Dell 4100/180, 4100/200 manual Keyboard Test Group, Why Run a Video Test?, Why Run a Keyboard Test?

Many of these tests display characters or graphics on the screen for you to verify. Samples of these screens are shown in Appendix B, “Diagnostic Video Tests.”

NOTE: The default limit for testing super video graphics array (SVGA) modes is NO. If you are testing an external monitor, change the default to YES.

Why Run a Video Test?

Many of the symptoms that would prompt you to run a subtest in the Video Test Group are obvious, because the monitor is the visual component of the computer system. Before you run the Video Test Group or any of its sub- tests, you should make sure that the problem is not in the software or caused by a hardware change. You should also try running all of the software support utilities pro- vided for the monitor and the video subsystem.

If the following symptoms still occur, run the appropriate test(s) as follows:

•If the monitor shows a partially formed or distorted image, run all of the subtests in the Video Test Group.

•If the alignment of text or images is off, regardless of the program you are running, run the Text Mode Character Test, Text Mode Pages Test, and Graphics Mode Test.

•If you have a color monitor or a program that runs in color, but the color is intermittent or not displayed at all, run the Text Mode Color Test, Color Palettes Test, and Solid Color Test.

•If the monitor malfunctions in one mode but works fine in another (for example, text is displayed cor- rectly, but graphics are not), run the Text Mode Character Test, Text Mode Color Test, Text Mode Pages Test, and Graphics Mode Test.

Keyboard Test Group

The subtests in the Keyboard Test Group verify the cor- rect operation of the keyboard and the keyboard controller chip.

Subtests

The five keyboard subtests and the keyboard functions they confirm follow:

•Keyboard Controller Test

Confirms the ability of the keyboard controller chip to communicate with the keyboard and the program- ming of the controller chip

•Keyboard Key Sequence Test

Verifies that the keys on the keyboard function cor- rectly when you press the keys in a predefined order

•Keyboard Interactive Test

Checks the internal microcode of the keyboard and the external interface of the keyboard controller chip for a malfunctioning key

•Stuck Key Test

Checks the internal microcode of the keyboard and the external interface of the keyboard controller chip for a repeating-key signal

•External Key Pad Test

Checks the contact beneath the key for an electrical impulse to ensure that the key is working properly

Why Run a Keyboard Test?

Keyboard problems are not always caused by the keyboard. For example, a complete lockup of the com- puter system, rendering the keyboard inoperable, is more likely caused elsewhere. There are three symptoms that are likely to be keyboard-related. Sometimes, the config- uration of a program changes the function of a key or key combination. Likewise, key configuration programs can change a key’s function. Because these programs are memory resident, you should be sure to clear them out of the computer’s memory before running a subtest in the Keyboard Test Group. (Clear them from memory by rebooting the computer from the Dell Server Assistant CD.) When these possibilities have been eliminated, and if the following symptoms occur, you should run one or more of the subtests in the Keyboard Test Group:

•When you press a key, the character represented by that key appears repeatedly; the key seems to be stuck. Run the Stuck Key Test.

5-14 Dell PowerEdge 4100/180 and 4100/200 Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide