DELL 3000 Reference Guide

Page of 136
Running the Dell Diagnostics
4-19
If it still does not work, you can eliminate the software 
setup as the cause of the problem.    
Another possible cause for errors is a problem with the 
external device itself. Use the documentation that came 
with the peripheral to troubleshoot it and confirm that it 
is working properly. (Most printers have a self-test.) 
After you eliminate incorrect system configuration infor-
mation settings, peripheral malfunctions, and software 
errors as potential causes of port problems, you can run 
the subtests in the Parallel Ports test group to check your 
hardware. Although the following symptoms can be 
caused by faulty peripherals or software errors, they 
might also suggest a port problem:
If a peripheral works intermittently, or produces 
intermittent errors, the port may be faulty.
If the computer displays an error message that is 
related to the external device connected to a port, but 
corrections to the device do not resolve the error, run 
the appropriate subtest in the Parallel Ports test 
group.
If your software and the diagnostics do not recognize 
that you have a parallel port, you should check the 
Parallel Port option in the System Devices menu of 
the Setup program, and if necessary, run the appro-
priate subtest in the Parallel Ports test group.
Subtests
The four subtests in the Parallel Ports test group confirm 
the following port functions:
Parallel Internal Test
Checks several internal functions of the parallel port 
Parallel External Loopback Test
Tests the functionality of the control lines through an 
external loopback connector, if an external loopback 
connector is available
Parallel External Interrupt Test
Tests the parallel port’s ability to generate interrupts 
from all possible sources, if an external loopback 
connector is available
Parallel Printer Pattern Test
Tests whether the port(s) can retain data, print text 
on a printer, and generate interrupts 
A
udio Test Group   
    
   
The subtests in the Audio test group check the functions 
of the audio controller and the computer’s recording and 
playback features.
Why Run an Audio Test?
If you do not hear sounds from your built-in speakers 
when you expect to, it is possible that your operating 
system or sound application uses resource settings differ-
ent than those of the audio controller in the computer. In 
the absence of an expected sound, first check the docu-
mentation that accompanied your operating system or 
sound application to see if the sound features are cor-
rectly configured to work with the computer. The default 
resource settings for the audio controller are:
DMA channel: 1
IRQ line: 5
Port address: 220h
If necessary, change the resource settings in your operat-
ing system or sound application to match these default 
settings.
If you still do not hear sound when you expect to, run the 
Audio test group.
NOTE: Before running the Audio test group, make sure to 
enable the built-in speaker(s), and make sure that the 
speaker volume has not been muted.
Subtests
The six subtests in the Audio test group confirm the fol-
lowing functions:
Software Reset Test
Checks for the presence of an active audio controller 
in your system
Interrupt Test
Checks whether the audio controller is generating an 
interrupt on the IRQ line configured for that 
controller 
DMA Test
Tests for the presence of a DMA channel on the sys-
tem chip set, and determines if the DMA controller 
and the audio controller can exchange signals
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