Troubleshooting Hardware Problems

Unfortunately, not every hardware installation goes according to plan ”even with the great improvements that Windows 2000 brings to the table. Problems with hardware usually center around three things:

• Hardware that is not actually installed properly

• Hardware that is having a resource conflict

• Hardware that is not supported in Windows 2000

With the first two bullets listed previously, hardware that is not actually installed properly and hardware that is having a resource conflict, the problems associated with each bullet may often display the same symptoms. In either case, your starting point for gathering information, troubleshooting the problem, and subsequently correcting the problem is Device Manager. In the case in which hardware is not supported in Windows 2000, which often happens with old hardware, you may find it easier and safer to simply acquire a newer hardware device that performs the same or similar function and is Windows 2000 compatible.

If you have a hardware device that is Windows 2000 compatible but does not seem to function properly, the next section may help you glean some insight into the problem.

Confirming Hardware Installation Status

After you install new hardware, you can confirm that the device is installed and functioning properly by using Device Manager. You can also do this at any time after installation if you have a question about the device's status.

To start Device Manager, double-click the System icon in the Control Panel. Click the Hardware tab and then click the Device Manager button. This displays a list of installed hardware, as shown in Figure 4.8.

Figure 4.8. Installed devices listed by Device Manager.

Expanding a device type node displays all of the devices of that type installed on the computer. The device icon indicates whether the device is functioning properly. You can use the information in Table 4.2 to determine the device status.

Table 4.2. Device Manager Hardware Status

Device Icon	Device Status
Normal icon	The device is functioning normally.
Normal icon with a red X	The device has been disabled.
Normal icon with a yellow exclamation point	The device is not configured correctly or the device drivers are missing.
Yellow question mark with a red X	Windows 2000 has disabled the hardware due to resource conflicts. To correct this, right-click the device icon, click Properties, and set the resources manually according to what is available in the system.

Knowing how to interpret Device Manager output is critical to keeping your Windows 2000 computers running smoothly and just might be valuable for this exam as well!

You can access Device Manager from a number of places. It can be started using the Device Manager button from the Hardware tab in the System applet from the Control Panel. It can also be started from the Computer Management icon within the Administrative Tools folder in the Control Panel. Finally, it is available as a snap-in to the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).

Troubleshooting Hardware Installation Problems

If you determine that a hardware device is not functioning properly, as indicated by an icon detailed in Table 4.2 or by other observation, you can launch a hardware troubleshooting wizard to help you solve the problem. The hardware troubleshooter can be launched from the device's Properties page by clicking the Troubleshooter button on the General tab (see Figure 4.9). Each type of hardware launches a troubleshooting wizard specific to it; for example, starting the troubleshooting wizard from a mouse Properties page does not start the same troubleshooting wizard as one from a network adapter page.

Figure 4.9. Launching the hardware troubleshooting wizard.