Tools and Tests
Hint: This test has restrictions in the trial version. Please purchase the registered version!
The System Test is a test, which covers the whole Hardware and Software of a system. It tries to find errors, weak spots and potential anomalies. (For real low level hardware tests refer to Microsoft tools, coming along with Windows). It detects unsigned drivers, devices, that haven´t been properly installed, unusual high device temperatures and drive errors, reported by SMART etc.
Furthermore it also informs about processors, that are comparatively outdated or that have a high energy consumption. Not all of these hints have to be considered as errors of course.
Hint: The full edition of this test is available in the registered version only!
The rating test is a basic
effort to classify your computer system´s overall performance and equipment.
Please note that several foottraps may lead to wrong index results so we don´t
claim any responsibility for the given results.
A software based rating test suffers from various side effects that can falsify
benchmark results and from the possibilty of non-detection of peripheral components.
Take the results coming out of this test as one more step of assistance in analysing
your computer system.
Interpretation
Please use the latest program version available! Only the latest version´s
results are up-to-date! Outdated program version will provide you with rating
indexes that are too high for the given system.
Dr. Hardware computes indexes for the peripheral equipment, the performance
and as a result of those two indexes an overall index. The overall index is
combined with a general classification.
This
is a test for default english and german keyboards with default OEM scan codes.
Press a key and the corresponding key on the virtual keyboard will be highlighted
- including any extra key on your keyboard.
There may be a lot of keyboards that aren´t suited for a proper execution
of this test.
However in the worst case, while the pressed key will not match the corresponding
key on the virtual keyboard, the keystroke as such will be noticed in any case
provided the key is working yet.
The default behaviour is,
that after releasing a key the coloured virtual key will be discoloured again.
If you mark the checkbox "Don´t restore white color for pressed keys"
the coloured key will rest highlighted until clicking on the "Reset virtual
keyboard" button. This option is recommended if you want to check the whole
keyboard.
Please note that by pressing some of the system keys the corresponding action
will be executed. Therefore the keytest window may loose the focus. Click on
the window to regain the focus then.
Current usage of the processor´s cores (currently eight cores are supported) in percent.
There are two lines, one defined by the actual values of the processor usage, the other indicating the moving average.
It is also worth to be mentioned, that it takes a while, before the incoming data have established reasonable lines.
The
test screen enables the user to check and adjust the settings of his monitor.
Once opened you may close the screen by a left button mouse click.
Clicking the right mouse button opens a popup menu that provides additional
tests and patterns. Please note however that this menu is disabled in the shareware
version.
Below are some hints on
how to get the utmost out of your monitor.
Shape, rotation, picture size: Check whether the grid´s corners are rightangled
and top and bottom lines are in real horizontal position. Circles should be
circles, no ellipses. The border lines of the grid also give control when zooming
the picture to the maximum size.
Definition: All text ought to be well defined in both the middle and the corners
of the screen. On a large number of monitors definition is reduced toward the
sides. It may be vice versa for other ones. Especially some early and/or cheap
19" models come along with uneven definition. Definition cannot be adjusted
on most of the models via control menu!
Convergence (alignment of red, blue and green color signals): lines and letters
should be free from any colored shadows surrounding them.
Colors: The color palette should represent the 16 base colors.
Contrast, brightness: you should be able to distinguish the 5 light and the
5 dark grey tones. Otherwise brightness and/or contrast have to be adjusted.
Adjustment of grid, circles and colors may be improved by switching to the appropriate single test mode through the popup menu.
The popup menu provides
these additional tests and features:
Single test mode for grid, circles and colors.
Blank screen: This is a good test for achromasia as well as appropriate refresh
rate setting. With brightness and contrast set to their defaults the screen
must not flicker.
Picture ghosting check: Shadows on the right side of the bar indicate insufficient
shielding of the video cable. Avoid using video cable extensions, fix the plugs
properly in their sockets, don´t use video switch boxes. Mostly this is
not a monitor defect but a signal disturbance.
Toggle background color (black/white): You may toggle the background color that
by default is black.
Tips:
The on-screen menu of todays monitors allows to adjust almost all monitor parameters
described above.
On some models you can reset the factory default settings through a reset button.
General color problems may be corrected via color temperature settings.
Two thin grey horizontal lines (damper wires) on a white or light grey background
in conjunction with a slightly convex screen are typical characteristics of
high quality black trinitron cathode ray tubes and no defects.
The
Bios Viewer lets you examine the contents of the Main Bios, Video adapter Bios
and the Bios of any other Bios-equipped adapter card such as SCSI or EIDE host
controller adapters.Simply click on one of the radio buttons associated with
specific start addresses. You can dump the contents of addresses C0000h (where
video adapter Bios is located by default) to FFFF0h. The mainboard Bios (Main
Bios) is located at F0000h by default, however on some machines at E0000h. The
Bios of additional adapters may be located anywhere from C8000h to E8000h. Also
there is a radio button that allows to scan the BIOS for all copyright strings
such as "Copyright (c) ...", a very useful feature to get the vendor
copyrights flashed into the BIOS.
Another radio group control allows selecting between ASCII, String and hexadecimal
output format. If you are interested in text strings only, such as copyright
notices etc., you don´t need to switch to ASCII or hexadecimal format
at all.
There is also a checkbox that allows to hide empty lines. "Empty"
means: no alphanumeric characters if ASCII output format is selected resp. 0-entries
only if Hex output format is selected.
You also may search and
research for strings. Click the button at the bottom of the panel.