Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is a Post-Probe?
Q. What does the
Post-Probe do that the diagnostic software doesn’t?
Q. How can it diagnose
anything, if the PC won’t boot up?
Q. Does Post-Probe
fix the problem?
Q. How long has the
Post-Probe been around?
Q. I’ve seen other
‘post’ cards. What’s different about yours?
Q. Is it really necessary?
I usually just swap parts.
Q.
What is a Post-Probe?
A. It is a card that
plugs into the motherboard to diagnose a ‘dead’ PC that won’t
boot up.
Q. What
does the Post-Probe do that the diagnostic software doesn’t?
A. The system must be
able to boot before it can run the software diagnostics. If
it can’t boot, that’s when you use the Post-Probe.
Q.
How can it diagnose anything, if the PC won’t boot up?
A. During boot-up, the
BIOS executes a series of instructions called the POST, or
Power-On Self Test, that check out all of the basic functions
of the machine. At each step, the BIOS puts a code onto the
bus, and that’s what the Post-Probe uses.
Q.
Does Post-Probe fix the problem?
A. No, you still have
to do that part. What it does is show you the last code that
the power-on self test was able to put on the bus, and a table
in the manual tells you what function was being tested at
that time.
Q.
How long has the Post-Probe been around?
A. It was first released
about 10 years ago, and in 1998 the Universal Post-Probe appeared,
with many new features including edge connectors for both
PCI and ISA.
Q.
I’ve seen other ‘post’ cards. What’s different about yours?
A. It’s true we’ve had
imitators, but so far nobody else has been able to put PCI
and ISA on the same card. Some other unique features are a
step-through switch that lets you see if the BIOS is corrupted
and doing tests in the wrong order, and multiple displays
to make the card easy to use in all motherboard configurations.
Q.
Is it really necessary? I usually just swap parts.
A. You can sometimes
get by with swapping parts, but if it’s an expensive part
like the CPU, or something that’s soldered to the motherboard,
that’s not a very practical approach. In any case, it’s unprofessional.
If repairing PCs is more than a hobby, you should have the
proper tools, and that includes a Post-Probe.
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