Acer Extensa 900 Maintenance Manual

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-9  
failures are associated with the Upper and Lower Electronics Boards and may require 
board removal/replacement.
Try running PC-Doctor (Paragraph 5.5) if possible to verify the source of problem.
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 5-3 Self Test Beep Messages
Beep Code Description
VGA Failures
1 Long, 2 Short Horizontal Retrace Failed
1 Long, 3 Short  DAC Test Failed
1 Long, 4 Short Monitor Sense Failed
1 Long, Five Short Vertical Retrace Failed
1 Long, 6 Short DVideo Memory Test Failed
System Failures
2 Short Battery Low 1
3 Short Battery Low 2 
						

							5-10   Troubleshooting Procedures
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.
5.4 General Fault Isolation Procedures 
If troubleshooting a sytem containing a docked MPB, try undocking the Notebbok and 
tracing the malfunction to either the notebook or the MPB. 
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. 
Message Cause Action
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. 
						

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-11  
Table 5-5  General Troubleshooting Procedures
Problem Corrective 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 unreadable 1.  Adjust the brightness and contrast display
controls.
2.  Check if the LCD cables are inserted
properly. Check connections inside the LCD
panel.
3.  Verify 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. 
						

							5-12   Troubleshooting Procedures
Table 5-5  General Troubleshooting Procedures (continued)
LCD screen does not show data 1.  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.  Verify that 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 last 1.  Make 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 sequence 1.  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 drive.
3.  Check for any BIOS error messages on the
display screen.
4. Replace motherboard.
I/O processing malfunctions 1.  Check the connections of all internal devices.
2. Replace motherboard.
Diskette drive does not work 1.  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 malfunction 1.  Check if hard disk drive is set properly on CMOS
Setup.
2.  Check drive cables and connections.
3.  Check if hard disk drive is good.
4.  Replace the motherboard. 
						

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-13  
Table 5-5  General Troubleshooting Procedures (continued)
Memory malfunction 1.  Check if the memory module is inserted properly.
2.  Replace the memory module.
3.  Replace the motherboard.
External keyboard or PS/2 mouse doesn’t
work1.  Check if the keyboard or the mouse are
connected properly. Check if the Y-cable is being
used.  Power off system first before plugging in
the device.
2.  Replace the keyboard or mouse.
3.  Replace the motherboard.
PCMCIA card does not work 1.  Check the PCMCIA driver installation for any IRQ
or I/O address conflicts.
2.  Check if the PCMCIA card is inserted properly
and all connections are set.
3.  Replace the PCMCIA card.
4.  Replace the motherboard.
Mouse doesn’t work 1.  Check if PS/2 mouse driver is properly installed.
2.  Check the keyboard controller chip for any cold or
loosed soldering.
3.  Replace the motherboard.
Serial device does not work 1.  Check if serial driver is correctly configured.
2.  Check if serial device is connected properly.
3.  Replace serial device.
4.  Check the I/O controller chip on the motherboard
for any cold or loosed soldering.
5.  Replace the motherboard.
Parallel device does not work 1.  Check if all connections are properly set.
2.  Check if external device is turned on.
3.  Check I/O controller chip on the motherboard for
any cold or loose soldering.
4.  Replace the motherboard. 
						

							5-14   Troubleshooting Procedures
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 Window)
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.
¨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. 
						

							                                                                                           Troubleshooting Procedures    5-15  
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
¨On-line 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.
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. 
						

							   Field Service   6-1
6
Field Service
6.1 Introduction
This section contains general  preventive and corrective maintenance procedures that 
apply to all members of the Extensa 900 Notebook family. The first part of the section 
describes the computer cleaning procedures and preferred handling procedures for 
sensitive components (e.g., disk drives, batteries).
The second part of the section identifies all field-replaceable parts; the remainder of the 
section contains removal and replacement procedures for the field-replaceable parts.
6.2 Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is limited to cleaning the plastic case, keyboard and the display 
screen.
6.2.1 Cleaning the Computer
When it is necessary to clean the plastic case and keyboard use a soft, lint-free cloth, 
slightly dampened with a mild detergent solution or use the contents of any 
commercially available computer cleaning kit.
Caution: Never  spray any liquids directly on the computer case, keyboard, 
or screen. If the liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen has become smeared 
or dusty, clean the screen first with a soft, clean, lint-free cloth and gently 
wipe the glass. If the glass is still smeared, use distilled water or a 25% 
solution of alcohol and distilled water.
Caution: Do not use paper towels to clean the display screen. Paper can 
scratch the display screen matte. 
						

							6-2   Field Service 
6.2.2   Handling the Computer
The notebook computer requires reasonable care and handling for extended life. Some 
of the precautions to follow to protect your computer against accidental damage include:
¨Never pick up or carry the unit by the cover
¨Do not force the cover beyond its fully opened position (about 180 degrees)
¨Never subject the computer to harsh environments (dusty areas or areas of 
rapidly changing temperatures)
¨Never place anything on top of the computer, particularly when it is operating 
or charging (could result in overheating and damage to the computer).
¨Never move the computer while the hard drive is rotating (press the Suspend 
button to put the computer in a Sleep mode before closing cover).
¨Never expose the computer hard disk drive(s) or disks to strong magnetic fields 
such as those generated by transformers, speakers, or telephone handsets.
6.2.3  Handling the Computer Battery Pack
The battery pack furnished with the computer requires reasonable care and handling 
to ensure efficient operation and maximum life. Periodically inspect the battery 
terminals and the batteries for evidence of corrosion and oxide build-up; clean if 
necessary.
To ensure that the battery packs endure normal life cycle, always observe the following 
precautions when handling the battery packs:
¨Do not drop the battery pack or subject it to excessive shock and vibration.
¨Do not expose the battery pack to direct sunlight, moisture, or chemical 
compounds.
¨Do not disassemble the battery pack.
¨Do not use the battery pack to power other devices.
¨Do not short the battery leads or connect the battery with reversed polarity. 
¨Never attempt to charge the battery pack in any way other than as described 
in this manual.
¨Always charge the battery pack as soon as possible after a low battery 
indication.