1.  Bios settings may prevent successful boot.

Change the Sata operation setting in the bios from sata to auto.

2. Your boot partition is corrupted with errors.
Remedy might be:

Boot Win XP from a healthy HD on sata 0 while your sick HD is attached as slave or sata 2.

Win XP will automatically detect errors on the sick drive and will attempt to fix it.

3.  Excessive dust inside the PC

Clean the dust from fans (on top cpu, inside case, inside power supply), from heat sink, mother board and from inside front cover.

Christopher C. Charles
http://drpcdr.ca
416 398 3772


> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:19:24 -0400
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [PCBUILD] Dell won't boot
> 
> I have a Dell, XPS 400 with 3 gig ram. I'm not sure what the processor
> is, I just know it's a duel core intel. I have upgraded windows xp to
> windows vista home premium.  I left for the store yesterday and when I
> got home the computer had shut down. I turned it on and it wouldn't boot
> up but could hear the fans running. The number 3 and 4 diagnostic lights
> are burning. Number 1 and 2 are off. Dell said it could be bad ram or the
> motherboard. It's out of warranty so am trying to fix it myself. I don't
> want to believe it's the ram because it's fairly new. I have removed the
> ram and tried different slots and sequences but that changed nothing.
> Still the 3rd and 4th lights burn. I get no beep code or anything like
> that. There is a green light on the motherboard that burns when the power
> cord is plugged in. I don't think it's the motherboard. At least I sure
> hope it isn't. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If more information
> is needed let me know.
> Thanks!
> Gloria
> 
>                          PCBUILD's List Owners:
>                       Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]>
>                        Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>

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