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Checking the Equipment: Dell™
PowerEdge™ 2300 Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
This section
provides troubleshooting procedures for equipment that connects directly to the
input/output (I/O) panel of the computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, mouse, or
printer. Before performing any of the procedures in this chapter, see Checking Connections and Switches.
Then perform the troubleshooting procedures for the equipment that is malfunctioning.
You need the
following items to perform the procedures in this section:
- The Dell Server Assistant CD
- A blank, formatted diskette
- The system documentation
NOTE: When you see the question,
"Is the problem resolved?" in a troubleshooting procedure, perform the operation
that caused the problem.
Troubleshooting video problems involves determining which of the following is the source
of the problem:
- Monitor and monitor interface cable
- Video memory
- Video logic of the computer or a video
expansion card
If
information on the monitor screen is displayed incorrectly or not at all, complete the
following steps to solve the problem:
1. Turn on
the system, including any attached peripherals.
2. Adjust
the switches and controls including the horizontal and vertical position and size, as
specified in the monitor's documentation, to correct the video image.
Is the problem
resolved?
Yes. You have
fixed the problem.
No. Go to step
3.
3. Run the
Dell Diagnostics.
See Running the Dell Diagnostics. Does
the monitor display text properly?
Yes. Go to step
5.
No. Go to step
4.
4. Type g
and press the down-arrow key four times. Then press the plus (+) key to send all error
messages to a printer. To send the error messages to a file named results on a diskette,
insert a blank diskette into drive A, and then press the plus (+) key twice to send the
error messages to the file.
5. Run the
Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics.
See Running the Dell Diagnostics. Most of
the tests in the Video Test Group require you to respond before the diagnostics continues
with the next test.
Do the tests
complete successfully?
Yes. You have
fixed the problem.
No. Go to step
6.
6. Turn off
the system and disconnect it from AC power. Swap the monitor with one of the same type
that is working, and reconnect the system to AC power.
7. Run the
Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics again.
Do the tests
complete successfully?
Yes. The monitor
must be replaced. See Getting Help
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No. If a video
expansion card is installed in the computer, see Troubleshooting Expansion Cards. If
no video expansion card is installed, the built-in video controller is faulty; see Getting Help for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
This
procedure determines what kind of keyboard problem you have. If a system error message
indicates a keyboard problem when you start up the computer system or while the Dell
Diagnostics is running, complete the following steps:
1. Look at
the keyboard and the keyboard cable for any signs of damage. Press and release each key on
the keyboard.
Do the keyboard
and its cable appear to be free of physical damage, and do the keys work?
Yes. Go to step
3.
No. Go to step
2.
2. Swap the
faulty keyboard with a working keyboard.
To swap a faulty
keyboard, unplug the keyboard cable from the computer's back panel and plug in a working
keyboard.
Is the problem
resolved?
Yes. The
keyboard must be replaced. See Getting
Help for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No. Go to step
3.
3. Run the
Keyboard Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics.
See Running the Dell Diagnostics.
Can you use the
keyboard to select the Keyboard Test Group?
Yes. Go to step
4.
No. Go to step
5.
4. Does the
Keyboard Interactive Test complete successfully?
Yes. Go to step
6.
No. Go to step
5.
5. Swap the
faulty keyboard with a working keyboard.
6. Does the
Keyboard Controller Test complete successfully?
Yes. The
keyboard must be replaced. See Getting
Help for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No. The keyboard
controller on the system board is faulty. See Getting Help for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
This section
provides a procedure for troubleshooting the ports on the computer's I/O panel and the
equipment connected to them, such as a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device.
You can also
use this procedure to test I/O ports on expansion cards. However, you should first
complete the procedures in Troubleshooting
Expansion Cards to verify that the card is configured and installed correctly.
If a system
error message indicates a port problem or if equipment connected to a port seems to
perform incorrectly or not at all, the source of the problem may be any of the following:
- A faulty connection between the I/O port and
the peripheral device
- A faulty cable between the I/O port and the
peripheral device
- A faulty peripheral device
- Incorrect settings in the System Setup
program
- Incorrect settings in the system's
configuration files
- Faulty I/O port logic on the system board
|
NOTE: With certain modems
installed, subtests in the Serial Port Test Group may fail because the modem appears to
the diagnostics as a serial port but it cannot be tested as a serial port. If you have a
modem installed and you experience a serial-port test failure, remove the modem and run
the diagnostic tests again. |
This
procedure determines whether the computer's basic I/O functions are operational. If a
system error message indicates an I/O port problem or the device connected to the port
does not function properly, follow these steps:
1. Enter
the System Setup program, and check the Serial Port 1, Serial Port 2, Parallel Port, and
Mouse settings.
Are the
communications ports set to Auto, and is Mouse set to Enabled?
Yes. Go to step
3.
No. Go to step
2.
2. Change
the Serial Port 1, Serial Port 2, and Parallel Port settings to Auto, and change the Mouse
setting to Enabled; then reboot the system.
Is the problem
resolved?
Yes. You have
fixed the problem.
No. Go to step
3.
3. Check
the contents of the start-up files.
See Installing and Configuring Software.
Are the port
configuration commands correct?
Yes. Go to step
5.
No. Go to step
4.
4. Change
the necessary statements in the start-up files.
If the port
problem is confined to a particular application, see the application's documentation for
specific port configuration requirements.
Is the problem
resolved?
Yes. You have
fixed the problem.
No. Go to step
5.
5. Reboot
the system from the diagnostics diskette, and run the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group
and/or the Parallel Ports Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics.
See Running the Dell Diagnostics.
The
Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group and the Parallel Ports Test Group test the basic
functions of the system board's I/O port logic. Also, if a parallel printer is connected
to the parallel port, the Parallel Ports Test Group tests the communications link between
the system board's I/O port logic and the printer.
Do the tests
complete successfully?
Yes. Go to step
6.
No. See Getting Help for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
6. If the
problem persists, go to Troubleshooting a
Parallel Printer or Troubleshooting a
Serial I/O Device, depending on which device appears to be malfunctioning.
If the
procedure in the preceding subsection, Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions, indicates
that the problem is with a parallel printer, follow these steps:
1. Turn off
the parallel printer and computer.
2. Swap the
parallel printer interface cable with a known working cable.
3. Turn on
the parallel printer and computer.
4. Attempt
a print operation on the parallel printer.
Does the print
operation complete successfully?
Yes. The
interface cable must be replaced. See Getting Help for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No. Go to step
5.
5. Run the
parallel printer's self-test.
Does the
self-test complete successfully?
Yes. Go to step
6.
No. The printer
is probably defective. If the printer was purchased from Dell, see Getting Help for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
6. Attempt
another print operation on the parallel printer.
Does the print
operation complete successfully?
Yes. You have
fixed the problem.
No. See Getting Help for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
If the
procedure in Troubleshooting the Basic
I/O Functions indicates that the problem is with a device connected to one of the
serial ports, follow these steps:
1. Turn off
the computer and any peripheral devices connected to the serial ports.
Are two serial
devices connected to the computer?
Yes. Go to step
2.
No. Go to step
4.
2.
Disconnect the devices from serial ports 1 and 2, and connect the malfunctioning serial
device to the opposite port.
3. Turn on
the computer and the reconnected serial device.
Is the problem
resolved?
Yes. The serial
port may be defective. See Getting
Help for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No. Go to step
4.
4. Swap the
interface cable (that connects the device to the serial port) with a known working cable.
Is the problem
resolved?
Yes. The
interface cable must be replaced. See Getting Help for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No. Go to step
5.
5. Turn off
the computer and the serial device, and swap the device with a comparable working device.
For example, if
the serial mouse has a problem, swap it with a serial mouse that you know is working
properly.
6. Turn on
the computer and the serial device.
Is the problem
resolved?
Yes. The serial
device must be replaced. See Getting
Help for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
No. See Getting Help for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
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