Acer Extensa 660 Maintenance Manual

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-11  
5.3.4 Run Time Error Messages
In the event of a hardware/software error that occurs after completion of POST, the 
error messages listed and described in Table 5-4 may occur.
Table 5-4  Run Time Error Message Troubleshooting
5.3.5 PCMCIA Modem Problems
If an optional PCMCIA modem does not work properly, check the following items:
¨Dialing problem or wrong number - Try dialing a number that you have 
previously dialed successfully.
¨Faulty phone line - Connect a telephone to the line and listen for a dial tone.
¨Software program - Check to ensure that you have installed the software 
correctly.
Message CauseActi
on
I/O card parity interrupt at
address. Type (S)hut off
NMI, (R)eboot, other keys to
continueMemory on a peripheral card
has failed.Check the memory cards
installed in the system.
Memory parity interrupt at
address. Type (S)hut off
NMI, (R)eboot, other keys to
continueA memory chip(s) has failed. Check the memory on the
system board.
Unexpected HW interrupt,
interrupt at address. Type
(R)eboot, other keys to
continueHardware problem. Not
displayed if the expected
interrupt handler is not
enabled.Check all hardware in the
system.
Unexpected SW interrupt,
interrupt at address. Type
(R)eboot, other keys to
continueError(s) in the software
program. Not displayed if the
extended interrupt handler is
not enabled.Turn the machine off and then
on again. If doesn’t work,
check the program.
Unexpected type 02 interrupt
at 
xxxxh. Type (S)hut off
NMI, (R)eboot, other keys to
continueA parity error occurred, but
the source can not be
determine.Turn the power off and then on
again. 
						

							5-12   Troubleshooting Procedures
5.4 General Fault Isolation Procedures
Table 5-5 contains a summary of general problems that may occur during operation of 
the notebook and the appropriate corrective actions that should be taken for each. For 
other symptoms, go on to Paragraph 5.5 and troubleshoot the notebook using 
PC-Doctor Diagnostics. In the event of problems using a Port Replicator, try attaching 
all desktop devices to the notebook to isolate the problem to either the notebook or the 
port replicator. If available, substitute a known good Port Replicator to assist in 
troubleshooting.
Table 5-5  General Troubleshooting Procedures
ProblemCorrective Actions
No power 1.  Check that the AC adapter is plugged into the
power connector of the system. Also, check that
the AC adapter is plugged into a properly
grounded AC power outlet.
2.  If using the battery as main power source, check
if the battery pack is of the right type, charged,
and is inserted correctly.
3.  Check the powerboard of the system. Is it inserted
into the motherboard connector properly.
Otherwise, replace the powerboard.
Data on the LCD is
unreadable1.  Adjust the brightness and contrast display
controls.
2.  Check if the LCD cables are inserted properly.
Check also connections inside the LCD panel.
3.  Check if installed VGA driver is correct.
4.  Check VGA controller chip on the motherboard to
see if there is any cold or loose soldering.
5.  Replace the motherboard. 
						

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-13  
Table 5-5  General Troubleshooting Procedures (continued)
LCD screen does not
show data1.  Check the LCD Status Bar if Suspend mode is
activated.  Press any key or press the power
button to resume operation and display.
2.  Check if LCD cables are disconnected or loose.
3.  Check if the display output is switched to the
external monitor.
4.  Check if the Contrast level is set to minimum.
5.  Check if there is power.
6.  Replace the LCD Inverter board found inside the
LCD Panel.
Battery Power does not
last1.  M ake sure that the power management features
are enabled.
2.  Recharge the battery pack for 1.5 hours before
using again.
3.  Replace the battery pack.
System halts during boot
sequence1.  Check condition of selected bootload device (disk
or hard disk) for bad boot track or incorrect OS
files.
2.  Try booting from a new bootable disk and recopy
or repartition hard disk.
3.  Check for any BIOS error messages on the
display screen.
4.  Replace motherboard.
I/O processing
malfunctions1.  Check the connections of all internal devices.
2.  Replace motherboard.
Diskette drive does not
work1.  Check if floppy disk drive cable is connected
properly.
2.  Check disk type if correct and not faulty.
3.  Replace disk drive.
4.  Replace motherboard.
Hard disk drive
malfunction1.  Check if hard disk drive is set properly on CMOS
SETUP.
2.  Check disk drive cables and connections.
3.  Check if disk drive is good.
4. Replace the motherboard. 
						

							5-14   Troubleshooting Procedures
Table 5-5  General Troubleshooting Procedures (continued)
M em o ry  m alfu n ctio n 1 .  C h eck  if th e m em o ry  m o d u le is in serted
properly.
2.  Replace the memory module.
3. Replace the m otherboard.
External keyboard or PS/2
mouse doesn’t work1.  C heck if the keyboard or the m ouse are
connected properly. C heck if the Y-cable is
bein g  u sed . P ow er off sy stem  first before
plugging in the device.
2.  Replace the keyboard or m ouse.
3. Replace the m otherboard.
P C M C IA  ca rd  d o e s n o t w o rk 1 .  C h e ck  th e P C M C IA  d riv e r in sta lla tio n  fo r
any IRQ  or IO  address conflicts.
2 .  C h e ck  if th e  P C M C IA  ca rd  is in serted
p ro p erly  a n d  a ll co n n ectio n s  a re  s et.
3.  Replace the PC M C IA  card.
4. Replace the m otherboard.
M ouse doesn’t w ork 1.  C heck if PS/2 m ouse driver is properly
in sta lle d .
2.  Check the keyboard controller chip for any
co ld  o r lo o sed  so ld e rin g .
3. Replace the m otherboard.
Serial device does not w ork 1.  If using serial m ouse, check if trackball
option is disabled under CM OS Setup.
2 .  C h e ck  if m o u se  d riv er is in sta lled
properly.
3.  C heck if serial device is connected
properly.
4.  Replace serial device.
5 .  C h e ck  th e I/ O  co n tro ller ch ip  o n  th e
m otherboard for any cold or loose
so ld e rin g .
6. Replace the m otherboard.
P a ra lle l d ev ice d o es n o t w o rk 1 .  C h e ck  if a ll co n n ectio n s  a re  p ro p erly  set.
2.  C heck if external device is turned on.
3 .  C h e ck  I/ O  co n tro lle r ch ip  o n  th e
m otherboard for any cold or loose
so ld e rin g .
4. Replace the m otherboard. 
						

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-15  
5.5 Fault Isolation Using Diagnostics
PC-Doctor, supplied with the Extensa Series Notebooks, is a powerful diagnostics tool 
that can help you determine the hardware configuration of a local or remote system, 
benchmark its performance, analyze the performance of all subsystems, and perform 
a suite of interactive and non-interactive tests on attached devices (such as printers, 
joystick devices, VGA monitors, SCSI devices, CD-ROM drives). The test results are 
stored in a log which can be printed out or saved in a disk file.
5.5.1 PC-Doctor (In DOS Mode or DOS Windows)
Features of the diagnostic program are accessed through a series of pull-down menus 
and basic keyboard keys (cursor keys to move highlighted pointer, Enter key to select 
a highlighted feature, Esc key to cancel a function and move back one level.
PC-Doctor is typically user -friendly but if you dont understand a feature, context-
sensitive help information is available at any time by pressing the F1 function key; 
pressing the F1 function key twice accesses the online Technical Reference Manual 
for PC-Doctor.
A powerful set of utilities within PC-Doctor (that can be run locally or remotely) 
simplify the task of determining system configuration data, allocating and using 
system memory, IRQ and DMA use, what device drivers are installed, what COM and 
LP T ports are assigned and what ports are available, identifying partitioning data for 
fixed disk drive(s), determining the VGA setup information, reading the software 
interrupts/interrupt vectors, etc.
Functionally, PC-Doctor includes the following:
¨Group of non-Interactive diagnostic tests that perform a non-destructive test 
of the major hardware functions in the notebook (Processor, Memory, System 
board, video section, serial and parallel ports (when loopback adapters are 
installed), hard disk drive and floppy disk drive).
¨Group of Interactive tests (require operator input) for testing the keyboard, video 
sections, sound subsystem, mouse, joystick, disk drive, printer subsystem and 
the SCSI/CD-ROM Drive subsystems supported by the docking station options.
¨Utility that provides detailed system information such as configuration data, 
allocation and use of system memory, IRQ and DMA use, what device drivers 
are installed, what COM and LPT ports are assigned and what ports are 
available, partitioning data for fixed disk drive(s), VGA setup information, 
software interrupts and interrupt vectors, and installed SCSI options. 
						

							5-16   Troubleshooting Procedures
¨Group of special purpose utilities to run other tests from PC-Doctor, perform a 
virus scan of the system, edit configuration files, surface scan hard drives, 
measure system performance, open a DOS prompt, provides terminal access 
to devices connected to serial ports, supports memory debug operations, 
enables remote operations, permits deep discharge of notebook batteries and 
provides an extensive test reporting function.
5.5.2 Supporting Online Documentation
The PC-Doctor Diagnostic contains the following online information sources:
¨Online Technical Manual - selected at any time by pressing F1 key twice or 
by clicking on the Question Mark in the upper left hand corner of any 
PC-Doctor Menu
¨Online Help system - provides context sensitive information from every 
PC-Doctor screen - accessed by pressing F1 key once (pressing F1 twice gets 
you into the online manual).
5.5.3 User Interface to PC-Doctor
PC-Doctor is structured as a text-mode, windowed user interface with pull-down 
menus. Program operation requires the use of the following keys:
¨Cursor Keys - Moves the highlighted pointer
¨Enter Key - Selects the highlighted option
¨Esc Key - Cancels current function and goes back one step
¨F1 Key - Activates the context-sensitive help feature (pressing F1 twice in a row 
calls up the online Technical Reference Manual for PC-Doctor)
Scrolling windows, which show the results of various operations, use the following 
keys:
¨Page Up/Page Down - Moves the screen one page at a time
¨F2 - Prints the log to PRN
¨F3 - Saves the log to a file
You can also use the mouse or Point to interact with PC-Doctor. The leftmost Select 
key is used to choose objects (menu entries and action codes typically enclosed in 
brackets). The rightmost Select key is equivalent to the Esc key which takes you back 
to your previous step. 
						

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-17  
5.5.4  Quitting PC-Doctor
To exit PC-Doctor, select the Quit pull down menu and then select the Quit option.
Note: For additional information, access the Online Reference Manual for 
PC-Doctor.
5.6 Board Level Troubleshooting Procedures
Figures 5-2 through 5-19 contain board-level troubleshooting procedures for the 
Extensa 660 Notebook. Table 5-6 contains a diagram index to the troubleshooting 
procedures:
Table 5-6  Troubleshooting Flowchart Index
Figure 
No.Description
5-2 System Fails to Boot, Initial Checks
5-3 Memory Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-4 CRT Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-5 FDD Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-6 HDD Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-7 Keyboard Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-8 CD-ROM Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-9 Glidepad Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-10 DC/DC Converter Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-11 Battery Charger Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
5-12 LED Indicator Function Troubleshooting Diagram
5-13 Serial Port Function Troubleshooting Diagram
5-14 Suspend Function Troubleshooting Diagram
5-15 Cover Switch Function Troubleshooting Diagram
5-16 Cover Close Function Troubleshooting Diagram
5-17 External Keyboard Function Troubleshooting Diagram
5-18 PS/2 External Mouse Function Troubleshooting Diagram
5-19 Printer Port Interface Troubleshooting Diagram 
						

							5-18   Troubleshooting Procedures
Figure 5-2  System Fails to Boot, Initial Checks
1
Vcc5=5V
Vcc3=3.3VCheck CON10 Pin13
PWRON=5V
Check DC-DC
Converter
Check PWRGOODCheck U7 P1C16C62
Pin23 PWRGOOD
Yes
No
Yes
No
Check CPUCLK=66MHzCheck U39 74CT2524
Pin2
Check PCICLK=33MHzCheck U40 74CT2524
Pin6
END
Yes
Yes
No
No
System Fails to Boot:
Initial Tests 
						

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-19  
Figure 5-3  Memory Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
2
Check MEMVCC=3.3VCheck CN10 Pin 10
Check RAS0, CAS(0~7)
SignalsCheck RP45, RP86,
RP87
Check MAC(0~11)Check RP39, RP47,
RP51
Check MD(0~63)
Check U12, U15, U22,
U27, U28, U31, U32, &
U33 Pin 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8,
9, 10, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46,
47, 48, & 49
END
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Memory Interface TestsSystem Fails to Boot: 
						

							5-20   Troubleshooting Procedures
Figure 5-4  CRT Interface Troubleshooting Diagram
Check CN4 and CRT
CableCheck L15, L21, L22,
L23, L24 (Red, Green,
Blue, Hsync, Vsync)
Check VGA Clock,
14,318MHz and
32,768KHzCheck U20 (2093)
Pin 71=33MHz,
Pin 93=14,318MHz,
Pin 82=32,768KHz
END
Yes
No
Yes
No
3
System Fails to Boot:
CRT Interface Checks