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Maintenance and Service Guide Compaq Presario 4900, 5000, & 5100 Series Computers
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Troubleshooting without diagnostics
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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:
> CD drive | hard drive | VGA monitor
> diskette drive | hardware installation |
> DVD drive | power |
> flat-panel monitor | USB ports |
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, press down on the CD firmly to correctly seat it in the drive, then reload.
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 maufactured 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.
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