Power-On Self-Test (Post) - IBM IntelliStation M Pro Type 6868 User Manual

Power-on self-test (POST)

Each time you turn on your computer, it performs a series of tests that
check the operation of the base computer. This series of tests is called the
power-on self-test (POST).
POST does the following:
Checks basic system board operations
Checks the memory operation
Compares the current system configuration with that established by the
Configuration/Setup Utility program
Starts the video operation
Verifies that the diskette drives are working
Verifies that the hard disk drive and the CD-ROM drive are working
If Power-On Self-Test is set to enhanced, numbers showing the amount of
memory being tested appear in the top-left corner of the screen until the
total amount of memory in the system is reached. Options for accessing the
Configuration/Setup utility appear in the lower-left corner of the screen.
Quick POST is the default mode of operation.
Note: The amount of available memory shown might be somewhat less
than expected because of basic input/output system (BIOS)
shadowing in random access memory (RAM).
If POST finishes without detecting any problems, the first screen of your
operating system or application program appears if you have not set a
power-on password. If you have set a power-on password, a password
prompt appears. You must type your password before the first screen of
your operating system or application program will appear. (For more
information about using passwords, see Chapter 4, "Using the
Configuration/Setup Utility program" on page 43.)
If Power-On Status is enabled and POST detects no problems, you will hear
a single beep. If POST detects a problem, you will hear multiple beeps or
no beep. In most cases, an error code appears in the top-left corner of the
screen, and in some cases a description of the error is displayed beside the
code. (Note that the screen will sometimes display multiple error codes and
descriptions.) For more information about what caused an error message to
appear and what action to take, see "POST messages" on page 101.
POST error messages appear when POST finds problems with or changes to
the hardware during startup. POST error messages are 3-, 4-, 5-, 8-, or
12-character alphanumeric messages and include brief explanations (except
I999XXXX errors).
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