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RESETTING
USER PASSWORDS
POWER-ON
SELF TEST (POST)
CONFIGURATION
DIAGNOSTIC
ERROR CODES
TROUBLESHOOTING WITHOUT
DIAGNOSTICS
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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 the working
power outlet?
- Is the computer turned on and the power
light illuminated?
- Are all the 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 disk loaded in the
disk drive at power-up?
- Are all the switch settings correct?
- Was Computer Setup run after installing
options (memory, disk drives, etc.) and booted installing industry standard
architecture boards?
Quick checks and possible solutions for
problems related to these topics:
In addition, this section provides information
for resolving hardware conflicts.
| Problem |
Probable
Cause |
Possible
Solution |
| Cannot
read compact disc. |
CD is not
properly seated in the drive. |
Eject the
CD, then re-insert it, pressing 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. |
Load another
CD. |
|
Cannot eject compact disc (tray-load
only).
|
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 if the cable is connected properly. |
| Proper driver
is not loaded. |
Restart the
system and make sure the drivers are loaded. |
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| Problem |
Probable Cause |
Possible Solution |
| Cannot
read DVD disc. |
DVD or CD
is not properly seated in the drive. |
Eject DVD
or CD, press down on the disc firmly to correctly seat it in the drive. |
| DVD or CD
has been loaded upside down. |
Eject the
disc, turn it over, then reload. |
| DVD or CD
disc may be dirty or scratched. |
Load another
DVD disc. |
| DVD does
not work in the DOS mode. |
Proper drivers
are not loaded. |
Restart the
system and make sure the DVD drivers are loaded. |
| Cannot
eject DVD disc. |
The system
is in the Sleep mode. |
Press the
Power button to bring the system up to full power, then eject the
DVD. |
| The DVD,
disk, or hard drive was active when attempting to eject the DVD. |
Wait until
all drive activity ends, then eject the DVD. |
| DVD disc
is not properly seated in the drive. |
Turn off
the computer, insert a straight pin into the emergency eject hole,
then push firmly. Slowly pull the tray out from the drive until fully
extended, then remove the DVD disc. |
| DVD
drive devices are not detected. |
DVD drive
is not connected properly. |
Open the
computer and check to see that the cable is connected properly. |
| Incorrect
driver is installed. |
Ensure the
correct driver is installed in computer.
|
| Drive has
been changed. |
Make sure
the jumper setting is set for "Setup." |
| Proper drivers
are not loaded. |
Restart the
system and make sure the DVD drivers are loaded. |
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| Problem |
Probable Cause(s) |
Possible Solution |
| Hard drive
error occurs. |
Hard disk
has bad sectors or has failed. |
Run Computer
Setup. Reformat the hard disk. |
| Drive
not found. |
Cable could
be loose. |
Check cable
connections. |
| Disk transaction
problem. |
Either the
directory structure is bad or there is a problem with a file. |
From the
desktop click on the Start menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools,
and check for problems. If problems exist, checkmark the "Automatically
fix errors" box at the bottom to correct the problems. If a large
enough allocation unit is found, click on the Start button and choose
Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. |
| Nonsystem
disk message. |
The system
is trying to start from a disk that is not bootable. |
Remove the
disk from the disk drive. |
| The system
is trying to start from the hard drive but the hard disk is damaged. |
Insert a
bootable disk into the disk drive and restart the computer with Ctrl+Alt+Del. |
| Disk boot
is disabled in Computer Setup. |
Run Computer
Setup and enable disk drives. |
| Hard drive
operation seems slow, or hard drive activity light is not on, or stays
on without blinking. |
The hard
disk files may be fragmented. |
From the
desktop click on the Start menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools,
and check for problems. If problems exist, checkmark the "Automatically
fix errors" box at the bottom to correct the problems. If a large
enough allocation unit is found, click on the Start button and choose
Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. |
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| Problem |
Probable
Cause(s) |
Possible
Solutions |
| A
new device is not recognized as part of the computer system. |
When the
system advised you of changes to the configuration, you did not save
the changes. |
Reboot the
computer and follow the instructions for saving changes. |
| The system
may not have automatically recognized the new device. |
Run Computer
Setup and identify the device. |
| The cables
for the new external device are loose, or the power cables are unplugged. |
Check all
cables. |
| The power
switch for the new external device is not turned on. |
Turn off
the computer, turn on the external device, and then turn on the computer
to integrate the new modes of the computer. |
Return
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| Problem |
Possible
Solution |
| Computer
will not turn on. |
Ensure that
the computer is connected to a power supply. |
| Computer
does not automatically display the date and time. |
The real-time
clock (RTC) battery may need to be replaced - use the Click Here for
replacement procedures. |
| Computer
does not beep during POST. |
The speaker
volume may is turned down. Select the Volume option from the Control
Panel and adjust the volume. |
| Computer
powered off automatically. |
The unit
temperature may have been exceeded. Check for function and blockage. |
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| Problem |
Probable
Cause(s) |
Possible
Solution |
| Port 3
cannot work with any slow speed devices. |
The device
is plugged into the wrong port. |
Check to
see if the keyboard is plugged into the CPU. Ensure that the USB device
is properly inserted into the port. |
| USB device
does not work with the system. |
The USB device
and the system may use different USB architectures. |
Ensure that
the USB device and the system have the same USB architecture. (UHCI-compliant
devices only work with a UHCI-compliant system, and compliant devices
will only work with a OHCI-compliant system.) |
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| Problem |
Probable Cause(s) |
Possible Solution |
| Disk
drive light stays on. |
Disk may
be damaged. |
Remove disk,
insert new disk into disk drive. |
| Disk may
be installed incorrectly |
Remove disk,
reinsert into disk drive. |
| Software
program may be damaged. |
|
| Disk
drive cannot write to a disk. |
Disk is not
formatted. |
Format disk.
Important: Formatting removes all saved information from the
disk. |
| Disk is write-protected. |
Move the
write-protect tab on the disk to the unprotected position |
| Writing to
the wrong drive. |
|
| Not enough
space is left on the disk. |
Remove disk,
insert new disk into disk drive. |
| Disk
drive cannot read a disk. |
Disk is not
formatted. |
Format disk.
Important: Formatting removes all saved information from the
disk. |
| Using the
wrong disk type for the drive type. |
|
| Reading the
wrong drive. |
|
| Disk drive
has been disabled by Computer Setup. |
|
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