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HP OMNIBOOK 300 AND 425 - STANDARD TROUBLESHOOTING METHODS FOR GENERAL
PROTECTION FAULTS (GPFS)
ISSUE:HP OmniBook 300 and 425 - standard troubleshooting
methods for general protection faults.
SOLUTION:According to Microsoft (R), a GPF "signifies that
something unexpected has happened within the Windows
environment, usually an improper memory access. In
other words, something running within the Windows
environment has made a call to a location in memory
that it did not have access to, potentially overwriting
and corrupting other program code in that area of
memory. More specifically, an application or Windows
component might read or write to a memory location that
has not been preallocated, or memory that it does not
'own.' "
As a responsible computer user, it is very important to
perform frequent backups of critical data.
If you are having frequent GPFs on your system, here
are a few tips that reduce the number of these errors.
(Note, this list is not all inclusive.)
WINDOWS MEMORY MANAGEMENT
With any Windows-based computer, steps may be performed
to increase the efficiency of Windows memory and system
resource allocation. The following suggestions are
from Microsoft's Technical Information Network.
* Periodically exit Windows to free system resources.
(For regular use, exit Windows about once a week.)
* Minimize program groups that are seldom used in
order to conserve system resources.
* Avoid using wallpaper, or use a small bitmap and
display it as tile instead of center.
* Do not leave program groups open that contain many
icons. (Hint:You may move your most commonly used
icons into their own group.)
* If you run an application, such as Word or Excel,
that allocates system resources each time it is
launched, leave it open instead of closing and
reopening it.
* Do not load fonts that are not being used.
MAXIMIZE DOS MEMORY
Some Windows applications, such as WinFax LITE, require
DOS conventional memory in addition to extended memory.
If GPFs are occurring as a result of insufficient DOS
memory, the following steps will help decrease the
number of GPFs by increasing DOS memory.
MODIFY THE CONFIG.SYS FILE:
* Add the following line after
device=d:\windows\himem.sys /machine:2.
dos=high
* Insert rem in front of the following line if not
needed. (The obcic program is required for plug-in
PCMCIA modem cards.)
install=d:\omnibook\obcic.exe /gen 1
* Decrease the lastdrive=y line to lastdrive=p. (The
lastdrive letter may vary depending on the needs of
your particular software.)
MODIFY THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE:
* Insert rem in front of the following lines that
are not needed:
d:\windows\smartdrv.exe a- b- e (This will disable the
SMARTDrive utility.)
d:\share (The share program is
required by some
applications such as
Microsoft Mail.)
d:\obmouse (The obmouse utility enables the OmniBook
mouse in DOS applications and allows the
use of a serial mouse.)
call d:\win (This command loads LapLink Remote and
starts Windows.)
* Add the following line:
obwin (This will start Windows without loading
LapLink Remote.)
* Ensure all three of the following lines are
present and the c:\windows\temp directory exits.
set temp=c:\windows\temp
set tmp=c:\windows\temp
set mouse=c:\mouse
GPFS IN THE HP PIM SOFTWARE
GPFs that occur consistently in the HP Appointment Book
application (or are caused by the appointment book) may
be a result of a corrupted Alarms Manager data file.
The _alarms.dat file is located in the c:\hppim
directory. Exit Windows and delete this file. Next,
reset the HP OmniBook 300 or 425 (use the Reset
button). The _alarms.dat file will be rebuilt when
Windows is loaded.
In addition, both the HP Appointment and Phone Book
applications implement automatic data access. This
means that both of these applications have direct
read/write capability to the data file. This provides
the convenience of eliminating the need to open the
current data file or save after each entry is made.
The risk of automatic data access is the higher
possibility of file corruption. For example, if either
(or both) the HP Appointment or Phone Book are open and
the HP OmniBook 300 or 425 enters a low memory state,
it is possible that the open data file may become
corrupted. (Corrupted data files may eventually cause
GPFs on the HP OmniBook 300 or 425.)
Because of the possibility of data file corruption, it
is advisable to close both the HP Appointment and Phone
Books when not in use. When needed, the HP Appointment
Book can be easily opened with the Fn + F3 key
sequence. Similarly, the HP Phone Book can be opened
conveniently with the FN + F4 key sequence.
GPFS WITH APPLICATIONS INSTALLED AFTER PURCHASE
If GPFs tend to occur more often in a Windows
application that has been installed after purchase, the
error messages may be directly related to the specific
configuration of that application.
Certain third-party programs may not be compatible
with, or configured correctly for, ROM Windows or
Standard Mode, for example. To prevent this problem,
always check the system requirements of an application
before installing onto the HP OmniBook 300 or 425.
To determine if the GPFs are being caused by an
application installed after purchase, first operate the
HP OmniBook 300 or 425 without the application running.
Depending on the nature of the application, it may need
to be "uninstalled."
If the application does not include an uninstall
function, the following steps will remove any reference
to this application from the Windows environment.
(Note, these steps will, in effect, remove any
reference to all Windows applications installed after
purchase.)
1. Back up the following files:
* From the c:\tsi directory:
tsi.ini
* From the c:\mouse directory:
mouse.ini
* From the c:\winword directory:
winword.ini
* From the root directory of drive C:
config.sys
autoexec.bat
* From the c:\windows directory:
win.ini
control.ini
system.ini
clock.ini
excel4.ini
main.grp
progman.ini
reg.dat
winfile.ini
2. Exit Windows and type obsetup/f.
3. Operate the HP OmniBook 300 or 425 with the
application removed. If GPFs have been
significantly reduced, they were likely caused by
the configuration of the application that was
removed.
If the above steps do not reduce the number of GPFs in
the particular application, it may be reinstalled. To
minimize the risk of GPFs in an application to be
installed, ensure the following have been performed:
* Run chkdsk/f and defrag utilities on drive C before
installation.
* Check the system requirements to ensure
compatibility with the HP OmniBook 300 or 425.
* Run the setup program to install the application
onto the HP OmniBook 300 or 425 (do not simply copy
the files).
MODIFICATIONS OF SYSTEM.INI
The system.ini file, located in the c:\windows
subdirectory, is used by Windows to retain global
system information necessary for Windows to run.
Ensure the following lines are present in the [386Enh]
section of this file:
* EMMExclude=C000-EFFF
* MaxBPs=768
SYSTEM HARDWARE
If frequent GPFs are occurring on the HP OmniBook 300
or 425, it may be the result of corrupted files or
faulty hardware. The following utilities are available
to help diagnose and alleviate system complications:
CHKDSK/F
This is a DOS command that checks the integrity of the
File Allocation Table and system directories. Exit
Windows (from the File menu of Program Manager) before
executing this command.
DEFRAG
This is a DOS command that reorganizes the files on the
disk or card to optimize performance. Exit Windows
(from the File menu of Program Manager) before
executing this command.
SELF-TEST
The HP OmniBook 300 or 425 self-test is capable of
running diagnostics of several hardware components
including flash cards, the hard disk, and RAM.
To run the self-test:
1. Exit Windows and turn off the HP OmniBook 300 or
425.
2. Hold down the Esc key and press the On/Off key until
a series of beeps are emitted.
3. Release both buttons.
The HP OmniBook 300 or 425 screen will be blank for a
few seconds before the self-test screen appears.
Items may be selected for testing by highlighting the
appropriate component and pressing the Enter key.
Note, unexpected results may appear on the following
hardware components:
* Display - the Enter key needs to be pressed
periodically to progress through this test.
* IR port - ensure the IR port is not in line with
another infrared device. Also, ensure the port door
is closed.
* RS232 port and Printer port - both of these require
a loop-back device to run the self-test properly.
* Keyboard - if the keys are not entered in the
correct order, an error message will result.
Note, the hard disk self-test checks about 10 percent
of the total disk space. To run a more complete test,
hold down the control (Ctrl) key while pressing the
Enter key. This test checks all sectors and may take
40 to 60 minutes to complete. Because this test is
lengthy, you may wish to plug in the ac adapter to
prevent the battery from draining. (Note, this test is
non-destructive.)
OBSETUP/F
The obsetup utility will copy all the files located in
the d:\obsetup directory to the C drive. This will
ensure that these files are in a default state and not
corrupted.
NOTE:Before performing the obsetup command,
back up all the files mentioned above in
the GPFs with Applications Installed
after Purchase section. Then, exit
Windows and type obsetup/f and press the
Enter key.
FDISK - (USE ONLY IN EXTREME CASES)
Fdisk is a DOS utility that will partition and reformat
drive C and then issue the obsetup command. This
command will destroy all data on drive C.
NOTE:It is very important that you back up
all critical data files along with the
files mentioned above in the GPFs with
Applications Installed after Purchase
section.
Exit Windows and change to the D drive (type d:and
press Enter). Next, type fdisk c:and press the Enter
key.
Copyright Hewlett-Packard Co. 1996
This information is subject to change without notice and
is provided "as is" with no warranty.
Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for any direct,
indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages
in connection with the use of this material.
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