Chapter 3. Diagnostics; General Checkout - IBM IntelliStation M Pro 6225 Hardware Maintenance Manual And Troubleshooting Manual

Chapter 3. Diagnostics

This section provides basic troubleshooting information to help you solve some
problems that might occur.

General checkout

Follow the checkout procedure for diagnosing hardware problems. Review the
following information before performing the checkout procedure:
v Read Appendix B, "Safety information," on page 115.
v The system diagnostic programs are stored on a hidden partition on the
v When you run the diagnostic programs, a single problem might cause several
v Before running the diagnostic programs, you must determine whether the failing
v Important:
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004
computer hard disk. These programs are the primary method of testing the major
components of the computer: the system board, Ethernet controller, video
controller, RAM, keyboard, mouse (pointing device), serial ports, hard disk drives,
and parallel port. You can also use them to test some external devices. If you are
not sure whether a problem is caused by the hardware or by the software, you
can use the diagnostic programs to confirm that the hardware is working
correctly.
error messages. If you receive several error messages, correct the cause of the
first error message. The other error messages might not occur the next time you
run the diagnostic programs.
computer is part of a shared hard disk drive cluster (two or more computers
sharing external storage devices). If you suspect that it is part of a cluster, you
can run all diagnostic programs except the ones that test the storage unit (that is,
a hard disk drive in the storage unit) or the storage adapter that is attached to
the storage unit. The failing computer might be part of a cluster if any of the
following conditions is true:
– The customer identifies the failing computer as part of a cluster.
– One or more external storage units are attached to the failing computer and at
least one of the attached storage units is also attached to another computer
or unidentifiable device.
– One or more computers are located near the failing computer.
1. For computers that are part of a shared hard disk drive cluster, run one test
at a time. Do not run any suite of tests, such as "quick" or "normal" tests,
because this could enable the hard disk drive diagnostic tests.
2. If more than one error code is displayed, correct the first error. The other
error codes might not occur the next time you run the diagnostic programs.
3. If the computer is suspended and a POST error code is displayed, see
"POST error codes" on page 95.
4. If the computer is suspended and no error message is displayed, see "Error
symptoms" on page 87 and "Undetermined problems" on page 102.
5. For information about power-supply problems, see "Power checkout" on page
25.
6. For intermittent problems, check the error log; see "Diagnostic programs and
error messages" on page 12.
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