Need some help if you could. My Dell XPS 630i locked up, so I shut it down using the power button and reported it.
The Dell boot screen comes up with a partial progress bar, but then the boot process stops. It doesn’t beep or respond to the keyboard. How can I localize the problem? Any ideas as to what’s wrong?
Thanks!
Try unplugging it, pressing the power button a few times, plugging it back in, then turning it on.
First thing I’d do is boot from the Windows disc and run a disk scan to see if there’s been file system damage.
You’re thinking that the power button was stuck?
It’s back in business now. After checking and re-checking every cable in the box, I gave up and just let it sit on the stalled progress bar boot screen. I’d been watching this for five-minute stretches hoping for a change.
Went downstairs, made dinner, played some games with my son, and came back up over an hour later to find the thing ready to go. I have no idea what boot-level processes would stall the boot for some time period between 10 minutes and an hour.
Makes me nervous.
Thanks though!
Now that’s it’s running, run a disk scan. I’ve seen Vista not boot for over 15 minutes due to weird driver conflicts, but it’s been a while since I resolved one of those so I can’t remember what the solution is. Start from square one.
That’s a tough one, sounds like. Definately check your event logs over to see if anything strange pops up (I usually find event logs less than useful, but sometimes they help).
You could do a restart and hit F8 (I think) to step through the boot up process one item at a time and that might give you a clue as to what’s causing you problems. I’d run a disk defrag first while you have it up and running, and as always check for spyware/malware with your favorite software solution while you’re at it.
I also have a 630i, which went through something similar yesterday, specifically after a windows automatic update (though I also updated iTunes). I let it percolate for a while after the reboot, and now it seems back to normal.
No.
You’d be surprised how often this works, especially with very old equipment.
Any updates, Mike? Did the problem fix itself, or did you identify the cause?
I’ve been rebooting it every day or so. It’s locked once more, after which I used Sean’s idea and toggled the power switch a few times. Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but that seemed to have done the trick.
It seems to be pre-Windows boot, as F8 wasn’t a whole lot of help. I’m mildly concerned, but I’m not classifying it as a must-fix right now. I’m going to drop an SSD in there in a few weeks and I’ll worry more if the boot lockup manifests after that.
Thanks!
Do you have a spare power supply on hand that you know works? Might want to try swapping it if you do (if it doesn’t void your warranty that is).
I work with a lot of older computers (public schools don’t have the budgets for bright and shiny equipment) and usually when I have to power cycle a machine many times just to get it to boot up, putting in a new power supply often fixes the issue.
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-1056686.html
That link gives some info on how to test your power supply. Just take your time and make sure you’ve carefully read the instructions (especially about safety!) before proceeding.