Dell BIOS post central

Dell BIOS Beep Codes:
Beep Codes Possible Causes Corrective Action
1 - 2 No video card detected Reseat the video card
1 - 2 - 2 - 3 BIOS ROM checksum error
1 - 3 - 1 - 1 DRAM refresh error Reseat the memory modules
1 - 3 - 1 - 3 8742 Keyboard Controller error Reseat the keyboard connector
1 - 3 - 3 - 1 Memory defective or not present Reseat the memory modules
1 - 3 - 4 - 1 RAM failure on line xxx Reseat the memory modules
1 - 3 - 4 - 3 RAM failure on data bits xxx of low byte on memory bus Reseat the memory modules
1 - 4 - 1 - 1 RAM failure on data bits xxx of high byte on memory bus Reseat the memory modules

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Dell BIOS System Messages:
Message Possible Cause Corrective Action
nnnn Cache RAM Passed nnnn KB of system cache RAM has been successfully tested
nnnn Extended RAM Passed nnnn KB of extended RAM has been tested
nnnn Shadow RAM Passed nnnn KB of shadow RAM has been successfully tested
nnnn System RAM Passed nnnn KB of system RAM has been successfully tested
CD-ROM drive Identified The systems automatic drive type detection feature has identified the CD-ROM drive
Diskette drive A error; Diskette drive B Error Drive A or B is present but has failed the BIOS POST Ensure that the drive is installed correctly in the chassis and detected correctly in the system setup
Entering Setup The system is starting the system setup program
Extended RAM Failed at offset: nnnn Extended memory is not working correctly or is not configured correctly at offset: nnnn IF you receive this message after making changes in the system setup program, enter the program and restore the original value(s)
Failing bits: nnnn nnnn is a map of the bits at RAM address that failed the memory test. Each 1 in the map indicates a failed bit If you receive this message after making changes in the system setup program, enter the program and restore the original value(s)
Fixed Disk n Failure; Fixed Disk Controller Failure The hard drive specified by n is not working or not configured correctly Ensure that the drive is installed correctly in the chassis and defined coracle in the system setup program
Fixed Disk n Identified The system's automatic drive type detection feature has identified the hard disk drive(s)
Incorrect Drive x type - Run Setup Diskette drive x is not correctly identified in the system setup program Ensure that the drive is defined correctly in the system setup program
Invalid NVRAM media type The system is having a problem accessing NVRAM (CMOS) Set the configuration jumper to Maintenance mode and restart the system to return all settings to their defaults
Invalid system configuration data The system configuration information is the system setup program is incorrect, or the battery charge may be low Enter the system setup program and verify the system configuration, then restart the system
Keyboard controller error The keyboard controller failed it's test If you receive this message after making changes in the system setup program, enter the program and restore the original value(s)
Keyboard error The keyboard is not working correctly The keyboard or system board may need to be replaced
Keyboard error nn The BIOS has detected a stuck key represented by scan code nn Make sure nothing is resting on the keyboard. If a key appears to be stuck, carefully pry it up. if the problem persists, you may need to replace the keyboard
Mouse initialized The system's mouse has been found and initialized
Operating system not found The operating system cannot be located on drive A or drive C Enter the system setup program and confirm that drive A or drive C is properly identified
Parity check 1 nnnn A parity error has been detected on the system bus. The BIOS attempts to locate the address and display it nnnn. If it cannot locate the address, it displays ???? instead If you receive this message after making changes in the setup program, enter the program and restore the original values(s)
Parity check 2 nnnn A parity error has been detected on the I/O bus. The BIOS attempts to locate the address and display it nnnn. If it cannot locate the address, it displays ???? instead If you receive this message after making changes in the setup program, enter the program and restore the original values(s)
Press to resume, to Setup This message is displayed after a recoverable error message Press to start the boot routine or to enter the system setup program and change any settings
Press to enter SETUP Optional message displayed during POST Id desired, press to enter the system setup program
Previous boot incomplete - Default configuration used After a unsuccessful boot, POST loads default values There may be incorrect values or incorrect settings in the system setup program. Run the system setup program and attempt to restore the incorrect settings. If the message reappears, set the configuration jumper to Maintenance mode and restart the system to return all settings to their defaults
Real time clock error The RTC has failed the BIOS test If you receive this message after making changes in the setup program, enter the program and restore the original values(s)
Resource allocation conflict on motherboard The system cannot configure all system board devices without a resource conflict Run the system setup program and try to resolve any obvious resource conflicts. If the message reappears, set the configuration jumper to Maintenance mode and restart the system to return all settings to their defaults
Shadow RAM failed at offset: nnnn Shadow RAM has failed at offset nnnn in the 64KB block in which the error was detected If you receive this message after making changes in the setup program, enter the program and restore the original values(s)
System battery is dead - Replace and run SETUP The CMOS clock battery indicator shows the battery is dead Replace the battery and run the system setup program to reconfigure the system
System BIOS shadowed The system BIOS has been copied to shadow RAM
System cache error - cache disabled RAM cache failed the BIOS test. The BIOS has disabled the cache If you receive this message after making changes in the system setup program, enter the program and restore the original settings
System CMOS checksum bad - run SETUP System CMOS has been corrupted or modified incorrectly, perhaps by an application program that changes data stored in CMOS Run the system setup program and reconfigure the system by either reverting to the default values or by making your own selections
System RAM failed at offset: nnnn System RAM failed at offset nnnn in the 64KB block in which the error was detected If you receive this message after making changes in the setup program, enter the program and restore the original values(s)
System timer error The timer test failed If you receive this message after making changes in the setup program, enter the program and restore the original values(s)
UMB Upper limit segment address: nnnn Displays the address nnnn of the upper limit of the UMB, indicating released segments of the BIOS which may be reclaimed by a virtual memory manager
Video BIOS shadowed The video BIOS has been successfully copied to shadow RAM

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Dell BIOS Post Codes:
01 CPU register test in progress
02 CMOS read/write test failed
03 BIOS ROM checksum bad
04 8254 programmable interrupt controller failed
05 DMA controller initialization failed
06 DMA page-register test failed
08 RAM refresh verification failed
09 Starting first-64K RAM test
0A First-64KB RAM IC or data line bad
0B First-64KB RAM odd/even logic bad
0C First-64KB address line bad
0D First-64KB parity error
10 Bit 0 bad in first 64KB
11 Bit 1 bad in first 64KB
12 Bit 2 bad in first 64KB
13 Bit 3 bad in first 64KB
14 Bit 4 bad in first 64KB
15 Bit 5 bad in first 64KB
16 Bit 6 bad in first 64KB
17 Bit 7 bad in first 64KB
18 Bit 8 bad in first 64KB
19 Bit 9 bad in first 64KB
1A Bit 10 bad in first 64KB
1B Bit 11 bad in first 64KB
1C Bit 12 bad in first 64KB
1D Bit 13 bad in first 64KB
1E Bit 14 bad in first 64KB
1F Bit 15 bad in first 64KB
20 Slave DMA register bad
21 Master DMA register bad
22 Master interrupt-mask register bad
23 Slave interrupt-mask register bad
25 Loading interrupt vectors
27 Keyboard-controller test failed
28 CMOS RAM battery bad
29 CMOS configuration validation in progress
2B Video-memory test failed
2C Video initialization failure
2D Video-retrace failure
2E Searching for a video ROM
30 Switching to video ROM
31 Monochrome operation OK
32 Color (CGA) operation OK
33 Color operation OK
34 Timer-tick interrupt in progress (or bad)
35 CMOS shutdown test in progress (or bad)
36 Gate A20 bad
37 Unexpected interrupt in protected mode
38 RAM test in progress or high address line is bad
3A Interval timer channel 2 bad
3B Time-of-day test bad
3C Serial-port test bad
3D Parallel -port test bad
3E Math co-processor test bad
3F Cache-memory test bad

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All information has been gathered with permission of the respective BIOS providers. Although Bios Central has used reasonable effort to ensure accuracy we are unable to verify all codes posted. Use at your own risk. Bios Central, or any person associated with Bios Central takes no responsibility for any dmage resulting from the use of this information.

Dell Inspiron Mini 9

See all Dell, Inc. products

• Average user rating:
  3.0
  stars out of 51 reviews
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editors' review

• Reviewed by:
  arawk
• Reviewed on: 09/05/2008
• Updated on: 12/20/2009

Editors' note: We have revised the rating of this product to reflect the changing competitive Netbook landscape.

We've known for some time that Dell was working on a Netbook-style laptop--the same kind of small, low-power, inexpensive system made popular by Asus and the Eee PC line. And even though there are not many surprises in the new Inspiron Mini 9, it's still an excellent example of the form, without any of the deal-breakers (older CPU, not enough storage space, hard-to-use touch pad) that have kept other Netbooks from being more universally useful.

While component-wise, the Mini 9 is similar to other recent Netbooks, such as the Eee PC 901 and the Acer Aspire One (which all use Intel's Atom CPU), in typical Dell fashion, there are more customization options than we've seen other Netbooks.

Our test unit arrived with 1GB of RAM, a 16GB solid-state hard drive, and Windows XP. That configuration costs $514 and comes very close to hitting the benchmarks we set out in our "Building the Perfect Netbook" feature, which asked for similar components, but maybe a slightly bigger SSD hard drive and an impulse-purchase $499 price tag.

You can get the Inspiron Mini 9 down to as low as $349 by opting for a smaller hard drive (4GB or 8GB), 512MB of RAM, an Ubuntu Linux OS, or knocking down the Webcam to a lower-resolution option. Or, add few bucks for the option internal Bluetooth antenna, which wasn't in our build (but is useful for tethering a cell phone for mobile broadband access). As an interesting note, the Mini 9 apparently includes an inactive internal mobile broadband antenna. According to Dell, it will be announcing the carrier and coverage details in the coming weeks.

Price as reviewed / Starting price	$514/349
Processor	Intel Atom 1.6GHz
Memory	1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz
Hard drive	16GB SSD
Chipset	Intel GMA950
Graphics	Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset (integrated)
Operating system	Windows XP Home Edition SP2
Dimensions (width by depth)	9.1x6.8 inches
Thickness	1.25-1.1 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	8.9 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	2.3/2.7 pounds
Category	Netbook

In person, the Mini 9 is similar in design to Asus' 9-inch Eee PC. It's slightly thinner, at about 1.25 inches at the back, tapering slightly toward the front. Our system had a glossy black finish (which is very fingerprint prone), and white is also available. Interestingly, most of the leaked product shots we've seen up to now show a red model.

The challenge for any Netbook is to squeeze as much keyboard as possible into a very tiny space, and the Mini 9 does a good job with it. The Dell letter keys are larger than on the 9-inch Eee PC, but certain keys--Tab, Caps Lock, and so on--are reduced to small slivers. In addition, the entire function key row has been removed. F1 through F10 are now alternate keys of the A to L row. It's an interesting compromise to get the most surface area for everyday typing, but makes some tasks, such as jumping between Web page fields with the Tab key, somewhat awkward.

Opening the lid, the 8.9-inch 1,024x600-pixel screen shares space with a Webcam above and two small speaker grilles below. The display offers just enough space for displaying Web pages and Word documents, and we think the 9-inch size is the perfect fit for Netbooks, rather than the smaller 7-inch or larger 10-inch screens on other systems.

	Dell Inspiron Mini 9	Average for category [Netbook]
Video	VGA-out	VGA-out
Audio	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks	headphone/microphone jacks
Data	3 USB 2.0, SD card reader	2 USB 2.0, SD card reader
Expansion	None	None
Networking	Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth	modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	None	None

The Inspiron Mini 9 has three USB ports, headphone and mic jacks, a VGA out, SD card slot, and an Ethernet jack--a fairly standard set of connections in the Netbook world. Integrated Bluetooth is a $20 option, and Dell is expected to announce a mobile broadband plan soon. We'd love to see mobile broadband in more Netbooks, but it's typically prohibitively expensive as an option on a sub-$500 system.

With Intel's new 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, specifically designed for low-power Netbooks, you're not going to find the same level of performance you'd get from even an inexpensive Core 2 Duo laptop. Still, the Intel Atom processor performed about as expected, closely matching the Asus Eee PC 901 and MSI Wind in our iTunes performance test.