Appendixk Contents

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Page i
Troubleshooting
Your PC Bible,
5th Edition
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Page ii
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Troubleshooting
Your PC Bible,
5th Edition
Jim Aspinwall and Mike Todd
IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.

An International Data Group Company
Foster City, CA Chicago, IL Indianapolis, IN New York, NY
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Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Aspinwall, Jim.
Troubleshooting your PC bible / Jim Aspinwall
and Mike Todd. -- 5th ed.
p. cm.
New ed. of Troubleshooting your PC /
Jim Aspinwall and Mike Todd. 4th ed. c1999.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7645-3510-2 (alk. paper)
1. Microcomputers--Maintenance and repair.
2. Microcomputers--Upgrading. I. Todd, Mike.
II. Aspinwall, Jim. Troubleshooting your PC.
III. Title.
TK7887 .A87 2000
004.165--dc21
00-057499
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Page v
Welcome to the world of IDG Books Worldwide.

IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., is a subsidiary of International Data Group, the worlds largest publisher of
computer-related information and the leading global provider of information services on information technology.
IDG was founded more than 30 years ago by Patrick J. McGovern and now employs more than 9,000 people
worldwide. IDG publishes more than 290 computer publications in over 75 countries. More than 90 million
people read one or more IDG publications each month.
Launched in 1990, IDG Books Worldwide is today the #1 publisher of best-selling computer books in the
United States. We are proud to have received eight awards from the Computer Press Association in recognition
of editorial excellence and three from Computer Currents First Annual Readers Choice Awards. Our bestselling ...For Dummies series has more than 50 million copies in print with translations in 31 languages. IDG
Books Worldwide, through a joint venture with IDGs Hi-Tech Beijing, became the first U.S. publisher to
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Our mission is simple: Every one of our books is designed to bring extra value and skill-building instructions
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You can count on our commitment to deliver high-quality books at competitive prices on topics you want
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Computer Press
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IDG is the worlds leading IT media, research and exposition company. Founded in 1964, IDG had 1997 revenues of $2.05
billion and has more than 9,000 employees worldwide. IDG offers the widest range of media options that reach IT buyers
in 75 countries representing 95% of worldwide IT spending. IDGs diverse product and services portfolio spans six key areas
including print publishing, online publishing, expositions and conferences, market research, education and training, and
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IDGs leading global brands Computerworld, PC World, Network World, Macworld and the Channel World family of
publications. IDG Books Worldwide is one of the fastest-growing computer book publishers in the world, with more than
700 titles in 36 languages. The ...For Dummies series alone has more than 50 million copies in print. IDG offers online
users the largest network of technology-specific Web sites around the world through IDG.net (http://www.idg.net), which
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and expositions in 35 countries including E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), Macworld Expo, ComNet, Windows World
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at www.idg.com.
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Credits
Acquisitions Editor
Ed Adams
Project Editors
Sharon Eames
Martin Minner
Technical Editor
Jeff Wiedenfeld
Copy Editors
Lane Barnholtz
Julie Campbell Moss
Nancy Rapoport
Michael D. Welch
Proof Editor
Patsy Owens
Graphics and Production Specialists

Bob Bihlmayer
Darren Cutlip
Jude Levinson
Michael Lewis
Victor Prez-Varela
Ramses Ramirez
Quality Control Technician
Dina F Quan
Media Development Specialist
Brock Bigard
Permissions Editor
Carmen Krikorian
Assoc. Media Development Specialist
Megan Decraene
Project Coordinators
Danette Nurse
Louigene Santos
Media Development Coordinator

Marisa Pearman
Proofreading and Indexing

York Production Services
Media Development Manager

Laura Carpenter
Cover Image
Lawrence Huck
Illustrators
Rashell Smith
Gabriele McCann
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About the Authors

Jim Aspinwall writes to support his PC habit, and he conveys his experiences
to others as author of IRQ, DMA, & I/O and as Computer Currents magazines
Windows Advisor columnist. He brings to this fifth edition of Troubleshooting
Your PC Bible several years of experience with PC utility software, PC diagnostic
software, telecommuter-networking technical support, and online support. He has
worked for DiagSoft, Vertisoft, TuneUp.com, Quarterdeck, and various high-tech
firms. A consummate tinkerer, Jim still finds a few moments away from the
keyboard to spend at his workbench in a dusty mountaintop radio shack or
on a cold steel tower to build and maintain amateur-radio repeater systems.
Mike Todd founded the Internet Society Los Angeles Chapter, the Capital PC User
Group in Washington, DC, the IBM Special Interest Group on CompuServe (also on
The Source and on Unison), and has promoted the development of computer user
groups around the world. Along with Professor Sumpei Cumon, Mike spoke in 1985
at the inauguration of the NEC PC Value Added Network, which was one of the first
public networks established in Japan. . Before retiring from the U.S.Navy, Mike fostered the development of the Navys Microcomputer User Group and trained the
people who manage public education in how to use their PCs at each of the regional
offices of the U.S. Department of Education. Most recently, Mike, along with a few
new friends, has founded the Internet Society Los Angeles Chapter (ISOC-LA).
At one of the first ISOC-LA sponsored events, which provided a free clinic for
anyone having problems with their computer, Mike even helped a few MAC users
upgrade their computers so that they could connect to the Internet. Mikes interests
include developing communities and commerce over the Web, information systems
technology, health care administration, applications in business and government,
programming, computer consulting, hiking, body surfing, bicycle riding, and travel.
Contacting the Authors

Jim Aspinwall: Internet: wb9gvf@raisin.com or through www.raisin.com
Mike Todd: Internet: Mike.Todd@miketodd.com, www.miketodd.com, or
mtodd@ISOC-LA.org.
The Troubleshooting Your PC Bible Web site can be found at www.typc.com.
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To my wife, friend, and favorite PC user, Kathy.

To my family and friends. To PC users everywhere.
Jim Aspinwall
To Kristi, my wife and best friend. To my sons,

and to countless PC users, members of the online
communities, and Internet users around the World.
Mike Todd
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Preface
f you are a PC technician, Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition will help you
better educate your customers, which should make your job easier. It will help
you get their computers back into operation much quicker, and then they will be
more satisfied with your work.
If you are an experienced PC user, this book will remind you of those things that
have helped you get you to where you are now, and it will provide a solid reference
for some of the issues you may not have dealt with in the past.
This book really is not to be read from cover to cover in one or two sittings, like
a novel, although we encourage you to try it that way, too. We have organized the
information so that you can use this book as a reference guide. If something is not
working right, reach for this book, find the section that deals with that problem,
find the information you need, and follow the steps to solve the problem.
You and your computer might encounter some misleading and baffling problems
at some time in your relationship. Hopefully, those will be few and far between. For
the most part, a little familiarity, the willingness to try, and a handy reference like
this one should be all you need to explore the inner workings of your system and
to find and fix what ails it.
Feel free to use Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition as either a reference for
looking up what you need to know or as a tutorial to help you become much more
familiar with your PC and to help you handle any common problem and some of
the uncommon ones, as well!
How this Book is Organized

Problem Index. The place to quickly find Solutions to Problems you have identified
by their Symptoms and the components you Suspect.
Part I: Getting Started

Youll find the Getting Started chapters in Part I. While these chapters are mostly
oriented to folks who are new to PCs, many seasoned PC veterans have found great
value in this perspective. A refresher seldom hurts.
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Preface
Chapter 1: Troubleshooting. We cover the general concepts of troubleshooting and demystify the process of finding and solving problems in your system.
Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade. We describe the hardware and software tools
you need to work on your PC, including emergency diskettes, prerecovery
preparations, recovery tools for Windows, program removal tools, and
hand tools.
Chapter 3: Protecting Yourself and Your PC. We cover erased file protection;
virus protection; communications problems; data recovery; and ways to
protect yourself, your files, and programs.
Chapter 4: Your Personal Computer. Chapter 4 provides an overview of your
PC system; definitions of the major components, subsystems, and other items
found inside your PC; and definitions and examples of PC peripherals
Chapter 5: Physical Versus Logical Devices. Whats physical, whats logical?
Chapter 5 answers this, and it discusses translating logical devices into
physical addresses, associating IRQ assignments with logical names, and
how Windows handles device names and addresses.
Part II: The Soft Side of your PC

Part II delves into the soft side of you PC by taking you through the legacy of DOS
and early versions of Windows, the current manifestations of Windows 2000 and
Windows Millennium, and then it takes off into Networks and the Internet.
Chapter 6: Operating Systems, File Systems, and User Interfaces. This chapter covers control programs and procedures, and ways that both can take full
advantage of the power of PCs. This small introduction helps you prepare to
install, configure, and use the devices that integrate into our PC systems.
Chapter 7: DOS Parts. Chapter 7 starts with a brief history of DOS, introduces
configuring your operating system, surveys DOS Shells, and ends with multitasking user interfaces.
Chapter 8: Windows for Home and Desktop. Chapter 8 departs a bit from
this books presentation style. As a premise, we start with an old PC, one that
began life as a 386, DOS system, and we upgrade it all the way to Windows NT/
2000, installing Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, and
Windows 98 along the way.
Chapter 9: Windows for the Enterprise. Windows NT Workstation,
Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT Server, Windows 2000 Server,
and Windows 2000 Advanced Server are presented primarily from the
standpoint of installing and configuring. Of course, we do address problems
but, aside from some new and exciting installation challenges, these Windows
versions are much more stable than any earlier version of Windows.
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Chapter 10: Networking. Networking has become a function of just about

every PC. This chapter starts with the reasons to share files, printers, and
other resources. Windows networking is emphasized because it is installed
or installable on the majority of PCs in use and being sold today. While this
chapter is not meant to provide comprehensive network management and
optimization information, it does address the types of problems that can
prevent access to networks, and it offers solutions.
Chapter 11: The Internet. Chapter 11 builds on the networking introduction
in Chapter 10 and takes some of the mystery and complexity out of setting
up your system to connect with the Net. It does not attempt to make you an
instant expert on the Internet, but it does address common setup and troubleshooting issues. Chapter 11 also address Internet security and encourage you
to use a personal firewall.
Part III: The Hard Side of your PC

Part III starts with applying the power to your PC and continues on with hardware
installation and configuration, and it spends time on system boards and memory.
Chapter 12: Bootup Problems. This chapter begins by discussing what happens
when you turn on the power to your PC, and it continues on into problems
related to the AC and DC power used by your system. It deals with battery problems; portable and handheld computers; and general system problems, such a
video, CMOS, memory, motherboard, and hard disk system problems related to
starting your computer.
Chapter 13: Configuration Problems. Chapter 13 addresses configuring your
PC through its startup files. Because DOS is where PCs started, this is where we
begin. We provide a basic look at configuring and starting your system, using
the multiboot options to give you the ability to use multiple operating systems,
and we take a look at configuration conflicts. The focus is on the CONFIG.SYS
and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, but many concepts still apply to problems found in
Windows, OS/2, and even Unix and mainframe systems. Windows configuration
problems are covered more directly in Chapters 8 and 9.
Chapter 14: System Boards. Regardless of which operating system you decide
to use, the system board in your PC is the platform on which it runs. This chapter introduces you to all of the components and features that compose the
system board, as well as explaining how they work together. We also cover the
connections to the system board, including the system bus; and I/O connections, including Universal Serial Bus, the FireWire, keyboard, and mouse. We present ways to make Plug and Play work for you and your computer, or at least
ways to keep it from preventing you from using your hardware. The BIOS setup
gets the full treatment, and we even cover how to work with Flash ROM and how
to use special recovery procedure, if you run into problems. We wrap up this
chapter with the problems you may encounter and how to fix them, of course.
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Preface
Chapter 15: System Memory. This chapter describes ROM, RAM, and other
types of memory (CMOS, VRAM, cache, and even virtual). It discusses
memory parity and how to test your systems memory leads to memory
configuration, as well as exploring common problems and solutions. We
also help you upgrade your memory for optimum performance.
Part IV: Disk Drives

Part IV is dedicated to disk drives and explores their variety, as well as their commonality. Because computers are not very useful without reliable data storage, we
help you make sure your investment in disk drives is protected and optimized.
Chapter 16: Disk Drive Basics. This chapter comprehensively describes
disk drive types, BIOS and DOS limitations and features, disk partitioning,
and formatting. We delve into the technology that makes your hard disk,
CD-ROM, and diskette drives work.
Chapter 17: Disk Drive Utilities and Diagnostics. Chapter 17 presents disk
drive utilities and describes how they keep drive systems running at top
performance.
Chapter 18: Hard Drives. Chapter 18 covers installing, adding, or changing
hard drives; partitioning and formatting hard drives; and, of course, hard
drive problems.
Chapter 19: Diskette, CD-ROM, and other Drives. Chapter 19 is about working with diskettes, CD-ROM drives, and alternative drives. This chapter covers
taking care of drives and disks, and it covers comprehensive presentations of
the problems and solutions for fixing drive systems.
Part V: Other Parts of Your PC

Part V deals with the components of PCs that provide the means to actually use
them. Screens, keyboards, speakers, microphones, printers, scanners, modems,
and wireless devices are covered. How to install, configure, and integrate these
components into a functional unit is the goal.
Chapter 20: Sights and Sounds. Chapter 20 starts with a little history of PC
video to help with orientation, standards, and terminology. We cover new
video capabilities, installing sound and video, common video and videodisplay problems, sound card installation, and common audio problems.
Chapter 21: Basic Input and Output. Chapter 21 addresses the devices most
often connected to your computer for getting information and data into and
out of your computer system. We start with printers, which, outside of video,
is the most common way of viewing your computers information. We also
discuss mice, trackballs, and pen pads, even though they provide few problems. Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) provides some configuration
challenges, so we cover these problems, as well. Scanners can also be a
challenge, but careful setup and configuration can produce rewarding results.
The USB provides some new problems, but the solutions make sense.
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Preface
Chapter 22: Serial Input and Output. This chapter deals with installing,
configuring, and using computer serial ports. Because the use of modems is
the most common use of COM ports, the majority of this chapter deals with
modems and the types of problems you may encounter when using them.
We also deal with the problems associated with phone lines and connecting
modems. We round out the chapter with alternate ways of engaging serial
communications.
Part VI: Maintaining Your PC

Part VI wraps up the concept of avoiding troubleshooting with a proactive approach
to building barriers to problems and maintaining the ability to respond more quickly
to the inevitable challenges that you may face at one time or another.
Chapter 23: Do it Yourself With Confidence! This final chapter surveys
types of diagnostic and utility software, and it explores how this software
provides information about your system, analyzes your system, diagnoses
problems, and in some cases, fixes those problems. We also cover software
used to diagnose and fix Year-2000 problems and show where to find this
software. We cover do-it-yourself advice that helps you prevent problems
and keep your system running smoothly. Much information and a form to
document your system are provided to help you get the right kind of support,
even if you provide it yourself. We end with recommendations for upgrading
your computer for optimum performance.
Appendixes
All through Troubleshooting Your PC Bible we offer advice to help you install, configure, and optimize your PC and its components. We lead you into problem solving by
way of identifying Symptoms that lead you to the Suspects contributing to the problem, and then we provide the Solutions that get your PC back into operation.
Use the Problem Index at the beginning of the book to help you locate discussion
of specific problems in the chapters. In these discussions youll find not only the
solutions to problems, but also the background information that will help you
avoid further problems.
Use the Glossary to expand your vocabulary and learning quotient.
Use the Appendix section to find specific details regarding memory, IRQs, keyboard
codes, the ultimate ASCII-EBCDIC-Binary-Octal-decimal-HEX-PC character-code chart,
Video colors and modes, hard drive types, beep codes, error messages, cabling diagrams, your very own Technical Support Form, and our favorite and most helpful
Internet sites.
Appendix J contains the guide to the files on the CD-ROM.
xiii
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Preface
Suggestions for Using This Book

If you read Chapters 1 and 23 before trouble arises, you will probably feel much
more comfortable when you have to open your PCs box for the first time. After
reading these chapters, removing the cover of the system, checking the wires
and their connections, running the utility software, finding the right parts at
a computer store, and finding help without wasting much time or money will
be mysteries you already know how to solve.
If you want to build your own PC or learn how to become a full-time service technician, there are very good texts and courses on the subject. We are proud that this
book is one of them but our aim right now is to get you and your computer up
and running.
In addition to Chapter 1, you may want to read Chapters 2 through 5 to become
familiar with the components of your PC and the methods and simple tools used
to fix and maintain it. You should also read Chapter 23 to begin a planned program
of preventive maintenance for your system. Check the Appendixes for items of
interest to you. Browse the front matter and the remaining chapters just to see
what is in the book.
Your familiarity with this book will come in handy when you find yourself in the
midst of a long night or weekend and something goes wrong. The better you have
taken care of your system, maintained its documentation, and kept up with logging
system status (hardware and software configuration and settings), the easier it will
be to take care of a problem.
If you are pretty sure that the problem is related to startup, configuration, memory,
or one of the other main areas to which an entire chapter is devoted, turn to the
Problem Index organized by chapters. Find the Problem Statement that appears to
be related to your current situation. Turn to that section in this book and get ready
to solve the problem.
You may need the documentation for your hardware and software for information
unique to your particular system. If you have maintained your own documentation
of hardware and software installed in your system, make sure you have that available, too.
The rest of what you will need to do will depend on the circumstances and how
well your problem matches those we have documented in this book.
Symptoms, Suspects, and Solutions are a special feature of this book. If you want to
skip over all the explanatory text of each chapter and get right to solving specific
problems, look for these sections:
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Preface
Symptoms
The things your system tells you through onscreen messages or other methods.
Suspects
The parts of your system that may be the cause or may be related to the problem to
which the symptoms point.
Solutions
What you can do to fix the problems you have found.
Remember this piece of information. It could help you save time or energy
later on.
Tip
Caution
Warning, caution, and take care! Some of the solutions we suggest should be
attempted only after you have taken the proper precautions that we provide. Also,
taking actions to solve a problem in one area of your system may cause problems
in another. This icon serves as a yellow light to slow you down in those areas.
Note
Note this fact.
CrossReference
We call this our Look elsewhere icon. It appears whenever we refer you to
other areas of the book for more information.
On the
CD-ROM
There are many cool demos of useful products in this books CD-ROM. This icon in
the text will tell you when a product weve discussed is on the CD-ROM. You can
also check out the Whats on the CD-ROM appendix in the back of this book.
For your benefit, some key words, most of them defined in the text and/or in the
Glossary, appear in italics. Executable program names and internal DOS commands
appear in UPPER CASE. DOS and CMD command lines appear in a monospace font,
as well as onscreen messages, as they would appear on your screen.
By informal convention, where DOS disk, directory, subdirectory, and filename
specifications are indicated, as in
d:\path\filename
or
d:\sub-directory\filename
the d: is meant to be replaced by the designation for your specific disk drive, such
as A:, B:, C:, and so on. The \path\ or \sub-directory\ is meant to be replaced
xv
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Preface
by your particular subdirectory path or structure where the filename of interest is

located, for instance \UTILITIES\NORTON\. And filename is meant to be replaced
by the executable or working file of interest, such as NDD.EXE, or simply NDD for
an executable file; or MY_TEXT.DOC for a document file. You will see this type of
expression throughout many software manuals and books about PCs.
Most numeric address expressions are in hexadecimal, as noted by a lower case h
following the number, such as ###h, or 0x###, the same number (because the 0x
preceding the number means it is a hexadecimal number too), also by convention.
In cases where the h or 0x may have been left off, as in 378 when referring to
a port designation, we mean 378h (or 0x378), unless we have specifically noted
that the number is in decimal or another numbering system. Bitmapped indications,
such as 0101 are in binary (base 2) and not meant to represent 101h or 101 (one
hundred one, decimal, base 10).
Just to keep the numbers straight, as explained in the text and Glossary. Following,
though, are some definitions:
A byte is 8 bits, a word is 16 bits or 2 bytes.
A kilobyte, abbreviated as KB or K, equals 1,024 bytes.
A megabyte, abbreviated as MB or M, is 1,024 KB; or 1,024 (times)
1,024 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes, or 8,388,608 bits.
The numbers start getting really large. Have you seen a petabyte number lately?
It is composed of 50 digits.
Its now time to get on with the job of fixing your computer and increasing your understanding of PCs. Use this book to document your system, diagnose its problems, and
get to work troubleshooting and fixing those problems.
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Acknowledgments
Jim about Mike
A mutual friend and prior coauthor of ours was my inspiration and first PC guru
who got me involved first online and then into PCs full-steam ahead. I first met
Mike through that online experience, while I was researching the best way to proceed with getting into PCs (I was using an Apple IIc at the time). Mike was then the
sysop of the IBMSIG forum on the now defunct The Source online service. What
I found was truly an online community of users from throughout the world. The
nature of this community, its open sharing of PC technical and simplified use
information, recommendations of hardware and software, and its wealth of fix
it and upgrade tips truly impressed and inspired me to go further.
The experience of learning about and then diving into PCs, with so few really good
books on the subject, and really only the online help available from folks like Mike,
led to the idea of us together crafting a better PC users guidebook. We made an
online date and then traveled to California to meet Mike in person and discuss
this hair-brained scheme further. The meeting in person was followed by months of
online chatting. After several rejections of the original text, Brenda, then an editor
at M&T Books, got us into creating The PC Users Survival Guide.
We had found through the experience of creating this book that we had very
similar voices and complimentary approaches to explaining the intricacies of
PCs to almost anyone who would ask or listen. Several online communities, several
thousand downloadable files put into online libraries, a few innovations that
we ended up developing together, and four editions later, weve managed to maintain our sense of community and to continue fostering PC help for educational,
commercial, charitable, and general purposes. Through Mike and my other online
neighbors, I probably learned more about and felt comfortable with learning to
program a little, as well. Something about carrying the torch, of making PC
use easier and more fun, just seems to drive Mike nonstop. Thanks!
Mike about Jim

We have been working together for so long, I forgot that we had not started on our
publishing ventures until after I had retired from the Navy and moved to California.
Our first face-to-face meeting was around a picnic table in my backyard in Long Beach
to discuss writing a book we would name The Uncomplicated PC. Even though we
never got that one past the initial publisher reviews, it did open the door to write our
first book together that Jim mentioned in the preceding acknowledgment. Little did
we know that we had formed a partnership that would last more than a decade. It will
probably last a good deal longer, too!
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Acknowledgments
The many letters and e-mail messages we have received from PC users around the
world have provided the encouragement we needed to keep striving for the best way
to help all PC users, not just those that have the newest computer on the block. We
hope to continue to be the definitive source for just about everything a PC users
needs in order to keep their computer running and problem free. We also hope to
continue to provide computer technicians and professionals the information they
need to best support their clients and customers. Let us know if there are things you
would like to see in future versions of this book that would be even more helpful.
One of these days, I may even get my radio license, if for no other reason than to
show Jim that he really has had some influence on me. (By the way, if you are a
HAM operator, Jims Internet ID is his call sign . . .)
Thanks to you too, Jim!
Special thanks to the folks at IDG Books

No book gets into print without the tremendous efforts of the copy editors. We
give our special thanks to Lane Barnholtz, Julie Campbell Moss, Nancy Rapoport,
and Michael Welch. Also lending a hand was proof editor Patsy Owens. KC Hogue
also provided proofreading in-house for those files we didnt get to proofreading in
time. AND the person at the helm the person who forced everything to come
together our editor, who deserves the biggest THANKS! Sharon Eames.
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Contents at a Glance
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Part I: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 1: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 3: Protecting Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Chapter 4: Your Personal Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter 5: Physical Versus Logical Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Part II: The Soft Side of Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Chapter 6: Operating Systems, File Systems, and User Interfaces . . . . . . . . . 85
Chapter 7: DOS Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Chapter 8: Windows for Home and Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 9: Windows for the Enterprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Chapter 10: Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Chapter 11: The Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Part III: The Hard Side of Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Chapter 12: Power and Startup Problems
Chapter 13: Configuration Problems . . .
Chapter 14: System Boards . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 15: System Memory . . . . . . . .
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Part IV: Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417

Chapter 16: Disk Drive Basics . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 17: Disk Drive Utilities and Diagnostics .
Chapter 18: Hard Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 19: Diskette, CD-ROM, and other Drives
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419
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Part V: Other Parts of Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525

Chapter 20: Sights and Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
Chapter 21: Basic Input and Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
Chapter 22: Serial Input and Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585
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Part VI: Maintaining Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633

Chapter 23: Do It Yourself With Confidence!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635
Appendix A: Memory Maps and BIOS Data Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685

Appendix B: Hardware Interrupt Requests and DMA Assignments . . . 705
Appendix C: Keyboard Codes and ASCII Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709
Appendix D: Color Assignments and Video Modes Chart . . . . . . . . 723
Appendix E: Hard Disk Drive Types
(Standard, Extended, and Phoenix) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 727
Appendix F: PC Error Codes, Beeps, and Diagnostic Messages . . . . . 733
Appendix G: Cabling Diagrams: Serial, Video, Keyboard, Parallel,
Network and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 767
Appendix H: Technical Support Trouble Report Data Form . . . . . . . 781
Appendix I: Favorite Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Appendix J: About the CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845
End-User License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000
CD-ROM Installation Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000
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Contents
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Part I: Getting Started
Chapter 1: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Troubleshooting Defined . . . . . .
You can do it! . . . . . . . . .
Be prepared . . . . . . . . . .
Basic Troubleshooting . . . . . . .
The problem-solving process
If it aint broke, dont fix it! . .
Rules to live by . . . . . . . .
Dont rush! . . . . . . . . . . .
Where to start . . . . . . . . .
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3
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Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Your Software Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency diskettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting to a DOS prompt at bootup . . . . . . . . . .
Making startup and bootable DOS diskettes . . . . .
Startup diskette with CD-ROM drivers . . . . . . . .
Helpful utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The data recovery process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prerecovery preparations for DOS and Windows 3.x
Recovery tools for Windows 3.x . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows 98 and Me Registry protection . . . . . . .
Windows configuration evaluation . . . . . . . . . .
Windows crash prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Program removal tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hand Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Chapter 3: Protecting Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Erased File Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Virus Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Communications Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Be careful of those connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Things on the Internet that may annoy but dont affect your system
Things on the Internet that can affect your system . . . . . . . . . . .
More connections to come . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Data Recovery Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Backup Software and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
31
32
35
36
38
39
40
40
41
Chapter 4: Your Personal Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Getting to Know Your Personal Computer
What the Box Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining the Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Looking Inside the Box . . . . . . . . . . .
The power supply . . . . . . . . . . .
The system board . . . . . . . . . . .
Disk drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add-in cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disk drive adapters . . . . . . . . . .
Serial (COM) ports . . . . . . . . . .
Parallel (LPT) ports . . . . . . . . . .
Keyboard and mouse ports . . . . .
Network interface cards . . . . . . .
Modem cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sound cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Memory cards . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clock/calendar units . . . . . . . . .
Multifunction cards . . . . . . . . . .
PCMCIA/PC card slots . . . . . . . . .
Infrared port . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Universal Serial Bus port . . . . . . .
IEEE-1394 port . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Things Outside the Box . . . . . . . . . . .
Video displays . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keyboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mice and other pointing devices . .
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43
45
47
51
53
53
55
57
61
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69
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71
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73
73
Chapter 5: Physical Versus Logical Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Whats Physical? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Whats Logical? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Translating Logical Devices into Physical Addresses
Associating IRQ Assignments with Logical Names . .
Windows Handling of Device Names and Addresses
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76
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Contents
Part II: The Soft Side of Your PC
83
Chapter 6: Operating Systems, File Systems, and User Interfaces . . 85

Defining Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Managing Storage Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Defining User Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Chapter 7: DOS Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

A Brief History of DOS . . . . . . . . .
DOS 1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DOS 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DOS 3.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DOS 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DOS 5.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DOS 6.0 and higher . . . . . . .
Prettier Faces on DOS . . . . . . . . .
Multitasking User Interfaces for DOS
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91
91
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96
97
Chapter 8: Windows for Home and Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Windows: Operating System or User Interface? . . . . . . . . .
Microsoft Windows 3.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows for Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Microsoft Windows 95 and 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What Windows 95 gave us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What Windows 95 did not give us . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows 95 original-equipment-manufacturer releases
What Windows 98 makes up for that Windows 95 lacks .
Windows 98 second edition tides us over . . . . . . . . .
Windows Millennium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Troubleshooting Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Windows 95 and 98 hardware issues . . . . . . .
General Windows 95 and 98 software issues . . . . . . .
Common Windows 95 and 98 problems . . . . . . . . . .
Windows Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows 95 and 98 MSDOS.SYS file . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Windows Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Upgrade Path to an Optimal Windows System . . . . . . .
Upgrading from Windows 95 to Windows 98 . . . . . . . . . .
Upgrading for Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CPU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disk drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video display and adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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102
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Chapter 9: Windows for the Enterprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation and 2000 Professional
What you need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What, no DOS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NT file systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Built to network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Upgrading Your Desktop to Windows NT or 2000 . . . . . .
Microsoft Windows NT and 2000 Servers . . . . . . . . . .
Setting up Windows NT servers . . . . . . . . . . . .
NT workgroups and domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Troubleshooting Windows NT and 2000 . . . . . . . . . . .
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152
152
154
154
155
155
158
159
159
162
Chapter 10: Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Networking Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Legacy file sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Network layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Network Protocol Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Network Operating System Layer . . . . . . . .
Internet Protocol Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Firewalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proxy servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Network address translation . . . . . . . . . . .
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol . . . . . .
Home network alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wrap-up for networking basics . . . . . . . . . .
Windows Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows NT and NT Networking . . . . . . . . . . . .
NT-based networking versus workgroups . . . .
Windows NT 3.x and 4 domains . . . . . . . . .
User groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows NT with TCP/IP . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows NT routing, DNS, and proxy services .
Remote access server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows 2000 Server and Active Directory . .
NT summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Basic Network Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . .
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165
166
167
169
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183
185
190
190
191
191
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194
195
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198
198
199
199
200
203
204
Chapter 11: The Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Internet Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What the Internet is . . . . . . .
Connecting to the Internet . . .
Intranets and extranets . . . . .
Internet Applications . . . . . . . . . .
WWW, HTTP, and Web browsers
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213
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Contents
POP3/SMTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NNTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SNTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Telnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
X-Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chat and forum systems . . . . . . . .
Audio, video, and telephony delivery .
Internet application configurations . .
Internet Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unauthorized file access . . . . . . . .
Denial-of-service attacks . . . . . . . .
E-mail attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cookies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ActiveX, Java, and helper applications
SSL and encryption . . . . . . . . . . .
PPTP and VPN . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Policing content . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Personal firewalls . . . . . . . . . . . .
Your passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Security hardware . . . . . . . . . . . .
Basic Internet Troubleshooting . . . . . . . .
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Part III: The Hard Side of Your PC
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230
230
231
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232
233
234
235
236
236
236
237
238
239
239
240
240
241
242
243
244
253
Chapter 12: Power and Startup Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Order, Please . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Power to the PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AC power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AC power problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Power outlets and cords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Voltage-selection switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Testing the AC voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DC Power Supply Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DC power supply problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Testing the DC supply voltages . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Battery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
286, 386, 486, and Pentium systems and CMOS setup
CMOS setup problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Laptops, notebooks, and pocket PCs . . . . . . . . .
Proper battery charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Short battery life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video display errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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256
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Memory Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Common memory errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AT and higher systems (286, 386, 486, and Pentium)
Add-on card memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional system board memory . . . . . . . . . . .
Disk Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Floppy disk errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hard disk errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DOS disk errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General disk errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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277
278
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280
280
281
281
282
282
283
Chapter 13: Configuration Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Operating System Configurations . . . . . . . . .
DOS and Windows 3.x Systems . . . . . . . . . .
The CONFIG.SYS file . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The AUTOEXEC.BAT file . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Configuration Options . . . . . . . . . .
Windows 95/98/Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONFIG.SYS and Windows 95/98/Me . . . .
AUTOEXEC.BAT and Windows 95/98/Me .
Windows 95/98/Me MSDOS.SYS file . . . .
Windows F4 bootup key . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows NT and Dual-Boot Installations . . . .
Guidelines for Handling Configuration Conflicts
Start simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Document changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Track program status . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configuration Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . .
Problems in CONFIG.SYS . . . . . . . . . .
Problems in AUTOEXEC.BAT . . . . . . . .
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286
288
295
299
302
303
303
304
307
308
309
310
310
310
311
312
314
Chapter 14: System Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

System Board Components and Functions
CPU chips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CPU support and interfaces . . . . . .
Math chip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CMOS clock/calendar . . . . . . . . .
Enhanced system board features . .
I/O connections . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Power connections . . . . . . . . . . .
System BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BIOS in standard ROM . . . . . . . . .
BIOS in flash memory . . . . . . . . .
BIOS upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents
System Board Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Date and time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PC and XT system board memory setup . . . . . . .
AT system board memory setup . . . . . . . . . . . .
386, 486 and Pentium system board memory setup .
Disk drive setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enhanced features setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Software or semiautomatic I/O device configurations
Plug and Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System management features . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Board Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bootup and lock-up problems . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System and application speed problems . . . . . . .
System board-related memory problems . . . . . . .
Math chip problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clock problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System board-related keyboard problems . . . . . .
System board-configuration problems . . . . . . . .
System board troubleshooting and diagnostics . . .
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356
358
359
359
360
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363
369
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374
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382
382
383
Chapter 15: System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Memory Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Read-only memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Random access memory . . . . . . . . . .
Memory Addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DOS memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Memory size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Performance considerations . . . . . . . .
CPU speed, memory speed, and bus speed
Adding memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CMOS memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Video memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cache memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Virtual memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Extended and Expanded Memory . . . . . . . . .
Extended memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Expanded memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Upper Memory Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bad chips and hardware conflicts . . . . .
Parity checking or bad memory problems
Insufficient memory problems . . . . . . .
Memory Configuration Problems . . . . . . . . .
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Part IV: Disk Drives
417
Chapter 16: Disk Drive Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419

Disk Drive Types and References . . . .
Drive interface bus . . . . . . . . .
Device numbers . . . . . . . . . .
Logical drive letter assignments .
Early hard drive systems . . . . .
How data is put on the platters . .
Diskettes and drives . . . . . . . .
Its All in the Details . . . . . . . . . . .
Disk Space Defined . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sectors and Clusters . . . . . . . . . . .
BIOS and DOS Limitations and Features
Disk Partitioning and Formatting . . . .
The DOS File System and Disk Control .
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419
420
422
422
423
435
436
437
439
441
443
445
448
Chapter 17: Disk Drive Utilities and Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Drive Copying Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installing a new drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using drive imaging software . . . . . . . . . . . .
Partitioning Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Translation Drivers and Enhanced BIOS Adapters . . .
Disk Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rediscovering the 512-byte sector as a first step
Compression taking the repetition out of data
Compression caveats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disk Caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Caching Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overall Drive and File System Performance . . . . . . .
File Fragmentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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451
452
452
454
454
455
456
457
457
459
461
462
462
Chapter 18: Hard Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Installing, Adding, or Changing Hard Drives
Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mixing different types of disk drives .
Installing IDE drives . . . . . . . . . .
Installing an SCSI system . . . . . . .
Partitioning Hard Drives . . . . . . . . . . .
Partitioning a drive . . . . . . . . . . .
Mixed operating systems . . . . . . .
Formatting Hard Drives . . . . . . . . . . .
Hard Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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466
466
468
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Contents
Chapter 19: Diskette, CD-ROM, and other Drives . . . . . . . . . . . 493

Working with Diskettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with CD-ROM Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CD-ROM interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CD-ROM drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Alternative Drives . . . . . . . . . . .
Zip, Shark, LS120, Quest, SyJet, and Jaz drives
Magneto-optical drives . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disk Drive Care and Feeding and More . . . . . .
Taking Care of your Media . . . . . . . . . . .
Data Storage Media Industry Activities . . . .
Common Diskette and Hard Drive Errors . . . . . .
Numerical disk status messages from BIOS . .
CD-ROM Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Part V: Other Parts of Your PC
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493
495
496
496
501
502
503
503
503
505
508
516
520
525
Chapter 20: Sights and Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527

What You See Keeps Getting Better . . . . . . . . .
Older video displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Newer video displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-VESA Super VGA modes . . . . . . . . . .
Video and memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Problems with Sights and Sounds . . . . . . . . . .
Installing sound and video . . . . . . . . . . .
Common video problems . . . . . . . . . . . .
Common video display problems . . . . . . .
Audible and Displayed Error Codes . . . . . . . . .
The PC Speaks and Listens . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What is a sound card? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sound card installation and configuration . .
Hardware address assignments . . . . . . . .
Hardware interrupt and DMA assignments . .
Windows configurations for sound cards . . .
Common audio card problems and solutions
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527
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536
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539
545
549
550
552
554
555
556
557
Chapter 21: Basic Input and Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561

Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Common Printing Problems . . . . . . . . . .
Pointing Device Problems . . . . . . . . . . .
Keyboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Small Computer System Interface Problems
Scanners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Connections and standards . . . . . . .
Optical character recognition . . . . .
Before you buy a scanner . . . . . . . .
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562
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Chapter 22: Serial Input and Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585

Route: Your Personal Connection to the Information Age
COM Port Assignment and Selection . . . . . . . . . . . .
COM port holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding a new COM port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
COM Port Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using DOS MODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Improper communication parameters . . . . . . . .
Serial Port Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
COM Port conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modem Initialization and Flow Control . . . . . . . . . . .
Modem initialization problems . . . . . . . . . . . .
Flow control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Flow control problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Line Noises and Line Attenuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Static, crackling, scratching sounds . . . . . . . . .
Long serial cables for local use . . . . . . . . . . . .
Erratic communications problems . . . . . . . . . .
Erratic connection problems . . . . . . . . . . . . .
When You Need a Faster Serial Connection . . . . . . . .
High-speed connections and the 16550 UART . . .
High-Speed transfer problems . . . . . . . . . . . .
The RS-232 Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Serial Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Build your own cable tester . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bad cables, poor connections . . . . . . . . . . . .
Null modems: When do you need them? . . . . . .
Null modem problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Where We Were and Where Were Going . . . . . . . . . .
Going Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cellular telephone modems . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Radio modems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Infrared modems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wireless LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Problems . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Part VI: Maintaining Your PC
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586
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629
633
Chapter 23: Do It Yourself With Confidence! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635

Dont Neglect DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hard drive setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Basic DOS features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Diagnostic and Utility Software . . . . . . . . . . . .
Why utility software exists and when to use it
Different flavors of diagnostic/utility software
System utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Software definitely worth mentioning . . . . .
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635
636
638
640
641
644
660
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Contents
Do-It-Yourself Advice . . . . . . . . . . .
A megabyte or two of prevention
System diskettes . . . . . . . . . .
The grandfather backup method .
Careful installation procedures . .
Support networks . . . . . . . . .
Personal library . . . . . . . . . .
Keep it clean . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keep good records . . . . . . . . .
Supporting yourself . . . . . . . .
Technical Support and Service . . . . .
Software registration . . . . . . . .
Service and support . . . . . . . .
Repair services . . . . . . . . . . .
Technical support form . . . . . .
Quick Performance and Upgrade Hints
Overall performance . . . . . . . .
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666
666
668
668
670
670
671
671
672
672
673
673
674
676
679
680
680
Appendix A: Memory Maps and BIOS Data Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685

Appendix B: Hardware Interrupt Requests and DMA Assignments . . . 705
Appendix C: Keyboard Codes and ASCII Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709
Appendix D: Color Assignments and Video Modes Chart . . . . . . . . 723
Appendix E: Hard Disk Drive Types
(Standard, Extended, and Phoenix) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 727
Appendix F: PC Error Codes, Beeps, and Diagnostic Messages . . . . . 733
Appendix G: Cabling Diagrams: Serial, Video, Keyboard, Parallel,
Network and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 767
Appendix H: Technical Support Trouble Report Data Form . . . . . . . 781
Appendix I: Favorite Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Appendix J: About the CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845
End-User License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845
CD-ROM Installation Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 851
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Problem Index
he Problem Index is a shortcut for finding the Solution to a current problem

youve encountered with your PC. It contains the symptoms from the
Symptoms, Suspects, Solutions (SSS) sections from the chapters. They are
presented in the order in which they occur in the book.
This Problem Index is not a traditional index. Alphabetical order means nothing
here. If you want to do an alphabetic search for terms that might relate to your PCs
current problem, use the traditional index near the end of Troubleshooting Your PC
Bible, 5th Edition to do your search. The Problem Index has the Chapter number,
title, and brief list of the contents followed by the symptoms from the SSS sections.
Only the chapters with SSS sections are included in the Problem Index.
If your problem is with a particular part of your PC, such as the screen or printer,
go to the section of the Problem Index that has the chapter number and title that
relates to, in this case, your screen or printer. Again, in this case, that would be
Chapter 20: Sights and Sounds for the screen or Chapter 21: Basic Input and
Output that contains information about printer problems.
If you have no idea what your problem may be, skimming through the Problem
Index will take a lot less time than skimming through the whole book (except that
the Problem Index does not have any pictures). In the Problem Index you may find
a phrase or sentence that seems to hit very close to the kind of problem youve
encountered. Then, when you find your problem, you can flip to the chapter in
which its located for the suspects and solutions and background information.
Tip
The symptoms are in the same order here in which they appear in the chapters.
Chapter 8: Windows for Home and Desktop

Problem #1: Common Windows 3.x Problems
Windows will not run It indicates that a device cannot be run in
Standard mode.
Windows will not run It indicates that a device must be run in
Standard mode.
Windows will not run It indicates that a device cannot be run in
386 Enhanced mode.
Windows will not run It indicates that a device must be run in 386
Enhanced mode.
Problem #2: More Windows 3.x Problems

Windows will not run at all.
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Problem Index
Problem #3: Windows 3.x Standard Mode Problems

Windows will not run in standard mode.
Problem #4: Windows 3.x Real Mode Problems

Windows will not run in Real mode.
Problem #5: Windows 3.x Enhanced Mode Problems

Windows will not run in 386 Enhanced mode.
Problem #6: Windows 3.x Setup Problems

Insufficient memory error running SETUP from DOS.
Problem #7: Windows 3.x Memory Problems

Insufficient memory errors.
Problem #8 Windows 3.x Memory and Mode Problems

Cannot run applications in the background.
Problem #9 Windows 3.x Program Conflicts

Unrecoverable Applications Error message (Windows 3.0).
General Protection Fault error message (Windows 3.1).
Problem #10 More Windows 3.x Program Conflicts

Windows gives you a dialog box indicating that your application has corrupted
the system or the Windows environment and that you should stop running
your system.
Problem #11: Common Windows for Workgroups Problems

Insufficient memory to run application.
General Protection Fault errors in one or more applications.
Darkened, incomplete program icon display in open program group(s).
Problem #12: Windows 95 and 98 Device Problems

Windows 95/98 does not recognize some devices during installation.
Problem #13: Windows 95 and 98 Bootup Problems

Pressing F4 does not enable bootup into prior DOS version after installing
Windows 95/98.
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Problem Index
Problem #14: Windows 95 and 98 Upgrade Problems

Windows 3.x programs, groups, and properties are not as they were before
installing Windows 95/98.
Problem #15: Windows 95 and 98 Startup Problems

Windows 95/98 always or frequently boots up to its boot menu and recommends
Safe Mode operation.
Windows 95 never gets past the clouds and rolling color bar screen at bootup.
The Windows 95 bootup logo clears, but Windows 95 never loads, leaving you
with a blank screen and a blinking cursor.
Windows 95 begins to load the desktop but stalls without presenting a network
logon dialog box, or it never completes loading the desktop.
Problem #16: Windows 95 and 98 Memory, Virtual Memory, and Disk Problems
Periodic or frequent disk activity occurs when not specifically accessing new
files or programs.
System is sluggish in saving files, opening applications, or swapping disk
memory.
Problem #17: Windows 95 and 98 System, Program, File, or Registry Corruption

Loss of proper desktop or folder icons (plain, generic box icons).
Inability to launch applications when double-clicking on icons (main or
shortcuts).
Problem #18: Windows 95 and 98 Memory Network Problems

A Windows 95 system connected to a network appears to hang or freeze
for extended periods of time.
Chapter 9: Windows for the Enterprise

Problem #19: Troubleshooting Windows NT and 2000
Your Windows NT/2000 server or workstation will not boot or work properly.
Chapter 10: Networking

Problem #20: Network Interface Card Problems
DOS or Windows does not recognize my network card.
Network driver or Windows indicates an IP address conflict with another
interface.
Network driver indicates an invalid hardware address.
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Problem Index
Problem #21: Network Cabling and Configuration Problems
No LINK light on network card.

Workstation can ping itself but not the rest of the networked devices.
Workstation cannot see other systems on the network.
Workstation cannot log on to server.
No domain server available message appears at logon.
Network functions erratically.
Problem #22: More Network Configuration Problems
Workstation can ping itself but not the rest of the networked devices.
Workstation cannot see other systems on the network.
Workstation cannot log on to server.
No domain server available message appears at logon.
No DHCP server message appears after startup.
Network driver or Windows indicates an IP address conflict with
another interface.
Problem #23: Network Setup and Workgroup Configuration Problems

Network Neighborhood does not show all servers/workstations.
Problem #24: Logon and Workgroup Configuration Problems

Network resources are visible when browsing the network, but you are unable
to access and use them.
Messages indicate that your user name or password is incorrect or that you
do not have rights to the server, domain, or resources.
Chapter 11: The Internet

Problem #25: Modem Connection Problems
Dial-Up Networking reports that the modem is in use or not available.
Dial-Up Networking reports no dial tone.
Rapid-busy error signal when dialing.
Problem #26: Network Configuration, Connection, and Congestion Problems

Unable to negotiate a proper set of protocols with the server.
Unable to authenticate with server.
A connection is established but drops suddenly.
Problem #27: Network Configuration and Availability Problems

Browser, e-mail, or other Internet applications indicate an inability to find the
host name/address in DNS lookup.
Unable to connect to server/site, or you get host not responding messages.
Data requests go out and host connections appear to be made, but no data
returns or you get invalid host/destination messages.
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Problem Index
Problem #28: Web Page Access Problems

A VPN connection dialog box appears when you try to access a Web page
or use another Internet connection.
Problem #29: Dial-up Connection Problems

Dial-up connection does not happen automatically as it used to.
Dial-up connection happens automatically but is not desired.
Problem #30: Web Page Display Problems

Tearing, distorted, incomplete graphics display on Web pages. A reload
or refresh of the page may not clear up the display.
Problem #31: More Web Page Display Problems

Unusual or blotchy color on Web pages that are clear and crisp on other
systems.
Problem #32: JavaScript Error Messages

You see JavaScript errors after a Web page appears to load correctly.
Problem #33: More Web Page Display Problems

Data in HTML forms disappears after the screen-saver/blanker activates,
and then display is restored.
Problem #34: Browser Helper and Plug-in Application Problems

Errors occur when trying to view graphics files from Web pages.
You get a browser message indicating that no viewer or helper application
is associated with the file type you are trying to view.
The wrong application opens when trying to view graphics files from File
Manager/Explorer or selecting links to them from Web pages or e-mail.
Chapter 12: Power and Startup Problems

Problem #35: AC Power Problems
Error messages 01x or 02x
Intermittent system operation/failure
Printer, CRT, or accessory problems
Problem #36: DC Power Supply Problems
Power-on indication but no operation; flickering LEDs

Fan starts and stops
Error messages 01x or 02x
Nonspecific or intermittent system failures or lockups
After successful startup or seemingly successful startup attempt, computer
turns off automatically
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Problem Index
Problem #37: CMOS Setup Problems
Loss of date/time, memory, disk, or system information

Error messages 01x, 02x, 102, 103, 161, 162, 163, 164, 199, or 17xx
Long beep at startup, followed by the preceding messages
CMOS RAM error
Memory size error
Disk drive configuration error
Problem #38: Video Display Errors

One long and two short beeps
Error messages in 4xx, 5xx, 24xx, or 74xx ranges
Problem #39: Display Problems

Screen flickers or shrinks
Display is wiggly, pulsing, blurred, too large, or too small
Problem #40: Common Memory Errors
Memory size error (AT and higher systems)

Not enough memory (PC, XT)
Two short beeps and/or error message 2xx (PC, XT, AT)
Parity check 1 or 2, or ????? message
System hangs up
Problem #41: Floppy Disk Errors

Error messages in the 6xx or 73xx range
Problem #42: Hard Disk Errors

Error messages in the 17xx or 104xx ranges
Problem #43: DOS Disk Errors

Non-system disk or disk error
Problem #44: General Disk Errors

General failure reading drive x
Invalid drive specification
Drive not ready
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Problem Index
Chapter 13: Configuration Problems

Problem #45: Problems in CONFIG.SYS
Bad or missing commands or drivers in CONFIG.SYS indicated by one or more
of the following messages:
System Message: Unrecognized command in CONFIG.SYS.
System Message: Bad or missing d:\subdir\driver.sys (drive:\path\driver
filename of a driver supposedly installed in your system).
System message: Label not found.
System boots okay, but some things may not be just right, such as an inability
to open enough files, the system runs slow, or a device (printer, network connection, plotter, expanded or extended memory, or other system extension)
does not function.
Problem #46: Problems with Driver and Programs in CONFIG.SYS

System locks up in CONFIG.SYS.
System stops before executing the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Some CONFIG.SYS command results (messages) may be onscreen, but your
system does not respond.
Ctrl+Break, Break, Ctrl+C, Esc, Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and other keys normally used
to get out of problem situations do not have the expected effect. Your system
is locked up.
You may see a message containing System Halted.
Problem #47: Problems Executing AUTOEXEC.BAT

Bad, missing, or wrong COMMAND.COM indicated by one of the following:
Invalid COMMAND.COM, system not loaded
Bad or missing command interpreter
Cannot load COMMAND.COM, system halted
Incorrect DOS version
System message: Label not found.
Your version of DOS may display a different message than the preceding
message, but it will have a similar meaning.
Problem #48: Problems with the AUTOEXEC.BAT File

Missing or wrong AUTOEXEC.BAT file (wrong in the sense that it is not doing
what you expect and assuming you may have more than one).
Your system asks for the date and time before displaying the DOS prompt.
Your system boots, but the system setup you expect to use does not appear.
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Problem #49: Problems with Commands and Programs in AUTOEXEC.BAT

Bad commands, or missing files or programs in AUTOEXEC.BAT.
Onscreen message: Bad command or filename.
Onscreen message containing the following:
file not found
missing
not installed
Your system boots, but the system setup you expect does not appear.
Your system might become locked up, but only after it gets past loading the
devices and parameters in CONFIG.SYS and you see some of the results of
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Problem #50: Memory Problems in Configuration

Onscreen message containing insufficient memory
Problem #51: Bad, Corrupt, or Missing Device Drivers

Some device or accessory is not running or available after booting up your
system.
Message onscreen containing one or more of the following:
device not found
device not installed
unable to access
unavailable
Problem #52: Bad Batch File or Script

Infinite loop problem. (The computer keeps doing the same thing over and
over again):
Repeating messages onscreen
Executing the same program repeatedly
Initializing one or more devices repeatedly
The computer may continue indefinitely or, eventually, crash or lock up.
Problem #53: Problems with Bad Commands or Programs in Batch or Script Files
Your batch file never ran.
You have a batch file that contains the commands needed to do a particular
job, but the job does not get done.
A program is executed by your batch file, but the batch file should be
doing more.
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Chapter 14: System Boards

Problem #54: Bootup and Lock-up Problems
System does nothing at startup.

System suddenly hangs up.
Windows will not run.
System reboots when you try to run or exit from Windows.
Problem #55: System and Application Speed Problems

Games and programs run too fast.
Time-out errors from applications.
Divide-by-zero errors.
Problem #56: System Board-related Memory Problems
Memory size error (AT).

Not enough memory (PC and XT).
Two short beeps, error message 2xx, or both (PC, XT, and AT).
Parity Check 1 or 2, or Parity Check ????? message.
System hangs up.
Problem #57: Math Chip Problems
Error message Coprocessor not found.

Application failure.
Hardware lock up.
Diagnostics fail or do not show math coprocessor interrupt.
Problem #58: Clock Problems

Date and time are wrong, fast, or slow.
CMOS/clock battery does not last more than a few days or weeks (expected
life is one to five years).
Error messages 01x, 02x, 102, 103, 161, 162, 163, 164, 199, or 17xx occur.
Long beep at startup, followed by previous messages.
CMOS RAM error.
Memory size error.
Disk drive configuration error (drive not found, no boot device available,
or similar messages).
Problem #59: System Board Related Keyboard Problems
Keyboard is locked or inactive.

System prompts for a password.
Keyboard error message at startup.
Keyboard errors during testing.
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Problem #60: System Board Configuration Problems
System or software does not recognize an I/O or add-in device.

Unable to configure or use network card, modem, or disk adapter.
System locks up when network or disk drivers are loaded.
System locks up when a communications or mouse program is loaded.
PCI devices are not detected or will not configure properly.
PnP devices are not detected or will not configure properly.
Chapter 15: System Memory

Problem #61: Bad Chips and Hardware Conflicts
201 error upon booting your computer. Your computer will not complete
booting..
Memory Parity Check error message. This can occur upon booting your
computer or after you have been using it for a while. Your computer will
not complete booting. (Older computers may display a Parity Check 1
message to indicate a memory error on the motherboard and a Parity
Check 2 message to indicate a memory error on an expansion card.)
Running a memory diagnostic program (such as Norton Utilities) reports bad
memory chips, parity errors, or read/write errors.
Problem #62: Parity Checking or Bad Memory Problems

You or your computer has disabled memory parity checking due to the occurrence of a parity error, or the parity checking was disabled during installation
of your computers memory. Everything seems to be working okay until some
strange result or action occurs such as:
Data loaded into memory gets changed or corrupted.
A program locks up or performs seemingly impossible actions.
Data stored to disk does not retain the same values that were observed
while in memory.
TSRs and installed devices may exhibit some of the same problems.
Problem #63: Windows Memory Problems

Microsoft Windows indicates memory parity errors and stops running.
Problem #64: Insufficient Memory Problems

The message on your screen contains the words insufficient memory.
A program fails to run or load configuration or data files.
A program quits running and locks up your machine, returns to the DOS
prompt, or the applications window closes.
The program you are running displays a message that expanded or extended
memory is required or that not enough of either is available.
A program displays a message that your machine is running low on virtual
memory.
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Problem #65: Memory Configuration Problems

Error messages about insufficient or no memory of a specific type
Error messages containing the letters DPMI, VCPI, DOSX, or another name
that refers to a DOS extender
Chapter 18: Hard Drives

Problem #66: Disk Hardware Failures
Drive will not start spinning or it groans.
Problem #67: Disk Drive Motor or Electronics Problems

Drive spins up and down erratically.
Problem #68: Disk Drive Crash or Soon to Happen

Drive makes high-pitched noise.
Problem #69: Power-On Self-Test Disk Drive Messages

Any of the following numeric error messages appear, usually during the POST:
1701
Controller/cabling/drive/drive select jumper/CMOS
1702
Controller
1703
Controller/cabling/drive/jumpers
1704
Controller or drive
1780
First physical drive ( 0:) failure
1781
Second physical drive ( 1:) failure
1782
Controller
1790
First physical drive ( 0:) error
1791
Second physical drive ( 1:) error
10480
First physical drive ( 0:) failure (PS/2-ESDI)
10481
Second physical drive ( 1:) failure (PS/2-ESDI)
10482
PS/2 ESDI controller failure
10483
PS/2 ESDI controller failure
10490
First physical drive ( 0:) error (PS/2-ESDI)
10491
Second physical drive ( 1:) error (PS/2-ESDI)
Problem #70: Disk Drive Performance Issues

Slow performance
Problem #71: Disk Drive Partitioning, Formatting, or Cluttered Problems

Drive fills up too fast.
Problem #72: Disk Cache, Buffering, and Intermittent Problems

Files are partially or improperly written.
Files are not saved on the disk.
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Problem #73: Disk Media Problems

Increasing occurrences of data errors.
Frequent retries or errors reading data from the drive.
CHKDSK or SCANDISK (MS-DOS 6.x and higher) indicates several bad clusters.
Chapter 19: Diskette, CD-ROM, and other Drives

Problem #74: Bad Track 0 Message
On-screen message: Track 0 Bad - Disk Unusable
Problem #75: Disk Error or Non-System Disk Message

Onscreen message: Non-System Disk, or Disk Error - Replace and Strike
Any Key When Ready
Problem #76: Invalid or Missing Operating System

Onscreen message or message from DOS 6.x and above: Invalid or Missing
COMMAND.COM, when it cannot find a valid command-processor program
Problem #77: Bad Formatting Command

Onscreen message: Invalid Parameters
Problem #78: Dos Version Message

Onscreen message: Incorrect DOS version
Problem #79: Drive Access Error Messages

Onscreen message: Abort, Retry, Ignore? or Abort, Retry, Fail? preceded
by Error Reading/Writing Drive x or Drive Not Ready
Problem #80: Invalid Drive Specification

Onscreen message: Invalid Drive Specification.
Problem #81: Bad File Allocation Table or Disk Corruption Message

Onscreen message: File Allocation Table Bad, Drive x:
Problem #82: Drive Exists, System Cannot Access the Drive

Onscreen message: General Failure Reading/Writing Drive x
Problem #83: Disk Corruption or Defect Message

CHKDSK reports Invalid Clusters or Files Cross-Linked.
Such a message indicates that the FAT is defective on the disk in question. The solutions are the same as those for the File Allocation Table Bad, Drive x message.
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Problem #84: CD-ROM Access Problems

Drive not found messages
Problem #85: CD-ROM Media and Configuration Problems

Device not ready messages
Error reading messages
Damaged CAB file messages
Problem #86: CD-ROM Drive and Media Problems

CD-ROM drive sounds like its spinning out of control.
Problem #87: CD-ROM Audio Problems

No audio when attempting to play audio CDs
Chapter 20: Sights and Sounds

Problem #88: Common Video Problems
No display (assuming your PC system appears to power on, that it beeps during
the power-on self test (POST), and that drives become active for bootup)
Problem #89: Common Video Display Problems

Diagonal or spotty display lines
Erratic, improper, or fuzzy display
Rolling or rotating display patterns
Problem #90: More Video Display Problems

Clicking noises coming from display monitor

Snapping or popping sound
Electrical (bitter) smells

Invisible or hard-to-find cursor

Improper number of lines or missing text

Windows or other graphical programs cannot or do not display properly
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Problem #95: LCD or Portable Video Display Problems

Cloudy, dark, or no display on laptop LCD displays
Problem #96: Audible Video Display Problems

One short beep and a wrong or no display
One long beep and two short beeps
Problem #97: Monochrome Adapter Video Display Problems

Error 4xx displayed
Problem #98: Color Video Display Problems

Error 5xx displayed
Problem #99: EGA or VGA Display Adapter Problems

Error 24xx displayed
Problem #100: PGC or PGA Display Adapter Problems

Problem #101: VGA Card or PS/2 Motherboard Problems

Problem #102: ASNI Configuration Problems

Error messages referring to ANSI.SYS
Foreign or _[2J type characters
Problem #103: Common Audio Card Problems

Sound card is not seen by the installation program or driver software.
Sound card emits constant noises, broken record iterations of sounds,
or pops and clicks when sounds are expected.
Other devices fail, lose data, indicate errors, or otherwise appear to
malfunction.
Chapter 21: Basic Input and Output

Problem #104: Common Printing Problems
No output from printer
Problem #105: More Printing Problems

Printer output is not as expected.
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Problem Index

Wrong number of pages, or pages missing.

Printer offline or unavailable error messages.
Print out never happens.
Problem #108: Pointing Device Problems

Pointing device is not working.
Problem #109: More Pointing Device Problems

Pointing device works sometimes, and then stops working.
Problem #110: More Pointing Device Problems

Pointing device used to work fine, now it behaves erratically.
Problem #111: Small Computer System Interface Problems

Your SCSI adapter is installed correctly and has no IRQ, memory port address,
or DMA channel conflicts, but still does not give access to the SCSI devices.
Problem #112: Scanner Device Problems

The scanner software cannot find a scanner attached to the computer.
Problem #113: Scanner Device Configuration Problems

The scanner seems to be connected and the software will scan but does not
produce a usable image.
Chapter 22: Serial Input and Output

Problem #114: Communication Parameter Setting Problems
The right number of characters are transmitted or received but they look
funny, wrap around the screen, and may even clear the screen.
Too few or too many characters may be transmitted or received, in comparison
to expectations, with lots of repeating characters of the same type or series of
groups of similar characters.
Connection to the device or system on the other end cannot be maintained or
may not be completed at all.
Problem #115: Serial Port Hardware Problems

You are not sure you have serial (COM) ports installed in your PC.
You need to install or attach to a serial device.
Youve already installed an internal modem or serial port adapter and it does
not work.
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Problem #116: COM Port Conflicts

The modem dials out, but nothing else happens.
The serial printer does not print or prints only pieces of what is expected.
Your mouse gets lost or causes your cursor to move around the screen as
your system locks up.
Your voice synthesizer speaks with a garbled or unintelligible voice.
Someone calls your computers modem and gets connected to the modem,
but your computer (communication program) does not respond or know that
a connection exists.
Problem #117: Modem Initialization Problems

Your communication program and modem are not working together.
The communication program never knows when the modem is connected
to the other end. (Modem CD control or communication program connect
message setting. Check modem &C command.)
You cannot make the modem hang up the phone or, if the phone is hung up, the
program thinks it is still connected. (Modem CD control and DTR control or
communication program hang-up string. Check modem &C and &D commands.)
The speaker is too loud or too quiet. (Modem Speaker control and volume
settings. Check modem L and M commands.)
The communication program cannot communicate with your modem. You
see numbers printed on your screen when the modem connects, resets, or
hangs up, but the communication program does not realize the change in
status. (Modem use of numeric or verbal command responses coupled with
your communication program settings for the expected responses from your
modem. Check modem V and W commands).
The communication program cannot connect with your modem. You see commands such as CONNECT, RING, and NO CARRIER printed on your screen but
the communication program does not realize the change in status. (Modem
use of numeric or verbal command responses and the corresponding settings
in your communication program. Check modem V command setting.)
You expect your modem to make an error correcting connection (for example,
MNP or V.42bis), but this does not happen. (Modem error correction protocol
settings. Check modem &Q or \L or \O or other commands dealing with error
correction.)
Your modem does not dial, even when you know the communication parameters (COM port assignment, bps rate, parity, data bits, stop bit, and so forth)
are all set correctly. (Dial command string in your communication program,
usually ATD or ATDT coupled with a dialing command suffix that is usually
a carriage return represented by a symbol such as ! or ^ or |.)
Your modem does not answer the phone when you think it is supposed to.
(Modem answer command and number of rings settings. Check the modem
S0 (zero) register setting and/or an A command to answer the phone.)
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Your modem answers the phone when you think it should not. (Modem
answer command and number of rings settings. Check the modem S0 (zero)
register setting and/or an A command setting.)
Your modem is supposed use pulse dialing, but it is not. (Modem dial mode
command. Check for T or P command in your modem initialization string.)
Your modem takes a long time to dial a number. The dialing tones are long and
there seems to be a long delay between dialing tones. (Modem dial tone register
setting. Check your modem S11 register setting.)
Your modem dials so quickly that the phone cannot respond. (Modem dial
tone register setting. Check your modem S11 register setting.)
Your modem dials a number but hangs up the phone before a connection is
made. (Modem and communication programs wait for connect time settings.
Check your modems S7 register setting.)
Your modem is supposed to adjust to the communication speed of the computer you called or the computer that has called your system but it does not
happen. (Check both the flow control and protocol mode selections in both
your modem usually &K and &Q or &B, &H, and &N commands and your
communication program.)
You are trying to use your modem with hardware flow control but it is not working. (Modem and communication program hardware flow control commands
and settings. Check your communication program settings and your modem
initialization commands, usually &K and &Q or &B, &H, and &N commands.)
Problem #118: Flow Control Problems

Your PC does not make a connection to or does not continue to communicate
with the serial device on the other end.
Data is lost during a serial connection due to one side or the other continuing
to transmit data when the opposite side is not ready.
Problem #119: Erratic Communications Problems

Line noise or unwanted or poor signals getting into your modem.
Problem #120: Erratic connection problems

Crosstalk or interference. If you hear other conversations or tones on the line
while you are using the telephone, you are hearing crosstalk. This is the effect
of one lines information being induced into another.
Problem #121: Modem Connections Too Slow

Impatience, frustration, headaches from stressed deadline pushing, and envy
for the faster modem and serial printer in the other persons office.
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Problem #122: High-Speed Transfer Problems

When operating your serial port at 9600 bps or faster or when using your
serial ports under a multi-tasking operating system, files lose characters or
file transfers are slowed down due to multiple retries.
Your communication connection occasionally locks up or the connection gets
dropped or fails when using high speeds or working under a multi-tasking
environment.
Problem #123: Bad Cables, Poor Connections

It used to work and I have added no new hardware or software, and all the
serial port and parameter settings are correct, but nothing happens.
Same situation mentioned earlier, but the data transferred or received from
the device or system on the other end is missing data or contains garbage
characters mixed with what should be transmitted or received. (Again, this
includes serial printers, modems, your mouse or track ball, and other serial
devices.)
Problem #124: Null Modem Problems

Data transmitted from one end of the serial cable is not received at the
other end.
Hardware flow control signals are ignored.
Neither side knows the other is connected.
Problem #125: Universal Serial Bus Problems

Your PC has a USB port but the device you plug in does not work.
Now that youve reached the end of the Problem Index, especially if you have not
found the specific problem youve encountered, please go to the chapter or chapters
about the part of your PC that is not working properly. That chapter, and others that
have not been included in this index, contain background and descriptive information
that will help you diagnose and fix the problem.
Please let us know if encounter a new kind of problem. Were all in this, together!

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IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.

Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition

information, including discounts and premium sales,

Welcome to the world of IDG Books Worldwide.

Graphics and Production Specialists

Media Development Coordinator

Proofreading and Indexing

Media Development Manager

About the Authors

Contacting the Authors

To my wife, friend, and favorite PC user, Kathy.

To Kristi, my wife and best friend. To my sons,

How this Book is Organized

Part I: Getting Started

Part II: The Soft Side of your PC

Chapter 10: Networking. Networking has become a function of just about

Part III: The Hard Side of your PC

Part IV: Disk Drives

Part V: Other Parts of Your PC

Part VI: Maintaining Your PC

Suggestions for Using This Book

which the symptoms point.

Note this fact.

by your particular subdirectory path or structure where the filename of interest is

Mike about Jim

Special thanks to the folks at IDG Books

Part I: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Part II: The Soft Side of Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Part III: The Hard Side of Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Part IV: Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417

Part V: Other Parts of Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525

Part VI: Maintaining Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633

Appendix A: Memory Maps and BIOS Data Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685

Part I: Getting Started

Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition

Chapter 3: Protecting Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Chapter 4: Your Personal Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Chapter 5: Physical Versus Logical Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Part II: The Soft Side of Your PC

Chapter 6: Operating Systems, File Systems, and User Interfaces . . 85

Chapter 7: DOS Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Chapter 8: Windows for Home and Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition

Chapter 9: Windows for the Enterprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Chapter 10: Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Chapter 11: The Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Part III: The Hard Side of Your PC

Chapter 12: Power and Startup Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition

Chapter 13: Configuration Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Chapter 14: System Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

System Board Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 15: System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Troubleshooting Your PC Bible, 5th Edition

Part IV: Disk Drives

Chapter 16: Disk Drive Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419

Chapter 17: Disk Drive Utilities and Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Chapter 18: Hard Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Chapter 19: Diskette, CD-ROM, and other Drives . . . . . . . . . . . 493

Part V: Other Parts of Your PC

Chapter 20: Sights and Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527

Chapter 21: Basic Input and Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561