A leading cause of PNA customer
complaints is operating system and
software faults on the PNA Hard Disk Drive (HDD). These problems are usually
preventable (see Preventing
PNA HDD Problems), and in many cases, recoverable. The following could save
you weeks of downtime and the cost of replacing your PNA HDD.
If you have a 10 GB hard disk drive, you
should replace it with a 40 GB drive.
Contact Agilent customer support to request a
replacement drive. How to tell
if you have a 10 GB drive.
Note: the procedures below assume the anomalies or strange behavior cannot be
corrected by simply restarting Windows.
The following procedures address three
categories of symptoms:
#1. Windows
starts successfully and operates normally, but the PNA application will not
start or acts strangely.
#2. Windows will
not start successfully when the PNA powers on OR Windows acts strangely after
it has started.
#3. HDD clicks
continuously or is very loud (indications of a mechanical problem).
Warning: if the PNA has been connected to a LAN, a virus scan
and a spyware scan is recommended before proceeding
(anti-virus and spyware software are not provided as
standard tools on the PNA, these tools are the responsibility of the user).
Make a note of the current firmware revision
installed on the PNA. After a System
Recovery or after a HDD has been replaced, it is often necessary to update the
PNA firmware.
Procedure for symptom #1
·
Uninstall the
PNA application using Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel.
·
Restart Windows.
·
Reinstall the
PNA application by executing a firmware installation file (D:\Updates\Firmware\
*.msi), or download a firmware update using
AgileUpdate, or etc.
·
If the results
are not satisfactory, consider running error check and defrag (procedure below).
If PNA operation is
still not satisfactory, continue with the procedure for symptom #2.
Procedure for symptom #2
·
Run error check
and defrag if it has not been done already (procedure
below).
·
Connect a USB
keyboard to the PNA.
·
Perform an Operating System
Recovery as described below.
·
If an Operating
System Recovery cannot be completed or is unsuccessful, then there are two
choices:
·
Send the
PNA into Agilent to have the HDD re-imaged.
·
Replace
the HDD (see #3 below)
Procedure for symptom #3
(The HDD must be
replaced.)
·
Order a new HDD, see Hard Disk Drive Part
Numbers.
·
If possible,
save copies of the mxcal files from the old
HDD. (See explanation of mxcalfile_ in Operating System
Recovery.) This may be done in one of two ways:
- Leave the HDD in the PNA and copy the files to a floppy disk or USB pen drive. OR
- Remove the HDD from the PNA and then connect it to another PC via a USB enclosure interface. (see Note below)
·
Install the new
HDD and restore the mxcal files, if available. If mxcal files are
not available, then the receiver cal adjustment must be performed.
The Windows operating system provides tools for error checking and defragmenting a HDD. (Error checking is also known as
"scan disk.")
If the PNA boots successfully, run error check and defragment
on the PNA. For detailed instructions, see "Error-check and Disk Defragment" under "Administrative Tasks" in
PNA help.
If the PNA will not boot successfully, remove the HDD from the PNA and connect
it to a separate PC (via a USB enclosure) in order to run the tools. See Remove the HDD from PNA and run defrag below.
This procedure will completely restore the
operating system of the PNA back to the original factory condition. It will not
work if the hard drive is damaged.
Important note: This procedure will overwrite the entire C: drive
and the following information will be lost:
·
All changes and
additions made to the analyzer since purchase (except options)
·
All user
accounts and passwords
·
All added
programs
·
All saved
instrument states
·
All user
configurations and Windows settings
You can save some of this information to a
floppy drive or to a folder on the D:drive.
The D:drive will not be
affected by this restoration process. In addition, factory instrument
calibration will not be affected if no changes have been made since the
original factory calibration. If changes have been made through the service
routines, copy all files that start with mxcalfile_
in the C:\Program Files\Agilent\Network Analyzer directory, and save them to
the D:\Calfiles directory.
1. Click Start, Shutdown, Restart
2. After the Agilent logo, when Please
select the operating system to start: displays, quickly press the down
arrow on the keyboard to select the System Recovery partition, (NOT the
Recovery Console). Press Enter.
NOTE: If you do not reach this screen during the boot process, you may be
able to boot from a floppy disk. See If
you CANNOT boot from the Hard Drive below.
3. There may be a delay of up to two minutes while the
temporary operating system loads. The PNA will display a warning about
proceeding and give you two chances to abort. After the second warning, the
restoration process will begin immediately.
4. Restoration takes from 15 to 45 minutes. There is no
user interaction required. Near the end of the process, the PNA may reboot
several times. Do not attempt to use the analyzer until the PNA application is
running and all activity has stopped for at least one minute.
5. Once the operating system is completely recovered,
you can restore any files you may have saved back to their original locations.
The mxcalfiles that were stored in D:\Calfiles will
be restored automatically. Other files must be copied or moved manually.
6. If PNA application updates had previously been
downloaded through AgileUpdate, they can now be re-installed. Double-click on
D:\Updates\Firmware\ *.msi. or
download a firmware update using AgileUpdate.
If you CANNOT boot
from the Hard Drive
If, during the boot process, you cannot
reach the screen that displays Please select the operating system to start,
there are two alternatives.
- Attempt to boot from a floppy disk. (Recommended; see immediately below)
- Remove the HDD from the PNA and run defrag (procedure below) (if it has not been done already)
You should be able to boot from a pair of
recovery floppy disks. Once booted, the
recovery process should attempt to find and restore the operating system of the
PNA. You can download the files necessary
from the web.
To
download the files to your PC:
1. Point you PCs browser to http://na.tm.agilent.com/pna/files/pnarecovery.exe.
Save the file to any convenient folder on your PC. The PC must have a floppy drive!
2. Execute the file just downloaded. It will create 3 more files; two executables
and a ReadMe.txt file.
3. Follow the instructions contained in the ReadMe
file. Basically, you will be creating
two floppy boot disks
4. Insert the first of the floppy disks into the PNA and
reboot the PNA. The PNA should detect the floppy disk and boot from it. See
below if it does NOT boot.
5. After booting from the first floppy, it will ask for
the second. Follow all instructions
displayed.
If the PNA does not Boot from the floppy, then change the PNA Bios settings. Due to bios
revisions, this procedure may vary slightly from the following:
1. Restart the PNA.
2. When the Agilent logo appears, press function key F2
on the keyboard a few times. The Bios menu will appear after several seconds.
3. Select Boot using the keyboard arrows. Read
"Item Specific Help" to learn to move the Removable Devices /
floppy drive to a boot position before the Hard Drive.
4. Select Save then Exit.
5. Once the recovery process has been completed, you
should change the boot order back to the original settings in order to prevent
an error message when a floppy disk is accidentally left in the drive while
powering up.
1. Remove the HDD from the PNA.
2. Connect the HDD to another PC via a USB HDD
enclosure. (see Note)
3. Run error check (scandisk) and defragment
on all partitions of the HDD. (see Run the Disk Defragmenter Tool Monthly)
4. Return the HDD to the PNA.
Note: For general maintenance purposes, it is highly
recommended that you purchase an inexpensive USB 2.0 hard drive enclosure for
2.5 inch hard drives (see sample picture.)
These handy devices will allow you extract files from any hard drive that is
still functional, even if the system cannot boot from it. They are most useful
in extracting the mxcalfiles that are unique to each
PNA. Since these files are placed on two partitions, they may be accessible
even if one partition is corrupted. These enclosures cost $10 to $25 and can be
purchased at most computer stores.
If the PNA is model is N5230A, it was shipped with a 40 GB HDD.
If the PNA is not a model N5230A, determine the HDD size as follows:
- At the Windows desktop on the PNA, right click on "My Computer".
- Click on Manage, then click on Disk Management.
- The HDD size is indicated under Disk 0. Any value close to 10 GB indicates a 10 GB HDD.
If your PNA has a 10 GB HDD, it should be replaced. We recommend that you send your PNA into Agilent for the replacement. As an alternative, you may request a replacement drive (at no cost) and install it yourself. To do so, email the PNA model number, serial number, and contact information to CTD-SoCo_support@agilent.com.
April 6, 2006
