UPGRADING REPAIRING PCs

System Lockup or System Freezing When Running a Tape
Backup
If your system locks up or freezes while running a tape backup, follow
these steps:
1. Ensure that your system meets at least the minimum requirements
for both the tape drive and backup software.
2. Check for driver or resource (IRQ, DMA, or I/O port address)
conflicts with your tape drive controller card or interface;
using the floppy drive while making a floppy or parallel-port
tape backup is a major cause of DMA conflicts.
3. Set the CD-ROM to master and the tape drive to slave if both
are using the same IDE port.
4. Check the BIOS boot sequence; be sure it is not set to ATAPI
(tape/CD-ROM) devices if the tape drive is configured as a
master device or as a slave with no master.
5. Make sure the hard drive has sufficient free space; most
backup programs temporarily use hard drive space as a buffer
for data transfer.
6. Hard drive problems can cause the backup software to lock
up. Check your hard disk for errors with SCANDISK or a
comparable utility.
7. Check for viruses.
Tape Backup Drives and Media 163
8. Check for previous tape drive installations; ensure that any
drivers from previous installations are removed.
9. Temporarily disable the current VGA driver and test with the
standard 640×480×16 VGA driver supplied by Microsoft. If
the problem does not recur, contact your graphics board
manufacturer for an updated video driver.
10. Files in some third-party Recycle Bins can cause backup software
to lock up. Empty the Recycle Bin before attempting a
backup.
11. Disable antivirus programs and Advanced Power
Management.
12. Try the tape drive on another computer system and different
operating system, or try swapping the drive, card, and cable
with known good, working equipment.