Dr. Hardware 2004 - Frequently asked Qustions - known errata
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Last update of this document: 09-10-2003


Things you should know before running this appliocation:
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This program is operating very close to the hardware. Therefore you may 
encounter problems running some of the tests including severe exception
errors (Blue screens), general protection faults (GPFs), program errors; 
the system may  hang or reboot after performing tests.
As far as we know from user reports there is no reason to expect permanent 
damages coming out of these problems. In most cases they donīt occur at 
all.

However if you want to exclude all risks you should not run this program.

Close all open files (especially data files like text documents) before 
running the program. If not data might get lost when the system crashes or 
hangs. Also close DOS applications and other background tasks before 
running the program. If not clock and benchmark measuring will be affected 
dramatically. In order to get the best viewing results switch to a resolution 
of 800 x 600 with 256 colors or better and small system font.

Always look at the status line of the program. A red shining lamp indicates 
that the program is working.



FAQ:
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Q:
The program doesnīt run at all. The message "Abnormal program termination" 
is shown.
A: 
Close all applications that require a lot of resources like compilers,
Internet browsers etc.

Q:
I get the message "Unable to activate kernel mode driver" after starting the
program.
A:
This may happen after uninstalling any previous version. Therefore it is 
recommended to uninstall the previous version before installing the newer one.
To fix the problem just reinstall the program to reinstall the kernel driver.
This may also happen when upgrading from Windows 9x/Me to 2000 or XP. The 
program requires different kernel drivers for the Windows technologies. Again, 
simply reinstall the program.

Q:
The PCI analysis causes the system to hang or reboot. All program pages with PCI
access are affected (e.g. CPU, PCI, Video).
A:
Under Windows 9x/ME: go to the program settings dialog/Expert settings and enable
"PCI access via 16 Bit Bios".
Under Windows NT/2000/XP: go to the program settings dialog/Expert settings and 
enter the number of PCI buses your machine is equipped with (most often 2).

Q:
ASPI and EIDE drive capacity is not correct for drives > 8GB.
A:
none (newer systems seem to allow more reliable inquiry)

Q:
SDRAM test fails (program error, blue screen, crash etc.)
A:
If a program error occurs you can enter the number of SDRAM modules that are 
actually present in the program settings/Expert settings dialog, to avoid access
on banks that are not populated. The analysis fails on systems with unknown
SMBus specification.

Q:
SDRAM test fails on Asus mainboard.
A:
None. On current Asus mainboards it is not possible to access SMBus addresses
50h-57h where the SPD info is located (other addresses are not affected,
so sensor analysis is still possible on these mainboards). We are trying
to find a solution.

Q:
The ASPI analysis (and ASPI Benchmark) causes the system to hang or reboot.
A:
none (possibly a device or driver causes this problem). Before running the 
ASPI benchmark you may preselect the devices that are to be benchmarked.

Q:
The program cannot be opened under Windows 98/Me in Windows safe mode.
A:
none - obviously a sort of internal compiler/Windows conflict in conjunction with 
the Windows 8 bit color mode. Try to switch to a higher color resolution (256 
colors or better).

Q:
The video benchmark hangs under Windows XP
A:
none - we are still working on that. Introduced with Windows XP!

Q: 
The video benchmark hangs during report creation under Windows XP
A: In order to get the video benchmark into the report do the following: start
the program, run the video benchmark, open the report dialog, uncheck "Run
previously executed tests again" on the Special report setting page, and
finally start creating the report. The video benchmark will be skipped
but the result from the previous execution will be added to the report.


Q:
Incorrect size of L2 cache size indicated for some Pentium 4 types
A:
none - the reason for it obviously are incorrect data sheets.

Q:
Does the program support 64 bit Windows?
A:
Currently not.