Dell Latitude Xpi CD - Manual (Page 89)

Running the Dell Diagnostics 4-19
• Audio Output Test
Causes the drive to begin playing the first audio
track on an audio CD. (To determine if the test
passed, listen to the audio output of the drive.)
NOTE: The Audio Output Test does not run automat-
ically as part of the IDE CD ROM Drives Test
Group; you must select the subtest individually.
• Eject Removable Media
Checks the drive’s ability to eject the CD tray.
S
erial/Infrared Ports Test Group
The subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group
check the computer’s interface with external devices
(such as a serial mouse or a printer). The subtests in this test
group are not intended as a diagnostic test for the external
device itself.
Why Run a Serial/Infrared Ports Test?
It may not be immediately evident whether the port or the
external device is faulty. In both cases, the external
device (such as a serial mouse or a printer) might behave
erratically or not operate at all. Eliminate incorrect sys-
tem configuration information settings, peripheral
malfunctions, and software errors as potential causes of
infrared (IR) port problems, before you run the subtests
in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group to check your
hardware.
If the diagnostics do not recognize the computer’s serial
or infrared port, check the
SERIAL PORT or INFRARED
DATA PORT option in System Setup program to see if the port
has been disabled. For instructions, see “Serial Port,” “Infra-
red Data Port,” or “Parallel Mode” in Chapter 2. The subtests
in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group cannot test a port
unless it is enabled.
Another possible cause for errors is a problem with the
external device itself. Use the documentation that came with
the peripheral to troubleshoot it and confirm that it is work-
ing properly.
If the external device is not properly installed through
software, the device also may not function properly. Try
operating the device from different programs or through
the operating system. If it still does not work, you can
eliminate the software configuration as the cause of the
problem.
Although the following symptoms can be caused by
faulty peripherals or software errors, these symptoms
might also suggest a port problem:
• If a peripheral works intermittently, or produces
intermittent errors, the port may be faulty.
• If the computer displays an error message that is
related to the external device connected to a port, but
corrections to the device do not resolve the error, run
the appropriate subtest in the Serial/Infrared Ports
Test Group.
Subtests
The four subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group
confirm the following port functions:
• Serial/IR Baud Rate Test
Checks the baud rate generator in each serial com-
munications chip against the computer’s clock
• Serial/IR Interrupt Test
Checks the serial port’s ability to send IRQs to the
microprocessor
• Serial/IR Internal Transmission Test
Checks several internal functions of the serial port
using the internal loopback mode of the serial com-
munications chip
• Serial External Transmission Test
If a loopback device is attached, checks the line con-
trol bits of the serial port and sends a test pattern at
several baud rates, checking the returned values
P
arallel Ports Test Group
The subtests in the Parallel Ports Test Group check the
computer’s interface with external devices, such as a
printer, that are connected to the computer through the paral-
lel port. The subtests in this test group are not intended as a
diagnostic test for the actual peripheral attached to each port.