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114 xSeries 343 Hardware Maintenance Manual
More Problem Solving Procedures
This section provides a more detailed approach to identifying a problem and locating its source.
Preparing the System for Diagnostic Testing
Note
Turn off devices before disconnecting cables: Before disconnecting any
peripheral cables from the system; turn off the system and any external
peripheral devices. Failure to do so can cause permanent damage to the
system and/or the peripheral devices.
• Turn off the system and all external peripheral devices. Disconnect all of them from the
system, except the keyboard and video monitor.
• Make sure the DC power is applied to the terminals on the system and that the system is
properly grounded.
• Make sure your video display monitor and keyboard are correctly connected to the system.
Turn on the video monitor. Set its brightness and contrast controls to at least two thirds of their
maximum ranges (see the documentation supplied with your video display monitor).
• If the operating system normally loads from the hard disk drive, make sure there is no diskette
in drive A. Otherwise, place a diskette containing the operating system files in drive A.
• Turn on the system. If the power LED does not light, see “Power Light Does Not Light” on
page 115.
Monitoring POST
Refer to Addendum A on page 98 for POST Error Codes, Messages and FRU to Failure
Information.
Verifying Proper Operation of Key System Lights
As POST determines the system configuration, it tests for the presence of each mass storage device
installed in the system. As each device is checked, its activity light should turn on briefly. Check
for the following:
Does the diskette drive activity light turn on briefly? If not, see “Diskette Drive Activity Light
Does Not Light” on page 116.
If a second diskette drive is installed, does its activity light turn on briefly? If not, see “Diskette
Drive Activity Light Does Not Light” on page 116.
Confirming Loading of the Operating System
Once the system boots up, the operating system prompt appears on the screen. The prompt varies
according to the operating system. If the operating system prompt does not appear, see “Initial
System Startup” on page 112.