Introduction

^{IBM-AUSTRIA - PC-HW-Support 30 Aug 1999}

Introduction

Introduction

Important Service Information

Important Diskette fixes are customer installable.
The diskette fixes are located on the PC Company Bulletin Board Service (BBS).
The direct phone line for modem connection is 919-557-0001 or tieline 255-0001.

Advise customers to contact the PC Company HelpCenter at 800-772-2227 if they need assistance in obtaining or installing any diskette fixes.

Customers in Canada should call IBM HelpPC at 800-565-3344 for assistance or down-load information.
The Canadian BBS phone numbers are:

Montreal 514-938-3022
Toronto 905-316-4255
Vancouver 604-664-6464
Winnipeg 204-934-2735

FRU Replacement Strategy

Before Replacing Parts Ensure that all diskette fixes are installed prior to replacing any FRUs listed in this manual.
Use the following strategy to prevent unnecessary FRU replacement and service expense:

If you are instructed to replace a FRU and that does not correct the problem, reinstall the original FRU before you continue.
Some computers have both a processor board and a system board. If you are instructed to replace either the processor board or the system board, and the first board that you replaced does not correct the problem, reinstall the original board, then replace the other (processor or system) board.
If an adapter or device consists of more than one FRU, an error code may be caused by any of the FRUs. Before replacing the adapter or device, remove the FRUs, one by one, to see if the symptoms change. Replace only the FRU that changed the symptoms.

Attention A customized setup configuration (other than default settings) may exist on the computer you are servicing.
Running Automatic Configuration may alter those settings. Note the current configuration settings (using the View Configuration option) and verify that the settings are in place when service is complete.

Hard Disk Drive Replacement Strategy:

Always try to run a low-level format before replacing a hard disk drive.

Attention The drive startup sequence in the computer you are servicing might have been changed.
Be extremely careful during write operations such as copying, saving, or formatting.
Data or programs can be overwritten if you select an incorrect drive.

How to Use Error Messages

Use the error codes displayed on the screen to diagnose failures.
If more than one error code is displayed, begin the diagnosis with the first error code.
The cause of the first error code can result in false error codes being displayed. If no error code is displayed, see if the error symptom is listed in the Symptom-to-FRU Index for the computer you are servicing.

How to Read POST Error Messages

POST error messages are displayed on the screen as three, four, five, or eight digits.
The error messages that can be displayed as shorter POST messages are highlighted in this index.
Some digits will represent different information for SCSI errors versus non-SCSI errors.

The following example shows which digits display the shorter POST error messages and also defines the SCSI information in an eight-digit error message.

Shorter POST Messages +-------------------+ | | | | | +---------------------------------------+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +---------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | Reserved | | | | | | Size (SCSI) +---------+ | | Slot Number (SCSI) Device Code | Logical Unit Number (SCSI) ID (SCSI)

All SCSI devices are set to a different SCSI ID. Duplicate SCSI ID settings can generate a false error message.
Use the SCSI ID to determine whether the error message is coming from an internal or an external device.

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