Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
at a time, retesting after each change. If the symptoms remain, use a POST card (if you have one) to
see whether the board is partially functional and where it stops. Also, try replacing the video card,
RAM, CPU, and then finally the motherboard, and verify the CPU and (especially) the heatsink
installation.
The system beeps when I turn it on, but there is nothing on the screen.
The beep indicates a failure detected by the ROM POST routines. Look up the beep code in the table
corresponding to the ROM version in your motherboard. This can typically be found in the
motherboard manual; however, you can also find the beep codes for the most popular AMI, Award,
and PhoenixBIOS earlier in this chapter.
I see a
STOP
or
STOP ERROR
in Windows.
Many things, including corrupted files, viruses, incorrectly configured hardware, and failing
in this chapter for more information on troubleshooting Windows error messages. One of the most
valuable resources for handling any error message displayed by Windows is the Microsoft
Knowledgebase (MSKB), an online compendium of articles covering all Microsoft products. You
can visit the MSKB at
http://support.microsoft.com
, and from there you can use the search tool to
retrieve information specific to your problem.
I see
Fatal Exception
errors in Windows 95/98/Me.
This is the equivalent of the
STOP
error in Windows NT or later. As indicated in the previous
answer, this can be caused by both hardware and software problems, and the best place to check for
specific solutions is in the Microsoft Knowledgebase (MSKB) at
http://support.microsoft.com
.
The system won't shut down in Windows.
This problem is usually caused by driver problems. (Try installing the latest chipset and power
management drivers for your motherboard.) However, it can also be caused by bugs in motherboard
ROM (try upgrading your motherboard ROM to the latest version), bugs in the various Windows
versions (run Windows Update from Control Panel and install the latest fixes, patches, and service
packs), or in some cases configuration or hardware problems.
The power button won't turn off the system.
Desktop PCs built since 1996 mostly use the ATX form factor power supplies, which incorporate a
design such that the power switch is connected to the motherboard and not the power supply directly.
This enables the motherboard and operating system to control system shutdown, preventing an
unexpected loss of power that can cause data loss or file system corruption. However, if the system
experiences a problem and becomes frozen or locked up in some way, the motherboard might not
respond to the power button, meaning it will not send a shutdown signal to the power supply. It might
seem that you will have to pull the plug to power off the system, but fortunately a forced shutdown
override is provided. Merely press and hold down the system power button (usually on the front of
the chassis) for a minimum of 4 seconds, and the system should power off. The only drawback is that,
because this type of shutdown is forced and under the control of the motherboard or operating system,
unsaved data can be lost and some file system corruption can result. You should therefore run
ScanDisk (Windows 2000 and earlier) or Chkdsk /F (Windows XP and later) from a command
prompt to check for and correct any file-system issues after a forced shutdown.
