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Diagnostic
Software: Movie
Studio Plus
Hardware User's Guide
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Using the
Diagnostic Program
Dell Movie Studio Plus comes with a diagnostic utility
program for testing your hardware setup. The following
steps describe the utility's functions and how to use
them.
The utility performs two types of tests, interactive and
non-interactive. The non-interactive tests (OS/DirectX,
PCI Devices, I2C Access and Serial Number) will give information
about the hardware and software setup. The interactive
tests Preview, Playback and IEEE1394 Link tests are functional
tests that require user intervention (They also require
that your a/v equipment is connected).
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Launching
the Utility
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From the
Windows Start menu, go to Programs > Dell Movie Studio >
Hardware Diagnostics to start the diagnostic application.
You will see the following program window.
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If your
device does not show in the Device window, use the dropdown
arrow at the right of the Device selection window to select
it. If it is not among the choices, click the Refresh button
to reload the choices.
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Select your Video Format (NTSC or PAL)
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Before running the diagnostics,
be sure to select the correct video format; NTSC or PAL with the
radio buttons on the User Interface. Please note that only one button
can be selected.
Different regions of the world use different video formats. If you
are unsure of which format to select, here are some suggestions:
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Check the label
on video devices in your home. |
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Use the World
Wide Web to search for the video format used in your country. |
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As a last resort,
you can try each format to see which one works with your equipment. |
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Running the Diagnostic Software
The program is used to test your hardware and software
installation as well as your audio/video functions. Information
provided by these tests can help troubleshoot any problems
you might experience.
Using the utility is easy. Just click the Run button and
follow the instructions. The utility will run the selected
test(s) and save a log file of the results. Any tests
that fail will be highlighted in red.
You can run or rerun the test as often as you like.
Read the following sections to learn about the program's
functions in more detail.
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The
Tests
The Diagnostic
software tests seven aspects of the hardware/software
interface: the operating system type, the PCI connection,
I2C access, the serial number of the software, the Preview
function, the Playback function and the 1394 (FireWire)
link. These tests will let you know if your Dell Movie
Studio Plus hardware is operating properly.
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The OS/DirectX Test
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The OS/DirectX Test
software determines whether your Dell Movie Studio Plus
hardware is supported by your operating system, and if the
necessary version of DirectX drivers are installed.
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The PCI Devices Test
The PCI Devices
Test software determines whether your Dell Movie Studio
Plus hardware is functioning properly in its PCI slot.
If not, it may need to be properly reseated. Failure in
this test will often lead to failure in the remaining
tests.
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.The I2C Access Test
The I2C Access
Test software determines whether your Dell Movie Studio
Plus hardware's I2C interface is functioning. The I2C
bus is used on the board to communicate with each of the
major ICs. If this test fails, it usually indicates a
problem with the hardware. However, it could also mean
that the card is not seated properly. (See Troublshooting
section.)
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The Serial Number
Test
The Serial Number Test software reports the serial number
of the Dell Movie Studio Plus Hardware.
These tests should flash by quickly. The remaining tests
take a little longer.
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The Preview Test
The
Preview Test determines whether your Dell Movie Studio
Plus hardware is able to receive audio and video from
the input device(s). If no device is connected, it will
report a failure.
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Note: Without
input from you verifying video and audio, the software
will assume the test has passed.
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.The Playback Test
The Playback
Test software determines whether your Dell Movie Studio
Plus hardware can send audio and video through the output
device. A receiving device (speakers, TV, VCR, etc) must
be connected in order to see/hear the file being played.
Note: The diagnostic
software tests this feature by playing a video file named
either TestNTSC.avi or TestPAL.avi (depending on whether
their system is setup for NTSC or PAL), which is in the
same directory as the diagnostic software. If this file
is not found, it will report this test as a failure.
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The IEEE 1394 Link
Test
The
IEEE 1394 Link Test software determines whether your Dell
Movie Studio Plus IEEE link is connected and functioning.
If no IEEE 1394 device is connected, it will report a
failure.
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Note: If a DV Camcorder is
used for the IEEE 1394 test, the camcorder must be put into
"CAMERA" mode instead of "VCR" mode (See your camcorder's
user manual if you are unsure how to put it into "CAMERA"
mode). If the camcorder is put into "VCR" mode, an error will
be generated during this test. |
Results
The diagnostic
software will generate a log file containing the results
of the diagnostic tests, which can be seen by clicking
on the View Log button. A typical log file output will
contain valuable diagnostic information which can be used
by a Dell technician to diagnose your Dell Movie Studio
Plus hardware in the unlikely event of a problem.
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