CA63-SN CA63-EN Rev.
Copyright This publication contains information that is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any transformation/adaptation without the prior written permission from the copyright holders. This publication is provided for informational purposes only.
FCC and DOC Statement on Class B This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a residential installation.
Table of Contents Read Me First.......................................................... 6 Chapter 1 - Introduction 1.1 Features and Specifications.................................................................................. 7 1.2 Package Checklist......................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 System Board Layout .....................................................................
Chapter 4 - Supported Softwares 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Desktop Management Interface..................................................................... 64 VIA Hardware Monitor............................................................................................ 67 VIA Service Pack.......................................................................................................... 67 Drivers and Utilities Installation Notes.....................................................
1 Introduction Read Me First This page contains a summary of the important notes that must be given special attention to prior to using the system board. CPU Overclocking The CPU Overclocking function allows you to adjust the processors bus clock by 1MHz stepping. However, overclocking may result to the processors or systems instability and are not guaranteed to provide better system performance. Processor The frequency ratio of some processors may have been locked by the manufacturer.
Introduction 1 Chapter 1 - Introduction 1.1 Features and Specifications 1.1.1 Features Chipset VIA® 82C693A/82C686A AGPset (CA63-SN) VIA® 82C693A/82C686B AGPset (CA63-EN) Processor The system board is equipped with Socket 370. It is also equipped with a switching voltage regulator that automatically detects 1.30V to 3.5V.
1 Introduction DIMMs 2MBx64/x72 4MBx64/x72 8MBx64/x72 Memory Size 16MB 32MB 64MB DIMMs 16MBx64/x72 32MBx64/x72 64MBx64/x72 Memory Size 128MB 256MB 512MB Expansion Slots The system board is equipped with 1 dedicated AGP slot. AGP is an interface designed to support high performance 3D graphics cards. It utilizes a dedicated pipeline to access system memory for texturing, z-buffering and alpha blending; delivering up to 533MB/sec. bandwidth for 3D graphics applications.
Introduction 1 PIO Mode 3 and Mode 4 Enhanced IDE (data transfer rate up to 16.6MB/sec.) Bus mastering reduces CPU utilization during disk transfer Supports ATAPI CD-ROM, LS-120 and ZIP IrDA Interface The system board is equipped with an IrDA connector for wireless connectivity between your computer and peripheral devices. It supports peripheral devices that meet the HPSIR and ASKIR standard. USB Ports The system board supports 4 USB ports.
1 Introduction 1.1.2 System Health Monitor Functions The system board is capable of monitoring the following system health conditions. Monitors CPU/system temperature and overheat alarm Monitors VCORE/3.3V/5V/12V/2.
Introduction 1 Wake-On-Ring This feature allows the system that is in the Suspend mode or Soft Power Off mode to wake-up/power-on to respond to calls coming through an internal or external modem. Refer to Wake-On-Ring Connector in chapter 2 and Resume On LAN/Ring in the Power Management Setup section in chapter 3 for more information. Important: If you are using a modem add-in card, the 5VSB power source of your power supply must support a minimum of ≥720mA.
1 Introduction ACPI The system board is designed to meet the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) specification. ACPI has energy saving features that enables PCs to implement Power Management and Plug-and-Play with operating systems that support OS Direct Power Management. Virus Protection Most viruses today destroy data stored in hard drives. The system board is designed to protect the boot sector and partition table of your hard disk drive. 1.
Hardware Installation 2 Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation 2.
2 Hardware Installation CA63-EN (VIA ® 82C693A/82C686B) 14
Hardware Installation 2 Warning: Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your system board, processor, disk drives, add-in boards, and other components. Perform the upgrade instruction procedures described at an ESD workstation only. If such a station is not available, you can provide some ESD protection by wearing an antistatic wrist strap and attaching it to a metal part of the system chassis.
2 Hardware Installation 2.2.1 Installing the DIM Module A DIM module simply snaps into a DIMM socket on the system board. Pin 1 of the DIM module must correspond with Pin 1 of the socket. Notch Tab Pin 1 Tab Key 1. Pull the tabs which are at the ends of the socket to the side. 2. Position the DIMM above the socket with the notches in the module aligned with the keys on the socket. 3. Seat the module ver tically into the socket. Make sure it is completely seated.
Hardware Installation 2 2.3 Frequency Ratio Settings for Processors The following table shows the available frequency ratios and their corresponding DIP switch setting. There are 4 switches on SW1. The black rectangle in the diagram denotes the par t that is protruding, the adjustable switch. Make sure SW1 is set correctly before applying power, otherwise you will not be able to power-on the system. Example: Switch Switch Switch Switch 1: Off 2: On 3: Off 4: On Processor Freq.
2 Hardware Installation Important: The frequency ratio of some processors shown in the table may have been locked by the manufacturer. If you are using this kind of processor, setting an extended ratio for the processor will have no effect. The system will instead use its factor y default ratio. The frequency ratio of processors greater than 8x has been locked by the manufacturer and will no longer have the flexibility of using extended ratios.
Hardware Installation 2 2.4 Jumper Settings for Selecting the CPUs Front Side Bus CPU Front Side Bus Select - Jumpers JP3 and JP4 These jumpers are used to select the front side bus of the processor installed on the system board. The default setting is-Auto - the system will automatically run according to the FSB of the processor.
2 Hardware Installation 2.5 Jumper Settings for Clearing CMOS Data Clear CMOS Data - Jumper JP7 If you encounter the following, a) CMOS data becomes corrupted. b) You forgot the super visor or user password. c) You are unab le to boot-up the computer system because the processors bus clock was incorrectly set in the BIOS. you can reconfigure the system with the default values stored in the ROM BIOS. To load the default values stored in the ROM BIOS, please follow the steps below. 1.
Hardware Installation 2 8. Type and press .
2 Hardware Installation 2.6 Ports and Connectors 2.6.1 Serial Ports The system board is equipped with onboard serial ports (COM 1: J3 and COM 2: J6) - both in Teal/Turquoise color located at the ATX double deck ports of the board. These por ts are RS-232C asynchronous communication por ts with 16C550Acompatible UARTs that can be used with modems, serial printers, remote display terminals, and other serial devices. You can set the serial ports I/O address in the Integrated Peripherals submenu of the BIOS.
Hardware Installation 2 2.6.3 Parallel Port The system board has a standard printer por t (J5 - Burgundy) located at the ATX double deck por ts of the board for interfacing your PC to a parallel printer. It suppor ts Normal, ECP and EPP modes. You can set the ports mode in the Integrated Per ipherals submenu of the BIOS. Setting Normal ECP (Extended Port) Function Allows normal speed operation but in one direction only.
2 Hardware Installation Connecting the Floppy Disk Drive Cable 1. Install the 34-pin header connector into the shrouded floppy disk header (J4) on the system board. The colored edge of the ribbon should be aligned with pin 1 of J4. 2. Install the other 34-pin header connector(s) into the disk drive(s). Align the colored edge of the daisy chained ribbon cable with pin 1 of the drive edge connector(s). The endmost connector should be attached to the drive you want to designate as Drive A. 2.6.
Hardware Installation 2 Note: Refer to your disk drive users manual for information about selecting proper drive switch settings. Adding a Second IDE Disk Drive When using two IDE drives, one must be set as the master and the other as the slave. Follow the instructions provided by the drive manufacturer for setting the jumpers and/or switches on the drives.
2 Hardware Installation 2.6.6 Universal Serial Bus Ports The system board suppor ts 4 USB por ts. USB allo ws data exchange between your computer and a wide range of simultaneously accessible external Plug and Play peripherals. You must have the proper drivers installed in your operating system to use the USB ports. Refer to your operating systems manual or documentation. Two onboard USB ports (J2 - Black) are located at the ATX double deck ports of the board.
Hardware Installation 2 2.6.7 IrDA Connector The system board is equipped with an IrDA connector for wireless connectivity between your computer and peripheral devices. The IRDA (Infr ared Data Association) specification suppor ts data transfers of 115K baud at a distance of 1 meter. Connect your IrDA cable to connector J21 on the system board. Set UART 2 Mode in the Integrated Peripherals submenu of the BIOS to the type of IrDA standard suppor ted by your device.
2 Hardware Installation 2.6.8 CPU Fan Connector The processor must be kept cool by using a fan with heatsink. Connect the CPU fan to the 3-pin fan connector at location J1 on the system board. The system is capable of monitoring and controlling the speed of the CPU fan. The CPU fan, together with the chassis fan, will automatically turn off once the system enters the Suspend mode. Pin Function 1 On/Off 2 +12V 3 Sense 2.6.
Hardware Installation 2 2.6.10 AGP Fan Connector If the system board is installed with an AGP add-in card and you wish to install a fan on the add-in card, connect the fans connector to location J16 on the system board. Refer to the add-in cards manual for instructions on installing the fan. Pin Function 1 Ground 2 +12V 3 N. C.
2 Hardware Installation 2.6.11 Wake-On-LAN Connector The Wake-On-LAN connector is used to connect to a LAN card that has the same connector. This function will allow the network to remotely power-on a Soft Power Down (Soft-Off) PC. However, if your system is in the Suspend mode, you can power-on the system only through an IRQ or DMA interrupt. To use the Wake-On-LAN function, you must enable the Resume on LAN/Ring field in the Power Management Setup of the BIOS.
Hardware Installation 2 2.6.12 Wake-On-Ring Connector The Wake-On-Ring connector is used to connect to an internal modem card that has the same connector. It will allow the system that is in the Suspend mode or Soft Power Off mode to wake-up/ power-on to respond to calls coming through the internal modem card. To use this function, connect one end of the cable (that came with the card) to the cards wake-on-ring connector and the other end to location J15 on the system board.
2 Hardware Installation 2.6.13 PCI Standby Power LED The PCI Standby Power LED will turn red when the system is in the power-on, Soft-Off or Suspend state. Important: Lighted LEDs (red) serve as a reminder that you must poweroff the system then turn off the power supplys switch or unplug the power cord prior to installing any add-in cards.
Hardware Installation 2 2.6.14 Power Connector The pin assignment of the ATX power connector is shown below. Pin Function Pin Function 1 3.3V 11 3.3V 2 3.3V 12 -12V 3 Ground 13 Ground 4 +5V 14 PS-ON 5 Ground 15 Ground 6 +5V 16 Ground 7 Ground 17 Ground 8 PW-OK 18 -5V 9 5VSB 19 +5V 10 +12V 20 +5V Important: The system board requires a minimum of 3.3V/6A electric current.
2 Hardware Installation 2.6.15 Front Panel LEDs and Switches HD-LED: Primary/Secondary IDE LED This LED will light when the hard drive is being accessed. G-LED: Green LED This LED will light when the system is in the Suspend mode. ATX-SW: ATX Power Switch Depending on the setting in the BIOS setup, this switch is a dual function power button that will allow your system to enter the SoftOff or Suspend mode. Refer to Soft-Off By PWRBTN in the Power Management Setup (chapter 3).
Hardware Installation 2 Note: If a system did not boot-up and the Power/Standby LED did not light after it was powered-on, it may indicate that the CPU or memory module was not installed properly. Please make sure they are properly inserted into their corresponding socket.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility Chapter 3 - Award BIOS Setup Utility 3.1 The Basic Input/Output System The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is a program that takes care of the basic level of communication between the processor and peripherals. In addition, the BIOS also contain codes for various advanced features found in this system board. This chapter explains the Setup Utility for the Award BIOS. After you power up your system, the BIOS message appears on your screen and the memory count begins.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 ROM PCI/ISA BIOS STANDARD CMOS SETUP AWARD SOFTWARE, INC. Date (mm:dd:yy) : Mon, Jul 3 2000 Time (hh:mm:ss) : 13: 27: 50 HARD DISKS Primary Master : Primary Slave : Secondary Master : Secondary Slave : TYPE SIZE CYLS HEAD Auto 0 0 0 Auto 0 0 0 Auto 0 0 0 Auto 0 0 0 PRECOMP LANDZ SECTOR MODE 0 0 0 Auto 0 0 0 Auto 0 0 0 Auto 0 0 0 Auto Drive A : 1.44M, 3.5 in.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility Drive A and Drive B These fields identify the types of floppy disk drives installed. None 360K, 5.25 in. 1.2M, 5.25 in. 720K, 3.5 in. 1.44M, 3.5 in. 2.88M, 3.5 in. No floppy drive is installed 5-1/4 in. standard drive; 360KB capacity 5-1/4 in. AT-type high-density drive; 1.2MB capacity 3-1/2 in. double-sided drive; 720KB capacity 3-1/2 in. double-sided drive; 1.44MB capacity 3-1/2 in. double-sided drive; 2.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 Memory The base memory size, extended memory size and the other memory size cannot be altered; your computer automatically detects and displays them. Base Memory The POST will determine the amount of base (or conventional) memor y installed in the system. The value of the base memor y is typically 512K for systems with 512K memor y installed on the motherboard or 640K for systems with 640K or more memory installed on the motherboard.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility 3.1.2 BIOS Features Setup The BIOS Features Setup allows you to configure your system for basic operation. Some entries are defaults required by the system board, while others, if enabled, will improve the performance of your system or let you set some features according to your preference. ROM PCI/ISA BIOS BIOS FEATURES SETUP AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 CPU L1 Cache and CPU L2 Cache These fields speed up the memor y access. The default setting is enabled. Enable the external cache for better performance. CPU L2 Cache ECC Checking The processors suppor ted by the system board come with built-in Level 2 cache. By default, ECC is enabled to check the Level 2 cache. If you are not using this function, set this field to Disabled.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility Boot Up Floppy Seek When enabled, the BIOS will check whether the floppy disk drive installed is 40 or 80 tracks. Note that the BIOS cannot distinguish between 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88M drive types as they are all 80 tracks. When disabled, the BIOS will not search for the type of floppy disk drive by track number. Note that there will not be any warning message if the drive installed is 360KB.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 Security Option This field determines when the system will prompt for the password - ever ytime the system boots or only when you enter the BIOS setup. Set the password in the Super visor/User Password submenu. System The system will not boot and access to Setup will be denied unless the correct password is entered at the prompt. Setup The system will boot, but access to Setup will be denied unless the correct password is entered at the prompt.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility 3.1.3 Chipset Features Setup ROM PCI/ISA BIOS CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 Memory Hole At 15M-16M In order to improve system performance, cer tain space in memory can be reserved for ISA cards. This memory must be mapped into the memory space below 16MB. When enabled, the CPU assumes the 1516MB memory range is allocated to the hidden ISA address range instead of the actual system DRAM. When disabled, the CPU assumes the 15-16MB address range actually contains DRAM memory.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility PCI Delay Transaction When enabled, this function frees up the PCI bus for other PCI masters during the PCI-to-ISA transactions. This allows PCI and ISA buses to be used more efficiently and prevents degradation of performance on the PCI bus when ISA accesses are made. PCI#2 Access #1 Retry Set this field to Enabled if you want to rotate the priority of the PCI masters. AGP Master 1 WS Write Set this field to Enabled to add one clock tick to AGP write operations.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 OnChip USB This field is used to enable or disable the onboard USB controller supported by the chipset. If you are using a USB peripheral device, make sure to set this field to Enabled. USB Keyboard Support By default, USB Keyboard Support is Disabled. However, if you are using a USB keyboard under DOS, make sure to enable this function. Spread Spectrum Leave this field in its default setting. Do not alter this setting unless advised by an engineer or technician.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility Note: Use a PS/2 or AT (requires a DIN to mini DIN adapter) keyboard for method 2. System Health Monitor Current CPU Temperature, Current System Temperature, Current CPU Fan Speed and Current Chassis Fan Speed These fields show the current temperature of the CPU, internal temperature of the system, and the current fan speed of the CPU and chassis fans in RPM (Revolutions Per Minute). Vcore This field shows the voltage of the CPU. 2.5V, 3.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 3.1.4 Power Management Setup The Power Management Setup allows you to configure your system to most effectively save energy. ROM PCI/ISA BIOS POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility PM Control by APM Yes No An Advanced Power Management device will be activated to enhance the power saving mode and stop the CPUs internal clock. Use this option in Windows® 95/98/2000. (default) The system BIOS will ignore APM when initiating the Power Management mode. Video Off After N/A The system BIOS will never turn off the screen. Suspend The screen is off when the system is in the Suspend mode. Doze The screen is off when the system is in the Doze mode.
Award BIOS Setup Utility Instant-Off 3 Pressing and then releasing the power button at once will immediately power off your system. PWR Lost Resume State Keep Off When power returns after an AC power failure, the systems power is off. You must press the Power button to power-on the system. Turn On When power returns after an AC power failure, the system will automatically power-on.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility PowerOn by PCI Card Enabled Disabled Access to a PCI card such as a modem or LAN card will cause the system to wake up. The PCI card must support the wake up function. The system will not wake up despite access to the PCI card. Resume On LAN/Ring This field suppor ts two functions. When enabled, the system will power-on to respond to calls coming through an external or internal modem. Refer to WakeOn-Ring Connector in chapter 2 for more information.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 Timer (hh:mm:ss) This is used to set the time you would like the system to power-on. If you want the system to power-on ever yday as set in the Date (of Month) field, the time set in this field must be later than the time of the RTC set in the Standard CMOS Setup. PM Events Access to the specified IRQ will cause the system to wake up completely from the power management mode.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility 3.1.5 PNP/PCI Configuration This section describes configuring the PCI bus system. It covers some ver y technical items and it is strongly recommended that only experienced users should make any changes to the default settings. ROM PCI/ISA BIOS PNP/PCI CONFIGURATION AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 Reset Configuration Data Enabled The BIOS will reset the configuration data once automatically. It will then recreate a new set of configuration data. Disabled The BIOS will not reset the configuration data. Assign IRQ for USB When Enabled, the system automatically assigns an IRQ for the USB device connected to your system. However, if you are not using USB devices and an ISA slot requires an IRQ, set this function to Disabled.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility 3.1.6 Load BIOS Defaults The Load BIOS Defaults submenu loads the troubleshooting default values permanently stored in the ROM chips. These settings are not optimal and turn off all high performance features. You should use these values only if you have hardware problems. Highlight this option in the main menu and press . The message below will appear. Load BIOS Defaults (Y/N)? N If you want to proceed, type and press . The default settings will be loaded. 3.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 3.1.8 Integrated Peripherals ROM PCI/ISA BIOS INTEGRATED PERIPHERALS AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility Primary Master/Slave PIO and Secondary Master/Slave PIO PIO means Programmed Input/Output. Rather than have the BIOS issue a series of commands to effect a transfer to or from the disk drive, PIO allows the BIOS to tell the controller what it wants and then let the controller and the CPU perform the complete task by themselves. Your system suppor ts five modes, 0 to 4, which primarily differ in timing.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 Onboard Serial Port 1 and Onboard Serial Port 2 Auto The system will automatically select an I/O address for the onboard serial por t 1 and serial por t 2. 3F8/IRQ4, 2F8/IRQ3, 3E8/IRQ4, 2E8/IRQ3 Allows you to manually select an I/O address for the onboard serial port 1 and serial port 2. Disabled Disables the onboard serial por t 1 and/or serial port 2. UART 2 Mode The system board supports IrDA function for wireless connectivity between your computer and peripheral devices.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility Onboard Parallel Port 378/IRQ7, 3BC/IRQ7, 278/IRQ5 Selects the I/O address and IRQ for the onboard parallel port. Disabled Disables the onboard parallel port. Onboard Parallel Mode The options are Normal, EPP, ECP and ECP/EPP. These apply to a standard specification and will depend on the type and speed of your device. Refer to your peripherals manual for the best option. Normal Allows normal speed operation but in one direction only.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 3.1.9 Supervisor Password If you want to protect your system and setup from unauthorized entry, set a supervisors password with the System option selected in the Security Option field of the BIOS Features Setup. If you want to protect access to setup only, but not your system, set a super visors password with the Setup option selected. You will not be prompted for a password when you cold boot the system.
3 Award BIOS Setup Utility 3.1.11 IDE HDD Auto Detection Use this submenu to detect the parameters for the hard disk drives installed in your system. These parameters will then be automatically entered into the "Standard CMOS Setup". The IDE HDD Auto Detection screen displays the following categories of information: Size, Cylinders, Heads, Precomp, LandZone, Sectors and Mode. ROM PCI/ISA BIOS CMOS SETUP UTILITY AWARD SOFTWARE, INC.
Award BIOS Setup Utility 3 3.1.12 Save & Exit Setup When all the changes have been made, highlight Save & Exit Setup and press . The message below will appear: Save to CMOS and Exit (Y/N)? N Type Y and press . The modifications you have made will be written into the CMOS memory, and the system will reboot. You will once again see the initial diagnostics on the screen.
4 Supported Softwares Chapter 4 - Supported Softwares 4.1 Desktop Management Interface (DMI) The system board comes with a DMI built into the BIOS. DMI, along with the appropriately networked software, is designed to make inventory, maintenance and troubleshooting of computer systems easier. With DMI, a network administrator or MIS engineer can remotely access some information about a par ticular computer system without physically going to it.
Supported Softwares 4 4.1.
4 Supported Softwares Add DMI 1. Use the ← or → arrow keys to select the Add DMI menu. 2. Highlight the item on the left screen that you would like to add by using the ↑ or ↓ arrow keys, then press . 3. The cursor will move to the screen you select allowing you to enter information about the added item. 4. Press to save information into the flash ROM. To view information about the added items, go to the Edit DMI menu. Load DMI File 1.
Supported Softwares 4 4.2 VIA Hardware Monitor The system board comes with the VIA Hardware Monitor utility contained in the provided CD. It is capable of monitoring the systems hardware conditions such as the temperature of the CPU and system, voltage, and speed of the CPU and chassis fans. It also allows you to manually set a range to the items being monitored. If the values are over or under the set range, a warning message will pop-up.
4 Supported Softwares You must first install VIA® Service Pack prior to installing any other drivers. However, this may not be the case for some AGP cards. Please read carefully the following information. Important: The VGA driver that came with some AGP cards is already bundled with the AGP VxD driver. Since the version of the bundled VxD driver may be older than the one provided in the CD, installing the bundled VxD driver may cause problems.
System Error Message A Appendix A - System Error Message When the BIOS encounters an error that requires the user to correct something, either a beep code will sound or a message will be displayed in a box in the middle of the screen and the message, PRESS F1 TO CONTINUE, CTRL-ALT-ESC or DEL TO ENTER SETUP, will be shown in the information box at the bottom. Enter Setup to correct the error. A.1 POST Beep There are two kinds of beep codes in the BIOS.
A System Error Message setting than indicated in Setup. Determine which setting is correct, either turn off the system and change the jumper or enter Setup and change the VIDEO selection. FLOPPY DISK(S) fail (80) Unable to reset floppy subsystem. FLOPPY DISK(S) fail (40) Floppy type mismatch. Hard Disk(s) fail (80) HDD reset failed. Hard Disk(s) fail (40) HDD controller diagnostics failed. Hard Disk(s) fail (20) HDD initialization error. Hard Disk(s) fail (10) Unable to recalibrate fixed disk.
Troubleshooting B Appendix B - Troubleshooting B.1 Troubleshooting Checklist This chapter of the manual is designed to help you with problems that you may encounter with your personal computer. To efficiently troubleshoot your system, treat each problem individually. This is to ensure an accurate diagnosis of the problem in case a problem has multiple causes. Some of the most common things to check when you encounter problems while using your system are listed below. 1.
B Troubleshooting The picture seems to be constantly moving. 1. The monitor has lost its ver tical sync. Adjust the monitors vertical sync. 2. Move away any objects, such as another monitor or fan, that may be creating a magnetic field around the display. 3. Make sure your video cards output frequencies are supported by this monitor. The screen seems to be constantly wavering. 1. If the monitor is close to another monitor, the adjacent monitor may need to be turned off.
Troubleshooting B Hard Drive Hard disk failure. 1. Make sure the correct drive type for the hard disk drive has been entered in the BIOS. 2. If the system is configured with two hard drives, make sure the bootable (first) hard drive is configured as Master and the second hard drive is configured as Slave. The master hard drive must have an active/bootable par tition. Excessively long formatting period. 1.
B Troubleshooting Serial Port The serial device (modem, printer) doesnt output anything or is outputting garbled characters. 1. Make sure that the serial devices power is turned on and that the device is on-line. 2. Verify that the device is plugged into the correct serial port on the rear of the computer. 3. Verify that the attached serial device works by attaching it to a serial por t that is working and configured correctly.