YOUR DIAGNOSTIC TOOLKIT

CONTENTS AT A GLANCE Software Tools

Diagnostics vs. utilities Larger vs. smaller Windows vs. DOS Commercial software vs. shareware

The DLS Diagnostic CD II

The CD and file compression Installing the software Registering your shareware Monitors and printers Caring for the DLS diagnostic CD II

The Shareware Concept

An issue of distribution The idea of shareware The problems with shareware The ASP: A mark of quality

Contents of the DLS Diagnostic CD II

General PC hardware tools

Further Study

The key to a successful PC repair rests in a fast and decisive diagnosis of the problem.
Determining the source of the problem as quickly and accurately as possible is often the line that separates successful and profitable repair houses from those that are not. Diagnostics are the tools that technicians use to look inside the behavior of ailing PCs. Many different kinds of diagnostic toolssome are hardware-based test instruments (such as digital multimeters, POST reader cards, and high-voltage probes), and others are softwarebased programs that probe the PC as it runs and report their findings to the display. Your book comes with the DLS Diagnostic CD IIa CD with more than 150 shareware diag1

YOUR DIAGNOSTIC TOOLKIT

nostics and utilities designed to help you identify installed hardware and track down pesky PC problems. In fact, youll see some references to the companion CD used throughout the book. This chapter explains how to use the CD, and highlights the various software tools youll find here.

Software Tools
To identify a problem, a technician must be able to see inside the computer to learn which functions are working and which are not. By understanding the adapter board or components responsible for the defective function or error message, you can then determine where the problem lies. If you have any background in electronics, you have probably learned about some common troubleshooting tools, such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, and logic probes. In fact, you probably have these hardware tools on your workbench right now. In actuality, however, such hardware tools are not terribly effective for computer troubleshooting. The reason is that technicians often lack any original signal information to compare with the results from such test instruments. To overcome the limitations of hardware test instruments, computer technicians have grown to depend on software tools. Software provides several unique advantages over test instruments. First, software is fastrather than spending hours examining each voltage level and logic signal in a circuit, software can exercise complete computer functions and report on its success or failure in just a few seconds. Second, software can interact with a computer by setting different modes of operation within the computer hardware itselfan impossible task for a simple voltmeter or oscilloscope. Third, software is relatively inexpensive. Good, full-featured commercial diagnostics are priced about the same as a good multimeter.

DIAGNOSTICS VS. UTILITIES

One of the most effective means of studying an ailing PC is through the use of diagnosticstest programs that exercise specific functions (or groups of functions). The program code in a diagnostic can perform many different functions, but its typical operation is to read status data from register locations that are standard in the PC, then translate that status data into meaningful information that can be displayed through text or graphics. For example, a diagnostic might report a faulty hard drive, memory address, motherboard function, or communication port. Add-on cards (i.e., video-capture boards) typically come with their own specific diagnostic tailored specifically for the related hardware. Unlike a diagnostic, which is used to test specific hardware, a utility is designed to modify or control the operation of a PC, or enhance the systems operation. For example, a hard-drive caching program would be considered a utility, as well as a partition table manager, or a hex disk file editor. The DLS Diagnostic CD II contained in this book provides a selection of both diagnostics and utilities. Although it might be possible to glean a little diagnostic information from a utility (i.e., a hard drive cache will not initialize possibly suggesting a fault in memory), such information would usually be quite vague and is typically followed up by a diagnostic to confirm the problem.

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LARGER VS. SMALLER

How big and complicated should a diagnostic be? Software designers continue to debate this question. Some programmers use the less-is-more approach, which usually results in a large number of small, simple DOS diagnosticseach performing a specific function (or set of functions). Conversely, other programmers use the all-or-nothing philosophy, which tries to create an all-inclusive, sophisticated program that can test everything (this is most prevalent in commercial diagnostics). Ultimately, the choice of diagnostic will depend on just how closely the particular program suits your needs. If you perform a lot of basic testing on various areas of a PC, a generalpurpose diagnostic might fill your need. If you find yourself dealing mostly with a few specific problem areas, you might get more results from specific diagnostics. When selecting a diagnostic, consider some important factors:
s How usable is the program? This is perhaps the truest measure of a programs worth.

If you find yourself reaching the program disk regularly, its probably something you need. On the other hand, a program that you only turn to occasionally is probably not worth a lot to you. s How accurate is the program? The great diversity of hardware (and its rapid development) means that some programs will not read your hardware accuratelythis is as true for commercial software as it is for shareware. Incorrect CPU and clock-speed identification are two typical examples of this problem. A program that does not provide accurate information will probably sit unused. s How often is the program updated? This also relates to a programs accuracy. Regular updates and program patches usually suggest current, reliable software. Because major new generations of computer hardware are appearing every 18 to 24 months, it is reasonable to expect a major diagnostic revision to appear around that same time frame. In actuality, most technicians use a mix of general-purpose and task-specific diagnostics. For example, you might standardize on one or two general system diagnostic, and supplement that with a series of drive, or memory, or sound board, or SCSI diagnostics depending on what gives you the most trouble. One of the advantages of this books CD is that it offers you a mix of programs to choose from.

WINDOWS VS. DOS

Another important debate among diagnostic and utility programmers is the use of DOS, as opposed to Windows 3.xx or Windows 95. Two factors make Windows-based diagnostics particularly troublesome. First, Windows makes much more extensive use of a PCs resources than DOS (that is the nature of Windows). As a result, the simple fact that Windows boots at all eliminates the possibility of serious, catastrophic faultsso anything that a Windows-based diagnostic could possibly report would be minor. Second, Windows makes extensive use of disk swapping and temporary files. If a Windows-based diagnostic were to trigger a system failure, it would likely leave unwanted (perhaps even corrupted) files. This weakness is particularly strong in the Permanent Swap File (PSF) of

YOUR DIAGNOSTIC TOOLKIT

Windows 3.xx, and in the Registry of Windows 95. If either of these key system files were corrupted, Windows would fail to start until the damaged file(s) were repaired. By comparison, booting to the DOS command line is much less demanding on a system. It requires only a little conventional memory, almost no video resources, and few (if any) drivers. Your diagnostics can then examine each respective sub-system of the PC without risking file corruption, or otherwise interfering with the operation of Windows. If you have a choice in the matter, DOS diagnostics are often the preferred tools for system testing. If your system is set to boot to Windows 95, you can press F8 when the Starting Windows 95. message appears, then select option 5, which boots to the command prompt (MS-DOS 7.0).

COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE VS. SHAREWARE

Another question to plague the diagnostic industry is the difference between commercial software and alternative-distribution software such as sharewarewhich is better? This is a complicated question and there is no absolute answer, but there are some practical answers. First, diagnostics are not terribly complex pieces of software. Often, more time and effort is put into the user interface than into the actual diagnostic routines. As a result, shrink-wrap commercial software tends to have more features and a slicker (though not necessarily better) user interface, along with a printed manual. Alternativedistribution software, when written by a technically savvy programmer, is every bit as effective as commercial software. However, because such software is usually programmed by one or two people on a shoestring budget, it often lacks the bells and whistles or subtle visual sophistications found in commercial products. There is rarely a printed manual, although most products provide very thorough documentation in a disk file. You will find excellent diagnostics as both commercial software and alternative software.

The Shareware Concept

By now, youve seen the word shareware used several times in this chapter. At this point, the definition of shareware and how it relates to commercial software, is covered. If you already understand the shareware concept, feel free to skip this section. Otherwise, the following section will probably be very helpful to you.

AN ISSUE OF DISTRIBUTION
Diagnostic software is often thought of as fancy shrink-wrapped boxes lining store shelves. This commercial software is sold through distributors. Heres how commercial software works: a bright group of programmers start a small company to write software, but they dont have the marketing or merchandising know-how to get their product into the retail channel. Instead, they will sell (more specifically license) their brilliant product to a major software publishing house who will put their own name on it, put it in their own fancy boxes, and who have the clout to get it into the hands of retailers. The retail distributor will buy a volume of those products from the publisher (usually at a deep discount) and put them on their store shelves. The publisher then pays the original author(s) a royalty from the volume sales to distributors.

THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT

As you might imagine from this scenario, the people who actually write the software you buy in stores only receive a fraction of the price you actually pay at the storeits usually the software publishers and retailers that are making the real money. An even more important problem with commercial distribution is that only a finite amount of store shelf space is available, and no distributor is going to stock everything. For example, a distributor might choose to carry two or three diagnosticsnot 25 or 30. As a result, a lot of very good products never really get the attention they deserve because the people pushing the product just dont have enough clout with the distributor to gain a foothold on their shelves. As a technician, you are denied a real selection of products. Another serious problem with commercial distribution is that you rarely (if ever) have an opportunity to try a diagnostic (or any other program) before you buy it. The back of the box might look pretty, but it hardly ever reveals the true product. How many times have you stood in a store trying to decide between two or three similar products, then gotten home with your choice only to be disappointed? Trying to bring the product back is another challenge entirely. Many software retailers simply will not accept a product return once the box has been opened, and you find yourself out a bundle of money you can barely afford for a product that you can barely use. It is a system that is simply not fair to the software buyer.

THE IDEA OF SHAREWARE

The shareware concept is a means of product distribution that allows a vast number of software products to be offered on a try-before-you-buy basis. Software writers develop a shareware version of their product, which is then distributed freely through bulletin boards, online services (such as CompuServe or the Internet), or even on diskettes passed between friends. If you like the software and plan to use it, you register (a.k.a. buy) the software with the author. Registration usually involves sending a fee to the author. Although some shareware variations only require that you send in your name and mailing address (often referred to as postcard-ware), or is complete in its shareware form, and no exchange of money is needed (known as $0 shareware or freeware). When you register a product, you will typically receive benefits, such as an updated version of the product, a printed manual, free technical support, or some other combination of benefits. The advantage of shareware is that anyone can put their program into distributionand be assured of a huge distribution networkfor virtually no cost. The important things to remember about shareware is that it is not free, it is not public domain, and it is not a demo version of some shrink-wrapped product. It is fully functional copyrighted software that commands a purchase price. Once you have a shareware product, you might try the product for a certain period of time (typically 30 days). After that time, you must register the product (which is the purchase price) or cease using it. When you get a shareware product, it will always be marked as such in the startup screen and disk documentation.

THE PROBLEMS WITH SHAREWARE

Shareware is largely regarded as one of the most important developments in the software industry, and many relatively new companies, such as Netscape, Id Software, Apogee

YOUR DIAGNOSTIC TOOLKIT

Games, PKWARE, and McAfee Associates have gone commercial from their products growth as shareware. Vast numbers of other smaller software makers, such as MVP Software, are marketing their products quite successfully where they would never have had a chance through commercial channels. As you venture into the shareware world, however, there are some potential pitfalls to beware of. First, there is a strong potential for shareware abusepeople who make productive use of the shareware, but refuse to pay for it. This is the great gray area of shareware because there is no real way to regulate distribution. Shareware only works when the authors receive their registration fees. In turn, this allows them to pay the bills and develop even better software. Software authors have several tactics available to encourage registrations. The most common tool is limited functionality, where a program might be functional, but limited in its capability. For example, a shareware strategy game I recently found would only allow you to use small and medium-sized play fields with no customized features in the shareware version, but played exactly the same as the registered version, which included the added features. In other words, a shareware author will provide you with enough functionality to make the product useful and productive, but not enough functionality where you can do everything. Other incentives include the offer of a printed manualwhich can be very important for lengthy documentationand technical support if you need help getting the most from the registered version. Another issue that some people have with shareware is the inconsistent use of benefits no two products are alike, and there is no established standard of what you get when you register a product. Some shareware authors provide a wealth of benefits, while others simply send you a registered version on diskette or CD. When you decide to register a product, always look at the shareware documentation to see what the benefits are. Finally, many people find frustration at the way some shareware authors seem to come and go. Remember that most shareware authors work from home or from a small office where theyve hung out their shingle. If the registrations dont come in, they rocket into oblivion leaving their shareware product(s) unsupported on BBS libraries and online forums all over the world. Little is more disappointing than to find a handy shareware product, spend time evaluating it, fill out the registration form, send in your money, and get the registration back unopened a few weeks later because the address listed in the documentation has expired or is undeliverable as addressed. As a rule, if you find a shareware product you like, you should look for the most recent shareware version available before registering it.

THE ASP: A MARK OF QUALITY

For the shareware industry to survive and grow, the products being developed must be of high quality. Although any enthusiastic programmer can put out a product and call it shareware, most reputable shareware authors and BBS distributors are members of a trade association, such as the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP members shareware meets additional quality standards beyond ordinary shareware. Members programs must be fully functional (not crippled, demonstration, or out-of-date versions). The program documentation must be complete and must clearly state the registration fee and the benefits received when registering. ASP members must also provide free mail or telephone support for a minimum of three months after registration. Members must meet other guidelines that help to ensure that you as a user receive good value for your money

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and are dealt with professionally. ASP representatives check each product to be sure it meets their quality standards before the author can include the ASP logo. Finally, the ASP also provides an Ombudsman program to assist in resolving disputes between authors and users.
For more information on the ASP or to contact the ASP Ombusdman, write to: ASP, 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI USA 49442-9427, or fax 616-788-2765. You can also contact the Ombudsman via e-mail message to 70007.3536@compuserve.com.

The DLS Diagnostic CD II

Now that you understand the idea of shareware, you can turn your attention to the CD that accompanies this book. The DLS Diagnostic CD II contains more than 150 shareware, $0 shareware (freeware), and public-domain diagnostic programs and PC utilities that have been assembled from some of the finest shareware authors in the world. Whether you are a novice attempting to check your PCs configuration for the first time or an experienced technician trying to manipulate a partition on your customers hard drive, youll find an extensive selection of software for testing, troubleshooting, and mastering the PC. The DLS Diagnostic CD II is arranged as a series of sub-directories, where each subdirectory holds an entire product compressed as a single file. Each product resides in its own sub-directory, so once you know the product you are interested in, you can quickly locate the product and install it on your hard drive or floppy disk.
The DLS Diagnostic CD II also contains a number of text files that could not be included with this edition of the book because of space constraints. Youll find company addresses, phone numbers, a student workbook of questions and answers, a glossary, and the first few chapters of the first edition all provided in the CD directory called BOOKTEXT.

THE CD AND FILE COMPRESSION

The DLS Diagnostic CD II is intended to serve as an archive, rather than a working medium, so each of the programs have been compressed. To use a program on the CD, you must decompress and install it to your hard drive or a floppy disk. This part of the chapter covers some general guidelines for using the programs on your CD. You might wonder why the programs have been compressed when they could just have easily been expanded to work (in many cases) directly from the CD itself. There are several important reasons for this decision:
s Programs generally run very poorly from slow media, such as a CD Most of the pro-

grams on this CD run much better from a floppy disk or even better from a hard drive.
s Data files cant be written to the CD Some of the diagnostic programs on this CD re-

quire that data files be written while the program is running. Because you cant write to an ordinary CD, those programs would not be usable from the CD anyway.

YOUR DIAGNOSTIC TOOLKIT

s Compression conserves space Compressed files are smaller and easier to work with

than the individual files of an uncompressed product. Using compression allows you to use a minimum amount of space on the CD, and allows the most expansion in future editions of this book. s Many authors prohibit the distribution of their products in an uncompressed form Gathering up all of the program files into a single compressed file helps us ensure that the original shareware program package has not been tampered with. s Some products need to be installed Even if the individual program files were uncompressed, some of the products on the CD need to have an installation routine run to organize, sort, and initialize the program files properly, so those programs would still not be executable from the CD. s You wont always have a working CD-ROM drive available Even if the DLS Diagnostic CD II were designed to run each product directly (and successfully) from the CD itself, it means you would need a working CD-ROM drive on the PC you intend to troubleshoot. You understand that this is not always possibleespecially when working with older PCs.

INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE

Installing software from the CD to your hard disk or floppy drive is not a difficult process, but you need to have an attention to detail. The process typically involves copying, decompressing, virus checking, and installing.
1 Insert the CD in your CD-ROM drive Obviously, you will need a PC with a working

CD-ROM drive in order to install any files from the CD.

2 Decide whether you intend to install the CD program to your hard drive or a floppy

diskette Keep in mind that a few of the utilities on your CD are too big to fit on a floppy disk in their fully expanded form. You can decompress to a hard drive, then copy to a floppy diskette if there is sufficient space on the diskette. 2A Prepare a sub-directory on your hard disk You should never install new software to your hard drives root directory, so prepare a new directory for the program using the DOS MD command. For example, suppose you want to use the IRQ Diagnostic utility from CTS, Inc., called IRQINFO.ZIP, and install it to your hard drive. You can create a new directory from your DOS prompt, such as: 2. 2A.C:\>
md irqinfo<ENTER>

2. 2A.Then switch to the newly created directory using the DOS CD command: 2. 2A.C:\>
cd\irqinfo<ENTER>

2. 2A.The computer will respond with your new directory as part of the command prompt: 2. 2A.C:\IRQINFO\>
_

2B Prepare a sub-directory on your floppy disk In most cases, you will be installing

only a single product to any one floppy disk, so you generally do not need to concern yourself with creating sub-directories on a floppy disk unless you intend to

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place more than one product on the diskette. Insert a blank floppy disk into drive A: and switch to the A: drive, such as: 2. 2B.C:\>
A:<ENTER>

2. 2A.The floppy drive LED will light for a moment and the computer will respond with a new prompt: 2. 2B.A:\> 2. 2B.A:\> 2. 2B.A:\>
_

2. 2A.Now use the DOS MD command to make a new directory for your product, such as:
md irqinfo<ENTER>

2. 2A.Next, switch to the sub-directory you just created using the DOS CD command:
cd\irqinfo<ENTER>

2. 2A.The computer will respond with your new directory as part of the command prompt: 2. 2B.A:\IRQINFO\>
_

3 Copy the desired program to your hard drive or floppy disk Now is the time for you to

copy the compressed program file from the CD to the media you intend to use. For example, suppose you still want to use that IRQ Diagnostic utility from CTS, Inc., called IRQINFO.ZIP. You will find the product in its own sub-directory on the CD, called IRQINFO. 3A Copying from the CD to the hard drive If you are copying from the CD to a directory on the hard drive, be sure you are in the desired directory on the hard drive and type: 3. 3A. C:\IRQINFO\>
copy d:\irqinfo\irqinfo.zip c:<ENTER>

2. 2A. This copies the IRQINFO.ZIP file from the CD in drive D: to your current directory (the IRQINFO directory), which you just created on drive C:. Of course, if your CD-ROM and hard drive use different drive letters, be sure to substitute those letters in place of D: and C:. 3. 3B Copying from the CD to a the floppy disk If you are copying from the CD to the floppy disk, be sure that you are in the desired directory on the floppy disk and type: 3. 3B. A:\IRQINFO\>
copy d:\irqinfo\irqinfo.zip a:<ENTER>

2. 2A.or if there is no sub-directory on the floppy disk, simply use: 3. 3B. A:\>
copy d:\irqinfo\irqinfo.zip a:<ENTER>

2. 2A.This copies the IRQINFO.ZIP file from the CD in drive D: to your current directory (the IRQINFO directory), which you just created on drive A: If you did not create a sub-directory on drive A:, just copy the compressed file to the root directory of A:. Of course, if your CD-ROM and floppy drive use different drive letters, be sure to substitute those letters in place of D: and A:. 4 Decompress the software Now that you have copied the program to wherever you need it, you must decompress the file. Compressed software usually occurs in two forms, an

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4.

4. 4.

4.

4. 4.
5

archive file (such as a .ZIP or .ARJ file) or a self-extracting file (with a .EXE extension). The type of file will slightly affect the process of decompression. An archive file must be decompressed using a utility, such as PKUNZIP.EXE, while a self-extracting file will decompress itself when it is executed. 4A Use PKUNZIP for archive files If you must decompress an archive file, use the PKUNZIP.EXE utility (in the root directory of the CD). To use PKUNZIP from the CD directly, try a command, such as: 4A.C:\IRQINFO\> d:\pkunzip irqinfo<ENTER> 4A.This will use PKUNZIP from the root directory of your CD to decompress the IRQINFO file into the current (IRQINFO) sub-directory. If your CD-ROM drive uses a drive letter other than D:, be sure to substitute that letter. If you have trouble running PKUNZIP from the CD directly, copy it to the root directory of your hard drive first, then run it like the command abovejust substitute D: with the drive letter of your hard drive. 4B Execute the self-extracting file For compressed files with the .EXE extension, you need only type the name of the file to start the decompression process. Suppose that the IRQINFO.ZIP file was actually named IRQINFO.EXE. Once youre in the right sub-directory, all you need to type is: 4B. C:\IRQINFO\> irqinfo<ENTER> 4B.The file will then decompress (or extract) into its constituent files. Check the files for viruses Although all of the files on your DLS Diagnostic CD II have been checked for viruses before going to press, you should always inspect the decompressed files before executing any new program for the first time. This is a standard operating precaution for any program you get, regardless of the source. Use such tools as Norton Anti-Virus, Microsofts MSAV, or any of the virus tools from McAfee Associates (http://www.mcafee.com/) to check your program files. If you are placing the diagnostics on floppy disks to take them from PC to PC, be sure to write-protect the floppy to inhibit the transfer of viruses from other machines. Install the program files, if necessary Once you decompress the program files and check for viruses, you should then be able to run the diagnostic or utility from that point. However, some program files need to be configured through an installation or setup routine before the program can actually be used. You can tell if this is the case by looking at the files you just decompressedif any of the files are named INSTALL.EXE (or SETUP.EXE), you might need to execute that program first to prepare the diagnostic or utility. The use of installation routines is especially common for programs designed to operate under Windows or Windows 95.

REGISTERING YOUR SHAREWARE

Each of the shareware products on your CD carry some sort of registration fee. These fees range from $0 (essentially free), to a voluntary contribution of a few dollars, to fees of $40 or more. I am hardly suggesting that you run right out and register everything on the CD. The whole point of shareware is that you can try these products for free to see if they will serve your needs. Chances are that you will try most (if not all) of these programs at one time or another, but you might find only a few programs that you can really useand

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11

these are the ones that you should consider registering. Dont panic, you have plenty of time to try everything!

MONITORS AND PRINTERS

In addition to more than 150 shareware and public-domain products, The DLS Diagnostic CD II also contains two commercial diagnostics from Dynamic Learning Systems: MONITORS, a video board/computer monitor diagnostic and alignment program, and PRINTERS, a comprehensive diagnostic designed to aid the test of impact, ink-jet, and laser printers. These commercial products are complete and are compressed on the CD using a password. When you call, fax, or mail your order to Dynamic Learning Systems, you will get a serial number that will unlock the programs. Each program is $30.00 (USD). Check the order form at the back of this book for more information.

CARING FOR THE DLS DIAGNOSTIC CD II

Whether you install several programs of interest and store the CD for a prolonged period or keep the CD on-hand for regular use, always protect the CD. Like any CD, a few rules govern its care. First, keep the CD in a jewel caseone of those clear plastic boxes that audio CDs come in. If you dont have any jewel cases handy, you can buy them at computer stores, such as CompUSA or Computer City. If you handle the CD carefully and keep it in a jewel case, you should be able to enjoy a long working life from the media. If you should need to clean dust or debris from the CD, use soft, lint-free wipes to gently wipe the disk from hub to edgenever wipe in a circular motion around the CDs circumference because any scratches could leave the disk unreadable.

Contents of the DLS Diagnostic CD II

The DLS Diagnostic CD II is designed to provide PC enthusiasts and technicians with a handy archive of more than 150 diagnostic/utility programs. The following table lists each program, which falls into one of six categories:
s General PC hardware tools This includes benchmarking, BIOS, burn-in, CMOS,

memory, resource, and CPU-related programs, as well as a wide selection of system test programs. s Video tools These include video BIOS, screen/palette programs, and alignment tools (including MONITORS). s Printer and parallel-port tools These offer parallel-port, printer-enhancement, and printer-maintenance tools (including PRINTERS). s Modem and communication tools These include an assortment of port/data analyzers, and some modem-specific tools.

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s Drive tools These include an array of general drive tools, as well as hard-drive, floppy-

drive and CD-ROM drive-specific diagnostics and utilities.

s General support tools These include a set of backup utilities/organizers, boot man-

agers, APM managers, editors, input device diagnostics, sound utilities, speed utilities, system-security tools, and reference information products.
GENERAL PC HARDWARE TOOLS Benchmarking utilities BIOS ID/reporting utilities JBENCH.EXE BIOS.ZIP BIOSR11.ZIP PCM140.EXE READBI.ZIP SHOWS174.ZIP TWEAK15E.EXE (self-extracting) 486TST.ZIP BURNIN45.ZIP AUTOCMOS.ZIP CMOS.ZIP CMOS93CD.ZIP CMOSER11.ZIP CMOSRAM2.ZIP GSETUP31.ZIP MAXSPEED.EXE SRXTEST.EXE AGSI120E.ZIP ASQ0315.ZIP CHECK136.ZIP CONF845E.ZIP DIRTOT.ZIP FIXCLOCK.ZIP OVERHEAD.ZIP RESOUR11.ZIP RITM25.ZIP RUNTIM10.ZIP SNOOP342.ZIP SPC.ZIP SYSCHK.ZIP SYSINF.ZIP VECSCK.ZIP CHKIO.ZIP IOINFO11.ZIP IRQINFO.ZIP PCIINFO.EXE PORT11.ZIP SPYDOS.ZIP SWAPIRQ.ZIP 486TEST.ZIP CACHCHK6.ZIP MEMSCAN.ZIP MEMSPD1.ZIP RAMMAP.ZIP SHADTEST.ZIP SPEED310.ZIP

Burn-in/stress test CMOS utilities

CPU utilities General system test

I/O, IRQ, and DMA test

Memory/cache test

Vid

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GENERAL PC HARDWARE TOOLS Video tools Video ID/BIOS tools

Screen/palette tools

ATMEM10.ZIP IS_VID.EXE PSV10.ZIP HISCAN.ZIP PALU15.ZIP PSPS30.ZIP VGAHUE.ZIP CNVRGE.ZIP CRTAT2.ZIP MONITORS.ZIP (encrypted) VIDEO.EXE VIDEOT.ZIP VIDSPD40.ZIP

Alignment tools/diagnostics

Printer and parallel port tools Parallel port utilities PARAMO.ZIP EZSET.ZIP Printer utilities LASMAN.ZIP PRINTGF.ZIP PRINTGL.ZIP ZC33.ZIP Printer maintenance utilities LASERTST.ZIP LZC26.ZIP PRINTERS.ZIP (encrypted) PRN-TEST.ZIP Modem and communication tools Port/data analyzers BBX201.ZIP COMPRT25.ZIP COMRESET.ZIP COMTAP21.ZIP COMTEST.ZIP CTSSPU42.ZIP PORTSX.ZIP SIMTRM.ZIP UARTTS.ZIP Modem utilities FXMODM.ZIP LISTEN10.ZIP Drive tools General drive tools CLNFIL23.ZIP CT50A.ZIP DAAG310.ZIP DATAREC3.ZIP DDARP_13.ZIP DISKUTIL.ZIP DKI191.ZIP SHRED10A.ZIP SREP.ZIP Floppy drive tools AUTOTEST.ZIP CHKDRV.ZIP CLEAN4.ZIP DFR.ZIP DQCL11.ZIP FR0_01.ZIP

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GENERAL PC HARDWARE TOOLS Hard drive tools 4SPD100.ZIP ATAID011.ZIP BOOTRX.ZIP BRINF130.ZIP CSCTEST2.ZIP DUGIDE.ZIP DW110.ZIP FIPS10.ZIP HDCP.ZIP HDINFO.ZIP IDATA.ZIP PARTITV1.ZIP STBFP20.ZIP BCD.ZIP BOOTISO.ZIP CDCP10.ZIP CDGB32.ZIP CDINDEX.ZIP CDQCK120.ZIP CDSPEED.ZIP CDTA.ZIP DA7.ZIP MKBTCD1.ZIP 2ALL210.ZIP BACKEE28.ZIP CF537D.ZIP COMPR16.ZIP DCF49.ZIP DUP59.ZIP PCHIST11.ZIP STELTH24.ZIP SUPDIR10.ZIP WCPD22.ZIP ZCM12.ZIP BOOTIT.ZIP BOOTSY.ZIP CCS103.ZIP APMNGE10.ZIP HW16V210.ZIP MEMSCN10.ZIP RAVED.ZIP XEV43.ZIP CALIB.ZIP CALJOY22.ZIP GJOY30.ZIP JOY2.EXE SCODE22.ZIP STKVGA31.ZIP TMTX.EXE CARDG2.ZIP LOCATO.ZIP TREF45A.ZIP

CD-ROM drive tools

General support tools Backup utilities/organizers

Boot managers

Power managers Editors

Input devices

Reference works

FURTHER STUDY

15

GENERAL PC HARDWARE TOOLS Sound utilities Speed utilities System Security SBBEEP.ZIP SNDST.ZIP SLO23.ZIP GUARD.ZIP RWARD2.ZIP

Further Study
Thats it for Chapter 1. Be sure to review the glossary and chapter questions on the accompanying CD. If you have access to the Internet, point your Web browser to some of these shareware contacts: Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP): http://www.asp-shareware.org/ Shareware.Com: http://www.shareware.com/ Download.Com: http://www.download.com/