Document Number: OSUP1003
Product: Observer 4.0/3.x
Date: 5-1-96
Title: General Observer troubleshooting

General Observer troubleshooting
Although most installations of Observer will proceed without any trouble, due to the vast number of network configurations and PC hardware/software options that Observer supports, sometimes trouble arises.

If you experience trouble in setting up Observer, keep a number of things in mind.

First and foremost, try to simplify your setup in any way possible. This means if you have a screen saver loaded, disable it. If you are running some network add on peer-to-peer jet engine turbo stimulator, remove it. This does not mean that you will not be able to use Observer with your other products but, if you can determine where the problem is, you can focus on that piece of the puzzle and you may be well on your way to solving the problem.

Second, don’t trust anyone or anything. The only way to really know what your hardware settings are is to have the card or device in one hand and the manual in the other.  Programs which try and discover interrupts and other settings only function properly when everything is working correctly - exactly when you don’t need them. Don’t blindly trust other network drivers - they may or may not be reporting the correct information.

Third, do not, under any circumstances, share interrupts, i/o ports, or memory addresses between adapters. No matter what has worked before or what might work in the future, sharing interrupts or memory settings is not a valid configuration.

Troubleshooting checklist:
1. Does your network work without any Observer programs or drivers loaded? If not, check your network installation instructions. Once your network appears to be running correctly, try and install Observer again.

2. Try installing Observer on a different PC and see if you experience the same problem. This does not mean that you will not be able to use Observer on the desired PC. It may give you some insight into the problem that you are having.