This stupid machine wont boot, need help please!

[GhettoBlaster]

I got an old Dell here, its a Dimension XPS T500 which is a P3 500. The harddrive in this computer is formatted so there is nothing on it. The only other IDE device is a Plextor that I planned on using as the drive to install the OS. We got nothing but the vid card in there which is a Voodoo3 3000 AGP.

Well we get video cause I see the bootup screen. It does a ram count. It properly identifies the harddrive and cd drive. Then I get this message:

System Configuation Data Updated
ERROR
0271! Check date and time setting

Press <esc> to continue or <del> to go to setup

Well when I press ESC the screen goes black and just sits there. And if I hit DEL it will just sit there. I need some help.....

 

[GAZZA]

Was the V3 the original card installed in this pc ?

If not do you have the original card to use ?

Have you tried resetting the cmos at all ?

If you don't have a jumper to clear the cmos then you could take the battery out and then pop it back in.

If you still end up having the same thing then I suggest going to the Dell web site and contacting customer support.

 

[GhettoBlaster]

I am not sure if the V3 is the original vid card or not. I do have another vid card I could use. I didnt think vid was the prob since I do get output to the screen. I have popped out the battery and put it right back in but that didnt seem to work, maybe i will just try that again and see what happens.

 

[GAZZA]

I would logon to customer support at Dell and see if you can find that error code listed on their database , or contact them directly via email or by phone.

 

[gentobu]

there should be some LEDs on the back of the machine, if they are any combination of orange and green then you can use this to help figure out what the problem is. There are some system error codes on that page too, but I cant find the one you are having.

 

[gentobu]

System Configuation Data Updated
ERROR
0271! Check date and time setting

Press <esc> to continue or <del> to go to setup

I did a search on google and came up with this. Most every thing just says to set the time and date, but you cant do that. Since you already tried reseating the battery I would try replacing it (or testing it to make sure it is not dead) and see if that works. If its still under warranty I would suggest you just call dell, If the guy cant figure out whats wrong he'll probably just replace the whole system board.