diagnostic LEDs for the Vostro Desktop series (2014 to 2019)
- Diagnostic LEDs for the Vostro Desktop series (2011 to 2014)
- Diagnostic LEDs for the Vostro Desktop Series (2007 to 2011)
- Vostro Desktop Audible Beep Codes
- Glossary of Acronyms
- Diagnostic Indicator Guides
Note: For all the following tables, remember that the diagnostic LEDs only serve as an indicator of the computers progress through the POST process. These LEDs do not indicate the problem that caused the POST routine to stop.
Note: When your computer completes POST, without stopping on a particular error code and shows a black screen it is not booting to the operating system. (You must switch to a No Boot troubleshooting guide.)
Diagnostic LEDs for the Vostro Desktop series (2020 to Present)
The tower computers that Dell sells and supports have swapped over to an Amber blink code. This is common with Dell's laptops. The Power LED (PLED) is generally white.
Note: Click the title of the section that you want to open below, in order to see the contents.
| Power Button LED | Status | Power State | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Off | S4 or S5 | The power is Off. The LED is blank. |
 |
Blinking Amber | - | This is the initial State of the LED when turning it on. See the table below for Blinking Amber pattern diagnostic suggestions and possible failures. |
 |
Solid Amber | - | The second state of the LED when turning it on indicates that the POWER_GOOD signal is active. It is likely that the power supply is fine. |
 |
Blinking White | S1 or S3 | The device is in a low power state, either S1 or S3. This does not indicate a fault condition. |
 |
Solid White | S0 | The device is in the S0 state. This is the normal power states of a functioning machine. The BIOS turns the LED to this state to indicate it has started fetching op-codes. |
Note: You can customize the power-button behavior in Power Options. For more information, see "Me and My Dell" at www.dell.com/support/manuals.
(For example: Vostro 5880, and so on.)
Note: The blinking pattern consists of two sets of numbers. They split into First Group (Amber Blinks), Second Group (Amber Blinks).
(For example: No Memory detected (2,3), The Battery LED blinks two times amber followed by a pause, then blinks three times Amber, pause, and so on. This pattern continues until you turn the device off.)
- First Group: The Battery LED blinks in Amber up to nine times then pauses for one and a half seconds before running the second group.
- Second Group: The Battery LED blinks in Amber up to nine times then pauses for three seconds before running the first group again.
(For example: No Memory detected (2,3), The Battery LED blinks two times amber followed by a pause, then blinks three times Amber, pause, and so on. This pattern continues until you turn the device off.)
| LED Behavior | Problem Description | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Blink Code | |||
| 1 | 2 | Unrecoverable Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) Flash Failure |
|
| 2 | 1 | Central Processing Unit (CPU) Failure |
|
| 2 | 2 | Motherboard: Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), Read-Only Memory (ROM) Failure |
|
| 2 | 3 | No Memory or Random Access Memory (RAM) detected |
|
| 2 | 4 | Memory or RAM failure |
|
| 2 | 5 | Invalid Memory Installed |
|
| 2 | 6 | Motherboard, Chipset Error |
|
| 3 | 1 | Complementary Metal-Oxide Semi-Conductor (CMOS) battery failure |
|
| 3 | 2 | Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Video card or chip failure |
|
| 3 | 3 | BIOS Recovery 1 |
|
| 3 | 4 | BIOS Recovery 2 |
|
| 3 | 5 | Power Rail Failure |
|
| 3 | 6 | Paid SPI Volume Error |
|
| 3 | 7 | Management Engine (ME) error |
|
| 4 | 2 | CPU Power cable connection issue |
|
Diagnostic LEDs for the Vostro Desktop series (2014 to 2019)
With this series, the diagnostics indicator Beeps were removed from Tower computers but remained in All In One (AIO) devices. Instead, the Power Button state gives a blink and color shift pattern to indicate where it had a problem.
Note: Click the title of the section that you want to open below, to see the contents.
| Power Button LED | Status | Power State | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Off | S4 or S5 | The power is Off. The LED is blank. |
 |
Blinking Amber | - | This is the initial state of the LED when turning the device on. See the table below for Blinking Amber pattern diagnostic suggestions and possible failures. |
 |
Solid Amber | - | The second state of the LED at power-up indicates that the POWER_GOOD signal is active. It is likely that the power supply is fine. |
 |
Blinking White | S1 or S3 | The device is in a low power state, either S1 or S3. This does not indicate a fault condition. |
 |
Solid White | S0 | The device is in the S0 state. This is the normal power states of a functioning machine. The BIOS turns the LED to this state to indicate it has started fetching op-codes. |
| Power LED | Problem Description | Suggested Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motherboard: BIOS ROM Failure | Contact Technical Support. |
| 2 | Memory | Troubleshoot the Memory and Memory Slots. |
| 3 | Motherboard: Chipset | Contact Technical Support. |
| 4 | Memory | Troubleshoot the Memory and Memory Slots. |
| 5 | Real-Time Clock (RTC) Power Failure | Replace the CMOS Battery and Contact Technical Support if the issue persists. |
| 6 | Video BIOS failure | Contact Technical Support. |
| 7 | CPU | Contact Technical Support. |
Diagnostic LEDs for the Vostro Desktop series (2011 to 2014)
This series used the power button LED states. The power button is located on the front of the chassis. You can identify these models by their flat black front face and side panels or lids.
Note: Click the title of the section that you want to open below, to see the contents.
Vostro 260s to 270s, 460s to 470s and 20 (3010)
| LED Status | System State | Suggested Next Step | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off |  |
The computer is either turned off or is not receiving power. | Troubleshoot a No Power issue. |
| Blinking Amber |  |
The computer is receiving power, but a device might be faulty or incorrectly installed. | Troubleshoot a No POST issue. |
| Solid Amber |  |
The computer is in standby. | Press a key on the keyboard, move the mouse, or press the power button to resume normal operation. If the problem persists, listen for a beep code. |
| Solid White |  |
The computer is on and working ok. | If the computer is not responding, troubleshoot a No Boot or No Video issue. |
Diagnostic LEDs for the Vostro Desktop series (2007 to 2011)
This series used the power button LED state and colors. The power button is located on the front of the chassis. You can identify these models by their flat black front face and side panels or lids.
Note: Click the title of the section that you want to open below, to see the contents.
Vostro 200s to 230s, 400s to 430s
| LED Status | System State | Suggested Next Step | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off |  |
The computer is either turned off or is not receiving power. | Troubleshoot a No Power issue. |
| Blinking Amber |  |
The computer is receiving power, but a device might be faulty or incorrectly installed. | Troubleshoot a No POST issue. |
| Solid Amber |  |
The computer is in a fault condition including the power supply. | Troubleshoot a No POST issue. |
| Blinking Blue |  |
The computer is in Standby. | Press a key on the keyboard, move the mouse, or press the power button to resume normal operation. If the problem persists, listen for a beep code. |
| Solid Blue |  |
The computer is on and working ok. | If the computer is not responding, troubleshoot a No Boot or No Video issue. |
Vostro 320s to 360s
| LED Status | System State | Suggested Next Step | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off |  |
The computer is either turned off or is not receiving power. | Troubleshoot a No Power issue. |
| Blinking Amber |  |
The computer is receiving power, but a device might be faulty or incorrectly installed. | Troubleshoot a No POST issue. |
| Solid Amber |  |
The computer is in standby. | Press a key on the keyboard, move the mouse, or press the power button to resume normal operation. If the problem persists, listen for a beep code. |
| Solid White |  |
The computer is on and working ok. | If the computer is not responding, troubleshoot a No Boot or No Video issue. |
Vostro Desktop audible Beep codes
In addition to the various types of diagnostics LEDs, there are many audible beep codes across some of the models of these devices.
These codes are recognized across manufacturers and have remained the same for some time.
The key to these codes is displayed in the table below.
Note: Click the title of the section that you want to open below, to see the contents.
| Diagnostic Beep Codes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Code | Cause | Suggested Resolution |
| 1 | BIOS ROM Checksum in progress or failure | Contact Technical Support. |
| 2 | No memory modules detected | Troubleshoot the Memory and Memory Slots. |
| 3 | Chipset Error
Time-of-day clock test failure Gate A20 Failure Super I/O chip Failure Failure of the Keyboard controller test |
Contact Technical Support. |
| 4 | RAM read and write error | Troubleshoot the Memory and Memory Slots. |
| 5 | Real-Time Clock Failure | Replace the CMOS Battery, Contact Technical Support if the problem persists. |
| 6 | Video BIOS test Failure | Run the Dell Diagnostics. |
| 7 | CPU Cache Test Failure | Contact Technical Support. |
Glossary of Acronyms:
See the following table for definitions of the acronyms within this article.
| Definition and Acronym |
|---|
| Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) |
| Resource Configuration (CFG) |
| Central Processing Unit (CPU) |
| Dual In-line memory module (DIMM) |
| Direct Memory Access (DMA) |
| Embedded Controller (EC) |
| Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI) |
| Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) |
| Light Emitting Diode (LED) |
| Motherboard Failure (MBF) |
| Memory Built in Self-Test (MBIST) |
| Management Engine (ME) |
| Memory (MEM) |
| Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) |
| Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) |
| Post-video Activity (POV) |
| Pre-video Activity (PRV) |
| Power Supply Unit (PSU) |
| Random Access Memory (RAM) |
| Recovery Mode (RCM) |
| Read-Only Memory (ROM) |
| Real-Time Clock (RTC) |
| System Power State S0 - This is the Working State, where your Windows computer is awake. (S0) |
| System Power State S1 - In this sleep state, the CPU is stopped, and your computer is in standby mode. (S1) |
| System Power State S2 - This state is similar to S1 except that the CPU and system cache are lost because the processor loses power. (S2) |
| System Power State S3 - In this state, data is saved to RAM, hard drives, and other hardware are shut down. (S3) |
| System Power State S4 - In this state, RAM, and other data are saved to the hard disk. (S4) |
| System Power State S5 - The System is off. (S5) |
| Small Board Interface Operating System (SBIOS) |
| Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) |
| Boot Hand Off (STD) |
| Storage Device (STO) |
| Trusted Platform Module (TPM) |
| Universal Serial Bus (USB) |
| Video (VID) |
Note:
Follow the instructions if you are seeing a recognizable code. Ensure that you have the code information to hand if you have to contact your local support. The technician needs this information to help you further.
Get in touch with your local support straight away if you are seeing an unrecognizable code, one that is not listed above.
Follow the instructions if you are seeing a recognizable code. Ensure that you have the code information to hand if you have to contact your local support. The technician needs this information to help you further.
Get in touch with your local support straight away if you are seeing an unrecognizable code, one that is not listed above.
Contact Dell Technical Support if you require further assistance.
Additional Information
Diagnostic Indicator Guides
- Understanding Beep Codes on a Dell Desktops
- A reference guide to the Precision Workstation Diagnostic Indicators
- A reference guide to the Dell OptiPlex Diagnostic Indicators
- A reference guide to the XPS Desktop Diagnostic Indicators
- A reference guide to the Inspiron Desktop Diagnostic Indicators
- Understanding Beep Codes on a Dell Laptop
- A reference guide to the Precision Mobile Workstation Diagnostic Indicators
- A reference guide to the Latitude Laptop and Tablet Diagnostic Indicators
- A reference guide to the XPS Laptop Diagnostic Indicators
- A reference guide to the Vostro Laptop Diagnostic Indicators
- A reference guide to the Inspiron Laptop Diagnostic Indicators
Affected Products
VostroArticle Properties
Article Number: 000132290
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 12 Nov 2024
Version: 9
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.