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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 |
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 |