Another interesting day for the CTT class. We learned all about what happens when you push the power switch on the computer. There are 4 initial steps the computer goes through when push the switch. First it goes to POST (Power On Self Test) where the computer checks if it has the minimum requirements to start. It it doesn’t it generates an audible signal which are called POST codes indicating what the problem is. Second it loads the firmware commonly called BIOS, UEFI or CMOS and uses the configuration files to look for the device to boot from. This is set through the boot order sequence in the BIOS setup. Finally, it loads the OS(Operating System) in the boot device chosen which is normally the hardisk.
I looked BIOS settings of the class computers, lab computers and a Lenovo T430 and determined what key to push to get to the BIOS setup utility. The class computers which are Lenovo Think Centre M Series you push Enter or F12. The lab computer which is an HP Compaq dx7500 you push F10. The Lenovo T430 has a button on the top left part of the keyboard to get into BIOS.
I worked on the HP which was a working computer with a hardisk but no operating system. I opened up the computer and took out the pair of memory modules. When I turned it on the post code error was a short beep followed by a long beep. So according to the HP site that code is a memory problem. The other post errors are enumerated below.
