Dell XPS 8940 - Diagnostic Error Messages

For example, the power and battery-status light blinks amber two times followed by a pause, and then blinks white three times followed by
a pause. This 2,3 pattern continues until the computer is turned off indicating no memory or RAM is detected.
The following table shows different power and battery-status light patterns and associated problems.
Table 15. LED codes
Diagnostic light codes Problem description Recommended solutions
1,2 TPM detection failure Replace system board.
2,1 Processor failure Run the Intel CPU diagnostics tools. If problem persists,
replace the system board.
2,2 System board: BIOS or Read-Only Memory
(ROM) failure
Flash latest BIOS version. If problem persists, replace the
system board.
2,3 No memory or Random-Access Memory
(RAM) detected
Confirm that the memory module is installed properly. If
problem persists, replace the memory module.
2,4 Memory or Random-Access Memory (RAM)
failure
Reset and swap memory modules amongst the slots. If
problem persists, replace the memory module.
2,5 Invalid memory installed Reset and swap memory modules among the slots. If
problem persists, replace the memory module.
2,6 System-board or chipset error Flash latest BIOS version. If problem persists, replace the
system board.
3,1 Coin-cell battery failure Reset the CMOS battery connection. If problem persists,
replace the RTC battery.
3,2 PCI, video card/chip failure Replace the system board.
3,3 Recovery image not found Flash latest BIOS version. If problem persists, replace the
system board.
3,4 Recovery image found but invalid Flash latest BIOS version. If problem persists, replace the
system board.
3,5 Power-rail failure EC ran into power sequencing failure. If problem persists,
replace the system board.
3,6 System BIOS Flash incomplete Flash corruption detected by SBIOS. If problem persists,
replace the system board.
3,7 Management Engine (ME) error Timeout waiting on ME to reply to HECI message. If
problem persists, replace the system board.
4,2 Power rail failure Update BIOS screen.
Camera status light: Indicates whether the camera is in use.
• Solid white — Camera is in use.
• Off — Camera is not in use.
Caps Lock status light: Indicates whether Caps Lock is enabled or disabled.
• Solid white — Caps Lock enabled.
• Off — Caps Lock disabled.
Diagnostic error messages
Table 16. Diagnostic error messages
Error messages Description
AUXILIARY DEVICE FAILURE
The touchpad or external mouse may be faulty. For an external
mouse, check the cable connection. Enable the Pointing Device
option in the System Setup program.
BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME
Ensure that you have spelled the command correctly, put spaces in
the proper place, and used the correct path name.
68 Troubleshooting