Hide Notes 

Slide 1: 616 Part VIII: Configuring the PC A connector is plugged into a port to make a connection between the PC and the peripheral device, making the peripheral device available for use. The ports, also called connectors in some uses, are mounted either directly on the motherboard or on an expansion card installed in a motherboard slot. I/O ports extend through the back panel template on the back of a PC’s case. However, a PC is not limited to only these external ports. The motherboard and many expansion cards also have internal ports, also called connectors, which are used strictly for connections between internal devices. Motherboard connectors In the past, nearly all device connections were made through expansion cards. However, virtually all Pentium-class PCs have many, if not all, of their standard internal and external ports and connectors integrated into the motherboard. Not all motherboards, including some newer ones, include all the connectors discussed in this section, but most do. Motherboard connectors are classified into three groups: back panel, onboard (mid-board), and front panel connectors. These connector groups (see Figure 24-1) are used to connect the motherboard to core internal devices, such as the power supply, system speaker, and the front panel switches and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), as well as external peripheral devices, such as a printer, modem, keyboard, and a mouse. BACK PANEL CONNECTORS As illustrated in Figure 24-2, the motherboard’s back panel typically includes several I/O ports that support a standard set of peripheral devices. Other ports can be added with an expansion card. The standard set usually found on most current PCs is shown in Figure 24-2. Each of these connectors is discussed in more detail later in the chapter. ONBOARD CONNECTORS Several connectors are located on the central part of the motherboard to provide support for onboard device and bus services. The onboard, or mid-board, connectors are divided into five functional groups: x Audio/video: Motherboards that have built-in support for sound, video, and CD-ROM include an auxiliary sound line in, a telephony connection, a legacy CD-ROM connector, and an AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) CD-ROM connection. These connectors and their uses are explained in more detail in Chapter 13.
Slide 2: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors x Peripheral device interfaces: Virtually all new motherboards have a standard 617 set of connectors located on the board to provide support for several internal devices. Typically, these connectors are Integrated Drive Electronics/AT Attachment (IDE/ATA) interface connectors, illustrated in Figure 24-3, that support the hard disk, CD-ROM, and floppy disk. These connectors are discussed in more detail in Chapter 8. Back panel Onboard Front panel Figure 24-1: The general location of the motherboard’s connector groups.
Slide 3: 618 Part VIII: Configuring the PC PS/2 keyboard USB port One parallel port MIDI/game port Mouse USB connector port One serial port VGA External audio jacks Figure 24-2: The common ports on the back panel of the motherboard. x Hardware power and management: These connectors attach the power supply to the motherboard, connect system and processor fans, and provide an interface for Wake on LAN or Wake on Ring technologies.
Slide 4: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 619 1 2 1 2 9 8 1 2 1 2 1 40 30 40 30 34 33 Floppy disk controller Primary IDE Secondary IDE Figure 24-3: Peripheral device connectors located on a motherboard. x Memory slots: Every motherboard includes some form of connector, mounting, or slot for memory chips or modules. Newer boards include mounting slots (shown in Figure 24-4) for RDRAM Inline Memory Modules (RIMMs) and Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs). Older motherboards can have slots for Single Inline Memory Modules (SIMMs) or even Dual Inline Packaging (DIP) sockets. See Chapter 6 for more information on memory modules. x Expansion slots: The expansion slots (see Figure 24-4) on the motherboard are used to add peripheral device adapters and interface cards to the PC. Motherboards support a variety of expansion slot types, but Industry Standard Architecture/Enhanced ISA (ISA/EISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), and Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) are the most common. See Chapter 23 for more information on expansion cards. CONNECTORS ON THE FRONT PANEL As I describe in Chapter 8, the front panel of the system case can have a variety of LEDs and switches that attach to the motherboard for power and activity signals. The front panel connector group typically includes a connection for hard disk LEDs (power and activity), the main power On/Off button, a reset button, and a few power and grounding connections. Separately, the motherboard also has a connection for the system speaker that is also mounted either on or near the front panel. The motherboard might also have an infrared (IR) or Infrared Data Association (IrDA) serial port connector as well (more on IR connections later in the section “Infrared ports”).
Slide 5: 620 Part VIII: Configuring the PC Expansion slots Memory slots Figure 24-4: The location on memory and expansion slots on a Slot A motherboard. External ports and connectors The external ports mounted on a motherboard’s rear panel are set by its form factor. Because most of the PCs in use today are built to the ATX form factor, most of them have a basic set of external ports. As shown in Figure 24-5, the ATX standard set includes a serial port or two, a parallel port or two, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports or FireWire ports, a video port, a game device port, and speaker and microphone jacks. This set of ports is the real focus of this chapter. For more on form factors, read Chapter 8.
Slide 6: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors Game port Parallel port 621 PS/2 ports USB ports Serial port Video port Speaker jacks Microphone jacks Figure 24-5: The standard interface ports on an ATX form factor PC. Reviewing Interface Technologies Before I go deeper into each of the interfaces listed in the preceding section, I want to review some of the “how and why” of the operations of interfaces and the different types of data that they support. Each of the specific interfaces is explained later in the chapter. Characterizing data Data is stored on a PC in the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII; pronounced as-kee) format. ASCII defines the standard character set of PCs, including a number of special command, inquiry, and graphics characters with the upper- and lowercase alphabetic characters, special characters, and numbers of the American English language.
Slide 7: 622 Part VIII: Configuring the PC Table 24-1 includes a sample of the ASCII character set, including the binary and decimal values for each character. TABLE 24-1 SAMPLE ASCII CHARACTERS Character Null Backspace Line feed Form feed Space ! Dollar sign ($) 0 (zero) 1 2 : (colon) ; (semicolon) ? A B C X Y Z a b c Decimal 0 8 10 12 32 33 36 48 49 50 58 59 63 65 66 67 88 89 90 97 98 99 Binary 00000000 00001000 00001010 00001100 00100000 00100001 00100100 00110000 00110001 00110010 00111010 00111011 00111111 01000001 01000010 01000011 01011000 01011001 01011010 01100001 01100010 01100011
Slide 8: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 623 Character x y z Decimal 120 121 122 Binary 01111000 01111001 01111010 Figuring out serial and parallel data Data is transmitted and moved in and out of the PC by using one of two formats: parallel or serial. A parallel transmission sends its data one character at a time with the bits of a character transmitted at the same time over parallel wires. On the other hand, serial data is transmitted one bit at a time over a single wire. Figure 24-6 illustrates the difference between these two transmission formats. 10011001 Parallel data 1 1 0 0 1 Serial data Figure 24-6: Character bits are sent at the same time in a parallel transmission and one bit at a time in a serial transmission. Configuring for full, half, and simplex modes A communications connection can be set up for one-way only or two-way simultaneous transmissions depending on the transmission mode configuration established between two communicating devices. A communications line can be configured with one of three transmission modes: x Simplex: A simplex line can communicate in only one direction. A speaker wire is an example of a simplex communications line. x Half-duplex: Whereas a duplex line carries data in two directions, a half-duplex line carries data in two directions but can only transmit in one direction at a time. A citizen’s band (CB) radio is an example of a
Slide 9: 624 Part VIII: Configuring the PC half-duplex line — one party must wait until the other party is finished before speaking. x Full-duplex: A full-duplex line carries data in two directions simultaneously. An example of a full-duplex line is your telephone. Transmitting serial data Serial ports and connectors were used on the very first PCs to connect modems and early dot matrix printers. Serial ports transmit data one bit after the other in a series. All serial devices, cables, ports, and communications transmit their data this way. To transmit a single byte of data through a serial port, eight separate 1-bit transmissions are sent. Serial transmissions are somewhat like sending data down a pipeline just big enough for a single bit. Although an ASCII character can be defined with either 7 or 8 bits, more than this number is sent for each character, regardless of the transmission format. The extra bits are used for data integrity, data block identification, and data synchronization. BITS THROUGH THE PORT External serial devices connect to a PC through a serial or COM port. The terms serial and COM are used interchangeably, and most operating systems refer to the serial ports as COM ports, with the first serial port labeled COM1 and subsequent serial ports designated as COM2, COM3, and so on. Serial ports are also called EIA232 (Electronics Industries Association standard 232) ports or by the legacy name RS-232 (Reference Standard 232) ports. EIA is an industry association that develops standards for the communications lines, ports, and connectors used to transmit standard serial data communications. COM is a legacy term for communications. A typical PC has one serial port mounted on the motherboard. Serial ports are easily recognized because they use either 9-pin or 25-pin male D-type connectors that are designated as DA-9 and DB-25 connectors, respectively. Figure 24-5 includes a single DA-9 serial port. Because a serial transmission uses only 9-pin connectors and wires, most PCs use the DA-9 port in place of the larger DB-25. The DA-9 connector is smaller and has fewer pins, reducing both the potential for damaged or bent pins and the space required for the port area on the PC. Older PC models typically included a single DB-25 serial port on a multipurpose card that could also include a second serial
Slide 10: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors port, typically a DA-9 port, a parallel port, or a game port. The DB-25 connector is also popular on external modems and serial printers. 625 SERIAL CONNECTOR PINOUTS AND CABLE CONNECTIONS Table 24-2 shows the pinouts for the DB-25 and DA-9 serial connections. Note the difference in the pin assignments between the two connectors. For a cable that has a DB-25 connector on one end and a DA-9 connector on the other end, the pins must be cross-matched to carry the signals to the appropriate pins on each end. TABLE 24-2 DB-25 AND DA-9 CONNECTOR PINOUTS Function Ground Transmit Receive RTS (Request to Send) CTS (Clear to Send) DSR (Data Set Ready) Signal Ground Carrier Detect DTR (Data Terminal Ready) Ring Indicator DB-25 Pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 20 22 DA-9 Pin Not used 3 2 7 8 6 5 1 4 9 A serial cable has as few as 2 wires and usually not more than 20 wires, but having 8 wires is very common. The wires in the cable are color coded to make connecting connectors to the cable consistent by making it easier to find the same wire on each end of the cable. The connector is attached by soldering the wires to the back of a connector’s pins. Plugging the connector into a matching port completes the connection when the pins in the port make contact with the holes in the connector. With the serial connection established, the PC and peripheral device can send signals back and forth to communicate and control the transmission.
Slide 11: 626 Part VIII: Configuring the PC Communicating asynchronously Asynchronous communications are used to connect to a printer, modem, fax, and other peripheral devices. Asynchronous transmitters and receivers operate independently and are not synchronized to a common clock signal or each other. Data blocks are separated by arbitrary idle periods on the line, as illustrated in Figure 24-7. Data block Data block Data block Data block Data flow Idle periods Figure 24-7: Asynchronous communications send data in 5-byte to 8-byte blocks that are separated by variously sized idle periods. Asynchronous data blocks are fixed in size and format. To the 8-bit ASCII character is added a start bit before the character and one or two stop bits after the character. These bits indicate the beginning and ending of each character to the receiving device. Typically, the start bit is a 0, and the stop bit is a 1. If parity is in use, the parity bit is tacked on to the data block as well. Checking parity The parity used with asynchronous communications is very much like that used with memory (see Chapter 6). The parity bit is used to force the count of 1s bits in the transmitted character to either an even or an odd number. For example, when an uppercase A is transmitted, its binary value (01000001) is transmitted. If even parity is in use, the parity bit added to the end is set to 0 (zero) because there are an even number of 1s bits in the character. If odd parity is in use, the parity bit is set to 1 to force an odd number of 1s bits in the character. If the receiving device detects an error in the number of 1 bits, it sends a request for the character to be resent. With everything added to the ASCII binary character (start bit, stop bit, and parity bit), the asynchronous data block is 11 bits long. Here is what this might look like: Transmitted character: Start bit: ASCII binary data pattern: Even-parity bit: Stop bit: Transmitted data block: A 0 01000001 0 1 00100000101
Slide 12: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 627 Using the UART A specialized integrated circuit called a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART; pronounced you-art) is used to control all serial ports and most serial device connections. A UART is located on a device adapter card, directly on the motherboard, or integrated onto a serial device’s internal controller. A UART controls all of a serial port’s or device’s actions and functions, including x Controlling all the connectors’ pins and their associated signals x Establishing the communication protocol x Converting the parallel format bits of the PC’s data bus into a serial bit stream for transmission x Converting the received serial bit stream into parallel data for transmission over the PC’s internal data bus On the PC, a UART interprets and translates the data coming into and being sent out of a serial port by examining the incoming data, looking for the start and stop bits, and verifying the parity bit counts. The UART inserts the start and stop bits and parity bit (if needed) into outgoing data. The UART also controls the data speed of the serial port or device. Table 24-3 lists the UART chips that have been used in PCs, modems, and other serial devices over the years by their identity numbers. Most modern PCs use the 16550 UART chip, which supports speeds up to 115.2 Kbps. TABLE 24-3 UART CHIP CHARACTERISTICS Chip 8250 16450 16550 16650 16750 16850 16950 Maximum Speed (bps) 19,200 38,400 115,200 430,800 921,600 1.5 Mbps 1.5 Mbps
Slide 13: 628 Part VIII: Configuring the PC Communicating with synchronicity Synchronous communications have a bit more overhead than asynchronous transmissions. Synchronous transmissions have a fixed interval length between data blocks. The data blocks and the intervals of a synchronous transmission are synchronized to a clock signal that’s sent right along with the data. The communicating devices also carry on a running dialog that confirms and acknowledges that each data block has been received. If the acknowledgement doesn’t come back in the proper time interval, the sending device automatically sends it again. Because synchronous devices must complete one operation before beginning the next, this communications mode is very accurate. However, most serial communications on PCs use asynchronous technology. Configuring a serial port Virtually all PCs have at least one serial port, which is designated as COM1. If a PC has additional serial ports, they’re designated as COM2, COM3, and COM4. If you need to add more serial ports to a PC for some reason, you can add them one at a time or in sets of two or four. Individual serial ports require individual system resource assignments, and two such cards require two sets of system resources. However, a multiport serial card shares a single interrupt request (IRQ) among its ports with an onboard processor handling the traffic management. If a PC requires multiple serial ports, it’s probably more efficient to install a multiport card (or consider using USB; more on this later in the section “Utilizing a USB Interface”). Most PCs have default assignments for up to four serial ports. Table 24-4 lists the default system resource assignments for PC serial ports. COM1 shares an IRQ with COM3, and COM2 shares an IRQ with COM4, which means that you must be careful when assigning devices to COM ports to avoid competing devices. See Chapter 7 for more information on system resources. Typically, COM1 is a DA-9 male port, and COM2 (if present) is a DB-25 male port. TABLE 24-4 SERIAL PORT SYSTEM RESOURCE ASSIGNMENTS Logical Device Name COM1 COM2 COM3 COM4 IRQ IRQ4 IRQ3 IRQ4 IRQ3 I/O Address 3F8h 2F8h 3E8h 2E8h
Slide 14: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 629 Understanding Parallel Ports A parallel transmission sends the bits of a character at one time using parallel wires, which means that a character is transmitted much faster than it would be over a serial connection. The internal bus structures inside the PC use parallel transmissions, which is why a serial port needs a UART to convert the internal parallel format into a serial format for transmission over a serial line. Parallel ports are female DB-25 connectors into which a male DB-25 connector is plugged. Although originally used almost exclusively by printers, other devices have been adapted to the parallel port, including external CD-ROMs, external tape drives, scanners, and Zip drives. These devices take advantage of the bidirectional capabilities of the newer parallel port standards. The IEEE has combined parallel port standards into a single standard: IEEE 1284. This standard incorporates the two pre-existing parallel port standards with a new protocol to create an all-encompassing parallel port model and protocol standard. The separate parallel port standards included in the IEEE 1284 standard are x Standard Parallel Port (SPP): Defines a simplex parallel port that allows data to travel only from the computer to the printer. x Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP): Defines a half-duplex parallel port that allows the printer to signal that it’s out of paper, its cover is open, and other error conditions. x Enhanced Capabilities Port (ECP): Most PCs that list an IEEE 1284 port as a feature indicate support for an ECP port. The ECP standard allows bidirectional, simultaneous communications between a parallel device (usually a printer) and a PC. The IEEE 1284 standard also defines an ECP standard cable. When shopping for a printer ECP cable, be sure that you get an ECP cable because some EPP cables won’t work properly. Utilizing a USB Interface The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a newer hardware interface standard that supports low-speed devices (such as keyboards, mice, and scanners) and higher-speed devices (such as digital cameras). USB, which is a serial interface, provides data transfer speeds of up to 12 Mbps for faster devices and a 1.5 Mbps subchannel speed for lower-speed devices. A newer version of the USB standard, USB 2.0, supports up to 480 Mbps for data transfer speeds. A USB port offers the following features: x The flexibility of Plug and Play (PnP) devices x Standard connectors and cables with a wide variety of devices available, including keyboards, mice, floppy drives, hard disk drives, Zip and Jaz drives, inkjet printers, laser printers, scanners, digital cameras, modems, and hubs
Slide 15: 630 Part VIII: Configuring the PC x Automatic configuration of USB devices when they are connected x Hot swapping (USB devices that can be connected and disconnected while the PC is powered on) x The capability to support up to 127 devices on one channel Connecting with USB USB uses a unique pair of connectors and ports, as shown in Figure 24-8. USB Type A connectors are used to connect devices directly to a PC or USB hub. You’ll find USB Type A connectors on devices with permanently attached cables. USB Type B connectors are found on those devices that have a detachable cable. The cable uses a squarish Type B port on the device and connects to either a Type A or Type B socket (the cable usually has both on the other end) on the PC or hub. Figure 24-9 shows a USB Type A connector being connected to a PC USB port. Type A (Host or hub) Type B (Peripheral) Figure 24-8: The two types of USB connectors and ports. Figure 24-9: Connecting a USB device to a USB port on a PC.
Slide 16: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors A single USB channel can support up to 127 devices. To add more devices to a USB channel, a USB hub is used. The hubs are daisy chained to add more devices to the channel. Some newer devices, including monitors as illustrated in Figure 24-10, also have USB channels. A USB port carries .5 amps of electrical power, which is usually enough to power most low-power devices, such as a mouse or keyboard. No additional power source is required. This adds to the flexibility of the USB channel because additional devices can be added without regard to location. Those USB devices that require more power than is carried on the channel have AC/DC adapters. Digital camera External hub Scanner 631 Hub built into monitor Figure 24-10: Multiple USB devices can be connected to a single PC. Interfacing to USB A USB interface has three essential components: x USB host: The USB host device carries operating system, chipset, and Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) support for the USB interface. Typically, the PC is the USB host. x USB hub: A USB hub serves as a collector device to cluster USB devices onto a USB channel. USB devices can be added to the channel in a tiered fashion with one hub plugged into another and a connection to the USB host from the first hub. x USB devices: Typically, a PC has only one or two USB devices plugged into its USB channels, but a USB channel is limited to 127 devices, counting USB hubs.
Slide 17: 632 Part VIII: Configuring the PC IEEE 1394 (FireWire) The IEEE 1394 standard defines another high-speed serial bus, officially known as the High Performance Serial Bus (HPSB) but more commonly called FireWire. This serial interface supports data speeds between 100–400 Mbps (which is the equivalent of 12 to 50 megabytes per second). Newer versions of the 1394 standard, which are being developed by the 1394 Trade Association (www.1394ta.org), are promising data speeds of 800 Mbps to 1.6 Gbps. An IEEE 1394 connector looks something like a USB connector (see Figure 24-11), except that it’s just a bit larger. Figure 24-11: A IEEE 1394 (FireWire) cable showing its connectors. The IEEE 1394 bus is similar to the USB interface in many ways. Both are high-speed, PnP, hot-swappable interface buses. One major difference is that 1394 supports isochronous (real-time) data transfers. An isochronous transfer moves data so that all of its parts arrive together, which can be very important for audio/video data, like with multimedia data or images directly from a video camera. Other differences are that the 1394 standard is a peer-to-peer interface that doesn’t require a host system, and an IEEE 1394 bus can support up to 63 external devices. Working with Wireless Ports Wireless or cordless interfaces are becoming more popular for PCs and can be used to connect peripheral devices to the PC or, as I explain in Chapter 22, even to connect the PC to a local area network. Two types of wireless connection technologies are in use on PCs: infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF).
Slide 18: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 633 Infrared ports An IR port uses an invisible band of light to carry data between a peripheral device and a transceiver on the PC. IR light is just outside the light spectrum that humans can see. Infrared contrasts with ultraviolet (UV), which is another invisible band of light at the other end of the light spectrum. IR devices are also called IrDA devices. IrDA is the trade organization for the infrared device industry that has established the standards that define the use of an IR connection. An IrDA port is the small oval-shaped dark red plastic window built into a PC’s case. An IR device is a line-of-sight device that must have a clear, unobstructed path between its transmitter and receiver. With an IR connection, a portable PC or a personal digital assistant (PDA) can connect to another PC, a keyboard, a mouse, or a printer without using a physical cable connection. Built-in IR ports (receivers) are common on portable PCs, notebooks, and PDAs, but an external IR receiver can be attached to a PC through a serial or USB port. Here are some tips for working with IR devices: x Two IR devices must have a clear, unobstructed line of sight between them. x The devices that you’re trying to connect via IR must be at least six inches apart but not more than three feet. x The transmission pattern of the IR signal is a cone about 30° wide. Make sure that the devices are oriented to one another inside the transmission cone. x Avoid competing IR devices in the vicinity — such as a TV remote control — that could interfere with the connection. Radio frequency interfaces Many cordless peripheral devices, especially those that are typically used in close proximity of the PC’s system case, use RF transmitters, receivers, and transceivers (the combination of a receiver and transmitter) to send data to the PC. RF devices include mice, keyboards, modems, and even network adapters for desktop and portable PCs. Cordless RF mice and keyboards transmit data to a receiver attached to a PC through either a serial or PS/2 connection. The operating range of these devices is around 6–10', despite claims of 50' ranges. In most cases, the performance of the cordless RF keyboard and mouse is as good as a wired device inside its effective operating distance.
Slide 19: 634 Part VIII: Configuring the PC RF networking devices, which are defined in the IEEE 802.11 wireless, are also known as WI-FI (wireless fidelity). Networking standards and other wireless networking standards, such as Bluetooth and HomeRF technologies, are discussed in more detail in Chapter 22. Understanding PS/2 and DIN Connectors The 5-pin DIN connector and the PS/2 (mini-DIN connector) are the two most popular connectors for connecting keyboards, mice, and external IR and RF receivers. These connectors have become the standard for virtually all keyboards and mice on PCs. Here is a brief description of these two connectors: x 5-pin DIN connector: This connector, often called the AT-style connector, has been in use since the very first PCs. Deutsche Industrie Norm (DIN), a German standards organization, developed the round connector style used on this and the 6-pin version of this connector. Only four of the five pins are used and carry the clocking (pin 1), data (pin 2), and provide a ground (pin 4) and +5 volt (v) of power (pin 5). x 6-pin mini-DIN (PS/2) connector: This DIN-style connector (shown in Figure 24-12) is a smaller version of the 5-pin DIN connector. Keyboard and mice connections use only four of the six available pins to connect the data signal (pin 1), ground (pin 3), +5v of power (pin 4), and a clocking signal (pin 5). This connector, which is now the de facto standard for all cabled keyboards and mice, was first introduced on the IBM PS/2, which is why it is commonly referred to as the PS/2 connector. Nearly all mice sold today use the PS/2 connector, but some serial mice still around use the DA-9 serial connector. However, because newer PC systems rarely offer more than a single serial port and have specially designated PS/2 connectors for the keyboard and mouse, the serial mouse has all but disappeared except on some older systems.
Slide 20: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 635 Figure 24-12: A 6-pin mini-DIN (PS/2) connector is standard on most PC keyboards and mice. Checking Out Video Connectors Regardless of the type of internal interface a video card uses (see Chapter 14 for more information on video adapters and the video interfaces), virtually all video ports use a female 15-pin DB port and connector, like the one shown in Figure 24-13. Video port Figure 24-13: The standard DB-15 VGA video port. The standard port and connector used for Video Graphics Array (VGA), Super VGA (SVGA), and Extended Graphics Array (XGA) monitor connections is the DB-15, which is also called a mini-sub D15 connector. Figure 24-14 shows the pin configuration of this connection, and Table 24-5 lists its pin assignments.
Slide 21: 636 Part VIII: Configuring the PC 1 6 11 2 7 12 3 8 13 4 9 14 5 10 15 Figure 24-14: The standard VGA video connector has 15 pins arranged in three rows. TABLE 24-5 PIN ASSIGNMENTS IN A VIDEO CONNECTOR Pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 VGA/SVGA/XGA Red video Green video Blue video Monitor ID 2 Ground/Not used Red video return Green video return Blue video return Not used Ground Monitor ID 0 Monitor ID 1 Horizontal sync Vertical sync Not used
Slide 22: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 637 Dealing with Port Problems Problems with I/O ports are typically problems with the device attached to the port, a problem with the cable, a bad connector or connection, or a system resource conflict. The following sections deal with how to troubleshoot and resolve problems with the various I/O ports. Troubleshooting a serial port When troubleshooting a serial port problem, first try connecting a different serial device to the port in question. Next, check for system resource conflicts using either the System Information applet or Device Manager on a Windows system. The System Information utility can be found by choosing Programs ¡ Accessories ¡ System Tools, and the Device Manager is best accessed by rightclicking the My Computer icon on the desktop, choosing Properties from the popup menu that appears, and then choosing either the Device Manager tab in Windows 9x or Me or the Hardware tab in Windows 2000 or XP. If you believe that you have a problem with the serial port, use the pinouts listed earlier in the chapter and a multimeter to check the voltages of the serial port on the PC and the continuity of the cable. RESOLVING SYSTEM RESOURCE CONFLICTS System resource conflicts cause a serial device to fail intermittently or perhaps not work at all. Other symptoms are that an existing serial device stops working when a new additional serial device is installed or the PC locks up during the boot sequence. CHECKING THE SERIAL PORT To troubleshoot a serial port problem, check the following: x Inspect the port for bent pins. Certain pins absolutely must be straight in order for the device to work properly. If you have a bent or broken pin, you should replace the connector (or cable) because the damage might compromise the connection of other pins as well. x Check the connection and connectors. Make sure that the cable wires are properly soldered to the pins in the connector and that the connector fits snuggly and correctly to the port. If any of the wires are touching each other (it takes only one strand to cause a problem), either replace the cable or repair the connector. x Test the port with another device. A serial mouse is a very good tool to have for testing serial ports. If the port is the problem and it’s mounted on the motherboard, disable it and install an additional serial port with an expansion card — that is, if you truly must use a serial port.
Slide 23: 638 Part VIII: Configuring the PC x Test the serial device on a different known-good serial port. Test the serial device by connecting it to another PC on which you know the serial port is working. If the device works, you know that the problem is not the device. However, you still have some troubleshooting to do on the original PC to isolate the problem. x Ensure that the cable is appropriate for the device. Some serial devices can’t use a straight-through or null modem cable. Check the pin and configuration requirements of the device and use the appropriate cable. x Check the length of the serial cable. You might hear stories of successfully using longer cable lengths, but the nominal maximum length for a serial cable is 50' between two devices. Beyond 50', you might suffer attenuation (the distance at which the signal begins losing its strength) and begin seeing data errors. x Check the BIOS settings. COM ports can be enabled and disabled in the BIOS setup configuration data. Make sure that the port is enabled. A disabled port will not work. x Check the Windows Device Manager or System Information applet for system resource conflicts. An IRQ conflict is the most common error with serial devices. Remember: Only one active device should be using an IRQ at a time. x Check the software setup. In most cases, application software is used to manage or control the serial device, such as dialup software for a modem. Check the configuration of the software and the settings that it uses to configure the serial device. Dealing with serial port system resource conflicts The symptoms for a system resource conflict on one or more serial ports are fairly straightforward. Here are the most common: x The modem on COM3 fails when the serial mouse on COM1 is used or vice versa. x The system locks up when the serial devices on COM2 and COM4 are used at the same time. There are many variations of these two problems, but they boil down to a system resource conflict and probably a specific IRQ conflict. If the device on COM2 is having or causing the problem, it should be reconfigured either to a different COM port or IRQ. If the COM ports were installed on a multiport I/O controller card, change the configuration of the card through its jumpers, as specified in the card’s documentation.
Slide 24: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 639 Troubleshooting a parallel port Because parallel ports are virtually featureless and either work or don’t work, most parallel port problems are caused by the physical part of the connector or port (bent pins or blocked holes), the cable (wrong type: SPP, EPP, or ECP), or the attached device. Here are some steps that you should use to troubleshoot and isolate a parallel port problem: x Check for resource conflicts. There is an outside chance that the problem is a system resource conflict, but this problem is usually caused by another device that was just added to the PC. See Table 24-6 for the default system resource assignments made to parallel (LPT) ports. TABLE 24-6 PARALLEL PORT SYSTEM RESOURCE ASSIGNMENTS Port LPT1 LPT2 IRQ IRQ7 IRQ5 I/O Address 378h 278h DMA Channel DMA 3 (ECP capabilities) NA x Check the cable and connectors for physical problems. If a commercial printer cable is in use, make sure that it’s tightly fitted on both ends to the port and printer. If a homegrown cable is in use, make sure that the cable wires are properly soldered to the pins in the connector and that the connector fits snuggly and correctly to the port. If any of the wires are touching each other (it takes only one strand to cause a problem), either replace the cable or repair the connector. If the parallel port is attached to a pass-through port where two parallel devices are connected in tandem (like on a scanner or Zip drive), I suggest disconnecting one of the devices and testing again. The problem could be the pass-through connector. x Verify that the device is working properly. To test the printer, try printing a plain text file to avoid issues on the printer itself. If the printer appears to be receiving data but doesn’t print, try the printer on another PC. If it still doesn’t work, you know that the problem is with the printer. Otherwise, check to make sure that you have the proper device drivers and configuration for the printer or other device. x Verify system resource settings. If the PC is equipped with more than one parallel (LPT) port, use the Windows Device Manager or System Information applet to rule out system resource conflicts.
Slide 25: 640 Part VIII: Configuring the PC x Check the BIOS setup configuration. You can set the IRQ assigned to the LPT ports in the BIOS setup configuration data. Make sure that it’s set to IRQ7 (default) for LPT1 and IRQ5 for LPT2. If the problem is with the port assigned to IRQ5, check for a conflict with the sound card. x Verify the communications mode of the parallel port. Check the device’s documentation to verify that the port is configured to the correct communications mode (SPP, EPP, ECP). Many printers require at least an EPP mode to be configured to the port in the BIOS Setup configuration data. x Check ECP settings. If ECP mode is enabled on a parallel port, it can cause system resource conflicts that are avoided by other parallel modes. Although the LPT ports are assigned an IRQ, most parallel devices (such as printers) don’t use it. However, if ECP mode is enabled and the IRQ has been assigned to another device, it can cause a resource conflict. ECP mode also requires a DMA channel and could be in conflict with the sound card. x Verify the device drivers. Check the device manufacturer’s Web site for newer versions of the device driver. Make sure that the device drivers in use are compatible with the operating system in use on the PC. Many Windows 9x drivers won’t work on a Windows 2000 system. Dealing with printing (parallel port) problems In most cases, if a printer is producing garbled or distorted print or if part of a page or image is missing, look for a problem with either the hardware or the software associated with the printer itself. However, if all appears to be right with the printer, the LPT port can cause one or two things as well. To diagnose this problem, check the following: x Check the print mechanism on the printer. Although the focus is on the cable and the connector, perhaps the printer itself isn’t functioning. This is a good place to start when printing problems occur. The problem is rarely on the parallel port or the cable. x Verify that the most current printer driver is in use. The printer driver must be compatible with the printer as well as the operating system on the PC or the network. An installation disk or CD-ROM comes with most printers, but you should visit the manufacturer’s Web site to download the most current driver for the printer and operating system. x Try changing the parallel port mode. Not all printers are compatible with the latest standards. Some printers can have problems with the ECP communication mode and work much better with EPP mode. Check the printer’s documentation to verify its communications mode requirement and configure the port accordingly in the BIOS setup configuration. x Verify that the cable is appropriate. Check the cable for problems, sharp bends, cuts, indications that it might have been crushed, or loose connector
Slide 26: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors heads. Also check to see whether the cable is the right one for the printer. If the printer requires an IEEE 1284-certified ECP printer cable and the cable in use is only an EPP, you could have a problem. 641 Troubleshooting a USB connection If you’re having problems with a USB port, here are some things that you can check to make sure that the USB ports are active on the system. The first place to look is in the Windows Device Manager to ensure that the USB ports are actually installed on the system. Figure 24-15 shows where the USB ports are listed in the Windows Device Manager. Figure 24-15: Universal Serial Bus controller information in the Windows Device Manager. If all appears to be normal in the Device Manager (no conflicts or missing drivers), check the following: x Check the device connections. Although it might seems obvious, this should always be the first troubleshooting step when dealing with device problems. Make sure that the device is connected to the PC — and if it requires power, that it’s plugged into a power source. Some USB devices (such as keyboards and mice) get their power from the USB channel, but others require additional power. x Enable the USB connection. Make sure that the USB ports are enabled in the BIOS setup configuration data. Although the PC should be shipped from the factory with its USB ports enabled, you never know until you try to use one. It could be that the PC has USB ports, but the BIOS system doesn’t support them. In this case, you might need to upgrade the BIOS (see Chapter 4) to support USB ports, if such an upgrade is available.
Slide 27: 642 Part VIII: Configuring the PC x Verify the devices installed. If both the host controller and the root hub are installed (and listed on the Device Manager), all is well. However, if one or the other is missing, the problem is in the .INF file used to install the device drivers. Try removing the device from the Device Manager and then clicking the Refresh button to have the system automatically detect the devices. If this fails, open the device’s Properties window and update the device driver, which you’ll find in the USB.INF file in the INF folder (a subfolder to the Windows folder), and then re-install it. x Check for system resource conflicts. The USB host controller shares its IRQ with other devices. Rarely does this cause a problem; however, on occasion, this can cause the USB device from being recognized when attached to the USB port. If this happens, you should reassign the USB host controller to a different IRQ (providing that one is available). Assigning an IRQ to the USB host controller Use these steps to force the USB host controller to a different IRQ setting: 1. With the Device Manager displayed, double-click Computer at the top of the device tree. This displays the Computer Properties window, shown in Figure 24-16. Figure 24-16: The Windows Computer Properties window. 2. On the Reserve Resources tab, click the Add button, enter the number of the IRQ currently in use by the USB host controller, and then click OK to close the window. 3. On the Device Manager window, select the USB host device and click the Remove button. 4. Restart the system. The USB host controller will be detected and assigned to a different IRQ.
Slide 28: Chapter 24: Ports and Connectors 5. Return to the Device Manager’s Computer Properties windows and remove the reservation of the IRQ reserved in Step 2. 6. Click OK on each succeeding window and restart the PC when requested. 643 Enabling IRQ steering The USB host controller requires IRQ Steering to be enabled on the PCI bus in order to support multiple devices. To enable IRQ steering, perform the following steps: 1. From the Device Manager, choose the PCI Bus entry and then click the Properties button. 2. Choose the IRQ Steering tab and then select the check box for Use IRQ Steering as illustrated in Figure 24-17. Figure 24-17: The IRQ Steering tab in the Windows PCI Bus Properties dialog box. 3. Under the Use IRQ Steering check box are four IRQ steering options: The first two and the fourth settings should be marked. 4. Click OK on each succeeding window and restart the PC when requested.
Slide 30: Part IX PC Operating Systems CHAPTER 25 The Windows Operating System CHAPTER 26 Unix and Linux Operating Systems
Slide 32: Chapter 25 The Windows Operating System IN THIS CHAPTER I know that this is essentially a hardware book, but a PC technician absolutely must be able to install and configure an operating system on a user’s PC because it’s just a part of the overall installation and configuration process. As much as you and I would like to concentrate on hardware and the really challenging physical elements of a PC, in effect, there is no PC without its operating system (OS). Okay, I should include application software along with the OS to make a PC truly usable, but there is so much application software and so little time. In this chapter, I cover the following: x Installing and configuring Windows 98 (and Me) x Installing and configuring Windows 2000 x Installing and configuring Windows XP x Starting Windows in Safe mode MY VIEW OF OPERATING SYSTEMS is the product of my experience, which tells me that when talking about operating system software, the first name out of the box is Microsoft, which automatically leads to Windows. Microsoft Windows has the largest installed base of any of the OS providers, so it’s essential that a PC technician have a working knowledge of the processes used to install and configure this system. No, I haven’t forgotten about other operating systems, but because this book is for PC technicians, I’m not covering network operating systems (NOS) — and, in a fairly bold stand, I’m not including Apple Computer’s operating systems (Mac OS) as well. However, Chapter 26 does cover some essential Unix/Linux topics that every PC technician should know. 647
Slide 33: 648 Part IX: PC Operating Systems Looking at the Different Versions of Windows Microsoft Windows has been around for nearly a decade and in that time (and despite a somewhat shaky start) has grown to be the most popular PC OS in the world. Regardless of what you, I, or the Justice Department think of it, the Microsoft Windows (hereafter, just plain Windows, please) OS is as much a part of the PC world as the hard disk on which it resides. Over the years, Windows has released several versions. Some versions were just patches and fixes to the previous version, whereas others, such as Windows NT, 98, and XP, have effectively re-invented the system’s look — and to a lesser extent, its function. I think little is to be gained by covering the versions prior to Windows 98 in this book. It always surprises me how much information is still available on the Web about Windows 3.x and Windows 95. If you need further information on these systems, I suggest that you use Google or a similar search engine to hunt for what you need. In the following sections, I cover the installation and configuration processes (along with a few troubleshooting tips) of Windows 98 (occasionally referred to as Windows 9x, when the information also covers Windows 95 OEM SR2), NT, Millennium Edition (Me), 2000, and XP. In the case of Windows NT, 2000, and XP, the discussion is limited to desktop (Professional or Home) versions rather than the Server versions. Installing and Configuring Windows 98/Me For an obsolete operating system, Windows 98 is sure hanging on. Many users and IT departments are approaching Windows OS updates with the attitude that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you ever need to install Windows 98 for the first time on a PC (or reinstall it after some catastrophe), follow the steps in the next few sections. For the sake of simplicity, I use Windows 98 in this section to indicate Windows 98, 98 SE, and Me. Installing Windows 98/Me Using a clean installation is the best way to install Windows 98. A clean installation means that the hard disk drive on which you wish to install the system has
Slide 34: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems been partitioned, formatted (see Chapter 10 for more information on formatting and partitioning a hard disk drive), and cleaned of all pre-existing data. If another OS has been on the PC, you should definitely create a full backup of the system prior to deleting or formatting the old partitions. Nothing goes wrong in 99 percent of the cases, but that 1 percent can ruin you. To install Windows 98, use the following procedure: 1. Before beginning the installation, assemble the following items: s s s 649 The Windows 98 CD-ROM release media. A valid Windows 98 product key ID number. A Windows 98 boot disk (just in case things do go wrong during the installation) — see “Creating a Windows 98/Me boot disk” later in this chapter. Current and up-to-date device drivers for the peripheral devices and controller cards in the PC. s With these items assembled, you’re ready to start the installation. 2. Insert the Windows 98 boot disk in the floppy disk drive and power the PC off and on to boot the system from the floppy disk drive. If the system bypasses the floppy disk drive and boots from the hard disk, enter the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup program and change the boot disk search sequence to add or move the floppy disk drive into the first position. 3. After the Windows 98 Setup menu appears, insert the Windows 98 CD in the CD-ROM drive. The Windows Setup menu gives you three installation options: s s s Start Windows 98 Setup from CD-ROM Start computer with CD-ROM support Start computer without CD-ROM support 4. Choose the second option, which will load the CD-ROM device drivers and make it accessible. When the drivers are installed, a list of the detected hard disk drives on the PC is displayed, followed by a DOS command prompt.
Slide 35: 650 Part IX: PC Operating Systems 5. Repartition the system hard disk, if needed, and format the partitions that you wish to clean for the installation. You aren’t required to repartition the hard disk(s). If you’ve had trouble with them in the past, you might wish to do so. 6. At the command prompt, enter A:\>FORMAT C: /Q to format the C: disk partition. Remember, DOS commands aren’t case sensitive; you can enter them as upper- or lowercase characters. If you’re using a different partition, replace the C: with the appropriate drive designation. Understand that formatting the hard drive will erase all data and programs on the hard disk partition. When the formatting is completed, you have the option of naming the hard disk partition or pressing the Enter key to skip this step. Unless you’re planning to install an application system in a particular partition, such as DB2, Sybase, or the like — or will be dual-booting the PC with a Linux system — there really are no hard and fast rules for naming partitions. However, make sure that the application software or second operating system doesn’t specify a particular partition naming convention.
Slide 36: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems 7. At the command prompt, enter the drive designator for the CD-ROM drive. It should typically be something in the range of D:, E:, or F:. I’m assuming that it is D:; if not, use the drive designator assigned by the system. Press Enter to move to the next step. 8. At the command prompt, enter D:\win98\setup. The Windows 98 Setup program starts and displays a message that it will now run the ScanDisk utility. Accept this action (by pressing the Enter key) and then start a scan of the hard disk partition for any media errors. 9. When the ScanDisk completes, the Setup program displays installation options. Choose the Typical Installation option to start the file installation process. 10. When the basic installation is completed, restart the system as requested, making sure that you remove the boot disk from the floppy drive before doing so. 11. After the system restarts, install the device drivers for any motherboardrelated components, including Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus mastering, interrupt request (IRQ) routing, and Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) miniport drivers, if needed. These drivers are typically found on the CD that shipped with the motherboard, but if not there, they can be downloaded from the Web beforehand. The best place to find drivers for the motherboard-related components is on the manufacturers’ Web sites. 12. Before installing the peripheral device drivers, run the Disk Defragmenter utility to further clean up the system. Disk Defragmenter can be found by choosing Start ¡ Programs ¡ Accessories ¡ System Tools. After the device drivers are installed, you’ve completed the installation of the Windows 98 operating system and just about its entire configuration. Any remaining configuration steps are usually proprietary or locally defined, so follow the instructions for each device to the letter. 651 Controlling a Windows 98 setup The Windows 98 Setup program has a variety of parameter switches that you can use to control the function and actions of the setup process. Table 25-1 lists the major options available to you.
Slide 37: 652 Part IX: PC Operating Systems TABLE 25-1 WINDOWS 98 SETUP SWITCHES Value /? /na Action Lists the available switches for the setup program. Bypasses the program check based on the value substituted for n. 0 = Default. 1 = No Windows-based program checking; MS-DOS programs are blocked. 2 = No MS-DOS program checking; Windows programs are blocked. 3 = No Windows or MS-DOS program checking. Ignores the presence of a Migration.dll file and forces the setup program to overwrite newer files. The exception is that Windows Setup will keep newer “x32” files. (See /na for values of n.) Omits prompting to remove the floppy disk drive (when installing from a bootable CD). (See /na for values of n.) Bypasses the minimum hardware requirement test (486DX66 and 16MB RAM). (See /na for values of n.) Bypasses using any existing Windows configuration files (Win.ini and System.ini). Bypasses the Windows 98 Startup Disk wizard screens, and the Windows\Command\EDB folder is not created. Allows Windows 98 to be installed on legacy Gateway and Micron PCs with older BIOS. Bypasses the installation of the network wizard pages, and the network setup routines won’t run. Bypasses the updating of the Master Boot Records (MBRs). Bypasses the setup sound (.wav) files. Bypasses the mouse drivers to run setup without a mouse. (This switch is the letter n and not a value.) Assigns a location for the setup temporary files. /nd /nf /nm /d /ie /ig /in /ir /m /n /t<dir> Configuring Windows 98 Actually, after Windows 98 is installed, there really isn’t that much more to configure. However, the following sections include a few things that you might want to tweak to ensure that it operates like it should.
Slide 38: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems 653 DEALING WITH DEVICE MANAGER ERRORS Immediately after installing a Windows system of any version, check the Windows Device Manager (see Figure 25-1) to ensure that no hardware errors have been created in the process. On a Windows 9x system, the Device Manager is accessed by right-clicking the My Computer icon on the desktop, choosing Properties from the pop-up menu that appears, and then choosing the Device Manager tab of the Properties window. Figure 25-1: After a Windows installation, check Device Manager for hardware errors. If a device problem exists, Device Manager flags either the device class (such as hard disk controllers, mouse, or display adapters) or a specific device (such as the PS/2-compatible mouse port) with one of three symbols (not counting the symbol used to mark an operating device): x Exclamation point inside a yellow circle: Indicates a device that’s in a problem state. A device in a problem state could be working, yet something isn’t quite right with it — for example, an incompatible device driver. x Red X: Indicates a device that’s been disabled by either the system or the user. A disabled device is physically installed in the system and has system resources assigned to it but doesn’t have a protected mode driver installed. x Blue i: Indicates that automatic resource settings aren’t in use on the device. This isn’t necessarily a problem but more of a reminder. If a device is flagged with one of these symbols, look at the device’s properties (click the Properties button) to see whether a conflict exists or a system error code has been assigned to the device. Here are a few of the Device Manager’s error codes and their appropriate resolutions:
Slide 39: 654 Part IX: PC Operating Systems x Code 1: The system hasn’t configured this device. Follow the instructions in the Device Status box for removing the device from the Device Manager, restarting the PC, and running the Add New Hardware Wizard from the Control Panel. x Code 2: The device wasn’t loaded by the device loader (DevLoader). This error is typically displayed when the device is a Root Bus DevLoader (for example, PCI or BIOS). It typically includes the message Windows could not load the driver for this device because the computer is reporting two <type> bus types (Code 2). Contact your computer manufacturer to get an updated BIOS for your computer. The <type> will be ISAPNP, PCI, BIOS, EISA, or ACPI. If the device is not a Root Bus DevLoader, the message is The <type> device loader(s) for this device could not load the device driver (Code 2). To fix this, click Update Driver to update the device driver. In this case, <type> is FLOP, ESDI, SCSI, and the like. x Code 3: The device driver is bad or the system is running low on memory. Update the device driver or delete the device from Device Manager and use the Add New Hardware Wizard from the Control Panel to add the device again. x Code 4: The .inf file for the device is incorrect or the registry entry is corrupted. Remove the device from the Device Manager and use the Add New Hardware Wizard from the Control Panel to add the device again. You’ll find around 35 of these error codes, some indicating very critical problems and some only minor system nuisances — but all should be investigated and resolved. Visit the Micosoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com/ default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q125174 for a complete listing of the error codes. If a device’s problem appears to be that a real-mode driver is being used in place of a protected-mode driver (the driver you really want to have loaded), check the entries in the Ios.log file in the Windows folder, which can only be found if you’re experiencing this problem. Real-mode device drivers are 16-bit drivers compared with the 32-bit .vxd (protected-mode) drivers. Because Windows log files are in text format, you can use the Notepad utility to open and read them. The first line in the Ios.log file, if present, should indicate why the protected-mode driver didn’t load. If the Mbrint13.sys file is mentioned, you can be almost sure that a virus is causing the problem (that is, unless you’re using a device driver that replaces the Master Boot Record).
Slide 40: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems 655 ACCESSING THE CD-ROM AFTER INSTALLING WINDOWS 98 OR ME If you cannot access the CD-ROM driver after installing Windows 98/Me, the problem is linked to a dual-channel Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) controller on the system. Use the following steps to resolve this problem: 1. Choose Start ¡ Settings ¡ Control Panel, click the System icon, and then choose the Device Manager tab. 2. Expand the Hard Disk Controllers group. 3. Click the IDE controller to highlight it, click the Properties button, and then choose the Settings tab on the window that opens. 4. In the Dual IDE Channel Settings drop-down list box (see Figure 25-2), choose the Both IDE Channels Enabled option from the list and then click OK. Figure 25-2: The Windows IDE Channel Setting dialog box is used to control the availability of IDE channels. 5. Restart the PC. PHANTOM USB Even if the PC’s USB ports aren’t in use, you might want to enable two BIOS settings (in the BIOS setup configuration data) anyway: x OnChipUSB: For some reason, this setting on the Chipset Settings menu allows the system to shut down properly and display the It is now safe to turn off your computer message on some PCs.
Slide 41: 656 Part IX: PC Operating Systems x Assign IRQ for USB: This setting on the Plug and Play (PnP)/PCI Configuration menu allows a system shut down to complete properly on some motherboards, but especially on motherboards manufactured by Abit Computer Corporation. OPTIMIZE THE SWAP SPACE On PCs with 128MB or more of memory, the size of the hard disk swap file is less critical than on PCs with low memory. So to optimize (conserve) the hard disk space used by the virtual memory swap file, make the following change to the registry: 1. From the Windows Notepad utility, open the SYSTEM.INI file from the Windows directory. 2. In the section following the subtitle [386Enh], insert the following entry: ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 3. Save the file and restart the PC. MINIMIZE THE DISK CACHE The disk cache — the buffer allocated in system memory to the caching function of the hard disk drive — can slow down the system and cause some low memory problems. This problem is especially noticeable on PC’s with 16MB or less of RAM that run Windows 98/Me. To control the minimum and maximum amount of memory allocated to the hard disk cache on a PC, use the following steps: 1. Open the SYSTEM.INI file in the Windows folder from the Notepad utility. 2. In the [vcache] section, locate and modify, or add if needed, these two lines: MinFileCache=0 MaxFileCache=4096 On PCs with more than 16MB of RAM, you can increase the MaxFileCache to about 25 percent of the total RAM size. For example, if you have 256MB of RAM, you could set MaxFileCache=64000000.
Slide 42: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems 657 Installing and Configuring Windows 2000 Professional If you’ve recently passed the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) 70-210 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional) exam, you can probably skip this section. However, if you’ve never installed or configured the Windows 2000 Professional (Pro) operating system on a PC, the following information could be helpful. Understand that the most common form of installing Windows 2000 is as an upgrade, typically over Windows 98/Me. Installing Windows 2000 Pro Installing Windows 2000, at least in terms of installing the basic operating system, is actually quite easy. Just follow two basic steps: Insert the release CD in the CD-ROM drive and then restart the PC. A small run-time version of Windows 2000 is copied into RAM and started, which then loads and starts the setup program. You need to answer a few questions and enter the software ID key (found on the release booklet), but that’s about it, especially for Windows 2000 Pro. VERIFYING WINDOWS 2000 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS The minimum system requirements for installing Windows 2000 are the following: x Processor: A 133 MHz or higher Pentium-class CPU; Windows 2000 supports either single or multiple processors. x Memory: At least 64MB of RAM, but more is better. x Hard disk space: At least 2GB with 650MB of available free space. CHECKING WINDOWS 2000 HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY Before installing Windows 2000 (NT or XP, as well), you should verify that the hardware, software, and BIOS of the PC are compatible, which means that they have been tested and found to perform like they should on a Windows 2000 system. Microsoft includes a list of compatible devices and systems in its hardware compatibility list (HCL). For the latest list, visit www.microsoft.com/windows2000/professional/howtobuy/upgrading/compat This Microsoft Web site provides search tools for computers, hardware devices, and software that you can use to see whether a PC and its components will work properly with Windows 2000 Pro.
Slide 43: 658 Part IX: PC Operating Systems Here are two reasons why you should check the BIOS first: x The existing BIOS version might not support the advanced power man- agement and device configuration features of Windows 2000. In order to take advantage of the power management features in Windows 2000, the PC must be compliant with Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) BIOS. x The wrong BIOS version on a PC could cause the PC to stop working like it should, with Windows 2000 installed or not. See Chapter 4 for information on PC BIOS and the procedures used to update a BIOS system. PREPARING TO INSTALL WINDOWS 2000 Windows 2000 can be installed three different ways: x Clean install: Install Windows 2000 as the only operating system on a PC on an empty or formatted hard drive. This section focuses on the clean installation procedure. x Dual boot install: Install Windows 2000 on a PC with another operating system, such as Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or Linux, so that the PC can be booted to either system from a menu of operating system choices displayed when the PC boots. Windows 2000 must be installed either on a separate hard disk drive or into a separate partition from the other operating system. x Upgrade install: A PC running Windows 9x or Windows NT 4.0 can be upgraded to Windows 2000. This type of installation replaces the existing operating system files with new ones. To install Windows 2000 using a clean install, you first need to prepare the hard disk drive for it. The three different ways to accomplish this task are the following: x Using Windows 2000 boot disks: To create a set of four Windows 2000 boot disks, you must first boot the system (this can be done on any computer, not just the one on which you’ll be installing Windows 2000) to a DOS prompt using either a Windows 9x or MS-DOS boot disk. See “Creating Windows 2000 boot disks” later in the chapter for information on creating the boot disks. Insert the first of the four boot disks and reboot the PC. The installation will then proceed.
Slide 44: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems x Using a Windows 9x boot disk: This is the faster of the two methods that 659 you can use, but it will only work if the boot disk has SMARTDRV.EXE on it: Without it, the installation can take hours instead of minutes. After booting the PC to the boot disk, use the DOS FDISK command to create one or more partitions on the hard disk drive. Reboot the system, enabling CD-ROM support, and then use the DOS FORMAT command to format the system (active) partition, which is usually the C: partition. Next, enter the DOS command SYS C: to make the C: drive bootable (this step might or might not be necessary, but it provides a bit of insurance that the system will reboot to the active partition). See “Creating a Windows 98Me boot disk” later in the chapter for information on creating a boot disk. RUNNING WINDOWS 2000 SETUP The following steps detail the process used to install Windows 2000: 1. Before inserting the Windows 2000 release CD in the CD-ROM drive, enter the BIOS setup program and set the CD-ROM driver as the first boot device. See the earlier section “Installing Windows 98/Me” for instructions on how this is done. 2. Place the Windows 2000 CD in the CD-ROM drive and restart the PC. If the hard disk drive is partitioned and formatted, the message Hit Any Key to Boot from CD-ROM is displayed. 3. The AutoRun feature on the CD starts up and runs the setup program and begins to load the device drivers needed to proceed. 4. Continue through the Welcome to Setup menu and read the license agreement. If you agree to abide by the license agreement, which you should, press F8 to continue. The next display is the partition screen where you can indicate the area of the disk on which you’d like to install Windows 2000. You can assign Windows to an unpartitioned part of the disk or set up partitions on an unpartitioned disk drive. See “Preparing to install Windows 2000” earlier. The format screen displays where you can specify how you wish to format the disk drive space, meaning which file system you wish to use. 5. Normally, you should choose FAT from the list if you’re installing Windows 2000 on a standalone PC, or you can choose one of the other options available, provided that you know what they are and when you should use them. See “Configuring Windows 2000” later in this chapter for more information on files systems.
Slide 45: 660 Part IX: PC Operating Systems After you make your choice, the setup program confirms it and begins formatting the partition. On a very large disk drive (more than 4GB), this can take awhile. After the partition space is formatted, the PC restarts and displays the Setup Wizard. 6. Continue through the first wizard screen to start the hardware detection phase of the installation. After the system has detected and configured the attached and compatible hardware, it runs through a series of screens to set the regional settings; the user’s name and organization; product key ID; administrator’s password; and the date, time zone, and local time. If the PC is networked, Windows 2000 then detects and installs the networking settings. The typical settings work just fine for nearly all workstation PCs. 7. When asked which type of installation you wish for Windows 2000, unless you have specific reasons not to, you should click the Express Setup button. The Custom Setup option requires knowledge of Windows 2000 and its elements. 8. When the Setup Wizard completes, click the Finish button to restart the PC. After the system restarts, the Network Identification Wizard starts. You can configure the PC’s network ID and workgroup at this time or wait and do it later. 9. The basic installation and configuration are done. If needed, you should enter the Control Panel and configure the PC for the user or the network, depending on the peripherals, dialup, networking, and features desired by the user. Configuring Windows 2000 For most users, after the Windows 2000 installation process is completed, their PC is essentially good to go. However, you can do a few things to optimize the system for performance and to avoid future problems. SETTING MAXIMUM VOLUME AND FILE SIZES FOR WINDOWS 2000 Windows 2000 supports three different file systems: File Allocation Table (FAT), FAT32, and New Technology File System (NTFS). When defining the partition size for Windows 2000, use the information in Table 25-2 as a guide.
Slide 46: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems 661 TABLE 25-2 WINDOWS MAXIMUM VOLUME AND FILE SIZES Max Files (Folders) per Volume 512 65,534 4,294,967,295 File System FAT FAT32 NTFS Windows Versions All Windows versions .NET 2003, XP, 2000, 98, 95 OSR2 .NET 2003, XP, 2000, NT (NTFS 4 only) Max Volume Size 2GB on Windows 95; 4GB on all later versions 2TB 256TB Max File Size 4GB 4GB Volume capacity The use of long filenames reduces the volume and file size numbers. Check the documentation of the Windows version in use. CONVERTING A FAT FILE SYSTEM TO NTFS ON WINDOWS 2000 Which file system a system should use depends primarily on the application programs running on it. Many legacy programs will only run with an FAT file system. However, if the decision is made to convert an FAT or FAT32 file system to NTFS, you don’t need to reformat the disk partitions affected, but you should back up the data on the file system to be converted. You would convert an FAT or FAT32 file system to NTFS because it’s more powerful than FAT or FAT32, it’s required for hosting Active Directory, and it supports many very important security features of Windows 2000, such as domain-based security. To convert the FAT or FAT32 file system on a Windows 2000 system to NTFS, use the following steps: 1. Open a command prompt window by entering cmd in the Run dialog box (from the Start menu) and then clicking OK. 2. At the command prompt that appears, enter convert drive_designator: /fs:ntfs.
Slide 47: 662 Part IX: PC Operating Systems Installing Windows XP Nearly all newer PCs come with Windows XP pre-installed, but that doesn’t mean that you can just replace perfectly working PCs with new ones just to get an upgraded system. As simple as that might sound, the money issue typically prevents it from being that easy. Upgrading to Windows XP Not every system can be upgraded to Windows XP. Table 25-3 lists the versions that can be updated to Windows XP Home or Windows XP Pro, which are the versions that I’m assuming you would install on a user’s PC. TABLE 25-3 WINDOWS VERSIONS UPGRADEABLE TO WINDOWS XP Windows Version Windows 3.x Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Windows 2000 Pro Windows Me Windows XP Home Windows XP Pro XP Home No No Yes No No Yes No XP Pro No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes - With the Windows XP version, Microsoft has made Upgrade Advisor available. This online utility checks a PC for its compatibility for an upgrade to Windows XP. In addition, Upgrade Advisor checks your system for required updates and then downloads and installs them. You can find more information on Upgrade Advisor at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/ howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp. Upgrading to Windows XP from an eligible Windows version (see Table 25-3) is actually fairly easy. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM; when you’re asked which
Slide 48: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems type of installation you’d like to perform, choose Upgrade. If all is well, the Windows XP setup program will perform the upgrade installation automatically. 663 Installing Windows XP Pro or Home editions To install Windows XP on a clean PC (one that’s had its hard disk drives formatted clean), use the following steps: 1. Boot the PC from the Windows XP release media CD. 2. If the PC has any devices not supported by Windows XP (XP doesn’t have drivers for them), obtain the drivers before starting the installation and press F6 when the XP installation first starts up. The setup program begins loading the Windows XP files and displays a series of screens, most of which you should continue through (accepting the End-User License Agreement [EULA] along the way). Eventually, a screen displays that asks you to select the hard disk partition on which you wish to install Windows XP. 3. Choose the partition and then click Next to proceed. If you wish to have two operating systems on the PC, you should create two hard disk drive partitions, one for the existing operating system and one for Windows XP, either beforehand or at this time. 4. If you’re installing Windows XP into a partition that has existing data, be sure to choose the Keep Current File System Intact option on the next screen displayed. 5. If the installation is on a clean PC (recommended), select the partition and then click Next. 6. On the next screen displayed, select either a quick format for FAT or NTFS as the file system for the PC. s If no data on the PC requires security, choose FAT because FAT is the faster file system choice. Choose NTFS if security is required for the existing data or for future data to be stored on the hard disk drive. s After choosing the file system appropriate for the PC, the Windows XP Setup continues to load its files. After it copies the files that it needs for the configuration that you’ve indicated, the system restarts itself.
Slide 49: 664 Part IX: PC Operating Systems After rebooting, you’ll be asked for the Regional and Language options along with a few bits of other information for its files and its product ID key. Because Windows XP assumes that it will be networked, the remainder of the setup requests a workgroup or domain and an automatic check for the type of network on the PC. 7. The final installation step asks you to create the user name account for the user or users of the PC. XP creates user name accounts without passwords, so that’s something you must do later via the Users icon of the Control Panel. Starting Windows in Safe Mode If a PC has a serious boot problem, such as freezing during startup or a device that fails to load its device driver, you should boot Windows into Safe mode as the first step in your troubleshooting process. In Safe mode, Windows loads only the device drivers that it needs in order to function, which excludes most of the peripherals attached to the PC. The process used to start Windows in Safe mode varies by its version. The following sections detail the steps used to start Safe mode for the different Windows versions. All Windows versions, with the exception of Windows 3.x and Windows NT, can be started in Safe mode. Opening Windows 9x/Me/2000 in Safe mode To start Windows in Safe mode, the first couple of steps depend on whether Windows is running. Here’s what to do x If Windows is running: 1. Close all open programs. 2. Choose Shut Down from the Start menu. 3. Click Restart and then click OK. x If Windows is not running: 1. If the PC is powered on, turn off the power switch. 2. After a few seconds, power the PC on.
Slide 50: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems The next set of actions is common to all versions of Windows (including Windows XP): 1. Watch the screen and its display carefully. As soon as the Starting Windows bar appears at the bottom of the display, begin tapping F8. This should cause the Options menu (called the Advanced Options menu on Windows 2000) to display. 2. Select the Safe Mode option (typically the first option on the menu) and press Enter. The system will start up in Safe mode, which might take a few minutes to complete. 3. After you complete your troubleshooting, restart the PC, and it will return to normal mode. 665 Opening Windows XP in Safe mode If you can start the PC in Windows, here are the recommended steps to use to set up Windows XP to restart into Safe mode (SAFEBOOT): 1. Close all running application programs. 2. Run the System Configuration Utility by entering msconfig into the Run dialog box (from the Start menu) and then clicking OK. The System Configuration Utility window (see Figure 25-3) displays. Figure 25-3: The Windows XP System Configuration Utility. 3. As shown in Figure 25-3, mark the /SAFEBOOT check box and then click OK.
Slide 51: 666 Part IX: PC Operating Systems 4. When prompted to restart the PC, click the Restart option. The PC restarts and loads Windows XP into Safe mode. 5. After you complete your troubleshooting and wish to return Windows XP to its normal mode, run the msconfig utility again, clear the /SAFEBOOT check box, and then restart the PC. Another way that you can reach Safe mode on a Windows XP system is to press the F8 key during startup, but you have to do it at just the right time or you’ll have to try again. That’s why I prefer the /SAFEBOOT method — I never seem to hit the key at just the right time. Creating a Windows Boot Disk Creating a diskette to use to reboot a Windows system when it can’t otherwise be started is always a good idea. Users will think that you can walk on water if you can boot a PC that has been unbootable. Plus, it’s tough to fix a PC that you can’t get up and running. Creating a Windows 98/Me boot disk To create a Windows 98 boot disk, access the Add/Remove Programs icon on the Control Panel and choose the Startup Disk option to create the disk. The boot disk that’s generated (on your blank diskette) provides all the required files, including CD-ROM support, needed to boot a Windows 98/Me system. I recommend that you copy the DOS commands FDISK, FORMAT, and SMARTDRV to the boot disk, if you will be using it to install either Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0. Creating a Windows NT boot disk To create a Windows NT boot disk, use the following steps: 1. Use the Windows Explorer to open the i386 folder on the Windows NT release media CD or in the WINNT folder on the hard disk drive. 2. Format a blank floppy disk and copy the following files to the diskette: s s boot.ini ntdetect.com
Slide 52: Chapter 25: The Windows Operating Systems s s 667 ntldr Also copy to the diskette any Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) or other devices that you wish to access after you boot the PC with the boot disk that you’re creating. Creating Windows 2000 boot disks To create a Windows 2000 Pro boot disk, you need to have four 1.44MB diskettes and the Windows 2000 Pro release media CD available. Follow these steps to create the boot disk: 1. Insert the CD in the CD-ROM drive. 2. Open the Run dialog box (from the Start menu) and then click the Browse button to browse the CD. 3. Open the Boot Disk folder on the CD and double-click the makebt32.exe program. 4. Click OK to start the program, which will guide you through the steps needed to create the boot disks. Obtaining Windows XP setup boot disks Windows XP setup boot disks are created through a file that you must download from the Microsoft Web site. Visit the following URL for information on which file to download for your XP version and instructions on creating boot disks: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q310994
Slide 54: Chapter 26 Unix and Linux Operating Systems IN THIS CHAPTER Surprisingly enough, for some people, there is life outside the world of Windows. Users who (for myriad reasons) don’t want to use Windows can opt to install and use Unix (which is not an acronym for anything) or Linux (likewise) as an alternative to Windows. I don’t propose in this chapter to give you an in-depth Linux tutorial, but I do want to provide you with the following information on Linux hardware support so that if you encounter a PC running Linux, you have some idea how to identify the source of a problem: x An overview of Linux hardware systems x Dealing with Linux hardware issues x Managing hardware configurations in Linux UNIX AND LINUX (hereafter I use Linux, which is the most common of the two on PCs, to represent both) are among the most popular operating systems in the world on several levels of computing. Unix can be found on supercomputers, mainframes, minicomputers, network servers, and specialized networked workstations. Linux is more often found on network servers and frequently on standalone user PCs. Linux has grown in popularity because of its source accessibility, which is especially popular with operating system purists and operating system hackers. Unix is still very expensive to run at the PC level (as much as $1,500 per machine), but the freely distributed Linux is available in an open source form at no cost. Commercial versions of Linux are also available from Caldera, Red Hat, Slackware, and others. Understanding a Linux Installation If you’re a Windows-trained technician who has never had the fun of working with MS-DOS or the like, Linux might seem a bit overly complicated to you when you first encounter it. Unless the PC is running X-windows (a Windows-like user interface for UNIX and Linux systems) or its equivalent, you’ll probably be greeted by its standard command prompt, which is typically a dollar sign ($). 669
Slide 55: 670 Part IX: PC Operating Systems This command prompt tells you that you are logged in as a user and are currently in the root directory. (No folders on this system!) In essence, the Linux command prompt shown is very much like the MS-DOS command prompt: C:>\. Logging on as the supervisor If you’re working on a PC that has a Linux operating system, you need to have the user log you onto the system as the supervisor. To modify the system, you must work at the supervisory level, much like you need to be the administrator to make significant changes to a Windows NT/2000/XP system. You’ll know that you’re in supervisory mode when the prompt changes to a pound or number sign (#). Operating in dual mode A Linux system can operate as either a single, standalone operating system or in a multiboot (dual boot) mode. You’ll commonly find a system that can boot into either Windows or Linux. On these systems, if a problem shows up on Linux, it must be resolved in Linux. The problem could also exist on the Windows side as well, but regardless, any problem identified in Linux must be resolved there. However, I recommend testing for the same problem on the Windows side, also. On a dual boot PC that has Linux installed along with Windows NT/2000/XP, the Windows NTLDR routine resides on the master boot record and loads the Linux loader (lilo [Linux loader] or grub [grand unified boot loader], depending on the Linux version) that boots the Linux system. Viewing the hardware configuration The hardware configuration files on a Linux system are stored in a system directory on the root (/) file system under the pathname /dev. This directory holds the files that define and link to the peripherals, both active and inactive. The commands used in Linux to navigate between directories are cd or chdir (change directory), just like the commands in MS-DOS. READING THE /DEV FILE LIST The information on the configured hardware devices on a Linux system are in the /dev directory. To display the file properties for the device files (or the files in any directory, for that matter), the command ls -l (long list) is used as follows:
Slide 56: Chapter 26: Unix and Linux Operating Systems $ ls -l /dev/* crw-rw-rw1 brw-rw-rw1 brw-rw-rw1 crw-rw---1 brw-rw---1 $ 671 root root root root root root root root root disk 1, 3, 3, 6, 8, 3 0 1 0 0 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec 5 5 5 5 5 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 /dev/null /dev/hda /dev/hdb /dev/lp0 /dev/sda To decipher the preceding sample display of the files in the /dev directory, reading left to right, the entry values are the following: x File mode character: The first character in the file listing represents the mode of the file. A c designates a character mode file, and a b indicates a block mode file. The primary difference between a character mode file and a block mode file is that a character mode file can be displayed as text, and a block mode file is a buffered file that contains information on the configuration and link to a particular peripheral device. x File permissions: The file permissions on a Linux file indicate the rights and actions assigned to the file’s owner, the group to which the owner belongs, and all users. The permissions consist of three sets of three characters (such as the rw- for the /dev/hda file in the preceding sample). Each of the three characters represents an action and can contain either a dash (hyphen) to mean that no permission is granted for a particular action, or an r, w, or x, which indicate, respectively, that read, write, and execute permissions are granted to the associated user level. A group in Linux is very much like a group in Windows and is used as a mechanism to assign permissions to a collection of users simultaneously. x File ownership: The first text word in the file properties — root in each case in the above example — indicates the user login or administrative level that owns the permission set on the file. Only a user logged in at that user level is allowed to effect changes to the permission set or location of the file. The first set (three characters) of file permissions indicates the permission set for the file owner. x Group ownership: The second text word, following the file owner ID, is the name of the group to which the file owner belongs. All users that are members of the group named in this entry assume the permission set of the group. The second set of file permissions indicates the permissions of the group.
Slide 57: 672 Part IX: PC Operating Systems As is often the case on a Windows system, if a user complains that he either can’t find or can’t open a particular file or directory, that user probably doesn’t have the proper permissions assigned to do so. x Major number: The first number to the left of the group name (the one with a comma following it) indicates the device category of the peripheral device. The major number is used to categorize devices that require similar handling or addressing. For example, notice that the first hard disk drive (/dev/hda) has a major number of 3, and the first parallel port (/dev/lp0) has a major number of 6. A hard disk drive requires different access methods than a parallel port. On a Linux or UNIX system, /dev/hda is the first disk drive; /dev/hdb is the second disk driver; /dev/hdc is the third disk drive; and so on. x Minor number: If more than one device of the same type is on a system, such as the /dev/hda and /dev/hdb, the system must have a means of distinguishing them. The minor number is like a sub-identification for devices in the same major number category. x Maintenance date: The date indicated in the file properties is the date of the creation of the file or its last modification that required the file to be rewritten. x File pathname: The last entry is the pathname of each device file. CREATING A DEVICE ENTRY Although not a common occurrence, sometimes you need to create a new or additional device file in Linux. The Linux command used for this purpose is makedev (make device), which is located in the /dev directory. The makedev command can be used to create a set of standard (std) devices for the system architecture or one or more devices specific to a single PC. The command structure for makedev is # makedev device_parameter Table 26-1 lists the more commonly used device parameters for the makedev command.
Slide 58: Chapter 26: Unix and Linux Operating Systems 673 TABLE 26-1 DEVICE PARAMETERS FOR THE LINUX MAKEDEV COMMAND Parameter all Action/Usage Creates a standard number of device files for all known devices, including local devices Creates virtual terminal files associated with the system console Creates standard device files (console, floppy disk, memory, standard input, standard output, and null) Creates AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) CD-ROM drive files Creates ATAPI Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE] disk drive files Creates ATAPI tape drive files Creates a set of standard bus mouse device files, including logimouse (Logitech), psmouse (PS/2), and msmouse (Microsoft) Creates Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) hard disk drive files (# represents drive number – 1, 2, 3, and so on) Creates floppy disk drive files Creates hard disk drive files (x represents the drive hierarchy a through d) Creates Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) device files Creates joystick device files Creates loopback device files Creates parallel port device files Creates SCSI tape drive files Creates standard COM port (serial) device files Creates serial COM port device files Creates Universal Serial Bus (USB) device files Creates virtual console device files Creates Winchester hard disk drive files console std acd# ad# ast# busmice da# fd# hdx isdns# js# loop# lp# sa# tty# ttyS# usbs# vty# wd#
Slide 59: 674 Part IX: PC Operating Systems Correcting Hardware Woes The different versions of Linux that can be installed on a PC can create some hardware situations that you might need to correct to get a user’s workstation up and running properly. The following sections include only the more common of these problems. For more information on hardware issues that can arise from a Linux installation, visit the Web site of the Linux version or supplier. Configuring IDE/ATA drives If IDE/ATA hard disk drives are in use, the Linux /boot partition must be located on the hard disk drive attached to the primary controller, or the PC might not boot properly. If the PC has two IDE/ATA hard disk drives, they should be attached to the primary IDE controller as master and slave, and any CD-ROM drives should be installed on the secondary controller. If the hard disk drive on a PC is a SCSI device, the /boot partition must reside on SCSI ID 0 or 1. Preventing drive letters from changing When you add a new disk drive to a PC and then boot to Windows, Windows reassigns the drive letters of the disk drives, including assigning new drive letters to existing drives. If the new disk drive is a hard disk installed to hold Linux, you should boot to Linux first, where you can assign the hard disk drive a Linux-only drive letter. Later startups into Windows ignore the Linux disk drive and do not reassign the drive letters of the Windows-recognized devices. Resolving device access issues If a user can’t access a particular hardware device on a Linux system, the problem is typically device file permissions. To determine whether this is the problem, log onto the system with the root username and attempt to access the problem device. If you can access the device, the problem is the permissions on the device file in the /dev directory. The root username is omnipotent (a fancy word for all powerful) and should be used only for system administrative purposes. For normal user access, each user should have a user-level account created by using the mkuser command. CHANGING DEVICE FILE PERMISSIONS You need to change the access permissions on the device file with the chmod (change mode) command. The chmod command, which can be entered in octal
Slide 60: Chapter 26: Unix and Linux Operating Systems format or alpha format, allows you to set the permissions of the owner, group, or user (or all). The syntax for the chmod command is chmod mode file(s) 675 The mode parameter is a string that represents who is to be changed and what access is being granted or removed. The who part of the mode parameter is represented with one of the following choices: a for all, o for owner, g for group, or u for users. (See “Reading the /dev file list” earlier in the chapter for information on the device file permissions structure.) The first character in the what part of the mode parameter indicates whether you’re adding or removing permissions by using a plus (+) or minus (–) sign, respectively. Next are the permissions that you’re adding or removing, which are indicated with an r for read, w for write, or an x for execute. For example, the following command adds read (open) and write permissions to the user permission level of the first hard disk drive: chmod +rw /dev/hda To remove access to a device file, a minus sign is used with the permission being removed; the command should look something like this: chmod u-r /dev/hda GRANTING DEVICE FILE ACCESS If a user can’t open or access a particular device, access might have been denied to the user’s group or to all users in general. Listing the /dev directory contents (use the command ls –l) allows you to verify whether this is the case; if the permissions should be changed, the chmod command can be used to alter the permissions. Some device classes are commonly owned by a user group created especially for controlling access to the device. For example, the groups floppy and cdrom are commonly used as the owners of the floppy disk and CD-ROM disk drives, respectively. This arrangement provides a means to assign global access to these devices. UNDERSTANDING FILE SYSTEM NAMES A file system is not necessarily a file system . . . when you compare a Linux file system with a Windows file system, anyway. Linux organizes data files in a hierarchical tree-like structure that starts at the top with the root (/) directory. All other directories, subdirectories, and files are subordinate to the root directory. The /etc/httpd directory is an example of the Linux file structure and its hierarchy. The /etc (root/etc) directory (pronounced et-see, not et-cet-er-a) is subordinate to the root directory, and the httpd directory is subordinate to the /etc directory. Each storage drive, whether a hard disk, CD-ROM, floppy, tape, or other type of drive, is associated with a file system. A file system is mounted (attached and made
Slide 61: 676 Part IX: PC Operating Systems available) to the file system tree; after it’s mounted, it appears to seamlessly be a part of the same directory system. In place of the A:, C:, and E: drives of a DOS/Windows system, you have /disk1, /floppy, or /cdrom. In fact, a mounted disk drive might not even be physically inside the PC but on another computer across the network. Table 26-2 lists the standard file systems and directories of a Linux system. TABLE 26-2 LINUX FILE SYSTEM DIRECTORIES File system / (slash) Detail The root directory, which is equivalent to the C:\ directory on an MSDOS/Windows PC, must be present to start or run a Linux system. This directory contains the majority of the binary executables of the Linux system. This directory includes the base kernel (core) and the information needed to start the system. This directory contains the device files. (See “Viewing the hardware configuration” earlier in this chapter.) This directory holds the majority of the system configuration files. Typically this directory requires administrator (root) permissions to access its contents. This directory contains the globally available general-use commands and programs of the Linux system. It is also where new application software is installed by default. In a Linux system, you need to create a swap space on a separate hard disk drive partition, which contrasts to the use of the Win386.swp file in Windows. /bin /boot /dev /etc /usr swap Resolving sound card problems A common problem on Linux systems is a sound card that won’t make sound. When this happens, enter the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) configuration (during the system boot sequence) and disable plug-and-play (PnP) support by changing the PnP setting to Disable.
Slide 62: Chapter 26: Unix and Linux Operating Systems 677 Adding a hard disk drive to a Linux system After you physically install a new hard disk drive in a Linux PC (see Chapter 10 for information on installing hard disk drives), you still have a few steps to perform to complete the installation for Linux. 1. After booting the system and logging in as root, run the display message command dmesg | more. This command displays information about the disk drives that have been detected on the PC, including the new drive (provided that it’s properly installed). 2. Find the drive in the information listing. The second hard disk drive should be listed as /dev/hdb; the third drive should be listed as /dev/hdc; and so on. Remember this name for later. 3. The new disk needs to be partitioned. Assuming that it’s the second hard disk drive, enter the command fdisk /dev/hdb1. The parameter /dev/hdb1 indicates the hdb (second hard disk drive) with a sub-device number of 1. A new command prompt displays that reads Command (m for help): or something very similar. The fdisk command in Linux, although performing the same actions as the Windows/MS-DOS fdisk command, has a completely different syntax in Linux. The Linux fdisk command uses single letter commands to indicate the action to be taken. 4. At the fdisk command prompt, enter p to display the existing partitions, if any. If partitions need to be deleted, enter d; and at the next prompt, enter the number of the partition to be deleted. 5. Enter n to create a new partition, and at the next prompt, enter the number 1 (if it’s the first partition on the drive). You’ll be prompted for the cylinder number on which you wish to start the partition. If the new partition is the first partition on the disk, enter the number 2. Trust me on this: You don’t want to start the partition on cylinder 1. (It is reserved for the system.) You’re asked for the number of the ending cylinder of the partition.
Slide 63: 678 Part IX: PC Operating Systems 6. If you wish to use the entire drive in a single partition, press Enter to accept that as the default. If you wish to use only a part of the disk, you need to calculate the number of cylinders that you wish to allocate to this partition. 7. Linux requires that you place a file system on the disk, which is a process very similar to formatting the disk in the MS-DOS/Windows world. To create a new file system on a newly partitioned hard disk drive, enter the make filesystem command indicating the device on which the file system should be created: mkfs /dev/hdb1. 8. Create a mount point for the partition (and its file system). As long as the directory name isn’t duplicated on this partition, you can use virtually any name you’d like, with the exception of those in the root partition. For example, to create a mount point of /prtn1, use the make directory command, like this: mkdir /prtn1. 9. Edit the /etc/fstab file to add your partition and file system to the system. In a text editor (Linux has vi or ed, which are globally available commands), create an entry at the end of the file, similar to this one: /dev/hdb1 /prtn1 ext2 defaults 1 1 Save the file. 10. Enter the command mount –a to mount (activate) the partitions listed in the /etc/fstab file. That’s it. Optimizing a hard disk for 32-bit and DMA operation Many Linux versions need some tweaking in order to speed up hard disk performance by enabling 32-bit input/output (I/O) and direct memory access (DMA) operations. To perform this operation, use the following procedure: 1. Log on with the root user ID. 2. With the following command, list the current parameters of the hard disk drives on the system: hdparm –c /dev/hda which returns the information: /dev/hda: I/O support = 0 (default 16-bit)
Slide 64: Chapter 26: Unix and Linux Operating Systems 3. Repeat the hdparm -c (query) command for each hard disk drive that you might wish to optimize, replacing /dev/hda with the filename of the other disk drives (/dev/hdb, /dev/hdc, and so on). 4. Query each hard disk drive with the hdparm –t (timing buffer) parameter: hdparm –t /dev/hda 679 which returns the following: /dev/hda: Timing buffered disk reads: 64 MB in 17.58 seconds = 3.64 MB/sec From the information displayed in Steps 2 and 4, the /dev/hda hard disk is set to 16-bit I/O with no DMA enabled. 5. To turn on 32-bit I/O and DMA for this device, use the following command: hdparm –c1 –d1 /dev/hda which returns the following information: /dev/hda: setting 32-bit I/O support flag to 1 setting using_dma to 1 (on) I/O support = 1 (32-bit) Using_dma = 1 (on) 6. Display the timing information for the drive by using the hdparm -t command (see Step 4), which should now display /dev/hda: Timing buffered disk reads: 64 MB in 11.77 seconds = 5.44 MB/sec Modifying a disk drive for 32-bit and DMA operations results in an increase in throughput of 50 percent, which makes it worth doing in most cases. However, the setting changes that you’ve just made are temporary and will be reset to their default values the next time you reboot the system. To make these changes permanent, use the hdparm –k (keep) command: hdparm –k1 /dev/hda which will respond with the following: /dev/hda: setting keep_settings to 1 (on) keepsettings = 1 (on)
Slide 66: Part X Maintaining a PC CHAPTER 27 Preventive Care CHAPTER 28 Optimizing the PC
Slide 68: Chapter 27 Preventive Care IN THIS CHAPTER A PC is essentially just a machine or an appliance with moving parts, electronics, and glass and plastic surfaces that all require care. Dirt, dust, and other debris can get in and on the components of the PC — in the best case, just making it dirty and dusty. In the worst case, dust and dirt can damage or destroy a PC’s components, especially those inside the system case. Just like you perform scheduled maintenance on your car, you should also perform preventive maintenance (PM) on a PC to avoid failures and repairs and to extend the PC’s life. In a perfect situation, a PC should be operated in an environment that is relatively dust, moisture, and smoke free. In this perfect world, nothing would ever be spilled into or onto its components; the PC would never be bumped or dropped; and the electrical power source would always run at a perfect 110 volts (v). Unfortunately, PCs don’t operate in perfect worlds because they’re used in homes, offices, and factories. These environments have dust, smoke, and other airborne debris that can get inside the unit and clog up the works. Because multiple users pull from the same supply system, electrical power fluctuates and on occasion, blackouts and brownouts occur. Because the world of the PC is not perfect, you must develop a PM program that provides preventive, proactive, and corrective actions against the hazards of the PC’s environment. Scheduling Maintenance To be effective, a PM program must be applied on a regular basis. Just like the required maintenance schedule in your car’s owner’s manual, many PCs now include a similar maintenance schedule in their owner’s manuals that detail the maintenance, adjustments, and cleaning that should be done, along with a suggested schedule for when these tasks should be done. Table 27-1 includes a sample version of this type of schedule: 683
Slide 69: 684 Part X: Maintaining a PC TABLE 27-1 A SAMPLE PC MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE Frequency Daily Component PC PC Hard disk Activity Perform a virus scan of memory and hard disk Restart or shut down Windows Create a differential/incremental backup Run a disk cleanup utility Create a full/archive backup Clear browser cache, history, and temporary Internet files Empty the Recycle Bin Update antivirus data files Run printhead nozzle cleaning utility Defragment the drive and recover lost clusters Uninstall all unnecessary applications Clean the keyboard with compressed air; check for and repair stuck keys Clean ball and rollers and check for wear Turn off and clean screen with soft cloth or antistatic wipe Clean with compressed air to remove dust and bits of paper Use cleaning kit to clean interior rollers Clean floppy drive head Troubleshoot and replace (if necessary) failed component Clean with compressed air to remove dust and other debris Check chips for chip creep and reseat if needed Clean contacts with contact cleaner and reseat Weekly Hard disk Hard disk Web browser Windows desktop Antivirus software Inkjet printer Monthly Hard disk Hard disk Keyboard Mouse Monitor Dot matrix printer Laser printer On failure Floppy disk drive System Yearly Case Motherboard Adapter cards
Slide 70: Chapter 27: Preventive Care 685 Frequency As required Component CMOS PC Printer Hardware Activity Record and back up CMOS setup configuration Keep written record of hardware and software configuration of system Check ink and toner cartridges or ribbons and replace (if needed) Clean the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and case Developing a common sense approach A very good start to protecting your PC is to apply some common-sense guidelines that can protect the PC and extend its service life. Here are a few general tips for keeping your PC in working order: x A PC should be located in a room that is as cool and dry as possible. Two major hazards to the PC’s electronics are heat and humidity. x The PC should have an airflow buffer space all around it. It doesn’t need to be more than a few inches wide, but make sure that you allow ample air space around the PC, avoiding drafty and dusty areas. x Because the PC’s cords and cables can be a hazard to you and other peo- ple, keep them together and tucked away to protect the cords, the PC, you, and others. x When a PC is powered up and down frequently, the heating and cooling can stress the motherboard and other electronics, leading to intermittent problems from degradation and eventual catastrophic failures. Avoid powering the system on and off frequently. x Most newer PCs have many energy-saving features built into the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), chipset, and operating system, such as suspending the hard disk and monitor. These features not only save electricity, but they also extend the life of the PC and its components.
Slide 71: 686 Part X: Maintaining a PC x Always connect the PC to the alternating current (AC) power source through a surge suppressor or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect the PC from possible damage caused by electrical spikes, blackouts, and brownouts. x Always wear an antistatic wrist or ankle strap when working inside the PC’s case to avoid possible damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD). Never wear an antistatic device when working on the monitor or inside a power supply. In fact, you should never work on a monitor or inside a power supply. x Always close any open applications, shut down the operating system, and power off and unplug the PC from its power source before beginning work on your PC or its peripherals. x Never place a PC, and especially its monitor or stereo speakers, near any strongly magnetized objects, which can distort the image and sound produced by the monitor or speakers and possibly eventually damage disk storage devices as well. x Always power down the PC before connecting or disconnecting a serial, parallel, or video device. Universal Serial Bus (USB) and FireWire devices can be hot plugged and are a better choice for devices that need to be removed and replaced often. x Always shut down the operating system before powering down the PC. On a Windows system, use the Shut Down option on the Start menu. Gathering tools and cleaning supplies To properly care for your PC, you need a few simple tools, cleaning supplies, a boot disk, an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD), and a PC maintenance schedule. The tools and supplies that you need can be obtained from computer, hardware, and even grocery stores (for some items). The maintenance schedule for your PC is likely included in the documentation for your PC. See Table 27-1 earlier in this chapter for a sample schedule. The tools and supplies that you should have on hand to care for and maintain your PC are x A quart bottle of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol: Use this to clean plastic, the case, and many of the smaller parts of the PC, keyboard, printer, connectors, and mouse. Unless you use more than you should, a quart should last you a few months or longer.
Slide 72: Chapter 27: Preventive Care x A can or two of compressed air: This is a very versatile tool to have in 687 your cleaning kit. Compressed air is very useful for blowing dust and small bits of paper and other debris out of hard to reach places. Also use compressed air for cleaning those areas of the PC and its components that cannot have water or liquid on them. x A clean, lint-free cloth: Every PC cleaning instruction calls for you to use a clean, lint-free cloth. A piece of an old T-shirt works very nicely, but you can also use non-shredding cleaning tissues. A recently introduced product that’s excellent for use on a PC is the Scotch-Brite High Performance Cleaning Cloth (HPCC) made by 3M (www.3m.com). x A package of high-quality cotton swabs: Get the ones whose cotton tips stay on the swab. These are used for cleaning just about any small object inside or outside of the PC with alcohol and other liquid cleaners. x A #8 Chinese bristle artist’s brush or any other soft bristle brush that has bristles about two inches long: This brush, which you can typically find at craft stores that sell tole painting supplies, is used to brush dust and other particles from hard to reach areas inside the PC. x An inexpensive pair of pointed-tip tweezers: These are useful for removing bits of debris from between the keys on the keyboard, inside the mouse ball chamber, or inside the computer case. x A small brush-head vacuum cleaner: This is an excellent investment if you care for two or more computers on a regular basis. Several models are available with a gooseneck brush head that allows you to clean the keyboards and inside the system case easily. The danger of using a standard type of vacuum inside the PC is that some generate a lot of static electricity, and their cleaning nozzles are large and can easily damage the electronics on the motherboard and expansion cards. x A medium-size Phillips screwdriver: Use this for case, keyboard, and adapter board screws. x A small-head Torx screwdriver: Many newer cases use Torx screws to hold the case parts together as well as to anchor expansion cards. x A bottle of non-ammonia window cleaner: Use this to clean the glass on the monitor. Although they are a bit more expensive than window cleaner, you can also purchase special cleaning solutions made just for monitors. The Scotch-Brite HPCC cloth is also excellent for cleaning a monitor without liquid. x An ESD grounding strap: You can use either a wrist strap or a heel strap. If you have a permanent workstation on which you work on PCs, you want to equip it with an ESD mat.
Slide 73: 688 Part X: Maintaining a PC Performing Data Backups Backing up data is definitely a preventive maintenance step. You should create a copy of the data on the hard disk on a removable storage media that can be stored outside the PC but in a remote location as well. Data backups protect you from the loss of the data in the event of a hard disk failure, other PC problems, or disaster. Should some catastrophic mishap, such as a fire, earthquake, or tornado, destroy the building, the hardware can usually be replaced, but too often the data cannot be. Creating a backup copy of your data files and storing it off-site is a safety precaution that ensures the data can outlive its internal storage device. Choosing the backup media Any removable storage medium, such as a floppy disk, tape cartridge, CD-R or CDRW, optical disk, another PC’s hard disk, or even a storage service located on the Internet, can be used to hold a backup copy of a hard disk’s data. The best medium depends on the amount of data to be backed up and your preferences. If you’re backing up a 40GB hard disk, you probably should consider using a tape drive, but if you’re only creating a backup of a 100MB hard disk, a Zip disk is probably adequate. If you trust your Internet connection and the transmission of your critical data across the network, you might even consider an online data warehousing service. Picking the backup software The popular operating systems in use today all include a utility for creating a backup. Windows has its Backup utility, Unix and Linux have the tar (tape archive) command, and Novell has its NetWare Backup Service utility. In addition, most tape, recordable CD, and other writable media drives include backup software with their product. A variety of software packages specifically designed to perform backups are also available for purchase, such as Computer Associates’ ARCServe (www.ca.com), Dantz’ Retrospect Backup (www.dantz.com), and VERITAS’ Backup Exec (www.veritas.com). Backup software offers some advantages over just copying a file to a removable medium, including data compression techniques that reduce the number of tapes or disks needed to hold the backed up data. Most also provide cataloging routines and single directory or file restore capabilities. Determining the best type of backup The type of backup that you should use depends on the volatility of your data. If a high percentage of all your data is added or modified each day, you might want to consider taking a full backup every day. However, if only a small percentage of your total data store is created or modified each day, a backup scheme that involves an incremental or differential backup daily and a full weekly backup might serve your needs.
Slide 74: Chapter 27: Preventive Care 689 When a directory or file on the hard disk is added or modified, it’s flagged as such by turning on (setting high) its archive bit. The archive bit, which is one of four attributes (the others are read-only, hidden, and system) assigned to each directory and file, is used by backup utilities to determine which files should be included in the backup. The four types of data backups that you can use in your backup scheme are x Full (or archive) backup: This type of backup copies every directory, folder, file, and program from the hard disk to the backup medium regardless of the archive bit’s status. However, all archive bits are reset off (set low). x Incremental backup: This type of backup includes only those files that have been modified or added since the last full or incremental backup and resets the archive bit on the files copied to the backup medium. x Differential backup: This type of backup includes only those files created or modified since the last full or incremental backup without changing the value of each file’s archive bit. If used daily, a differential backup accumulates the new or changed files since the last full or incremental backup, which clears the archive bit. x Copy backup: This backup type selects the files and directories specified in the command line parameters and copies them to a particular location or drive. For example, copying a hard disk file to a floppy disk creates a copy backup. The DOS command XCOPY is commonly used to create copy backups because it will copy a directory along with its files and subdirectories. A common backup scheme includes a full backup weekly and a differential or incremental backup daily. The choice between a differential and an incremental backup depends on the amount of data affected each day. If the daily backups are large, an incremental backup might be the better choice to avoid a huge differential backup at week’s end. However, if the amount of data that must be backed up daily is small, the differential backup has its advantages. The idea behind using a combination of full and partial backups is that to recover in the event of a hardware failure, you need to load only the last full backup and the last differential or each of the incremental backups made since the full backup.
Slide 75: 690 Part X: Maintaining a PC Protecting Against Viruses A computer virus is software that attacks a PC with the intent of disrupting its operations, destroying its data, or erasing part or all of its disk drives. A computer virus attaches itself to another file or piece of code on a floppy disk, downloaded file, or e-mail attachment. It can also take the form of an executable file that runs when opened on the target system. A computer virus typically has a built-in propagation scheme that allows it to replicate itself and infect other systems, duplicating itself from one computer to another on removable media or e-mail. Here are some (but not all) of the signs that your PC may be infected with a virus: x All your e-mail address book contacts receiving copies of the virus via e-mail x Application crashes x Boot disks that won’t boot x Corrupted or missing data from disk files x Disappearing disk partitions x Distorted, misshapen, or missing video on the monitor x Sound card or speaker problems x Spontaneous system reboots x System crashes The best defense against a virus on your PC is antivirus software. Several antivirus offerings are on the market, such as Norton AntiVirus (www.norton.com), McAfee VShield (www.mcafee.com), and Trend Micro’s PC-cillan (www.trendmicro. com). These companies provide you with the ability to update the virus database about as often as new viruses show up, which is almost daily. Protecting Against Power Problems Several levels of protection are available to protect a single PC, a group of PC equipment, or an entire network. How much protection you need is based on the amount of equipment that you’re trying to protect against electrical over-voltage and under-voltage conditions. The first line of defense is a surge suppressor. The entry-level surge suppressor is a plug-strip that includes a varistor that is designed to absorb spikes and surges on the electrical supply line and not pass them on to any devices plugged into it. Higher-end models protect your phone lines, modems, and network connections. The best protection from electrical problems is an uninterruptible power supply
Slide 76: Chapter 27: Preventive Care (UPS), which also provides backup power should the power fail or run below normal voltage levels. 691 See Chapter 9 for a more detailed discussion of surge suppressors and UPS units. Disposing of Hazardous Materials A PC has several components that by law or environmental common sense require special handling or disposal procedures, including batteries, the power supply, and the cathode ray tube (CRT) in the monitor. Disposing of batteries Special handling is required to handle or dispose of PC batteries, which are usually very small lithium batteries used to power Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) memory. (No battery of any kind should be disposed of in fire or water.) In fact, no battery should be casually discarded. They should be disposed of according to whatever local restrictions and regulations are in effect regarding the disposal or recycling of all batteries. Leaking batteries should be handled very carefully. If you must handle a leaking battery, be very sure not to get any of the electrolyte, the stuff oozing out from the inside of the battery, into your eyes or mouth. Discarding a monitor A CRT in a monitor (just like the picture tube in your television set) contains the following contaminants: solvents and solvent vapors, metals (including a very high level of lead), mercury switches, photoresist materials, deionized water, acids, oxidizers, phosphor, ammonia, aluminum, carbon slurry, and a long list of other chemicals and caustic materials. This is why a monitor should not be just thrown in the dumpster, trash can, or landfill but should be disposed of carefully and properly. The best and most environmentally conscious way to dispose of a monitor is through a disposal service that handles computer equipment. Nearly 70 percent of a CRT contains lead, which is why it comes under the Land Disposal Ban Program of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the same act that created all the Superfund toxic waste dump sites. This law requires that old CRTs (and old television sets as well) be dismantled, crushed, and encapsulated in cement. This isn’t something that everyone with an old monitor is able to do, so many salvage and recycling companies now exist that are equipped to properly dispose of your old CRTs for a fee.
Slide 77: 692 Part X: Maintaining a PC Dumping chemicals The liquid cleaning compounds that you use to clean your PC (or your home or car) can pose a safety or environmental problem or might require special handling. Many of these solutions are poisonous or hazardous in other ways. If you’re unsure of the safety, handling, storage, or use of a cleaning product, the best reference available for information on any particular chemical solution or cleaner, including household cleaners, is its Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Every chemical product that has any possible hazard has an MSDS prepared and readily available. Typically, information on how to obtain an MSDS for a product is included on the product’s label. The best place to look for product safety information is the product label or any documentation included inside its packaging. Hazardous products from reputable manufacturers always list the hazards and handling requirements for their products on the product’s label. If the label for a cleaning solution or solvent doesn’t list a hazard or other product safety information, don’t just assume that it’s safe. The cleaning supplies that you should be concerned about include the solutions used to clean the contacts and connections of adapter cards, glass cleaners, and plastic- or metal-case cleaning products. Other PC and peripheral components that should be disposed of using special procedures are laser printer toner cartridges and refill kits and the used or empty containers of chemical solvents and cleaners. The best place to find information on the proper way to dispose of an item is in its documentation, like the information that comes with a printer cartridge, or the MSDS or the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS, which is Canada’s equivalent to MSDS) information on a chemical product. You can take a look at the WHMIS Web site at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hecs-sesc/whmis/. Preventive Maintenance Procedures The sections that follow list the recommended steps to use in developing and performing a preventive maintenance program for a PC. The key words that you should remember when planning, designing, and implementing a PM system are consistent and regular. Cleaning a keyboard The standard keyboard is an open-faced device that collects whatever falls or spills on it. A keyboard can develop a number of problems when dirt, food, or liquid gets
Slide 78: Chapter 27: Preventive Care 693 What’s Inside an MSDS? A standard MSDS includes the following information: x Section 1. Chemical Product Section x Section 2. Composition/Information on Ingredients x Section 3. Hazard Identification x Section 4. First Aid Measures x Section 5. Firefighting Measures x Section 6. Accidental Release Measures x Section 7. Handling and Storage x Section 8. Exposure Control/Personal Protection x Section 9. Physical and Chemical Properties x Section 10. Stability and Reactivity x Section 11. Toxicological Information x Section 12. Ecological Information x Section 13. Disposal Considerations x Section 14. Transportation Information x Section 15. Regulatory Information x Section 16. Other Information You can also obtain a copy of a product MSDS from the Internet. Two Web sites, among others, that list many of the products that you might use and need information about are x The Northwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): http://research.nwfsc.noaa. gov/msds.html x The Vermont Safety Information on the Internet (SIRI): http://siri.org/ msds/index.php between and under its keys, including keys that stutter, stuck keys, or keys that just stop working. A stuttering key isn’t stuck down permanently but sticks for a few keystrokes and repeats its character a few times. A stuck key is stuck down and does not issue its character.
Slide 79: 694 Part X: Maintaining a PC The best way to care for a keyboard is to keep food and beverages completely away from it. But because that’s probably unlikely, a keyboard needs cleaning regularly. Along with the PC’s monitor, the keyboard should be cleaned more frequently than the PC’s other components. Use the following steps to clean a keyboard and to perform its preventive maintenance: 1. The easiest way to clean a keyboard is to simply turn it upside down and shake it. Make sure you’re not over your PC when you do this. Just about anything that has fallen under the keycaps should fall out, unless it’s a larger item that’s stuck behind the keys, such as a paperclip or the like. 2. To open a “cleaning hole” to let larger debris fall out, remove the keycaps of the last three keys on the right-hand end of the keyboard: the – (minus/dash), + (plus), and Enter keys on the Numeric keypad. To remove the keycaps, use a flat-blade screwdriver and gently pry the keycap up and off the key switch. Before removing the keycaps, disconnect the keyboard from the PC. Keyboards get their power from the PC over the connection cable. 3. Use compressed air to blow out the keyboard, using the air stream to sweep the debris toward the removed keys or toward one end of the keyboard. Always wear safety glasses or other eye protection when working with compressed air. 4. Use a non-static blower brush, brush vacuum, or a probe to lightly loosen any large or stubborn debris and then shake the keyboard or use compressed air to blow it out. 5. If one or two keys are sticking or have stopped working, disconnect the keyboard from the PC, pry off the keycap, and clean under and around the keyswitch by using a cotton swab and a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to remove whatever is jamming the key. Then use compressed air to blow the area dry and replace the keycap.
Slide 80: Chapter 27: Preventive Care If the key doesn’t begin working after cleaning, you can replace the keyswitch, but replacing the keyboard is far easier — and in most cases, less expensive. 6. If liquid spills on a keyboard, immediately disconnect it from the PC and turn it upside down to allow the liquid to drain. If the keyboard had soda pop, fruit juice, or any other sugary drink spilled on it, the keys might stick or stutter. Your choices to fix the problem are to replace the keyboard or wash it. 695 Putting water on any electronic device is always risky, but if you are careful, you can wash a keyboard. Newer keyboards are sealed under the key switches to protect the keyboard grid. Anything that spills in the keyboard will either settle on the keyboard membrane as sticky gunk or simply run off. To clean any sticky residue resulting from a spill, use warm, clean water to rinse it out of the keyboard. By continually testing the keys, you can tell when you’ve rinsed the keyboard long enough. In an extreme case, you can wash the keyboard in the upper tray of a dishwasher — but don’t use any soap. Even after the dishwasher’s dry cycle, let the keyboard sit face down for a few hours and then blow it out with compressed air. Before connecting it to the PC, be absolutely sure that the keyboard is completely dry. 7. After you clean the keyboard, replace any key caps that you removed or replace the keyboard’s cover. 8. If you really want to get the keyboard clean or want to also do a close visual inspection of it, remove the keyboard cover. Between 4 and 16 screws hold the keyboard’s cover in place. Unless you have a very serious cleaning problem on the keyboard, avoid removing the cover, especially on older PCs with mechanical switch keys (see Chapter 19). If the problem on the keyboard is serious enough for major surgery, you might want to consider just replacing it. 9. Use a soft, lint-free cloth and a little isopropyl alcohol or a non-sudsing, general-purpose cleaner to wipe away any body oils, ink, or dirt on the keys or keyboard case. Alcohol works best because it evaporates without leaving moisture behind to seep inside the keyboard, but never pour the alcohol directly on the keys or case. Pour a small amount on the cloth and then wipe the keys and case. The same goes for the cleaner, if you choose to use one. A cotton swab dipped in cleaner or alcohol will get tight spots. Again, be absolutely sure that the keyboard is dry before connecting it to the PC and powering it up.
Slide 81: 696 Part X: Maintaining a PC 10. After cleaning the keyboard and ascertaining that it’s completely dry, reconnect the keyboard to the PC and reboot the system. Watch the Power-On Self-Test (POST) process carefully for keyboard errors. After the PC is running, test the keyboard by pressing each key and verifying its action. Cleaning a mouse When the ball or insides of a conventional mouse get dirty, the mouse can begin working erratically or not at all. Dirt from the mousepad or work surface gets on the ball and is transferred to the sensors and rollers inside the mouse. The sensors are used to detect the movement of the mouse and translate it to movement of the pointer on the screen. If the sensors are dirty, they can’t translate your movement precisely. To care and clean the mouse, use this procedure: 1. First check the mousepad. If the mouse ball is dirty, the mousepad is probably also dirty and needs to be either cleaned or replaced. The mousepad sits in the open where it gets dusty, dirty, wet, and suffers any accidents that happen on the desktop. If the mousepad isn’t cleaned or replaced regularly, the mouse picks up the dirt and transfers it inside to the rollers and sensors. To clean the mousepad, just wipe it with a damp cloth, but make sure that it’s dry before using it with your mouse. 2. Check the mousepad for wear, both to its fabric or plastic surface and for places where a track, dent, or dip might have been worn into it. A worn-out mousepad can cause lint, bits of rubber, or threads to get pulled up inside the mouse. 3. I recommend shutting down the PC when cleaning the mouse because in most cases, the mouse has either a serial or PS/2 connector, neither of which should be removed nor inserted while the PC is running. If you have a USB mouse, you can disconnect the mouse to clean it and reconnect it when you’re finished while the PC is running. However, remember that open applications, including Windows, can do some strange things if you clean the mouse while it’s connected and the PC is running. 4. Inspect and clean the mouse ball and its chamber. a. Place the mouse on its back and remove the ball access slide cover. As illustrated in Figure 27-1, the mouse ball is held in place by a locking cap that rotates to its locking or release positions. Turn the cap in the direction of the arrows printed or molded on it.
Slide 82: Chapter 27: Preventive Care 697 Figure 27-1: A mouse ball is held inside the mouse by a rotating locking cap. b. Tip the mouse up to drop the ball into your palm, cupping your hand so that the ball doesn’t fall on the floor or table. Examine it for pits, cracks, or flat spots, making sure that the ball isn’t lopsided or ovalshaped. If the ball has any of these problems, the ball needs to be replaced, but because spare mouse balls are not always easy to get, you should probably just replace the mouse. c. Use a slightly damp, lint-free cloth or a Scotch-Brite HPCC cloth to clean the mouse ball. If you do use a damp cloth, use only water. Do not use cleaners or alcohol on the mouse ball because they can shrink or distort the ball. Don’t soak it or scrub it — just wipe it clean, let it dry, and then reinsert it in the chamber and replace the locking cap. Wash your hands thoroughly before touching the mouse ball.
Slide 83: 698 Part X: Maintaining a PC d. Inspect the mouse ball chamber (see Figure 27-2) for lint, dirt, and even threads. Carefully remove debris that you find with tweezers or a cotton swab with just a drop of alcohol on it. Figure 27-2: The mouse ball chamber with its cover removed. e. Inspect the rollers inside the ball chamber for dirt or lint, and if needed, use tweezers or a swab with a small drop of alcohol to remove it. f. Use compressed air to blow out the mouse ball chamber, directing the air stream to one side. Try not to blast the rollers to avoid causing damage to the small electronic parts inside the mouse. You shouldn’t blow out the mouse ball chamber with your mouth for two reasons: You can get saliva in the ball chamber, and you can get dust in your eyes. 5. If needed, use isopropyl alcohol or a general-purpose, no-rinse cleaner to clean the exterior of the mouse. 6. Reconnect the mouse and restart the PC. Watch for any POST problems with the mouse or connector. Give the mouse a complete test, including its buttons. An alternative to a conventional mouse is an optical mouse.An optical mouse eliminates most of the cleaning and care required of the conventional mouse with a ball. See Chapter 20 for more information on optical mice.
Slide 84: Chapter 27: Preventive Care 699 Caring for other input devices Other types of PC input and data capture devices should be cleaned regularly as well. How frequently depends on the device and how often it’s used. Here are some cleaning hints for several of the more common input devices: x Scanner: The biggest issue with a flat-bed scanner is its inside glass surface. Use either a non-ammonia glass cleaner and a lint-free cloth or the Scotch-Brite HPCC for Electronics. x Digitizing tablet: Follow the cleaning instructions included in the device’s documentation. Some of the rubber-like materials used for the touchpad can be cleaned with a general-purpose cleaner and a damp, lint-free cloth. Take care not to get the unit too wet and to dry it completely. x Digital camera: Clean the camera lens with a lens cleaner solution, like you would use for eyeglasses, and a soft lint-free cloth or the Scotch-Brite HPCC for Electronics. Use either isopropyl alcohol or a general-purpose cleaner to clean the exterior of the camera. Avoid getting the unit very wet. x Microphone: Use the same steps used for the digitizing tablet above. Be very careful not to get water or alcohol in the openings and down inside the microphone. Cleaning and caring for a monitor The monitor’s glass screen requires cleaning more often than any other component on a PC. Because the monitor’s screen produces a lot of static electricity, it attracts and holds dust and flying lint. A dirty screen can put a strain on your eyes if you view the screen for extended periods. Most PC users take a safety risk when cleaning a monitor’s screen. Because the screen holds a large amount of static electricity, if you place your hand flat on the screen with a wet cloth, you invite the monitor to ground itself through you. The following steps detail the process that you can use to safely keep the monitor screen clean and clear. 1. Turn the monitor’s power off and unplug it from its power source before beginning to clean it. You don’t need to disconnect it from the PC. After turning the monitor off, wait a few minutes before beginning to clean it to allow the built up static charges to dissipate a bit. Do not wear an ESD ground strap when working with a monitor, even to clean it. You could become the grounding circuit for all of the electricity stored in the monitor’s capacitor, which is a very shocking experience.
Slide 85: 700 Part X: Maintaining a PC 2. Use compressed air to clean any dust on the top of the monitor’s case, blowing the air stream across the top of the monitor and not directly down to prevent any dust from blowing into the monitor’s vents. Never open and remove the cover of a monitor! Every monitor, regardless of its size, poses an extreme high-voltage hazard. 3. Use a soft cloth and either isopropyl alcohol or a general-purpose, norinse cleaner to clean the outside of the monitor case. The alcohol is probably the better choice because it won’t create a safety hazard if it drips inside the case. 4. Use an antistatic cleaner or a Scotch-Brite HPCC for Electronics to clean the glass of the monitor. Never use an ammonia-based glass cleaner on the monitor glass because the monitor screen is coated with filtering chemicals to help improve the image and reduce eyestrain. Using a harsh cleaner can remove these coatings, thus harming the monitor and potentially harming your eyes. Never use water or a liquid cleaner to wash the monitor’s glass with the power on. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity; if your hand makes sufficient enough contact with the screen, you could be the ground for the electricity in the monitor. 5. Reconnect the monitor and test the video. If nothing displays, check the power switch, the power cord, the video connection, and the brightness and contrast settings, any of which could have been accidentally dislodged, moved, or turned while you were cleaning the case. Cleaning and maintaining a printer The cleaning procedures and the supplies used vary by the type of printer in use. Laser printers have completely different cleaning and maintenance requirements than inkjets and dot matrix printers. This section gives a general overview of the cleaning and preventive maintenance steps that you can use for each type of printer. However, you should follow the specific instructions provided by the manufacturer of your printer in the owner’s manual or on the manufacturer’s Web site.
Slide 86: Chapter 27: Preventive Care 701 LASER PRINTERS Because of the many different designs for how the laser toner and drum cartridge fit into laser printers, the process varies for different printers. Check your printer’s documentation for specific cleaning instructions. See Chapter 18 for more on cleaning laser printers. 1. To clean a laser printer thoroughly, you need s s A laser cleaning kit for your printer’s make and model A small vacuum cleaner that is specifically designed to handle laser printer toner If the cleaning kit doesn’t include cleaning paper, you should purchase a package from your local computer supply store or online. Cleaning kits typically contain cartridge cleaning sheets, cleaning solution, lint-free swabs, an antistatic cloth, plastic gloves, and a few ink- and tonerremover hand wipes. Laser printer toner is made of minute particles of ferrous oxide (iron) coated with a plastic resin material. During the printer’s fusing process, the plastic resin is melted to bond the toner to the paper. A standard vacuum will pass these particles near or through a very hot motor where they can melt and clog the system. Special models of vacuum cleaners are available just for toner. You can also contract with an office supplies company to have somebody come in to clean the laser printer for you. 2. If the printer has been in use very recently, let the printer sit idle for at least 15 minutes to allow the fusing assembly to cool before removing or opening the covers. 3. Switch off the power on the laser printer, unplug the printer to prevent the power from being accidentally switched back on, and then remove any paper or paper cartridges from the printer. 4. After you open or remove the part of the printer’s case that exposes the fusing assembly, follow the printer manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning the fusing rollers. Typically, this is done with a lint-free cloth and either the cleaning solution that came in the cleaning kit or some denatured alcohol (which is not the same as isopropyl alcohol). 5. Wipe the rollers lightly and do not rub, taking care not to touch any of the gears inside the printer.
Slide 87: 702 Part X: Maintaining a PC 6. Using an appropriate vacuum with a soft brush attachment, clean the fusing area of any debris — or at least use compressed air to blow out any debris in this area. In either case, you should wear eye protection. Be very careful not to snag or pull any wires in the fusing area. 7. Clean the transfer roller area. (See the printer’s documentation for the specific instructions on how to clean the transfer rollers.) The transfer rollers are typically located under the toner cartridge, so you must remove the toner cartridge and set it on some newspaper or other large sheets of paper. You can then easily dispose the paper if any of the toner spills. 8. Use the soft brush in the laser printer cleaning kit to clean the transfer rollers. After brushing the rollers, use a vacuum or compressed air to clean away any debris in this area of the printer. 9. Check the paper path and use a soft brush to clean the feed rollers if needed. Replace the toner cartridge, if needed, and replace the cartridge and any of the printer’s cover parts that were removed in earlier steps. 10. Before reconnecting the printer to its AC power source, clean the exterior. The best cleaner is a mild liquid detergent, such as one used for dishes. Mix a solution of the detergent with water and, using a cloth dampened with the solution, wipe the printer clean. Never pour or spray water or cleaners directly on the printer. If you’re using a prepared cleaner, spray or pour a small amount on the cloth and wipe the printer with the cloth. 11. If you cleaned the printer’s exterior, wait a few minutes to make sure that the printer is dry before replacing the paper supply and reconnecting the printer to its power source. 12. If you have laser printer cleaning sheets, run one or two through the printer, following the instructions on the sheet pack to clean the components inside the cartridge. You should run a cleaning sheet through the printer each time you change the toner cartridge. In normal operations, if the printer is smearing or smudging the print, use a cleaning sheet to clean the toner cartridge, transfer rollers, and fusing rollers. You might also want to be sure that you’re using laser printer paper. Be sure not to use hot water to wash toner off your hands: It can melt the toner onto your skin. Use slightly warm water instead.
Slide 88: Chapter 27: Preventive Care 703 INKJET PRINTERS Chapter 17 explains the inkjet printing process in detail, especially how the inkjet cartridge works to print a page. The most common problem of an inkjet printer is a clogged printhead on the inkjet cartridge. Other than that, inkjet printers are fairly simple printers that are largely considered disposable technology. Several inkjet models are now on the market costing between $40 and $100, which is not all that much more than the ink cartridge itself. Should anything major happen to an inkjet printer, such as the feed rollers getting misaligned or the cartridge gearing that moves the print cartridge side-to-side failing to operate, it’s usually less expensive just to get a new printer. The following are some cleaning and maintenance tips that can help you to extend the life of your inkjet printer: x Clean the print nozzles on the cartridge regularly: Most inkjet printers have a built-in utility to clean or unclog the printhead nozzles, and you should use it regularly as a part of your preventive maintenance program and when the printer has sat idle for a couple of weeks or longer. If the cleaning utility is unable to unclog the nozzles, remove the ink cartridge and use a swab or lint-free cloth (one you don’t mind staining permanently with the ink) dampened with a small amount of isopropyl alcohol and wipe the print head lightly. Don’t rub back and forth across the nozzles; instead, wipe lightly across the nozzles in one direction. Reinstall the print cartridge and redo the printhead cleaning utility. If the cartridge is still clogged, replace it. x Never turn the printer off at a plug strip, surge suppressor, or other power source: Always use the printer’s power switch to turn it off. The printer has some built-in functions, such as parking the printhead, that are tied to the power-off function of the printer’s on/off switch. x Use inkjet quality paper: Standard bond paper, which is not treated for inkjet inks, absorbs too much ink. On black and white printing, the result might be a fuzzy or blurry print image. On color prints, the result might be light or blurred images. Inkjet paper is treated to provide the best possible image. The printer’s owner’s manual most likely has a recommendation for the paper that should be used. x Dust and paper scraps and bits can collect in the bottom of the paper path in an inkjet printer: On a fairly regular basis, you should check the inside of the paper path and bin to remove the paper scraps and blow out any dust or paper bits that have accumulated. Always wear eye protection when using compressed air, especially when blowing about bits of paper. DOT MATRIX PRINTERS After the noise and the slow speed, the main problem with a dot matrix printer is its ribbon. The ribbon is messy to install and replace and also messy to operate. Because dot matrix ribbons aren’t evenly coated with ink, they drop bits of dried ink down inside the printer’s case.
Slide 89: 704 Part X: Maintaining a PC Dot matrix printers typically use a forms tractor to pull tractor-feed paper through the printer using the pinholes along the sides of the paper. Unfortunately, as the paper is pulled through the printer, bits of paper from the holes and the perforations along the edges of the paper fall down inside the printer. The paper and dried ink bits should be cleaned from the printer regularly with either a vacuum or compressed air (definitely wear eye-protection). Follow the manufacturer’s documentation on how to remove the cover and the ribbon in order to get down into the printer. Typically, a ribbon release lever unlocks the ribbon cartridge so it can be lifted up and out of the printer. However, because dot matrix printers and their setup vary greatly by manufacturer, check the documentation before cleaning the printer, especially the printhead. There is some controversy over whether a dot matrix printhead should be cleaned.The printhead can get very hot and should not be touched while in operation. And because it prints by pushing pins that are mounted on very thin wires into the ribbon, you could possibly bend a wire when cleaning the printhead and render the pin useless. You should never lubricate the printhead because the oil or lubricant could stain your paper during printing. However, using a cotton swab to remove bits of ink and paper fuzz from the printhead, if done very gently, probably won’t damage the head and will likely improve the function of the printer. Cleaning the system case Because the system case is rarely (and in many cases, never) opened, the inside of the system case isn’t usually cleaned regularly, if at all. However, I recommend that you do clean the system case regularly, especially if the PC is located in a dusty environment or in one with airborne particles that could be sucked inside the PC’s case, such as oil mist or metal particles. The power supply’s cooling fan either pulls air into or pushes air out of the system case, depending on the age of the system. Regardless, air passes in or out the air vents on the case, which is reason enough for the system case to be on your list of regularly cleaned items. For example, a mid-tower PC case that sits on the floor in an office, bedroom, or family room accumulates dust either around its air vents or on the grill or blades of the fan, or both. If not cleaned, the dust could eventually clog the cooling system, accumulate on the processor’s heatsink and fan or on the motherboard, and cause the processor and memory to overheat and malfunction. At minimum, you should clean inside the PC’s case at least once every six months. Use a soft brush vacuum cleaner made for cleaning PCs or compressed air to blow the dust out of the case (wear eye protection).
Slide 90: Chapter 27: Preventive Care Use the following steps to perform preventive maintenance inside the system case: 1. After properly shutting down the operating system, power off the PC and remove the power cord from the AC power source. 2. After you carefully remove the case cover, watching for cables and cords inside the PC that might get snagged on the case cover, examine the inside of the case cover for dirt streaks that indicate an air leak caused by a badly fitting case, which can be the cause of an overheating processor. 3. Perform a visual inspection of the inside of the case to determine how much cleaning is needed. s 705 On virtually every PC, the inside and outside vents should have some dust accumulations. If dust is collecting where it shouldn’t, the cooling system might not be working as well as it could. The case might be cracked or a part (perhaps an expansion slot filler) might be missing. Examine the interior of the case thoroughly for dust, corrosion, leaking battery acid, and other problems. If the case has only a light accumulation of dust, use compressed air to clean it. Use a vacuum with a brush head to clean away any larger accumulations of dust. s 4. Check the data and power cables on the motherboard, power supply, disk drives, and so on for loose connections. Check the adapter cards to make sure that they’re properly seated. Also check for any signs of corrosion on the edge connectors of the memory modules and expansion cards. If you find any, use contact cleaner to clean them. 5. Use compressed air to blow off the outside vents of the power supply and then the inside vents. Also use the compressed air to clean the drive bays, adapter cards, and finally the outside vents of the case. 6. Replace the case cover, taking care not to snag any cables when placing or sliding the cover into place. 7. Use a general-purpose cleaner to clean the outside of the case, using caution not to get any moisture inside the case. 8. Power on the PC and monitor the POST process for errors. If any errors occur, they will probably be adapter data cable, power connector, or expansion card errors. Open the case and check these connections for a snug fit. Always wear ESD wrist or ankle straps when working inside the PC case and ground yourself with one of the metal chassis parts even when wearing ESD gear.
Slide 91: 706 Part X: Maintaining a PC Housekeeping for a hard disk drive Other than checking its connectors and removing any dust that might have accumulated on the Head Disk Assembly (HDA), you can’t physically do much for a hard disk drive in terms of preventive maintenance. HDAs are sealed units, so no physical cleaning needs to be done; the preventive maintenance actually centers around the optimization of the drive’s storage space. To perform housekeeping and optimization on a hard disk drive, you need to include the following activities in your preventive maintenance program: x Create full and partial backups of the data on the hard disk. Always create a full backup of the hard disk drive before doing any work on it and create backups according to your needs or those of the organization. x Run ScanDisk regularly to check the hard disk for media and file errors. x Run the Disk Defragmenter disk optimization program. x Empty the Recycle Bin on the Windows desktop at least monthly. x Run the Disk Cleanup applet weekly to remove unneeded files from the hard disk. On a Windows 9x or Windows NT system, the utilities named in the preceding list are found on the System Tools menu, which is accessed from Start ¡ Programs ¡ Accessories ¡ System Tools. To access the ScanDisk utility on Windows 2000 or XP systems, open the My Computer folder. From the Desktop, select Properties from the File menu and then click the Tools tab. Optimizing a hard disk The Windows System Tools applets used to improve the performance of the hard disk drive are ScanDisk (Chkdsk on Windows 2000/XP), the Disk Defragmenter, and Disk Cleanup. RUNNING SCANDISK The ScanDisk utility is used to scan the disk surface for media errors, to scan files and folders for data problems, or both. The ScanDisk utility runs automatically each time that Windows isn’t shut down properly to ensure that no disk and data problems were created when the system was powered off. Windows assumes that the only reason that the system wouldn’t have been shut down properly is a power failure, and so it runs ScanDisk to check for disk problems that might have been caused by the sudden loss of power.
Slide 92: Chapter 27: Preventive Care You should run ScanDisk at least once a week to search for and repair small errors on the disk before they become big problems. See Chapter 28 for more information on ScanDisk. 707 DEFRAGGING THE HARD DISK The Disk Defragmenter utility is used to rearrange your disk files and combine and organize unused disk space to help applications run faster. During the course of working with the operating system and your applications, files are opened, modified, and removed from the hard disk, which causes the files on the disk to become fragmented. See Chapter 10 for more information about how data is stored on the hard disk drive. Disk Defragmenter reorganizes the data files and eliminates the fragmentation so that a file is readily available to programs asking for it. Removing unused files on a disk drive Another Windows System Tools applet that can be used to remove unnecessary files from your hard disk and free up valuable hard disk space is the Disk Cleanup utility. This tool scans the disk that you designate (it works on every type of disk drive, including diskettes and Zip disks) to find files that can be removed without seriously affecting the operation of the PC and Windows operating system. Caring for a floppy disk drive About the only preventive maintenance that you can perform on a floppy disk drive is to clean its read/write head, and you really shouldn’t do that until the drive begins having read/write errors. A floppy disk drive’s read/write head can be over cleaned and worn out in the process. Other than blowing out the drive with compressed air to remove dust or bits of media, there isn’t much to be done on a floppy disk drive. When the drive begins exhibiting signs of reading or writing problems, use a cleaning kit to clean the read/write heads, following the directions in the kit. You can buy a drive cleaning kit at virtually all computer supply stores for less than $10. A typical cleaning kit has a special diskette and a small vial of cleaning solution. Caring for CD-ROM and DVD drives Two things should be regularly cleaned on a CD-ROM or DVD drive: the disk tray and the CD-ROM’s read/write lens. The tray is cleaned with some general purpose cleaner or isopropyl alcohol by applying the solution to a soft, lint-free cloth or
Slide 93: 708 Part X: Maintaining a PC cotton swab and gently wiping down the tray. Avoid pressing down on the tray. A swab is good for getting down into the creases of the disk tray without pressing down on it. Allow the tray to completely dry before closing it. To clean the lens, you need to purchase a CD drive cleaning kit that’s designed for tray-based CD players. Many versions of CD cleaning kits are available, including those for caddy drives, automobile drives, and others. The cleaning kit typically contains a CD that has a set of very small brushes built into it and perhaps some CD cleaning wipes. The brushes on the cleaning CD sweep across the lens and clean it as the disc spins in the drive. Follow the directions on the package exactly to avoid damaging your CD drive. To clean a CD-ROM disc, remember to wipe the silver side (gold side on a DVD) with a soft, lint-free cloth or a Scotch-Brite HPCC. Don’t use paper towels or other textured paper that can leave streaks or scratch the disc. To wipe the disc, start from the center and move outward from the inside edge to the outside edge; don’t use a circular motion. Cleaning expansion slot connectors The connectors in an expansion slot should be cleaned at least twice a year by using the following steps: 1. Typically, all you need to do is wipe the contacts with a soft cloth, like the Scotch-Brite HPCC. 2. Remove the expansion card from its slot without touching its contacts and wipe each contact gently from top to bottom. To avoid dislodging the contacts from the card, do not wipe from the top of the contact down or across all the contacts. Blow out the expansion slot with compressed air. 3. If signs of corrosion or oxidation appear on the contacts, use a contact cleaner, a solution made especially for cleaning metallic electronic connectors. 4. Also check the contacts in the expansion slots — gold fingers — for discoloration and oxidation. Figure 27-3 shows the gold fingers (contacts) in the expansion slots of a motherboard. Use a cotton swab and the contact cleaner to clean the gold fingers, but avoid rubbing them with a cloth because they’re easily bent or broken. Cleaning external ports About all you can do for the external ports that extend through the case’s rear panel is to keep them from getting too dusty when not in use. A very dusty port can make a poor connection when you need it.
Slide 94: Chapter 27: Preventive Care Use compressed air to blow the dust from any unused external ports, especially the USB ports. Don’t use water or alcohol on female ports because it can get down inside the pinholes and possibly corrode the connection. 709 Figure 27-3: The contacts in the expansion slots on a motherboard should be cleaned regularly. Phot courtesy of Silicon Integrated Systems Corporation. Caring for a portable PC Portable PCs, including laptops, notebooks, and palmtops, have many of the same preventive maintenance requirements as a full-sized desktop PC. For the peripheral devices on a notebook PC, such as the hard disk, floppy disk, CD-ROM, keyboard, mouse, and ports, use the same cleaning and maintenance procedures used on nonportable PCs. On a notebook or portable PC, the batteries, video display, and case have special care requirements. PORTABLE PC BATTERIES The battery in a portable PC probably won’t last the life of the PC. These batteries are expendable, and they all lose their ability to be recharged. Although the life of the battery ranges from 600 to over 1,000 recharges, eventually the battery won’t be able to be recharged and must be replaced. The most popular battery type used on portable PCs is the nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) battery. This very heavy battery can be recharged around 600 times, or about one year of use, before it begins having recharge problems.
Slide 95: 710 Part X: Maintaining a PC The best way to get the most out of a battery is to discharge it completely before you recharge it. The newest form of portable PC batteries is the Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery, which has a rechargeable life of about 1,200 charges. This battery type is used primarily on more expensive systems because of its cost, which is higher than the NiMH battery. When a battery begins having recharge problems, the best thing to do is to replace it. However, here are some tips for getting the most out of your portable PC battery: x Use a port replicator or the AC power adapter whenever possible. x Because disk drives are the biggest drains on a battery, avoid disk access when you can, if possible. x Enable and use the built-in power-saving features or software on the portable PC. These power-saving features typically include slowing the processor speed, suspending the hard disk, display, and on many systems, the entire PC, when idle for a specified period. If you don’t need the speed, save the power by turning on these features. x If the portable PC is designed for the Energy Star energy standard, it reduces its power consumption as much as 99 percent when it goes into Sleep or Suspend modes, which simulate a shutdown of the PC. The downside to suspending the PC is the time that it takes the PC to reawaken when you’re ready to work again. CARING FOR AN LCD DISPLAY To clean an LCD display on a portable PC, don’t use harsh cleaners: an LCD display is easily scratched. You shouldn’t use anything more harsh than a general window cleaner (without ammonia) on a soft, lint-free cloth (such as an old T-shirt) or a Scotch-Brite HPCC. CLEANING A PORTABLE PC’S CASE Portable PC cases, except those on ruggedized portables, are fragile and are designed for lightness rather than strength. Dropping a portable PC can very well damage just about all its components. To clean the portable PC’s case, avoid using any liquid in or around the keyboard. Use a soft, damp, lint-free cloth to wipe over the keyboard and the exterior of the case. Use compressed air to clean the keyboard. The floppy disk and CD-ROM drives are cleaned by using cleaning kits just like on a desktop PC.
Slide 96: Chapter 28 Optimizing the PC IN THIS CHAPTER If a PC doesn’t run as sprightly as it once did or if it’s unable to keep pace with the demands of newer software, you might want to consider updating or optimizing the PC to enhance its performance. You can optimize any number of parts of your PC. Those I cover in this chapter include x The BIOS and boot process x The hard disk drive x Expansion cards SOME OPTIMIZATION steps cost money, but many only involve using software that you might already have, or software that’s readily available for downloading from the Web. Optimizing the BIOS and Boot Process Dozens of settings in the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup configuration data are stored in the BIOS Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). Whether these settings reflect the actual hardware environment of the PC can make a difference in how quickly the system boots and performs. Chances are that you can or should change few settings, but a valuable feature that you do have, such as system caching or using the QuickPOST (Power-On Self-Test) process, might be disabled and should be re-enabled for optimum performance of the PC. Tweaking the BIOS settings The following are some simple BIOS setting tweaks that can optimize the performance of a PC (see Chapter 4 for information on how to access BIOS settings): x Auto-Detect IDE: Use Auto-Detect Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) to detect the IDE hard drives on the PC. After you know the IDE drives that are in use, enter the BIOS setup and disable those IDE channels not in use. 711
Slide 97: 712 Part X: Maintaining a PC If you’re reluctant to disable an IDE channel that has a CD-ROM or another device attached, remember that the system uses a different way of detecting those devices that is separate from these BIOS settings. x Floppy Seek at Boot-Up: This setting tells the PC to search for new floppy disk drives each time that it boots. Disabling this feature significantly speeds up the boot process. x QuickPOST: Enabling this feature speeds up the startup processes of the PC. x Shadow System BIOS: If this setting is enabled, the PC copies the BIOS program from the BIOS ROM into system memory (RAM), which speeds up the process. The increase in speed isn’t large, but every little bit helps. x Turbo Frequency: This setting is a form of overclocking, or running the system clock at a speed higher than its nominal speed. If the PC is already overclocked, leave this setting as is. However, this setting can be used to increase the clock speed of the PC. Flashing the BIOS Flashing the BIOS (see Chapter 4) can add or enable features that provide faster performance for the PC’s primary components (processor, chipset, memory, and the like). Be sure that you follow the BIOS or motherboard manufacturer’s instructions to the letter when performing this operation. Flashing the BIOS ROM is one operation you can’t afford to mess up or have interrupted; that is, if you want to reboot the PC anytime in the future. Optimizing the Hard Disk Drive The best tools available for optimizing a hard disk drive (in terms of usage and access speeds) are included as utilities of the Windows operating systems. The big two of these tools are ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter. Scanning the disk ScanDisk for Windows 9x and Me, shown in Figure 28-1, or Chkdsk for Windows 2000 or XP systems, is used to check a disk for errors in the media and file structure and then repair them or remove unrecoverable areas of the disk from the usage tables to prevent future errors.
Slide 98: Chapter 28: Optimizing the System Here are the two levels of scans you can use: x Standard test: This option checks for file and folder integrity and runs 713 about 10 minutes to completely check a disk drive. A standard check should be run at least once a week. Also, this test runs automatically anytime Windows is not shut down properly. x Thorough test: This option also checks for file and folder integrity, and scans the disk surface for defects. Completely checking a hard disk drive takes about 25 minutes to an hour. A thorough test should be run every two to four weeks. Both the standard and thorough ScanDisk versions have an Advanced features button, which can be used to add options to deal with lost file fragments, invalid file types, and files that have become cross-linked. You can also choose to keep a ScanDisk log file. Figure 28-1: The Windows ScanDisk utility’s opening window. Defragmenting the disk The Disk Defragmenter utility (see Figure 28-2) organizes data file fragments into a more optimized and logical format that provides for faster access times and less read/write head movement. While files are written and rewritten to the hard disk, data file fragments can become scattered about the disk in non-contiguous areas. The Disk Defragmenter should be run about once a month, depending on how frequently disk files are modified or deleted. The Disk Defragmenter can be found at Start ¡ Programs ¡ Accessories ¡ System Tools ¡ Disk Defragmenter.
Slide 99: 714 Part X: Maintaining a PC You should run ScanDisk before running the Disk Defragmenter because if Disk Defragmenter finds any errors that ScanDisk could fix, it will stop and recommend that you run ScanDisk anyway. Figure 28-2: The Windows Disk Defragmenter utility. Optimizing Expansion Cards The best way to optimize input/putput (I/O) controllers and other types of expansion cards is to install them in the correct physical order. No harm is done to the PC if expansion cards are installed in any order, but some benefit can be gained from putting them in the proper sequence to take advantage of the priority order in which they are detected during the boot process. Putting the cards in order When installing expansion cards in a PC, put the video card in the first slot, followed by the NIC, modem, and sound card, in that order. If you’re unsure of which PCI slot is the first PCI slot, you should consult the motherboard’s documentation or download a PCI-numbering utility from the motherboard manufacturer’s Web site. PCI slot 0, the first slot, is not necessarily the first one on the left or right on the motherboard, but instead is the first one detected by the BIOS during the boot process. Using PCI On a Pentium-class system, try to use Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards and avoid Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) cards, if possible. Just about all I/O adapters, including video cards, sound cards, network interface cards (NICs), modems, and Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) host adapters are available in
Slide 100: Chapter 28: Optimizing the System a PCI expansion bus format. The Pentium processor is designed to work with the PCI bus natively, but the 8-bit ISA cards require additional overhead, which will slightly slow down the system. 715 Optimizing the Processor You can optimize the processor for speed in three ways: x Replace it with a faster speed or higher-level processor. x Use a utility from the processor manufacturer to apply patches or fixes to the processor logic. x Overclock the processor. Replacing the processor The requirement for replacing your processor with a higher-level or faster processor is that the motherboard and chipset must support the new processor both logically and physically. Logically, the chipset and motherboard must support the bus speed of the new processor and have the supporting circuitry that it requires. You should check with the processor manufacturer or the motherboard manufacturer to verify these compatibilities. Replacing the motherboard is often a much better option to ensure compatibility. Updating the processor The manufacturer of the processor might have some utilities available for download that can be used to improve some aspect of the processor’s capabilities, such as video processing, buffer handling, and other processor-based functions. You can also find many of these utilities on several Web sites, such as www.motherboard.com and www.tomshardware.com. Overclocking the processor Overclocking a processor means running the processor at a clock speed faster than it is released to support. Most processors are capable of running at speeds higher than their nominal (or rated) speeds. The nominal speed of a processor is the speed at which it has been tuned to run with a certain chipset, motherboard, cooling system, and other components of the PC. Raising the clock speed of the processor can create heat issues and lead to frequent system lockups, memory problems, and other heat-sensitive issues. Overclocking the processor can also harm the processor itself.
Slide 101: 716 Part X: Maintaining a PC The speed of the processor is controlled by the internal clock, which is controlled by the internal clock multiplier. To change the internal clock multiplier, you need to locate the CPU to Bus Frequency Ration Selection jumper on the motherboard. Consult the motherboard’s documentation or refer to an overclocking guide on the Web, such as Tom’s Hardware Overclocking Guide at www.tomshardware.com/ guides/overclocking for more detailed instructions on overclocking a processor. When overclocking a processor, you also usually need to change the bus speed on the motherboard and perhaps the processor voltage level as well.
Slide 102: Part XI Appendix APPENDIX A About the CD
Slide 104: Appendix A About the CD IN THIS APPENDIX x System requirements x Using the CD with Windows x What you’ll find on the CD x Troubleshooting System Requirements Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements shown in the following list. If your computer doesn’t meet most of these requirements, you could have problems using the contents of the CD. x A PC with a 486 or faster processor. x Microsoft Windows 95 or later. x At least 16MB of total RAM installed on your computer. x At least 32MB of available hard drive space to install all the software on this CD. (You need less space if you don’t install every program.) x A CD-ROM drive — double-speed (2x) or faster. x A sound card for PCs. x A monitor capable of displaying at least 256 colors or grayscale. x A modem or broadband link with a speed of at least 14,400 bps. If you need more information, some of the best sources are in my favorite books (all published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.): x Fix Your Own PC, 7th Edition, by Corey Sandler x PC Upgrade and Repair Bible, 3rd Edition, by Barry Press, Marcia Press x PCs For Dummies, 8th Edition, by Dan Gookin x PCs All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, by Dan Gookin 719
Slide 105: 720 Part XI: Appendix x PC Upgrade & Repair Simplified, 2nd Edition, by Paul Whitehead x Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies, by Dan Gookin x Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition, by Jim Aspinwall and Mike Todd x Upgrading and Fixing PCs For Dummies, 6th Edition, by Andy Rathbone Using the CD with Microsoft Windows To access the content of the CD, follow these steps: 1. Insert the CD into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. 2. A window appears with the following options: Explore: Enables you to view the contents of the CD-ROM in its directory structure. Software: Gives you the option to install the supplied software on the CD-ROM. Files: Allows you to view the bonus files provided with the CD. Links: Opens a hyperlinked page of Web sites. Exit: Closes the autorun window. If you do not have autorun enabled or if the autorun window does not appear, follow the steps below to access the CD. 1. Click Start ¡ Run. 2. In the dialog box that appears, type D:\SETUP.EXE, where D is the letter of your CD-ROM drive. This brings up the autorun window described above. 3. Choose the Explore, Software, Files, Links, Exit option from the menu. See Step 2 of the preceding list for a description of these options.
Slide 106: Appendix A: About the CD 721 What You’ll Find on the CD This CD-ROM contains bonus content from PC Repair Bench Book, plus third-party software to help you diagnose, solve, and protect yourself from common PC problems. Bonus content The following is a summary of the bonus content included on this CD: x A searchable version of this book in PDF format x Bonus Appendixes in PDF format: s s s Bonus Appendix A, “Troubleshooting PC Problems” Bonus Appendix B, “The PC Technician’s Toolkit” Bonus Appendix C, “Glossary” x Find-a-Fix, a guide to the most common PC problems and some suggested troubleshooting steps and resolutions x A links page that includes links to all of the Web pages mentioned in this book, organized by chapter Third-party software These third-party programs are included to help you get the most out of this book: x Adobe’s Acrobat Reader: Free software that lets you view and print PDF files on all major computer platforms x PC Certify Inc.’s PC Certify Pro (trial): Software that allows you to conduct diagnostic testing of PCs x PC Doctor OnCall Inc.’s PC Doctor (trial): This software performs a series of diagnostic checks to locate file errors and problems, including all types of software errors, Registry problems, leftovers from incomplete uninstalls, and much more. x Iolo Technologies, LLC’s System Shield (trial): Software that defends your computer against unauthorized attempts at recovering information x Iolo Technologies, LLC’s Macro Magic (trial): Software that helps you cre- ate macros to simplify repetitive tasks into a single step
Slide 107: 722 Part XI: Appendix x Iolo Technologies, LLC’s System Mechanic (trial): Software to clear junk files from your PC, clean your Registry, speed up your Internet connection, ensure your privacy, fix broken shortcuts, and find and remove duplicate files. x Pro Tech Diagnostic’s ToolStar Test (demo): Universal PC diagnostic soft- ware (written in assembly language) that uses its own operating system to independently test PC hardware x Pro Tech Diagnostic’s ToolStar Windows (demo): An addition to ToolStar Test that enables you to analyze resources and configurations and test the various components in Windows x CST Inc.’s DocMemory Pro (trial): Software to evaluate your computer’s RAM for errors x Rarsoft’s WinRAR (trial): Software for using and manipulating compressed and archived files x e-merge GmbHWinACE (shareware): Software for using and manipulating compressed and archived files Troubleshooting I tried my best to compile programs that work on most computers with the minimum system requirements. Alas, your computer could be somewhat different, and some programs might not work properly for some reason. The two most likely culprits are that you don’t have enough memory (RAM) for the programs you want to use or that you have other programs running that affect the installation or running of a program. If you get error messages such as Not Enough Memory or Setup Cannot Continue, try one or more of the following procedures and then try using the software again: x Turn off any antivirus software monitor that you might have running on your computer. Installers sometimes mimic virus activity and can make your computer incorrectly believe that it’s being infected by a virus. x Close all running programs. The more programs that you run, the less memory is available to other programs. Installers also typically update files and programs; if you keep other programs running, installation might not work properly. x Close the CD interface and run demos or installations directly from Windows Explorer. The interface itself can tie up system memory or even conflict with certain kinds of interactive demos. Use Windows Explorer to browse the files on the CD and launch installers or demos.
Slide 108: Appendix A: About the CD x Add more RAM to your computer. This is, admittedly, a drastic and 723 somewhat expensive step. However, if you have a Windows 95 PC, adding more memory can really help the speed of your computer and enable more programs to run at the same time. If you still have trouble with the CD, please call the Customer Care phone number: (800) 762-2974. Outside the United States, call 1 (317) 572-3994. You can also contact Customer Service by e-mail at techsupdum@wiley.com. Wiley Publishing, Inc. will provide technical support only for installation and other general quality control items; for technical support on the applications themselves, consult the program’s vendor or author.
Slide 110: Index Symbols & Numerics $ (dollar sign), Linux command prompt, 669–670 ! (exclamation point), yellow, 653 # (pound sign), Linux command prompt, 670 2-D images, 353, 363–364 2-D video cards, 375 3-D images, 353, 359, 364–365 3-D video cards, 376 5-pin DIN connectors, 503, 634 6-pin mini-DIN connectors, 503, 634–635 6x86 processor, 36, 39 10Base cable, 569 16-bit interface, 358 32-bit interface, 358 36-pin Centronics connector, 464–465 83-key keyboards, 498 100Base cable, 569 101-key keyboards, 496 104-key keyboards, 496 420EX (Aries) chipset, 77 420TX (Saturn) chipset, 78 430FX (Triton I) chipset, 78 430HX (Triton II) chipset, 78 430LX (Mercury) chipset, 78 430MX (Mobile Triton) chipset, 78 430NX (Neptune) chipset, 78 430TX chipset, 75–78 430VX chipset, 75–77 430VX (Triton III) chipset, 78 440BX chipset, 79 440FX (Natoma) chipset, 79 440GX APGset with Pentium 4, 80 440GX chipset, 79 440LX APGset with Pentium II, 79 440LX chipset, 78 440LXR chipset, 79 450GX (Orion server) chipset, 79 450KX (Orion workstation) chipset, 79 450NX chipset, 79–80 460GX (Merced) chipset, 81 486 processor, upgrading, 51 540 chipset, 84 600 chipset, 84 620 chipset, 84 630/630E/630S chipset, 84 635/635T chipset, 84 645/645DX chipset, 84 648 chipset, 84 650 chipset, 84 651 chipset, 84 658 chipset, 84 730S chipset, 83 733 chipset, 83 735 chipset, 83 740 chipset, 83 745 chipset, 83 746 chipset, 83 802.11 networks, 572–573 810 chipset, 81 815 chipset, 81 845 chipset, 81 850 chipset, 82 1000Base cable, 569 A AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), 423 A/B switches, printers, 467 Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP). See AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) accelerators, video systems, 356. See also video cards access speed, 149–151 access time, hard disks, 274 accessibility options, keyboards, 506–507 Acecad, Web site, 435 Acer Laboratories. See ALi ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) BIOS, 103, 145 Acrobat Reader (on the CD), 721 action keys, 489 active mainboard, 4–5 active matrix LCD, 384, 400 adapter cards, 599 ADC (analog-to-digital converter), 420 adding memory cache, 181–182 address gateways, 570 addressing data, hard disks, 271–272 Adobe, 429, 721 ADS, Web site, 435 ADSL (Asymmetrical DSL), 554 Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), 423 Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) BIOS, 103, 145 Advanced Micro Devices. See AMD advanced settings menu, 101–102 Agfa, Web site, 435 AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) aperture size, setting, 102 description, 68 DMA and, 131 expansion buses, 593–594 performance improvements, 376 video systems, 353, 355, 358 725
Slide 111: 726 Index AGP Aperture Size option, 102 AGP slot, 5 AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format), 423 air filters, hard disks, 264–265 air vents, illustration, 211 airflow, 195, 219 airflow, cooling, 10 ALADDiN chipsets, 82 alarm systems, UPS, 241 ALi chipsets, 82 alignment floppy disk drives, 313–314, 320 floppy disk read/write heads, 310–314 ALiMAGiK chipset, 82 alphabetic keys, 488–489 Alt (Alternate Control) key, 489, 490 Altek, Web site, 435 alternate boot drive, 20 AMD processors, 36, 39–42, 50, 59 American Megatrends. See AMI American Megatrends (AMI), 73, 88 AMI (American Megatrends), 73, 88 AMI BIOS beep codes, 95–96 AMIDiag, 73 amplifier, 418 AMR (Audio/Modem Riser), 594 analog displays, 396 analog input/output, 420 analog inputs, sound cards, 419 analog video capture devices, 428 analog-to-digital converter (ADC), 420 AND (binary operation), 44 ankle strap, 12 Answers That Work, BC20 AntiVirus, 690 antivirus software, 690 aperture grille, 394 aperture (AGP) size, setting, 102 Apollo chipsets, 85–86 Apple, 598 Application Specific Integration Circuits. See chipsets arbitration characteristics (chipset), 72 areal density, 275 Aries chipset, 77 arithmetic operations. See binary arithmetic arithmetic operators, keyboards, 492 arrow keys, 490–491 ASCII data, 621–623 ASICs. See chipsets aspect ratio, 361, 386 Assign IRQ for USB option, 103, 656 associative cache, 181 ASUS, Web site, 115 Asymmetrical DSL (ADSL), 554 asynchronous cache memory, 178–179 asynchronous communication, 626 asynchronous DRAM, 148 AT. See Baby AT; IBM AT; Micro-AT AT bus, 68 AT commands, 540–541 ATA drives, troubleshooting, 342–344 ATA interface. See IDE/ATA (Integrated Drive Electronics/AT Attachment) ATAPI drives, troubleshooting, 342–344 ATAPI interface, 333 Athlon processor, 41 ATI, Web site, 435 ATX motherboard, 9 ATX power supplies, 230–231 ATX system case, 209, 211 AU (Audio Unix), 423 audio. See also audio file types cables, CD-ROM drives, 333 capturing, 421–422 CD-quality, 422 chipset, 20 connecting CD-ROM, DVD, 425, 437 drivers and tools, 434–435 enabling, 104 file size, 422 file types, 422–424 input level, 421–422 sample rate, 422 sample resolution, 422 audio capture, troubleshooting, 431–439 audio cards ADC, 420 analog input/output, 419–420 common problems, 436–436 components, 419–421 DAC, 420 description, 419 digital input/output, 420 DSP, 420 expansion, 602 game port, 420 IDE/ATA channels, 292 installation, 434 ISA, 432–433 MIDI port, 420 PCI, 433 problems, Linux, 676 Sound Blaster, 433 synthesizer, 421 Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF), 423 Audio option, 104 audio output connections, 331–332 audio software, 418 Audio Unix (AU), 423 Audio/Modem Riser (AMR), 594 audio/video connector, 616
Slide 112: Index auto configuration, enabling, 101 Auto Configuration option, 101 auto detect (IDE), enabling, 104 Auto Detect option, 104 Auto Insert Notification, 346 Auto-Detect IDE, 711–712 autodetection, configuring, 282–283 auxiliary fans, 211–213 Award, 88 Award BIOS beep codes, 96 azimuth alignment, 311, 312–313 Aztech, Web site, 434 corrupted, 106 description, 87–92 flashing, 114–116 flashing dangers, 106 flashing disables boot, 116 flashing security jumper, 106–107 functions, 87, 91–92 as hardware intermediary, 91–92 information, Web site, 98 information display, 19 IRQs, 125 jump address, 91 manufacturer, start up screen, 97 manufacturers, 88 operation, 88 optimizing, 711–712 password, 114 POST process, 94–97 programs/utilities, 88 release data, start up screen, 97 serial number, 98 setup, keyboard key, 97 start-up screen, information content, 97–98 updating, 106–107 version, determining (ASUS motherboard), 115 version, start up screen, 97 BIOS POST card, 107–109 BIOS POST card (illustration), 109 BIOS ROM battery (illustration), 105 BIOS start-up screen example (illustration), 98 bipolar transistors, 224 bit, described, 149 bitmapped fonts, 447 blackouts, 237 blocks (of data), 34 blue barrel-style battery, 17 blue i, 135 Bluetooth, 69, 573 BNC-style connectors, 563 boldface, 446–447 boot, cold and warm, 94 boot block feature, 107 boot disks adding CD-ROM support, 341–342 controller card, 20 as diagnostic tool, 110 Windows, 666–667 boot drive, 18–19 boot information display, 19 boot problems after flashing BIOS, 116 beep, blank screen, 113 BIOS password forgotten, 114 boot from wrong disk, 112 continued 727 B Baby AT, 7, 209, 228–229 back panel connectors, 616–617 backing up data, 688–689 backplane mainboards, 4–5 Backspace key, 489 ball, mouse, 511 bandwidth, 567 barreling, display, 388 barrel-style battery, 17 base 16 number system. See hexadecimal base I/O address, setting, 103 Base I/O Address option, 103 base two number system. See binary baseband, 569 Basic Rate Interface (BRI), 554–555 batteries BIOS ROM, 105 CMOS, 5, 16–17 disposing of, 691 Li-Ion, 710 low-battery warning, UPS, 240, 250 NIMH, 709 portable PCs, 709 battery jumper, 16 BEDO (Burst Extended Data Output) DRAM, 153 beep, blank screen, 113 beep codes, BIOS, 16, 94–97 beep-boot-bam, 19–20 beep-no boot, 16–19 bending, system case, 195, 218 bezel, monitor, 382–383 bezel (system case). See front panel binary arithmetic, 34, 43 binary (logical) arithmetic operations, 44–46 binary numbers, 43, 48–49 BIOS address, 88–91 beep codes, 94–97 beep tones, 16 boot block, 107 booting activities, 92–94 configuring keyboards, 507
Slide 113: 728 Index boot problems (continued) Invalid System Disk message, 112 keyboards, 505 no hard disk detected, 113 no power, no boot, 246 power, no boot, 57 unable to boot from floppy disk, 112 USB device cannot be accessed, 114 boot process, optimizing, 711–712 boot record, 20 boot sequence, 88, 92–94 booting from alternate drive, 20 BIOS activities, 92–94 defined, 88 description, 92–98 in Safe Mode, 141–142, 664–666 Windows in Safe Mode, 141–142 from wrong disk, 112 bowing, display, 388 break codes, keyboards, 499–501 breakout box, video, 428–431 BRI (Basic Rate Interface), 554–555 Bridge CD, 326 bridges, 570 brightness, display, 388 broadband, 569 brownouts, 237 burn danger, laser printers, 481, 483 burnt smells, 15 burst, cache, 177–178 Burst Extended Data Output (BEDO) DRAM, 153 burst mode access, 164–165 bus architecture, 66–67 bus controller, 71 bus mastering, 133–134, 294, 355, 594 bus speeds and RAM speeds (table), 150 bus structures, 68–69. See also expansion buses bus width, 157 buttons, mouse, 512 byte, 149 null modem, 530 pig-tail, 425 printers, 449–450, 464–465 removing, 22 cache, 75, 167–168, 175 cache memory adding, 181–182 associative, 181 asynchronous, 178–179 bursting, 177–178 cache misses, 178 COAST module (illustration), 181–182 description, 173–175 direct mapped, 181 disabled by processor, 185 effects on performance, 180, 184–186 enabling, 186–187 fully associative, 181 installing, 182 internal and external, 176 mapping techniques, 180–181 minimizing, 656 non-blocking, 180 N-way set associative, 181 parts, 177 pipelined burst, 178–179 policy types, 179–180 sizing, 176–177 synchronous, 178–179 tag RAM, 185 troubleshooting, 183–186 types, 178–179 write-back, 179–180 write-through, 180 writing, 179–180 cache on a stick. See COAST caddy loading, CD-ROM drives, 331 Cakewalk, Web site, 418 Calcomp, Web site, 435 call waiting, 539 camera downloading images, 439 campus area network (CAN), 558 CAN (campus area network), 558 Canon, Web site, 435 capacitive keyswitches, 502 capacitor, 151 Caps Lock key, 489, 490 capture methods, scanners, 427 capturing digital audio, 422 cartridges, inkjet printers, 460–461 case (PC). See system case Cat n cabling, 568 cathode ray tube (CRT). See CRT (cathode ray tube) CAV (constant angular velocity), 329 CCD (charge-coupled device), scanners, 426 C C3 processor, 42 cable modems, 555. See also dialup networking; DSL; ISDN; modems cables. See also connectors; USB (Universal Serial Bus); specific cables audio, 421 CD/DVD audio, 425, 437 distance limitations, 343, 464 floppy disk drives, 309 keyboards, 502–504 labeling, 23 modems, 530–533 networks, 560
Slide 114: Index CD (back of the book) contents, 721–722 Customer Care, 723 system requirements, 719–720 troubleshooting, 722–723 with Windows, 720 CD audio, 425, 436–437 cd command, 670 CD-DA (Compact Disc-Digital Audio) format, 324–325 CD-Erasable, 328 CD-I (CD-Interactive) format, 325 CD-Interactive (CD-I) format, 325 CD-quality audio, 422 CD-ROM drives adding to boot disk, 341–342 ATAPI interface, 333 audio cable, 333 audio output connections, 331–332 Auto Insert Notification, 346 caddy loading, 331 CAV, 329 CLV, 329–330 configuration display, 99 connecting audio, 425, 437 connectors, 332–333 constant rotation, 329 device driver name, finding, 341 device not detected, 342–343 DMA, enabling, 345 duplicate SCSI ID numbers, 341 and floppy drive cables, 338 front loading, 331 headphone jacks, 331–332 installing, IDE/ATA, 336–340 installing, SCSI, 340–341 jumpers, 332–333, 338, 340 laser read head, 329 loading discs, 330 maintenance, 707–708 performance improvements, 345–346 read head assembly, 329–330 stacking discs, 333–334 tray loading, 330 troubleshooting, 342–347 variable rotation, 329–330 zoned bit recording, 329 CD-ROM Extended Architecture (CD-ROM XA) format, 325 CD-ROM format, 325 CD-ROM XA (CD-ROM Extended Architecture) format, 325 CD-ROMs booting from, 20 Windows 98/ME access, 655 CD-Rs, 326 CD-RWs, 328 CDs, 324–328 Celeron processor, 37–38 Centaur WinChip C6 processor, 36–37 Centronics Corporation, 448–449 CGA (Color Graphics Adapter), 354, 389 channels, description, 290–291 channels, multiple devices on, 303 character selection keys, 489 charge-coupled device (CCD), scanners, 426 chassis, 192, 194, 211 chdir command, 670 CheckIt, 73 chip creep, 15 chipset functions, 67–371 chipsets activities, 66–67 ALi, 82 characteristics, 72 compatibility with operating system, 20 defined, 77 identification, 74–75 illustration, 5 Intel 486, 77–78 Intel history, 77–82 Intel Pentium, 78–82 non-Intel, 82–86 NVIDIA Technologies, 84 problem identification Web sites, 77 SiS, 82–84 socket types, 65 troubleshooting, 72–77 types, 65 VIA Technologies, 85–86 Chkdsk command, 712–713 Chkdsk utility, 286 chmod command, 674–675 choke points, 609 CHS (cylinder-head-sector) addressing, 271 cleaning devices. See specific devices cleaning phase, laser printers, 474 cleaning supplies hazards of, 692 list of, 686–687 clients, 560 client/server networks, 559–561 clipping, 421–422 clock generator, 71 clock multiplier, 56 clock speed, configuration display, 98 closed-loop systems, 311 clusters, 257 CLUT (Color Lookup Table), 458 CLV (constant linear velocity), 329–330 CMOS battery, 5, 16–17 CMOS battery jumper, 16 729
Slide 115: 730 Index CMOS configuration settings, 18 CMOS SRAM, 68, 90 CMYK colors, 458, 476 CNR (Communication and Network Riser), 594 COAST module (illustration), 181–182 coaxial cable, 562–563 codec (compression/decompression), 429 cold boot, 94 color bi-level, laser printers, 476 CLUT, 458 CMYK scheme, 458 conversion, inkjet printers, 458 displays, 384 dithering, 459–460 graphics standards, 354 ICC, 458 limits of the human eye, 362 profiles, inkjet printers, 458–459 RGB scheme, 458 thresholds, 460 translating across devices, 458 color depth displays, 386–387 setting, 411–413 video cards, 361 Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), 354, 389 Color Lookup Table (CLUT), 458 color printing, 456–457, 475–476 color transitions. See dithering Column Access Strobe, 101 COM ports, 624–625 command action keys, 489 common circuit, 225 common-plane LCD, 399 Communication and Network Riser (CNR), 594 Compact Disc-Digital Audio (CD-DA) format, 324–325 Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor. See CMOS compression, video, 429–430 computer hangs when drivers loaded, 581 conditioning phase, laser printers, 473 conditioning printers, 468 conductor (electrical), 26 configuration, system. See system setup configuration settings CMOS, 18 processors, 57 configuring IDE/ATA, 295–297 IRQs, 123–125 keyboards, 507 modems, 530–533 mouse, Windows PC, 521–522 NIC, 577–579 SCSI, 301 Windows 98/ME, 652–656 Windows 2000 Pro, 660–661 conflict resolution, IRQs, 136–139 connecting IRQs, 121 monitors, 388 mouse, 513–515 scanners, 426 SCSI, 300–301 video capture devices, 428–431 connectivity devices, 561 connectors. See also cables; IEEE 1394; interface technologies; USB; specific connectors audio/video, 616 back panel, 616–617 CD-ROM drives, 332–333 defined, 615–616 DIN, 634–635 expansion slots, 619–620 external audio jacks, 618 external ports, 620–621 floppy disk controller, 619 floppy disk drives, 308 front panel, 617, 619 game port, 621 hard disks, 265–266 hardware power and management, 618 infrared ports, 633 IR, 464 IrDA, 464, 503 keyboards, 503–504 line-of-sight devices, 633 memory slots, 619–620 microphone jacks, 621 MIDI/game port, 618 mini-sub D15, 635–636 motherboard, 616–619 mouse, 618 onboard, 616–617 parallel port, 618, 621 parallel ports, troubleshooting, 639–641 peripheral device interfaces, 617, 619 primary IDE, 619 PS/2, 505, 618, 634–635 RF, 504, 633 secondary IDE, 619 serial ports, illustration, 618, 621 serial ports, troubleshooting, 637–638 sound cards, 420 speaker jacks, 621 system resource conflicts, 637, 638 UV transmitters, 633 VGA, 618 video, 635–636
Slide 116: Index video port, 621 wireless ports, 632–634 constant angular velocity (CAV), 329 constant linear velocity (CLV), 329–330 constant rotation, CD-ROM drives, 329 Context Menu key, 495 continuous flow inkjet printers, 455 contrast, display, 388 Control (Ctrl) keys, 489, 490 control operations, 34 control panel, monitor, 388 control unit, 34 controller chips, 66–67 controlling video cards, 356 conventional memory, 162 converting waveforms, 225 cooling airflow, 10 cover airflow, 195 CPU overheating, 20 CPU temperature display options, 102 problems, 56–57 processors, 26 processors overheating, 56–57 radiant, 26 vents, 214 co-processor, configuration display, 98 copy backup, 689 cordless mouse, 514 Corel, Web site, 429 corruption, BIOS, 106–107 covers (PC). See system case CPU, 20, 34, 102, 118. See also processors CPU Fan Turn On Speed option, 102 CPU socket, 5 CPU Warning Temperature option, 102 Creative Labs, 433–434 CRT (cathode ray tube), 377–378, 383, 385 CRT controller, 71 CST Inc., 165, 721 Current CPU Temperature option, 102 cursor, digitizer, 431 cursor keys, 488, 490–492 Customer Care, 723 cylinder-head-sector (CHS) addressing, 271 cylinders (disk), 256–257, 283 Cyrix 6x86 processors, 36 Cyrix III processor, 40 Cyrix processor bugs, 59–60 data organization, hard disks, 256–257 data registers, 34 data shift operations, 44 data store, in cache memory, 177 data transfer, 34, 157 data transfer protocols, hard disks, 271 data transfer rate, hard disks, 274 date and time (on PC), 67 daughterboards, 4 Dazzle, Web site, 435 DB-9 pin assignments, 531 DB-9-to-DB-9 null modem cable, 532 DB-15 connector, 635–636 DB-25 female connector, 464 DB-25 male connector, 465 DB-25 pin assignments, 530–531 DB-25-to-DB-9 null modem cable, 532–533 DB-25-to-DB-25 null modem cable, 531–532 DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate SDRAM), 153 DDR SGRAM (Double Data Rate SGRAM), 366 dead PCs, troubleshooting, BC11 debug utility, 373–374 decimal to binary conversion, 48 defragmenting hard disks, 706–707, 713–714 degaussing, 404 delayed transaction, enabling, 102 Delayed Transaction option, 102 Delete key, 491, 492 dental mirror, 11–12 depth cueing, 359 desktop system case, 204–205 detail. See resolution developing phase, laser printers, 474 device access issues, Linux, 674 device drivers, 341, 358, 435, 540 device entries, creating in Linux, 672–673 device file permissions, Linux, 674–675 device is not ready message, 343 Device Manager. See Windows Device Manager device not detected, CD-ROM drives, 342–343 device type, 23 devices, Properties windows for, 138 dial tone missing, 544, 552–553 dialup networking. See also cable modems; DSL; ISDN; modems connecting, 541–543 error codes, 547–553 issues, 544 Diamond Multimedia, Web site, 434 dielectric gel, 26 differential backup, 689 diffuse dithering, inkjet printers, 460 digital audio, capturing, 422 Digital Audio Extraction (DAE), 422 digital cameras, 439, 699 digital displays, 396 731 D DAC (digital-to-analog converter), 359, 420 DAE (Digital Audio Extraction), 422 data access time, hard disks, 275 data backups, 688–689 data bus compatibility, 574
Slide 117: 732 Index digital input/output, 420 digital multimeter. See multimeter Digital Signal Processor (DSP), 420 digital subscriber line (DSL), 554. See also cable modems; dialup networking; ISDN; modems digital video (DV), 429 digital video capture devices, 428 digital-to-analog converter (DAC), 359, 420 digitizers, 430–431, 517, 699 DIMM modules, 155–159, 166, 170–171 DIN connectors, 634–635 DIP chip, 154 DIP switches, configuring, 123–124 direct mapped cache, 181 direct memory access (DMA). See DMA (direct memory access) Direct Rambus DRAM (DRDRAM), 153 disabled memory cache, 185 disc versus disk, 324 disk cache. See cache memory Disk Cleanup, 706–707 disk controller, floppy, 70 disk controller card, 20 Disk Defragmenter, 286, 706–707, 713–714 Disk Doctor (Norton), 111 disk drive, boot, 18 disk drives, configuration display, 99 disk platters, 259–260 disk versus disc, 324 disks. See specific types of disks Display Power Management System (DPMS), 404 displays. See monitors distorted recordings, audio card, 436 dithering, 459–460, 476 Divide by zero error, 167 DivX, 429 DMA (direct memory access), 271 and AGP buses, 131 bus mastering, 133–134 controllers, 67, 71 description, 131 enabling, CD-ROM drives, 345 first-party, 134 modes, 132–133, 292–293 and PCI buses, 131 purpose of, 131–132 third-party, 134 DMA channels, 132–133, 139–140 DocMemory, 165 DocMemory Pro (on the CD), 721 dollar sign ($), Linux command prompt, 669–670 DOS commands, case sensitivity, 650 DOS/Windows memory layout (table), 162–163 dot matrix printers. See printers, dot matrix dot pitch, 394–395 dots. See pixel Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), 153 Double Data Rate SGRAM (DDR SGRAM), 366 double transition clocking, 294–295 dpi (dots per inch), 444 DPMS (Display Power Management System), 404 draft quality printing, 444 DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) access speeds (table), 150 asynchronous, 148 BEDO DRAM, 153 DDR SDRAM, 153, 366 description, 151, 365 DRDRAM (Direct Rambus DRAM), 153 EDO DRAM, 101, 153, 366 EDRAM, 153 ESDRAM, 153 FPM DRAM, 152 integrity mode, enabling, 101 MDRAM, 366 non-EDO DRAM, 152 PC100 SDRAM, 153 RDRAM, 366 SDRAM, 101, 148, 150–151, 366 setting, 101 speeds and bus speeds (table), 150 volatility, 148 DRAM Integrity Mode option, 101 drawing tablets. See digitizers DRDRAM (Direct Rambus DRAM), 153 drive alignment, 313–314 drive bays, 192–193, 202–204, 211 drive compatibility mode settings, 304–305 Drive is not accessible message, 343 drive light always on, CD-ROM drives, 342 drive rails, 204 drive type, configuring, 283 driver signing, 540 drop-on-demand inkjet printers, 455–456 drum, laser printers, 477 drum scanners, 427 dry writing, 472–473 DSL (digital subscriber line), 554. See also cable modems; dialup networking; ISDN; modems DSP (Digital Signal Processor), 420 DSTN (dual scan STN), 400 dual boot systems, Windows XP, 663 dual in-line memory module. See DIMM modules dual mode, Linux, 670 dual ported VRAM, 365 dual scan STN (DSTN), 400
Slide 118: Index dual-ported RAM, 152 Duron processor, 42 DV (digital video), 429 DVD drives connecting audio, 425, 437 installing, 340 maintenance, 707–708 video cards, 363 DVD-R (Recordable) standard, 335 DVD-RAM standard, 335 DVD-ROM standard, 335 DVD-R/W (Read/Write) standard, 335 DVDs, 334–335 DVD-Video standard, 335 dwords (of data), 34 DWS (memory specification), 156 dynamic RAM, 148 Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM). See DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) energy usage, display, 403 Englebardt, Douglas, 510 Enhanced Capabilities Port (ECP) standard, 448, 629 Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM), 153 Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA), 354, 389 Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) standard, 448, 629 Enhanced Small Disk Interface (ESDI) interface, 269 Enhanced Stream DRAM (ESDRAM), 153 Enter key, 489, 492 environment variable, SET BLASTER, 433 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 404, 691–692 EP (electrophotographic) process, 472–474 EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), 404, 691–692 EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) standard, 448, 629 EPROM, 90 Epson, Web site, 435 erasable programmable read only memory. See EPROM eraser-tip mouse, 517 ergonomic keyboards, 496–497 erratic operation, 56 error, parity, 160 error 602, 547 error 629, 547–548 error 630, 549–550 error 633, 548–549 error 635, 550 error 645, 550 error 650, 550–551 error 676, 551–552 error 678, 551–552 error 680, 552–553 error 691, 553 error 718, 553 error 720/731, 553 error codes, Device Manager, 142–144 error correction code, 161 error diffusion, inkjet printers, 460 errors, processor. See processors, problems Escape (Esc) key, 489, 494 ESD grounding ankle strap, 12 monitor hazard, 110, 405 protective mat, 12 wrist strap, 12, 109–110, 405 ESDC, 103 ESDI (Enhanced Small Disk Interface) interface, 269 ESDRAM (Enhanced Stream DRAM), 153 ESS Technology, Web site, 434 even parity, 160 Evergreen Technologies, 36, 50 733 E earth ground, 225. See also ESD grounding ECC, 161 ECP (Enhanced Capabilities Port) standard, 448, 629 edge triggering, 102 EDO (Extended Data Output) DRAM, 153 EDO DRAM Speed Selection option, 101 EDRAM (Enhanced DRAM), 153 EEPROM, 90 efficiency rating, power supplies, 235 EGA (Enhanced Graphics Adapter), 354, 389 EIDE controllers, 67 EISA (Extended ISA), 69, 592 electrical hazards. See also ESD grounding; power protection fans, 246 monitors, 110, 405, 699–700 power supplies, 241 removing a grounding plug, BC11 electrical outlet, 14 electrical shorts, 15 electrical tools, 242 electromagnetic emissions, 405–406 electron beam, 384 electronically erasable programmable read only memory. See EEPROM electrophotographic (EP) process, 472–474 electro-static discharge. See ESD electrostatic discharge mat, 12 e-merge GmbHWinACE (on the CD), 721 EMI rating, 235 encoding data, hard disks, 268 End key, 492 Energy Star standard, 98, 404
Slide 119: 734 Index Everything Computers.com, BC20 exabytes (EB), 258 excessive weight on, 218 exclamation point (!), yellow, 653 Exclusive OR (binary operation), 45–46 expanded memory, 164 expansion buses, 591–596. See also bus structures expansion cards adapter cards, 599 choke points, 609 controller cards, 599 description, 589–591 external modems, 602 IEEE 1394, description, 598 IEEE 1394, installing, 611 installing, 603–605 interface cards, 599 internal modems, 601–602 I/O cards, 599–603 MEC, 600 memory cards, 599–600 modem cards, 601–602 optimizing, 714–715 parallel ports, adding, 597 parallel ports, installing, 610 PC Card memory card, 600–601 removing for troubleshooting, 18–19 reseating, 15, 18 resource conflicts, PnP devices, 612–613 resource conflicts, Windows PCs, 611–612 retaining screws, 22 SCSI host adapters, installing, 609–610 serial ports, adding, 597 serial ports, installing, 610 sound cards, 602 troubleshooting, 605–609 USB, description, 597 USB, installing, 611 video cards, description, 603 video cards, installing, 613–614 expansion slots connectors, cleaning, 708 description, 589–591, 619–620 illustration, 211 Extended Data Output (EDO) DRAM, 153 Extended Graphics Array (XGA), 390 Extended ISA (EISA), 69, 592 extended memory, 162, 164 extended system configuration data, 103 external audio jacks, 618 external A/V devices, 362–363 external cache, 176, 187 external connections, 16 external drive bays, 203–204 external modems, 530, 602 external ports, 620–621, 708–709 external video capture devices, 428 eye damage, laser printers, 481 eye fatigue, 387 F failed connections, 544 fans, 20, 26, 245–246 Fast Page Mode (FPM) DRAM, 152 faster processor. See processors, upgrading FAT (File Allocation Table), 660–661 FAT32, 660–661 Fatal exception error, 167 fault tolerance, 272 FC (fibre channel) interface, 302 FC-AL (Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop) interface, 270–271 FCC, 52 FDISK command, 276–278 fdisk command, 677 FDIV bug (Pentium), 60 ferrite heads, 263 ferroelectric RAM, 153 fiber optic cable, 565–566 Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) interface, 270–271 fibre channel (FC) interface, 302 File Allocation Table (FAT), 660–661 file size, 422, 660–661 file system directories, Linux, 676 file system names, Linux, 675–676 file systems, Windows 2000 Pro, 660–661 file types, audio. See audio file types filtering electrical noise, 221 FilterKeys, 507 fire hazard, laser printers, 481 FireWire, 598, 632. See also IEEE 1394 first-party DMA, 134, 293–294 fixed mounting hardware, 215 flash ROM. See EEPROM flashing (EEPROM), 90 flashing the BIOS, 106–107, 114–116 flashlight, 12, 109 flat panel monitors, 378, 380–381 flatbed scanners, 427 flat-panel PC display (illustration), 378 flat-screen monitors, 381 FlexATX system case, 210 flexing, system case, 195, 218 flicker, monitors, 355, 387 floating height, disk heads, 266–267 floating point bug (Pentium), 60 floppy disk controller, 70–71, 619
Slide 120: Index floppy disk drives cables, and CD-ROM drives, 338 cables, illustration, 309 cleaning, 318–319 components, 307–310 configuration display, 99 connectors, 308 drive alignment, 313–314 head actuator, 308 head positioner linearity, 313 index skew, 313 index timing, 313 maintaining alignment, 320 maintenance, 707 media, 309 misalignment causes, 314 read/write heads, 309–313 spindle eccentricity, 314 spindle motor, 310 spindle speed, 314 SuperDisks, 316 track 0 sensor alignment, 314 troubleshooting, 318–319, BC15 floppy disks. See also hard disks areal density, 309 boot, 20 formatting, 320 illustration, 308 Jaz disks, 316 preformatted, 320 unable to boot, 112 Zip disks, 315–316 Floppy Seek at Boot-Up, 712 flux reversal, 267 flux transition, 267 FM (frequency modulation) encoding, 268 foam and foil keyswitches, 502 focus, display, 388 fonts, 446–448 fork (processor removal tool), 53 form factors. See also keyboards, form factors; motherboards, form factors; power supplies, form factors hard disks, 260 motherboard, 6–10 system cases, 192, 209–210 form feed, 448–449 FORMAT command, 279 format gateways, 570 formatting CDs, 324–326 hard disks, 278–280 FPM (Fast Page Mode) DRAM, 152 FRAM, 153 frame (system case), 194–195 frame buffers, 152, 360. See also video memory freezing after POST, 56 in or after boot, BC12–BC13, BC15 weight on the case, 218–219 frequency modulation (FM) encoding, 268 front loading CD-ROM drives, 331 front panel connectors, 617, 619 defined, 193 hard drive LED, 200 illustration, 192, 199 keylocks, 201–202 LEDs, description, 200, 214 LEDs, fail to light, 218 power LED, 200 power switch, description, 200–201 power switch, doesn’t work, 218 purpose of, 199 removing, 198 reset button, description, 201 reset button, doesn’t work, 218 switches, 200–201 turbo button, 201 turbo LED, 200 wiring, 214 front-screw cases, 199 Fujitsu, Web site, 435 full backup, 689 full draw UPS, 250 full tower system cases, 207 full-duplex transmission, 624 fully associative cache, 181 function keys, 488, 493–494 fuse, keyboard, 19 fuser pads, 481–482 fusing phase, 474 fusing rollers, 477–478 735 G game port, 420 game port connector, 621 Gateway, 50 gateways, 570 General protection fault, 167 gigabytes (GB), 149, 257 glidepoint mouse, 517 gold pins and sockets, 159 GoldMemory, 165 Goldware CZ, Web site, 165 Google (diagnostics), Web site, 165 graphics, printing, 445–446 graphics cards. See video cards graphics chips, 355 grayscale, 456, 460 grease, thermal, 26 Green standard. See Energy Star standard
Slide 121: 736 Index grounding plugs, removing, BC11 group ownership, Linux files, 671 groups, Linux, 671 hot swapping, 271, 272 illustration, 259 installing, 280–282 jumpers, 265–266 landing zone, 267 latency, 274 LBA, 271 logical versus physical, 258 logic/controller boards, 265 low-level formatting, 278–279 maintenance, 706–707 MFM encoding, 268 microdrives, 317 MIG heads, 263 mirroring, 272–273 MR heads, 263 not detected, 113 optimizing, 706–707 oxide media, 262 partitioning, 275–278 performance metrics, 274–275 PIO, 271 pre-delay, enabling, 104 primary partitions, 276 QBench time, 275 RAID, 272–273 reading, 266–267 read/write heads, 262–263 recording data, 267–268 removable, 316–318, 320–321 removing unused files, 707 RLL encoding, 268 scanning, 712–713 scanning for errors, 706–707 sectors, 256 seek time, 274 servo systems, 264 servos, 264 spindle motor, 260–261 stepper motor actuators, 263–264 storage media, 261–262 striping, 272–273 TF heads, 263 thin-film media, 262 tracks, 256 troubleshooting, 285 USB Pen drives, 318 voice coil actuators, 263–264 writing, 266–267 hard disks, interfaces. See also IDE/ATA (Integrated Drive Electronics/AT Attachment); SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) cost, 289 disk drive support, 289 H half draw UPS, 250 half-duplex transmission, 623 half-height drive bays, 202–204 halftoning, 456, 459 halt on errors, keyboards, 507 handheld personal digital assistant (illustration), 379 handheld scanners, 428 handshaking, 542 hanging. See freezing hard disk drives LEDs, 200 Linux, 677–679 master/slave designation, 19 optimizing, 712–714 Hard Disk Glossary, 266 Hard Disk Pre-Delay option, 104 hard disks. See also floppy disks access time, 274 addressing data, 271–272 air filters, 264–265 areal density, 275 capacity measurements, 257–258 capacity ratings, 275 CHS (cylinder-head-sector) addressing, 271 clusters, 257 configuration display, 99 configuring, 282–284 connectors, 265–266 cylinders, 256–257 data access time, 275 data organization, 256–257 data transfer protocols, 271 data transfer rate, 274 defragmenting, 706–707, 713–714 disk platters, 259–260 DMA, 271 encoding data, 268 extended partitions, 276 ferrite heads, 263 floating height, 266–267 flux reversal, 267 flux transition, 267 FM encoding, 268 form factors, 260 formatting, 278–280 glossary of terms, 266 HDA, 259 head actuators, 263–264 head gap, 267
Slide 122: Index EIDE, 269 ESDI interface, 269 FC-AL interface, 270–271 PCI bus, 288 performance, 289 ST506/412 interface, 269 system bus compatibility, 288 troubleshooting, 302–306 unnecessary connections, clearing, 303 hard errors, memory, 166 hardware compatibility, Windows 2000 Pro, 657–658 hardware compatibility list, 657 hardware intermediary, BIOS function, 91–92 hardware power and management connector, 618 hazardous material disposal, 691–692 HCL, 657 HDA (Head Disk Assembly), 259 head actuator, floppy disk drives, 308 head actuators, 263–264 Head Disk Assembly (HDA), 259 head gap, 267 head positioner linearity, 313 headaches, 387 headphone jacks, CD-ROM drives, 331–332 heat sinks, 20, 26 helpline, 723 Hercules Computer Technology, 354 Hertz, 388 Hewlett-Packard, 435, 476, 482 hexadecimal numbers, 48–49 high availability. See fault tolerance High Memory Area. See HMA high memory area, 162, 164 High Performance Serial Bus (HPSB), 598, 632 high-level formatting, floppy disks, 320 high-voltage differential (HVD) signaling type, 300 high-voltage power supply, laser printers, 478 hit ratio, cache, 175 HMA, 162, 164 HMA access support, 71 hold-up time, 235 Home key, 492 home theater system, BC14 host characteristics (chipset), 72 host name resolution, 584–586 HOSTS file, 585 hot swapping hard disks, 271, 272 mouse, 514 PC cards, 596 HPSB (High Performance Serial Bus), 598, 632 hubs network, 570 USB, 631 HVD (high-voltage differential) signaling type, 300 737 I IBM color graphics standards, 354 keyboards, 496, 498 IBM AT motherboard, 6 power supplies, 227–228 system case, 210 IBM BIOS beep codes, 95–96 ICC (International Color Consortium), 458 IDE Configuration Submenus, 104 IDE controller, setting, 104 IDE Controller option, 104 IDE Device Setup and Auto-Detection menu, 104 IDE drives, troubleshooting, 342–344 IDE master/slave conflicts, 344–345 IDE ports, 5 IDE/ATA (Integrated Drive Electronics/AT Attachment) aligning cables, 295–296 bus mastering DMA, 294 channels, description, 290–291 channels, multiple devices on, 303 configuring, 295–297 connection, 18 description, 269 DMA modes, 292–293 double transition clocking, 294–295 drive compatibility mode settings, 304–305 drives, configuring (Linux), 674 first-party DMA, 293–294 formatting, 279 motherboard connectors (illustration), 337 multiword DMA, 293 performance improvement, 304–305 PIO modes, 292 problem isolation, 304 single-word DMA, 293 system resource allocations, 290–291 third-party DMA, 293–294 ultra DMA modes, 294–295 IDT, 36 IEEE 1284 standard, 448, 629 IEEE 1394, 69, 598, 611. See also FireWire IEEE cable designations, 568–569 iLink devices. See IEEE 1394 image, digitizing, 430–431 image capturing, 425–431
Slide 123: 738 Index image diffusion, inkjet printers, 460 impact printers, 445 IMR (Interrupt Mask Register), 126–127 IN0-IN6 voltage, displaying, 102 IN0-IN6 Voltage option, 102 incorrect refresh rate, recovering, 413 incremental backup, 689 index skew, 313 index timing, 313 index timing alignment, 313 Industry Standard Architecture (ISA). See ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) infrared (IR) connector, 464 infrared interface, 69 infrared port connectors, 633 inkjet printers. See printers, inkjet input devices. See keyboards; pointing devices input level, audio, 421–422 Insert key, 491, 492 insert mode, 491 installation, audio cards, 434 installing cache memory, 182 CD-ROM drives, IDE/ATA, 336–340 CD-ROM drives, SCSI, 340–341 expansion cards, 603–605 hard disks, 280–282 memory modules, 169–171 mouse, 518–520 NIC, 577–579 parallel ports, 610 SCSI host adapters, 609–610 serial ports, 610 USB expansion cards, 611 video cards, 370–371 Windows 98/ME, 648–651 Windows 2000 Pro, 657–660 Windows XP, 663–664 insulator, 26 Integrated Device Technology. See IDT integrated displays, 396 Integrated Drive Electronics/AT Attachment (IDE/ATA). See IDE/ATA (Integrated Drive Electronics/AT Attachment) integrated peripherals menu, 103–104 Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN). See ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network) Intel. See also Pentium Itanium processors, 42–43 overdrive upgrades, 54–55 processor bugs, 60–61 Web site, 50, 52, 61, 77 Web site (chipsets), 72 Intel chipsets for 486, 77–78 Intel chipsets for Pentium, 75–82 Intel processors. See Celeron; Itanium; Pentium intelligent backplane, 5 interface, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394, 428 interface cards, 599 interface characteristics (chipset), 72 interface technologies, 621–629. See also connectors interleaving, 393 intermediary, BIOS function, 91–92 intermittent operation, 56 internal cache, 176, 186–187 internal drive bays, 203–204 internal modems, 601–602 internal video capture devices, 428 International Color Consortium (ICC), 458 Internet keyboards, 498 Interrupt, setting, 103 Interrupt Mask Register (IMR), 126–127 Interrupt option, 103 Interrupt Request Register (IRR), 126–127 interrupt requests (IRQs). See IRQs (interrupt requests) Interrupt Status Registers, 126–127 interrupts, edge triggered, 102 Invalid System Disk message, 112 I/O address assignments, 128–129 I/O address conflicts, 130 I/O (input/output) addresses, 119 I/O addresses, assigning, 130–131 I/O addresses, locating, 128 I/O cards, 599–603 I/O Port option, 103 I/O ports configuration display, 99 illustrations, 5, 211 setting, 103 I/O templates, 211–212 Iolo Technologies, 721–722 Iomega, Web site, 435 IP addresses, 575, 577, 583 IPCONFIG command, 583 IR (infrared) connector, 464 IrDA (Infrared Data Association) chipset controller, 67 description, 69, 464, 503 networks, 573 IRQ 2 and 9 conflict, 136 IRQ steering, 125–126, 144–145, 643 IRQs (interrupt requests) assigning, 120–121, 122–125 assignments, USB, 642–643 BIOS settings, 125 configuring, 123–125 conflict resolution, 136–139 connecting, 121
Slide 124: Index definition, 119 IMR, 126–127 Interrupt Status Registers, 126–127 I/O address assignments, 128–129 I/O address conflicts, 130 I/O addresses, assigning, 130–131 I/O addresses, locating, 128 IRQ 2 and 9 conflict, 136 IRR, 126–127 mailboxes, 127–131 Memory-Mapped I/O, 128 multiple device class assignments, 121–122 PCI devices, 125 PICs, 126 Plug and Play, 126 PR, 126–127 priority, 127 reserved, 125 setting with Device Manager, 138–139 settings, changing, 140–141 settings, checking, 137–138 two devices, same IRQ, 136 IRR (Interrupt Request Register), 126–127 ISA (Industry Standard Architecture), 432–433, 591–592, 714–715 isapnp command, 539 ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network), 554–555. See also cable modems; dialup networking; DSL; modems isochronous interfaces, 598 isolation (electrical), 222 ISP down for maintenance, 553 italics, 446–447 Itanium processors, 42–43 kernal32.dll message, 145 739 J Jasc, Web site, 429 Joules, 237–238 joysticks, description, 517–518 joysticks, installing, 522–523 jump address (BIOS), 91 jumpers CD-ROM drives, 332–333, 338, 340 flashing security, 106–107 hard disks, 265–266 illustration, 124 motherboard speed, 18 password-clear, 105 voltage setting, 15, 18 K K5 processor, 36 K6 processor, 39 K6-2 processor, 40 K6-III processor, 40 keyboards. See also pointing devices accessibility options, 506–507 action keys, 489 alphabetic keys, 488–489 Alt keys, 489, 490 arithmetic operators, 492 arrow keys, 490–491 Backspace key, 489 BIOS, configuring, 507 boot sequence problems, 505 break codes, 499–501 cables, 502 capacitive keyswitches, 502 Caps Lock key, 489, 490 character selection keys, 489 cleaning, 692–696 command action keys, 489 configuring on a Windows PC, 505–506 connection, 19 connectors, 503–504 Context Menu key, 495 Control keys, 489, 490 controller, 68, 70, 502 cursor keys, 488, 490–492 Delete key, 491, 492 End key, 492 Enter key, 489, 492 Escape key, 489, 494 FilterKeys, 507 foam and foil keyswitches, 502 form factors, 496–498 function keys, 488, 493–494 fuse, 19 halt on errors, 507 Home key, 492 illustrations, 488, 497, 498 Insert key, 491, 492 insert mode, 491 keycaps, 499 keystrokes, detecting, 499–501 keyswitches, 499, 501–502 language, 506 layout, 488 locking out, 202 locks, 490 make codes, 499–501 navigation keys, 491–492 Num Lock key, 490, 492 number keys, 489, 492 number pad, 492–493 number pad keys, 488 Page Down key, 492 Page Up key, 492 Pause/Break key, 495 continued
Slide 125: 740 Index keyboards (continued) Print Screen key, 494 PS/2 connectors, 505 punctuation, 489 repeating keystrokes, 490 replace mode, 491 rubber dome keyswitches, 502 Scroll Lock key, 490, 495 Shift keys, 489–490 spacebar, 489 special character keys, 489 speed, 505–506 StickyKeys, 507 stuck keys, 693 stuttering keys, 693 SysRq key, 494 Tab keys, 489 toggle keys, 490 ToggleKeys, 507 troubleshooting, 504–507 typematic feature, 490, 505–507 USB legacy support, 507 Windows menu keys, 495 keycaps, 499 keylocks, 201–202 keystrokes, detecting, 499–501 keyswitches, 499, 501–502 kilobytes (K), 149, 257 Kingston Technology, Web site, 171 KM266 chipset (illustration), 86 KT266 chipset, 85 KT266A chipset, 85 KT333 chipset, 85 KX266 chipset, 85 reflective, 399 resolutions (table), 386 transmissive, 399 types, 399 LCD shutter printers, 472, 474–475 LED (light-emitting diode) printers, 474 LED wires, 19 LEDs (light-emitting diodes) description, 200, 214 fail to light, 218 mouse sensors, 509 printers, 472 legacy machines, 195–196 legacy USB support, enabling, 104 Legacy USB Support option, 104 letter quality (LQ) printing, 445 level 2 cache, 68, 177 leveling, displays, 388 LIF socket, 27, 58 life span, monitors, 404 light-emitting diode (LED) printers, 474 light-emitting diodes (LEDs). See LEDs (lightemitting diodes) lighting, LCD displays, 399 lights not on, CD-ROM drives, 342 Li-Ion (Lithium-Ion) batteries, 710 line busy, 551–552 line conditioners, 241 line feed, 448–449 line level inputs, 419 line out, sound card, 420 line printers, 462 line regulation, 235 line-of-sight devices, 633 Linux command prompt, 669–670 dual mode, 670 file system directories, 676 file system names, 675–676 files, 670–672 groups, 671 hardware, 670–679 modems, 539 root username, 674 supervisor login, 670 liquid crystal display (LCD). See LCD (liquid crystal display) liquid crystals, 397, 399–400 lithium battery, 17 load regulation, 235 loading discs, CD-ROM drives, 330 local area network (LAN), 558 local buses, 69, 594–595 locality of reference, 175 lock keys, 490 locking out keyboards, 202 L L1, L2 cache. See external cache; internal cache LAN (local area network), 558 landing zone, 267, 284 lands (CD), 326–327 language, keyboards, 506 laser printers. See printers, laser laser read head, 329 latency, 164, 274 layers, CD, 326–327 layers, in LCD display, 397–398 LBA (Logical Block Addressing), 104, 271 LBA Mode Control option, 104 LCD (liquid crystal display) display sizes (table), 383 layers, 397–398 lighting, 399 maintenance, 710 monitors, 377–378 operation, 397–399 printers, 472, 474–475
Slide 126: Index locking up. See freezing log file analysis tools, BC8 logical addresses, 575 Logical Block Addressing (LBA), 104, 271 logical block addressing mode, enabling, 104 Logical Block Addressing Mode option, 104 logical disks physical, 258 logical operations, 34, 44–46 logic/controller boards, hard disks, 265 logo, start up screen, 97 low profile motherboard, 8 Low-Insertion Force. See LIF low-level formatting, 278–279, 320 low-voltage differential (LVD) signaling type, 300 LPX motherboard, 8 LPX power supplies, 229–230 LPX system case, 210 LQ (letter quality) printing, 445 LVD (low-voltage differential) signaling type, 300 Lynx devices. See IEEE 1394 power protection, printers, 468, 483 power protection, surge suppression, 237–238, 690–691 printers, cleaning, 701–704 product safety information, 692 recording activities, BC2–BC5 sample schedule, 683–685 scanners, 699 system case, cleaning, 704–705 tools, 686–687 virus protection, 690 maintenance date, Linux files, 672 major number, Linux files, 672 make codes, keyboards, 499–501 makedv command, 672–673 MAN (metropolitan area network), 559 mapping techniques, cache, 180–181 masking (binary operation), 44 masks, displays, 393–394 master boot record, 20 mastering CDs, 326–327 Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), 692–693 math co-processor interface, 71 matrix, 384 Matrox, Web site, 435 Matrox Graphics, 354 Maximum Capacity option, 104 McAfee, 690 MCGA (Multicolor Graphics Array), 354 MDA (Monochrome Display Adapter), 354, 389 Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), 236 MEC (Memory Expansion Cards), 600 mechanical mouse, 509 media, network, 560 megabytes (MB), 149, 257 MEM.EXE, 111 memory. See also cache memory; troubleshooting, memory access speed, 149 address blocks, 134–135 bank, 154 burst mode access, 164–165 bus width, 156–157 calculating size, 171 conventional, 162 correcting errors, 161 data capacity, 156 depth, 156 detecting errors, 159–161 diagnosing errors, 166 error correction code, 161 expanded, 164 extended, 162, 164 hard errors, 166 high memory area, 162, 164 continued 741 M M1651T ALADDiN Pro 5 chipset, 82 M1671T ALADDiN P4 chipset, 82 MAC addresses, 574–575, 576 Macro Magic (on the CD), 721 magnetic shielding, 418 Magneto Optical (MO) CD-Rs, 326 magneto-resistive (MR) heads, 263 mailboxes, IRQ, 127–131 main board. See motherboards main corona, 478 mainboard, 4–5 maintenance CD-ROM drives, 707–708 cleaning supplies, hazards of, 692 cleaning supplies, list of, 686–687 data backups, 688–689 digital cameras, 699 digitizing tablets, 699 DVD drives, 707–708 expansion slot connectors, cleaning, 708 external ports, cleaning, 708–709 floppy drives, 707 guidelines, 685–686 hard disks, 706–707 hazardous material disposal, 691–692 journals, BC2–BC4 keyboards, cleaning, 692–696 microphones, 699 monitors, 404–407, 699 mouse, cleaning, 696–698 MSDS, 692–693 portable PCs, 709–710
Slide 127: 742 Index memory (continued) hole at 15M-16M, enabling, 101 installing and removing modules, 169–171 latency, 164 limitations of software tests, 166 logical layout, 162–165 matching speeds, 151, 169 packaging, 153–159 parity, 159–161 removing modules, 171 repeatable errors, 166 size, caching considerations, 176–177 size, configuration display, 99 soft errors, 166–167 speed, caching considerations, 180 synchronization, 148 technologies, 151–152 tester (hardware), 166 transient errors, 166–167 type, configuration display, 99 types, 147 upper memory area, 162–163 virtual, 161 volatility, 148 Memory+, 165 memory cache. See cache memory memory cards, 599–600 memory characteristics (chipset), 72, 164–165 memory controller, 67 Memory Expansion Cards (MEC), 600 Memory Hole at 15M-16M option, 101 memory modules, 15, 18, 20 memory slots, 619–620 memory specification (DWS), 156 Memory-Mapped I/O, 128 Mercury chipset, 78 Mercury LX chipset, 76 metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), 224 Metal-in-Gap (MIG) heads, 263 metallic oxide varistors (MOVs), 237–238 metropolitan area network (MAN), 559 MFM (modified frequency modulation) encoding, 268 MGA (Monochrome Graphics Adapter), 354, 389 mic-level inputs, 419 Micro 2000, 73 Micro-AT motherboard, 8 MicroATX system case, 210 microphone jacks, 621 microphones, maintenance, 699 microprocessor slot. See slot microprocessor socket. See socket microprocessors. See processors Micro-scope, 73 Micro-scope (software), 73 Microsoft Diagnostics, 110–111 Diagnostics (MSD.EXE), 110–111 hardware compatibility list, 657 Knowledge Base, 654 ScanDisk, 111 Web site, 418 Microtek, Web site, 435 MID, file type, 423 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) not heard, 436 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) port, 420, 423 MIDI/game port, 618 midi-tower system case, 207 mid-tower system case, 197, 207–208 MIG (Metal-in-Gap) heads, 263 MII processor. See 6x86 processor Mini-LPX motherboard, 8 mini-sub D15 connector, 635–636 mini-tower system case, 207–208 minor number, Linux files, 672 mirroring hard disks, 272–273 mirrors, laser printer, 481 misalignment causes, floppy disk drives, 314 misses, cache, 178 mixer, audio, 423 MJPEG (Motion Video - Joint Photographic Experts Group), 430 MO (Magneto Optical) CD-Rs, 326 Mobile Triton chipset, 78 mode, Linux files, 671 mode (I/O port), setting, 103 Mode (I/O port) option, 103 modem cards, 601–602 modems. See also cable modems; dialup networking; DSL; ISDN cables, 530–533 call waiting, 539 AT commands, 540–541 configuring, 530–533 defined, 529 device drivers, 540 errors, 549–550 external, 530 Linux, 539 misconfigured, 544, 548–549 missing, 548–549 troubleshooting, BC16 in use, 547 Windows 9x, 534–536 Windows 2000 and XP, 537–539 modified frequency modulation (MFM) encoding, 268 monitoring feature, UPS, 240–241
Slide 128: Index monitors. See also video; video standards analog, 396 aperture grille, 394 aspect ratio, 386 barreling, 388 bowing, 388 brightness, 388 cleaning, 407 color, 384 color depths (table), 386–387 connecting, 388 contrast, 388 control panel, 388 cost considerations, 380 CRT, 377–378, 380 degaussing, 404 digital, 396 disposing of, 415, 691 dot pitch, 394–395 electrical shock, 405, 699–700 electromagnetic emissions, 405–406 energy usage, 401–402 ESD grounding, 110, 405, 699–700 eye fatigue, 387 flat panel, 378, 380–381, 396–403 flat-screen, 381 flicker, 355, 387 focus, 388 fuzzy display, 369 headaches, 387 health issues, 406 as home theater system, BC14 integrated, 396 interleaving, 393 LCD, 377–378 leveling, 388 life span, 404 maintenance, 404–407, 699 masks, 393–394 monochrome, 381–384 monochrome standards, 354 no display, 367–368 nominal size, 382–383 number of colors, 387 number of displayed colors, 354 and PC lockup, 218–219 pin-cushioning, 388 plasma screen, BC14 power cord, 407 preventive maintenance, 406–407 radiation, 405–406 refresh, 392–393 refresh rates, 355, 387, 413 resolution, 384–386 RGB color, 391 rotation, 388 safety, 405–407 scan rates (table), 395 scrambled display, 368–369 screen size, 388 selection criteria, 379–380 setting color depth, 411–413 setting resolution, 411–413 shadow mask, 393 shape, 388 single-color, 381–384 size considerations, 380, 386 stripe pitch, 394–395 troubleshooting, BC13–BC14 types, 377–380 viewable size, 382–383 viewing angles, 401–402 Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA), 354, 389 Monochrome Graphics Adapter (MGA), 354, 389 monochrome monitors, 381–384 monochrome standards, 354 MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor), 224 motherboards backplane design, 4 checking manufacturer’s web site, 20 components, 5 connecting processors, 27 connectors, 616–619 defined, 3 designs, 4 form factors, 9–11 identification, 52 laser printer, 477 lay out, 4 lifting, 24 mainboard design, 4 mounting, 215–218 mounting screws, 23 power connection, 14 removing for troubleshooting, 21 SIMM module space, 156 speed jumpers, 18 test utilities, 73 testing utilities, 73 troubleshooting, 12–20 types, 4 Web site for, 52 working with, 11–20 Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG), 424 Motion Pictures Experts Group-1 (MPEG-1), 430 Motion Video - Joint Photographic Experts Group (MJPEG), 430 mounting rails, 204 mounting screws, motherboard, 23 743
Slide 129: 744 Index mouse ball, 511 buttons, 512 cleaning, 524–525, 696–698 components, 511–512 configuring, Windows PC, 521–522 connecting, 513–515 connector, 19, 618 cordless, 514 data interface, 515 eraser-tip, 517 glidepoint, 517 hot swapping, 514 illustrations, 510, 511 infrared LED and sensor, 512 installing, 518–520 internal operations, 513 mechanical, 509 optical, 509, 510–511, 525 optical encoding disk, 511 optomechanical, 509, 520, 524 processor, 512 PS/2, 514, 519–520 roller shafts, 511 rollers, 511 serial, 514, 518–519 standard, 510 USB, 514, 519–520 wheel, 510 MOVs (metallic oxide varistors), 237–238 MP2 (MPEG-1 Layer 2) files, 424 MP3 (MPEG-1 Layer 3) files, 424 MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group), 424 MPEG-1 (Motion Pictures Experts Group-1), 430 MPEG-1 Layer 2 (MP2) files, 424 MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) files, 424 MPEG-2, 430 MPEG-3, 430 MPEG-4, 429–430 MR (magneto-resistive) heads, 263 MS specification table, 145 MSD.EXE, 110–111 MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), 692–693 MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), 236 Multicolor Graphics Array (MCGA), 354 multi-level color, laser printer, 476 multimedia keyboards, 498 multimeter, 12, 107, 247–249 Multimeter (illustration), 108 multi-pass, scanners, 426 multi-sector transfers (hard drive), setting, 104 Multi-Sector Transfers option, 104 multiword DMA, 293 Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) not heard, 436 Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) port, 420, 423 Mustek, Web site, 435 MVP3 chipset, 85 N nanosecond, described, 149 Natoma chipset, 79 natural keyboards, 496 navigation keys, 491–492 nbtstat command, 585–586 Near End Cross Talk (NEXT) specification, 568 near letter quality (NLQ) printing, 444 needle-nose pliers, 109 Neptune chipset, 78 NetBIOS names, 576 network adapter. See NIC (network interface card) network interface card (NIC), 574–581 network names, 576 networks 802.11 networks, 572–573 address gateways, 570 Bluetooth, 573 bridges, 570 cable, 560 cabling, 562–570 CAN, 558 clients, 560 client/server, 559–561 components, 560–561 connectivity devices, 561 defined, 558–559 format gateways, 570 gateways, 570 host name resolution, 584–586 hubs, 570 IP addresses, description, 575 IP addresses, displaying, 577 IP addresses, finding, 583 IrDA, 573 LAN, 558 MAN, 559 media, 560 nodes, 560–561 PAN, 558 peer-to-peer, 559 pinging, 582–584 protocol gateways, 570 repeaters, 570 routers, 570 routing path, tracing, 584 segments, 571 servers, 561–562 structure, 559–560
Slide 130: Index switches, 571 types of, 558–559 verifying local network connections, 581–582 verifying remote network connections, 582–584 WAN, 558 Whois service, 583 Wi-FI networks, 572–573 wireless, 571–573 WLAN, 571–572 workstations, 560 WPAN, 573 New Technology File System (NTFS), 660–661 newer processor. See processors, upgrading NEXT (Near End Cross Talk) specification, 568 nForce/nForce2 chipset, 84 NIC (network interface card), 574–581 nickel metal-hydride (NIMH) batteries, 709 NIMH (nickel metal-hydride) batteries, 709 NLQ (near letter quality) printing, 444 NLX motherboard, 10–11 NLX power supplies, 231 NLX system case, 209 no answer, 551–552 no beep-no boot, 13–16 no sound, 218, 436 nodes, 560–561, 567 noise (electrical), 236–237 nominal size, monitors, 382–383 non-blocking cache, 180 non-chipset functions, 70–71 non-EDO DRAM, 152 non-impact printers, 445 non-Intel chipsets, 82–86 non-parity memory, 161 non-software problems, troubleshooting, BC10–BC11 non-volatile memory, described, 89 non-volatile RAM, 90, 148 North Bridge chip, 65–66 Northwest Fisheries Center, 693 Norton, 111, 690 nslookup command, 585 NTFS (New Technology File System), 660–661 null modem cables, 530–532 Nullsoft, Web site, 418 Num Lock key, 490, 492 number keys, 489, 492 number of colors, displays, 387 number of displayed colors, 354 number pad, keyboard, 488, 492–493 number systems, 43–49 Numonics, Web site, 435 NVIDIA, 59, 77, 84 NVIDIA Technologies chipsets, 84 NVRAM, 90 N-way set associative cache, 181 745 O odd parity, 159 ohmmeter. See multimeter on the CD (PC Certify Pro), 721 on the CD (PC Doctor), 721 onboard connectors, 616–617 OnChipUSB setting, 655 one time programmable memory, 89 one-pass laser printing, 476 online UPS, 239 Ontrack Data International, 73 Ontrack SystemSuite, 73 open-loop systems, 311 operating system compatibility, 20 optical encoding disk, 511 optimizing hard disks, 706–707, 712–714 optimizing your PC, 711–716 OR (binary operation), 45 Orange Book format, 326 ordered dithering, inkjet printers, 459–460 Orion chipset, 79 OTP memory, 89 outside the chipset. See non-chipset functions overdrive upgrades, 54–55 overheating. See cooling ownership, Linux files, 671 oxide media, 262 ozone, laser printers, 481 P P4X266A chipset, 85 P4X333 chipset, 85 packaging processors, 27 Page Down key, 492 Page Up key, 492 PAN (personal area network), 558 paper for printers, 468, 482, 703 paper transport, laser printers, 478 parallel ATA interface, 302 parallel data, 623 Parallel Port option, 103 parallel ports adding, 597 configuration display, 99 controller, 70 description, 629 illustrations, 618, 621 installing, 610 options, 439 scanners, 427, 438 continued
Slide 131: 746 Index parallel ports (continued) second, 439 setting, 103 switch box, 438 troubleshooting, 639–641 parallel SCSI interface, 302 parity, memory, 159–161 parity checking, 626 part retriever, 109 partitioning hard disks, 275–278 partitions, 276, 650 passive mainboard, 4 passive matrix LCD, 384, 399–400 passive release, enabling, 102 Passive Release option, 102 password. system, 104–105 password (BIOS), resetting, 114 password-clear jumper, 105 Password-clear Jumper (illustration), 105 passwords menu, 104–105 pathname, Linux files, 672 pathways, 353 Pause/Break key, 495 PC AT. See IBM AT PC BIOS 2.1 protected mode, 145 PC BIOS 2.1 real mode, 145 PC Card memory card, 600–601 PC cards, 595–596 PC case, opening, 22 PC Certify, 73 PC Certify Inc., 721 PC Certify Pro (on the CD), 721 PC Clinic, 73 PC desktop monitor (illustration), 378 PC Doctor (on the CD), 721 PC Doctor OnCall Inc., 721 PC doesn’t boot, 246 PC Pitstop, 73 PC sound system, 417 PC speakers. See speakers PC XT power supplies, 227 PC XT system case, 209 PC100 SDRAM, 153 PC-cillan, 690 PC-Doctor, 73 PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) compatibility, 288 DMA, 131 expansion buses, 592–593 IRQ activated by, setting, 103 IRQ steering, 125–126 optimizing, 714–715 sound cards, 433 video systems, 355, 357 PCI bridge, 67 PCI IRQ Activated By option, 103 PCI slots, 5 PCIset, 78 PCMCIA slots, 595–596 PC-Technician, 73 pcwhiz, 73 peer-to-peer networks, 559 pen, digitizer, 431 penlight, 12 Pentium (FDIV bug), 60 Pentium 4 processor, 42 Pentium clones, 36–37 Pentium II processor, 37–38 Pentium II Xeon processor, 39 Pentium III processor, 41 Pentium III processor (illustration), 41 Pentium Pro processor, 37, 51 Pentium processor, 26, 35, 50. See also Intel Pentium processor with MMX (illustration), 36 performance. See also optimizing your PC hard disk interfaces, 289 improvement, CD-ROM drives, 345–346 improvement, IDE/ATA, 304–305 metrics, hard disks, 274–275 system, memory caching, 184–186 Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). See PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) peripheral device interfaces, 617, 619 permissions, Linux files, 671 personal area network (PAN), 558 petabytes (PB), 149, 258 PG delay, 236 PGA. See Pin Grid Array phantom USB, 655–656 phase change technology, 328 Phoenix, 88 Phoenix BIOS beep codes, 97 phones out, sound card, 420 photo CD format, 326 photomultiplier tube (PMT), 426 physical addresses, 574–575 physical disk versus logical, 258 PICs (Programmable Interrupt Controllers), 126 picture element. See pixel piezoelectric inkjet printers, 455–456 pig-tail cable, 425 Pin Grid Array, 27 pin-cushioning, display, 388 pinging, 582–584 Pinnacle, Web site, 435 PIO (Programmed I/O), 271, 284 PIO modes, 292 pipelined burst, cache memory, 178–179 pipelining, 36 pits (CD), 327
Slide 132: Index pixel, 381, 384 pizza box system case, 205 planar board. See motherboards plasma screen monitors, BC14 playback skipping, audio card, 436 playback stuttering, audio card, 436 pliers, needle-nose, 109 plotters, 445–446 Plug and Play, 99, 102, 126 Plug and Play Control option, 102 PM601 chipset, 85 PMT (photomultiplier tube), 426 PnP. See Plug and Play point size, 447 pointing devices. See also keyboards digitizers, 517 joysticks, description, 517–518 joysticks, installing, 522–523 touchpads, 515–516 trackballs, 516–517 policy types, cache memory, 179–180 portable PC keyboards, 496–498 portable PCs batteries, 709 expansion buses, 595–596 maintenance, 709–710 POST (Power On Self-Test) description, 94–97 error cards (illustration), 109 messages, 17–18 problems, 245 POST card, 107–109 pound sign (#), Linux command prompt, 670 power connectors, 5, 14 power cord, display, 407 power cord plug, 211 power failure, 245–247 power LED, 200 power management, 222 power management characteristics (chipset), 72 power management menu, 103 power on self test. See POST Power On Self-Test (POST). See POST (Power On Self-Test) power protection. See also UPS; UPS (uninterruptible power supply) blackouts, 237 brownouts, 237 laser printers, 483 noise, 237 power surges, 237 printers, 468 spikes, 236 surge suppression, 237–238, 690–691 power source outlet, 14 power supplies. See also electrical hazards; ESD grounding; power protection agency approvals, 235 bipolar transistors, 224 characteristics, table of, 234 common circuit, 225 converting waveforms, 225 cooling, 221 defined, 193 description, 212 earth ground, 225 efficiency rating, 235 electrical hazards, 241, 246 electrical tools, 242 EMI rating, 235 fan, 14 filtering, 221 form factors, 227–233 functions of, 221–222 hold-up time, 235 illustration, 192, 211, 213 isolation, 222 laser printers, 477 line regulation, 235 load regulation, 235 MOSFET, 224 MTBF, 236 noise rating, 236 operating range, 236 output current, 236 output rating, 242 output voltages, 234–235 PG delay, 236 power management, 222 POWER_GOOD signal, 222–223 ratings, 235–236 rectification, 221 regulation, 222 ripple percent, 236 SCR, 224 soft-switching, 247 split voltage, 247 standard voltage, 226 switching devices, 224 thyristors, 224 troubleshooting, 242–249, BC12 turning on/off, 223–224 voltage control, 225–226 voltage conversion, 222 VR, 226 VRE, 226 power surges, 237 power switch, 200–201, 218 power usage, display, 403 power-failure warnings, 240 POWER_GOOD signal, 222–223 747
Slide 133: 748 Index powering processors, 26 powers of two (table), 47 PPI. See Programmable Peripheral Interface PR (Priority Resolver), 126–127 preventive maintenance. See maintenance PRI (Primary Rate Interface), 554–555 primary corona, 478 primary grid, 478 primary IDE connector, 619 Primary Rate Interface (PRI), 554–555 primary storage. See memory print buffer, dot matrix printers, 452 print process, dot matrix printers, 451 print queue, dot matrix printers, 452 Print Screen key, 494 print size, 447–448 print speed, 445 print styles, 446–447 printer standards, 448 printers A/B switches, 467 cables, 449–450, 464–465 cleaning, 468, 701–704 conditioning, 468 connecting to a PC, 464–465 controls, 448–449 dot matrix, 451–454, 469, 703–704 form feed, 448–449 impact versus non-impact, 445 inkjet, 455–461, 468–469, 703 laser, 467, 471–483, 701–702 line, 462 line feed, 448–449 paper, 468 plotters, 445–446 power protection, 468 problems, 462–463 setting up on a Windows PC, 466–467 switchboxes, 467 thermal, 461–462 troubleshooting, BC16–BC17 printhead, dot matrix printers, 453–454 printing, 444–447, 462, 640–641 printing phase, laser printer, 473–474 priority, IRQs, 127 Priority Resolver (PR), 126–127 Pro Tech Diagnostics, 721 Pro266 chipset, 85 problems. See troubleshooting; specific problems processor sockets. See sockets processor type, configuration display, 98 processor utilities, 715 processors. See also CPU clock multiplier, 56 configuration settings, 57 connection to motherboard, 27 cooling, 26 disabling memory cache, 185 errors, 56–59 fan, 57 improper speed, 57 incorrectly identified, 58 mounting, 15 mouse, 512 online resources, 33 optimizing, 715–716 overclocking, 715–716 overheating, 56–57 overview, 25–26 packaging, 27 problems, 56–61 removal tool, 53 speed incorrectly identified, 58 types, 35–43 upgrading, 50–55 Web sites for information, 50 product safety information, 692 Programmable Interrupt Controllers (PICs), 126 Programmable Peripheral Interface, 71 programmable read only memory. See PROM Programmed I/O (PIO), 271, 284 Project Mayo, Web site, 429 PROM, description, 89 ProSavage KM266 chipset, 85 ProTech Diagnostics, 73 protocol configuration, local, 553 protocol conflicts, 550–551 protocol errors, dialup networking, 544 protocol gateways, 570 PS/2 connectors, 505, 618, 634–635 mouse, 514, 519–520 mouse controller, 68, 71 power supplies, 229–230 puck, digitizer, 431 punctuation, keyboard keys, 489 Q QBench time, 275 QuickPOST, 712 R RA (Real Audio) or RAM files, 424 rackmount system case, 208–209 rackmount UPS, 240 radial alignment, 311, 312 radiant cooling, 26 radio frequency (RF) transmitters, 504, 633 RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks), 272–273
Slide 134: Index RAM (random access memory) characteristics, 148–152 description, 147 size, calculating, 171 size measurements (table), 149 speeds and bus speeds (table), 150 video card, upgrading, 374–375 RAM chips. See memory modules RAM digital-to-analog converter (RAMDAC), 358–359 Rambus, Web site, 153 RAMDAC (RAM digital-to-analog converter), 358–359 random access memory. See RAM random access memory (RAM). See RAM (random access memory) Rarsoft, 721 Raster Image Processor (RIP), 475 RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act), 691–692 read head assembly, CD-ROM drives, 329–330 read only memory. See ROM reading CDs, 327 hard disks, 266–267 read/write heads, 262–263, 283 Read/Write (DVD-R/W) standard, 335 Real Audio (RA) or RAM files, 424 RealNetworks, Web site, 418 Real-time clock, 67 rebooting unexpectedly, 218–219 Recordable (DVD-R) standard, 335 recording data CDs, 327–328 hard disks, 267–268 rectification, 221 Red Book format, 324–325 red X, 653 red/green/blue (RGB) color, 391, 458 Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID), 272–273 reflective LCD displays, 399 refresh, displays, 392–393 refresh rate, 355, 368–369, 387, 413 registers, 34 registry (Windows), backing up and restoring, 305 release data (BIOS), start up screen, 97 release-button system cases, 198 remote disconnects, 547–548 remote response failure, dialup networking, 544 removal tool, 53 removing memory modules, 171 removing the front panel, 198 repeatable errors, memory, 166 repeaters, 570 repeating keystrokes, 490 replace mode, 491 reserved IRQs, 125 reset button, 201, 218 resistance to interference, 567 resolution audio sampling, 422 changing, 374–375 color graphics, 354 description, 361, 384–386 dot matrix printers, 454 relation to size, 386 setting, 411–413 resource conflicts audio cards, 437–438 IRQs, 136–139 new hardware devices, 136 PnP devices, 612–613 Windows Device Manager, 135 Windows PCs, 611–612 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 691–692 resource error codes, 142–144 retaining screws, expansion cards, 22 retriever, 109 revision numbers (processor upgrades), 61 RF (radio frequency) transmitters, 504, 633 RGB (red/green/blue) color, 391, 458 Ricoh, Web site, 435 RIP (Raster Image Processor), 475 ripple percent, 236 riser card, 8–9 risers. See standoffs RJ-11 telephone connector, 542 RJ-45 connectors, 565 RLL (run length limited) encoding, 268 roller shafts, mouse, 511 rollers, laser printer, 481–482 rollers, mouse, 511 ROM, description, 89 ROM BIOS chip, 15 ROM chip (illustration), 89 ROM shadowing, 91 root username, 674 rotation, display, 388 routers, 570 routing path, tracing, 584 Row Access Strobe, 101 RTC, 67, 90 rubber dome keyswitches, 502 run length limited (RLL) encoding, 268 749
Slide 135: 750 Index S Safe Mode, 141–142, 664–666 safety. See also electrical hazards burn danger, laser printers, 481 cleaning supply hazards, 692 eye damage from laser printers, 481 hazardous material disposal, 691–692 laser printer, 483 monitors, electrical shock, 699–700 monitors, electromagnetic emissions, 405–406 monitors, ESD grounding, 110, 405, 699–700 monitors, health issues, 406 monitors, radiation, 405–406 MSDS, 692–693 SIRI, 693 WHMIS, 692 Safety Information on the Internet (SIRI), 693 sample rate, audio, 422 sample resolution, audio, 422 Saturn chipset, 78 SCA (single connector attachment) connectors, 300 scalable fonts, 447–448 Scan Line Interleaving (SLI), 363 scan rates, display (table), 395 ScanDisk, 712–713, 714 ScanDisk (Microsoft), 111 ScanDisk utility, 286, 706–707 scanners, 426–428, 438, 699 scanning hard disks, 706–707, 712–713 SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifier), 224 scratches on CDs, 327 screen size, display, 388 screwdrivers, 12 screwless system cases, 197–198 screws, mounting, 23 screws, retaining, 22 Scroll Lock key, 490, 495 SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) CD-ROM drives, troubleshooting, 344 chipset, 20 configuring, 301 connecting, 300–301 connections, 19 description, 269–270 duplicate ID numbers, CD-ROM drives, 341 expansion buses, 596 external connectors (illustration), 298 FC (fibre channel) interface, 302 host adapters, installing, 609–610 HVD (high-voltage differential) signaling type, 300 internal (illustration), 299 low-level formatting, 279 LVD (low-voltage differential) signaling type, 300 parallel ATA interface, 302 parallel SCSI interface, 302 SCA (single connector attachment) connectors, 300 scanners, 427 SE (single-ended) signaling type, 300 serial ATA (SATA) interface, 302 serial attached SCSI (SAS) interface, 302 signaling type, 300 standards, 299 voltage differential, 300 voltages, 300 SCSI bus, 69 SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM), 148, 150–151 SDRAM CAS Latency Time option, 101 SDRAM Pre-charge Control option, 101 SDRAM RAS Pre-charge Time option, 101 SDRAM RAS-to-CAS Delay option, 101 SE (single-ended) signaling type, 300 secondary cache controller, 68 secondary IDE connector, 619 sectors, 256, 284 security, keyboard lockout, 202 security menu, 104–105 seek time, hard disks, 274 segment length, maximum, 567 segments, 571 semiconductor, 26 serial ATA (SATA) interface, 302 serial attached SCSI (SAS) interface, 302 serial cables, 625 serial connector cable connections, 625 serial connector pinouts, 625 serial data, 623 serial mouse, 514, 518–519 serial number, BIOS, 98 Serial Port option, 103 serial ports adding, 597 configuration display, 99 configuring, 628 controller, 70 description, 624–625 illustration, 618, 621 installing, 610 setting, 103 troubleshooting, 637–638 serial transmission, 624 servers, 561–562 servo systems, 264 servos, 264 SET BLASTER environment variable, 433 setup program. See system setup SFX power supplies, 232
Slide 136: Index SGRAM, description, 152 SGRAM (Synchronous Graphics RAM), 366 shadow mask, 393 Shadow System Bios, 712 shadowing, ROM, 91 shape, display, 388 sheet-feed scanners, 428 shielded twisted pair (STP), 563–565 Shift keys, 489–490 shorts, electrical, 15 shutdown temperature, enabling, 102 Shutdown Temperature option, 102 sidewall mounting, 204 Sigma, Web site, 435 signaling type, 300 SIIG, Web site, 434 Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR), 224 Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. See SiS SIMM modules, 154, 157–159, 170–171 SIMM/DIMM tester, 166 simplex transmission, 623 single connector attachment (SCA) connectors, 300 single in-line memory module. See SIMM modules single-color displays, 381–384 single-ended (SE) signaling type, 300 single-pass, scanners, 426 single-ported RAM. See SGRAM single-word DMA, 293 SIRI (Safety Information on the Internet), 693 SiS, 77, 84 SiS chipsets, 82–84 sizing cache memory, 176–177 skin oil contamination, laser printer, 482 skipping playback, audio card, 436 SLI (Scan Line Interleaving), 363 sliders. See standoffs slimline case motherboard, 8 slimline power supplies, 229–230 slimline system cases, 205 slocket, 55 slot 1 connector (illustration), 33, 41 slot mounting, 27 slot types (table), 32–33 Small Computer System Interface. See SCSI Small Computer System Interface (SCSI). See SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) small outline DIMM, 155 smells, burnt, 15 Smith Micro Software, 73 smoke, 15 socket 370 mounting (illustration), 31 socket 478 mounting (illustration), 31 socket 754 mounting (illustration), 32 socket mountings, 27, 57 sockets, 28–30, 33, 65 SODIMM, 155, 159 soft errors, memory, 166–167 soft-switching, 247 Sonic Foundry, Web site, 418 Sony, 598 sound. See audio Sound Blaster audio card, 433 sound cards. See audio cards sound problems, 218, 346–347 sound system, PC, 417–419 South Bridge chip, 65–66 South Bridge support (chipset), 72 spacebar, 489 spacers. See standoffs speaker jacks, 621 speaker out, sound card, 420 speakers, 419 special character keys, 489 speed jumpers, motherboard, 18 spikes (electrical), 236 spindle eccentricity, 314 spindle motor, 260–261, 310 spindle speed, 314 split voltage, 247 spoon (processor removal tool), 53 SPP (Standard Parallel Port) standard, 448, 629 SRAM (static random access memory), 148, 152 ST506/412 interface, 269 stacking discs, CD-ROM drives, 333–334 standard BIOS beep codes, 95 standard mouse, 510 Standard Parallel Port (SPP) standard, 448, 629 standard settings menu, 100–101 standard voltage, 226 standby UPS, 239 standoffs, 16, 215–216 starting a PC. See booting Start-up Screen example (illustration), 98 static electricity. See ESD grounding static RAM. See SRAM static random access memory (SRAM), 148, 152 Steinberg, Web site, 418 stepper motor actuators, 263–264 steppings (processor upgrades), 61 StickyKeys, 507 STN (supertwisted nematic), 400 storage capacities, SIMM and DIMM (table), 157–159 storage media. See specific media STP (shielded twisted pair), 563–565 strikethrough, 446–447 stripe pitch, 394–395 striping hard disks, 272–273 stuttering playback, audio card, 436 stylus, digitizer, 431 751
Slide 137: 752 Index SufStats International, Inc., BC8 SufStats program, BC8 Summagraphics, Web site, 435 super I/O controller, 70 Super VGA (SVGA), 389–390 Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA), 354 SuperDisks, 316 supertwisted nematic (STN), 400 supervisor login, Linux, 670 surface modeling, 359 surge suppression, 237–238. See also UPS (uninterruptible power supply) SVGA (Super VGA), 354, 389–390 S-Video, 428 swap space, optimizing, 656 switch wires, 19 switchboxes, 438, 467 switches defined, 193 front panel, 200–201 illustration, 192 network, 571 switching devices, electrical, 224 synchronous cache memory, 178–179 synchronous communication, 628 Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), 148, 150–151 Synchronous Graphics RAM (SGRAM), 366 synthesizer, 421 SysRq key, 494 System BIOS Cacheable option, 101 system BIOS caching, enabling, 101 system board. See motherboards system boot. See booting system bus compatibility, 288 system buses, 594–595 system case AT, 210 Air vent (illustration), 211 airflow, 195, 219 attaching to chassis, 195 ATX, defined, 209 ATX, illustration, 211 auxiliary fan, 211 auxiliary fans, 212–213 Baby AT, 209 chassis, 192, 194, 211 cleaning, 704–705 components, 191–192, 210–211 construction, 194–195 cooling vents, 214 cover, 192–193, 195, 219 defined, 193 description, 195 desktop style, 204–205 drive bays, 192–193, 202–204, 211 excessive weight on, 218 expansion slots (illustration), 211 features, 210–211 FlexATX, 210 flexing/bending, 195, 218 form factors, 192, 209–210 frame, 194–195 front panel, 192–193, 198–202, 214, 218 front-screw cases, 199 full tower, 207 illustration, 192 I/O ports (illustration), 211 I/O templates, 211–212 legacy machines, 195–196 LPX, 210 MicroATX, 210 midi-tower, defined, 207 mid-tower, defined, 207 mid-tower, illustration, 197, 208 mini-tower, defined, 207 mini-tower, illustration, 208 mounting a motherboard, 215–218 NLX, 209 opening, 22 PC XT, 209 pizza box style, 205 power cord plug (illustration), 211 power supply, 192–193, 211–213 purpose of, 192 rackmount style, 208–209 release-button cases, 198 screwless cases, 197–198 shapes (illustration), 193 slimline style, 205 switches, 192–193 system speaker, description, 214 system speaker, no sound, 218 tool-less cases, 196–197 tower style, 204–208 WTX, 210 system clock. See RTC system configuration. See system setup System Mechanic (on the CD), 721 system memory. See memory system resource conflicts, 637, 638 system resource mechanisms. See DMA (direct memory access); I/O (input/output) addresses; IRQs (interrupt requests) system resources, viewing, 119–129 system setup, 97–105 System Shield (on the CD), 721 system speakers, 19, 214, 218 system test utilities, 12 SystemSuite, 73
Slide 138: Index 753 T Tab keys, 489 tablets, digitizing. See digitizers tag RAM, cache memory, 177, 185 tag RAM chip (illustration), 177 technical support, 723 telephone line problems, 544 temperature, display options, 102 terabytes (TB), 149, 257 test bed, 109 testing, memory. See troubleshooting, memory Texas Instruments, 598 text, printing, 445–446 text message, boot problem, 17–18 TF (thin-film) heads, 263 TFI Technology, Web site, 165 TFT (thin-film transistors) display, 400–401 PC Guide, BC20 PC Mechanic, BC20 thermal grease, 26 thermal inkjet printers, 456 thick wire cables, 563 thicknet cables, 563 thin-film (TF) heads, 263 thin-film media, 262 thin-film transistors (TFT) display, 400–401 third-party DMA, 134, 293–294 thresholds, color, 460 thyristors, 224 time and date (on PC), 67 tin pins and sockets, 159 TN (twisted nematic), 397, 400 toggle keys, 490 ToggleKeys, 507 Tom’s Hardware Overclocking Guide, 716 toner, laser printers, 471–472, 479 toner cartridges, 478–479 toner spills, 480 tool-less system cases, 196–197 tools. See also specific tools BIOS POST card, 107 boot disk, 110 dental mirror, 11–12 device manager (Windows), 111 electrical work, 242 ESD mat, 12 flashlight, 12, 109 hardware, BC19 maintenance, 686–687 MEM.EXE, 111 multimeter, 12, 107 part retriever, 109 pliers, needle-nose, 109 POST, 110 processor removal, 52 repair and maintenance, 107–112 screwdrivers, 12 SIMM/DIMM tester, 166 software, BC19–BC20 system test utilities, 12 test bed, 109 tweezers, 109 wrist strap, 12 ToolStar Test, 73 ToolStar Windows, 721 touchpads, 496–497, 515–516 tower system case, 204–208 tracert utility, 584 track 0 sensor alignment, 314 trackballs, 516–517 tracks, hard disks, 256 transceiver type, 574 transfer mode, setting, 104 Transfer Mode option, 104 transferring phase, 474 transform and lighting phase, 352 transient errors, memory, 166–167 transistor, 43 translation mode, configuring, 284 transmissive LCD displays, 399 tray loading, CD-ROM drives, 330 Trend Micro, 690 triad, 384 Triton I chipset, 78 Triton I FX chipset, 76 Triton II chipset, 78 Triton III chipset, 75–78 Troubleshooters.com, BC20 troubleshooting. See also specific problems applying solutions, BC9–BC10 audio/video capture, 431–439 cache memory, 183–186 CD (back of the book), 722–723 dead PCs, BC11 developing a plan, BC1 documenting the event, BC10 dot matrix printers, 469 elements of a plan, BC2–BC5 eliminating causes, BC8–BC9 expansion cards, 605–609 floppy disk drives, 318–319 floppy drives, BC15 general process, BC5–BC10 hard disk interfaces, 302–306 hard disks, 285 inkjet printers, 468–469 isolating the problem, BC6–BC7 keyboards, 504–507 lockups in or after boot, BC12–BC13, BC15 maintenance journals, BC2–BC4 continued
Slide 139: 754 Index troubleshooting (continued) memory, 165–169 modems, BC16 monitors, 407–411, 413–415, BC13–BC14 motherboards, 13–20 mouse, optomechanical, 520 NIC, 579–581 non-software problems, BC10–BC11 online resources, BC20 power supplies, BC12 printers, BC16–BC17 recording maintenance activities, BC4–BC5 reproducing the problem, BC7–BC8 systematic approach, BC5–BC6 USB, 641–642 video cards, 367–372 True Color, 362, 387 turbo button, 201 Turbo Frequency, 712 turbo LED, 200 Turtle Beach, Web site, 435 TV tuners, 363 tweezers, 109 twisted copper pair cables, 563–565 twisted nematic (TN), 397, 400 twisted wire pair cables, 568 type (IDE), setting, 104 Type option, 104 type quality, 444–445 typefaces, 446 typematic feature, 490 typematic settings, 505–507 types of cache memory, 178–179 types of CPU operations, 33 upgrade kits, 51, 54–55 upgrading to a Pentium processor, 50 upper memory area, 162–163 upper memory block, 163 UPS (uninterruptible power supply), 238–241, 249–251 UPS-scaling protection, 238–239 USB (Universal Serial Bus) connecting with, 630–631 description, 69 devices, 631 expansion cards, description, 597 expansion cards, installing, 611 host, 631 hub, 631 interfacing to, 631 IRQ assignments, 642–643 IRQ steering, enabling, 643 keyboard connections, 503–504 keyboards, legacy support, 507 maximum devices, 631 mouse, 514, 519–520 phantom, 655–656 ports, 618, 621 printer connections, 464–465 scanners, 427 speaker system, 419 troubleshooting, 641–642 USB device cannot be accessed, 114 used memory base address, setting, 102 Used Memory Base Address option, 102 used memory length, setting, 102 Used Memory Length option, 102 username and password in error, 550, 553 UTP (unshielded twisted pair), 563–565 UV (ultraviolet) transmitters, 633 UVGA (Ultra Graphics Array), 390 U UART (universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter), 71, 627 Ulead, Web site, 429 ultra DMA modes, 294–295 Ultra Graphics Array (UVGA), 390 ultraviolet (UV) transmitters, 633 Umax, Web site, 435 UMB, 163 underline, 446–447 unified memory architecture, 361 uninterruptible power supply (UPS), 238–241, 249–251 universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART), 71, 627 Universal Serial Bus (USB). See USB (Universal Serial Bus) Unix. See Linux unshielded twisted pair (UTP), 563–565 updating BIOS, 106–107 Upgrade Advisor, 662 V VA (volt-amps), calculating, 250 variable rotation, 329–330 VCD (Video CD) format, 326 verifying network connections, 581–584 version (BIOS), start up screen, 97 version date (BIOS), start up screen, 97 vertex normals, 359 vertices, 359 VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association), 354, 390, 404 VESA local bus (VL-bus), 592 VESA SVGA, 390 VGA (Video Graphics Array), 354, 389–390 VGA connector, 618 VIA C3 processor, 42 VIA Cyrix III processor, 40 VIA Technologies, 77, 85–86
Slide 140: Index video, capturing, 428–431 video BIOS, 356–357 Video BIOS Cacheable option, 101 video BIOS caching, enabling, 101 video capture, troubleshooting, 431–439 video capture devices, 428–431 video cards 2-D, 375 3-D, 376 AGP performance improvements, 376 aspect ratio, 361 and boot problems, 17 color depth, 361 controlling, 356 description, 390 determining current type, 373–374 DVD drives, 363 expansion, 603, 613–614 external A/V devices, 362–363 frame buffers, 360 fuzzy display, 369 installing, 370–371 no monitor display, 367–368 not detected by Windows, 369 processing video, 360 refresh rate, 368–369 replacing integrated video support, 373 resolution, changing, 374–375 resolution, description, 361 scrambled display, 368–369 SLI, 363 technical support, 372 troubleshooting, 367–372 True Color, 362 TV tuners, 363 unified memory architecture, 361 upgrading RAM, 374–375 VR (virtual reality) goggles, 363 Windows 9x drivers, 370 Video CD (VCD) format, 326 video chipset, 20 video compression methods, 429–430 video connector, 635–636 video drivers and tools, 434–435 Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), 354, 390, 404 Video Graphics Array (VGA), 354, 389–390 video graphics standards, 354–355 video memory, 360–361, 363–365 video port, 621 video RAM (VRAM), 101, 152, 365–367 Video RAM Cacheable option, 101 video settings, unable to change, 369–370 video standards, 388–390 video systems, 352–355, 357–359, 363–365 video type, configuration display, 99 viewable size, monitors, 382–383 viewing angles, monitors, 401–402 virtual memory, 161 virtual reality (VR) goggles, 363 virus protection, 690 virus scanning, 305 Visioneer, Web site, 435 VL-bus (VESA local bus), 592 voice coil actuators, 263–264 volatile RAM, 148 voltage control, 225–226 voltage conversion, 222 voltage differential, SCI devices, 300 voltage reduced (VR), 226 voltage reduced extended (VRE), 226 voltage selector switch, setting, 247 voltage setting jumpers, 15, 18 voltage settings, 56–57 voltages, SCI devices, 300 volt-amps (VA), calculating, 250 volume level, audio files, 423 volume size, maximum, 660–661 VR (voltage reduced), 226 VR (virtual reality) goggles, 363 VRAM (video RAM), 152, 366 VRE (voltage reduced extended), 226 VShield, 690 755 W Wacom, Web site, 435 Wake on LAN (WOL) is not working, 581 WAN (wide area network), 558 warm boot, 94 watch-style battery, 17 Watergate Software, 73 WAV (Windows Audio/Video) files, 422, 424 Waves, Web site, 418 Western Digital Corporation, 266 wheel mouse, 510 White Book format, 326 white X, 135 WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System), 692 Whois service, 583 wide area network (WAN), 558 Wi-FI (wireless fidelity) networks, 572–573 Wim Bervoets’ BIOS Web site, 98 window RAM. See WRAM Windows boot disks, 666–667 booting in Safe Mode, 141–142, 664–666 I/O addresses, assigning, 130–131 memory layout (table), 162–163 troubleshooting, 141–142 versions, 648
Slide 141: 756 Index Windows 9x booting in Safe Mode, 664–665 modems, 534–536 video card drivers, 370 Windows 98/ME boot disk, 666 booting in Safe Mode, 664–665 CD-ROM access, 655 configuring, 652–656 Device Manager error codes, 653–654 installing, 648–651 minimizing disk cache, 656 optimizing swap space, 656 phantom USB, 655–656 setup options, 651–652 Windows 2000 Pro boot disks, 667 booting in Safe Mode, 664–665 configuring, 660–661 file systems, 660–661 hardware compatibility, 657–658 installing, 657–660 maximum volume and file sizes, 661 minimum requirements, 657 modems, 537–539 setup, 659–660 Windows Audio/Video (WAV) files, 422, 424 Windows Device Manager, 74, 111, 653–654 CD-ROM device driver name, finding, 341 error codes, 653–654 resource conflicts, resolving, 135 resource error codes, 142–144 setting IRQs, 138–139 Windows Media File (WMF) files, 424 Windows NT, boot disk, 666 Windows RAM (WRAM), 366 Windows XP booting in Safe Mode, 665–666 device driver compatibility, 540 dual boot systems, 663 installing, 663–664 modems, 537–539 scanner connection, 438 setup boot disks, 667 Upgrade Advisor, 662 upgrading to, 662–663 Windows-based PCs keyboards, 496, 505–506 printers, 466–467 Windsor Technologies, 73 WINIPCFG command, 583 WinRAR (on the CD), 721 wireless local area network (WLAN), 571–572 wireless networks, 571–573 wireless personal area network (WPAN), 573 wireless ports, 632–634 wires, case-to-motherboard, 19 wiring aligning IDE/ATA cables, 295–296 floppy disk cables, 309 front panel, 214 WLAN (wireless local area network), 571–572 WMF (Windows Media File) files, 424 WOL (Wake on LAN) is not working, 581 word (memory size), described, 149 working storage. See memory Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), 692 workstations, 560 WORM (Write Once/Read Many) CD-Rs, 326 WPAN (wireless personal area network), 573 WRAM (Windows RAM), 366 wrist strap, 12, 109 Write Once/Read Many (WORM) CD-Rs, 326 write precompensation, 284 write-back cache, 167–168, 179–180 write-through cache, 180 writing to cache memory, 179–180 CDs, 328 to hard disks, 266–267 writing phase, 473–474 WTX power supplies, 233 WTX system case, 210 wvdialconf command, 539 X Xara, Web site, 429 XCOPY command, 689 Xeon processor, 39 xerography, 472–473 Xerox Corporation, 472–473, 510 XGA (Extended Graphics Array), 390 XOR (binary operation), 45–46 Y Yamaha, Web site, 435 yellow ! (exclamation point), 653 Yellow Book format, 325 yellow wire, 563 Z Zero Insertion Force. See ZIF ZIF socket, 27, 52, 58–59 zoned bit recording, 329
Slide 142: Wiley Publishing, Inc. End-User License Agreement READ THIS. You should carefully read these terms and conditions before opening the software packet(s) included with this book “Book”. This is a license agreement “Agreement” between you and Wiley Publishing, Inc.”WPI”. By opening the accompanying software packet(s), you acknowledge that you have read and accept the following terms and conditions. If you do not agree and do not want to be bound by such terms and conditions, promptly return the Book and the unopened software packet(s) to the place you obtained them for a full refund. 1. License Grant. WPI grants to you (either an individual or entity) a nonexclusive license to use one copy of the enclosed software program(s) (collectively, the “Software” solely for your own personal or business purposes on a single computer (whether a standard computer or a workstation component of a multi-user network). The Software is in use on a computer when it is loaded into temporary memory (RAM) or installed into permanent memory (hard disk, CD-ROM, or other storage device). WPI reserves all rights not expressly granted herein. 2. Ownership. WPI is the owner of all right, title, and interest, including copyright, in and to the compilation of the Software recorded on the disk(s) or CD-ROM “Software Media”. Copyright to the individual programs recorded on the Software Media is owned by the author or other authorized copyright owner of each program. Ownership of the Software and all proprietary rights relating thereto remain with WPI and its licensers. 3. Restrictions On Use and Transfer. (a) You may only (i) make one copy of the Software for backup or archival purposes, or (ii) transfer the Software to a single hard disk, provided that you keep the original for backup or archival purposes. You may not (i) rent or lease the Software, (ii) copy or reproduce the Software through a LAN or other network system or through any computer subscriber system or bulletin- board system, or (iii) modify, adapt, or create derivative works based on the Software. (b) You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Software. You may transfer the Software and user documentation on a permanent basis, provided that the transferee agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this Agreement and you retain no copies. If the Software is an update or has been updated, any transfer must include the most recent update and all prior versions. 4. Restrictions on Use of Individual Programs. You must follow the individual requirements and restrictions detailed for each individual program in the About the CD-ROM appendix of this Book. These limitations are also contained in the individual license agreements recorded on the Software Media. These limitations may include a requirement that after using the program for a specified period of time, the user must pay a registration fee or discontinue use. By opening the Software packet(s), you will be agreeing to abide by the licenses and restrictions for these individual programs that are detailed in the About the CD-ROM appendix and on the Software Media. None of the material on this Software Media or listed in this Book may ever be redistributed, in original or modified form, for commercial purposes.
Slide 143: 5. Limited Warranty. (a) WPI warrants that the Software and Software Media are free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of purchase of this Book. If WPI receives notification within the warranty period of defects in materials or workmanship, WPI will replace the defective Software Media. (b) WPI AND THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK DISCLAIM ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE, THE PROGRAMS, THE SOURCE CODE CONTAINED THEREIN, AND/OR THE TECHNIQUES DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK. WPI DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN THE SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE ERROR FREE. (c) This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights that vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. 6. Remedies. (a) WPI’s entire liability and your exclusive remedy for defects in materials and workmanship shall be limited to replacement of the Software Media, which may be returned to WPI with a copy of your receipt at the following address: Software Media Fulfillment Department, Attn.: PC Repair Bench Book, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, or call 1-800-762-2974. Please allow four to six weeks for delivery. This Limited Warranty is void if failure of the Software Media has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication. Any replacement Software Media will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. (b) In no event shall WPI or the author be liable for any damages whatsoever (including without limitation damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising from the use of or inability to use the Book or the Software, even if WPI has been advised of the possibility of such damages. (c) Because some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. 7. U.S. Government Restricted Rights. Use, duplication, or disclosure of the Software for or on behalf of the United States of America, its agencies and/or instrumentalities “U.S. Government” is subject to restrictions as stated in paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause of DFARS 252.227-7013, or subparagraphs (c) (1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19, and in similar clauses in the NASA FAR supplement, as applicable. 8. General. This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties and revokes and supersedes all prior agreements, oral or written, between them and may not be modified or amended except in a writing signed by both parties hereto that specifically refers to this Agreement. This Agreement shall take precedence over any other documents that may be in conflict herewith. If any one or more provisions contained in this Agreement are held by any court or tribunal to be invalid, illegal, or otherwise unenforceable, each and every other provision shall remain in full force and effect.
Slide 144: Bonus Appendix A Troubleshooting PC Problems IN THIS APPENDIX This appendix is intended to be a look-here-first reference for a number of try-thisfirst troubleshooting procedures. Included in this appendix are a number of generic troubleshooting approaches that you can use to diagnose and repair a PC with a problem, including a very generic troubleshooting process and a few suggestions on how to make troubleshooting easier and more efficient, with less guesswork. Developing a Troubleshooting Plan When a PC has a problem, the first thing to know is whether the same problem has happened before. However, in most cases, unless the problem happened in the past few minutes, the user (or you) probably won’t remember the details or exactly what was happening when the problem occurred. One of the true frustrations about PC problems is that they aren’t always what they appear to be. The cause behind a PC that frequently locks up could be one of six or more easily solved issues or a dozen or more not-so-easily identified problems. PC problems can be software-related, but which software? The problem could be hardware-related, but which hardware? What exactly was going on when the problem first appeared? Are you sure? Even with years of experience and training, PC technicians can apply ready solutions to a problem’s symptoms that, in the end, don’t solve the real problem. As an example, on a Pentium III notebook PC running Windows 2000 Professional, input/output (I/O) operations to any external device, such as the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) network interface card (NIC) or Zip disk drive attached through the parallel port, can freeze the screen, mouse, and keyboard and not respond for as much as three minutes. After adding more memory, installing new parallel port and NIC device drivers, and spending hours on diagnostics, defragging the disk, and head scratching, the technician might finally check the system logs to find that a vital operating system library was corrupted and needed to be replaced to solve the original problem completely. If the technician had used a systematic approach to troubleshooting, the problem might have been solved much sooner and a lot less expensively. BC1
Slide 145: BC2 PC Repair Bench Bonus Chapters Identifying the Elements of a Troubleshooting Plan A troubleshooting plan can either be a written checklist that’s used for troubleshooting any problem or just a routine procedure that you use each time when a PC problem occurs, with adjustments made on the fly for each situation. Whatever form your plan takes — as long as it works and is used — it’s the right plan. The primary elements that should be included in any troubleshooting plan are x Maintenance journal x Diagnostic checklist or questions x Identification of possible causes x Identification of possible solutions x Application and testing plan for solutions implemented x Follow-up information The maintenance journal You might be surprised to learn that perhaps the most important troubleshooting tool that you can use to solve a PC problem is created the day when the PC is installed. This tool is a maintenance journal for the PC. In the journal, you record the hardware installed in the PC when it is first installed, all preventive maintenance activities, all software updates and additions, and all hardware installations and upgrades. In addition, any problems that occur and the actions taken to resolve them should also be recorded at the time when they’re performed. When it comes to troubleshooting a PC, having a record of the hardware and software life of a PC can be very helpful in determining the problem and devising a solution. A PC maintenance journal doesn’t need to be elaborate. A simple notebook, such as a school theme book, works very well. It’s typically better to keep a handwritten journal outside (and away from) the PC than to create one on a word processor — especially one kept on the PC itself, for hopefully obvious reasons. If you support several PCs, consider developing a library of maintenance journals; identify each journal clearly with the model number, serial number, and property information number (if your company is so inclined) of each PC. The first entry in a maintenance journal should be a profile of the PC, which includes its configuration, operating system, and the date when each component was installed. Table A-1 provides an illustration of what this might look like.
Slide 146: Bonus Appendix A: Troubleshooting PC Problems BC3 TABLE A-1 Component CPU System RAM Hard disk Chipset Op Sys A SIMPLE MAINTENANCE JOURNAL PROFILE Configuration P4 1.2 GHz 512MB (Two 256MB DIMM) 20GB IDE 810EX Windows XP Installation Date 12/10/02 2/10/02, 1/18/03 12/10/02 12/10/02 2/10/02 Notes Fan and heatsink factory installed Second DIMM added 1/18/03 Interface on motherboard – IDE 0 Windows 2000 Pro replaced at installation Table A-1 provides an illustration of the type of information that should be included in a maintenance journal’s configuration section. This information should include x The processor’s make, model, and clock speed x The total amount of RAM and the memory modules’ type, size, and con- figuration x The interface type and size of the hard disk(s) x The make, model, and size of the floppy disk x The make, model, and speed of a CD or DVD drive x The make, model, and memory size of the video or graphics adapter x The make, model, and size of the monitor and its resolution, refresh rate, and device driver information x The make, model, and speed of an internal modem x The make, model, and sampling information of the audio adapter x The version number (build number) of the operating system x A list of the installed software applications x A list of the peripheral devices attached to the PC, indicating the port to which each is attached
Slide 147: BC4 PC Repair Bench Bonus Chapters When a PC is first installed — that is, when it is first put into service either out of the box or in a new location — the owner’s manual, packing slip, and your own observations should provide all the information needed to complete the initial system configuration in the maintenance journal. Don’t forget to include the serial numbers and any software keys of the installed hardware and software in the maintenance journal. Should you encounter any problems with the PC right out of the box, be sure to record the configuration data before documenting the problem or contacting the manufacturer. On new equipment, even if you can easily fix the problem, you might want to notify the manufacturer’s technical support, especially if the problem was caused by something the manufacturer did or should have done. Recording maintenance activities The maintenance journal should be updated each time when you take any maintenance actions on the PC. The maintenance journal should be something like a diary with dated entries for every activity performed on the PC, no matter how trivial. Also make an entry into the journal each time when you perform preventive maintenance. Record everything, even things as minor as cleaning the monitor screen, and include a list of the materials and solutions used in doing so. Additionally, any time that new or replacement hardware or software is installed, record the activity and update the system configuration. The activity entries should include x The date of the activity or change. x The make, model, and serial number of any hardware removed or added to the system. x The name, version, keys, serial number, and publisher of any software updated, added to, or removed from the PC. x Detailed information on any configuration changes made to the BIOS set- tings or other configurations performed on new hardware or software.
Slide 148: Bonus Appendix A: Troubleshooting PC Problems x Notes on any installation problems or changes made that deviate from the BC5 device or software’s documentation to get it to work properly. If you contacted the manufacturer with this information, note that as well. x (Optional) Note the date when you completed the product registration either online or via postal mail. Using a General Troubleshooting Process When a problem happens on a PC, the information collected in the PC’s maintenance journal along with a systematic problem-solving approach to isolating the problem are your best bets for finding and fixing the problem quickly. Applying a systematic problem-solving approach By using a systematic approach to identifying a problem, you reduce the chance of leaving out anything that should be considered in developing a solution. The standard problem-solving process has six steps: 1. Identify the problem. This part of the process is typically the most difficult. The problem might not actually be what it seems to the user or to you. You need to gather all the data that you can about the problem, including how often the problem has happened, at what time of the day, and what applications are running when the problem occurs. 2. Identify possible causes. Any problem, such as the system locking up after running for a few minutes, can have several causes, all of which need to be identified and considered. You can then rank the possible causes by the most likely to the least likely. 3. Identify possible solutions. Identify a solution for each of the possible causes that you have identified. A possible cause could have more than one possible solution, in which case you need to rank the solutions by which will yield the most positive results. 4. Analyze the possible solutions. If two solutions will produce the same result, other considerations may be involved. Perhaps one is less expensive or adds more value to the PC. 5. Apply a solution. From your analysis of the possible solutions, you should pick the one that looks the most promising and then implement it.
Slide 149: BC6 PC Repair Bench Bonus Chapters Your best course when applying your solution is to make only one change at a time, no matter how trivial it may seem. Don’t fall into the habit of making a bunch of changes simultaneously and not being able to tell which one is causing or solving the problem. 6. Test the solution. If the solution solves the problem and provides the desired result, be sure to update the maintenance journal and all other pertinent documentation. If the solution picked doesn’t solve the problem, you need to repeat this entire process as many times as necessary to find a better fix. Not every problem requires that you formally and methodically work through these steps individually. Some problems are very apparent with an obvious fix, but you should practice applying this technique on every problem for a while. You’ll find that after a while, and even on the simplest of problems, you still run through these steps in your mind. Working through the problem Even when you use a systematic approach to isolate a problem and you find a solution, you should do some things to ensure that you have the best possible information available for you decisions. In most cases, this involves making sure that you ask the right questions, either of a user or of yourself. The following are the types of questions to ask: x Did the problem first happen immediately after a change was made to the PC? x How did the problem manifest itself? x Was a beep code sounded or an error message displayed to indicate or describe the condition? x Has the problem component ever worked correctly? x When did you first notice the problem? x What software applications or operating system services were active when the problem occurred? x Has the same problem occurred in the past? x If the problem has occurred in the past, how recently and how often?
Slide 150: Bonus Appendix A: Troubleshooting PC Problems x What activity was the user doing at the time when the problem appeared? x Were any configuration changes made during the current session that BC7 required a restart of the PC that wasn’t performed? You might also want to ask about environmental conditions: x Have unusual electricity events occurred recently? x Have any uncommon heating or cooling changes or problems been expe- rienced in the PC’s room? x Is the user new to the PC? x Has the PC been physically moved recently? You, or the user, should take a screen capture of the display while the error message or dialog box is on the screen. This will allow you to remember what was wrong in the first place and also help you to know if you are getting the same error each time. When you gain experience with a particular PC or with a certain device, you’ll add more specific questions. If you’re new to PC maintenance, the above list of questions is a good starting point for gathering the data that you need. Reproducing the problem A very important part of identifying a PC problem is being able to reproduce the condition exactly. You can do little more than document a problem that simply goes away when you attempt to reproduce it. Document in detail what you think might be an incidental problem that you’re unable to reproduce because the problem will probably reappear sometime in the future. If you’re unable to reproduce a problem, you probably couldn’t produce the exact set of conditions that caused the problem in the first place. That doesn’t mean that the problem won’t happen again. When it does, you need to be able to look back and compare the conditions causing it in each instance. If the problem is intermittent, document whatever information you were able to gather from the user and your analysis. Treat all problems as failure mode problems and never assume a problem to be intermittent when it first appears. As soon as you have a problem that you believe to be a system error (as opposed to an operator error), you should begin the