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Acknowledgements:

Graphic Design: Mark Keevers (Template design)

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 3

Getting Started 5

Using these notes 5

Introduction 6

Before you start 6

Standard diagnostic programs 6

Using diagnostic tools 6

Booting the computer 7

Power On Self Test (POST) diagnostic tool 7

Loading the operating system 8

Log files and OS booting tools 8

Exercise 9

MSconfig 9

Manually checking the system 10

Device management tools 10

Management of hard disk drives 11

Checking the file system 11

Checking the drive 12

Defragging the drive 12

Diagnosis of computer problems 12

Summary 13

Check your progress - Questions 14

Activity 1: Determine problems and make recommendations 14

Activity 2: Understand diagnostic tools 14

Activity 3: Use diagnostic tools 15

Activity 4: Use a CMOS tool 15

Activity 5: Use MSconfig 16

Activity 6: Interpret results 16

Activity 7: Check disk 16

Check your progress - Answers 18

Activity 1: Determine problems and make recommendations 18

Activity 2: Understand diagnostic tools 18

Activity 3: Use diagnostic tools 18

Activity 5: Use MSconfig 18

Activity 6: Interpret results 19

Activity 7: Check disk 19

Research 20

Hardware and software support 20

System documentation 20

Dictionaries 20

Bookstores 20

Terms 21

Check your understanding - Questions 22

Check your understanding - Answers 24

Getting Started

These unit notes have been developed to provide a learning pathway to competence in ICASAS301A Run standard diagnostic tests. The notes contain all the skills and knowledge learning required to achieve competence.

Using these notes

Icons and symbols are used throughout this guide to provide quick visual references. They indicate the following:

|Icon |Meaning |Icon |Meaning |

|[pic] |ACTIVITY: An activity is listed to be | |ACTIVITY: A Learning activity requiring |

| |completed | |some physical action |

|[pic] |WWW: A web link is listed | |REFLECTION: A point is to be considered and|

| | | |thought about more deeply |

|[pic] |IMPORTANT: A pivotal point is detailed |[pic] |SEARCH: A particular item / book etc needs |

| | | |to be found and applied |

Introduction

A computer is made up of many hardware and software systems. In a computer support role you may need to gather information about any one of these systems to help you decide if the system is performing correctly or not. This information may also help you decide on the best action to resolve a particular problem. Standard diagnostic tools will allow you to gather this information. Many of these tools are built into either the operating system or the hardware itself. While third party companies may provide specialist diagnostic tools, we will focus on the information that should be available from accessing the tools on the operating system you are using.

After completing this topic you will be able to:

• Perform diagnostic functions using the operating system and third-party diagnostic tools.

• Run the diagnostic program most appropriate to the situation to determine the status of the system in question.

• Modify the system configuration as indicated by the results obtained from the diagnostic tool.

Before you start

You should already be familiar with typical hardware components, the purpose of an operating system, and checking for simple faults such as ‘no power connected to the PC’.

Standard diagnostic programs

Using diagnostic tools

Each computer system has built into it a range of tools to help the user determine its ‘status’. By ‘status’ we mean that they help determine if the system is working correctly or not. If a system is not working correctly, diagnostic tools can provide information vital to solving the problem. The most common types of computer problems will be found during these processes:

• booting the computer

• loading the operating system

• manually checking the system.

Diagnostic tools are available at each of these stages and are outlined in the following sections. These tools provide the foundation of any troubleshooting that involves the malfunctioning of a computer.

IMPORTANT: You will be directed to use a number of diagnostic and configuration tools to gather information about your system. Changing any of the settings using these tools may cause your computer to malfunction. If you are in any doubt about the use of a particular tool, contact your supervising teacher.

You may also be required to make system changes to solve problems identified by the diagnostics. Again, the types of changes required, if incorrectly applied, may cause your computer to malfunction. If you are in doubt about how to proceed with system modifications, consult your supervisor.

Booting the computer

Booting a computer system involves turning the machine on, checking that power LEDs come on and that the screen reflects the expected activity of the system start up procedure. In a PC system, part of this procedure is the Power On Self Test or POST diagnostic tool. The POST diagnostic tool is built in to the system and starts automatically when the system is turned on.

Any failure related to a major component, such as motherboard, video, keyboard or drive failures, will be detected during the POST phase of a computer system. The total failure of a major hardware component is easily detected. Less crucial devices that fail will normally be detected by the operating system as it loads and are dealt with in the next section.

Most hardware systems such as computers and printers have a POST tool to check that their major components are working properly.

Power On Self Test (POST) diagnostic tool

During the PC computer system’s loading phase, each of the main components are tested. The failure of any one of these systems would impair the computer’s ability to operate. Such critical devices include the graphics card, motherboard resources, drives and Input/Output (I/O) interfaces such as keyboard and graphics (video cards).

[pic]

Figure 1: Power On Self Test (POST) diagnostic tool

On a PC based system, this provides feedback on the screen about the type of video card detected, the type and speed of the processor detected, the type and number of drives detected, as well as the amount of Random Access Memory (RAM) detected. It checks the presence of peripheral devices such as keyboard and mouse devices. It also internally tests the correct performance of many motherboard components.

Any failures at this level may result in an error message on the screen, or may be heard as a series of coded ‘beeps’. The beep codes are often unique to a motherboard model and should be interpreted by information found on the motherboard manufacturer’s website.

The POST screen will only briefly appear at the start of the booting process. The CPU’s type and speed will be listed here with other device information. On many systems, pressing the Pause key during this process will freeze the screen, and the space bar key releases it. If you cannot pause the screen, check with your supervisor or teacher as it may take several restarts to view the information fully. If you must reset the computer, be careful to do so by pressing the reset button before the operating system begins to load, as this will prevent it from recording failed loading attempts.

To view the systems detected configuration more fully, examine the system Setup or CMOS tool. Some references may prefer to use the term BIOS in place of the term CMOS. They refer to the same tool. To enter this tool, users are normally required to press a key or key combination such as the DEL (Delete) key or Shift + F10 during the POST sequence. Because these settings effect the operation of the PC, many companies password protect this tool so unauthorised users cannot access this area.

The Setup or CMOS tool for your PC holds the configuration of your computer. It lists how much memory the system has, how many drives are detected and which drive it should load the operating system from. It will also have configuration options for a range of other items such as power management and I/O interfaces, just to name a few.

The motherboard manual that came with the PC holds information about the CMOS tool and its use.

At this level, the tool is simply used to determine that the system has detected its elementary components such as RAM, HDDs, FDD, etc. The CMOS settings should reflect the known configuration of the PC. Normally the IDE drives should be set to ‘AUTO’ which stands for Automatic Detection. Any errors such as RAM or drives not being recognised by the system should be recorded and reported to a supervising technical support person.

The default or factory settings can normally be restored by choosing the relevant menu option. When you exit the CMOS, exit without saving your changes, unless you have deliberately changed a setting. This prevents accidental changes from occurring.

For a MacIntosh system, when you boot the PC will either show a happy face and load, or show a sad face and refuse to load.

Fixing faults detected here, on either a PC or Mac system, may require the case to be opened and can effect the warranty of the computer. It must be authorised by your manager who will refer it to an appropriate technical person.

Loading the operating system

Once the POST sequence has been completed, the system looks for a boot device as the CMOS configuration dictates. From here the computer begins to load the series of services or programs that together form what is called the operating system (OS). Normally the operating system’s name and version (or service pack number) will be displayed during this process.

Log files and OS booting tools

Common failures at this point may relate to the failure of minor hardware devices or incorrect configuration of devices that are physically OK. Any services or devices that fail to load are usually noted in a log file by the operating system. This file can then be examined at a later time to help determine what went wrong. Most Windows and Unix systems create log files during the loading process. These log files provide details that will alert you to errors. Many of the system log entries are fully explained in the operating system’s documentation or the support section of their Internet site.

Exercise

The following screen is from the system log of a Windows XP system.

[pic]

Figure 2: System Log of a Windows XP system

Examine entries in the log to determine which (if any) represent possible errors in the booting process. Each entry has an Event ID number that can be searched for in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. Search the Knowledge Base at for Event ID 1007 and determine the nature of the event warning.

If the system failure is so bad that the operating system fails before it loading process is complete, most systems provide tools that allow the computer to boot in restricted or ‘Safe’ modes, or alternatively provide emergency recovery disks. Using these options, the system then boots with a reduced set of services, allowing you to examine boot logs or device management tools to help detect problems.

Entries in the system log may require further research to explain their full meaning. Most operating system companies provide documentation on their website to assist in the interpretation of log file messages. For Windows 2000/XP, Microsoft’s Knowledge Base website has many articles about different Event Viewer messages.

MSconfig

This is a valuable tool in diagnosing the behaviour a of computer workstation.

In windows 7, Click the start button – type msconfig.

Select msconfig.exe - enter the admin password if UAC requires it.

The following screen in appear:

[pic]

Many programs, when installed, will add themselves to the startu!p process and over time this can significantly, slow the action of the machine.

On the startup tab, programs can be toggled on or off. These can easily be identified in the manufacturer column. Avoid turning off windows components!

Click apply to complete the changes. When ok is clicked, the system will ask for a reboot to complete the changes.

Manually checking the system

Device management tools

Most operating systems now work with the concept of ‘Plug and Play’ devices. This simply means that when a new device is installed, the system will automatically detect it and install the most appropriate software drivers for it.

A driver is a small piece of software written for a specific device. To make life simpler, many standard drivers are built into operating systems so they automatically work when installed. However, special features of that particular device model may only be available if the manufacturer’s device driver is installed.

All current PC and Mac operating systems provide you with tools to look at the devices installed on your computer. In this context, a ‘tool’ is a small program that is designed to perform a limited, specialised role — such as providing information about a hardware device.

In a graphical user interface (GUI), which Windows, MacIntosh and most Unix-based operating systems have, the tool may be represented by an icon. It may also form the properties of an object represented on the desktop, such as ‘My Computer’.

In a text-based system, which Unix and Windows based systems also have, the tool may be in the form of a specific command related to a specific device.

Examples of tools are shown in the following screen shot.

[pic]

Figure 3: Configuration tools

Device Management tools provide you with information and configuration options for devices attached to your system. They should provide you with a list of devices attached to your system and information about their status.

In a PC system these tools should also list the resources that devices use, such as an Interrupt (IRQ), Input/Output (I/O) memory range and Direct Memory Access (DMA) channel, etc. In a Mac system, the resource allocation for devices is automatic. Device Management tools may provide information about the software driver that was installed to manage the device.

In some operating systems, many different tools may be required to find this information. In other operating systems, this information may all be available from one tool.

Management of hard disk drives

Hard disk drives are a vital part of any computer system. They retain data saved as files and can have a directory or folder system to organise files into a logical system. The constant writing, modifying and deleting files may cause errors from time to time. These errors often relate to file processes, such as saving a file that has been interrupted before it could be completed. This interruption could be caused by a power outage, application crash or shutting down a system incorrectly. Eventually, hard disk drives will fail. The hope is that the computer will be de commissioned before the drive fails!

Checking the file system

Each operating system provides you with standard tools to check the integrity of the file system. While different operating systems may support a range of different file systems, the basics remain the same. There is some master record of what files are on a drive and where those files can be found. This is called the File Allocation Table (FAT). The FAT holds the list of files contained on the drive and the address of the first block where that file is stored. It is effectively a ‘table of contents’ to the disk drive.

Checking the integrity of the file system involves matching the FAT against the drive’s contents. Should this become damaged, or incorrect, the results for your data could be devastating.

Checking the drive

Your operating system may also provide you with an option, or separate tool, to check the actual integrity of the drive. By this we are referring to a process where the actual data blocks on the drive are checked to ensure that they store data correctly. Originally this is also done when you format the drive, which is why it can take so long to format large hard disk drives.

Defragging the drive

It is also possible that your drive becomes ‘messy’ which is known as fragmentation.

Imagine your drive as a book, where information (or data) saved as files is written on the first available page (or block). When saving is complete, the file name and the page it starts on are entered into the ‘Contents’ page (or File allocation Table) of the book. The next file saved will take the next available page and so on.

However, when we wish to add more data to the first file we may require more than one page to hold the additional information. It can’t be stored on the next page as it is already used by another file. So the next available blank page is used and we must link the first page of the file to the page number that is the second page of the file.

Having a file spread over a series of ‘non-contiguous’ blocks slows the reading and writing processes. The term ‘non-contiguous blocks’ simply means a series of blocks which are not stored next to one another. This is called fragmentation.

The process of de-fragmentation refers to a tool which tries to rearrange files into contiguous blocks to improve the performance of the file system. It can be dangerous as any interruption to this process may result in data loss and corruption. Always ensure that a backup exists for a drive before running a tool to de-fragment your disk.

Diagnosis of computer problems

The previous sections of this document have introduced several tools for us in the process of diagnosis of computer problems. It is important that these tools are used in combination to find the cause of issues.

In practice, problems may arise for clients out of a simple change in the operation of a computer system. The stated problem will often give no more information than what the client observes.

For example:

“Computer is running slowly”, “Can’t connect to the internet”

A technician will need to record any tests done. This will help in the process of working

towards a solution. All tests should be recorded, even if the result appears to be of no help to the process.

Example job sheet:

|Job number | 1002 |Name |George Quinn |

|Date |29/4/2013 | | | |

|Computer |ASUS laptop |Dual core CPU |2GB RAM |500G HDD |

|Problem |Computer has, over time, begun to run very slowly. |

| | |

|Date |Tests |Notes |

|29/4/2013 |Boot |BIOS ok. OS takes a while to load. Computer seems to settle after a few minutes. |

|29/4/2013 |System log |A few warnings – no significant problems |

|29/4/2013 |……. | | | |

While the tests run so far have shown no significant problem, it is important to rule out any issues from them.

It is important to view the process as a series of steps, rather than one tool necessarily solving the problem.

Summary

We have covered the three basic areas in which standard diagnostic tools are available: during the booting phase (when the operating system loads), then when using the user interface once the system is running, or manually checking the system.

Some of the diagnostic tools you have examined have been built into the hardware, such as the CMOS setup program that is located on a chip on the motherboard. Others have been log files tracing the execution of a process. Others have been executable programs run within the operating system you are using.

Whatever type of diagnostic is run, the results need to be interpreted and used to decide if any action needs to be taken to improve the system or fix identified problems.

It is important that you closely examine your operating system to find these features within it.

Check your progress - Questions

Activity 1: Determine problems and make recommendations

Question 1.1

You have been called to a PC system that will not load the operating system. What diagnostic tool will you examine to help determine the problem?

A. The Device Manager to look for resource conflicts

B. A drive checking tool to look for file corruption

C. A POST tool to look for errors in the booting process

D. A system information tool to check on system updates

Question 1.2

You have been called to a PC system that will not load the operating system. When you turn it on the screen remains blank and you hear a series of beeps. You know the system has a gigabyte motherboard. What do you do?

A. Turn the computer off and ensure all device cables are seated correctly

B. Check for the documentation that accompanied the system

C. Visit the manufacturer’s website and look for supporting documentation

D. All of the above

Question 1.3

You have determined that the system has suffered from a user accidentally entering the CMOS setup tool and modifying settings. What would you recommend?

A. Enter the CMOS tool and select ‘Restore Factory Settings’

B. Recommend protecting the CMOS with a password

C. Educate the user about the computer’s booting sequence

D. All of the above

Activity 2: Understand diagnostic tools

Question 2.1

Answer true or false for the following statement.

The purpose of booting in ‘Safe’ mode is to minimise the chances of the operating system failing through only loading core services.

Question 2.2

Answer true or false for the following statement.

The system log will record information about which system services have started and which have failed.

Try again.

Activity 3: Use diagnostic tools

Question 3.1

A user complains that their USB memory stick is not recognised on their Windows XP system. It should appear as a disk drive in Windows Explorer. They suggest that the driver may need to be installed. What tool would you use?

A. CMOS/BIOS configuration tool

B. Device Manager

C. Disk Manager

D. Windows Explorer

Question 3.2

A new video card and monitor is added to a PC, but does not allow you to access the range of settings you expect. What diagnostic tools could you use to check the device?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Activity 4: Use a CMOS tool

For this activity you’ll need to locate the motherboard manual that was supplied with the PC you are using. If this is not available locally, it may be available from the PC manufacturer’s website.

Note: If your PC is a ‘no-name’ clone, the manufacturer of the motherboard can sometimes be identified from the ID string and BIOS manufacturer name that appears on the screen during the boot sequence. The BIOS manufacturer’s website may allow you to identify the manufacturer for whom they created that particular BIOS for.

1. Find out about the Setup or CMOS tool for the PC you are using. Make sure you know how to exit the tool without saving any configuration changes.

2. Use the tool to gather information about:

a. the amount of Random Access Memory (RAM) installed

b. the number, type and size of hard disk drives (HDD) found on your system.

3. Check the boot sequence of drives.

4. Exit the tool without saving any configuration changes.

Activity 5: Use MSconfig

Use Msconfig to show the programs that startup on your computer.

Are there any that need not be set to start when windows starts?

How would you prevent this from happening?

Activity 6: Interpret results

On the computer you are sent to examine, the following information displays in the Device Manager and a properties box.

[pic]

Select any of the following statements that are true (click in the box):

[pic]The Device Manager screen in the background shows no device conflicts.

[pic]The system has an ‘Intel’ USB network card.

[pic]The device properties box shows the device is currently configured correctly.

[pic]The device properties box proves that the computer is working perfectly.

Activity 7: Check disk

The computer you have been sent to examine is reported to have ‘lost’ and ‘corrupted’ files on its hard disk drive. Examine the boxes shown in the screenshot below (from the computer) then answer the following question.

[pic]

The option selected for this disk check will not:

A. Attempt to find ‘lost’ or ‘corrupted’ files

B. Check the FAT entries against the contents of the drive

C. Attempt to fix ‘lost’ or ‘corrupted’ files

D. Identify a faulty hard disk drive

Check your progress - Answers

Activity 1: Determine problems and make recommendations

Question 1.1

C: Correct. You need to determine if the machine is failing at the computer’s POST which should indicate the possible hardware area of the fault. If the POST does not identify any errors, then other tools may be used for more information.

Question 1.2

D: Correct. Any or all of these actions would be appropriate.

Question 1.3

D: Correct. You should be aware of the ‘Restore Default Settings’ option in the CMOS. Then exit and save the changes. Password protection could be appropriate, as it is the best way to protect the system from accidental changes.

Activity 2: Understand diagnostic tools

Question 2.1

True: In ‘Safe’ mode the operating system loads a minimum set of services to allow the user to try and identify and solve whatever the fault is.

Question 2.2

True: The system log is all about system services and their loading. Other tools handle virus or drive checking.

Try again.

Activity 3: Use diagnostic tools

Question 3.1

D: Correct. The Device Manger will provide information about the status of the USB ports.

Question 3.2

You should check the device settings. Most likely Windows was not able to find a close match to the appropriate drive and has installed a generic VGA driver in its place. Running the Update Driver process or the CD installation that came with the card would fix the problem.

Activity 5: Use MSconfig

The choice as to which programs runs at startup is a personal one. In the simplest booting of the computer, leave only the operating system to run and your anti virus program.

Other programs that directly use hardware for specific purposes may also be started at boot time. For example, a skype user may want skype to start if frequent phone calls are made, using a webcam.

Activity 6: Interpret results

• The Device Manager screen in the background shows no device conflicts — this is true. There are no icons with a red cross through them, which would indicate a faulty device.

• The system has an ‘Intel USB’ network card — this is false. The properties box lists the network card as an ‘Intel PCI’ card.

• The device properties box shows the device is currently configured correctly — this is true. The device is enabled and is working properly.

• The device properties box proves that the computer is working perfectly — this is false. This tool only provides information about the individual devices attached to the system. If the devices are working according to this tool, it allows you to rule out a faulty device as the cause of the problem.

Activity 7: Check disk

D: Correct. This option will not identify a faulty hard disk drive.

Research

Hardware and software support

Most hardware and operating system vendors have a website which includes a ‘Support’ section:

• Microsoft: .

• UNIX: each producer of a UNIX/LINUX operating system will provide their own web site. Some examples are:

o

o

• The MacIntosh family operating system resources: click on the ‘.Mac’ or the ‘Support’ links at the Apple site

Many third party websites exist for each of these operating systems. As these websites may change or come and go, searching the Internet with key terms such as the name of your operating system followed by the word ‘tutorial’ or ‘support’ or ‘help’.

System documentation

Always check that you have access to the original documentation that came with the system you are using, as it can provide some very useful information. This should consist of:

• a manual for each device including the motherboard

• a guide to the installation of the operating system that was supplied with the computer.

Dictionaries

It is always useful to have access to a good online PC dictionary such as:

•

•

Bookstores

There are many good online book stores including:

•

•

• .

Many book stores provide discounts to students, so remember to ask about this.

Terms

|Booting |comes from the ‘Boot Strap Code’ that referred to a small piece of programming code built into computers that |

| |instructed the machine on what to do when turned on; booting now generally refers to the processes |

| |automatically attempted when power is provided to a computer |

|CMOS |Metal Oxide Semi-Conductor, the chip device that retains the computer’s set up configuration when it is turned|

| |off |

|Device |any piece of hardware attached to a computer system, normally has a corresponding piece of software called a |

| |driver |

|DMA channel |Direct Memory Access channel, a system resource used by some devices that are able to transfer data directly |

| |into or out of the system RAM |

|Driver |a piece of software written to be a ‘go-between’ for the Operating System and the hardware device, normally |

| |has a revision number or date that allows you to find updated versions of the software |

|FAT |File Allocation Table, normally refers to a part of a disks file system which holds the ‘table of contents’ of|

| |the drive; also the name of a file system used by Microsoft, ie FAT16 or FAT32 |

|File System |refers to the way a storage device such as a drive or a memory stick, organised to hold files; there are many |

| |types including HFS, FAT32, NTFS and ext2 |

|IDE |Integrated Drive Electronics, the most common, but not the only, way of attaching a hard disk to your system; |

| |the default drive interface on most PC systems; other interfaces for drives include SCSI and USB |

|IO address |Input/Output address; another system resource used by a device for exchanging information between the device |

| |and the operating system |

|IRQ |commonly referred to as an ‘Interrupt’, a number that allows a device to be identified on the motherboard’s |

| |system bus |

|Motherboard |the main system board of a computer, holds input/output interfaces, the CPU and the BIOS/CMOS system |

|RAM |Random Access Memory, main system memory |

|USB |Universal Serial Bus, a common interface used for connecting a range of devices to the motherboard |

|VGA |Video Graphics Array, a generic term for the video card which provides the graphical information for the |

| |computer screen |

Check your understanding - Questions

Do you think you already have an understanding of system diagnostic tools? Try and answer the following questions to check your understanding.

Question 1

Answer true or false for the following statement.

A diagnostic tool will tell you what is wrong with a computer system that is malfunctioning

Question 2

The POST tool will tell you:

A. What operating system is installed

B. The software drivers of all devices are correctly installed

C. The major hardware components of the system are functioning

D. The printer is online and working

Question 3

Answer true or false for the following statement.

The CPU type and speed is displayed after the POST is complete.

Question 4

The system log provides information about the:

A. Loading of the operating system and its services

B. Status of each device and the resources it uses

C. CPU type and speed in Mhz

D. Type and number of hard disk drives installed

Question 5

Device management tools should provide information on the:

A. Type of device

B. Resources it uses

C. Software driver that manages it

D. All of the above

Question 6

Answer true or false for the following statement.

A device driver is written for a specific device and a specific operating system.

Question 7

Answer true or false for the following statement.

A computer’s RAM is first checked by the operating system when it loads.

Check your understanding - Answers

Question 1

False: A diagnostic tool tells you information about specific devices. It is up to you to work out the implications of the information.

Question 2

C: Correct. The POST tool will tell you that the major hardware components of the system are functioning.

Question 3

True: The CPU type and speed is displayed after the POST is complete.

Question 4

A: Correct. The system log provides information about the loading of the operating system and its services.

Question 5

A: Correct. Device management tools should provide information on all the information listed.

Question 6

True. A device driver is written for a specific device and a specific operating system.

Question 7

False. A computer’s RAM is not first checked by the operating system when it loads.

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Unit Notes

ICASAS301A Run standard diagnostic tests

Topic 1

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