{"id":378,"date":"2020-08-18T19:23:47","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T20:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.linux-tutorial.info\/?page_id=77"},"modified":"2020-08-22T19:26:01","modified_gmt":"2020-08-22T20:26:01","slug":"this-is-the-page-title-toplevel-211","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.linux-tutorial.info\/?page_id=378","title":{"rendered":"Hardware Diagnostic Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"\nHardware Diagnostic Tools<\/title>\n<p>\nSince the world is not perfect you will eventually have to deal with a crashed system.\nIn many cases, how the system behaves when it boots (or doesn’t boot) will give you an\nindication of what is going on. However, it also will happen that there is nothing that\nspecifically identifies the problem. It is also possible that your system boots fine, but\nexhibits odd behavior as it is running. The most common solution for this kind of\nproblems on Windows machines is to re-install. However, this only corrects the problem if\nis related to the software. What about hardware problems?\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThere are a number of hardware diagnostic tools on the market. Some run under Windows,\nwhereas others have their own "operating system" which you can boot, allowing\nyou to directly access the hardware. Those that run as stand alone products, typically\nhave a much wider range of tests they can conduct because they are not limited by the\noperating system. Keep in mind that this more that just reporting the IRQ or base address\nof the devices. These products actually test the various components of your system.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nPersonally, I think you should use tools which run under the operating system in\nconjunction with stand-alone products. It is possible that you might get incorrect results\nif you are running under any operating system as it often "interprets" the\ninformation for you. Although this is useful for "configuration" issues, defects\nand other problems are often missed.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThere are also a few products that come with interface cards that are inserted to the\nbus, allowing you to diagnostic problems even when your system cannot boot. These have a\nsmall, digital display on the card which shows you the post code being sent across the\nbus. Based on the code, you can determine where the problem lies.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nIn general, the software products have a common set of tests they run through. The\ntests normally include:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>System Board <\/li>\n<li>Video Alignment Aids <\/li>\n<li>Video Adapter<\/li>\n<li>Parallel Port<\/li>\n<li>Serial Port<\/li>\n<li>Floppy Disk Drive<\/li>\n<li>Hard Disk Tests (0 & 1) <\/li>\n<li>Main Memory Tests<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nOne of the key features to look at is the extent to which you can configure these\ntests. This might mean defining a specific set of tests to run, as well as how many times\nto run each test. Both are important aspects. If you already have an idea of where the\nproblem is, you should not have to wait for the program to run through unnecessary tests.\nAlso, with hardware you often have sporadic problems. Therefore, you might have to run the\ntest continually for an extended length of time before the problem re-appears.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAnother thing to look at is what values or configuration settings can be changed. Keep\nin mind that changing settings is not always a good thing. Particularly if a novice is\nrunning the tests.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"subtitle\">TuffTEST<\/p>\n<p>\nTuffTEST from Windsor Technologies is a powerful and very inexpensive stand-alone\ndiagnostic tool. Although you could order it with all of the packaging, you can save time,\nmoney and trees by ordering and then downloading it from the web.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nOne key aspect is that it is designed specifically for user with less experience.\nAlthough it has most of the features of high-end tools, the emphasis is on ease of use, as\nwell as providing the user with sufficient information to diagnose the problem.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThis is a stand-alone product, in that it can be booted from a floppy. This\nsounds confusing at first, because you download it from the Internet. What you\ndownload is a program which allows you to create the bootable floppies. Once\nbooted, TuffTEST "takes over" the computer, without the need for an\noperating system like <glossary>DOS<\/glossary> or Windows. As I mentioned\nbefore, often this yields more accurate results. TuffTEST has its own set of\ndevice drivers, which can access hardware directly.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nWindsor boasts that TuffTEST is "safe for use by anyone." This is because\nnone of the tests change data on the hard disk. In addition, the program is so configured\nthat once it boots, it will wait 10 seconds for a menu selection and if no key is pressed\nit runs through the complete suite of tests.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAnother advantage of TuffTEST is that it is complete written in assembly language\nwhich means more compact code, and faster execution. In addition, it take up just 125K of\nmemory, which is actually relocated when then program runs. This ensures that every memory\nlocation is tested. In other cases, the program is actually too large to be able to check\n<i>all <\/i>of memory.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nTuffTEST is not just a diagnostic tool as it can also display all of your hardware\nconfiguration information. This information can then be printed or saved to the disk. Each\nsaved session contains the test results as well as the system configuration. Since you can\nsave up to five previous sessions, you can compare the results from multiple tests.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nHigher up on the scale is TuffTEST PRO, this is intended for the professional. This\nhas the same basic functionality plus you can edit your configuration and make other\nchanges to your system. Like TuffTEST. TuffTEST PRO is a stand-alone product, meaning you\nboot your operating system from the diskette and it becomes your operating system.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nIn addition, there are a number of tests that TuffTEST PRO has that are not included\nin TuffTEST. For example, TuffTEST PRO can report the switch positions on your\nmotherboard, conduct I\/O tests on your serial and parallel ports, determine the optimal\ninterleave and low-level format your harddisk, and many other tests. Using the optional loopback\ntest, you can do I\/O tests on your serial and parallel ports.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nOne of the most interesting aspects of TuffTEST is sales approach. You can order a\npackaged version of the product, including a printed manual , if you feel it is necessary.\nHowever, there really is no need. The on-line manual contains all of the necessary\ninformation, plus the product is extremely intuitive.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nLifetime support is provided for <i>free.<\/i> However, the product is so easy to use\nit is hard to think of a reason why you would need to call them. In addition, updates\nrange from free for minor changes to a slight fee for major new releases.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"subtitle\">Micro2000<\/p>\n<p>\nIf you are concerned with diagnosing PC hardware problems, take a look at the wide\nrange of products that Micro2000 has to offer. The products range from self-booting\ndiagnostic tools to <glossary>POST<\/glossary> reader cards to remote diagnostics and beyond.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMicro-Scope is their self-booting diagnostic tool that can run on any PC. Regardless\nof the CPU manufacturer (Intel, Cyrix or AMD) or bus (ISA, EISA, MCA, PCI, and PCMCIA),\nMicro-Scope can identify problems on your PC. Version 7 (the newest, as of this writing)\ncontains tests for your CD-ROM drive, without the need to load DOS-based CD-ROM drivers.\nSomething which many other diagnostic tools do not have. In addition, the version 7 also\ncontains support for the AMD K6-II and Intel Xeon processor, even those with a clock speed\nabove 500Mhz. Upgrades for new processors are available for download from the internet.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMany tools simply report on the problems they find. However, Micro-Scope not only\nallows you to make changes, but also gives you detailed benchmarks of your system. This is\nuseful when you "feel" something is wrong with your machine, but there is no\nidentifiable hardware problem. With the report generated by the benchmark, you can see if\nthe machine is performing as it should.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nDuring the testing, Micro-Scope examines the <glossary>CMOS<\/glossary> and\n<glossary>POST<\/glossary> information. Anything that is inaccurate or questionable is\nflagged, allowing you to change it as needed. Part of this is being able to accurately\nidentify your hardware, including brand name and model. This is extremely useful when\nbuying brand name computers, which normally do not tell you exactly what components you\nhave.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMicroscope supports all common bus types including <glossary>ISA<\/glossary>,\n<glossary>EISA<\/glossary>,\n<glossary>PCI<\/glossary>\nand <glossary>MCA<\/glossary>.\nYou can even display the POS registers on IBM PS\/2 systems, including all slots, which\nadapters are in which slot, which <glossary>ADF<\/glossary> (adapter description file) to\nuse and whether the ADF is loaded.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nIn addition to being able to diagnose CD-ROM problems, Micro-Scope can test many other\nmulti-media components, such as DVD drives and sound cards. It has full synthesizer tests\nand can test the volume and left-right channels of your sound card.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nTests can be run once or repeatedly. The results of which can either be printed out or\nsaved to disk (or just viewed on-screen if you want). In addition, you can use the\nprintscreen capability to print directly from the application.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAs with other products, Micro-Scope will thoroughly check your memory, using all of\nthe common tests (checkerboard, walking-ones, etc.). Low memory is tested before the\nentire program is loaded, which is then relocated in memory to enable you to test all of\nyour memory, regardless of how much you have. In addition, Micro-Scope will tell you\nexactly what bank is failing. This includes the ability to test internal and external\nsystem cache, as well as video RAM up to 64Mb.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAnother bonus is the tools Micro-Scope has for data recovery. It can identify and\ncorrect many problems in the master boot record of your hard disk. It also includes an\neditor to allow you to make changes yourself anywhere on the disk (assuming you have the\nknowledge to do it).\n<\/p>\n<p>\nIn addition, to free download of patches, Micro-Scope comes with lifetime technical\nsupport. After using the program, I find it difficult to conceive of a reason why someone\nwould need to call to support, as it is so intuitive, but the offer is nice. The product\npackage contains both 3.5″ and 5.25″ disks, a uses manual, as well as 9 pin serial, 25 pin\nserial, and 25 pin parallel loopback connectors, to diagnose serial and parallel port\nproblems.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nUnfortunately, something like Micro-Scope cannot always do the job. This happens when\nyour system just won’t boot for any number of reasons. Using a diskette with its own\noperating system does no good, because the computer does not get that far to boot from\nanywhere. This is where Micro2000’s product POST-Probe comes in handy.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAs its name implies, <glossary>POST<\/glossary>-Probe monitors the POST codes being\nsent across your system bus as the computer is booting. It can fit into any ISA, EISA, PCU\nor MCA slot (although it requires the included adapter for the MCA). These codes are\ndisplaed on two seven-segment displays, indicating what the POST is testing at the moment.\nThere are also four LEDs which monitor to the power, as well as four voltage pads (+5vdc,\n-5vdc, +12vdc, -12vdc and an additional 3.3V for PCI) to test the system using a\nvoltmeter.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThere is an additional <glossary>LED<\/glossary> which monitors clock signals, one for\nthe RESET signal, and one for I\/O reads and writes. You can therefore use\n<glossary>POST<\/glossary>-Probe after your system is running to identify other bus\nproblems and possible problems with specific cards.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nWhen your system\nstops, the last code displayed gives you an indication of what is wrong. Although the code\ndoes not always tell you the exact place where there is a problem, the included users\nmanual lists each phase of the POST. By looking at the steps around where it stopped, I have\nnever not found the problem. In one instance, I accidentally loosed up the cable to my\nhard disk. When I tried to boot, nothing happened. Using the POST-Probe I quickly found the\nproblem.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAs I will talk about in later chapters, I am a stickler for documentation. I am\nreally impressed with the POST-Probe manual. It is written in an easy to understand\nlanguage. POST failure codes are on the left side of each page, with the description of the\ndevice or chip that is causing the problem. This helps finding and understanding the\nproblem.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nFor the true profession, Micro200 has combined Micro-Scope and POST-Probe into a\nsingle product, which they call the Universal Diagnostics Toolkit. Both products are\ncombined in the full version within a case, which is not only large enough to hold both\nproducts, but tools and many other things. Each product as the same lifetime technical\nsupport as the stand-alone versions.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMicro2000’s product Burn-In takes much of the functionality of Micro-Scope to the next\nlevel. As its name implies, it is used to conduct "burn-in" tests of computers.\nThis can be either new machines or ones that you have repaired. This is an extremely\nuseful tool to prevent deploying products that will only cause you problems down the road.\nParticularly in cases where machines have multiple problems and only one is apparent,\nburn-in tests can save you a great deal of both time and money.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nLike Micro-Scope, Burn-In is compatible with all <glossary>CPU<\/glossary> manufacturers and system buses.\nIn addition, Burn-In performs all of the same tests that Micro-scope does.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nBurn-In has a couple of very useful features for companies that install a larger\nnumber of PCs at once. First, the tests can be run without a monitor or keyboard.\nTherefore, you need a lot less space allowing you to simply stack up the PCs and run a\nlarge number of tests at once. Using the floppy drive light and speaker, the program send\na few signals to the technician when it needs a "scratch" disk or the loopback\nplugs. Other than that, the program runs completely on its own, saving the results to\ndisk.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAs the tests are run, Burn-In writes a complete log to the scratch disk you provided.\nSince the log is <glossary>ASCII<\/glossary>, you can read it with any text editor. In addition, the log is\nbeing update the entire time. Therefore, if something should happen to the machine (like\nsomeone accidentally pulling the plug), Burn-In will be able to continue where it left\noff.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nIn addition, you only need to run the setup once. The test configuration is then saved\nand performed the same way each time the disk is booted. If the program determines that\nhardware is not present for a test is was selected to do, that test is simply skipped,\nwithout the need to configure the test for different hardware variations.\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hardware Diagnostic Tools Since the world is not perfect you will eventually have to deal with a crashed system. 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