Maintenance
& Service Guide
Presario 1200 Series
Model: 1245
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Description | Troubleshooting
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Pin Assignments | Battery
Pack Operations
Solving Minor Problems
Some minor problems and possible solutions are
outlined in the following tables. If the problem appears related to a software
application, check the documentation provided with the software.
The following problems and possible solutions
are addressed:
Some common audio problems and solutions are
listed in the following table.
Solving Audio Problems |
Problem |
Probable Cause |
Solution(s) |
Computer does not beep
after the Power-On Self-Test (POST). |
This is typical; it
indicates successful completion of the Power-On Self-Test (POST). |
No action is required. |
Some common causes and solutions for battery pack problems
are listed in the following table.
The "Solving Power Problems" section in this chapter may also be applicable.
Solving Battery Pack and Battery Gauge Problems |
Problem |
Probable
Cause |
Solution(s) |
Computer won't turn on
when battery pack is inserted and power cord is unplugged. |
Battery pack is
discharged. |
Connect the computer to
an external power source and charge the battery pack. Replace the battery pack with a fully charged battery pack. |
|
|
Check the battery
connectors on the system board to verify that they are evenly spaced and are not bent or
broken. |
Computer is beeping
and battery LED icon is blinking. |
Battery charge is low. |
Immediately save any
open file(s). Then do any one of the following:
- Connect the computer to an external power source to
charge the battery pack.
- Turn off the computer or initiate Hibernation until
you can find another power source or charge the battery pack.
|
Computer battery LED
icon (front on the unit) blinks to indicate low battery condition, but computer does not
beep. |
Volume is turned down
too low. |
Adjust the volume. |
Battery LED icon doesn't
light and battery pack won't fast charge. |
Battery pack is already
charged. |
No action is necessary.
|
|
Battery pack was exposed
to temperature extremes. |
Allow time for the
battery pack to return to room temperature. |
|
Battery pack is at end
of its life. |
Replace battery pack. |
You have to set the date
and time every time you turn on the computer. |
RTC battery is dead. |
Replace the RTC battery.
|
Battery charge does not
last as long as expected. |
Battery is being exposed
to high temperatures or extremely cold temperatures. |
Keep the battery pack
within the recommended operating temperature range 50° F to 104° F (10° C to 40° C) or
recommended storage range -4° F to 86° F
(-20° C to 30° C ). Recharge the battery pack. |
|
Battery has partially
self-discharged. |
Recharge the battery.
Discharge the battery completely and then recharge it. |
|
Power management is
disabled. |
Set a power management
level in Computer Setup. |
|
An external device or PC
Card is draining the battery. |
Turn off or disconnect
external devices when not using them. |
Battery pack is warm to
the touch after charging. |
Normal warming has
occurred due to charging. |
No action is required. |
Battery pack operating
time is far less than the documented average operating time. |
Power management is
turned off or disabled. |
Enable power management
in Computer Setup and in Windows Power Properties. |
|
An external device or PC
Card is draining the battery. |
Turn off or disconnect
external devices when not using them. |
|
Battery pack has
partially self-discharged. |
Condition the battery
pack by fully charging, fully discharging, then fully recharging it. To maintain the charge, leave battery packs in the computer
when it is connected to external power.
If the computer is disconnected from external
power for more than two weeks, remove battery packs from the computer to reduce the
discharge rate. |
|
Battery pack is being
exposed to high temperatures or extremely cold temperatures. |
Keep the battery pack
within the recommended temperature ranges.
Operating: 50° F to 104° F
(10° C to 40° C)
Storage: -4° F to 86° F
(-20° C to 30° C )Recharge the battery
pack. |
Some common causes and solutions
for CD drive problems are listed in the following table.
Solving CD Drive Problems |
Problem |
Probable Cause |
Solution(s) |
CD drive cannot read a
compact disc. |
Compact disc is upside
down or is improperly inserted in the CD drive. |
Open the CD loading
tray, lay the compact disc in it (label side up), then close the tray. |
|
CD is CD Plus or
Pregap/Track 0 type. |
Cannot read these type
CDs in 24x. Remove the CD. |
Some common causes and solutions for diskette
and diskette drive problems are listed in the following table.
Solving Diskette and Diskette Drive Problems |
Problem |
Probable Cause |
Solution(s) |
Diskette drive
cannot write to a diskette. |
Diskette is
write-protected. |
Disable the
diskette's write-protect feature or use a diskette that is not write-protected. |
|
Computer is
writing to the wrong drive. |
Check the drive
letter in the path statement. |
|
Not enough space
is left on the diskette. |
Use another
diskette. |
|
Drive error has
occurred. |
Run Computer
Checkup from the Compaq Diagnostics diskette. |
|
Diskette is not
formatted. |
Format the
diskette. At the system prompt, enter
FORMAT A: |
Diskette drive
cannot read a diskette. |
The wrong type of
diskette is being used. |
Use the type of
diskette required by the drive. |
|
Diskette has a
bad sector. |
Copy files to
hard drive or another diskette. Reformat bad floppy. |
|
Drive error has
occurred. |
Run Computer
Checkup from the Compaq Diagnostics diskette. |
|
Diskette is not
formatted. |
Format
the diskette. At the system prompt, enter
FORMAT A: |
Cannot boot from
diskette. |
Bootable diskette
is not in drive A. |
Put the bootable
diskette in drive A. |
|
Diskette Boot has
incorrect setting in Computer Setup. |
Run Computer
Setup and set diskette as first to boot. |
Solving Display
Problems
This section lists some common causes and
solutions for computer display and external monitor problems.
You can perform a monitor self-test on an
external VGA color or monochrome monitor by disconnecting the monitor from the computer.
To do so, complete the following steps:
1. Turn off the monitor.
2. Turn off the computer.
3. Disconnect the monitor signal cable from
the computer.
4. Turn on the monitor and allow it to warm up
for one minute.
The display should be white. A narrow black
border may also appear on the left and right sides of the display. Either of
these displays indicates that the monitor is working properly.
Solving Display Problems |
Problem |
Probable
Cause |
Solution(s) |
Screen
is dim. |
Control
for brightness or contrast (if applicable) is not set properly. |
Adjust the Brightness of the display by using Fn + F7
or
Fn + F8.
Adjust the Contrast of the display by using Fn + F5 or Fn + F6. |
|
Computer
screen is in direct light. |
Tilt
display or move computer. |
Screen
is blank. |
Screen
save was initiated by Power Management due to lack of user activity. |
Press
any key or touch the
Touch Pad. |
|
Display
has overheated. |
If
computer is in direct sunlight, move it and allow it to cool off. |
Display
is blank and the Power icon is flashing, or the Suspend icon is present. |
System
is in Suspend mode. |
Press
any key or touch the
Touch Pad. |
Internal
display is blank and the screen on an external monitor displays information. |
Display
function was switched to the external monitor. |
Use Fn
+ F3 to switch between LCD or CRT. |
Internal display
flashes or has garbled characters when computer is connected to external monitor. |
Using 1024 × 768
or higher resolution on external monitor and have toggled back to internal display, which
supports up to 800 × 600. |
Restart the
computer. |
The light tubes on the
edge of the display panel do not light up at all and Power-On Self-Test (POST) completes
when the unit is powered up.** |
Improper backlight or
display cable connections |
Replace the display
assembly. |
|
Defective inverter
board. |
Replace the display
assembly. |
|
Defective display cable. |
Replace the display
assembly. |
|
Defective display panel. |
Replace the display
assembly. |
|
Defective system board. |
Replace the system
board. |
The light tubes on the
edge of the display panel do not light up at all and Power-On Self-Test (POST) does not
complete when the unit is powered up.** |
Defective system board. |
Replace the system
board. |
Backlight (brightness)
cannot be adjusted with Fn + F7 or Fn + F8. |
Improper display cable
connections. |
1. Reseat the display
cable to the system board. 2. Replace the
display assembly. |
|
Defective inverter
board. |
Replace the display
assembly. |
|
Defective display cable. |
Replace the display
assembly. |
|
Defective system board. |
Replace the system
board. |
Contrast cannot be
adjusted with
Fn + F5 or Fn + F6. |
System may have a TFT
display (which is always at maximum contrast) |
No adjustment is
possible. |
|
Improper display-cable
connections. |
1. Reseat the display
cable to the system board. 2. Replace the
display assembly. |
|
Defective inverter
board. |
Replace the display
assembly. |
|
Defective display cable. |
Replace the display
assembly. |
|
Defective system board. |
Replace the system
board. |
** This problem
indicates that the backlight or its power circuitry has failed. Since you cannot observe
the POST result on the display panel when the backlight is not functioning, connect the
unit to an external monitor before powering the unit up. If an external monitor is not
available, verify that POST completes by opening and closing the display, listening for
the single or double beep, and watching for the LEDs to turn on at the front of the
computer. |
Problem |
Probable
Cause |
Solution(s) |
This
display panel has a continuous pattern across it (e.g., a "jailbars" pattern),
has a single color on it, or has garbled graphics across the entire panel. This failure is
for patterns across the entire panel
(not just on one section). |
Improper
display cable connections |
Reseat the
display cable to the following until the problem is solved: 1. System board
2. Display assembly |
|
Defective
display cable. |
Replace the
display assembly. |
|
Defective
inverter board. |
Replace the
display assembly. |
|
Defective
system board. |
Replace the
system board. |
Ghost bars
extending from graphics on the display. |
Common
characteristic of STN displays. |
1. Change
the background colors. 2. Adjust the
Contrast of the display by using Fn + F5 or Fn + F6. |
A single
line, a small group of lines, or a block appears on the display panel. This failure occurs
in only a section of the display panel. |
Defective
display panel. |
Replace the
display assembly. |
NOTE: |
To perform a
"self-test" on an external VGA color or monochrome monitor, note the following:
The screen should be white. A narrow black border may also appear on the left and right
sides of the display. Either of these displays indicates that the monitor is working
properly. |
Some common causes and solutions for hard drive
problems are listed in the following table.
 |
CAUTION: To prevent loss of information, always maintain an
up-to-date backup of your hard drive at all times, in case of errors or failures. |
Solving Hard Drive Problems |
Problem |
Probable Cause |
Solution(s) |
Reading hard drive takes
an unusually long time after restarting the computer. |
System entered
Hibernation due to low battery condition and is now exiting from it. |
Give the system time to
restore the previously saved data to its exact state before Hibernation. |
Hard drive error occurs. |
Hard drive has bad
sectors or has failed. |
Run Computer Checkup. |
Hard drive does not
work. |
Hard drive is not seated
properly. |
Turn off and unplug the
computer, remove the battery pack, and remove and then reinstall the hard drive. |
Some common causes and solutions for hardware installation
problems are listed in the following table.
Solving Hardware Installation Problems |
Problem |
Probable Cause |
Solutions(s) |
A new device is not
recognized as part of the computer system. |
Cable(s) of new
external device are loose, or power cables are unplugged. |
Ensure that all
cables are properly and securely connected. |
|
Power switch of new
external device is not turned on. |
Turn off the
computer, turn on the external device, then turn on the computer to integrate the
device with the computer system. |
|
Device is not seated
properly. |
Turn off the
computer and reinsert the device. |
Some common causes and solutions for
keyboard/numeric keypad problems are listed in the following table.
Solving Keyboard/Numeric Keypad Problems |
Problem |
Probable Cause |
Solution(s) |
Embedded numeric
keypad on computer keyboard is disabled. |
Num Lock function
is not enabled. |
Press the Shift+NumLk
keys to enable the Num Lock function and embedded numeric keypad. The Num Lock icon on the
status panel turns on. |
Embedded numeric
keypad is disabled and Num Lock function is on. |
External numeric
keypad is connected to the computer. |
Disconnect the
external numeric keypad from the computer. |
Some common causes and solutions for
memory problems are listed in the following table.
Solving Memory Problems |
Problem |
Probable
Cause |
Solution(s) |
Memory
count during Power-On Self-Test (POST) is incorrect. |
Optional
memory expansion card is installed incorrectly, is incompatible with
the computer, or is defective. |
Ensure
that the optional memory expansion card is installed correctly. |
"Out
of Memory" message is displayed on the screen or insufficient memory
error occurs during operation. |
System
ran out of memory for the application. |
Check
the application documentation for memory requirements.
Install additional memory. |
|
Too
many TSR (terminate-and stay-resident) applications are running. |
Remove
from memory any TSR applications that you do not need. |
Solving Minor Problems
(continued)
or return to the Troubleshooting
index page.
|