Microcomputer Resources CE 536 - Networking and Microcomputer Systems
Day 3: Microcomputer Upgrades, Operating Systems, and Troubleshooting
Review of Day 2
Adding New/Upgrading Old Components
Microcomputer Resources
Device Drivers
Plug and Play
Device Conflicts
Operating Systems
DOS/Windows 3.x
Windows 95
Windows NT
Troubleshooting
Fixing Start-up Problems
Keyboard Problems
Mouse Problems
Monitor Problems
Handling Viruses
Review of Day 2
Microcomputer Needs Analysis - Applications, Components
Computer Hardware
System Unit - case, motherboard, ports
Motherboard
Bus Structure - expansion slots
ISA - Industry Standard Architecture
PCI - Peripheral Connection Interface
PCMCIA - (Portable Computers) Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association
Ports
Parallel (LPT1, LPT2) - Printers, Backup
Serial (COM1, COM2) - Mouse, Modem
SCSI - Small Computer System Interface
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
New Information
USB - exists now - designed for low/medium- speed peripherals - 1.5Mbps to 12Mbps
IEEE 1394 - standard approved, extensions pending (Firewire (TM) Apple Computer) - designed for high-speed data transfers starting at 100Mbps
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
Pentium (586 - AMD, Cyrix)
Pentium w/ MMX (optimized for Multimedia)
Pentium Pro (optimized for 32-bit software)
Pentium II (Pentium Pro w/ MMX)
Memory
RAM - check your documentation for the type required
Cache - faster memory for use by the CPU
Disk Drives
Hard Drives
Plug into IDE (EIDE) or SCSI Controller
One Physical Drive can be Partitioned into Multiple Logical Drives
Different Partition Types
FAT16 - DOS, Windows 3.1x, Windows 95
Maximum Partition Size 2.1G
FAT32 - Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2
Supports Partitions into the Terabytes
Graphics Card
Various Bus Structures - check your documentation
Resolution in Pixels
Video Memory - 1MB, 2MB, 4MB, 8MB
Determines Display Resolution and Colors
Memory Required = Width x Height x Color Depth
Adding New/Upgrading Old Components
Microcomputer Resources - Critical and Limited
Memory Addresses accessible by the CPU
Limited by type of CPU
- 80386 can access up to 4GB of RAM
- Pentium Pro and II can access up to 64GB
Limited by the Operating System - All flavors of Windows currently limited to 2GB
Input/Output (I/O) Port Addresses (Base Address)
Used to move information between the CPU and other devices
64K Byte-Wide Locations
Interrupt Request Lines (IRQs)
Allow external hardware to get attention of the CPU
Early PC's allowed 8 hardware interrupts
Current systems have 16 (15 can typically be used)
IRQ 2 - "Cascade Interrupt" - used to collect 8 other interrupts
ISA cards normally cannot share an IRQ
PCI cards normally can share an IRQ
Direct Memory Access (DMA) Channels
Allow data to flow without direct CPU intervention
DMA Controller (Secondary Microprocessor) - accepts a command from the CPU to move data
From one place in memory to another
To or from an I/O port
Used by devices needing many-byte transfers
Sound cards
Scanners
Some disk drives
Device Drivers
Interface between hardware device and operating system
Interrupt Service Routines - run when an interrupt occurs
Software - can be upgraded when original is buggy
Check manufacturer's web page!
Plug and Play (PnP) - Windows95, Windows98, WindowsNT (v5)
Meant to Make Microcomputers Auto-Configuring
May Conflict with Legacy (pre-PnP) Devices
Resources used by legacy devices can be "reserved" so those resources will not be used by PnP devices
Device Conflicts
Two Devices Using the Same Resources
Check Resource Utilization to Find the Problem
MSD - Microsoft Diagnostics - DOS/Windows 3.x
Device Manager - Windows 95
WinMSD - Windows NT
Operating Systems
DOS/Windows 3.x (3.0, 3.1, 3.11)
Windows 3.x Runs on Top of DOS, Not Stand-alone
Memory Management
Most Programs Expect to Load in First 640K
Memory Managers - load pieces of DOS, Windows, and device drivers into memory above 640K - (HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.SYS, QEMM, ...)
Windows Swap File - allows multiple programs to be loaded at once
Device Drivers - DOS, Windows, or Both
Configuration Settings in ".INI" Files - (WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, MSOFFICE.INI, ...)
Windows 95
Windows 95 is the Operating System - DOS Window
Memory Management
Managed by Operating System
Windows Swap File - managed automatically
Device Drivers - primarily Windows 95, some DOS
Configuration Settings in Registry - REGEDIT - Back up Registry before editing it!
Windows NT Workstation (NT Server discussed later)
Windows NT is the Operating System - many DOS applications won't run under NT!
Memory Management
Managed by Operating System
Windows Swap File - managed automatically
Device Drivers - NT only - many devices don't work
Configuration Settings in Registry - REGEDIT - Back up Registry before editing it!
Troubleshooting
Fixing Start-up Problems
System Won't Start
Is it Plugged In? - Cleaning people ...
Is it Hung? - If the power switch doesn't seem to be doing anything, unplug the system, wait a few seconds, and plug it back in. Try switch again.
"Non-system disk or disk error" - remove floppy from drive and press any key to continue
Repeated Beeping - check that nothing is on the keyboard
CMOS Errors - (e.g., drive type unrecognized, system configuration differs..., etc.) - go into Setup (usually by pressing some key as the system is starting) and check the settings; if they are all wrong, the CMOS battery could be dead.
"Bad or Missing command interpreter" - someone deleted COMMAND.COM; boot with a bootable floppy (e.g., your "Emergency Startup Disk" that you made when the system was new) and copy COMMAND.COM from it back to the hard drive
Keyboard Problems
Keyboard Doesn't Work
Check Connections - mouse port and keyboard port appear identical on newer systems...
Check Pins in Plug - if the plug was forced onto the port, one or more pins may have been bent back
Incorrect Characters Appear
Is the keyboard "Programmable"? - if so, check the documentation to reset it
Computer is Beeping and Keyboard Doesn't Work
Check that nothing is holding down a key
Typing Replaces Existing Text
Press the Insert key to get out of Overtype mode and back to Insert mode.
Check documentation for application in use
Mouse Problems
Mouse Doesn't Work
Check Connections - mouse port and keyboard port appear identical on newer systems...
Check Pins in Plug - if the plug was forced onto the port, one or more pins may have been bent back
Check if a Mouse Driver is Installed
Mouse Works Erratically
Clean it! - the ball underneath it can be removed and cleaned; internal rollers can then be cleaned
Check Device Driver Settings
Tracking - could be too fast or too slow making the mouse hard to control
Check Double-Click Speed - you could be clicking too fast or too slowly
Mouse Stops Working After a Modem is Installed
Check the Resource Settings!
Both could be using the same COM port
Both could be using the same interrupt (IRQ)
Monitor Problems
Monitor Turned on, but Nothing Displayed
Check connections to the computer
Turn up Brightness and Contrast
Check if the computer or monitor are asleep
Press a key or jiggle the mouse
Computer could be hung; turn it off and then back on (if power switch doesn't seem to do anything, unplug it)
Handling Viruses
Run a Virus Checker - An Up-to-Date One!
Every time the system is started
Some can be set to scan every inserted diskette
Removing a Virus
Select the Clean Option of the Virus Checker
If You Still Have a Virus...
Contact the Virus Software Publisher for Assistance
In extreme cases, the hard drive may need to be reformatted
Assignment for Class 4 ...
Read and be prepared to discuss:
Chapter 1 - (skim OSI information on pages 5-12)
(skim Client/Server on pages 13-19)
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4 - skip Wireless LANs (pages 61-64)
skim LAN Electrical Signals (pages 64-69)
(Most LANs are Baseband)
skim Media Ground Rules (pages 78-86)
skim MAUs and MSAUs (pages 87-90)