Dell Inspiron 3000 Reference And Troubleshooting Manual

Also see for Inspiron 3200: Installing Utilities and Drivers Service manual User guide Specifications

Contents

Dell Inspiron 3000 Reference And Troubleshooting Manual Manual pdf 51 page image

Troubleshooting Your Computer 3-9Finding Software SolutionsBecause most computers have several application pro-grams installed in addition to the operating system,isolating a software problem can be confusing. Softwareerrors can also appear to be hardware malfunctions atfirst. Software problems can result from the followingcircumstances:• Improper installation or configuration of a program• Input errors• Drivers that may conflict with certain applicationprograms• Memory conflicts resulting from the use ofterminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs, such asdrivers• Interrupt conflicts between devicesYou can confirm that a computer problem is caused bysoftware by first running the System Set test group asdescribed in Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”If all tests in the test group complete successfully, theerror condition is most likely caused by software.The following subsections provide general guidelines foranalyzing some software problems. For detailed trouble-shooting information on a particular program, see theonline documentation that accompanied the software orconsult the support service for the software.Installing and Configuring SoftwareWhen you obtain software, check it for viruses usingvirus-scanning software before installing it on the com-puter’s hard-disk drive. Viruses can quickly use allavailable system memory, damage and/or destroy datastored on the hard-disk drive, and permanently affect theperformance of the programs they infect. Several com-mercial virus-scanning programs are available forpurchase, and most bulletin board services (BBSs)archive freely distributed virus-scanning programs thatyou can download with a modem.Before installing a program, read its documentation tolearn how the program works, what hardware it requires,and what its defaults are. A program usually includesinstallation instructions in its accompanying documenta-tion and a software installation routine on its programdiskettes.The software installation routine assists you in transfer-ring the appropriate program files to the computer’shard-disk drive. Installation instructions may providedetails about how to configure the operating system tosuccessfully run the program. Always read the installa-tion instructions before running a program’s installationroutine. If you are instructed to modify the start-up files,see the documentation that came with the operating sys-tem for instructions.When you run the installation routine, be prepared torespond to prompts for information about how thecomputer’s operating system is configured, what type ofcomputer you have, and what peripherals are connectedto the computer.Start-Up FilesWhenever you start or reboot the computer, the operatingsystem executes commands from its start-up files.These files contain commands that automatically config-ure the operating system by setting system parameters,starting memory-resident programs, and loading devicedriver software. If you experience program conflicts ormemory error messages, check the commands formemory-resident programs in the start-up files of theoperating system. (For information on start-up files, seethe documentation that came with the operating system).If a program or peripheral does not work correctly, checkthe product’s documentation to see if you need to modifythese files.Using SoftwareThe following subsections discuss errors that can occurwhile using software.Error MessagesError messages can be produced by an application pro-gram, the operating system, or the computer. “Messagesand Codes,” found earlier in this chapter, discusses theerror messages generated by the computer. If you receivean error message not listed in “Messages and Codes,”check the operating system or application programdocumentation.55899BK1.BK : 55899c31.fm Page 9 Wednesday, February 4, 1998 1:20 PM