Apple Service Diagnostic is a diagnostic tool for detecting problems with your computer’s internal hardware components such as the logic board, memory, and video RAM. It does not check externally connected hardware components such as USB devices or FireWire devices; it does not check non-Apple devices such as PCI cards from other vendors.

Before using Apple Service Diagnostic, disconnect external devices (excluding Apple keyboard, mouse, and display), and remove any non-Apple cards that were not included in the original shipping configuration of your system. It is also recommended that you disconnect any Ethernet network cables.

Apple Service Diagnostic does not check your computer for problems with the Operating System (OS) or other software related problems such as application or extension conflicts.

To use the Apple Service Diagnostic, restart your computer while holding down the C key until the “Loading…” screen appears, then you may release the C key. Loading will take approximately 30 seconds. The Apple Service Diagnostic main screen will appear.

Apple Service Diagnostic for Xserve version 1.0 is distributed only with the Apple Xserve, and will not work with any other computer.

If you suspect your computer has a hardware problem, the information provided by Apple Service Diagnostic can help identify the problem. If Apple Service Diagnostic detects a problem, an error will be displayed. Please make a note of the error before pursuing support options. If no hardware failure is detected, the problem may be software related.

Known Issues

While testing the Video RAM, the screen display may appear blank or appear to be turned off for extended periods of time, depending on how much Video RAM is installed; this is normal.

Recommendations

Apple Service Diagnostic is one of several tools and procedures you can use when your Macintosh is having trouble. Here are some steps you can follow to help resolve problems. Please back up your data before performing any of these steps.

1. Turn the computer off and on.
You can often eliminate problems by selecting the “Shut Down” option from the Apple menu to fully shut down the CPU, then restarting your system.

2. Check cables, peripherals, and user controls.
Shut down your computer. Then disconnect and reconnect all cables. Disconnect all peripherals (such as printers, scanners, cameras and external mass storage devices) to see if they are causing conflicts with your system. Adjust user controls on your monitors and other peripherals to see if this helps.

3. Start up from the Apple Service Diagnostic CD.
If the system does not work properly when started (booted) from a known-good system CD, you can generally assume that the problem relates to your computer’s hardware components. The Apple Service Diagnostic CD can often be used to start up your computer even if it will not boot into the Mac OS. If Apple Service Diagnostic passes tests, the problem may be software related. If Apple Service Diagnostic detects a problem, make a note of the error.

Buy this software here:

http://www.softster.net/P714/Macintosh_Software/Service_Diagnostic_v2_63.html