Subtests; Why Run A Video Test; Keyboard Test Group - Dell PowerEdge 4200 Installation And Troubleshooting Manual

Subtests

The eight subtests in the Video Test Group and the video
functions they test follow:
•
Video Memory Test
Checks the read/write capability of video memory in
various video modes.
•
Video Hardware Test
Checks the cursor registers and the horizontal and
vertical retrace bit registers in the video controller.
•
Text Mode Character Test
Checks the video subsystem's ability to present data
in text modes.
•
Text Mode Color Test
Checks the video subsystem's ability to present color
in text modes.
•
Text Mode Pages Test
Checks the video subsystem's ability to map and
present all available video pages on the screen, one
page at a time.
•
Graphics Mode Test
Checks the video subsystem's ability to present data
and color in graphics modes.
•
Color Palettes Test
Checks the video subsystem's ability to display all of
the available colors.
•
Solid Colors Test
Checks the video subsystem's ability to show
screens full of solid colors. Allows you to check for
missing color subpixels.
Many of these tests display characters or graphics on the
screen for you to verify. Samples of these screens are
shown in Appendix B, "Diagnostic Video Tests."
NOTE: The default limit for testing super video graphics
array (SVGA) modes is No. If you are testing an external
monitor, change the default to Yes.

Why Run a Video Test?

Many of the symptoms that would prompt you to run a
subtest in the Video Test Group are obvious, because the
monitor is the visual component of the computer system.
Before you run the Video Test Group or any of its sub-
tests, you should make sure that the problem is not in the
software or caused by a hardware change. You should
also try running all of the software support utilities pro-
vided for the monitor and the video subsystem.
If the following symptoms still occur, run the appropriate
test(s) as follows:
•
If the monitor shows a partially formed or distorted
image, run all of the subtests in the Video Test
Group.
•
If the alignment of text or images is off, regardless of
the program you are running, run the Text Mode
Character Test, Text Mode Pages Test, and Graphics
Mode Test.
•
If you have a color monitor or a program that runs in
color, but the color is intermittent or not displayed at
all, run the Text Mode Color Test, Color Palettes
Test, and Solid Colors Test.
•
If the monitor malfunctions in one mode but works
fine in another (for example, text is displayed cor-
rectly, but graphics are not), run the Text Mode
Character Test, Text Mode Color Test, Text Mode
Pages Test, and Graphics Mode Test.
K
eyboard Test Group
The subtests in the Keyboard Test Group verify the cor-
rect operation of the keyboard and the keyboard
controller chip.
Subtests
The five keyboard subtests and the keyboard functions
they test follow:
•
Keyboard Controller Test
Confirms the ability of the keyboard controller chip
to communicate with the keyboard and the program-
ming of the controller chip
Running the System Diagnostics 5-13