Page 2 - Advanced Troubleshooting; Power Lights
Back to Contents Page Advanced Troubleshooting Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Service Manual Power Lights Diagnostic Lights Beep Codes System Messages Power Lights The power button light located on the front of the computer illuminates and blinks or remains solid to indicate different state...
Page 3 - Beep Codes
Beep Codes Your computer might emit a series of beeps during start-up if the monitor cannot display errors or problems. This series of beeps, called a beep code, identifies a problem. One possible beep code (code 1-3-1) consists of one beep, a burst of three beeps, and then one beep. This beep cod...
Page 4 - System Messages
System Messages Code Cause 1-1-2 Microprocessor register failure 1-1-3 NVRAM 1-1-4 ROM BIOS checksum failure 1-2-1 Programmable interval timer 1-2-2 DMA initialization failure 1-2-3 DMA page register read/write failure 3-1-1 Slave DMA register failure 3-1-2 Master DMA register failure 3-1-3 Ma...
Page 6 - Before You Begin; Getting Started; Recommended Tools; Before Working Inside Your Computer
Back to Contents Page Before You Begin Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Service Manual Getting Started Recommended Tools Turning Off Your Computer Before Working Inside Your Computer Getting Started This section provides procedures for removing and installing the components in your computer. Un...
Page 8 - Opening the Computer Cover
Back to Contents Page Opening the Computer Cover Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Service Manual 1. Follow the procedures in " Before You Begin ." 2. Lay the computer on its side so that the arrow on the bottom of the computer points up. 3. Open the cover: a. Facing the back of the comput...
Page 9 - Closing the Computer Cover
Back to Contents Page Closing the Computer Cover Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Service Manual 1. Ensure that all cables are connected, and fold cables out of the way. Gently pull the power cables toward you so that they do not get caught underneath the drives. 2. Ensure that no tools or extra parts ...
Page 10 - Removing and Installing Parts; Memory; DDR2 Memory Overview
Back to Contents Page Removing and Installing Parts Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Service Manual Memory Cards Drives Hard Drive Front-Panel Inserts Floppy Drive CD/DVD Drive Airflow Shroud Processor System Board Power Supply Battery Memory You can increase your comput...
Page 11 - Addressing Memory With 4-GB Configurations; Installing Memory
Addressing Memory With 4-GB Configurations Your computer supports a maximum of 4 GB of memory when you use four 1-GB DIMMs. Current operating systems, such as Microsoft ® W i n d o w s ® XP, can only use a maximum of 4 GB of address space; however, the amount of memory available to the operating...
Page 12 - Removing Memory; Cards; PCI Cards
5. Insert the module into the connector until the module snaps into position. If you insert the module correctly, the securing clips snap into the cutouts at each end of the module. 6. Close the computer cover . 7. Connect your computer and devices to electrical outlets, and turn them on. 8....
Page 13 - Installing a PCI Card
If you are installing or replacing a card, follow the procedures in the next section. If you are removing but not replacing a PCI card, see " Removing a PCI Card ." If you are replacing a card, remove the current driver for the card from the operating system. If you are installing or replaci...
Page 15 - Removing a PCI Card; PCI Express Cards; Installing a PCI Express Card
Removing a PCI Card 1. Follow the procedures in " Before You Begin ." 2. Press the lever on the card retention arm and raise the retention arm. 3. If necessary, disconnect any cables connected to the card. 4. Grasp the card by its top corners, and ease it out of its connector. 5. I...
Page 18 - Removing a PCI Express Card; Drives; General Installation Guidelines
b. Connect the network cable to the add-in network adapter's connectors. Do not connect the network cable to the integrated connector on the back panel. 16. Install any drivers required for the card as described in the card documentation. Removing a PCI Express Card 1. Follow the procedures ...
Page 19 - Drive Interface Connectors; Power Cable Connector; Removing a Hard Drive
When you install a drive, you connect two cables — a DC power cable and a data cable — to the back of the drive and to the system board. Some drives may also have an audio connector; one end of the audio cable attaches to the drive connector and the other end attaches to the system board. Drive In...
Page 20 - Installing a Hard Drive
2. Press in on the tabs on each side of the drive and slide the drive up and out. Installing a Hard Drive 1. Unpack the replacement hard drive, and prepare it for installation. 2. Check the documentation for the drive to verify that it is configured for your computer. 3. If your replacemen...
Page 21 - Adding a Second Hard Drive
6. Check all connectors to be certain that they are properly cabled and firmly seated. 7. Close the computer cover . 8. Connect your computer and devices to electrical outlets, and turn them on. See the documentation that came with the drive for instructions on installing any software required...
Page 22 - Front-Panel Inserts
a. Disconnect the power and the data cable from the back of the first hard drive. b. Press in the two rail tabs and pull the first hard drive out of the upper bay. c. Gently slide the first hard drive into the lower bay until you hear a click. d. Reconnect the power and data cable to the bac...
Page 23 - Floppy Drive; Removing a Floppy Drive
4. From the outside of the computer, pull the insert away from the computer's front panel. 5. Remove the insert from the insert frame by pressing on the four tabs. 6. Reattach the empty insert frame over the front of the drive bay. The insert frame fits only one way. a. Face the front of the c...
Page 24 - Installing a Floppy Drive
3. Press inward on the two tabs on the sides of the drive, slide the drive upward, and then remove it from the floppy-drive bay. Installing a Floppy Drive 1. If you are replacing a drive and the new drive does not have the bracket rails attached, remove the rails from the old drive by removing...
Page 25 - Removing a CD/DVD Drive
8. Connect your computer and devices to their electrical outlets, and turn them on. See the documentation that came with the drive for instructions on installing any software required for drive operation. 9. Enter system setup and select the appropriate Diskette Drive option. 10. Verify that y...
Page 26 - Installing a CD/DVD Drive
Installing a CD/DVD Drive 1. If you are installing a new drive, unpack the drive and prepare it for installation. Check the documentation that accompanied the drive to verify that the drive is configured for your computer. If you are installing an IDE drive, configure the drive for the cable selec...
Page 27 - Airflow Shroud; Removing the Airflow Shroud; Processor
Airflow Shroud Removing the Airflow Shroud 1. Follow the procedures in " Before You Begin ." 2. Disconnect the cooling fan power cable from the fan connector on the system board. 3. Disconnect the power cable from the power connector on the system board. 4. Lift up the airflow ...
Page 29 - Installing the Processor
5. To remove the processor from the socket, lift the processor vertically in one motion. Leave the release lever extended in the release position so that the socket is ready for the new processor. Installing the Processor 1. Unpack the new processor. 2. If the release lever on the socket is ...
Page 30 - System Board; Removing the System Board
6. Pivot the socket release lever back toward the socket and snap it into place to secure the processor. If you installed a processor replacement kit from Dell, return the original heat sink assembly and processor to Dell in the same package in which your replacement kit was sent. 7. Install the h...
Page 31 - Replacing the System Board
2. Open the computer cover . 3. Remove any components that restrict access to the system board. 4. Disconnect all cables from the system board. 5. Before you remove the existing system board assembly, visually compare the replacement system board to the existing system board to make sure that ...
Page 32 - Power Supply; Removing the Power Supply; Replacing the Power Supply
9. Connect your computer and devices to electrical outlets, and turn them on. Power Supply Removing the Power Supply 1. Follow the procedures in " Before You Begin ." 2. Disconnect the DC power cables from the system board and the drives. Note the routing of the DC power cables und...
Page 33 - Battery; Replacing the Battery
7. Connect your computer and devices to electrical outlets, and turn them on. Battery Replacing the Battery A coin-cell battery maintains computer configuration, date, and time information. The battery can last several years. If you have to repeatedly reset time and date information after tu...
Page 34 - Specifications
Back to Contents Page Specifications Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Service Manual Processor Processor type Intel ® Pentium ® 4 with HT Technology NOTE: Not all Pentium 4 processors support Hyper- Threading technology. Level 1 (L1) cache 16 KB Level 2 (L2 or L3) cache 512 KB, 1 MB, or 2 MB (depending...
Page 37 - System Setup; Overview
Back to Contents Page System Setup Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Service Manual Overview Entering System Setup System Setup Screens System Setup Options Boot Sequence Clearing Forgotten Passwords Clearing CMOS Settings Overview Use system setup as follows: l To change the system c...
Page 39 - Option Settings; Changing Boot Sequence for Future Boots
Boot Sequence This feature allows you to change the boot sequence for devices. Option Settings l Diskette Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the floppy drive. If the floppy disk in the drive is not bootable, if no floppy disk is in the drive, or if there is no floppy drive installed in...
Page 42 - Technical Overview; Inside Your Computer; System Board Components
Back to Contents Page Technical Overview Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Service Manual Inside Your Computer System Board Components Power Supply DC Connector Pin Assignments Inside Your Computer Follow the procedures in " Before You Begin ." System Board Components CAUTION: Before yo...
Page 43 - Power Supply DC Connector Pin Assignments; DC Power Connector P1
Power Supply DC Connector Pin Assignments DC Power Connector P1
Page 46 - DC Power Connector P10
DC Power Connector P10 Back to Contents Page 1 +12 VB DC W h i t e 2 COM Black 3 COM Black 4 +5V DC Red Pin Number Signal Name 1 8-AWG Wire 1 +12 B VDC W h i t e 2 +12 B VDC W h i t e 3 +12 B VDC W h i t e 4 COM Black 5 COM Black 6 COM Black NOTE: The P10 connector is intended for use with...
Page 47 - Abbreviations and Acronyms
Back to Contents Page Dell™ Dimension™ 8400 Systems Service Manual Notes, Notices, and Cautions Abbreviations and Acronyms For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see the Dell Dimension Owner's Manual . If you purchased a Dell™ n Series computer, any references in this document to Mic...