Common Industrial PC Faults and Troubleshooting Methods
1. The computer does not respond when the power is turned on:
1. Check if the power outlet has power and is properly connected to the computer;
2. Check if the computer power supply is working properly (whether the power supply fan spins after powering on) and whether the monitor is properly connected to the host;
3. Open the computer case and check if the power supply is properly connected to the computer chassis or motherboard, whether the connection between the chassis and motherboard is loose, whether the chassis or motherboard powers on, and whether the ATX power supply is connected correctly.
4. Does the computer beep when the memory module is removed and the computer is powered on?
5. Replace the CPU or motherboard.
2. After powering on, the power indicator light on the base plate flashes briefly and then goes out, preventing power from being applied.
First, check if there are any foreign objects such as screws inside the computer case causing a short circuit. Second, check if any power cables are connected incorrectly, causing a short circuit to ground. Third, use the replacement method to replace components such as the power supply, motherboard, and motherboard.
3. After powering on the industrial computer, the power supply works normally, but the motherboard does not respond at all?
First, remove all external expansion cards and connected devices to see if it can boot. If not, remove the memory to see if there are any error messages. Then check the CPU's operation to see if it is working properly. Finally, replace the motherboard to check if it is functioning correctly.
4. After powering on, I hear the motherboard self-test beep, but the monitor displays nothing:
1. Check if the monitor is properly connected to the host computer;
2. Try inserting another graphics card to see if it can display normally;
3. Clear the CMOS (the settings may be incorrect) or replace the BIOS;
4. Replace the CPU board (integrated graphics card on the motherboard) or the monitor.
5. No display appears on the alarm display after powering on:
1. Open the computer case and check if the memory modules are installed or loose;
2. Does the alarm sound remain the same after powering on with the memory stick removed?
3. Clear the CMOS (the settings may be incorrect) or replace the BIOS;
4. Replace the graphics card or insert an external graphics card (integrated graphics card on the motherboard).
5. Generally, a long beep indicates a memory module malfunction; continuous short beeps can be of two types: one is a graphics card alarm and the other is a BIOS alarm; if the system can be entered but there are intervals between short beeps, there is a CPU temperature alarm setting in the motherboard BIOS. When the CPU temperature reaches the set value, the motherboard will issue an intervals between short beeps as an alarm.
6. Power-on alarm: The alarm sound analysis is as follows:
Award BIOS
1 short beep --- System starts normally
2 short --- Common error
One long beep followed by one short beep --- RAM or motherboard error
1 long beep followed by 2 short beeps --- Monitor or graphics card error.
1 long beep followed by 3 short beeps --- Keyboard controller error
1 long beep followed by 9 short beeps --- Motherboard Flash RAM or EPROM error, i.e., BIOS corruption.
Continuous beeping - Memory module not properly inserted or memory is damaged
Repeated short beeps --- Power supply failure
AMI BIOS
1 short beep --- Memory refresh failed
2 short beeps --- Memory ECC check error
3 short beeps --- System base memory, i.e., the first 64KB, check failed.
4 short beeps --- System clock error
5 short beeps --- CPU error
6 short beeps --- Keyboard controller error
7 short beeps --- System real mode error, unable to switch to protected mode.
8 short beeps --- Indicates a memory error
9 short beeps --- ROM BIOS check error
1 long beep followed by 3 short beeps --- Memory check error
1 long beep followed by 8 short beeps --- Monitor or graphics card error.
Phoenix BIOS
1 short beep: System starts normally
1 short beep followed by 1 short beep followed by 1 short beep: System power-up self-test initialization failed.
1 short beep, 1 short beep, 2 short beeps: Motherboard error
1 short beep, 1 short beep, 3 short beeps: CMOS or battery error.
1 short beep, 1 short beep, 4 short beeps: ROM BIOS verification failed.
1 short beep, 2 short beeps, 1 short beep: System clock error
1 short beep followed by 2 short beeps followed by 2 short beeps: DMA initialization failed.
1 short beep, 2 short beeps, 3 short beeps: DMA page register error
1 short beep followed by 3 short beeps and then 1 short beep: RAM refresh error.
1 short beep, 3 short beeps, 2 short beeps: Basic memory error
1 short beep, 4 short beeps, 1 short beep: Basic memory address line error.
1 short beep, 4 short beeps, 2 short beeps: Basic memory check error
1 short beep, 4 short beeps, 3 short beeps: EISA sequencer error
1 short beep followed by 4 short beeps: EASA NMI port error.
2 short 1 short 2 short to 2 short 4 short 4 short (i.e., all combinations starting with 2 short sounds): Basic memory error
3 short beeps, 1 short beep, 1 short beep: Error from DMA register
3 short beeps, 1 short beep, 2 short beeps: Master DMA register error
3 short beeps, 1 short beep, 3 short beeps: Main interrupt handler register error.
3 short beeps, 1 short beep, 4 short beeps: Error in interrupt handler register.
3 short beeps, 2 short beeps, 4 short beeps: Keyboard controller error.
3 short beeps, 3 short beeps, 4 short beeps: Graphics card memory error.
3 short beeps, 4 short beeps, 2 short beeps: Error message displayed.
3 short beeps, 4 short beeps, 3 short beeps: No display read-only memory found.
4 short beeps, 2 short beeps, 1 short beep: Clock error
4 short beeps, 2 short beeps, 2 short beeps: Power off error
4 short beeps, 2 short beeps, 3 short beeps: A20 door error.
4 short beeps, 2 short beeps, 4 short beeps: Protected mode interrupt error
4 short beeps, 3 short beeps, 1 short beep: Memory error
4 short beeps, 3 short beeps, 3 short beeps: Clock 2 error.
4 short beeps, 3 short beeps, 4 short beeps: Real-time clock error
4 short beeps, 4 short beeps, 1 short beep: Serial port error
4 short beeps, 4 short beeps, 2 short beeps: Parallel port error
4 short beeps, 4 short beeps, 3 short beeps: Digital coprocessor error
Compatible BIOS:
1 short beep: System normal
2 short beeps: System power-on self-test (POST) failed.
1. Long: Power error. If there is no display, it indicates a graphics card error.
1 long beep followed by 1 short beep: Motherboard error
1 long beep followed by 2 short beeps: Graphics card error.
1 short beep followed by 1 short beep followed by 1 short beep: Power error
3 long beeps and 1 short beep: Keyboard error
6. The motherboard fails to perform a self-test after powering on:
1. Press the "Del" key to reset or clear the CMOS;
2. Replace the memory module;
3. Re-flash the BIOS or replace it with the same BIOS chip.
7. After powering on, the motherboard works normally, but the BIOS detects the keyboard and reports a keyboard error?
First, check if the keyboard lock is engaged and unlock it. If not, check the connections between the motherboard and the backplane, as well as the keyboard and mouse connections, to ensure they are correct.
8. After powering on, all other parts work normally, but the floppy drive's read light stays constantly on, making the floppy drive unusable.
It should be that the floppy drive data cable is connected backwards.
9. The industrial computer could boot before the hard drive was installed, but it cannot boot after the hard drive is installed?
First, please check if the hard drive data cable is connected incorrectly.
10. The mouse and keyboard are both unusable?
Check if a keyboard and mouse splitter adapter is connected. If so, reverse the connection of the keyboard and mouse.
11. The motherboard self-test succeeds after powering on, but the system cannot boot from the hard drive:
1. Press the "Del" key to enter the CMOS hard drive parameter settings and check if the boot order is correct;
2. After booting from the CD-ROM or floppy drive, check if the hard drive has a bootable system or if it is properly partitioned and the boot partition is activated;
3. Use the FDISK/MBR command.
12. The memory self-test result after power-on does not match the actual memory capacity:
1. Check if the motherboard's integrated graphics memory (VRAM) is shared with the motherboard's system memory. This will allocate a portion of the system memory as VRAM.
2. Check if the memory is small-chip memory (i.e., each chip on the memory module has a capacity of less than 16MB; for example, 128MB memory should have 8 chips), because...
Some older chips do not support large-sized memory chips; when installed, only half the capacity will be displayed.
3. A very small number of motherboards use a special type of CPU that occupies a portion of memory as an instruction decoder for CPU instruction set conversion, thus causing a mismatch in memory capacity.
13. The computer crashes or displays a blue screen before fully booting into the system:
1. Check for system resource conflicts;
2. Are there any errors in the BIOS settings?
3. Replace the memory module;
4. Repartition and format the hard drive and install the operating system.
14. The industrial computer tested normally at the company, but when it was powered on at the customer's site, it failed to display anything after entering the system, and the monitor's indicator lights kept flashing.
This is usually caused by the resolution or refresh rate being set too high, resulting in the monitor not displaying anything. Entering safe mode and resetting the settings should resolve the issue.
15. The PS/2 mouse cannot be found after entering the system:
1. Check if a 1-to-2 adapter is being used and properly connected. Sometimes you may need to swap the plugs of the keyboard and mouse.
2. Press the "Del" key to enter the CMOS and check if the PS/2 option is enabled;
3. Check if the IRQ used by the PS/2 mouse is in use (the BIOS usually assigns IRQ 12 to a PS/2 mouse);
4. Has the mouse driver been loaded? (This is especially important for NT operating systems; if the mouse driver is not loaded during system installation, the mouse will not be able to function later.)
5. Replace with a different mouse.
16. Windows system crashes or displays a blue screen during operation:
1. Has the installation of new equipment caused system resource conflicts?
2. Are there any incorrect or outdated drivers installed?
3. Check if the system is infected with a virus;
4. Is the CPU fan still spinning normally?
5. Are system files, applications, or the disk damaged?
6. Check if the problem is due to memory incompatibility or a memory issue.
17. Unable to install device driver correctly:
1. Check if the driver is up-to-date and supports the operating system;
2. Does the driver require support from operating system patches?
3. Do the resources used by other devices conflict with the resources used by the device that needs to be driven?
4. If it is a peripheral device, try a different slot and reinstall the driver;
5. Replace the device and reinstall the driver.
18. ATX power supply cannot completely shut down the computer:
1. Is the ACPI option enabled in the BIOS?
2. Did you enable the ACPI option during system installation, or does your system support advanced power management?
3. Some motherboards require the GND pin to be connected when connecting the ATX cable (such as PEAK-639VL2).
19. Industrial PC startup time is excessively long (ESP WIN98):
1. Disable the automatic startup items of system startup files;
2. Run SCANDISK to perform a full disk check for bad sectors;
3. Run the disk defragmenter to eliminate fragmentation;
4. Run the disk cleanup program to eliminate junk files;
5. This may be related to the network card installation: Adjust network settings.
6. Possibly infected with a virus: Kill.
20. Improper software installation may cause the *.vxd file to be missing, severely affecting system access:
1. Upon booting up, note down the missing files and their paths;
2. Boot the computer using a WIN98 boot disk;
3. Type EXT, press Enter. When prompted: PLEASE ENTER THE PATH TO THE WINDOWS CABFILE, enter the full path to the WON98 compressed file and press Enter.
4. Follow the computer prompts to enter the filename you noted down.
21. Local printer cannot print over network:
1. Check if the network cable and network configuration are correct and if the connection to the network is normal.
2. Check if the printer in the computer's print settings is matched with the shared printer.
3. Check if the printer is working properly.
22. Can USB hard drives and USB flash drives be used as boot disks?
It depends on whether the motherboard BIOS supports it. For example, W130 and STX88601 can support it, while older motherboards generally do not.
