Computer Stuck On Logo Screen

[jusama14]

Hello I'm running a:
Dell Dimension E510
Pentium D dual core 2.8ghz
1gb ram
80gb Hdd
128mb ATI radeon x300 SE Hypermemory

The Problem I'm having is that sometimes when I restart my computer, the computer gets stuck on the dell logo screen usually if I force restart 2-3 more times it would work fine but just yesterday I restarted and the same thing happened...even after several force shutdown/restart it wouldn't work...I opened up the computer and unplugged all unnecessary hardware to boot a computer but the same problem persisted.
I went away for a while and came back then tried a couple of more times and luckily I got it to boot. Now that the computer is on what steps should I take to prevent this from happening again?

[dahlarbear]

1.  Dell Logo.  Stop staring at the Dell logo during boot.  Because you're having problems booting your system you should be viewing the Power-On Self Test (POST) diagnostic screen instead.  You need to become familiar with what a normal boot looks like for your machine.  If you get "lucky" you might see a difference for an abnormal boot (different messages, time delays?).  Maybe it appears hung because it's taking time to count up and check the memory?

To view the POST diagnostic screen, try hitting the "Escape" key when the Dell logo appears.  Hopefully this is the right key to take down the Dell logo and show you the diagnostic steps that happen during boot.

You should also change your BIOS settings via CMOS setup to display the most information available during boot.  Within CMOS setup look for and set the following POST behavior parameters:

    Fast boot :  Off  (Off - slows boot as more POST diagnostics are run)
    Numlock key:  On
    POST Hotkeys:  Setup & Boot Menu
    Keyboard Errors:  Report

The information above was taken from page 113 of your Operator's Manual:

    http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5150/en/om/WD846A02.pdf


2.  Dell Diagnostics:

Your could try running the Dell diagnostics that originally came with your system:

    http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5150/en/sm/tshoot1.htm


3.  Hard Disk Drive.  Wild guess...  I'd look toward the hard disk drive or its cabling.  Maybe it's having trouble reading the disk...  You could go to the disk drive manufacturer's web site, download and run the disk drive diagnostics most of them provide.


4.  If you're logged in under your operating system, per page 33 of your owners manual, you may "RUN DISK CHECK":

    1  Click the Start button and click My Computer.
    2  Right-click Local Disk C:.
    3  Click Properties.
    4  Click the Tools tab.
    5  Under Error-checking, Check Now.
    6  Click Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
    7  Click start.

[jusama14]

I know the computer runs POST when I turn on the computer, I was just being on the safe side and letting you know exactly what screen..