You can use Dell Diagnostics interactive audio test to narrow down the problem to either the software or hardware. To run Diagnostics restart the computer and as soon as it starts to boot up hold down f12. Select 'Diagnostic' from the boot menu. The computer will run its pre-boot assessment tests for 3 or 4 minutes before the Dell Diagnostic starts. These pre-boot tests play some beeps and tones through the system speaker but this doesn't test the rest of the audio hardware, so you still need to let Dell Diagnostics run after the pre-boot tests finish. Dell Diagnostics plays an instrumental piece of music complete with drums, so if you only hear some tones then you have only run the pre-boot assessment test.
When Dell Diagnostics opens, select 'custom', then the audio test. This will test your audio system independently of Windows and drivers, meaning it doesn't matter if they are working correctly or not. Alternate between using headphones and listening to speakers in case only one is working.
Dell Diagnostics will play some audio and ask you whether you heard it. If you answer 'no' then the test generates an error code that means you indicated you did not hear the sounds it played, but it doesn't and cannot pinpoint the exact component that has gone bad. In this case Dell will repair the computer if it is still under warranty.
If you do hear the audio that means the hardware is okay but there is a problem with the software or configuration.
same happens to me but this time jim i got my diagnostics cd, and i run the test and it gets to the speaker function test and it plays 8 tones (no drums beats or anything) and i hear the 8 tones. so now i have no idea what to do
The 8 tones are the part of the pre-boot assessment test. Those are 'system' tones that are not played by the regular audio system. If you plug in headphones you should not hear them because they are not going through the Sigmatel audio system. If the Dell Diagnostics is on the cd it would come up after all of the pre-boot assessment tests have finished running. It could be that Dell Diagnostics is not on the cd.
I ran the diagnostics test and I couldn't hear any sound. It didn't pass the interrupts test as well as the test next to that, I don't remember the name. So does that mean that there is some hardware problem? Is there any other way by which that can be fixed?
Can you provide me the contact numbers of Dell service centers in INDIA?
Dell Diagnostics audio test is specifically designed to find hardware problems. In the absence of human error, failure of the test means that there is a fault somewhere in the hardware.
One other test you can perform on your Dell Inspiron 1520 XP laptop, if XP came preinstalled on it, is to use PC Restore. Dell's PC Restore (called Factory Image Restore in Vista) is an image of your original operating system, drivers, applications and configuration settings in a hidden partition on the hard drive. It's like a normal reformat in that you have to save all of your data to removable media, but it's quicker and simpler because it includes all of the drivers so you won't have to re-install those. Whatever was working when you got the computer will work after PC Restore, except for any hardware problems.
To use PC Restore you restart and press Ctrl + F11 during the restart process and it should take you to the "PC Restore" menu. Anything that doesn't work afterwards either wasn't working when the computer was shipped or is the result of hardware malfunction. For that reason it is an excellent diagnostic tool.
Note that even if XP came pre-installed, if the hard drive has ever been reformatted then the PC Restore partition will have been wiped off.
Jim Coates
4 Operator
•
13.6K Posts
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August 3rd, 2008 10:00
You can use Dell Diagnostics interactive audio test to narrow down the problem to either the software or hardware. To run Diagnostics restart the computer and as soon as it starts to boot up hold down f12. Select 'Diagnostic' from the boot menu. The computer will run its pre-boot assessment tests for 3 or 4 minutes before the Dell Diagnostic starts. These pre-boot tests play some beeps and tones through the system speaker but this doesn't test the rest of the audio hardware, so you still need to let Dell Diagnostics run after the pre-boot tests finish. Dell Diagnostics plays an instrumental piece of music complete with drums, so if you only hear some tones then you have only run the pre-boot assessment test.
When Dell Diagnostics opens, select 'custom', then the audio test. This will test your audio system independently of Windows and drivers, meaning it doesn't matter if they are working correctly or not. Alternate between using headphones and listening to speakers in case only one is working.
Dell Diagnostics will play some audio and ask you whether you heard it. If you answer 'no' then the test generates an error code that means you indicated you did not hear the sounds it played, but it doesn't and cannot pinpoint the exact component that has gone bad. In this case Dell will repair the computer if it is still under warranty.
If you do hear the audio that means the hardware is okay but there is a problem with the software or configuration.
Jim
Metal Man626
12 Posts
0
August 4th, 2008 18:00
Jim Coates
4 Operator
•
13.6K Posts
0
August 5th, 2008 01:00
The 8 tones are the part of the pre-boot assessment test.
Those are 'system' tones that are not played by the regular audio system. If you plug in headphones you should not hear them because they are not going through the Sigmatel audio system. If the Dell Diagnostics is on the cd it would come up after all of the pre-boot assessment tests have finished running. It could be that Dell Diagnostics is not on the cd.
Jim
Sayan
7 Posts
0
August 5th, 2008 09:00
Hi,
I ran the diagnostics test and I couldn't hear any sound. It didn't pass the interrupts test as well as the test next to that, I don't remember the name. So does that mean that there is some hardware problem? Is there any other way by which that can be fixed?
Can you provide me the contact numbers of Dell service centers in INDIA?
Jim Coates
4 Operator
•
13.6K Posts
0
August 5th, 2008 11:00
Did you try the test also with headphones?
Dell Diagnostics audio test is specifically designed to find hardware problems. In the absence of human error, failure of the test means that there is a fault somewhere in the hardware.
One other test you can perform on your Dell Inspiron 1520 XP laptop, if XP came preinstalled on it, is to use PC Restore. Dell's PC Restore (called Factory Image Restore in Vista) is an image of your original operating system, drivers, applications and configuration settings in a hidden partition on the hard drive. It's like a normal reformat in that you have to save all of your data to removable media, but it's quicker and simpler because it includes all of the drivers so you won't have to re-install those. Whatever was working when you got the computer will work after PC Restore, except for any hardware problems.
To use PC Restore you restart and press Ctrl + F11 during the restart process and it should take you to the "PC Restore" menu. Anything that doesn't work afterwards either wasn't working when the computer was shipped or is the result of hardware malfunction. For that reason it is an excellent diagnostic tool.
Note that even if XP came pre-installed, if the hard drive has ever been reformatted then the PC Restore partition will have been wiped off.
tech support phone numbers by country
including India
Jim
Metal Man626
12 Posts
0
August 6th, 2008 02:00