hardware (POST) A sequence of diagnostic tests that are
run automatically by a device when the power is turned on.
following:
- checks that the
memory is working
- compares the current system configuration with that
recorded by the PC's configuration program to see if
anything has been added or removed or broken
- starts the video operation
CD-ROM drive, and any other drives that may be installed
are working.
When POST is finished, typically it will
beep, and then
an error, it may beep more than once (or possibly not at all
if it is your PC speaker that is broken) and display a POST
error message. These messages are often nothing more than a
single ominous number. Some common numbers and their
meanings are:
161 Dead battery
(get a new battery for the system board)
162 Configuration changed
(you added some memory or a new card to the PC)
301 Keyboard error
(take the book off the corner of the keyboard)
Because a successful POST indicates that the system is
restored to known state, turning the power off and on is a
standard way to reset a system whose software has
hung.
(2001-03-30)