Dell Inspiron 3000 Reference And Troubleshooting Manual

Also see for Inspiron 3200: Installing Utilities and Drivers Service manual User guide Specifications

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Dell Inspiron 3000 Reference And Troubleshooting Manual Manual pdf 83 page image

Running the Dell Diagnostics 4-17SubtestsThe four subtests in the Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI)test group confirm the following drive functions:• Disk Controller TestChecks the internal microcode of the hard-disk drivecontroller• Seek TestChecks the drive’s ability to search for a specifiedtrack on the drive and to position the read/writeheads of the drive to all tracks• Read TestPositions the read/write heads at each cylinder of thedrive and verifies that all tracks on the drive can beread correctly• Write TestPositions the read/write heads at each cylinder of thedrive and verifies that all tracks on the drive can bewritten to correctlyIDE CD ROM Drives Test GroupThe subtests in the IDE CD ROM Drives test groupcheck the functionality of the integrated drive electronics(IDE) CD-ROM drive when it is installed in the optionsbay. Before conducting an IDE CD ROM test, insert intothe CD-ROM drive a CD with audio and data tracks(such as a multimedia CD).NOTES: Before running the IDE CD ROM Drives testgroup, install the CD-ROM drive in the options bay andattach the diskette drive to the parallel connector on theback of the computer. If you do not have a CD-ROM drivein the options bay and the diskette drive attached to theparallel port, the subtests fail.You must have a diskette-drive cable to perform the fol-lowing procedure. If you do not have a diskette-drivecable, you can order one from Dell. See Chapter 5, “Get-ting Help,” for information on contacting Dell.The Audio Output Test requires a CD with audio tracks;all other subtests in this test group require a CD withdata tracks. If the CD-ROM drive contains a CD thatdoes not have the required data or audio tracks, thesubtest fails.Why Run an IDE CD ROM Drives Test?If you encounter a problem while using an applicationprogram on a CD, the problem could result from the discor from the drive. When you encounter problems, first tryusing a different CD. If the problem recurs, run the IDECD ROM Drives test group.These are the most common symptoms that might promptyou to test an IDE CD-ROM drive:• Seek errors are reported by the operating system orapplication programs.• An error message appears on the screen stating thatthe computer cannot read from an IDE CD-ROMdrive.SubtestsThe five subtests in the IDE CD ROM Drives test groupconfirm the following drive functions:• Drive Controller TestCauses the drive to execute its internal self-test.• Seek TestChecks the drive’s ability to search for each block onthe device.• Read TestPositions the read heads at each block of the devicefor reading data and verifies that all blocks on thedevice can be read correctly.• Audio Output TestCauses the drive to begin playing the first audiotrack on an audio CD. (To determine if the testpassed, listen to the audio output of the drive.)NOTE: The Audio Output Test does not run automat-ically as part of the IDE CD ROM Drives test group;you must select the subtest individually.• Eject Removable MediaChecks the drive’s ability to eject the CD tray.55899BK1.BK : 55899c41.fm Page 17 Wednesday, February 4, 1998 1:20 PM