Dell Latitude LM Reference And Troubleshooting Manual

Also see for Latitude Latitude Z: System information guide Setup guide System information guide Specifications System information guide

Contents

Dell Latitude LM Reference And Troubleshooting Manual Manual pdf 53 page image

Troubleshooting Your Computer 3-197. Turn off the computer and any attached periph-erals. Disconnect all peripherals from thecomputer. Attach another external monitor to thecomputer.If you do not have another external monitor, call Dellfor technical assistance. (See Chapter 5, “GettingHelp,” for instructions.)8. Reboot the computer, and adjust the monitor’sbrightness and contrast. Is the monitor readable?Allow one minute for the computer to initialize itscomponents.Yes. The original monitor is defective. Call Dell fortechnical assistance. (See Chapter 5, “Getting Help,”for instructions.)No. Call Dell for technical assistance. (See Chap-ter 5, “Getting Help,” for instructions.)Troubleshooting the Serial and ParallelPortsThis section provides a procedure for troubleshooting thecomputer’s serial and parallel ports (shown in Figure 3-4)and any attached peripheral devices.If a system error message indicates a port problem or ifequipment connected to a port seems to perform in-correctly or not at all, the source of the problem may beany of the following:• A faulty connection between the I/O port and theperipheral device• Incorrect settings for system setup options• Incorrect settings in the operating system’s configu-ration files• A faulty cable between the I/O port and the periph-eral device• A faulty peripheral device• Faulty I/O port logic on the system board• Conflicting COM port settings• Lack of device driversTroubleshooting the Basic I/O FunctionsMake a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chap-ter 5, and fill it out as you complete the followingprocedure:1. Check the settings for the SERIAL PORT andPARALLEL MODE options in the Peripherals menuof the Setup program.For information on the Setup program, see the topictitled “Setup Program” in the online System User’sGuide. Are the communication port options set cor-rectly for the peripheral devices connected to thecomputer?Yes. Go to step 3.No. Go to step 2.2. Change the SERIAL PORT and PARALLEL MODEoptions to the appropriate settings, and thenreboot the system.Is the problem resolved?Yes. The problem is resolved.No. Go to step 3.3. Check the contents of your initialization andstart-up files. (See “Installing and ConfiguringSoftware” found earlier in this chapter.)Are the port configuration commands correct?Yes. Go to step 5.No. Go to step 4.4. Change the necessary statements in the start-upfiles.If the port problem is confined to a particular appli-cation program, see the application program’sdocumentation for specific port configurationrequirements.Is the problem resolved?Yes. The problem is resolved.No. Go to step 5.