Lesson 5 (Identifying and Isolating Faults)
Lesson 5 (Identifying and Isolating Faults)
CHS 4
This stands for Power On Self Test. After turning on the computer’s power, this
will be the first screen that will appear before the operating system loads. The
POST will display any problems found in the hardware that prevents the
computer to boot or not operate in its full capacity during operation.
If the operating system takes to load than usual, there may be errors in the hard
drive.
3. Graphic Problems
Check whether the computer graphics are good after the operating system
loads. Reduced graphics may indicate that there are hardware failures with the
graphic cards.
Play a short audio clip. When the audio is lagging, it means that the processor is
working at an elevated speed. It could also mean that there is no longer enough
RAM to keep programs loading.
Changing the startup sound is a great way to apply this test. Another issue
associated with choppy sounds is PIO (Programmed Input/Output) Mode.
This affects how the hard drive reads and writes data from a drive.
Switching to DMA allows for faster reads and writes, and can sometimes
repair choppy audio.
Most operating system, especially Windows, can experience conflict with new
drivers. However, Windows would usually notify you about drivers that may be
causing the issue. This can be checked through Windows Device Manager.
Control Panel > Click System Icon > Click Hardware Tab > Click on Device
Manager
New software requires more resources than the system provides. If problem
occurs after the software starts, it is most likely caused by the software.
Should this occur, turn off the computer and diagnose the harddrive. If the CPU
fan comes off at high speed when the CPU is working hard, it means that the
computer is working hard beyond its capacity.
Safe mode can be activated by repeatedly tapping F8 during POST. If the issue
still occurs even while still in safe mode, then it is an issue of the operating
system.