Frequently Asked Questions - HP Vectra VL410 Troubleshooting Manual

If You Have a Problem

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs
General problems
How can I reinstall my PC's operating system?
Why is my PC running
slowly/producing strange messages?
I've been experiencing problems with my PC ever
since I installed some new software. What can I
do?
Can I use USB hardware devices with the
operating system preloaded on my PC?
How can I find out what hardware and BIOS
version are used in my PC?
Where can I get information about the latest HP
drivers?
My PC runs Scandisk when I boot under Windows
98 SE even if the previous shutdown appeared to
finish normally. Why?
Why doesn't my PC start when using a console
switch?
Why does my PC emit a long series of beeps
during the boot process when my screen remains
blank?
How can I use the LEDs on the front panel to
troubleshoot my PC?
I have an event log that says that the RPC hung.
What can I do?
Why are the beep codes from the
e-DiagTools pre-boot diagnostics feature reporting
a null serial number and PCID on my PC?
24
Ö
Use the HP Image Creation & Recovery CD-ROM provided with your
PC (refer to page 26)
Ö
• If you are connected to a network, the slowness of your PC may
be caused by the network.
• Your PC may be infected by a virus. Use an antivirus utility to
erase any viruses.
Or, update your PC's BIOS. You can download the BIOS and
updating instructions from
www.hp.com/go/vectrasupport
Ö
Uninstall the software to see whether this solves the problem. If the
problem continues, contact the software manufacturer for help or
information on known compatibility problems.
Ö
Yes. USB is supported by both Windows 98 and Windows 2000.
Ö
Restart the PC and press Esc during the Power-On-Self-Test
(POST). The BIOS version will be displayed at the top of the screen.
Ö
From HP's website:
www.hp.com/go/vectrasupport
Ö
Sometimes your PC may appear to shutdown successfully when it
has not. In these cases the operating system thinks that Windows
has been shutdown incorrectly and runs Scandisk.
A solution for this problem can be found at:
support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q
273/0/17.ASP
Ö
This only applies to switches that internally connect both power lines
of the PS/2 mouse and keyboard.To solve the problem, use one
mouse for each PC connected to the console switch.
Ö
The beeps are created by the HP e-Diagtools pre-boot diagnostics
utility. For more information, see page 19.
Ö
The LEDs on the front panel indicate the various states your PC is in.
The On/Off LED indicates the power modes status of your PC. The
three states are: green (PC is on), blinking green (PC is suspended)
and off (PC is off).
The Lock LED indicates whether your PC is locked or not. The two
states are: orange (PC is locked) and off (PC is not locked).
Ö
This is because Windows NT SP6a uses 99% of the CPU. This issue
has been acknowledged in the Microsoft knowledge base (Ref
Q266208 available on:
support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q
266/2/08.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=SO&FR=0)
Ö
If the PC is unplugged and then plugged in again, both the serial
number and PCID are lost (reset to zero). If, subsequently, a pre-boot
failure occurs before the BIOS has been able to boot the PC (and
refresh the serial number and PCID in the micro-controller), you will
see a null serial number and PCID in the Virtual Call Assistant.
The suggested workaround to this issue is to communicate the serial
number and model information over the telephone.
.