Without a clue

I know very little about diagnosing/fixing problems, and I have a big one. I've got that big black & blue 'DELL' screen and can't get rid of it, and do not know who to contact. Any suggestions?

 

call Dell?

i have no idea what you talking about..... maybe others do...... but a little more info on what the screen is may be helpful to some of us.....

 

I have a Dell computer and operate with Windows XP. I recently downloaded Norton 360 software which slowed my computer considerably. Before I could remove it or even try to see if that was the problem, I had several electricity outages, though I have a surge protector. At first the computer would periodically go into that black screen mode - acts as if it is locked up. Rebooting does nothing; I end up shutting the computer down manually. When I turn on the computer, I get the black screen again.

 

so this black screen is something during start up?.... so it gets to that point and then just gets stuck there? Your surge protector have a garauntee or anything in case it still did cause damamge to your comp..... because that sounds like a posibility.....

 

Please describe exactly everything that happens when you switch on.
Include what happens to the lights on the Dell keyboard and the power light on the monitor.

Studio T

 

Hello,

My name is Mike, I’m a Technical Analyst located at Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock, TX. I’m part of an internet outreach team developed to interact with the online community regarding technical questions and issues that customers face with Dell products. I read your question and wanted to help, but I need a little bit more information about the problem.

By the “big black & blue ‘DELL’ screen” do you mean the BIOS loading page that is displayed when the machine is first powered on? If so, try hitting the <F8> key when you first see it to see if you can get into safe mode. If the screen doesn't move passed the Dell page then there is more then likely a hardware problem with the computer. You can use the online teardowns located at www.support.dell.com (just click on “Manuals” and then enter your service tag or select your system) and remove the hard drive, memory, CD/DVD drives, any add in cards, and USB devices. At this point try and restart the system to see if you get any error messages. If you receive a message saying there is no hard drive, put the hard drive back in and try to boot again. If you receive a series of beep codes try putting the memory back in (one stick at a time if you have more then one) and see if it goes any further.

If the system stays at the DELL boot screen regardless of what is installed on the system then the problem is either a bad bios flash or a bad motherboard. If you have a system with a 3.5 floppy drive or if your system is set to boot off of a USB device, you can download a BIOS flash at www.support.dell.com, just click on “Drivers and Downloads” and follow the same process you did to view the online manual. Look for the section with the BIOS flash and follow the directions for flashing with a floppy or USB device. If after all of this you still have the same problem then your motherboard would more then likely be the culprit.

If you are still in warranty, which you can also check on our support site, (just click on “Warranty Information” in the menu to the left), you can contact our technical support department at 1-800-822-8965 and let them know what you’ve already done and what you’ve found out and they will take it from there. You can also do live chat in the “Need More Help?” section located on the right side of our support site. If you are out of warranty you can contact our spare parts department at 1-800-357-3355 and request a quote for the part. Then search online and see if you can find one for a better deal. You can use the online teardown as a guide to replace the part or if you know someone technical, you can ask them for some assistance. I hope this information is helpful.

Thank you,

Mike
Dell customer advocate

 

Hello again DellCA, you might also take a gander at this thread whilst you are 'passin thro'.

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=129372