Clearing CMOS
Power-On
Self Test
(POST)
Configuration
Diagnostic error
codes
Troubleshooting
without diagnostics
|
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 problems 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 disc. |
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. |
Return
to top
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 disk 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 or CD 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 drives, 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. |
Return
to top
Problem |
Probable
Cause(s) |
Possible
solution |
Digital
Dashboard displays component icons. |
Digital Dashboard
has not detected system components. |
When the
power button is pressed, the computer is powered on. The LCD display
displays the icons: keyboard, mouse, and monitor. When some components
are not detected, their icons are displayed. If these components are
seen by the system, the icons will disappear. |
Digital
Dashboard display is blank. |
Check the
power cable connection to the system board. |
When the
power cable is properly connected, the display will display, "Push
To Start." |
Return
to top
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,
Scandisk to check for problems. If problems exist, run Scandisk and
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 drives 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,
Scandisk to check for problems. If problems exist, run Scandisk and
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. |
Return
to top
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
to top
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 - Click
Here for replacement procedures. |
Computer
does not beep during POST. |
The speaker
volume may have been 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. |
Return
to top
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 an UHCI-compliant system, and OHCI-compliant
devices will only work with a OHCI-compliant system.) |
Return
to top
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.
|
Check the program disks.
|
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.
|
Either use another disk that
is not write-protected or move the write-protect tab on the disk
to the unprotected position.
|
Writing to the wrong drive.
|
Check the drive letter in your path
statement.
|
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. |
Using the
wrong disk type for the drive type. |
Use a disk
that is compatible with the drive. |
Reading the
wrong drive. |
Check the
drive letter in your path statement. |
Disk
drive has been disabled by Computer Setup. |
Run Computer
Setup and enable the disk drive. |
Return
to top
|