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TROUBLESHOOTING Troubleshooting Without Diagnostics
This section describes some simple, preliminary tests and
guidelines for troubleshooting the computer.
Checklist For Solving Minor
Problems
If you encounter some minor problem with the computer or
software application,
go through the following checklist for possible solutions before running any of the
diagnostic utilities:
- Is the computer connected to a working power outlet?
- Is the computer turned on and the power light illuminated?
- Are all cables connected properly and seated?
- Are all of the necessary device drivers installed?
- Is the CONFIG.SYS file correct?
- Is the AUTOEXEC.BAT file (MS-DOS) or STARTUP.CMD
file correct?
- Was a nonbootable diskette loaded in the diskette drive at
power-up?
- Are all switch settings correct?
- Was Computer Setup run after installing options (memory,
disk drives, etc.)
and before installing industry standard architecture boards?
Quick checks and possible solutions for problems related to
these topics:
are provided in the tables below. The procedure for resolving hardware conflicts is also
described.
Flat-panel monitor |
| Problem |
Probable
cause(s) |
Possible
solution |
| Screen is blank. |
Your computer may not support
flat-panel monitors. |
See your authorized dealer or
reseller about CPU support for the Digital Video Interface (DVI) needed. |
| Cannot find
video connector on rear of CPU for flat-panel monitor. |
Your computer
may not have a digital flat-panel port (DFPP). |
See your
authorized dealer or reseller about CPU support for flat-panel monitors. |
| The display only fills part of the
screen. |
The monitor does not support your
resolution setting. |
FP400 and FP500 Series flat-panel
monitors only support 1024 x 768 resolution mode. Change your resolution setting in the Display
dialog box:
| 1 |
Click on Start |
| 2 |
Point at Settings and click
on Control Panel |
| 3 |
Double-click on Display |
| 4 |
Click on the Setting tab, and
move the sliding pointer to give 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. |
|
| Green power
light is flashing. |
Your flat-panel
monitor does not support the video resolution or refresh rate. |
FP400 and FP500
Series flat-panel monitors only support 1024 x 768 resolution mode. Connect a VGA monitor
temporarily and change your resolution setting in the Display dialog box:
| 1 |
Click on Start |
| 2 |
Point at Settings and click
on Control Panel |
| 3 |
Double-click on Display |
| 4 |
Click on the Setting tab, and
move the sliding pointer to give 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. |
|
CD drive |
| Problem |
Probable
cause(s) |
Possible
solution |
| Cannot read compact disc. |
CD is not
properly seated in the drive. |
Eject the CD,
then re-insert it, pressing down on the CD firmly to correctly seat it in the drive. |
| CD has been
loaded upside down. |
Eject the CD,
turn it over, then reload. |
| CD may be dirty
or scratched. |
Clean the CD or
load another CD. |
| Cannot eject compact disc
(tray-load only). |
CD is not properly seated in the
drive. |
Turn off the computer, insert a
straightened paper clip into the emergency eject hole, then push firmly. Slowly pull the
tray out from the drive until the tray is fully extended, then remove the CD. |
| CD drive devices are not detected. |
Power cycle
delay. |
After turning
the computer off, wait 30 seconds before turning the computer on again. |
| CD drive is not
connected properly. |
Open the
computer and check to see that the drive cable is connected properly. |
| Proper driver
is not loaded |
Restart the
system and make sure the CD drive drivers are loaded. |
DVD drive |
| Problem |
Probable
cause(s) |
Possible
solution |
| Cannot read DVD disk |
DVD or CD is
not properly seated in the drive. |
Eject the DVD
or CD, press down on the DVD or CD firmly to correctly seat it in the drive, then reload. |
| DVD or CD has
been loaded upside down. |
Eject the disk,
turn it over, then reload. |
| DVD or CD disk
may be dirty or scratched. |
Load another
DVD disk. |
| DVD does not work in the
DOS mode. |
Proper drivers are not loaded. |
Restart the system and make sure
the DVD drive drivers are loaded. |
| Cannot
eject DVD disk. |
The system is
in the Sleep mode. |
Press the Power
button to bring the system back to full power, then eject the DVD. |
| The DVD,
diskette, or hard drive was active when attempting to eject the DVD. |
Wait until all
drive activity ends (the CD/hard drive light and diskette drive light will go out), then
try to eject the DVD. |
| DVD disk is not
properly seated in the drive. |
Turn off the
computer, insert a straightened paper clip into the emergency eject hole, then push
firmly. Slowly pull the tray out from the drive until the tray is fully extended, then
remove the DVD disk. |
| DVD
drive devices are not detected. |
DVD drive is not connected
properly. |
Open the computer and check to
see that the drive cable is connected properly. |
| Incorrect driver is installed. |
Ensure the correct driver is
installed in CONFIG.SYS. |
| Drive has been changed. |
Make sure the jumper setting is
set for "Slave." |
| Proper drivers are not loaded. |
Restart the system and make sure
the DVD drive drivers are loaded. |
Resolving
Hardware Conflicts
Hardware conflicts occur when two or more peripheral
devices attempt to use the same hardware resources. I/O addresses, interrupts, and DMA
channels are the most common hardware resources used by peripheral devices. For example,
the factory default settings for the MIDI port audio interface are:
| Base I/O address |
220H |
| MIDI Port Base I/O address |
330H |
| Interrupt |
IRQ 5 |
| 8-bit DMA |
Channel 1 |
When different peripheral devices use the same hardware
resources at the same time, the devices and/or the system may not function properly. You
can resolve hardware conflicts by ensuring that no devices are configured to use the same
hardware resources. These resources can either be dipswitch or jumper settings on the
peripheral card or software configurable resources. The Computer Setup selection of your
Compaq Utilities allows you to view and modify the settings for the peripheral devices
factory installed in your system. Refer to the User's Guide for the particular
peripheral cards you wish to install for information on how to view and select their
settings.
To resolve hardware conflicts:
| 1 |
Change the hardware settings of
your audio card or other peripheral card in your system if the peripheral card is using
any settings used by the factory-installed devices. |
| 2 |
If you are unsure of the settings
of the peripheral cards, you can isolate the source of the problem by temporarily removing
all cards not manufactured by Compaq, or resetting the default settings and running Compaq
Utilities. After that, add the cards back one at a time until the card that is causing the
conflict is found. |
Also see: System |
