Dell OptiPlex E1 Troubleshooting Manual

Also see for OptiPlex E1: Documentation update Service manual Reference and installation guide Service manual Reference and installation guide

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Dell OptiPlex E1 Troubleshooting Manual Manual pdf 52 page image

4-16 Diagnostics and Troubleshooting GuideSubtestsThere are no subtests for the Mouse Test Group.Why Run the Mouse Test?Mouse or touch pad problems are as likely to originate inRAM as they are to be caused by a faulty mouse or touchpad. Three sources of RAM-related problems include theconfiguration of a program (which changes the functionof the mouse or touch pad), memory-resident programssuch as Sidekick or ProKey, and failure of a device driver(the software that controls the function of the mouse ortouch pad). If these possibilities have been eliminatedand the following symptoms persist, run the Mouse Test:• When you press a mouse button or the touch pad, thefunction of the button (or touch pad) continues; thatis, the button (or touch pad) seems to be stuck.• If the response when you press a mouse button or thetouch pad is different from the usual or anticipatedresponse, the button (or touch pad) contact may bedamaged.• A mouse button or the touch pad does not work atall.• The cursor does not respond on the screen in accor-dance with the movements you make with the mouseor touch pad.Diskette Drives Test GroupThe subtests in the Diskette Drives Test Group allow youto test both 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch diskette drives of allcapacities.SubtestsThe four diskette drive subtests available in the DisketteDrives Test Group confirm the following drive functions:• Change Line TestChecks for bent pins on the diskette drive controllerand for defective lines on the diskette cable• Seek TestChecks the drive’s ability to search for a specifiedtrack on the diskette and to position its read/writeheads to all tracks• Read TestPositions the read/write heads at each cylinder of thediskette for reading data and verifies that all trackson the diskette can be read correctly• Write TestPositions the read/write heads at each cylinder of thediskette and verifies that all tracks on the diskettecan be written to correctlyWhy Run a Diskette Drives Test?Very often, a diskette drive problem may first appear tobe a diskette problem. A box of defective diskettes mightproduce faulty-drive error messages. The test results canbe confusing, so Dell suggests running the subtests in theDiskette Drives Test Group more than once using dis-kettes from different sources.Another possible cause of diskette drive problems ishuman error—typing a command in an incorrect form(usually called a syntax error). Be sure you have enteredthe command in the proper form.When the diskette(s) and command syntax are eliminatedas causes, the following symptoms usually suggest adrive problem and warrant running a subtest in the Dis-kette Drives Test Group:• An error message appears on the screen stating thatthe computer cannot read from or write to a diskette.• A diskette cannot be properly formatted, or formaterror messages appear on the screen.• Data on diskettes is corrupted or lost; these problemsmay be intermittent.Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) TestGroupThe subtests in the Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) TestGroup check the functionality of up to four hard-diskdrives (two on each channel) of any capacity. The