IMS 453 Troubleshooting

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TROUBLESHOOTING (Hardware & Software problem)

Loose connection A loose connection between a computer and a component can give the appearance of hardware failure. You should always make sure components are securely connected to the computer. Power fluctuations One of the most common causes of hardware failure is repeated exposure to power fluctuations, such as spikes, surges and blackouts. You can connect a computer to an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to protect the computer from power fluctuations. Dust and dirt Dust and dirt inside a computer are common causes of hardware failure. Dust and dirt can cause increased temperatures and short-circuiting inside a computer. You should clean a computer on a regular basis to keep hardware in good working order. Component Age Many components simply fail after they have been used for several years. Components such as hard drives, floppy drives and fans, which contain moving parts eventually wear out. If properly maintained, most computer components can last 5 years or more. Heat All computer components generate heat as they operate. If the temperature in a computer gets too high, hardware failures can occur. To prevent overheating, you should always ensure that a computer has adequate ventilation and that the fan opening at the back of the computer is not blocked.

Defective media

IMS 453 Troubleshooting Defective storage media, such as a floppy disk or type cartridge, can give the appearance of a failed storage device. You should try using a different floppy disk or tape cartridge to determine whether the media or the device is at fault. Defective component Defects can cause a component to fail when it is first installed in a computer or after only a short period of use. Although the quality and reliability of new components have increased in recent years, up to 10 percent of new components may be defective when they are purchased. Check the manual The first step in troubleshooting a hardware problem is to check the documentation for the computer or device for troubleshooting information. Manuals usually provide detailed information about the most common problems. Check connections A loose connection is a common cause of hardware problems. Make sure the components are securely connected to the computer. Check the driver Most computer components require software, called a driver to operate. You should ensure you are using the correct and most up-to-date driver for the component you think is causing the problem. Test multiple possibilities Testing multiple possibilities can help you find the cause of a problem. For example, if a floppy drive cannot access data on a floppy disk, the problem may be cause by the driver on the disk. To find the cause, try using another disk. If the floppy drive cannot access data on the second disk, the drive is likely the cause of the problem.

Try another component You can try using another component to troubleshoot a problem. For example, if you think the video card is malfunctioning, try replacing it with a video card you know

IMS 453 Troubleshooting works properly. Of the problem stops, the original video card is likely the cause of the problem. Move and remove component Moving and removing components can help you troubleshoot a problem. For example, if you suspect an expansion card is causing a problem, first try moving the card to another expansion slot. If the problem stops, it may be due to the original expansion slot. If the problem persists, you can remove the expansion card and restart the computer to see if the problem still exists. If the problem stops, it is likely due to the expansion cards. Tools Bootable rescue disk. Flat-head screwdriver (slotted) Philips-head screwdriver (bunga) Torx screwdriver (Allign key) Tweezers for picking pieces of paper Chip extractor to remove chip Extractor, a spring-loaded device that looks likes a hypodermic needle. Multimeter to check the power output. Ground bracelet. Antistatic bags to store. Pen and paper to taking notes Utility software. Virus detection software on disk. Compressed air (sembur habuk) Drive cleaner Brush

Protect Yourself, Hardware and Software The most common threat to hardware electrostatic discharge (ESD) known as static electricity. A ground bracelet, is worn on your wrist and is grounded to a ground mat, computer case of a ground prong of wall outlet.

IMS 453 Troubleshooting Troubleshooting on Coprocessor 1. Many manufactures provide diagnostics on diskette for the microprocessor that can be used for great advantage. 2. Be sure you software is aware of a newly installed numeric coprocessor. You might have to reinstall the software or set certain software parameters to indicate the presence of the coprocessor. 3. Do you have two video cards installed in your system? They may not be correctly configured. Such a situation can cause apparent CPU problems. 4. If after trying the above you conclude that the CPU or motherboard is defective, try replacing the CPU, then the motherboard. This should be your last resort. 5. If you are running DOS version 6.0 or higher, you can use the msd command to obtain info about the processor. Troubleshooting on Hard Drive 6. Check the cables (including the power cable) to see that they are

properly and securely connected. You might also try replacing the control and data cables. In the dry and dusty environment inside the computer, cables tend to be crack. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Ensure that the jumpers are set correctly. If an error like Disk not found is displayed, rerun the setup program. An error like Missing command interpreter means that a valid copy Try reseating the disk controller card (remove and install it). Persistent grinding noises are the sign of a bad disk or possibly a Use the DOS defrag command as a free compaction tool to If you are running DOS version 6.0 or higher, you can use the msd

of command.com doest not exist in the root directory of the hard disk.

power supply. enhance disk performance. command to obtain info about the disk devices. Eg: Attrib.exe, Chkdsk.exe, edit.com emm386.exe , fdisk.exe, format.com , scandisk.exe , sys.com , Himem.sys , undelete.exe

Troubleshooting on Memory 14. Be sure that any memory chips you have added are properly seated in their holders. Beware of curried pins.

IMS 453 Troubleshooting 15. 16. 17. Are SIMM or DIMM modules properly seated? Remove and reinstall each one. Make sure the SIMMs have correct or consistent part numbers. For example, if there are four installed SIMMs, they usually must be the same size. If you are running DOS version 6.0 or higher, you can use the mem command to obtain info about the system memory. Eg: MEM /C \MORE , MEM /C >PRN , MEMMAKER /UNDO Troubleshooting on Power Supply 18. 19. 20. 21. The most common sign of a bad or inadequate power supply will be surging noises coming from hard disk or repeated disk failures on the floppy disk. Check the power supply directly with a multimeter. Fan be sure it is working. A damaged fan can caused the computer to overheat, which can destroy the power supply. Use only power supplies specifically designed for your type of computer.

Connect a UPS 22. Before connecting a UPS, turn off the computer and monitor. Unplug the computers power cable from the electrical outlet and plug it into the outlet on the UPS 23. 24. 25. Unplug the monitors power power cable from the electrical outlet and plug it into the outlet on the UPS Plug the power cable from the UPS into an electrical outlet. Turn on the UPS.

Troubleshooting on Monitor 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. Check the contrast and brightness before assuming the screen is faulty. Be sure that the software you are running is aware of the current video configuration. Try reseating the video card (remove and reinstall it) Beware of bad power supplies affecting display performance. Do not leave monitor on when not in use because this practice can reduce the life of the monitor and cause permanent ghost images on the screen. DOS command, placed in the autoexec.bat file by you or by installation software, can affect the screen display. Check autoexec.bat such commands and verify that they make sense in computer configuration: Eg - Mode mo80 (sets display as monochrome 80)

IMS 453 Troubleshooting - Mode co80 (sets display as color 80 columns) - Mode co40 32. 33. Try moving the video card to a different slot. Take advantage of any diagnostic / setup software supplied with your video card. THERE ARE SEVERAL COMMON CAUSES OF HARDWARE FAILURE. BEING AWARE OF THE CAUSES OF HARDWARE ARE FAILURE CAN HELP YOU AVOID PROBLEM. No of beeps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ERROR Codes Error Number 101 199 201 - 299 301 399 601 699 901 999 1101 1199 1701 1799 Problem System board error RAM error Keyboard error Floppy drive error Printer port error Serial port error Hard drive error Problem Memory error Memory error Memory error System time error CPU error Keyboard controller error CPU error Video card error BIOS error CMOS error Cache memory error

What is an IRQ ? An IRQ is really an interrupt Request line. In the case of expansion board, and it is an actual contact (finger) on the board, and it is a corresponding pin in the sockets on the bus connected by a trace on the motherboard. A device sends a interrupt to the motherboards interrupt circuitry by changing the voltage level on the interrupt request line. This voltage change acts via interrupt controller circuitry to interrupt the processor to service the device needing the CPU attention. Simply put, if for example, a seriap port

IMS 453 Troubleshooting is receiving data from a MODEM, it can wait until its buffer overflows for the CPU to come to its assistance. The CPU will then temporally store the program and data it is working on in an area of memory know as the stack and load a routing (program) to service the interrupting device, service the device (move the data out of its buffer) and then restore the program and then restore the program and it was previously working on and resume what is was doing. A CPU can be interrupted many times a seconds a marvelously complicated affair when one considers that a CPU can be working on one interrupt request and be interrupt in this task by still another IRQ request of a higher priority, and that it usually does all of this juggling without losing a beat or data. IRQ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 USUAL FUNCTION / DEVICE System Timer Keyboard 2nd IRQ controller COM2 : COM1 : Free (Used by LPT2 : or sound card) Floppy Disk LPT1 Real Time Clock (RTC) Free (May be labeled/appear as IRQ2) Free (often used by sound cards) Free PS/2 mouse Math coprocessor on CPU (used) Primary IDE Secondary IDE

DMA DMA stands for Direct Memory Access. DMA allows computer peripherals to communicate directly with computers RAM memory, by passing the processor. With DMA, peripherals work faster and use less processor power. In modern computers, DMA access is negotiated by the computers BIOS during startup, or by the operating system. Computer has a limited number of DMA channels available, but modern computers rarely run out.

IMS 453 Troubleshooting DMA 0 1 Bus line No 8/16 bit Typical Default Use Memory refresh Sound card (low DMA) Other common uses None SCSI host adapters, ECP parallel ports, tape accelerator cards, network 2 3 8/16 bit 8/16 bit Floppy Disk controller Non cards, voice modems Tape accelerator cards ECP parallel ports, adapter, tape

SCSI

host cards,

accelerator

sound card (low DMA), network cards, voice modems, hard disk controller on 4 5 6 7 No 16 bit only 16 bit only 16 bit only None: Cascade old PC/XT for None SCSI host adapters, network card Sound cards (high DMA), network card Sound cards (high DMA), network card

DMAs 0 3 Sound card (high DMA) None None

Check for viruses Software problems may be caused by a computer virus. You can use an anti-virus to check the computer for viruses. Most anti-virus programs also include a virus removal features when it found virus. Check the updates Software manufactures often create minor software updates, called patches or service pack, to fix known bugs and problems with the software. You can check the software manufactures web site to see if a patch or service pack exists that fixes your problem. Reinstall software If problem occurs only when you use s specific program, you may able to correct the problem by reinstalling the software. Reinstalling software replaces the program files on the computer with a new copy. If the cause of a problem is deleted or corrupted program files, reinstalling the software may correct the problem. Uninstall software If you suspect the problems you are experiencing are caused by a particular software, you can remove the software to see if the problems stop. Most software come with a

IMS 453 Troubleshooting utility that lets you uninstall the program. Some operating systems, such as Windows ME and Windows 2000 also include an uninstall utility where you can use to uninstall the software. Reinstall Operating System If you are experiencing problems with many of the programs installed on a computer, the operating system may be caused of the problems. An operating system can become corrupted when system files are accidentally deleted or damaged. Reinstalling the operating system may resolve the problems. Safe Mode Safe Mode is troubleshooting tool for windows, much like the command line switches were for Windows 3.X. Safe Mode allows access into Windows using unlu the most basic drivers. Autoexec.bat and Config.sys are not loaded. To get into Safe Mode, Start / Restart you computer and as soon as you see the Starting Window 9X text, hit the F8 key, Choose option 3, Safe Mode.