7-14 Dell Dimension XPS D
xxx
Systems Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
an unusually large amount (over 5 percent of the possible total), should not be
regarded as a cause for testing the hard-disk drive.
If you encounter a problem while using an application on a CD, the problem could
result from the disc or from the drive. When you enc ou nter problems, first try using a
different CD. If the problem recurs, run the IDE (ATA/ATAPI) Devices Test Group.
These are the most common symptoms that might prompt you to test IDE devices:
The hard-disk drive fails during the boot routine.
Seek
errors are reported by the operating system or applications.
An error message appears on the screen stating that the computer cannot
read
from or
write
to a device.
Data on a hard-disk drive is corrupted or lost; saved files cannot be properly
recalled. These problems may be intermittent.
NOTES: Before conducting these tests on CD-ROM driv es, i nsert a CD wit h audio an d
data tracks (such as a multimedia CD) into each CD-ROM drive. All of the subtests
except for the Audio Test require a CD with da ta tracks. The Audio Test requires a CD
with audio tracks and either integrated audio or a Dell-supported expansion card.
If a CD-ROM drive is empty, or if it contai ns a CD that does not have the required data
or audio tracks (depending on the tests you are running), the tests will fail.
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Display Information Displays configuration information about an attached
device.
Self Diagnostics Test Causes a drive to execute its internal self-test.
Seek Test Checks a drive’s ability to search for each block on the
device.
Read Test Positions the read/write heads at each block of the
device for reading data and allows the diagnostics to ve r-
ify that all tracks on the device can be read correctly.
Verify Test Positions the read/write heads at each cylinder of a drive
for reading data and allows the drive to verify that all
tracks on the drive can be read correctly.
Write Test Positions the read/write heads at each cylinder of a writ-
able device and verifies that all tracks on the driv e can be
written to correctly.
NOTE: The Glossary in the
Online Guide
defines abbreviations and acronyms.