Startech.com PCIPOST PCI Post Diagnostics Test Card

Other products by StarTech

Product Details

Product Manual [386kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 4 x 7 inches ; 7.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006B8EZ
• Item model number: PCIPOST
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 21, 2002

Product Description

Product Description

The StarTech.com PCI Post Diagnostics Card makes troubleshooting PC problems easy. Simply plug the card into a PCI slot on a malfunctioning PC, and the card reports any problems in the form of error codes on it's LED display. These codes are then cross-referenced to the enclosed error code chart to pinpoint the cause of the problem. PC technicians and system builders can save hours of troubleshooting time and prevent non-defective parts from being replaced.You may have to refer to your motherboard manufacturer's manual for motherboard specific error diagnostic codes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hard To See Post Code Output, Poor Documentation, Overpriced, March 6, 2006

By	Robert L. Cochran (Greenbelt, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This PCI Post Card is barely acceptable. I bought this unit because time was very short for me. I needed to test a dead computer as quickly as possible and Amazon could get this to me quickly.

The card installs in the PCI slot so that the LCD unit mounted on it is upside down and you have to tilt the system unit backwards, hunker yourself down, and generally experience discomfort in order to view the code coming on the card. For the money one pays, it would be better to include a cable with an LCD display on the end which plugs into the card.

The worst point about this POST card is the horrible, misspelled, incomplete documentation. You might as well make sure you have several websites handy which list POST codes and explains their meaning and what action, if any, you should take. The documentation was written by an Asian person who learned English as a second language and learned it poorly at that. The vendor ought to hire a qualified technical writer fluent in English to write the manual. By this I mean a technical writer who natively speaks, reads, and writes English. Poorly done documentation should be unacceptable for technical equipment.

The manual doesn't explain what a POST code of 00 means. It does not list what corrective actions might be appropriate for a given code. I had to Google search for such information. That might be the best thing to do with this type of hardware, I don't know; I just feel that if a manual is included with the hardware it should be well written and decently comprehensive.

In summary, the biggest reason for not buying this card is the miserable documentation. Also, this card should have an LCD attached to a cable which can plug into the card body, making it easy to read the POST codes. This should come standard for the price.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Needs a 5 volt PCI slot, June 26, 2007

By	cat lover (Maryland) - See all my reviews

Requires a 5 volt PCI slot, which rules out some newer systems (mine included). They should've made this a universal PCI card that could be used in either 3.3V or 5V slots.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Product was helpful in identifying problem with motherboard from ANTONLINE, December 15, 2007

By	Robert Hudock "Linux User, Attorney, Hacker" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought a motherboard from ANTONLINE which was defective, despite repeated requests for assistance I purchased this product to definitively identify the problem as a defective motherboard. The product is a little expensive but when ordering from vendors like ANTONLINE which have poor return policies, it is helpful to be able to identify whether they have sent you a defective produce or not. This card is a helpful addition to my diagnostic toolkit.