PC-Diagnosys(tm) PC Diagnostics Product Description

Product Description

Automatic and Inexpensive

Tests & Functions
Guarantee | Upgrade Info
Ordering & Shipping Info

PC-Diagnosys is the first diagnostic software product that can automatically test the major hardware components of any Intel-based, or compatible, desktop PC. Best of all, it is very inexpensive - you can buy PC-Diagnosys for only $29.95!

PC-Diagnosys is specifically designed for use by PC end-users and less experienced PC support/service people. Therefore, it is ideally suited for mass distribution by support/service providers, VADs, VARs and system integrators. The powerful and comprehensive tests that comprise PC-Diagnosys are derived from PC-Technician™, our industry-leading, professional-level diagnostic software product.

The "Stand-Alone" Advantage

PC-Diagnosys is a "Stand-Alone" diagnostic program that has its own proprietary self-booting operating system. Simply turn the target PC off, insert the PC-Diagnosys Program Diskette into Drive A, turn the target PC on, and PC-Diagnosys will boot and take complete control of the target PC. This "Stand-Alone" advantage allows PC-Diagnosys to operate directly on the PC's hardware without interference from the target system's native operating system. Thus precise and highly reliable test results are consistently achieved.

In contrast, most other utility and diagnostic software products operate as an application program "under" the native operating system (DOS/Windows/etc.). Some even have to installed on the fixed disk before you can use them. While this approach is effective for software and hardware "configuration" issues, attempting to diagnose "hardware malfunctions" through all the various layers of operating system and application software dramatically affects the quality and reliability of the tests.

Safety First

Unlike other diagnostic products, PC-Diagnosys is completely safe for use by anyone, even total PC novices, as it does not contain any tests or functions that could change a PC's system settings or overwrite data on its fixed disk drive.

No Training Required

Best of all, PC-Diagnosys is very easy to use with no training required! As stated above, simply turn the PC's power off, put the Program Diskette into Drive A, and turn the power on. PC-Diagnosys will then boot the PC and load itself into main memory.

Once the Main Menu appears, if no key is pressed within 10 seconds, the complete set of System Certification Tests will run automatically. At the end of the test session, a simple "ok" or "FAIL" is reported for each test in the Certification Test Results display. This report can be printed and/or saved to the Program Diskette for later viewing or printing.

Unique Architecture Means Better Testing

PC-Diagnosys is written in assembly language (instead of a high-level language such as C). Therefore, it is very compact, executes much faster, and is more precise. It uses less than 125K of main memory when loaded, and automatically relocates the program in main memory during memory testing. Thus all of main memory is tested! This is not possible with the much larger native operating-system-dependent programs that use most or all of main memory when loaded.

PC-Diagnosys uses its own proprietary operating system, is self-loading, and is designed to load successfully in systems with suspected hardware malfunctions. Thus it can test a PC system regardless of its native operating system (DOS, Windows, Unix, Linux, OS/2, etc.). You can even troubleshoot a PC with no fixed disk drive!

PC-Diagnosys utilizes its own custom device drivers so that diagnostic routines interact directly with the PC's hardware. This produces precise and reliable test results that are unaltered by native operating system error recovery routines and eliminates the false positives and negatives so common with DOS/Windows-based utility-type diagnostic products.

Thorough and Very Rigorous Tests

A PC-Diagnosys Program Diskette contains multiple diagnostic programs in compressed format. Each program is custom written for a specific microprocessor/bus combination. As PC-Diagnosys loads, the microprocessor/bus combination of the target system is analyzed, and only the appropriate diagnostic program for that system is expanded and loaded into main memory.

PC-Diagnosys is comprised of the most thorough and rigorous set of diagnostic tests and functions for Main Memory, Extended Memory, Fixed Disk Drives (EIDE, IDE, SCSI, ESDI, ST506/412), Diskette Drives, Video Displays and Adapters, and Serial and Parallel Interfaces. These comprehensive tests provide extremely reliable results.

Tests and Functions

If automatic testing is not desired, a test session can be scripted by toggling any of the following tests ON/off. The default is all tests ON. In addition, any test session can be run in single pass or continuous mode.

System Board Tests
- Microprocessor
- Math Coprocessor
- DMA Controller
- Real Time Clock

Video Alignment Aids
- Cross-Hatch Pattern
- Dot Pattern
- Vertical Bars Pattern
- Horizontal Bars Pattern
- Text Color Chart

Video Adapter Tests
- Verify Screen Memory Test
- Character Set Test
- Video Attributes Test
- Fill Display Test
- Cursor Addressing Test
- Video Memory Test
- Hi-Res Color Test
- Text Resolution Test

Parallel Port Tests
- LPT1 Test
- LPT2 Test
- LPT3 Test

Serial Port Tests
- COM 1 Test
- COM 2 Test
- COM 3 Test
- COM 4 Test

Diskette Drive Tests (drives A & B)
- Reset Drive Test
- Rotational Timing Test
- Seek/Read Test
- Read Only Test

Fixed Disk Tests (drives 0 & 1) - Up to 2000 Gigabytes!
- Controller Test
- Seek (Hysteresis) Test
- Surface Analysis Test

Main Memory Tests *
- Allzeroes Test (includes Parity Module Test)
- Allones Test (includes Parity Module Test)
- Checkerboard Test (includes Parity Module Test)
- Address Test (includes Parity Module Test)
- Walking Ones Test (includes Parity Module Test)

* Note: when any of the Main Memory Tests are run, PC-Diagnosys is automatically relocated on each pass (from the lower portion of main memory to the upper portion of main memory and then back again). This insures that ALL of main memory is rigorously tested. This unequaled ability to test the lower portion of main memory (that is normally occupied by the operating system and operating system dependent programs) is vitally important because this is the most used portion of memory and, therefore, the most likely area to fail.

Extended Memory Tests - Up to 4 Gigabytes!
- Allzeroes Test (includes Parity Module Test)
- Allones Test (includes Parity Module Test)
- Checkerboard Test (includes Parity Module Test)
- Address Test (includes Parity Module Test)
- Walking Ones Test (includes Parity Module Test)

PC-Diagnosys supports desktop PCs that use Intel Pentium 4, Pentium III, Pentium II, Pentium Pro, Pentium, i486, 80386, 80286, and compatible AMD and Cyrix processors with Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA), VESA Local Bus (VLB), and Peripheral Component Inter-connect (PCI) bus configurations.

PC-Diagnosys will test all speeds, sizes and types of memory including RDRAM and DDR SDRAM.

Menu Options

If automatic testing is not desired, the Main Menu has the following options:

System Configuration Information - This option indicates the hardware resources that are functioning, i.e., identifiable in the system, and also provides information about the system's BIOS and CMOS settings. In addition, a CPU Speed Test is performed, MMX Extensions are tested and a BIOS Checksum Test is performed. This System Configuration Information can be viewed or printed.

Certification Test Selection Menu - This option enables scripting of each test session by allowing individual tests for each system component to be toggled ON/off. Upon completion of the customized test session, which can be run in single pass or continuous mode, the Certification Test Selection display becomes the Certification Test Results display with ok/FAIL posted to the selected tests. The results can be printed and/or saved to the Program Diskette. Each saved test session includes the Test Results, Error Log and System Configuration.

Prior Test Results - This option allows up to five previously saved test sessions to be viewed, printed or cleared. Each test session includes the Test Results, Error Log and System Configuration.

Error Log Menu - PC-Diagnosys generates and posts to the Error Log the same Error Codes as PC-Technician. This option allows the Error Log to be viewed, printed or cleared.

**What Doesn't PC-Diagnosys Do?**

Now for the next logical question, "what doesn't PC-Diagnosys do"?

As stated earlier, PC-Diagnosys, with its own boot-loader and operating system, is a highly specialized diagnostic software "tool" that provides superior "hardware" testing because the target system's native operating system is never used or called into memory.

Thus, PC-Diagnosys can directly test major system components such as memory, fixed disk drives, diskette drives, serial & parallel ports, video, keyboard, etc. False positives and false negatives that can be induced by the system's native operating system are eliminated.

However, since the PC's native operating system is not available to PC-Diagnosys, it cannot use the operating system's functions or interact with the various devices that, due to their proprietary design, are not supported by the PC's BIOS. Examples include pointing devices, CD-ROM drives, sound cards, network cards, etc. These devices require the availability of their own special native operating system-based software drivers and only a utility that runs under the system's native operating system can see and interact with these drivers.

Since numerous operating system-based diagnostic utilities have always been available to see, exercise and resolve conflicts with these devices, PC-Diagnosys has remained specialized in doing what it does best - directly and rigorously test the PC's basic hardware.

Our customers recognize this and use PC-Diagnosys in conjunction with, not instead of, operating system dependent products such as Norton Utilities, BCM Diagnostics Pro, PC-Doctor, CheckIt Pro, etc. They use PC-Diagnosys to reliably test the system's basic "hardware" and DOS/Windows-based utility products for help with configuration issues and conflicts.

Profitable Benefits for All

With today's complex operating system and application program environments, quickly differentiating between software-caused problems and true hardware failures is a major issue and opportunity. To determine this prior to a call for support/service is even more important.

PC-Diagnosys provides a very cost-effective and reliable solution to this challenge. And if the problem truly is a hardware failure, PC-Diagnosys will, in most cases, identify the failing component prior to the support/service call.

Thus, Support/Service organizations who provide PC-Diagnosys to their customers, or make it a part of their maintenance agreement, enjoy the benefits of:

Clarification of the problem at the customer site, prior to, or as a part of, providing support or scheduling a service call.
Reduction in the number and length of service calls in general, especially by quickly determining if a problem is hardware-related or software-related.
An increased first-time-fix rate and a reduced percentage of no-trouble-found calls.
Higher profits and lower costs.
Greatly increased customer satisfaction

If you are a third-party support/service organization, VAD, VAR, system integrator, or reseller, the PC-Diagnosys benefits are especially worthwhile. Over time, the savings from clarifying hardware no-trouble found situations, software vs. hardware issues, and/or from improving first-time-fix rates (by having the correct part on the first visit), more than justifies the cost of providing PC-Diagnosys for each one of your customers' PCs.

End-user support organizations, those operating help desks, those with hardware self-maintenance programs, and consultants can also benefit by providing PC-Diagnosys to their PC end-users.

Easy Payback

Using PC-Diagnosys is like a low-cost insurance policy that responds when needed. Saving only one service call for the PC end-user, and/or the support/service organization, more than pays for it!

Technical Support

All Windsor Technologies' products come with free, unlimited, lifetime technical support during normal business hours via e-mail, phone, fax or mail.

Upgrade Information for New Version 1.53

Once you license PC-Diagnosys you are eligible to buy upgrades for life. For your convenience, upgrades are always totally backward compatible so you never have to worry about using your old Program Diskettes with your new Program Diskettes.

There is usually one upgrade per year or whenever support is added for major new hardware.

For example, new version 1.53, adds support for:

Unlimited Memory Testing. Will now identify and test ANY amount of memory.
Unlimited Hard Drive Testing. Will now identify and test ANY size hard drive. The drive(s) can be located on the Primary IDE Channel, Secondary IDE Channel, and/or attached to a supported SCSI host adapter (see below).
Testing SCSI Drives. Any SCSI drive can now be tested provided its host adapter's BIOS supports INT13h and drive counting located at 4075 in the BIOS data area.
Testing Up To 2 Hard Drives Per PC. Will now test up to 2 IDE, EIDE and/or SCSI hard drives per PC.

"Any" older version of PC-Diagnosys can be upgraded to version 1.53. To upgrade, all we need is one Serial Number from your current product with your order (there is a unique Serial Number on each original Program Diskette label).

A PC-Diagnosys, version 1.53, upgrade consists of a new 3.5" (1.44MB) or 5.25" (1.2MB) SYSTEM Diskette and a new Use Instruction booklet in a durable/reusable package, all in high-visibility orange.

The cost of a PC-Diagnosys, version 1.53, upgrade is only $12.00 plus shipping and handling. Click on Ordering Information for shipping options and charges.

Unconditional Guarantee

We believe PC-Diagnosys is an outstanding diagnostic value that, over time, will greatly benefit anyone who uses it. And we are so confident our customers will agree, that it comes with an absolutely "Unconditional" 90-Day, Money-Back Guarantee! That's right, you have 3 months to decide if YOU are satisfied.

Please beware of so called "Performance Guarantees" that abound on the Web where in the fine print it states that the SELLER decides if their product can be returned or not. These are usually offered by marketing organizations who won't even give you a price until you give them your phone number.

Let's face it, if a company doesn't have enough faith in their product to offer an "unconditional" guarantee, or even list its price on their Web page, why should you bear all the risk?

Affordably Priced and Comes Complete

PC-Diagnosys is an outstanding diagnostic value. A PC-Diagnosys Full Product costs only $29.95! In addition, very generous volume and reseller discounts are available upon request.

PC-Diagnosys is distributed on 3.5" (1.44MB) or 5.25" (1.2MB) SYSTEM Diskettes with a Use Instruction booklet in a durable/reusable package, all in high-visibility orange.

No PC user should be without it, so order
your PC-Diagnosys "Risk-Free" today!

PC-Diagnosys™ PC Diagnostics Version 1.53 Product Description