Standard ISA & PCI P.O.S.T Diagnostic Card
"The PC Analyzer"

Here is your opportunity to own a Brand New Power On Self Test (POST) diagnostic card. The ultimate in motherboard and hardware troubleshooting.

What are POST codes?

"POST" stands for Power On Self Test.

Every IBM Compatible PC has software built in to the motherboard, called a BIOS (Basic Input Output System). This system, or BIOS, gets control of the computer even before the operating systems loads, and does a Self Test of the components on the motherboard, and in some cases, boards that are plugged into the various slots. It goes through several steps of checking, testing and initializing the hardware components. Before entering each step, the BIOS writes a 2 digit identifying code to an external address. This code is commonly referred to as a POST code. The very early IBM PC and XT (8088 and 8086 based) computers did not generate these codes, but some other brands of XT computers did. It became standard on most PCs after that.

Although the practice of generating POST codes became standard, the meaning of the codes varies widely. Most computer manufacturers use a BIOS supplied by a third party, the most common are Phoenix and AMI, but there are many others. The codes also vary depending on the motherboard and the manufacturer's requirements. These codes are useful during the manufacturing process to help identify problems. To the consumer, they are useful in cases where the system won't boot up and the video screen does not work, or if you are attempting to make modifications. If the BIOS detects a problem, it will stop on the problem, and the last code that was output will indicate what the failure is.

In order to see the codes being generated by your BIOS, you will need a Diagnostic Card, which plugs into your PC and displays these codes as the BIOS performs its tests. The card displays HEX digits which consist of the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-F. A manual is supplied that gives a description of the code.

What are Beep codes?

Has your computer ever "beeped" when you turned it on? Maybe it always does, or maybe just sometimes? Has it ever beeped several times and the screen remained blank? Wouldn't you like to know what those beeps mean? Well, it depends on what BIOS is in your computer. Some BIOS's generate just one or two beeps, and others have elaborate series of short & long, or low & high pitched beeps to indicate various problems that were detected during the POST (Power On Self test). The Diagnostic Card has a speaker that will play the beeps.

Features of the Diagnostic Card:

• Both ISA and PCI connectors on a single card
• Is it the CMOS battery or the memory? Maybe the processor is malfunctioning? And how about the external cache? The Diagnostic Card will tell you instantly through a series of LED's and a HEX code number.
• Gives all information on errors of the motherboard, even before the Graphics card is activated.
• NEW feature -- An external code display that can be mounted on outside of computer case. Easier to read the codes.
• Built in speaker allows you to listen to the Beep Codes generated by your BIOS.

Specifications:

• Both ISA bus and PCI bus are supported.
• Plug in the speaker cable (supplied) and listen to the PC's BIOS beep codes on the built in speaker.
• Diagnosis of the motherboard will show a problem with the CPU, Memory, display card and so on.
• Wrongly plugged in? Will not affect the operation of PCI or ISA slot.
• LED displays shows result of BIOS POST code in HEX. Check the HEX code against the manual to see the BIOS manufacturers description of the error.
• Especially helpful to pinpoint where the problem is when power is on the computer but there is no display or the machine just hangs.
• There are also 4 LED's for RST, CLK, BIOS and OSC signal working indicators. (When indicator LED is on it indicates its respective signal is fine - except for RST which turns on briefly.)
• Includes 4 Power Supply working LED's -- +5V,+12V,+3.3V and -12V (When indicator LED is on it indicates its respective power is fine)
• Fully compatible with‚ most**motherboards which have PCI or PCI and ISA bus slots.
• Dual POST code display.
• Eight indicator LED's.
  
  Download the Standard POST Card Manual for more Information

The Standard ISA & PCI POST Card is only AU$15.95 plus Insured Registered postage of AU$6.95. Buy it now and pay securely using Paypal.