In our case, we are using Dell XPS 13 (9340) with Windows 11 and it completely froze and gave us an error code of 1 orange followed by 8 white (1,8). It was flashing 1 orange then 8 yellow then pause in a rhythmic fashion over and over again.
Dell uses the LED light patterns to troubleshoot the device. But this pattern is not listed in the table under XPS 13 diagnostics error codes
| Diagnostic light codes | Problem description |
|---|---|
| 2,1 | Processor failure |
| 2,2 | System board: BIOS or ROM (Read-Only Memory) failure |
| 2,3 | No memory or RAM (Random-Access Memory) detected |
| 2,4 | Memory or RAM (Random-Access Memory) failure |
| 2,5 | Invalid memory installed |
| 2,6 | System-board or chipset error |
| 2,7 | Display failure |
| 2,8 | Display power failure - EC detection of power-rail failure |
| 3,2 | PCI, video card or chip failure |
| 3,3 | Recovery image not found |
| 3,4 | Recovery image found but invalid |
| 3,5 | EC power-rail error |
| 3,6 | System BIOS Flash incomplete |
| 3,7 | Management Engine (ME) error |
Solution
Here are the best ways to troubleshoot a Dell laptop that won't turn on or freeze.
- If the Laptop is powered via dock, switch to direct power supply and try to shutdown and restart.
- Press and held the power button for 30s to discharge any remaining components. Error code will stop. You will get a "Windows failed to boot correctly" prompt initially, but a restart brought it back to normal.
- Run a diagnostic test. To run it, press F12 repeatedly when the Dell logo appears. On the boot menu screen, select the Diagnostics option.