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At CentricsIT, we are your IT experts. We are here to help with any IT maintenance issue that arises in your data center. If there is an error code that you can’t fix, we can help in our monthly FixIT column. This month, we’re covering the HP error code: BOOT_TRAP_TAKEN.

Error Code:

BOOT_TRAP_TAKEN

Explanation:

This is an HP error code. When you see the error code BOOT_TRAP_TAKEN, your server will most likely power on and display a flashing red light, but it will not start.

FixIT:

This error message will likely appear along with others and be very confusing. It might look similar to this example:

171 SFW 1 *3 0x64800FA001E00D60 FFFFFFFF002AFF74 MEM_CHIPSPARE_DEALLOC_RANK
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
172 SFW *5 0xC14D9F4527020D80 FF3F4070000F0300 Type-02 0f7000 1011712
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
173 SFW 1 *7 0xF680006B01E00D90 000000000000001E BOOT_UNEXPECTED_TRAP_POST_REDIR_TABLE
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
174 SFW *5 0xC14D9F4527020DB0 FF3F4070000F0300 Type-02 0f7000 1011712
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
175 SFW 1 *7 0xF680006601E00DC0 000000000000001E BOOT_TRAP_TAKEN
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
176 SFW *5 0xC14D9F4527020DE0 FF3F4070000F0300 Type-02 0f7000 1011712
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
177 SFW 1 *7 0xF680003C01E00DF0 0000000000005A00 BOOT_IVT_OFFSET

If this happens, the BOOT_TRAP_TAKEN error indicates that you may have attached devices not supported by the system. An example would be any external devices attached to USB ports (mouse, keyboard, etc.). Remove the additional devices and try to reboot again. Rebooting without the attached devices probably won’t start your machine, but it should clear BOOT_TRAP_TAKEN and make your error message much clearer. If we use the same example as above, here is the new error log after rebooting without the external USB devices attached.

171 SFW 1 *3 0x64800FA001E00D60 FFFFFFFF002AFF74 MEM_CHIPSPARE_DEALLOC_RANK
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
172 SFW *5 0xC14D9F4527020D80 FF3F4070000F0300 Type-02 0f7000 1011712
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
173 SFW 1 *7 0xF680006B01E00D90 000000000000001E BOOT_UNEXPECTED_TRAP_POST_REDIR_TABLE
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
174 SFW *5 0xC14D9F4527020DB0 FF3F4070000F0300 Type-02 0f7000 1011712
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
175 SFW 1 *7 0xF680006601E00DC0 000000000000001E BOOT_TRAP_TAKEN
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
176 SFW *5 0xC14D9F4527020DE0 FF3F4070000F0300 Type-02 0f7000 1011712
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59
177 SFW 1 *7 0xF680003C01E00DF0 0000000000005A00 BOOT_IVT_OFFSET
08 Apr 2011 17:25:59

It is now clear that the error causing the startup issue is a memory module problem (just in this example—yours may be a different error). In the case of our example, reseating the memory modules fixed the issue, and the server started right up! However, it took clearing BOOT_TRAP_TAKEN to actually get to the root of the problem.

If you have any further questions about this error, feel free to contact our dedicated IT support staff by calling us toll free at 1-877-531-7466. We offer a number of advanced IT repair services.

Want more out of your hardware support? Contact a Support Specialist at CentricsIT to employ a more proactive approach to your IT lifecycle management.