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Running the System Diagnostics
Dell™ PowerEdge™ 400SC Systems
Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
System Diagnostics Features
When to Use the System Diagnostics
Running the System Diagnostics
System Diagnostics Testing Options
If you experience a problem with your system, run the diagnostics before calling for technical assistance. The purpose of the diagnostics is to test your system's hardware without requiring additional equipment or risking data loss. If you are unable to fix the problem yourself, service and support personnel can use diagnostics test results to help you solve the problem.
System Diagnostics Features
The system diagnostics provides a series of menus and options for particular device groups or devices. The system diagnostics menus and options allow you to:
- Run tests individually or collectively.
- Control the sequence of tests.
- Repeat tests.
- Display, print, or save test results.
- Temporarily suspend testing if an error is detected or terminate testing when a user-defined error limit is reached.
- View help messages that briefly describe each test and its parameters.
- View status messages that inform you if tests are completed successfully.
- View error messages that inform you of problems encountered during testing.
When to Use the System Diagnostics
If a major component or device in the system does not operate properly, component failure may be indicated. As long as the processor and the system's input/output devices (monitor, keyboard, and diskette drive) are functioning, you can use the system diagnostics to help identify the problem.
Running the System Diagnostics
The system diagnostics can be run either from the utility partition on your hard drive or from a set of diskettes that you create using the System Support CD. The utility partition can be accessed from the System Utilities screen by pressing <F10> as the system boots or from the Boot Device menu by pressing <F12> as the system boots.
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NOTICE: Use the system diagnostics to test only your system. Using this program with other
systems may cause invalid results or error messages. In addition, use only the program that
came with your system (or an updated version of that program).
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From the System Utilities Screen
- As the system boots, press <F10> during POST.
If your operating system begins to load before you press <F10>, allow the system to finish booting, and then restart your system and try again.
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NOTE: To ensure an orderly system shutdown, see the documentation that accompanied
your operating system.
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- From the System Utilities main menu, select Run System Diagnostics.
From the Boot Device Menu
- As the system boots, press <F12> during POST.
If your operating system begins to load before you press <F12>, allow the system to finish booting, and then restart your system and try again.
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NOTE: To ensure an orderly system shutdown, see the documentation that accompanied
your operating system.
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- From the Boot Device menu, highlight Boot to Utility Partition and press <Enter>.
- From the System Utilities main menu, select Run System Diagnostics.
From the Diagnostics Diskettes
- Create a set of diagnostics diskettes from the System Support CD. See "Using the
System Support CD" in your User's Guide for information about creating the diskettes.
- Insert the first diagnostics diskette.
- Reboot the system.
If the system fails to boot, see "Getting Help."
When you start the system diagnostics, a message is displayed stating that the diagnostics are initializing. Next, the system diagnostics Main Menu appears. The menu allows you to run all or specific diagnostics tests or to exit the system diagnostics.
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NOTE: Before you read the rest of this section, start the system diagnostics so that
you can see the utility on your screen.
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System Diagnostics Testing Options
From the system diagnostics Main Menu, click the button for the desired test.
Table 4-1 provides a brief explanation of testing options.
Table 4-1. System Diagnostics Main Menu Options
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Option
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Function
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Express Test | Performs a quick test of devices. This test typically takes 10 to 20 minutes and requires no interaction on your part. Run Express Test first to increase the possibility of tracing the problem quickly. |
Extended Test | Performs a thorough check of devices. This test typically takes an hour or more and requires you to answer questions periodically. |
Custom Test | Tests a specific device. You can customize the tests you want to run. |
Symptom Tree | Lists the most common symptoms encountered and allows you to select a test based on the symptom of the problem you are having. |
- If a problem is encountered during a test, a message displaying the error code and a
description of the problem appear. Write down the error code and problem description
and follow the instructions on the screen.
If you cannot resolve the error condition, see "Getting Help."
- If you run a test from the Custom Test or Symptom Tree option, click the applicable
tab described in the Table 4-2.
Table 4-2. Custom Test or Symptom Tree Tabs
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Tab
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Function
|
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Results | Displays the results of the test and any error conditions encountered. |
Errors | Displays error conditions encountered, error codes, and problem description. |
Help | Describes the test and may indicate requirements for running the test. |
Configuration | Displays your hardware configuration for the selected device. The system diagnostics obtains your configuration information for all devices from the System Setup program, memory, and various internal tests and displays it in the device list in the left pane of the screen. The device list may not display the names of all the components installed on your system or all devices attached to your system. |
Parameters | Allows you to customize the test by changing the test settings. |
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