Familiarization Guide
HP Vectra VL PC
HP Vectra VL
6/xxx Series 6 PC
HP Vectra VL MT PC
This guide is for experienced technicians who have
already completed the HP Vectra PC family training
course. It is a self-paced training guide designed to train
you to repair the PC. It contains information specific only
to the repair of these PCs. For information on the
installation of accessories, see the User’s Guide and the
Online documents that are supplied with the PC.
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Vectra Products Comparison
Vectra Products Comparison
Component
HP Vectra VL 6/xxx PC
HP Vectra VL 6/xxx MT PC
Microprocessor
Pentium II, 233 MHz or 266 MHz, 32 KB of level-1 cache memory, 256 KB
or 512 KB of level-2 cache memory
VRM
2.8 Volt Voltage Regulator Module
Main memory
32 MB or 64 MB (standard), 192 MB(maximum), non-ECC EDO 60 ns DRAM,
Six SIMM sockets (organized as three pairs)
Graphics controller
Cirrus 5446 integrated on the system board, with 2 MB video memory not
upgradeable
OR: Matrox MGA Millennium II on a PCI accessory board, with 4 MB
video memory upgradeable to 12 MB
Communications
ports
2 USB connectors, 2 serial ports, parallel port, keyboard, mouse
Mass storage
4.0 GB IDE or 2.5 GB IDE
5 shelves (3 front access, 2 internal) 6 shelves (4 front access, 2 internal)
5 slots 6 slots
(2 PCI, 1 ISA, 2 combination PCI/ISA) (2 ISA, 2 PCI, 2 combination PCI/ISA)
New ISA Plug-and-Play audio board on multimedia models
24✕ speed IDE on multimedia models
4.0 GB IDE or 2.5 GB IDE
Accessory board
slots
Audio board
CD-ROM drive
Flexible disk drive
Power supply
New version without bezel
Standard version with bezel
Auto-ranging 100/240 VAC, 150 W
input, 120 W output
Manually switched 115/230 VAC,
200 W input, 160 W output
Power saving
115 V, 60 Hz: 21 W in suspend mode, 27 W in standby mode
230 V, 50 Hz: 25 W in suspend mode, 30 W in standby mode
1
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New Package for the Desktop Models
New Package for the Desktop Models
Front view
activity light
status light
(Multimedia models only)
Front view with cover
removed
Hard disk drive
24✕ CD-ROM drive
Flexible disk drive
System board switches
Video memory
Processor
VRM
Main memory
Retaining brackets
Rear view
Security lock hole
Display Keyboard USB Mouse
Parallel
Serial A
Serial B
2
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Minitower Package
Minitower Package
Front view with cover
removed
System board switches
Processor
VRM
Video memory
Main memory
Rear view
Serial B
Serial A
Parallel
Mouse
USB
Keyboard
Voltage selection switch
Display
3
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System Board and Backplanes
System Board and Backplanes
Most desktop and minitower models are supplied with a Matrox graphics
controller on a PCI board, and do not have the integrated graphics controller
loaded on the system board.
Status Panel
A
A
B
B
Not Used
C
C
Memory Slots
(Items shown in grey are
present only on models with
integrated graphics controller)
Graphics
Controller
Chip
VESA Connector
USB
Display
Kbd
Mou
Parallel Port
Serial Port A
Serial Port B
4
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System Board and Backplanes
Desktop (front view)
Desktop (rear view)
Minitower (top view)
2 ✕ PCI slot (shown in white)
2 ✕ ISA/PCI combination slot
(shown in light grey)
1 ✕ system board slot (shown
in dark grey)
1 ✕ ISA slot (shown in grey)
2 ✕ PCI slot (shown in white)
2 ✕ ISA slot (shown in grey)
2 ✕ ISA/PCI combination slot
(shown in light grey)
1 ✕ system board slot (shown
in dark grey)
5
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Installing Accessories in the New Desktop Package
Installing Accessories in the New Desktop Package
The new package for the desktop models involves a number of new
procedures.
Removing the Cover
3. Unlock
with the key
4. Push the cover away
from you and lift off
2. Press the two tabs down, pivot
the panel downward, and lift it off
1. Press the
latch down
Removing the Power
Supply
1. Remove all
external cables
2. Lift the front
of the power
supply to free
the two side
catches
4. Lift the power supply clear and lay it upside down on the
front drive unit
3. Slide it horizontally out
6
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Installing Accessories in the New Desktop Package
Installing an Accessory
Board
1. Unscrew the retaining
bracket
2. Remove the slot cover
3. Slide the board into the slot
4. Slide it horizontally out
5. Replace the retaining
bracket.
Installing an ISA board on
the rear of the backplane
2. Remove the rear tray by sliding it forward about
1.5 cm (1/2 inch), and lifting it up and out.
1. Unscrew the retain-
ing bracket at the rear
of the computer
Access is then clear for installing a short ISA board
in the slot on the rear side of the backplane.
7
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Installing Accessories in the New Desktop Package
Installing a Hard Disk
Drive in the Top Rear
Shelf
1. Unscrew the retain-
ing bracket at the rear
of the computer
2. Remove the rear tray by sliding it 3. Align the disk drive with the
4. Connect the data cable
and power cable to the
rear of the drive
forward about 1.5 cm (1/2 inch),
holes in the tray, and secure using
the screws provided
and lifting it up and out
Installing a Hard Disk
Drive in the Bottom Rear
Shelf
1. Unclip the metal plate at the rear
of the computer, and remove it
4. Slide the tray back into the rear of
the computer
3. Secure the 3.5-inch drive
(shown above) or 5.25-inch drive
(shown below) on to the tray
with the screws provided
5. Replace the metal plate. Insert the
flat end first then push it until it
clicks into place.
2. Remove the tray by pushing it from
the inside, and sliding it out the back
of the computer
8
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Installing Accessories in the New Desktop Package
Installing a CD-ROM
Drive or Zip Drive in a
Front Shelf
1. Press the two retaining clips of the
front drive unit inward, and slide the
unit forward about half way
2. Push the two catches on the front
drive unit down, and then slide the
unit out, holding it with both hands
4. If the drive has a tray, attach the
3. Carefully place the unit on its side,
and remove the top mounting
bracket. Remove the metal filler plate
from the empty shelf, if there is one
drive on to the tray. (CD-ROM drives
do not need a tray. Many zip drives
require an HP-supplied tray)
5. Lower the drive into the free grove of the
mounting bracket. Use the two pins on the
mounting bracket to slot the drive into place.
6. Position the other mounting
bracket on top, aligning it properly so
that it clicks into place
7. Draw the computer’s cables through
the front drive bay area and connect
the data cable to the rear of each drive
8. Using both hands, lift the drive unit and slide it back into the computer
about half way. Connect the power cable to the rear of each drive
9. Retrieve the universal front bezel from the PC’s chassis by opening the two clips.
10. Remove the filler bezel from the
PC’s front panel and replace it with the
universal front bezel.
9
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Installing Accessories in the New Desktop Package
Replacing the Pentium II The Pentium II processor is contained on a module which is installed in a
socket on the system board. It is held in place by a bracket. There are two
plastic clips, one on the top of each pillar of the bracket, to prevent the
processor module from slipping out.
Processor
Plastic clips
Bracket pillars
Heat-sink
To remove the old processor module:
1 Press the two plastic clips towards each other.
2 Carefully pull the processor module away from its connector on the
system board.
The heat-sink is supplied with the processor, and is bolted to it by the
manufacturer.
10
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Installing Accessories in the New Desktop Package
Replacing the Flexible
Disk Drive
The flexible disk drive is mounted vertically in the front, right-hand edge of
the computer. It is held in place by two plastic clips, one visible from above,
and the other visible through a square hole in the right-hand bottom panel of
the computer.
Flexible disk drive
Plastic clips
To remove the flexible disk drive, press both plastic clips leftward, and pull
the drive out through the front of the computer.
To install the new processor module, reverse the above procedure.
Replacing the System
Board
The system board is secured in place by the familiar system board handle
mechanism. However, before the system board can be removed, it is
necessary first to remove the left-hand bottom panel of the computer. This is
held in place by a metal clip at the front end, and can be released by levering
it at this end with a screw-driver, or similar implement.
Once the replacement system board has been installed, reverse the above
procedure. Insert the back end of the left-hand bottom panel into its slots in
the back panel of the computer, and then push the front end until it clips
into place.
11
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Accessories that are Supplied with the PC
Accessories that are Supplied with the PC
Matrox Millennium II
Graphics Controller
Board
This PCI board is Plug-and-Play. It is supplied with the correct drivers, and
does not require specific configuration when installed in this PC.
Top and bottom halves of the
4 MB memory chips
upgrade socket. (For the
installation of a video memory
upgrade module or the Matrox
MPEG module).
Display connector
Audio Controller Board This new Plug-and-Play ISA board is supplied with the correct drivers, and
does not require specific configuration when installed in this PC.
Telephone answering device connector
CD audio connector
AUX-IN connector
Multimedia control panel
microphone connector
Multimedia control panel connector
Internal speaker connector
Joystick connector
12
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Flashing the Latest Version of the System BIOS
Flashing the Latest Version of the System BIOS
BIOS upgrades can be downloaded, on to flexible diskette, from the
HP World Wide Web site. Following the instructions which you are given,
you will obtain the flash utility programs, FLASH.BAT, AUTOEXEC.BATand
PHLASH.EXEprograms, the BIOS file, HD07xx.FUL, and a file called
pfmhd106.bin, on a bootable flexible diskette.
Insert the flexible diskette into drive A. Re-boot the system. Enter the
command of the form FLASH HD07xx.FUL(where xxis replaced by the
version number of the BIOS that you have downloaded).
Access HP World Wide
Web Site
World-Wide Web URL
13
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Complete the Questionnaire to Check Your Understanding
Complete the Questionnaire to Check Your Understanding
Draw a circle around each letter that corresponds with a correct answer.
(There may be more than one correct answer to each question).
1 The following PC, supplied with a 4 GB hard disk, CD-ROM drive and
audio board, has had components added by the user, and now no longer
works. Which of the following could be the source of its failure to operate
properly?
a An 1 GB IDE hard disk drive has been fitted in the second internal
shelf, and has been connected to the spare grey IDE connector.
b A non-HP tape drive has been fitted in the lower front access shelf, and
has been connected to the spare FDD connector.
c There is an HP 32 MB memory module in memory socket C1, but
socket C2 is empty.
d Memory sockets B1 and B2 are empty.
e There is a pair of non-HP 4 MB memory modules in bank A.
f
A non-HP network-board has been installed as a PCI accessory.
2 The client wishes to accelerate the processing throughput of the PC.
Which of the following options are viable:
a Replacing the current 233 MHz processor by a 266 MHz processor.
b Replacing the current processor by an overdrive processor
(when available).
c Installing more level-2 cache memory modules.
d Installing more main memory modules.
3 Which of the following statements is correct (when installing a device in
the lower 5.25-inch front-access drive shelf of the desktop model)?
a The new drive will already have the correct front bezel.
b The filler bezel on the front panel needs to be modified with a knife.
c The PC is supplied with the correct replacement bezel for the drive.
d A kit of bezels (PN 5064-2667) needs to be ordered from HP.
e No bezel is necessary.
14
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Complete the Questionnaire to Check Your Understanding
4 The client is unable to obtain the performance that is expected from a
hard disk drive. What would you suggest might be the problem?
a The drive has been installed in the slave position of the primary IDE
cable.
b The drive has been installed on the secondary IDE cable.
c The jumpers on the drive have not been set correctly.
d The drive has not been correctly detected by the Setup program, and
needs to be configured manually.
5 The client is unable to start the PC from the keyboard. What would you
suggest might be the problem?
a The PC is not plugged in.
b The Keyboard-Power-On function has not be enabled in the Setup
program.
c The Keyboard-Power-On function has not be enabled on the system
board switches.
d The Keyboard-Power-On function has not be enabled in Display
Propertiesmenu of the operating system.
e The PC is running the wrong operating system for this function.
15
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Answers and Explanations
Answers and Explanations
1 The following PC, supplied with a 4 GB hard disk, CD-ROM drive and
audio board, has had components added by the user, and now no longer
works. Which of the following could be the source of its failure to operate
properly?
c
There is an HP 32 MB memory module in memory socket C1, but
socket C2 is empty.
d Memory sockets B1 and B2 are empty.
e
There is a pair of non-HP 4 MB memory modules in bank A.
Installing non-HP accessory boards and drives does not infringe the
specification of the PC (though the non-HP products are not supported
by HP, and the customer pays for the visit, the HP PC remains
supported). However, installing non-HP memory modules is not within
the specification of the PC, and would cause the PC to be unsupported
by HP.
2 The client wishes to accelerate the processing throughput of the PC.
Which of the following options are viable:
b Replacing the current processor by an overdrive processor
(when available).
d Installing more main memory modules.
HP does not support the replacement of a processor by a faster one,
unless it is an official overdrive equivalent for the original processor, even
when models exist that use the faster processor. It is not possible to
install modules into the processor module. Installing more main memory
increases the performance of the virtual memory system.
3 Which of the following statements is correct (when installing a device in
the lower 5.25-inch front-access drive shelf of the desktop model)?
c
The PC is supplied with the correct replacement bezel for the drive.
The Universal Front Bezel is supplied in the side of the PC (see page 9)
and should fit most designs of 5.25-inch drive. The kit of bezels can be
ordered if the client has lost this bezel. The PC risks accumulating dust
and dirt, and will not look attractive, if the drive is fitted without a bezel.
16
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Answers and Explanations
4 The client is unable to obtain the performance that is expected from a
hard disk drive. What would you suggest might be the problem?
a
The drive has been installed in the slave position of the primary IDE
cable.
b The drive has been installed on the secondary IDE cable.
c
The jumpers on the drive have not been set correctly.
d The drive has not been correctly detected by the Setup program, and
needs to be configured manually.
The correct answer to this question is, “all of the above”. Response (d) is
unlikely to be the case, but is worth checking for the information that it
can yield.
5 The client is unable to start the PC from the keyboard. What would you
suggest might be the problem?
a
The PC is not plugged in.
b The Keyboard-Power-On function has not be enabled in the Setup
program.
c
The Keyboard-Power-On function has not be enabled on the system
board switches.
The function works with any operating system, and is not configured on
any particular Windows menu.
17
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50%
Paper not bleached with chlorine.
Manual Part Number D5040-90901
Printed in France - 05/97
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