Checking the Equipment 6-3• A faulty cable between the I/O port and the periph-eral device• A faulty peripheral device• Incorrect settings in the System Setup program• Incorrect settings in the system’s configuration files• Faulty I/O port logic on the system boardNOTE: With certain modems installed, subtests in theSerial Port Test Group may fail because the modemappears to the diagnostics as a serial port but it cannotbe tested as a serial port. If you have a modem installedand you experience a serial-port test failure, remove themodem and run the diagnostic tests again.Troubleshooting the Basic I/OFunctionsThis procedure determines whether the computer’s basicI/O functions are operational. If a system error messageindicates an I/O port problem or the device connected tothe port does not function properly, follow these steps:1. Enter the System Setup program, and check thesettings for the Serial Port 1, Serial Port 2, Paral-lel Port, and Mouse categories.Are the communications port categories set to Auto,and is the Mouse category set to Enabled?Yes. Go to step 3.No. Go to step 2.2. Change the setting for the Serial Port 1, SerialPort 2, and Parallel Port categories to Auto, andchange the setting for the Mouse category toEnabled; then reboot the system.Is the problem resolved?Yes. You have fixed the problem.No. Go to step 3.3. Check the contents of the start-up files.See “Installing and Configuring Software” in Chap-ter 4.Are the port configuration commands correct?Yes. Go to step 5.No. Go to step 4.4. Change the necessary statements in the start-upfiles.If the port problem is confined to a particular appli-cation program, see the application program’sdocumentation for specific port configurationrequirements.Is the problem resolved?Yes. You have fixed the problem.No. Go to step 5.5. Reboot the system from the Dell Server AssistantCD, and run the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Groupand/or the Parallel Ports Test Group in the sys-tem diagnostics.See Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnostics.”The Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group and the ParallelPorts Test Group test the basic functions of the sys-tem board’s I/O port logic. Also, if a parallel printeris connected to the parallel port, the Parallel PortsTest Group tests the communications link betweenthe system board’s I/O port logic and the printer.Do the tests complete successfully?Yes. Go to step 6.No. See Chapter 11, “Getting Help,” for instructionson obtaining technical assistance.6. If the problem persists, go to “Troubleshooting aParallel Printer” or “Troubleshooting a SerialI/O Device” found later in this chapter, dependingon which device appears to be malfunctioning.
