Self-diagnosis of the vehicle. Assembling and turning on the computer

29.05.2019 Iron

There may come a moment in anyone's life when their trusty PC refuses to work any longer. This is not a reason to panic, in most cases a simple computer diagnostics can solve the problem. It will not be difficult to carry it out on your own.

The first bell of a system malfunction can be received immediately after turning on the computer. The motherboard should issue a single which indicates the health of the system. If there is any malfunction, then there is a whole table of combinations of sound signals, which allows you to immediately identify the source of the problem. For example, 8 short beeps will notify you of a malfunction of the video card, and 3 beeps - about a malfunction.Hearing uncharacteristic sounds from your system unit, you should not immediately carry it to the service center, you may just need to clean it from dust. The list of signals can be viewed on the Internet.

If the coolers on the system unit turned on, but the bulbs on it did not light up, not a single sound was heard, and frightening blackness appeared on the monitor screen, then most likely you will have to change the motherboard.

If after switching on nothing happened, then there are two possible options: either the power supply burned out, or your electrical energy was turned off. Replacing the power supply will not cause any special problems. This is a fairly straightforward process.

Diagnostics of the computer continues, if after turning on the system issued one short read of all the basic physical parameters, such as memory, number of hard disks, etc., then you can be sure that everything is in order with the hardware.

Another possible cause of PC failure is problems in the disk system. If an inscription like "Non system disk or disk error" appears on the monitor, then think a few times before proceeding with the recovery. Incorrectly performed computer diagnostics can lead to the failure of the entire system as a whole, as well as to the loss of all personal data on the hard drive.

First, you need to enter BIOS and check if the hard drive is detected. To enter immediately after the start of the download, you must press the "del" key. The structure of the BIOS is varied, but the very first menu always indicates all connected and used memory media, the current time and date. If the hard drive is listed there, then simple computer diagnostics will not help here. It will be necessary to use various applications with which the computer is diagnosed. The program scans disks and finds "bad" sectors in them, which are then restored.

If the system has booted, but the quality of its work is not satisfactory, then the timely diagnostics of the computer will help. There is a huge number of a wide variety of applications, such as Tun eUp Utilities or Norton Disk Doctor, which are able to quickly and efficiently check the system, registry and other areas for problems and errors. Modern programs that diagnose a computer can work in and in most cases do not require user intervention.

Summing up, it can be noted that not every malfunction in a PC should provoke a trip to a service center. A timely computer diagnostics will help save your time and money.

Failure of a laptop is an unpleasant situation that can entail significant financial costs. I do not always want to take it to a service center, especially for fear of falling for the bait of an unscrupulous master. The simplest fault diagnosis can be carried out independently. Everyone can learn simple and basic techniques for checking the device at home.

Breakdown reasons

Any computer is divided into hardware and software. The first refers directly to the "hardware" of the device: motherboard, processor, video card, memory, etc. To software - operating system and software.

By the nature of the malfunction, it is enough to simply determine which part of the laptop failed and perform more accurate diagnostics:

software crash. Possible reasons: driver crash, presence of viruses, OS malfunction;
hardware failure. Signs: braking, freezing, switching off the device, problems with video, peripherals, etc. Possible reasons: overheating of the central processor, blade of the north or south bridge, hard disk breakdown, consequences of liquid getting on the motherboard.

What is needed for diagnosis

To carry out self-diagnosis of your computer most accurately and efficiently, you will need the following software:

Viktoria

for testing the hard drive;

AIDA 64

to view sensors;

MemTest

to troubleshoot RAM problems.

It is advisable to arm yourself with some "computer hardware" suitable for your laptop:

2.5-inch hard drive in working order;
DDR3 RAM bar;
desktop computer monitor and VGA cable;
power unit.

The Gentleman's Kit can also be supplemented with a voltmeter, oscilloscope and soldering station. It's okay if there is no such additional equipment, since it may not be needed in every situation.

Malfunctions of the software part

It is easy to find out that the breakdown has occurred in this particular part of the laptop. The main symptom is the normal inclusion of the device, but with failures when loading the operating system. Below are the most common problems and possible remedies.

Problem	What to do
OS won't boot	Recover the system or reinstall the OS
The appearance of the blue screen of "death"	The cause of the breakdown depends on the error code. Basically, in this case, you need to resolve the conflict of drivers and programs with the OS
The laptop freezes or slows down when running a certain program	Check the compatibility of the program with the OS and the presence of additional applications, such as Microsoft.NetFramework
No sound	Check installed drivers
Clean the registry from garbage and optimize the OS

Determine hardware failure

The main signal of a breakdown of "computer hardware" will be the shutdown or reboot of the laptop even before the OS starts. Other failures may occur.

Problem	What to do
The laptop boots up, but freezes or restarts	This happens when the overheating protection is triggered. View temperature sensors using AIDA software
Screen image is distorted	The reason lies in the failure of the video card or matrix. Most likely you will need a replacement part
Failure of the hard disk to format and write data when reinstalling the OS	Diagnose the hard drive using the Victoria program
Crash when loading device	Perform a RAM test with MemTest
Significantly shorter battery life	Calibrate the battery. If the battery is not charged, it may require repair or replacement of the power connector. The cause may also be a malfunction of the power supply.

Currently, there are a huge number of programs that help the user to test the computer, as well as obtain, summarize and analyze information about the system. With similar purposes, such utilities are often quite different in their implementation, interface usability, a set of diagnostic tools, and functionality in general. Among such programs, there are both highly specialized ones, designed for a detailed examination of one of the computer subsystems, and making it possible to diagnose and test the system as a whole and all its subsystems separately. Often, developers include test modules in diagnostic and monitoring utilities that allow, based on simple, and most importantly, short-lived synthetic tests, to gain a more complete picture of a computer system and make a thoughtful decision regarding ways to increase its performance. And a simple collection of systematized detailed information about the system can sometimes open the user's eyes to the causes of certain problems that arise when working with a PC.

In this review, an attempt is made to describe the most popular diagnostic and testing utilities today, while in addition to such requirements as the most user-friendly, convenient and intuitive interface, ensuring a high degree of information content and functionality, when choosing utilities, we put forward the condition that the programs are free and available for free download on the Internet. So, the following programs have received our attention:

EVEREST Home Edition v. 2.0;
SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2005.SR1;
PC Wizard 2005;
CPU-Z Version 1.28;
PCMark04 Build 1.3.0.

Before proceeding with a detailed description of these utilities, let us give them a general description. The first two utilities are EVEREST Ultimate Edition v. 2.0 and SiSoftware Sandra 2005 are similar in many ways. SiSoftware Sandra 2005 is a classic of the genre. It provides a huge set of diagnostic tools, allowing you to collect comprehensive information about the system, and in addition, it includes a number of tests that can be used to compare the performance of individual subsystems of the computer and the system as a whole with the performance of reference configurations.

EVEREST Ultimate Edition utility v. 2.0 has a lot in common with SiSoftware's Sandra utility, especially in terms of the system information collection tools.

PC Wizard 2005, as well as SiSoftware Sandra 2005 and EVEREST Ultimate Edition v. 2.0 is a PC diagnostic tool and also contains a number of built-in benchmarks that can be used to evaluate the performance of individual PC subsystems.

Utility CPU-Z Version 1.28 is intended primarily for diagnosing the operation of the processor subsystem. It is capable of initializing almost all x86 processors existing today (including processors with AMD 64 architecture) and most modern chipsets.

The PCMark04 utility is a synthetic benchmark that allows for fairly detailed testing of various PC subsystems. This package is primarily intended for performing express PC testing at home.

EVEREST Home Edition v. 2.0

The EVEREST utility is the successor to the well-known AIDA32 utility written by Tamas Miklos. As a rule, all good things are quickly taken over, which, in fact, is what happened with the AIDA32 utility. Now, in a slightly updated version, this utility is known under the name EVEREST and today is one of the most successful PC diagnostics and monitoring programs. It allows you to get the most detailed information about the computer as a whole, and about all its subsystems, and also contains a number of additional tests.

There are three variants of the EVEREST program: EVEREST Corporate Edition, EVEREST Ultimate Edition and EVEREST Home Edition. For home users, the EVEREST Home Edition is most suitable (especially since it's free).

Let's take a closer look at the capabilities of this software product. The EVEREST Home Edition utility is relatively small in size (2.58 MB). This program has a traditional windowed interface and supports the Russian language (however, at this point the program has serious flaws and some of the text is displayed as unreadable characters). The working area of the program is divided into two windows: the main information and auxiliary (located on the left), in which, due to the hierarchical structure, similar to the tree-like structure of directories, you can select one or another monitoring tool that allows you to obtain comprehensive information about any component of a computer system (fig. 1).

Rice. 1. The main window of the utility EVEREST Home Edition v. 2.0

Let's briefly consider what information about the system can be obtained using the EVEREST Home Edition v. 2.0. When you select the "Computer" item in the auxiliary window, you can get general information about the system, BIOS, battery status (relevant for laptops or UPS), information from hardware monitoring system sensors, and even information about overclocking the processor, memory and graphics controller.

By selecting other items in the auxiliary window, you can get more detailed information about the components of the system - both hardware and software.

The Motherboard category provides detailed information about the CPU, chipset, system memory, basic input / output system (BIOS), and the motherboard itself. It is difficult to name another utility that would give such complete information!

In the "Display" category, you can get information about everything that is in any way connected with the visual (graphical) interface of the system. It contains complete information not only about the video card and monitor, but also about the desktop settings.

The "Multimedia" category contains information about the multimedia capabilities of the system. All installed audio and video codecs, MCI devices (Media Control Interface) and, of course, audio devices are listed here.

The category "Data storage" includes a lot of useful information about the computer's disk subsystem, providing data about the used storage devices, their logical and physical structure, and, which is very useful, displays the SMART information of the system's hard drives, if, of course, this technology is supported by the existing ones. HDD. In addition, this category displays such characteristics of hard drives as spindle speed, buffer size, average seek time, spin-up time, average spin-up latency, number of platters per disk, and even the physical size and weight of the hard disk.

The "Network" category allows you to get information about everything that is in any way connected with a network interface. Here you can find information about the network controller and the speed of the established network connection, the current statistics of this connection (the number of received and transmitted bytes), information about the TCP / IP settings and the network environment.

The "DirectX" category gives the user the opportunity to get the most detailed information about the installed version of DirectX, namely about the DirectX files and dynamic libraries available in the system and their settings when working with video, sound, music and input-output interfaces.

The "Devices" category provides information about the devices installed in the system, and information about them can be obtained both in the traditional Windows form, and in a more detailed one, which allows you to get an idea of the physical interface of devices and the system resources they use.

The last item that can be seen in the auxiliary window is "Test". Here you can run one of three benchmarks that measure the memory subsystem's throughput: memory reads, memory writes, and memory latency. In this case, the test results are displayed in the form of a diagram and compared with the results obtained in other configurations.

Another interesting feature of the EVEREST Home Edition v. 2.0 is the ability to create reports according to a predefined scenario. Thus, it is possible to determine in advance what data should be included in the generated report and in what format it should be created.

SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2005.SR1

The long and well-known SiSoftware Sandra utility has now become a truly universal program that allows you to work with a wide range of modern computer systems, from Pocket PC ARM platforms (PDAs and smartphones) to Win64 IA64 platforms (Itanium / Itanium2 based systems), AMD 64 (systems based on AMD Athlon 64 / Athlon 64 FX / Opteron processors) and, of course, the most widespread Win32 x86 platform today.

SiSoftware Sandra Utility is a kind of reference for information and diagnostic software. The essence and purpose of this program are reflected in its name: Sandra is not a woman's name at all, but an abbreviation for System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant. This software is released in several versions, which differ in license terms, or, more simply, in price and, as a result, in functionality. In our review, we will focus only on the free version (Lite), intended for personal use and does not require registration. This utility supports the Russian-language interface, and, unlike EVEREST Home Edition, without any "glitches".

SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2005 has a traditional windowed interface (Figure 2).

Rice. 2. Main Window of SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2005 Utility

All monitoring and diagnostic tools of the program are divided into five categories according to their intended purpose:

Wizard Modules;
Information Modules;
Benchmarking Modules;
Listing Modules
Testing Modules

Let's take a quick look at the diagnostic and monitoring tools provided by the SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2005 utility.

Add Modules Wizard - allows you to add new modules to the utility;
environment monitoring wizard;
Generalized Performance Index Wizard - tests the main computer subsystems: processor (arithmetic performance and multimedia performance), memory subsystem, disk subsystem and network interface, on the basis of which a generalized performance index is set. But the greatest interest, in our opinion, is the graphical presentation of the results in the form of a pentagonal coverage matrix, which allows you to visually assess the performance of the system under test in comparison with other configurations (Fig. 3). At the same time, the user has the opportunity to make himself a reference configuration of a computer system, the performance of which he would like to compare with his PC;
Stress Testing Wizard (Burn-in Wizard) - Allows you to test a computer system for endurance by repeatedly cycling tests (which can be found in the category "Benchmarking modules"). It is also important that the system can be protected from the consequences of such severe loads by setting the condition to terminate the test in case of overheating or errors, while the critical temperatures and limiting parameters of the cooling systems (the rotation speed of the cooling fans) can also be defined by the user. In addition, it is possible to select the tests to run and the number of runs, and you can even set the priority of this application;
update wizard - allows you to make online updates of the utility version;
Performance Boost Wizard - launches all active information modules and, based on the information received, gives advice on optimizing and modernizing the system that will help increase the performance of the computer system. Note that you should not completely trust all the advice, although the wizard also gives out quite useful advice, especially regarding the ability to disable various services;
Report Wizard - helps to save the received information in the most convenient format for the user, and in addition, provides the ability to select the place of delivery of the received report.

In the category "Information modules" you can find tools that allow you to get comprehensive information about almost all hardware and software components of a computer system.

The category "Benchmarking modules" includes a number of well-known and quite often cited synthetic tests that allow assessing the performance of the most important computer subsystems (with the exception of the video subsystem). This category contains the following test utilities:

CPU Arithmetic Benchmark - allows you to evaluate the performance of performing arithmetic calculations and floating point operations in comparison with other reference computer systems;
multimedia processor test (CPU Multi-Media Benchmark) - makes it possible to evaluate the performance of the system in working with multimedia data using the sets of SIMD instructions supported by the processor in comparison with other reference computer systems;
Removable Storage / Flash Benchmark - provides an opportunity to evaluate system performance (read, write and delete speed, on the basis of which the generalized index is calculated) when working with removable drives in comparison with other reference computer systems;
file system test (File System Benchmark) - allows you to determine the performance of the disk (file) subsystem of a computer in comparison with other reference computer systems;
test CD-ROM / DVD (CD-ROM / DVD Benchmark) - allows you to evaluate the performance of optical drives (CD-ROM / DVD) in comparison with other reference computer systems;
memory bandwidth test (Memory Bandwidth Benchmark) - allows you to determine the bandwidth of the memory subsystem (the "processor - chipset - memory" link) when performing integer and floating point operations in comparison with other reference computer systems;
test cache and memory (Cache & Memory Benchmark) - makes it possible to determine the bandwidth of the memory subsystem (link "processor - cache - chipset - memory") in comparison with other reference computer systems;
network bandwidth test (Network / LAN Bandwidth Benchmark) - allows you to determine the bandwidth of the network connection with the selected network node.

In addition, among the test modules, you can find two test utilities that evaluate the speed of the Internet. The first is the Internet Connection Benchmark, which measures the speed of your connection to your ISP, and the second, the Internet Peerage Benchmark, measures the speed of your connection to various Internet sites. Note also that according to the results of each test carried out, the user is given recommendations to improve the system performance.

Modules of the "Test Modules" category are not available in the Lite version, and the information they provide (information about the system interrupts used by devices, the allocation of system memory resources, etc.) will probably be useful mainly for advanced users and professionals.

The View Modules category provides access to tools to view the most important system files that define the configuration of the system environment. However, in the Lite version, most of the modules in this category are not available to users.

PC Wizard 2005

The PC Wizard 2005 utility is in many ways similar to the EVEREST Home Edition utility and is intended primarily for collecting information about a PC. However, unlike EVEREST Home Edition and SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2005, it does not have a Russian-language interface. The program has a windowed interface, and the working area of the program is divided into two windows: information and auxiliary (located on the left), in which you can select one or another monitoring tool (Fig. 4).

There are five tabs in the auxiliary window of the program: Hardware; Configuration; System Files; Resources and Benchmark, grouping information modules by topic. The first tab (Hardware) allows you to access information regarding the PC hardware. By selecting the icons for System Summary, Mainboard, Processor, Video, IO Ports, etc., you can access the corresponding detailed information.

The Configuration tab allows you to access information modules that display information about the operating system, Web browser, installed applications, services, and more.

The System Files tab allows you to view (but not change) various system files.

The Resources tab allows you to view information about the interrupts used and the controllers installed in the system.

The Benchmark tab contains a fairly large number of the simplest synthetic tests that allow you to evaluate the performance of individual PC subsystems: processor, L1 cache, L2 cache, L3 cache, memory in general, hard disk, optical drive, video card, and compression of audio files to MP3 format.

CPU-Z v. 1.28

The CPU-Z utility is a small and easy-to-install program with a user-friendly interface that provides the user with access to information grouped into categories.

The first tab - CPU - as you might guess, contains detailed information about the central processor of the computer system (Fig. 5). This window displays information about the processor core, as well as information about the current supply voltage, system bus frequency, FSB, set processor multiplier and current clock frequency of the processor core. Here you can also find data on the cache size of the first (L1), second (L2) and third (L3) levels.

The second tab, Cache, contains more detailed information about the structure and operating parameters of the cache memory.

The Mainboard tab includes information related to the motherboard (information about the motherboard manufacturer, the name of the chipset, the name of the south bridge chip, the name of the used I / O controller chip (Super I / O), etc.).

On the Memory tab, you can get information about the RAM: its size, set timings, as well as the current memory frequency.

The SPD tab displays information about each installed memory module (manufacturer, memory type, as well as the contents of the SPD table).

And the last tab - About - in addition to the traditional information about the author, allows you to save the report in an HTML document.

Another useful tool that comes with the CPU-Z utility is the Latency test, which can be used to determine memory latency.

PCMark04 Build 1.3.0

Unlike all the previously reviewed utilities, PCMark04 from Futuremark Corporation is focused specifically on PC testing. This utility includes a variety of synthetic tests that allow you to test the PC processor subsystem, memory subsystem, graphics subsystem and hard disk performance. Perhaps, of the testing utilities available for home users, PCMark04 is the most versatile and at the same time very powerful tool.

So, the PCMark04 utility allows you to evaluate the performance of the PC as a whole (System), calculating a certain integral performance result, the performance of the processor subsystem (CPU), memory performance (Memory), the performance of the graphics subsystem (Graphics) and the performance of the data storage subsystem (HDD).

Note that the PCMark04 utility is released in several versions: the free version PCMark04 Free and two commercial versions PCMark04 Professional and PCMark04 Business Edition.

The free version allows you to perform tests on the PC as a whole with the output of the final result and the ability to view the details of the test results, and the versions of PCMark04 Professional and PCMark04 Business Edition, in addition, allow you to conduct separate tests of memory, graphics subsystem, hard disk and create your own test scenario (select tests and number of runs).

For the PCMark04 utility to work correctly, the following applications must be installed on the system:

Internet Explorer 6;
Media Player 9;
Media Encoder 9;
DirectX 9.0.

Moreover, the correct operation of this test package is provided only for the Windows XP operating system.

The utility is very simple to work with. After starting the program, we find ourselves in the main dialog box (Fig. 6). In the simplest case, all that remains is to press the Run PCMark button and wait for the test results.

In the main dialog box of the program, you can also view information about the system by clicking on the Details ... button, and to create a test scenario, click on the Select ... button (Fig. 7).

overall system performance
and its individual subsystems

In total, the PCMark04 utility includes 44 tests, of which 10 are used to measure overall system performance, 7 are used to measure processor performance, 16 are used to measure memory performance, 7 are used to measure graphics performance, and 4 are used to measure hard drive performance.

It is important that the PCMark04 utility was specially developed for testing home computers, and in this sense, the selection of tasks and the method for calculating the integral test result are based on the assumption that the computer is used at home (Home PC Usage).

Typical tasks solved by the PCMark04 utility and their weight coefficients are presented in the table.

Based on typical home PC tasks, PCMark04 uses tests with medium to high priority. The benchmark uses third-party utilities: Crypto + 5.0 for file encryption, F-Secure's virus scanner, Grammar Parser v4 for spell checking, Havok physics engine v 2.1 for working with graphics, etc.

Thirteen tests are used to test overall system performance, with three pairs of tests being run in multi-threaded mode. The order of running tests is shown in Fig. eight.

As you can see, in the tests for measuring the integral performance of the entire system as a whole, there are no tests that measure the performance of the hard disk. That is, it should be borne in mind that for a PC with a high-performance hard disk, and for a PC with a slow disk, the integral performance result will be approximately the same.

The integrated performance result is calculated as the geometric mean of the results (execution time) of individual tasks:

PCMark Score= 66 x (File Compression x File Encryption x File Decompression x Image Processing x File Decryption x Virus Scanning x Grammar Check x Audio Conversion x Web Page Rendering x WMV Video Compression x DivX Video Compression x Physics and 3D x Graphics Memory) 1/13 ...

Nine tests are used to test the processor, with two pairs of tests being run in multi-threaded mode. The order of running tests is shown in Fig. 9.

As you can see, the set of tests in this case is similar to the set of tests used to measure the integrated performance of the system as a whole, with the exception of Virus Scanning, Grammar Check, Physics and 3D and Graphics Memory.

The generalized processor test result is calculated as a geometric mean using the formula:

CPU Score= 110 x (File Compression x File Encryption x File Decompression x Image Processing x File Decryption x Grammar Check x Audio Conversion x WMV Video Compression x DivX Video Compression) 1/9.

A set of tests is used to test memory, which allows you to get a result that does not depend on the performance of all other PC subsystems. The PC memory subsystem includes random access (main) memory, the first level processor cache (L1), and the second level processor (L2) cache. The suite of tests used includes reading, writing and copying blocks of memory data and random access to data. Either main memory, L1 cache, or L2 cache is used depending on the size of the data block. Before starting each next test, the cache clearing procedure is performed. For read, write and copy operations, data blocks of 4 and 8 MB are used, which allows using the main memory, as well as data blocks of 4 and 192 KB, which makes it possible to use the cache memory of the first and second levels, respectively. Each memory test is performed continuously for 5 seconds and the result is a data transfer rate expressed in megabytes per second (MB / s).

Random access to memory uses data of 64 bytes, and the access itself is performed within 4 and 8 MB, which allows using the main memory, or within 4 and 192 KB, which allows using the cache of the first and second levels.

The generalized memory performance result is calculated using the formula:

Memory score= 0.9 x (Read 8M x Read 4M x ((Read 192k + Read 4k) / 2) x Write 8M x Write 4M x ((Write 192k + Write 4k) / 2) x Copy 8M x Copy 4M x (( Copy 192k + Copy 4k) / 2)) x Random Access 8M x Random Access 4M x ((Random access 192k + Random access 4k) / 2)) 1/12.

When testing the PC graphics subsystem, a set of tests is used to minimize the impact of all other PC subsystems on the final result. The testing uses both 2D and 3D tests.

The 2D benchmark suite includes benchmarks that measure the performance of typical window operations, video memory, and video playback performance.

The 3D test suite includes tests that measure the speed of filling and processing polygons. Fill rate is the rate at which textures are drawn on 3D objects. Fill rate is measured in millions of texels per second (MTexels / s) (texel is a texture element (set of pixels)). The processing speed of polygons determines the performance of a video card when playing three-dimensional primitives - triangles. Polygon processing speed is measured in millions of triangles per second (MTriangles / s).

The generalized result of the performance of the graphics subsystem is calculated by the formula:

Graphics score= 0.5 x transparent windows + 0.4 x ((video memory 16 lines + video memory 32 lines) / 2) + 0.6 x ((fill rate single texture + fill rate multitexture) / 2) + 50 x ( (polygon throughput single light + polygon throughput multiple lights) / 2).

The hard drive performance test uses a suite of four benchmarks based on Intel's RankDisk utility. These tests include measuring the boot time of the Windows XP operating system, the load time of applications (Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader 5, Windows Media Player, 3DMark 2001SE, Leadtek Winfast DVD, Mozilla Internet Browser), typical file copy operations (400 MB copied files) and measuring the load on the hard drive for tasks such as opening a Word document, checking spelling, saving and closing a document, zipping and unzipping files using the Winzip archiver, and so on.

The generalized performance result is calculated using the formula:

HDD Score= (XP Startup Trace x 120) + (Application Load trace x 180) + (File Copy Trace x 28) + (General Usage x 265).

In conclusion of the description of the PCMark04 test utility, we emphasize once again that it is one of the best today for carrying out express testing of PCs at home. However, one cannot fail to note the drawback of this utility, which is a kind of consequence of express testing. We are talking about poor repeatability of results, which is inevitable with such a short test time. Therefore, in order to ensure at least some acceptable reliability of the result obtained with the PCMark04 utility, it is necessary to repeat the test at least five times and consider the average test result.

It's a shame when, at the most inopportune moment, your computer issued some kind of sound or message and instead of the usual desktop you see a blue or black screen with letters and numbers. And having brought the system engineer to the service, a local craftsman cleverly climbs into it, picks something and lo and behold, he earned it !!! In many answers to the questions of this blog, one could see advice - take the computer to a service center for diagnostics. It turns out that if you approach the issue of diagnostics wisely, almost everyone can do it at home! So, today we will deal with such simple miracles.

First of all, I think it will not be superfluous to look inside the system unit of a typical computer to figure out where and what is installed there. Do not rush to spin up your system unit, but study the internal structure of the computer at a basic level from this article:

1 - power supply, 2 - motherboard, 3 - processor, 4 - memory, 5 - video adapter, 6 - hard disk, 7 - optical drive

All manipulations. which will be described in this article "how to diagnose a computer" relate to the device of a "typical" system unit, your computer may have differences not described here, if you are not sure that you have correctly understood the meaning of the action and its result, do not perform any manipulations on your own. All the procedures for disassembling and assembling the system unit described in this article "how to diagnose a computer" can only be carried out on a COMPLETELY de-energized equipment. The author of the article "how to diagnose a computer" does not bear any guarantees for your actions and their consequences.

how to diagnose a computer?

And now, for those who are not scared and who have nothing to lose, we will continue.

Computer diagnostics begins with turning it on. all switched off computers behave in the same way, both working and not. To turn on the system unit, we must check that it is connected to a working outlet with a voltage corresponding to the operating range of the power supply, on the power supply the switch is switched from the "on" or "on" state,

Keep in mind that some power supplies do not have a switch, then it is enough that the power cable is plugged into it.

on the front panel of the system unit, press the Power key and wait ... So, what should happen when you turn on a working computer? The voltage supply indicator (usually a green "light") should light up, the cooling system fans make an initial start, the motherboard devices are tested and everything connected to it, and the diagnostic result is issued in the form of one speaker squeak, which means "everything is turned on. fine".

Only this is not our case. In the presence of faults in the power supply, depending on the degree of damage when you press the Power button, most often nothing happens (the computer does not turn on) or the power light comes on, but no fans make noise and the diagnostics do not pass, i.e. silence in response. This is where our tool comes in handy. Disconnect the system unit from the network, turn its back to the "forest" in front of us and unscrew the two screws on the cover on your right, then pull it towards you and remove it. If you do not have a typical case design, read the instructions for opening it, all actions should take place without undue effort. Now all the insides of the system unit are in front of us. For the convenience of further actions, it is advisable to put the system unit on its side with the open side up. We find the block to which all the wires converge in the form of a "shackle", this is the power supply, the power cable is connected to it from the outside, I hope it is now disconnected. We check that all the connectors are connected securely, inserted all the way to the "stop" and have no backlash, if non-contact is found, we eliminate it tightly pressing the connection, some effort may be needed. We plug in the power cable and try to turn it on again. If there are no changes, then turn off the power and begin to turn off the power supply for further diagnostics. Please note that the connectors connected to the motherboard (the largest board in the computer) have latches that must be opened before removing the connector, this is done by pressing the upper part of the latch. Shaking the connector from side to side, pull the connection, if the latch is opened, then the connector should come out of the socket. Then we disconnect the connectors connected to the drives: the hard drive and the drive; on older computers, FDD 3.5 ″ drives can still be connected; these connectors also have latches, so do not pull hard without opening the latch.

Resetting the BIOS and testing the motherboard

Now it's the motherboard and processor turn. Disconnect the IDE interface cables (wide flat 40-80-core cable), SATA (red, yellow or black, about 1 cm wide) from the motherboard, power supply to the fans on the case (leave the processor fan connected), unscrew the screws and open the latches that hold the boards installed in the motherboard connectors, remove the memory by sliding the memory holders away from the module and pulling them towards ourselves. Now we have almost disassembled the computer. Fearfully? Still, now is the most crucial moment, if a miracle does not happen, then the repair can be very expensive. Now you need to connect only two connectors from the power supply to the motherboard: the main 24-pin and 4-pin additional processor power. You don't need to connect anything else, after that we connect the power cable and try to turn it on. If you hear long beeps from the motherboard speaker then you are in luck, chances are that everything is not running that way, at least the motherboard and processor have turned on. although this does not mean that they are absolutely serviceable. For those who have started the processor fan, but in response to silence, we will use an attempt to reset the BIOS settings to factory defaults. We are looking for a battery on the motherboard that looks like a silver coin, with a diameter of 18-20 mm, and next to it a jumper with the JBAT signature, if you don’t find one, take out the book from the motherboard and look for the Clear CMOS section, there should be a jumper for zeroing BIOS settings. As a rule, the jumper should be in position 1-2, and in order to reset the settings, it must be moved to the opposite position, for example, 2-3 and the system unit must be turned on for 3-4 seconds, and then turned off. After that, return the jumper to its initial position and try to turn it on again. If sound signals appear, you can gradually assemble the system unit. Otherwise, we have the last chance to check if the contact in the processor socket has disappeared.

We deal with the processor(how to diagnose a computer)

To do this, we need to remove the fan from the processor along with the heatsink. Intel and AMD processors have different systems for attaching the heatsink to the processor. In the case of Intel processors with S775, S1155 / 56 connectors, we need a flat screwdriver and we need to turn the plastic posts that hold the heatsink counterclockwise 90 degrees. After which it should be pulled out with a little effort. In the case of an AMD processor, you need to turn the lever upward from one of the sides near the radiator by 180 degrees and loosen the pressure plate, then release the latches that hold the radiator in the pressed position and remove the radiator. On one side of the socket there is a metal lever that presses the processor to the socket, you need to open it, press the processor tightly and snap it back into place. Sometimes there is a non-contact of the processor in the socket, this action will help to eliminate it. The design of the processor cooling system may differ from the standard, in which case you will have to read the instructions for removing and installing your processor cooling system. To make the final conclusion about the inoperability of the motherboard, it is necessary to connect a known working power supply unit and a compatible working processor to it, if the self-diagnosis of the motherboard is "silent", then the reason is in it. If the age of the motherboard is more than 5 years old, then most likely you will have to fork out not only to replace the motherboard, but also a processor with RAM, although a variant with a used motherboard can also be offered.

Insert memory and video card(how to diagnose a computer)

We hope that after our manipulations, the self-test worked and you heard a "victorious" squeak saying that the motherboard detected missing memory modules in the slots. It's time to put them back in place. If the memory modules or slot is covered with dust, it is highly advisable to remove it and make sure it does not get into the memory slot. The contacts on the memory modules can be cleaned with a regular eraser if dirt particles have adhered to them. Just be careful, do not scrape off the electronic components soldered to the module with an eraser and carefully examine the memory module itself for traces of broken components or overheating. To install the memory, you need to open the latches to the sides, orient the module so that the slot on the module coincides with the protrusion inside the connector, install it in the latches and press it simultaneously from both sides to the connector so that the latches close. Then check how tightly the module fits into the connector and whether there are any backlashes. Avoid excessive force when installing the modules, so as not to bend the motherboard unnecessarily, otherwise internal cracks in the electrical paths of the board may occur, which will lead to its inoperability. After installing the modules, turn on the system unit again. Something has to change in the nature of the board squeak. If you hear a new sound long and three short beeps, or one long if there is a built-in video adapter on board the motherboard, then we already have 4 potentially serviceable components: power supply, motherboard, processor and memory. If you hear silence after installing the memory or the character of the sound signal has not changed (long repeating squeak), then the memory is not functional and must be replaced. Just in case, you should try to install the module in a different slot or change the order of the installed modules, but such an operation may not give you anything. After installing the memory, you need to insert the video adapter into place, it can be an AGP or PCI-E 16x connector, if necessary, connect additional power to the video adapter (8 or 6-pin connector), connect a monitor and wait for the video signal to appear on the monitor. If, after installing the video adapter, the signal on the monitor does not appear and the nature of the sound signal looks like one long three short or complete silence, then the cause of the malfunction is most likely in the video adapter. If you have the case when there is both a built-in adapter and an external one in the form of a board, then you can return the computer to work without connecting the external one in case of its inoperability.

We hope that the image still appeared and we can gradually continue to assemble our disassembled system unit. If you know the amount of memory of memory modules and their total amount corresponds to what the BIOS testing program wrote, then we are on the right track. If the BIOS saw only half or the volume of only one module, then it is worth calculating that module whose volume is not visible by alternately removing the memory modules. Just do not forget to turn off your computer before any manipulations. Do not leave a non-working module in the motherboard, replace it with a new one compatible with your motherboard, or continue working without it if the remaining volume suits you.

We connect drives(how to diagnose a computer)

And we move on to the next stage of the assembly, connecting the drives. Hard disk drives or in the common people - "hard drives", there are several standards, most often there are hard drives of the SATA or IDE standard. Visually, they can be distinguished by the width of the connector for connecting the interface cable: IDE wide 40-pin, SATA - a small connector about 12 mm in the form of an elongated letter G with 7 pins on the leg. Near the interface connector there is a power connector, a 4-pin rectangular one with two cut corners for IDE drives and a flat multi-pin connector similar to the interface connector, only longer (23 mm) for SATA drives. You need to connect both connectors, the interface connector is connected to the cable leading to the motherboard, the power connector to the corresponding connector from the power supply unit. Two devices can be connected to the IDE interface cable, but this requires additional configuration of the device using jumpers located next to the interface connector, we will not consider this topic here, if you have not changed anything in the order of connecting devices, then all that is from you it is required to insert the cables into the connectors as they were connected before disassembly. All of the above with regard to hard drives is also true for optical drives. After connecting, you need to turn on the computer and check whether our devices are limited by the BIOS. To do this, you need to enter the BIOS by pressing the DEL key when the computer boots, go to the section Standard CMOS Features or MAIN, depending on the manufacturer of the BIOS program.

The highlighted lines show what the entry for correctly identified disk devices should look like.

The highlighted lines show what the entry for correctly identified disk devices should look like. Only the names of the devices should be those that are installed on your computer. If the records about disk devices did not appear, then this may indicate a malfunction of the drives or disks, or a malfunction of the interface cables that connect these devices. It is worth double-checking the density and reliability of the power connectors. The hard drive, when turned on, should emit a low, high sound of the spinning electric motor, while if you put your hand on it, you will feel a slight vibration. The optical drive, when powered up, should blink the LED on the front of the device. If there is no sign of power on, it also indicates that the drives are malfunctioning. For those who have identified the disk devices correctly, we will continue.

Now is the time to try to boot your computer. If the reason was in some kind of non-contact, then as a result of our procedures we could eliminate it. If the download was successful, then you can stop there, but for those who still have a problem with loading the OS, it is worth waiting for the next article on software diagnostics of the computer.

Omelchenko Ruslan

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We repair the computer ourselves, or how to diagnose the computer?, 4.9 out of 5 based on 35 ratings

The need for engine diagnostics, which the owner performs on his own, may arise for various reasons. In some cases, the procedure is performed regularly for preventive purposes, in others, do-it-yourself motor checks allow you to save money and do without visiting a car service, etc.

In any case, it has become easier to determine the breakdown and check the general condition of the internal combustion engine and its systems on a modern car. The fact is that the introduction of electronic control systems with self-diagnostic modes allows the engine to fix possible errors, which, after decoding, indicate the cause of the failure or breakdown.

Also, do not forget about proven diagnostic methods, which are based on, and other signs that indirectly or directly indicate a particular problem.

In this article, we will talk about how the engine diagnostics is done, what equipment and tools will be needed, and also what breakdowns can be detected by self-diagnosis of a car engine.

Read in this article

Do-it-yourself engine diagnostics: what is it for and how it is done

First of all, timely diagnostics allows you to quickly identify possible malfunctions at the initial stage. In other words, it is possible to quickly identify breakdowns even before they develop into serious malfunctions.

Experienced owners are well aware that ignoring minor problems as a result can lead to larger troubles, to or even the need to replace the unit with a contract motor.

In view of the above, it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive examinations, as well as carry out diagnostics at the slightest deviation from the normal operation of the power plant. As for prevention, it is advisable to check the working fluid in the cooling system at least once every 7 days, inspect the pipes and hoses for cracking and damage.

It is also necessary to monitor the condition of the oil seals and gaskets. The appearance of oil drips indicates the need to replace the seals or to eliminate the reasons for which the lubricant "presses".

If it was noticed that the engine began to malfunction, fuel consumption increased, then you need to make a comprehensive diagnosis of the engine. On modern cars, this procedure is performed using special diagnostic equipment in conjunction with visual assessment, noise analysis, etc. Let's take a closer look at the process.

To begin with, the presence of controllers and advanced allows you to quickly assess the state of various engine systems. It is important to understand that in many cases one such check will not be enough. To obtain objective results, it is necessary to carry out a number of diagnostic procedures.

In the list of basic actions, it is worth highlighting:

visual inspection of the unit and engine compartment;
checking and fuel filters;
check and;
examination ;
measurement of compression in engine cylinders;
scanning errors using diagnostic equipment;

As for the necessary tools and equipment, as part of the minimum set, you will need to have a set of keys and screwdrivers, a compression meter, as well as a scanner for the diagnostic connector or a laptop / PC with special software and adapters for connection.

Superficial inspection of the internal combustion engine, measurement of compression and fuel pressure

So, before starting work, you should carefully inspect the engine and engine compartment. Wiring elements, fuel hoses, pipes, etc. deserve special attention.

Then you need to check the condition of the air filter, as well as the fuel filter. If the filters are clogged, then this may be the cause of malfunctioning of the unit. At the same time, the level of technical fluids (engine oil, brake fluid, etc.) is checked.

Next, you need to warm up the engine to operating temperatures. Then you should pay off. If gray, gray, blue or white smoke is visible from the exhaust pipe, then this may indicate various problems (impaired mixture formation, problems with the combustion of the fuel charge, coolant or engine oil entering the combustion chamber, etc.).

Still experienced specialists always check. For a quick check right on the spot, it is enough to disconnect the crankcase ventilation system pipe, after which you need to insert a little clean cloth into the pipe. Then the engine is started and accelerated.

In the event that oil is flying from the pipe or smoke is clearly coming out, then this may indicate problems with the piston rings or a malfunction of the ventilation system itself. Also, as part of diagnostic procedures, you need and.

Diagnostics of engine noises, whistles and knocks

To identify various extraneous sounds, it is optimal to have a mechanical stethoscope, with which it is easier to locate the source. You can also make the simplest device yourself. To do this, it is enough to take a wooden stick, at the end of which a tin or plastic can is fixed. This simple device also allows you to "listen" to the motor.

Also, in the analysis process, one should carefully (voiced or deaf), and whether there is a change in frequency and intensity with a set of revolutions. In parallel, it must be borne in mind that extraneous sounds may not come from the internal combustion engine itself, but from attachments or gearboxes, drives, etc.

Computer diagnostics of the power unit

To accomplish the task, you need to find a universal diagnostic connector. Then, a laptop, PC, tablet or smartphone is connected through an adapter that is inserted into the specified connector. Note that for self-diagnosis, it is optimal to use an OBDII scanner adapter, which allows you to connect a mobile device without using wires.

For example, to carry out computer diagnostics of an engine using a smartphone, you need an adapter to the diagnostic connector, and the necessary software is downloaded and installed on the device. After that, the smartphone and the adapter are synchronized, and the received data is displayed on the display. The only thing you need to take into account is that programs and equipment can be both universal and intended only for a specific car brand.

After connecting, the engine should be started, then the diagnostic program should be run. Depending on what software and type of scanner is used, graphs and other information will be displayed on the display. The most important thing is to read the engine fault code, after which the error code may need to be further deciphered.

As a rule, in this way, malfunctions of electronic sensors, system failures, etc. are detected. After the problematic item has been found, it can also be checked with a multimeter tester. If after replacement or repair the error has disappeared, then the procedure can be considered successful.

However, in cases where the problem cannot be solved independently, in-depth diagnostics will require expensive specialized equipment, and it is also necessary to have professional skills and specialized knowledge. It is quite obvious that in such a situation it is better to deliver the car to the service station.

What is the bottom line

Taking into account the above information, it becomes clear how to diagnose the engine and its systems with your own hands. The main advantages of this approach can be considered the ability to monitor the state of the unit, as well as identify obvious or latent malfunctions until they become the cause of more complex and expensive repairs.

Finally, we note that even if the owner is not able to eliminate the damage found on his own, self-conducting diagnostic procedures in many cases allows you to find the cause of the malfunction, which speeds up and reduces the cost of the overall process of repairing the engine, its components and systems.