IBM PC Server 325, User Handbook Manual

Page: 139 / 288

Diagnostic Tools Overview
Getting Started
If you are not familiar with the diagnostic tools, continue reading
the following sections. If you are familiar with these topics, select
the appropriate instructions from this chapter's table of contents.
Diagnostic Tools Overview
The following tools are available to help identify and resolve
hardware-related problems:
Ÿ Power-on self-test (POST)
Ÿ POST beep codes
Ÿ
Test programs
Ÿ
Error messages
Ÿ Troubleshooting charts
Ÿ Option Diskettes
Power-On Self-Test (POST)
When you turn on the system, it performs a series of tests to check
the operation of the system and some options. This series of tests is
called the power-on self-test, or POST.
POST does the following:
Ÿ
Checks some basic system-board operations
Ÿ
Checks the memory operation
Ÿ Compares the current system configuration with the stored
system configuration information
Ÿ Starts the video operation
Ÿ
Verifies that drives (such as the diskette, CD-ROM, and hard
disk drives) are working
While the memory is being tested, the amount of available memory
appears on the screen. These numbers advance as the system
progresses through POST. If POST finishes without detecting any
problems, a single beep sounds and the first screen of your
operating system or application program appears.
Chapter 4. Solving Problems
125