Troubleshooting Expansion Cards

If an error message indicates an expansion-card problem or if an expansion card seems to perform incorrectly or not at all, the problem could be a faulty connection, a conflict with software or other hardware, or a faulty expansion card. Follow these steps to troubleshoot expansion cards:

1.Start the system configuration utility, and verify that all Extended Industry-Standard Architec- ture (EISA) and Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA) expansion cards have been configured correctly. Save the configuration before exiting the utility.

See Chapter 5, “Using the System Configuration Utility,” in the system User’s Guide for instructions.

2.Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources.

3.Remove the left computer cover.

See “Removing the Computer Covers” earlier in this chapter.

CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

4.Verify that each expansion card is firmly seated in its connector.

Are the expansion cards properly seated in their connectors?

Yes. Go to step 6.

No. Continue to step 5.

5.Reseat the expansion cards in their connectors.

See “Relocating or Removing an Expansion Card” and “Installing an Expansion Card” in Chapter 8 for instructions on removing and replacing expansion cards.

Is the problem resolved?

Yes. The connection was loose. You have fixed the problem.

No. Continue to step 6.

6.Verify that the appropriate cables are firmly con- nected to their corresponding connectors on the expansion cards.

For instructions on which cables should be attached to specific connectors on an expansion card, see the expansion card’s documentation.

Are the appropriate cables firmly attached to their connectors?

Yes. Go to step 8.

No. Continue to step 7.

7.Reconnect the cable connectors to the appropri- ate connectors on the expansion cards.

Is the problem resolved?

Yes. The cable connections were loose. You have fixed the problem.

No. Continue to step 8.

8.Inspect all jumpers and configuration switches on each expansion card.

Most ISA expansion cards have configuration set- tings for an interrupt request (IRQ) line, a direct memory access (DMA) channel, and a base-memory or basic input/output system (BIOS) address. To keep expansion cards from conflicting with each other, you need to know both the starting memory address and the amount of memory required by each card. For instructions on jumpers and configuration settings, see the expansion card’s documentation.

Is each expansion card configured correctly? Yes. Go to step 10.

No. Continue to step 9.

9.Reconfigure the card according to the instruc- tions in the card’s documentation.

Is the problem resolved?

Yes. The memory configuration of the card was incorrect. You have fixed the problem.

No. Continue to step 10.

7-12 Dell PowerEdge 6100/200 System Installation and Troubleshooting Guide