[Slorelord]

I have a Dell Dimension 4400 that is approximately 4 years old. I have just recently reinstalled the Windows XP operating system and partitioned the hard drive with FAT32. Last night when I turned on the computer, all I got was the blue Dell logo. The machine would not boot past this logo. The key board lights flashed once upon turning the machine on, but did not respond to any key strokes once the logo appeared. I tried turning the machine off and on several times, but got the same results. What does this mean? Does this problem require me to replace hardware? If so, will I be able to save the data on my hard drive?

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any beeps?

remove then reinsert keyboard and mouse plug

[gerryf]

any beeps?

remove then reinsert keyboard and mouse plug

[Slorelord]

It didn't beep at all. Will reinserting the keyboard and mouse still work?

[gerryf]

you should still do it....they were two different ideas...

[Slorelord]

I tried unplugging and replugging both the mouse and keyboard. I still get the Dell logo. What are my options?

[gerryf]

Sure wish I could see this thing in person.. you should get something after the dell splash, it sounds like it is failing to even look at the harddrive, since you're not getting any menu...you're also not getting a beep, which is odd, though perhaps the onboard speaker is off.

Some DELLS have some diagnostic lights on the back that show orange and green...Turn the computer on and peek around the back...what do you see?

[tnsc]

Odd stuff but you could try to flash the BIOS.
Believe it or not I had 2 dell laptops that just started acting odd.
One would not boot at all. I updated the BIOS and both ran beautifully.

Alternate option is to borrow another PC and connect your HD.
At least that way you can try to access the data or run CHKDSK.

Good Luck.

[Slorelord]

There are four diagnostic lights on the backside of the machine, labeled A, B, C and D. The first three lights are green, but the D light is orange.

[Slorelord]

Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem with my machine based on the symptoms above?

[BobWerner]

Yup, sounds like you have a dead component. The orange light tells you that. Go to support.dell.com and find the diagnostic light patern.
Here's what I found from Dell's site:

"Other failure" See "contacting Dell" in the Owner's Manual for instructions on obtraining technical assistance.

And yes, I am a Dell certified tech.