HiNote Ultra Troubleshooting Guide
Fault-finding on the HiNote Ultra from chapter 6 and appendix B of DEC's Digital HiNote Ultra User's Guide (ER-P70WW-UA.A01), with Digital's 1997 note on battery packs that the computer no longer recognises.[1][2][3]
DEC's first steps
[edit | edit source]- On battery: connect the AC adapter. If the amber light comes on, the pack is charging. If it does not, check the adapter and its connections.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Del. If the machine does not start, turn it off, wait a few seconds and turn it on again.
- Note any error message and look it up below.
- Turn the computer over and press the reset button.
- Check the drivers for video, printer and applications, and run Setup ([Fn] + [F3]).
Beeps during use
[edit | edit source]Some beep patterns are warnings, not faults:[4]
| Beeps | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Three beeps every 15 seconds | Low battery | Connect the AC adapter and charge |
| Three beeps every second | Battery very low | Save work and connect power at once, or let the machine suspend |
| Five beeps | CPU extreme temperature alert; the machine shuts itself down | Move the computer out of the hot place |
| Two short beeps on inserting a PC Card | Card inserted correctly | – |
No power
[edit | edit source]| Running on | Possible cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | Pack discharged or faulty; machine hung; main logic board | Charge or replace the pack; open the keyboard assembly, press reset, close it and press the power button |
| AC adapter | Adapter not connected; no power at the outlet; main logic board | Check the adapter at both ends; test the outlet with another device |
If the amber charge light does not come on with the adapter connected and the battery gauge stays blank, the pack's protection circuit has probably tripped after a deep discharge. Digital's REVIVE.COM utility resets packs of revision 36-44194-01 B01; see HiNote Ultra Battery Service.[3]
POST messages
[edit | edit source]DEC's advice for almost every POST message is to reset the factory defaults in Setup and reboot, and to run Setup for configuration errors.[2]
| Message | Type | DEC's action |
|---|---|---|
| Faulty refresh circuit; ROM checksum incorrect; CMOS RAM test failed; DMA controller failed; interrupt controller failed; faulty DMA page registers | Fatal | Reset factory defaults and reboot |
| RAM error at location nnnn | Fatal | Power off and on; reset factory defaults |
| Clock not ticking correctly | Fatal | Reset factory defaults; the real-time clock is not running |
| No bootable floppy drive 0 installed | Fatal | Power down, check connections and the Floppy Dock, run Setup; replace the drive |
| Keyboard controller failure; keyboard failure | Fatal | Reset factory defaults; the keyboard or its controller may have failed |
| CMOS failure; CMOS checksum invalid; unexpected amount of memory | Warning | Run Setup |
| Time/Date corrupt | Warning | Run Setup and set the date and time |
| No interrupts from timer 0 | Warning | Reset factory defaults |
| Floppy disk track 0 failed; floppy controller failed | Warning | Run Setup; check connections |
| Hard disk error, failure, not configured, controller error or failure | Warning | Run Setup; check connections |
[2] The CMOS RAM and clock are kept by a CR1220 coin cell while the machine is off (DEC specifies a Sanyo part only); check it if these messages return after every power-off.[6]
Beep codes
[edit | edit source]If POST cannot show a message it sounds a pattern of short (S) and long (L) beeps with pauses (P). DEC attributes fatal errors generally to the main logic board or an add-on part such as the memory module, BIOS or battery.[7]
| Pattern | Error |
|---|---|
| S S S P S S L P | DMA page registers faulty |
| S S S P S L S P | Faulty refresh circuit |
| S S S P S L L P | ROM checksum incorrect |
| S S S P L S S P | CMOS RAM test failed |
| S S S P L S L P | DMA controller faulty |
| S S S P L L S P | Interrupt controller failed |
| S S S P L L L P | Keyboard or keyboard controller failed |
| S S L P S S S P | Video controller failed |
| S S L P S S L P | No memory found, or memory controller failed |
Other faults
[edit | edit source]| Problem | Possible cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Faults after fitting a memory module | Module badly fitted or faulty | Refit or replace it, with the machine fully off |
| Will not boot from the hard disk | No operating system, disk not formatted or partitioned, or a diskette in drive A with "Drive A" first in Setup | Install or partition; remove the diskette |
| Will not boot from the Floppy Dock | "Drive C" first in Setup, no system files, empty or worn diskette, failed drive | Change the boot order in Setup; try another diskette |
| No response to the keyboard | Keyboard fault, or machine hung | Press reset on the underside, then the power button |
| Computer locks up | User or Supervisor password forgotten | DEC referred owners to its support line |
| Cursor erratic | Trackball dirty | Clean the trackball |
| No picture on the LCD | Brightness or contrast levers, suspend, LCD timer, CRT mode, screen saver | Adjust the levers; press the power button or a key; press [Fn] + [F4] until the LCD shows |
| No sound | Wrong IRQ or DMA, driver not loaded, volume | Set IRQ5 and DMA 1 in Setup; select the ESS driver; press [Fn] + [F7] |
Warning from DEC: high voltages exist inside the LCD enclosure.[8]
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- HiNote Ultra
- HiNote Ultra General Maintenance
- HiNote Ultra Battery Service
- Floppy Drive Repair
- Hard Drive Maintenance and Repair
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Digital Equipment Corporation, Digital HiNote Ultra User's Guide, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, November 1994, pp. 6-1 to 6-3 (File:Digital HiNote Ultra User's Guide (ER-P70WW-UA.A01).pdf). Initial troubleshooting.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, pp. B-1 to B-3. POST and boot messages.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Digital Equipment Corporation, README.TXT for REVIVE.COM, 18 February 1997, archive.org.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, p. 6-7. "If Your Notebook Computer Beeps".
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, pp. 6-4 to 6-6. Notebook computer troubleshooting table.
- ↑ DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, front matter. CR1220 clock battery.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, p. B-4. Beep codes.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, pp. 6-12 to 6-13. LCD, audio and IR troubleshooting.