Dell OptiPlex E1 Troubleshooting Manual

 1989–1997 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden. Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Dell Dimension, and PowerEdge are registered trademarks, and DellWare is a registered service mark of Dell Computer Corporation; Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc.; and Lotus is a registered trademark of Lotus Development Corporation. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own. October 1997 P/N 08220 Rev. A06

your computer system from potential damage and to ensure your own personal safety. When Using Your Computer System As you use your computer system, observe the following safety guidelines: • To help avoid damaging your computer, be sure the voltage selection switch on the power supply is set to match the alternating current (AC) power available at your location: — 115 volts (V)/60 hertz (Hz) in most of North and South America and some Far Eastern countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan — 230 V/50 Hz in most of Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East Also be sure your monitor and attached peripherals are electrically rated to operate with the AC power available in your location. • To help avoid possible damage to the system board, wait 5 seconds after turning off the system before removing a component from the system board or dis- connecting a peripheral device from the computer. • To help prevent electric shock, plug the computer and peripheral power cables into properly grounded power sources. These cables are equipped with 3-prong plugs to help ensure proper grounding. Do not use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong from a cable. If you must use an extension cable, use a 3-wire cable with properly grounded plugs. • To help protect your computer system from sudden, transient increases and decreases in electrical power, use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or un- interruptible power supply (UPS). • Be sure nothing rests on your computer system’s cables and that the cables are not located where they can be stepped on or tripped over. • Do not spill food or liquids on your computer. If the computer gets wet, see “Troubleshooting a Wet Computer” in Chapter 6. • Do not push any objects into the openings of your computer. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock by shorting out interior components. • Keep your computer away from radiators and heat sources. Also, do not block cooling vents. Avoid placing loose papers underneath your computer, and do not place your computer in a closed-in wall unit or on a bed, sofa, or rug.

Computer Before you remove the computer cover, perform the fol- lowing steps in the sequence indicated. 1. Turn off your computer and any peripherals. 2. Disconnect your computer and peripherals from their power sources. Also, disconnect any tele- phone or telecommunication lines from the computer. Doing so reduces the potential for personal injury or shock. 3. Touch an unpainted metal surface on the chassis, such as the metal around the card-slot openings at the back of the computer, before touching any- thing inside your computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the computer chassis to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal components. In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when appropriate: • When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on its strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself. Some cables have a connector with locking tabs; if you are disconnecting this type of cable, press in on the locking tabs before disconnecting the cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before you connect a cable, make sure both connectors are correctly oriented and aligned. • Handle components and cards with care. Don’t touch the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a component such as a microprocessor chip by its edges, not by its pins. Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge Static electricity can harm delicate components inside your computer. To prevent static damage, discharge static electricity from your body before you touch any of your computer’s electronic components, such as the micro- processor. You can do so by touching an unpainted metal surface on the computer chassis. As you continue to work inside the computer, periodi- cally touch an unpainted metal surface to remove any static charge your body may have accumulated. You can also take the following steps to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD): • When unpacking a static-sensitive component from its shipping carton, do not remove the component from the antistatic packing material until you are ready to install the component in your computer. Just before unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body. • When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an antistatic container or packaging. • Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use antistatic floor pads and workbench pads. The following caution may appear throughout this docu- ment to remind you of these precautions: CAUTIONS: Do not attempt to service the com- puter system yourself, except as explained in this guide and elsewhere in Dell documentation. Always follow installation and service instructions closely. To help avoid possible damage to the system board, wait 5 seconds after turning off the system before removing a component from the system board or disconnecting a peripheral device from the computer. WARNING There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is incorrectly installed. Replace the battery only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

This guide provides directions for troubleshooting prob- lems that have temporarily disabled your Dell computer system. It does not matter how much you do or do not know about your system—this guide can help you. Before calling for technical assistance, follow the recom- mended procedure(s) in this guide to solve many hardware and software problems yourself. The chapters and appendixes are summarized as follows: • Everyone should read Chapter 1, “Checking the Basics,” for some initial checks and procedures that can be used to solve basic computer problems. It also directs you to the appropriate chapter in this guide for more detailed troubleshooting information and procedures to solve more complex problems. • Whenever you receive an error message or code, you should read Chapter 2, “Messages and Codes.” This chapter discusses system messages, system beep codes, warning messages, and diagnostics messages. • If you suspect that your problems are software- related, or you are still having problems after testing your computer’s hardware, read Chapter 3, “Finding Software Solutions.” It provides some general guide- lines for analyzing software problems. • For hardware-related problems, read Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” Chapter 5, “Check- ing Your Equipment,” and Chapter 6, “Checking Inside Your Computer,” provide troubleshooting procedures for equipment connected to the input/ output (I/O) panel of your computer and components inside your computer, respectively. • Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” describes the help tools Dell provides to assist you should you have a prob- lem with your computer system. It also explains how and when to call Dell for technical assistance. Make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist in Chapter 7 and fill it out as you perform the troubleshooting proce- dures. If you need to call Dell for technical assistance, use the completed checklist to tell the support technician what procedures you performed to better help the technician give you assistance. If you must return a piece of hardware to Dell, include a filled-out checklist. • Appendix A, “Diagnostic Video Tests,” discusses the tests for the Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnos- tics to help you test your monitor. • A table of the abbreviations and acronyms used throughout this guide and in other Dell documenta- tion for your system precedes the Index. Warranty and Return Policy Information Dell Computer Corporation (“Dell”) manufactures its hardware products from parts and components that are new or equivalent to new in accordance with industry- standard practices. For information about the Dell war- ranty, see the appendix titled “Warranties and Return Policy” in your system documentation. Other Documents You May Need You may need to reference the following documentation when performing the procedures in this guide: • Your system documentation describes system fea- tures, explains the System Setup program, explains the ISA Configuration Utility or EISA Configuration Utility (whichever is provided with your system),

vides technical specifications for your computer system. On some systems, some of this information is provided in online form in the Dell Accessories group. • The Getting Started sheet (which accompanies only certain systems) provides step-by-step instructions for setting up your computer system. • The Frequently Asked Questions cards (which accompany only certain systems) provide detailed answers to questions that are often asked by Dell computer users. Be sure to read these cards before calling Dell for technical assistance. • Operating system documentation is included with your system if you ordered your operating system software from Dell. This documentation describes how to install (if necessary), configure, and use your operating system software. • Documentation is included with any options you purchase separately from your system. This docu- mentation includes information that you need to configure and install these options in your Dell com- puter. Installation instructions for the options are included in your system documentation. • The SCSI Device Driver Installation and Configura- tion Guide contains information required when installing SCSI devices on your system. • The Dell SCSI Array User’s Guide provides instruc- tions that you need to run the DSA Manager program when troubleshooting SCSI disk drives. • Technical information files—sometimes called “readme” files—may be installed on your hard-disk drive to provide last-minute updates about technical changes to your system or advanced technical refer- ence material intended for experienced users or technicians. NOTE: Documentation updates are sometimes included with your system to describe changes to your system or software. Always read these updates before consulting any other documentation because the updates often con- tain information that supersedes the information in the other documents. Notational Conventions The following subsections list notational conventions used in this document. Warnings, Cautions, and Notes Throughout this guide, there may be blocks of text printed in bold type within boxes or in italic type. These blocks are warnings, cautions, and notes, and they are used as follows: NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer system. Typographical Conventions The following list defines (where appropriate) specific elements of text and illustrates the typographical conven- tions used throughout this document as visual cues for those elements: • Keycaps, the labeling that appears on the keys on a keyboard, are enclosed in angle brackets. Example: • Key combinations are series of keys to be pressed simultaneously (unless otherwise indicated) to per- form a single function. Example: • Commands presented in lowercase bold are for refer- ence purposes only and are not intended to be typed when referenced. Example: “Use the format command to . . . .” WARNING: A WARNING indicates the potential for bodily harm and tells you how to avoid the problem. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

font are part of an instruction and intended to be typed. Example: “Type format a: to format the diskette in drive A.” • Filenames and directory names are presented in low- ercase bold. Examples: autoexec.bat and c:\windows • Syntax lines consist of a command and all its possible parameters. Commands are displayed in lowercase bold; variable parameters (those for which you substitute a value) are displayed in lowercase italics; constant parameters are displayed in lower- case bold. The brackets indicate items that are optional. Example: del [drive:] [path] filename [/p] • Command lines consist of a command and may include one or more of the command’s possible parameters. Command lines are presented in the Courier New font. Example: del c:\myfile.doc • Screen text is text that appears on the screen of your monitor or display. It can be a system message, for example, or it can be text that you are instructed to type as part of a command (referred to as a command line). Screen text is presented in the Courier New font. Example: The following message appears on your screen: No boot device available Example: “Type md c:\dos and press .” • Variables are placeholders for which you substitute a value. They are presented in italics. Example: SIMMn (where n represents the SIMM socket designation)

Backing Up Your Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 Basic Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 Checking Connections and Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 Look and Listen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 The System Setup Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4 The EISA Configuration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4 Chapter 2 Messages and Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1 System Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1 System Beep Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9 Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13 Diagnostics Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13 Chapter 3 Finding Software Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 Installing and Configuring Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 Expanded and Extended Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 Using Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Input Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Memory-Resident Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Program Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3 Checking for Memory Address Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3 Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Features of the Dell Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1 When to Use the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1 Before You Start Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1 Starting the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2 How to Use the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3 Confirming the System Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4 How to Use the Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Main Menu Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Run Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Select Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Options Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Test Limits Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 About Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Key-Help Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Quit Menu Under Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Number of Times to Repeat Test(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Maximum Errors Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Pause for User Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7 Output Device for Status Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7 Output Device for Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8 Test Limits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8 About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8 Key-Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8 Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8 Tests in the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9 Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12 RAM Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12 Why Run a RAM Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12 System Set Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12 Why Run a System Set Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14 Why Run a Video Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14 Keyboard Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15 Why Run a Keyboard Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15 Mouse Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16 Why Run the Mouse Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16 Diskette Drives Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16 Why Run a Diskette Drives Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16 Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17 Why Run a Hard-Disk Drives Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17 IDE CD ROM Drives Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17 Why Run an IDE CD ROM Drives Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18 Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18 Why Run a Serial/Infrared Ports Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18 Parallel Ports Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19 Why Run a Parallel Ports Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19 SCSI Devices Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20 Why Run a SCSI Devices Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20 Network Interface Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21 Why Run a Network Interface Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21 Audio Test Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21 Why Run an Audio Test?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22 Other Test Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22

Troubleshooting the Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1 Troubleshooting the Keyboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2 Troubleshooting I/O Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2 Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3 Troubleshooting a Parallel Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4 Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4 Chapter 6 Checking Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1 Safety First—For You and Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1 Removing and Replacing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1 Troubleshooting a Wet Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Troubleshooting a Damaged Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Troubleshooting the Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3 Troubleshooting Expansion Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4 Troubleshooting System Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5 Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6 Troubleshooting the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8 Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9 Checking the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9 Troubleshooting a Diskette-Drive Subsystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9 Troubleshooting a Non-SCSI Internal Tape Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11 Troubleshooting a SCSI Tape Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12 Troubleshooting Hard-Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14 Troubleshooting IDE Hard-Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14 Troubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives in a System Without a SCSI Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15 Troubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives in a System With a SCSI Backplane Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17 Chapter 7 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1 Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1 Help Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2 Frequently Asked Questions Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3 Dell Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3 System Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3

Commercial Online Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3 Dell Diagnostics Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3 AutoTech Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3 TechFax Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4 Automated Order-Status System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4 Technical Support Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4 Problems With Your Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5 Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5 Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5 Before You Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5 Dell Contact Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8 Appendix A Diagnostic Video Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1 Video Memory Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1 Video Hardware Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1 Text Mode Character Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1 Character Attributes Subtest (80 x 25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2 Character Set Subtest (80 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3 Video Scan Alignment Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-4 Character Attributes Subtest (40 x 25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-6 Character Set Subtest (40 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-7 Text Mode Color Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-8 Color Attributes Subtest (80 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-8 Color Attributes Subtest (40 x 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-9 Color Bars Subtest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-9 Text Mode Pages Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-9 Graphics Mode Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-10 320 x 200 Graphics Mode Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-10 640 x 200 Black/White Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-10 640 x 480 Monochrome Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-12 320 x 200 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-13 640 x 200 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-13 640 x 350 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-13 640 x 480 2-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-13 640 x 480 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-15 320 x 200 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-15

800 x 600 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-15 800 x 600 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-15 1024 x 768 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-15 1024 x 768 256-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-15 1280 x 1024 16-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-15 Color Palettes Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-15 Solid Colors Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-16 Abbreviations and Acronyms Index Figures Figure 4-1. Diagnostics Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3 Figure 4-2. Dell Diagnostics Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4 Figure 7-1. Diagnostics Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7 Figure A-1. 80-Column x 25-Line Character Attributes Subtest Screen . . . . . . . A-2 Figure A-2. 80-Column x 25-Line Character Set Subtest Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3 Figure A-3. Video Scan Alignment Subtest (Screen 1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4 Figure A-4. Video Scan Alignment Subtest (Screen 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5 Figure A-5. 40-Column x 25-Line Character Attributes Subtest Screen . . . . . . . A-6 Figure A-6. 40-Column x 25-Line Character Set Subtest Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7 Figure A-7. Text Mode Pages Test Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9 Figure A-8. 640 x 200 Black/White Graphics Mode Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-11 Figure A-9. 640 x 480 Monochrome Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12 Figure A-10. 640 x 480 2-Color Graphics Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-14 Tables Table 1-1. Boot Routine Indications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 Table 2-1. System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1 Table 2-2. System Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10 Table 3-1. Default IRQ Line Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3 Table 4-1. Option Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7 Table 4-2. Dell Diagnostics Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9 Table 7-1. Help Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2 Table 7-2. International Dialing Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9 Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10 Table A-1. Color Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-8

1-1 Chapter 1 Checking the Basics If your Dell® computer system is not working as expected, and if you are not sure what to do, start your troubleshooting with the procedures in this chapter. This chapter guides you through some initial checks and pro- cedures that can solve basic computer problems. It can also direct you to the appropriate chapter in this guide for detailed troubleshooting information and procedures to solve more complex problems. NOTE: When you see the question, “Is the problem resolved?” in a troubleshooting procedure, perform the operation that caused the problem to see if the problem recurs. Backing Up Your Files You can lose data when a system failure occurs. If your system is behaving erratically, back up your files immediately. If you are using MS-DOS®, use the msbackup command to copy your files onto diskettes to safeguard your data. See your MS-DOS documentation for instructions on using the msbackup command. If Dell installed MS-DOS on your hard-disk drive, you should also safeguard your software by creating program diskette sets (backup diskettes) of the operating system and application programs with Dell’s Program Diskette Maker utility. If you are using an operating system other than MS-DOS, see the documentation that came with your operating sys- tem for instructions on how to back up your files. Basic Checks The following procedure leads you through the checks necessary to solve some basic computer problems: 1. Is your computer wet or damaged? Yes. Go to Chapter 6, “Checking Inside Your Computer.” No. Go to step 2. 2. Perform the steps in “Checking Connections and Switches” found later in this chapter. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The power to your computer system was faulty, or the connections to your computer system were loose. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 3. 3. Perform the steps in “Look and Listen” found later in this chapter. Did your computer system complete the start-up (boot) routine? NOTE: The boot routine is the operating system’s attempt to load its files into memory from the boot- up sector on the hard-disk drive or bootable diskette. Yes. Go to step 4. No. A serious malfunction may have occurred. Go to Chapter 7, “Getting Help.” 4. Did you receive a system message or beep code? Yes. If your system documentation contains an appendix titled “Beep Codes and System Messages,” go to that appendix. Otherwise, go to Chapter 2, “Messages and Codes,” in this guide. No. Go to step 5.

5. Verify the settings in the System Setup program as explained in “The System Setup Program” found later in this chapter. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The system configuration information was incorrect. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 6. 6. Do you have an Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA) computer system? Yes. Go to step 7. No. Go to step 8. 7. Use the EISA Configuration Utility to save new system information into EISA configuration memory as explained in “The EISA Configura- tion Utility” found later in this chapter. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The EISA configuration information and the system configuration information conflicted. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 8. 8. Go to Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” Checking Connections and Switches Improperly set switches and controls, and loose or improperly connected cables, are the most likely source of problems for your computer, monitor, or other periph- eral (such as a printer, keyboard, mouse, or other external equipment). A quick check of all the switches, controls, and cable connections can easily solve these problems. NOTE: See your system documentation for the location of your computer’s external connections and switches. Complete the following procedure to check all the con- nections and switches: 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals (such as the monitor, keyboard, printer, external drives, scanners, or plotters). Disconnect all the alternating current (AC) power cables from their power sources. 2. If your computer is connected to a power strip, turn the power strip off and then on again. Is the power strip getting power? Yes. Go to step 5. No. Go to step 3. 3. Plug the power strip into another electrical outlet. Is the power strip getting power? Yes. The original electrical outlet probably does not function. Use a different electrical outlet. No. Go to step 4. 4. Plug a lamp that you know works into the electri- cal outlet. Does the lamp get power? Yes. The power strip is probably not functioning properly. Get another power strip. No. Go to step 5. 5. Reconnect the system to AC power. Make sure that all connections fit tightly together. 6. Turn on the system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The connections were loose. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 7. 7. Is your monitor operating properly? Yes. Go to step 8. No. Go to “Troubleshooting the Monitor” in Chap- ter 5. 8. Is your keyboard operating properly? Yes. Go to step 9. No. Go to “Troubleshooting the Keyboard” in Chap- ter 5. 9. Is your mouse or printer operating properly? Yes. Continue with “Look and Listen” found next in this chapter. No. Go to “Troubleshooting I/O Ports” in Chapter 5.

1-3 Look and Listen Looking at and listening to your system is important in determining the source of a problem. Look and listen for the indications described in Table 1-1. If after looking and listening to your computer you have not resolved the problem, continue with “The System Setup Program” found next in this chapter. Table 1-1. Boot Routine Indications Look/Listen for: Action An error message If your system documentation contains an appendix titled “Beep Codes and System Messages,” see that appendix. Otherwise, see Chapter 2, “Messages and Codes,” in this guide. The monitor’s power indicator Most monitors have a power indicator (usually on the front bezel). If the monitor’s power indicator does not light up, see “Troubleshooting the Monitor” in Chapter 5. The keyboard indicators Most keyboards have one or more indicators (usually in the upper-right corner). Press the key, the key, and the key to tog- gle the keyboard indicators on and off. If the keyboard indicators do not light up, see “Troubleshooting the Keyboard” in Chapter 5. The diskette-drive access indicator The diskette-drive access indicator should quickly flash on and off when you access data on the diskette drive. On a system running a Microsoft® Windows® operating system, you can test the drive by opening Windows Explorer (in Windows 95 or Windows NT® 4.0) or File Manager (in Windows 3.x or Windows NT 3.51) and clicking on the icon for drive A. On a system running MS-DOS, you can test the drive by inserting a diskette into the drive, typing dir a:, and pressing . If the diskette-drive access indicator does not light up, see “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. The hard-disk drive access indicator The hard-disk drive access indicator should quickly flash on and off when you access data on the hard-disk drive. On a system running a Windows operating system, you can test the drive by opening Windows Explorer (in Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0) or File Manager (in Windows 3.x or Windows NT 3.51) and clicking on the icon for drive C. On a system running MS-DOS, you can test the drive by typing dir c: and pressing . If the hard-disk drive access indicator does not light up, see “Troubleshooting Hard-Disk Drives” in Chapter 6. A series of beeps If your system documentation contains an appendix titled “Beep Codes and System Messages,” see that appendix. Otherwise, see Chapter 2, “Messages and Codes,” in this guide. An unfamiliar constant scrap- ing or grinding sound when you access a drive Make sure the sound is not caused by the application program you are running. The sound could be caused by a hardware malfunction. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on getting technical assistance from Dell. The absence of a familiar sound When you turn on your system, you can hear the hard-disk drive spin up, and the sys- tem tries to access the boot files from the hard-disk drive or the diskette drive. If your system boots, see Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” If your system does not boot, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help.”

The System Setup Program You can easily correct certain system problems by verify- ing the correct settings in the System Setup program. When you boot your system, your system checks the sys- tem configuration information and compares it with the current hardware configuration. If your system hardware configuration doesn’t match the information recorded by the System Setup program, an error message may appear on your screen. This problem can happen if you changed your system’s hardware configuration and forgot to run the System Setup program. To correct this problem, enter the System Setup program, correct the corresponding System Setup program category, and reboot your system. See your sys- tem documentation for detailed instructions on using the System Setup program. If after checking the settings in the System Setup pro- gram you have not resolved the problem, determine whether you have an EISA system. If you have an EISA system, see “The EISA Configuration Utility” found next in this chapter. If you do not have an EISA system, see Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” The EISA Configuration Utility If you have a system that can use EISA expansion cards, and if you are experiencing problems with your system, you may have a conflict between the information stored by the System Setup program and the EISA Configura- tion Utility. Although the EISA Configuration Utility can read changes from the System Setup program, the change is not recorded into EISA configuration memory until you run the EISA Configuration Utility and save the new information. See your system documentation for detailed instructions on using the EISA Configuration Utility and saving new information. If after using the EISA Configuration Utility you have not resolved the problem, see Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”

2-1 Chapter 2 Messages and Codes Your application programs, operating system, and the computer itself are capable of identifying problems and alerting you to them. When a problem occurs, a message may appear on your monitor screen, or a beep code may sound. Several different types of messages can indicate when your system is not functioning properly: • System messages • System beep codes • Warning messages • Diagnostics messages This chapter describes each type of message and lists the possible causes and actions you can take to resolve any problems indicated by a message. To determine what type of message you have received, read the following sections. NOTE: If your system documentation contains an appen- dix titled “Beep Codes and System Messages,” refer to that appendix rather than this chapter for the beep codes and system messages produced by your system. System Messages System messages are generated by your computer. They alert you to a possible operating problem or to a conflict between your software and hardware. If you receive a system message, see Table 2-1 for suggestions on resolv- ing any problems indicated by the message. The system messages are listed alphabetically. If you have a Dell PowerEdge® system, refer to the chapter titled “Messages and Codes” in your Installation and Trouble- shooting Guide. NOTE: If the system message you received is not listed in the appropriate table, check the documentation for the application program that you were running at the time the message appeared and/or the operating system docu- mentation for an explanation of the message and a recommended action. Table 2-1. System Messages Message Cause Action Address mark not found The BIOS found a faulty disk sector or could not find a particular disk sector. See “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. Attachment failed to respond The diskette drive or hard-disk drive controller cannot send data to the associated drive. See “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

Bad command or file name The command you entered does not exist or is not in the pathname you specified. Make sure you have spelled the command cor- rectly, placed spaces in the proper location, and used the correct pathname. Bad error- correction code(ECC) on disk read Controller has failed The diskette drive or hard-disk drive controller detected an uncorrectable read error. The hard-disk drive or the associated controller is defective. See “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. Data error The diskette or hard-disk drive can- not read the data. Run the ScanDisk utility in the Microsoft Win- dows 95 operating system or the chkdsk utility in MS-DOS to check the file structure of the diskette or hard-disk drive. See your operating system doc- umentation for more information. If you are using another operating system, run the appropriate utility to check the file structure of the diskette or hard-disk drive. See your operating sys- tem documentation. Decreasing available memory One or more SIMMs or DIMMs may be faulty or improperly seated. See “Troubleshooting System Memory” in Chapter 6. Diskette drive 0 seek failure Diskette drive 1 seek failure A cable may be loose, or the system configuration information may not match the hardware configuration. See “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. Diskette read failure A cable may be loose, or the diskette may be faulty. See “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. Diskette subsystem reset failed The diskette drive controller may be faulty. Run the Diskette Drive(s) Test in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” Drive not ready No diskette is in the drive. The opera- tion requires a diskette in the drive before it can continue. Put a diskette in the drive or close the drive latch. Table 2-1. System Messages (continued) Message Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

2-3 Diskette write protected The diskette write-protect feature is activated. Remove the diskette from drive A and move the write-protect tab to the unlocked position. Gate A20 failure One or more SIMMs or DIMMs may be loose. See “Troubleshooting System Memory” in Chapter 6. General failure The operating system is unable to carry out the command. This message is usually followed by specific infor- mation—for example, PRINTER OUT OF PAPER. Respond by taking the appropriate action. Hard disk configuration error The hard-disk drive failed initialization. See “Troubleshooting Hard-Disk Drives” in Chapter 6. Hard disk controller failure Hard disk failure Hard-disk drive read failure The hard-disk drive failed initialization. See “Troubleshooting Hard-Disk Drives” in Chapter 6. Incompatible Processor: CPU0 is B0 step or below! Incompatible Processor: CPU1 is B0 step or below! An old, unsupported version of the microprocessor is installed. In a single-microprocessor system, CPU0 refers to the system board microprocessor; in a dual- microprocessor system, it refers to the secondary microprocessor on the add-in card. The CPU1 message appears only on a dual-microprocessor system and always refers to the system board microprocessor. Replace the indicated microprocessor with a cur- rent version of the microprocessor. If you need technical assistance, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help.” NOTE: These messages indicate a fatal error. When a fatal error occurs, the system usually can- not be rebooted until an appropriate hardware change has been made. Table 2-1. System Messages (continued) Message Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

Incompatible Processors: Cache sizes different! This message appears for a dual- processor system if both processors do not have the same-size level-2 cache. Replace one of the microprocessors to make the level-2 cache sizes match. If you need technical assistance, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help.” NOTE: This message indicates a fatal error. When a fatal error occurs, the system usually cannot be rebooted until an appropriate hardware change has been made. Invalid configuration information - please run SETUP program The system configuration informa- tion does not match the hardware configuration. Enter the System Setup program and correct the system configuration information. See your system documentation for instructions. Keyboard clock line failure Keyboard controller failure Keyboard data line failure Keyboard failure Keyboard stuck key failure A cable or connector may be loose, or the keyboard or keyboard/mouse controller may be faulty. See “Troubleshooting the Keyboard” in Chapter 5. Memory address line failure at address, read value expecting value One or more SIMMs may be faulty or improperly seated. See “Troubleshooting System Memory” in Chapter 6. Memory allocation error The software you are attempting to run is conflicting with the operating system or another application pro- gram or utility. Turn off the computer, wait 30 seconds, and then turn it on. Try to run the program again. If the problem persists, contact the software company. Table 2-1. System Messages (continued) Message Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

2-5 Memory data line failure at address, read value expecting value Memory double word logic failure at address, read value expecting value Memory odd/even logic failure at address, read value expecting value Memory parity failure at address, read value expecting value Memory write/ read failure at address, read value expecting value One or more SIMMs or DIMMs may be faulty or improperly seated. See “Troubleshooting System Memory” in Chapter 6. Memory size in CMOS invalid The amount of memory recorded in the system configuration informa- tion does not match the memory installed in the computer. Reboot the computer. If the error appears again, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Memory tests terminated by keystroke The memory test did not complete. Rerun the memory test. Table 2-1. System Messages (continued) Message Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

No boot device available The computer cannot find the dis- kette or hard-disk drive. Enter the System Setup program, check the system configuration information for the diskette and hard-disk drive, and if necessary, correct the infor- mation. See your system documentation for instructions. No boot sector on hard- disk drive The system configuration informa- tion in the System Setup program may be incorrect, or the operating system may be corrupted. Enter the System Setup program, check the system configuration information for the hard-disk drive, and if necessary, correct the information. See your system documentation for instructions. If the message persists, reinstall your operating system. See the documentation that came with your operating system. No timer tick interrupt A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning. Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” Non-system disk or disk error The diskette in drive A or your hard- disk drive does not have a bootable operating system installed on it. A nonbootable diskette is in drive A. Either replace the diskette with one that has a bootable operating system, or remove the diskette from drive A and restart the computer. Not a boot diskette There is no operating system on the diskette. Boot the computer with a diskette that contains an operating system. Plug and Play Configuration Error The system has encountered a prob- lem in trying to configure one or more expansion cards. Run the ISA Configuration Utility to verify that all ISA expansion cards are configured correctly (see the chapter titled “Using the ISA Configuration Utility” or the chapter titled “Using Configuration Software” in your system documentation. If run- ning the ISA Configuration Utility does not reveal the source of the problem, see “Troubleshooting Expansion Cards” in Chapter 6 of this guide. Read fault Requested sec- tor not found The operating system cannot read from the diskette or hard-disk drive. The system could not find a particu- lar sector on the disk, or the requested sector is defective. See “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. Table 2-1. System Messages (continued) Message Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

2-7 Reset failed The disk reset operation failed. See “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. Sector not found The operating system is unable to locate a sector on the diskette or hard-disk drive. See “Troubleshooting Hard-Disk Drives” or “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Sub- system” in Chapter 6, depending on what type of drive you are accessing. Seek error The operating system is unable to find a specific track on the diskette or hard-disk drive. If the error is on the diskette drive, try another diskette in the drive. Shutdown failure A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning. Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” Terminator/ processor card cannot be installed! Neither a terminator card nor a sec- ondary microprocessor card is installed in the secondary micropro- cessor card connector (2ND_CPU). Make sure either a terminator card or a secondary microprocessor card is installed in the 2ND_CPU connector. Reseat the card and start the system. If errors persist, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. NOTE: This message indicates a fatal error. When a fatal error occurs, the system usually cannot be rebooted until an appropriate hardware change has been made. Time-of-day clock stopped The battery may be dead. Enter the System Setup program and correct the date or time. See your system documentation for instructions. If the problem persists, see “Troubleshooting the Battery” in Chapter 6. Time-of-day not set The time or date displayed in the sys- tem configuration information does not match the system clock. Enter the System Setup program and correct the date or time. See your system documentation for instructions. Timer chip counter 2 failed A chip on the system board might be malfunctioning. Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” Table 2-1. System Messages (continued) Message Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

Unexpected interrupt in protected mode The keyboard controller may be mal- functioning, or one or more SIMMs or DIMMs may be loose. Run the RAM Test Group and the Keyboard Con- troller Test in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” WARNING: Dell’s Disk Monitor- ing System has detected that drive [0/1] on the [primary/ secondary] EIDE controller is operating outside of nor- mal specifica- tions. It is advisable to immediately back up your data and replace your hard-disk drive by calling your support desk or Dell Computer Corporation. POST has queried the EIDE drive for status information. The drive has returned a parameter from the call that indicates it has detected possible error conditions for its operating specifications. Once your computer finishes booting, immediately back up your data and replace your hard-disk drive. Restore the data to the replaced drive. If a replacement drive is not immediately available and the drive is not the only bootable drive, enter the System Setup program and change the appro- priate drive setting to None. Remove the drive from the system. This should be done only after you have backed up the data. Table 2-1. System Messages (continued) Message Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

2-9 System Beep Codes When errors occur during a boot routine that cannot be reported on the monitor, your computer may emit a series of beeps that identify the problem. The beep code is a pattern of sounds: for example, one beep, followed by a second beep, and then a burst of three beeps (code 1-1-3) means that the computer was unable to read the data in nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM). This information is invaluable to the Dell support staff if you need to call for technical assistance. Warning - Thermal Probes failed. At system start-up, the BIOS has detected that one or both of the thermal probes in the computer are nonoperational. You can continue to use the system, but be aware that the temperature probe(s) are disabled and a processor overheat condition will not warn the Thermal Shutdown service to shut down the system. NOTE: The Pentium® Pro microprocessor has a built-in thermocouple that halts microprocessor operation if the microprocessor exceeds its rated temperature. To correct this problem, you must replace your system board. For technical assistance, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help.” Warning - Temperature is too high. At system start-up, the BIOS has detected that one or both microproces- sors are overheated. After displaying this message, the BIOS halts the pro- cesses and turns off the system. Let the system cool down before attempting to restart it. Write fault Write fault on selected drive The operating system cannot write to the diskette or hard-disk drive. See “Troubleshooting the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” in Chapter 6. Table 2-1. System Messages (continued) Message Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

When a beep code is emitted, write it down on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” and then look it up in Table 2-2. If you are unable to resolve the problem by looking up the meaning of the beep code, use the Dell Diagnostics to identify a more serious cause. If you are still unable to resolve the prob- lem, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Table 2-2. System Beep Codes Code Cause Action 1-1-2 Microprocessor register failure See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 1-1-3 NVRAM Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 1-1-4 ROM BIOS checksum failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 1-2-1 Programmable interval timer Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 1-2-2 DMA initialization failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 1-2-3 DMA page register read/ write failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 1-3 Video Memory Test failure Run the Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Run- ning the Dell Diagnostics.” 1-3-1 through 2-4-4 SIMMs or DIMMs not being properly identified or used See “Troubleshooting System Memory” in Chapter 7. 3-1-1 Slave DMA register failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 3-1-2 Master DMA register failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 3-1-3 Master interrupt mask register failure Otherwise, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 3-1-4 Slave interrupt mask register failure Otherwise, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 3-2-2 Interrupt vector loading failure See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

2-11 3-2-4 Keyboard Controller Test failure Run the Keyboard Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” Otherwise, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 3-3-1 NVRAM power loss Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 3-3-2 NVRAM configuration Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics, if possible. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 3-3-4 Video Memory Test failure Run the Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Run- ning the Dell Diagnostics.” 3-4-1 Screen initialization failure Run the Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Run- ning the Dell Diagnostics.” 3-4-2 Screen retrace failure Run the Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Run- ning the Dell Diagnostics.” 3-4-3 Search for video ROM failure Run the Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Run- ning the Dell Diagnostics.” 4-2-1 No time tick Otherwise, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 4-2-2 Shutdown failure See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 4-2-3 Gate A20 failure See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 4-2-4 Unexpected interrupt in pro- tected mode Otherwise, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 4-3-1 Memory failure above address 0FFFFh Run the RAM Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Run- ning the Dell Diagnostics.” 4-3-3 Timer-chip counter 2 failure Otherwise, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 4-3-4 Time-of-day clock stopped Otherwise, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 4-4-1 Serial or parallel port test failure Run the Serial/Infrared Port Test Group and the Parallel Port Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” Table 2-2. System Beep Codes (continued) Code Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

4-4-2 Failure to decompress code to shadowed memory. Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 4-4-3 Math-coprocessor test failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 4-4-4 Cache test failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 5-1-2 BIOS update error—no RAM in system See “Troubleshooting System Memory” in Chapter 6. 5-1-3 BIOS update error—exter- nal video card detected If a video expansion card is installed, disconnect the video expansion card and connect the monitor to the built-in video subsystem. If the prob- lem is not resolved, see “Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem” in Chapter 6. 5-1-4 BIOS execution error Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 6-1-2 I/O controller failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 6-1-3 Keyboard controller failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 6-1-4 CMOS Register Test failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 6-2-1 BIOS shadowing failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 6-2-2 Pentium speed determina- tion failure Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” 6-2-3 No SIMM or DIMM installed See “Troubleshooting System Memory” in Chapter 6. Table 2-2. System Beep Codes (continued) Code Cause Action NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

2-13 Warning Messages A warning message alerts you to a possible problem and asks you to do something before execution continues. For example, before you format a diskette, a message may warn you that you may lose all data on the diskette as a way to protect against inadvertently erasing or writing over the data. These warning messages usually interrupt the procedure and require you to respond by typing a y (yes) or n (no). NOTE: Warning messages are generated by either your application programs or your operating system. See Chapter 3, “Finding Software Solutions,” and the docu- mentation that accompanied your operating system and application programs. Diagnostics Messages When you run a test group or subtest in the Dell Diagnos- tics, an error message may result. These particular error messages are not covered in this chapter. Record the mes- sage on a copy of your Diagnostics Checklist found in Chapter 7, “Getting Help.” Also see Chapter 7 for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.

3-1 Chapter 3 Finding Software Solutions Because most computers have several application programs installed in addition to the operating system, isolating a software problem can be confusing. Software errors can also appear to be hardware malfunctions at first. Software problems can result from the following circumstances: • Improper installation or configuration of a program • Input errors • Device drivers that may conflict with certain appli- cation programs • Memory conflicts resulting from the use of terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs • Interrupt conflicts between devices You can confirm that a computer problem is caused by software by running the System Set Test Group as described in Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.” If all tests in the test group complete successfully, the error condition is most likely caused by software. This chapter provides some general guidelines for ana- lyzing software problems. For detailed troubleshooting information on a particular program, see the documenta- tion that accompanied the software or consult the support service for the software. Installing and Configuring Software When you obtain software, check it for viruses with virus-scanning software before installing it on your com- puter’s hard-disk drive. Viruses, which are pieces of code that can replicate themselves, can quickly use all avail- able system memory, damage and/or destroy data stored on the hard-disk drive, and permanently affect the performance of the programs they infect. Several com- mercial virus-scanning programs are available for purchase, and most bulletin board services (BBSs) archive freely distributed virus-scanning programs that you can download with a modem. Before installing a program, read its documentation to learn how the program works, what hardware it requires, and what its defaults are. A program usually includes installation instructions in its accompanying documenta- tion and a software installation routine on its program diskettes. The software installation routine assists you in transfer- ring the appropriate program files to your computer’s hard-disk drive. Installation instructions may provide details about how to configure your operating system to successfully run the program. Always read the installa- tion instructions before running a program’s installation routine. You may be instructed to modify some operating system start-up files, such as config.sys and autoexec.bat, or the installation routine may modify start-up files automatically. When you run the installation routine, be prepared to respond to prompts for information about how your com- puter’s operating system is configured, what type of computer you have, and what peripherals are connected to your computer. Expanded and Extended Memory Depending on which Dell computer you have, the system memory can be expanded by installing additional single in-line memory modules (SIMMs) or dual in-line mem- ory modules (DIMMs) or by exchanging installed SIMMs or DIMMs for ones of larger capacity. If you operate your computer with MS-DOS, the operating sys- tem makes only 640 kilobytes (KB) (called conventional memory) of the first 1 megabyte (MB) of system memory

available for use by application programs. Some pro- grams require more than 640 KB of memory and, therefore, cannot be run with conventional memory alone. Other programs run much faster when they have more than 1 MB of memory to use. When you boot your computer, MS-DOS recognizes memory in excess of 1 MB as extended memory. Some, but not all, programs are able to use extended memory. For example, the Microsoft Windows 3.x operating sys- tem and Lotus® 1-2-3 take advantage of extended memory. Other programs are able to use extended memory only if it is first converted into expanded memory by an expanded memory manager (EMM). NOTE: Not all Dell computers have an EMM driver. See your system documentation to determine whether an EMM driver is provided with your system. Under the following conditions, expanded memory can greatly enhance the system’s ability to use application programs that require more memory than is available in the conventional memory area: • The application program is written for use with expanded memory. • The memory has been properly allocated using the System Setup program. (See your system documen- tation for more information on the System Setup program.) • The EMM driver is installed and properly initialized. Improper use of an EMM can lead to conflicts between the expanded-memory operation and any installed expan- sion cards, which may be assigned memory areas that overlap memory areas that the EMM is using. For more information about these types of conflicts and how to avoid them, see “Checking for Memory Address Con- flicts” found later in this chapter. Using Software The following subsections discuss errors that can occur as a result of software operation or configuration. Error Messages Error messages can be produced by an application pro- gram, the operating system, or the computer. Chapter 2, “Messages and Codes,” discusses the error messages that are generated by the system. If you receive an error mes- sage that is not listed in Chapter 2, check your operating system or application program documentation. Input Errors If a specific key or set of keys is pressed at the wrong time, a program may give you unexpected results. See the documentation that came with your application program to make sure the values or characters you are entering are valid. Make sure the operating environment is set up to accommodate the programs you use. Keep in mind that whenever you change the parameters of the computer’s operating environment, you may affect the successful operation of your programs. Sometimes, after modifying the operating environment, you may need to reinstall a program that no longer runs properly. Memory-Resident Programs There are a variety of utilities and supplementary pro- grams that can be loaded either when the computer boots or from an operating system prompt. These programs are designed to stay resident in system memory and thus always be available for use. Because they remain in the computer’s memory, memory conflicts and errors can result when other programs require use of all or part of the memory already occupied by these TSR programs. Typically, your operating system’s start-up files (such as config.sys and autoexec.bat) contain commands to start TSR programs when you boot your system. If you sus- pect that one of these TSR programs is causing a memory conflict, remove the commands that start them from the start-up file. If the problem you were experiencing does not recur, one of the TSR programs probably created the conflict. Add the TSR commands back into the start-up files one at a time until you identify which TSR program is creating the conflict.

3-3 Program Conflicts Some programs may leave portions of their setup infor- mation behind, even though you have exited from them. As a result, other programs cannot run. Rebooting your system can confirm whether or not these programs are the cause of the problem. There are also programs that use specialized subroutines called device drivers that can also cause problems with your computer system. For example, a variation in the way the data is sent to the monitor may require a special screen driver program that expects a certain kind of video mode or monitor. In such cases, you may have to develop an alternative method of running that particular pro- gram—the creation of a boot file made especially for that program, for example. Call the support service for the software you are using to help you with this problem. Checking for Memory Address Conflicts Memory address conflicts occur when two or more devices try to access the same address in the upper mem- ory block (UMB). For example, if a network expansion card and an expanded-memory page frame are assigned an overlapping block of addresses, a memory address conflict arises. As a result, when you try to log into the network, the operation fails. To resolve this type of conflict, you can change the address of one of the devices. For example, in the case of the network expansion card and expanded-memory page- frame address conflict, you can move the network card to an address block in the range of CC000h through D0000h. To reassign the expansion card’s address block, refer to the documentation for the card. Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts Problems can arise if two devices attempt to use the same interrupt request (IRQ) line. To avoid this type of con- flict, check the documentation for the default IRQ line setting for each installed expansion card. Then consult Table 3-1 to configure the card for one of the available IRQ lines. NOTE: Table 3-1 lists default IRQ settings. In systems with Plug and Play capabilities, the default settings can be modified. If you are installing a Plug and Play card in a Plug and Play system, the system will automatically select an open IRQ line if any are available. If you are installing a non-Plug and Play or legacy card, run the ISA Configuration Utility provided with your system to determine the current IRQ settings and to find an avail- able IRQ line. For instructions, see the ISA Configuration Utility chapter in your system documentation. Table 3-1. Default IRQ Line Assignments IRQ Line Used/Available IRQ0 Used by the system timer IRQ1 Used by the keyboard to signal that the output buffer is full IRQ2 Used by interrupt controller 1 to enable IRQ8 through IRQ15 IRQ3 Used by serial port 2 IRQ4 Used by serial port 1 IRQ5 Available IRQ6 Used by the diskette/tape drive controller IRQ7 Used by the parallel port IRQ8 Used by the RTC IRQ9 Used by the VGA interface (optional) IRQ10 Available IRQ11 Available IRQ12 Used by the mouse port IRQ13 Used by the math coprocessor (if applicable) IRQ14 Used by the primary IDE controller IRQ15 Used by the secondary IDE controller NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that pre- cedes the Index.

4-1 Chapter 4 Running the Dell Diagnostics Unlike many diagnostic programs, the Dell Diagnos- tics helps you check your computer’s hardware without any additional equipment and without destroying any data. By using the diagnostics, you can have confidence in your computer system’s operation. And if you find a problem you cannot solve by yourself, the diagnostic tests can provide you with important information you will need when talking to Dell’s service and support personnel. Features of the Dell Diagnostics The Dell Diagnostics provides a series of menus and options from which you choose particular test groups or subtests. You can also control the sequence in which the tests are run. The diagnostic test groups or subtests also have these helpful features: • Options that let you run tests individually or collectively • An option that allows you to choose the number of times a test group or subtest is repeated • The ability to display or print out test results, or to save them in a file • Options to temporarily suspend testing if an error is detected, or to terminate testing when an adjustable error limit is reached • A menu category called About that briefly describes each test and its parameters • Status messages that inform you whether test groups or subtests were completed successfully • Error messages that appear if any problems are detected When to Use the Dell Diagnostics Whenever a major component or device in your com- puter system does not function properly, you may have a component failure. As long as the microprocessor and the input and output components of your computer system (the monitor, keyboard, and diskette drive) are working, you can use the Dell Diagnostics. If you are experienced with computers and know what component(s) you need to test, simply select the appropriate diagnostic test group(s) or subtest(s). If you are unsure about how to begin diagnosing a problem, read the rest of this chapter. Before You Start Testing Follow these steps to create a master and/or working copy of the Dell Diagnostics Diskette. 1. If you received a Dell Diagnostics Diskette with your Dell system, go to step 4. CAUTION: Use the Dell Diagnostics to test only your Dell computer system. Using this program with other computers may cause incorrect com- puter responses or result in error messages.

2. If you did not receive a Dell Diagnostics Diskette, a diskette image has been installed on your computer’s hard-disk drive so that you can make your own copy of the diskette. If Dell installed the Microsoft Windows 3.x or Windows 95 operating system on your computer’s hard-disk drive, see the online help in Dell’s Pro- gram Diskette Maker utility, which is available in the Dell Accessories group or folder, for instructions on making a program diskette set from the diskette image. If Dell installed MS-DOS, but not Windows, on your computer’s hard-disk drive, see the Dell Menu, which appears when you first turn on your system, for instructions on making a program diskette set from the diskette image. 3. Using a felt-tip pen, write “Dell Diagnostics Dis- kette” on the diskette label. 4. Make a working copy of the Dell Diagnostics Dis- kette on a blank diskette. Refer to your operating system’s documentation for information on how to duplicate diskettes. Put the original diskette away for safekeeping. 5. Turn on your printer if one is attached, and make sure it is online. 6. Enter the System Setup program, confirm your computer’s system configuration information, and enable all its components and devices, such as ports. For instructions on entering and using the System Setup program, see your system documentation. Starting the Dell Diagnostics After you complete the preliminary instructions specified in the previous section, follow these steps to start the diagnostics: 1. Turn off the computer. 2. Place your diagnostics diskette in drive A, and boot the system. NOTE: Before you read the rest of this chapter, you may want to start the Dell Diagnostics so that you can see it on the screen of your monitor. When you start the diagnostics, the Dell logo screen appears, followed by a message telling you that the diag- nostics is loading. After the diagnostics loads, the Diagnostics Menu appears. The menu allows you to run all or specific diag- nostic tests or to exit to the MS-DOS prompt. For a quick check of your system, select the Run Quick Tests option. This option runs only the subtests that do not require user interaction and that do not take a long time to run. Dell recommends that you choose this option first to increase the odds of tracing the source of the prob- lem quickly. For a thorough check of your system, select the Run All Tests option. To check a particular area of your system, select the Run Specific Tests option. To select an option from this menu, highlight the option and press , or press the key that corresponds to the highlighted letter in the option you choose.

4-3 Figure 4-1. Diagnostics Menu How to Use the Dell Diagnostics When you select Run Specific Tests from the Diagnostics Menu, the main screen of the diagnostics appears (see Figure 4-2). The main screen lists the diagnostic test groups, gives information about the configuration of your computer system, and allows you to select categories from a menu. From this screen, you can enter two other types of screens. Information on the main screen of the diagnostics is pre- sented in the following five areas: • Two lines at the top of the screen identify the version number of the Dell Diagnostics. • On the left side of the screen, the Available Test Group area lists the diagnostic test groups in the order they will run if you select All from the Run menu category. Press the up- or down-arrow key to highlight a test group. • On the right side of the screen, the System Configu- ration area lists the computer’s currently detected hardware and some of the relevant settings. • The lower-right side of the screen displays informa- tion about your integrated drive electronics (IDE) hard-disk and CD-ROM drive(s). • Two lines at the bottom of the screen make up the menu area. The first line lists the categories you can select; press the left- or right-arrow key to highlight a menu category. The second line gives information about the category currently highlighted. Dell Computer Corporation Dell System Diagnostics Version X.XX Run All Tests RUn Quick Tests RuN Specific Tests Exit To MS-DOS Diagnostics Menu

Figure 4-2. Dell Diagnostics Screen Confirming the System Configu- ration Information When you boot your system from your diagnostics dis- kette, the diagnostics checks your system configuration information and displays it in the System Configuration area on the main screen. The following sources supply this configuration informa- tion for the diagnostics: • The system configuration information settings (stored in nonvolatile random-access memory [NVRAM]) that you selected while using the System Setup program • Identification tests of the microprocessor, the video controller, the keyboard controller, and other key components • Basic input/output system (BIOS) configuration information temporarily saved in RAM Do not be concerned if the System Configuration area does not list the names of all the components or devices you know are part of your computer system. For example, you may not see a printer listed, although you know one is attached to your computer. Instead, the printer is listed as a parallel port. The computer recog- nizes the parallel port as LPT1, which is an address that tells the computer where to send outgoing information and where to look for incoming information. Because RAM System Set Video Keyboard Mouse Diskette Drives Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) IDE CD ROM Drives Serial/Infrared Ports Parallel Ports SCSI Devices Network Interface Audio Other NOTE: The options displayed on your screen should reflect the hardware configuration of your computer system. Dell Computer Corporation Dell System Diagnostics Version X.XX Memory 4 MB Secondary Cache 128 KB Processor(s) Pentium Video SVGA,1024K Keyboard 101 Key Mouse PS/2 2-button Diskette Drive(s) A:1.4MB IDE(0)524MB, 1016 Cyl, 16 Hd, 63 Sec IDE(2) CDROM: NEC CD-ROM DRIVE:260 Serial/IR Port(s) 2 Parallel Port(s) 1 Modems None SCSI Devices 2 Network Interface None Serial/IR Ports Integrated Audio None Embedded Server Management System Configuration Available Test Groups Main Menu: Run seLect Subtest Options Test_limits About Key_help Quit Display the Run Menu. Press Q to Quit

4-5 your printer is a parallel communications device, the computer recognizes the printer by its LPT1 address and identifies it as a parallel port. How to Use the Menu One of the menu categories is already highlighted. You can move the highlight from one category to another by pressing the left- or right-arrow key. As you move from one menu category to another, a brief explanation of the currently highlighted category appears on the bottom line of the screen. If you want more information about a test group or sub- test, move the highlight to the About category and press . After reading the information, press the key to return to the previous screen. Main Menu Categories Eight categories are listed in the Main menu of the diag- nostics main screen: Run, Select, Subtest, Options, Test Limits, About, Key-Help, and Quit. NOTE: Before running any test groups or subtests (by selecting Run), you should consider setting global parameters within the Options category. They offer you greater control over how the test groups or subtests are run and how their results are reported. There are two ways to select a menu category: • Look on the screen to see which letter in the category is capitalized, and type that letter (for example, type r to select the Run category). • Move the highlight to the category you wish to select by pressing the left- or right-arrow key, and then press . Whenever one of the eight categories is selected, addi- tional choices become available. The following subsections explain the menu categories as listed from left to right in the Main menu. Run Run displays five categories: One, Selected, All, Key- Help, and Quit Menu. If you select One, all the subtests within the highlighted test group are run. If you choose Selected, only the selected test groups or the subtests that you selected within the test groups are run. If you select All, all of the subtests in all of the test groups are run. (The test groups or subtests are run in the same order as they are listed.) The Key-Help category displays a list of key controls available for the particular category you have chosen. The Quit Menu category returns you to the Main menu. Select Select allows you to select individual test groups to tailor the testing process to your particular needs. You can choose one or more test groups and run them sequentially or individually. When you choose Select, five categories are displayed: All, One, Clear All, Key-Help, and Quit Menu. To select all the test groups, press the key when All is highlighted in the Select menu. To select an individual test group, highlight the test group and press the or highlight One and press . Press the up- or down-arrow key to change the highlighted test group. To reverse a test group selection, highlight the test group and press the . To clear all selections, select Clear All. The Key-Help category displays a list of key controls available for the particular category you have chosen. The Quit Menu category returns you to the Main menu. Subtest Most of the test groups consist of several subtests. Use the Subtest category to select individual subtests within the test group(s). When you select Subtest, many of the same categories as those on the Main menu are displayed: Run, Select, Options, Test Limits, About, Key-Help, and Quit Menu. Each of these categories is explained in the following subsections.

Run Under Subtest Run in the Subtest menu displays five categories: One, Selected, All, Key-Help, and Quit Menu. If you select One, only the highlighted subtest is run. If you select Selected, only the selected subtests are run. If you select All, all of the subtests listed on the screen are run. (The subtests are run in the same order as they are listed.) The Key-Help category displays a list of key controls available. The Quit Menu category returns you to the pre- vious menu. Select Under Subtest Select in the Subtest menu allows you to select individual subtests to tailor the testing process to your particular needs. You can choose one or more subtests from the list. When you choose Select, five categories are displayed: All, One, Clear All, Key-Help, and Quit Menu. To select all the subtests, press the key when All is highlighted in the Select menu. To select an individual subtest, highlight the subtest and press the or highlight One and press . Press the up- or down- arrow key to highlight a subtest to be selected. To reverse a subtest selection, highlight the subtest and press the . To clear all selections, select Clear All. The Key-Help category displays a list of key controls available. The Quit Menu category returns you to the pre- vious menu. Options Under Subtest The Options category in the Subtest menu functions the same way as the Options category in the Main menu. For information on this category, see “Options” found later in this chapter. Test Limits Under Subtest The Test Limits category in the Subtest menu functions the same way as the Test Limits category in the Main menu. For information on this category, see “Test Limits” found later in this chapter. About Under Subtest The About category in the Subtest menu displays infor- mation about the highlighted subtest. Key-Help Under Subtest The Key-Help category in the Subtest menu displays a list of key controls available. Quit Menu Under Subtest The Quit Menu category in the Subtest menu returns you to the Main menu. Options Table 4-1 lists all of the possible values for each global parameter of Options. A brief description of each param- eter follows the table. To change Options parameters, press the , the left- and right- arrow keys, or the plus (+) and minus (-) keys. Number of Times to Repeat Test(s) This parameter specifies the number of times the tests run when you select Run. To change the default, type in the desired value. If you type 0 (zero), the tests will run indefinitely. Maximum Errors Allowed This parameter specifies the maximum number of errors that can occur before testing is stopped. The error count begins from zero each time you run a subtest or test group individually or each time you select All to run all of them. To change the default, type in the desired value.

4-7 If you type 0 (zero), you are specifying that there be no limit on the number of errors that can occur—testing will not be stopped, regardless of the number of errors. Pause for User Response If this parameter value is set to Yes, the diagnostics pauses when one of the following occurs: • Your interaction is needed to verify the Video Test Group screens or the Keyboard Test Group key func- tions or other types of interaction such as inserting a diskette. • The maximum error limit is reached. If the Pause parameter is set to No, the diagnostics ignores some subtests that require your interaction; cer- tain subtests can run only if this option is set to Yes because they require user interaction. Use the Pause parameter in situations where you may want to prevent subtests that require user interaction from running—such as when you run the diagnostics overnight. Output Device for Status Messages Ordinarily, all status messages appear only on the screen. This parameter allows you to direct status messages to either a printer or a file, in addition to the screen. If you choose the File option, status messages are written to a file named result. This file is automatically created on a diskette that you insert into drive A when prompted. If you are running the diagnostics from a utility partition on your hard-disk drive, the result file is created on the hard-disk drive. If the result file already exists, new sta- tus messages are added to it. The result file is an ordinary American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text file that you can open in any text viewer or word processor. You can also access the result file with the MS-DOS type com- mand as follows: Table 4-1. Option Parameters Option Limit Possible Values Number of Times to Repeat Test(s) 0001 through 9999, or 0000, which loops indefinitely until you press the and keys. The default is 1. Maximum Errors Allowed 0000 through 9999, where 0000 means that there is no error limit. The default is 1. Pause For User Response Yes, No Allows you to decide whether tests will wait for user input. The default is Yes to wait for user input. Output Device for Status Messages Display, Printer, File If you have a printer attached to your computer, you can use it to print the status messages, if any, that are generated when a test runs. (The printer must be turned on and in the online mode to print.) If you select File, the messages are printed to a file named result on a diskette that you insert into drive A when prompted. If you are running the diagnostics from a utility partition on your hard-disk drive, the result file is created on the hard-disk drive. The default is Display. Output Device for Error Messages Display, Printer, File This parameter has the same effect as the Output Device for Status Mes- sages parameter, except that it pertains only to error messages. The default is Display.

1. Select Quit to exit the diagnostics and return to the operating system prompt. 2. At the operating system prompt, type the appro- priate command and press : type result The contents of the file appear on the screen. After running particular diagnostic tests and viewing the status messages generated by the tests in the result file, you can erase the contents of the file so that it is clear for the next set of messages generated. Otherwise, the next messages are added at the end of the previous ones in the file. Output Device for Error Messages Ordinarily, all error messages appear only on the screen. This parameter allows you to direct error messages to either a printer or a file, in addition to the screen. If you choose the File option, error messages are written to the result file used for status messages. This file is automati- cally created on a diskette that you insert into drive A when prompted. If you are running the diagnostics from a utility partition on your hard-disk drive, the result file is created on the hard-disk drive. If the result file already exists, new error messages are added to it. The result file is an ordinary ASCII text file. You can access and review the result file as described in the pre- vious subsection, “Output Device for Status Messages.” After running particular diagnostic tests and viewing the error messages generated by the tests in the result file, you can erase the contents of the file so that it is clear for the next set of messages generated. Otherwise, the next messages are added at the end of the previous ones in the file. Test Limits NOTE: The Dell Diagnostics sets default limits on all tests. The only reason to change the default would be to limit the amount of testing done. The RAM Test Group, the Video Test Group, the Diskette Drives Test Group, the Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) Test Group, the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group, the Par- allel Ports Test Group, and the SCSI Devices Test Group allow you to designate limits. Whether you select Test Limits for a highlighted test group (from the Main menu) or a subtest (from the Subtest menu), you set the limits for all the subtests in that test group. When you select Test Limits, a new screen appears and the Key-Help area lists keys to use with the new screen. Press to select the next menu or submenu. Press to return to the main Test Limits window. How you change a value for the limits of a test group or subtest depends on the type of parameter associated with it. Different keys are used to change values for different types of parameters. For example, memory address limits specified for the RAM Test Group are changed by typing in numbers over the digits of a given limit or by pressing the plus (+) or minus (-) keys to increase or decrease the given limit. In contrast, to set limits for the Serial/ Infrared Ports Test Group, you use the to toggle between Yes and No. After you are satisfied with the limits, return to the Dell Diagnostics main screen by pressing the key. The values you selected under Test Limits remain in effect during all the test groups or subtests you run, unless you change them. However, the values are reset to their defaults when you restart the diagnostics. About About in the Main menu lists all of the subtests for the selected test group and displays information about the subtest that is highlighted. Key-Help Key-Help always displays a list of key controls available for the particular category you have selected. Quit Selecting Quit from the Main menu exits the diagnostics and returns you to your operating system environment. After you return to the operating system environment, remove your diagnostics diskette from drive A and reboot the computer. CAUTION: It is important that you quit the diag- nostics correctly because the program writes data to the computer’s memory that can cause prob- lems unless properly cleared.

4-9 Tests in the Dell Diagnostics To troubleshoot components or devices, run the appropri- ate test (test group or subtest) in the diagnostics on your diagnostics diskette. The diagnostics exercises the func- tional components and devices of your computer system more vigorously and thoroughly than they are exercised during normal operation. The diagnostics is organized by components into test groups and subtests within each test group. Each subtest is designed to detect any errors that may interfere with the normal operation of a specific device of the computer. NOTE: Some subtests requiring hardware not listed in the System Configuration area of the diagnostics screen appear to run, but they conclude with a status message stating Component not present (or disabled). Table 4-2 lists the diagnostic test groups, their subtests, and comments concerning their use. Table 4-2. Dell Diagnostics Tests Test Groups Subtests Description RAM Quick Memory Test Comprehensive Memory Test Secondary Cache Memory Test Tests the RAM and cache. (Some computers include expanded or extended memory; all memory is tested.) System Set CMOS Confidence Test CMEM Confidence Test DMA Controller Test Real-Time Clock Test System Timers Test Interrupt Controller Test Reset Button Test System Speaker Test Coprocessor Calculation Test Coprocessor Error Exception Test PC Card Controller Test Thermal Control Test Multiprocessor Test USB Register Test USB Memory Structure Test Tests the system board’s support chips, DMA con- troller, computer timer, NVRAM, speaker controller, cache, and EISA configuration RAM chip, as appropriate. Tests the math coprocessor that is internal to the microprocessor. Tests the PC Card controller on the system board. Checks the functionality of the thermal-monitoring and microprocessor speed-switching device on the system board. For systems with multiprocessors, confirms that the secondary microprocessor is operational. Checks the onboard registers of the USB interface. This subtest does not test USB peripherals. Monitors the ability of a USB controller to process a simple set of memory-resident instructions. NOTES: Not all of these tests appear for each system. For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

Video Video Memory Test Video Hardware Test Text Mode Character Test Text Mode Color Test Text Mode Pages Test Graphics Mode Test Color Palettes Test Solid Colors Test Tests the video subsystem and monitor by checking various aspects of video output. Keyboard Keyboard Controller Test Keyboard Key Sequence Test Keyboard Interactive Test Stuck Key Test External Key Pad Test Tests the keyboard by checking the keyboard controller and by finding keys that stick or respond incorrectly. Mouse Mouse Tests the electronic pointing device (bus mouse, serial mouse, trackball, or PS/2 mouse). Diskette Drives Change Line Test Seek Test Read Test Write Test Tests a drive that uses removable diskettes (3.5-inch or 5.25-inch). Also tests the associated interface. Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) Disk Controller Test Forced Error-Correction-Code Test Seek Test Read Test Write Test Tests drives that use fixed, internal disks. Also tests the associated interface. IDE CD ROM Drives Drive Controller Test Seek Test Read Test Audio Output Test Eject Removable Media Tests an IDE drive that uses removable CD media. Also tests the associated interface. Serial/Infrared Ports Serial/Infrared Baud Rate Test Serial/Infrared Interrupt Test Serial/Infrared Internal Trans- mission Test Serial External Transmission Test Tests the components through which peripherals that use the serial or infrared ports, such as printers and communications devices, send and receive data. Table 4-2. Dell Diagnostics Tests (continued) Test Groups Subtests Description NOTES: Not all of these tests appear for each system. For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

4-11 Parallel Ports Parallel Internal Test Parallel External Loopback Test Parallel External Interrupt Test Parallel Printer Pattern Test Tests the components through which peripherals that use the parallel port, such as printers and communi- cations devices, send and receive data. SCSI Devices Internal Diagnostic Seek Test Read Test Write Test Audio Output Test Eject Removable Media Display Information Tests any installed SCSI host adapters and all the SCSI devices attached to them. Also can be used to remove CDs and tape cartridges from SCSI devices and to display information about the types of SCSI devices installed and the resources allocated to them. Network Interface Registers Test Internal Loopback Test External Loopback Test Shared RAM Test Display Information Tests the read and write access capability to the NIC registers. Also tests the ability of the NIC to transmit and receive data. Audio Software Reset Test Compatibility ID Test Interrupt Test DMA Test FIFO RAM Test Initial Reset Status Test Internal Register Test Dual Channel Test FM Sound Playback Test Analog Sound Playback Test Record and Playback Test Tests the operation of the audio chip set. Tests the record and playback ability of the internal microphone and speakers. Table 4-2. Dell Diagnostics Tests (continued) Test Groups Subtests Description NOTES: Not all of these tests appear for each system. For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviation and acronym list that precedes the Index.

Error Messages When you run a test group or subtest in the Dell Diagnos- tics, error messages may result. These particular error messages are not covered in this chapter because the errors that generate these messages can be resolved only with Dell technical assistance. Record the messages on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chapter 7, “Getting Help.” For instructions on obtaining technical assistance and for informing the support technician of these messages, also see Chapter 7. RAM Test Group The RAM Test Group subtests check all the directly addressable RAM. The RAM Test program has parameters for the subtests that you can set: Test Limits and Options. Subtests Three subtests are available for RAM: the Quick Mem- ory Test, the Comprehensive Memory Test, and the Secondary Cache Memory Test. The Quick Memory Test performs an address check to determine whether the computer is properly setting and clearing individual bits in RAM and whether the RAM read and write operations are affecting more than one memory address location at one time. This subtest checks all available RAM. The Comprehensive Memory Test also performs an address check, as well as the following: • Data pattern checks, to look for RAM bits that are stuck high or low, short-circuited data lines, and some data pattern problems that are internal to the memory chips • A parity check that verifies the ability of the memory subsystem to detect errors • A refresh check, to verify that the dynamic RAM (DRAM) is being recharged properly The Secondary Cache Memory Test confirms the func- tionality of the computer’s cache controller chip and the cache memory. Why Run a RAM Test? Faulty memory can cause a variety of problems that may not, at first glance, appear to be happening in RAM. If your computer is displaying one or more of the following symptoms, run the subtests in the RAM Test Group to verify that the memory is not at fault: • A program is not running as usual, or a proven piece of software appears to malfunction and you confirm that the software itself is not at fault. (You can confirm that the software is functioning properly by moving it to another computer and running it there.) • Your computer periodically locks up (becomes unus- able and must be rebooted), especially at different places and times in different programs. • You get parity errors (any error message that con- tains the word parity) at any time during operation. These errors are usually accompanied by a reference to an address—the location of the portion of mem- ory where the error occurred—which you should record on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chapter 7, “Getting Help.” System Set Test Group The subtests in the System Set Test Group check the computer’s basic system board components and verify their related functions. Subtests The subtests that constitute the System Set Test Group and the computer functions they confirm follow: • CMOS Confidence Test Checks the NVRAM for accessibility and reliability of data storage by performing a data pattern check and verifying the uniqueness of memory addresses. • CMEM Confidence Test Verifies the accessibility and reliability of the 8 kilobytes (KB) of RAM on the Extended Industry-Standard Architecture (EISA) Configura- tion RAM chip, which stores the EISA hardware configuration information. On systems without flash

4-13 RAM, performs a data pattern and address unique- ness test. NOTE: This test applies only to systems with an EISA bus. • DMA Controller Test Tests the direct memory access (DMA) controller and verifies the correct operation of its page and channel registers by writing patterns to the registers. • Real-Time Clock Test Confirms the functionality and accuracy of the com- puter’s real-time clock (RTC). • System Timers Test Checks the timers used by the microprocessor for event counting, frequency generation, and other functions. Only the functions that can be activated by software are tested. • Interrupt Controller Test Generates an interrupt on each interrupt request (IRQ) line to verify that devices using that line can communicate with the microprocessor and that the interrupt controllers send the correct memory addresses to the microprocessor. • Reset Button Test Confirms that the reset button works. • System Speaker Test Checks the functionality of the speaker by generat- ing eight tones. • Coprocessor Calculation Test Checks the use of different types of numbers and the math coprocessor’s ability to calculate correctly. • Coprocessor Error Exception Test Verifies the math coprocessor’s ability to handle errors and to send IRQs to the microprocessor. • PC Card Controller Test Tests the functionality of the PC Card controller on the system board. • Thermal Control Test Checks the functionality of the thermal-monitoring and microprocessor speed-switching device on the system board. • Multiprocessor Test For systems with multiprocessors, confirms that the secondary microprocessor is operational. • USB Register Test Checks the onboard registers of the universal serial bus (USB) interface. This subtest does not test USB peripherals. • USB Memory Structure Test Monitors the ability of a USB controller to process a simple set of memory-resident instructions. Why Run a System Set Test? The System Set subtests double-check many system board components, such as the computer’s input/output (I/O) circuitry, that are tested by other test groups or sub- tests in the diagnostics. You should run the System Set Test Group if you are having a problem and cannot iso- late the failure or malfunction to a particular system board component. The System Set Test Group also verifies the proper oper- ation of other computer components, such as the speaker, that are not tested elsewhere in the Dell Diagnostics. The following symptoms usually suggest a problem with a component or subassembly that warrants running a Sys- tem Set subtest: • A program is not running as usual, or a proven piece of software appears to malfunction and you confirm that the software itself is not at fault. (You can con- firm that the software is functioning properly by moving it to another computer and running it there.) • An option card you previously accessed can no longer be accessed. • You get parity errors or page fault failures (any error message that contains the word parity or page fault) at any time during operation. These errors are usu- ally accompanied by a reference to an address, which you should record on a copy of the Diagnos- tics Checklist found in Chapter 7, “Getting Help.”

• Correcting errors in the system configuration infor- mation in the System Setup program does not resolve a problem. • The computer’s clock/calendar stops. • The speaker no longer functions. The problem could be a failure of the system timers as well as a failure of the speaker itself. Run the System Timers Test, followed by the System Speaker Test. • If a peripheral device appears to malfunction, run the Interrupt Controllers Test. • A spreadsheet program or other type of mathemati- cal application runs abnormally slow, generates error messages concerning calculations or operations, runs incorrectly, or generates incorrect results, or a proven piece of the program appears to malfunction and you confirm that the software itself is not at fault. (You can confirm that the software is not at fault by moving the program to another computer and running it there.) • The computer periodically locks up, especially at different places and times in different programs. • The computer halts in the middle of performing cal- culations or complex mathematical operations. Video Test Group The subtests in the Video Test Group verify the proper operation of the video controller and the video control circuitry installed in your computer. These subtests check for the correct operation of the readable registers in the video circuitry and the controller. They write, read, and verify data patterns in the cursor registers of the control- ler. The Video Test Group also tests all the video memory and provides additional subtests to test the color features of a color monitor. Subtests The eight subtests in the Video Test Group confirm the following video functions: • Video Memory Test Checks the read/write capability of video memory in various video modes. • Video Hardware Test Checks the cursor registers and the horizontal and vertical retrace bit registers in the video controller. • Text Mode Character Test Checks the video subsystem’s ability to present data in text modes. • Text Mode Color Test Checks the video subsystem’s ability to present color in text modes. • Text Mode Pages Test Checks the video subsystem’s ability to map and present all available video pages on the screen, one page at a time. • Graphics Mode Test Checks the video subsystem’s ability to present data and color in graphics modes. • Color Palettes Test Checks the video subsystem’s ability to display all of the available colors. • Solid Colors Test Checks the video subsystem’s ability to show screens full of solid colors. Allows you to check for missing color subpixels. Many of these tests display characters or graphics on the screen for you to verify. Samples of these screens are shown in Appendix A, “Diagnostic Video Tests.” NOTE: The default limit for testing super video graphics array (SVGA) modes is No. If you are testing an external monitor, change the default to Yes. Why Run a Video Test? Many of the symptoms that would prompt you to run a subtest in the Video Test Group are obvious, because the monitor is the visual component of your computer sys- tem. Before you run the Video Test Group or any of its subtests, you should make sure that the problem is not in your software or caused by a hardware change. You should also try running all of the software support utili- ties provided for the monitor and the video subsystem.

4-15 If the following symptoms still occur, run the appropriate test(s) as follows: • Ιf your monitor shows a partially formed or distorted image, run all of the subtests in the Video Test Group. • If the alignment of text or images is off, regardless of the program you are running, run the Text Mode Character Test, Text Mode Pages Test, and Graphics Mode Test. • If you have a color monitor or a program that runs in color, but the color is intermittent or not displayed at all, run the Text Mode Color Test, Color Palettes Test, and Solid Color Test. • If your monitor malfunctions in one mode but works fine in another (for example, text is displayed cor- rectly, but graphics are not), run the Text Mode Character Test, Text Mode Color Test, Text Mode Pages Test, and Graphics Mode Test. Keyboard Test Group The subtests in the Keyboard Test Group verify the cor- rect operation of your keyboard and the keyboard controller chip. Subtests The five keyboard subtests confirm the following key- board functions: • Keyboard Controller Test Confirms the ability of the keyboard controller chip to communicate with the keyboard and the program- ming of the controller chip • Keyboard Key Sequence Test Verifies that the keys on the keyboard function cor- rectly when you press the keys in a predefined order • Keyboard Interactive Test Checks the internal microcode of the keyboard and the external interface of the keyboard controller chip for a malfunctioning key • Stuck Key Test Checks the internal microcode of the keyboard and the external interface of the keyboard controller chip for a repeating key signal • External Key Pad Test Checks the contact beneath the key for an electrical impulse to ensure that the key is working properly Why Run a Keyboard Test? Keyboard problems are not always caused by the keyboard. For example, a complete lockup of the com- puter system, rendering the keyboard inoperable, is more likely caused elsewhere. There are three symptoms that are likely to be keyboard-related. Sometimes, the config- uration of a program changes the function of a key or key combination. Likewise, key configuration programs such as ProKey can change a key’s function. Because these programs are memory resident, you should be sure to clear them out of your computer’s memory before run- ning a subtest in the Keyboard Test Group. (Clear them from memory by booting your computer from the diag- nostics diskette.) When these possibilities have been eliminated, and if the following symptoms occur, you should run one or more of the subtests in the Keyboard Test Group: • When you press a key, the character represented by that key appears repeatedly; the key seems to be stuck. Run the Stuck Key Test. • When you press a key and the response is different from the usual response or the response you antici- pated, the key contact may be damaged. Run the Keyboard Interactive Test. • When a key does not work at all, run all of the sub- tests in the Keyboard Test Group. Mouse Test The Mouse Test checks the functionality of the mouse controller (which coordinates cursor movement on the screen with corresponding movement of your mouse or touch pad) and the operation of the mouse keys/touch pad.

Subtests There are no subtests for the Mouse Test Group. Why Run the Mouse Test? Mouse or touch pad problems are as likely to originate in RAM as they are to be caused by a faulty mouse or touch pad. Three sources of RAM-related problems include the configuration of a program (which changes the function of the mouse or touch pad), memory-resident programs such as Sidekick or ProKey, and failure of a device driver (the software that controls the function of the mouse or touch pad). If these possibilities have been eliminated and the following symptoms persist, run the Mouse Test: • When you press a mouse button or the touch pad, the function of the button (or touch pad) continues; that is, the button (or touch pad) seems to be stuck. • If the response when you press a mouse button or the touch pad is different from the usual or anticipated response, the button (or touch pad) contact may be damaged. • A mouse button or the touch pad does not work at all. • The cursor does not respond on the screen in accor- dance with the movements you make with the mouse or touch pad. Diskette Drives Test Group The subtests in the Diskette Drives Test Group allow you to test both 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch diskette drives of all capacities. Subtests The four diskette drive subtests available in the Diskette Drives Test Group confirm the following drive functions: • Change Line Test Checks for bent pins on the diskette drive controller and for defective lines on the diskette cable • Seek Test Checks the drive’s ability to search for a specified track on the diskette and to position its read/write heads to all tracks • Read Test Positions the read/write heads at each cylinder of the diskette for reading data and verifies that all tracks on the diskette can be read correctly • Write Test Positions the read/write heads at each cylinder of the diskette and verifies that all tracks on the diskette can be written to correctly Why Run a Diskette Drives Test? Very often, a diskette drive problem may first appear to be a diskette problem. A box of defective diskettes might produce faulty-drive error messages. The test results can be confusing, so Dell suggests running the subtests in the Diskette Drives Test Group more than once using dis- kettes from different sources. Another possible cause of diskette drive problems is human error—typing a command in an incorrect form (usually called a syntax error). Be sure you have entered the command in the proper form. When the diskette(s) and command syntax are eliminated as causes, the following symptoms usually suggest a drive problem and warrant running a subtest in the Dis- kette Drives Test Group: • An error message appears on the screen stating that the computer cannot read from or write to a diskette. • A diskette cannot be properly formatted, or format error messages appear on the screen. • Data on diskettes is corrupted or lost; these problems may be intermittent. Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) Test Group The subtests in the Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) Test Group check the functionality of up to four hard-disk drives (two on each channel) of any capacity. The

4-17 subtests check the storage capability of a drive as well as the hard-disk drive controller (which affects the ability to read from and write to the drive). The subtests are for all hard-disk drive types except for small computer system interface (SCSI) drives. To test SCSI drives, use the SCSI Devices Test Group. Subtests The five subtests in the Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) Test Group confirm the following drive functions: • Disk Controller Test Checks the internal microcode of the hard-disk drive controller • Forced Error-Correction-Code Test Checks the ability of the hard-disk drive to identify and correct errors • Seek Test Checks the drive’s ability to search for a specified track on the drive and to position the read/write heads of the drive to all tracks • Read Test Positions the read/write heads at each cylinder of the drive for reading data and verifies that all tracks on the drive can be read correctly • Write Test Positions the read/write heads at each cylinder of the drive and verifies that all tracks on the drive can be written to correctly Why Run a Hard-Disk Drives Test? If you check your hard-disk drive to determine the amount of available space, your operating system will probably report problem areas. Problem areas on hard- disk drives are common, because most hard-disk drives have a small amount of space that is not usable. The hard- disk drive keeps a record of this space so that your computer will not attempt to use it. Identification of unusable disk space, unless it is an unusually large amount (over five percent of the possible total), should not be regarded as a cause for testing the hard-disk drive. These are the most common symptoms that might prompt you to test the hard-disk drive: • The hard-disk drive fails during the boot routine. • Seek errors are reported by the operating system or application programs. • An error message appears on the screen stating that the computer cannot read from or write to the hard- disk drive. • Data on the hard-disk drive is corrupted or lost; these problems may be intermittent. Once saved by a pro- gram, files cannot be properly recalled. IDE CD ROM Drives Test Group The subtests in the IDE CD ROM Drives Test Group check the functionality of up to four IDE CD-ROM drives connected to the primary and secondary IDE ports. Before conducting an IDE CD-ROM test, insert a CD with audio and data tracks (such as a multimedia CD) into each CD-ROM drive. NOTES: All of the subtests except for the Audio Output Test require a CD with data tracks. The Audio Output Test requires a CD with audio tracks. If a CD-ROM drive is empty, or if it contains a CD that does not have the required data or audio tracks (depend- ing on the subtest[s] being conducted), the subtest(s) will fail. Subtests The five subtests in the IDE CD ROM Drives Test Group confirm the following drive functions: • Drive Controller Test Causes the drive to execute its internal self-test. • Seek Test Checks the drive’s ability to search for each block on the device. • Read Test Positions the read heads at each block of the device for reading data and verifies that all blocks on the device can be read correctly.

• Audio Output Test Causes the drive to begin playing the first audio track on an audio CD. To determine whether the test passed, listen to the audio output of the drive. NOTE: To conduct the Audio Output Test, you must select it individually. It will not run as part of the test group. • Eject Removable Media Checks the drive’s ability to eject its CD. Why Run an IDE CD ROM Drives Test? If you encounter a problem while using an application program on a CD, the problem could result from the disc or from the drive. When you encounter problems, first try using a different CD. If the problem recurs, run the IDE CD ROM Drives Test Group. These are the most common symptoms that might prompt you to test an IDE CD-ROM drive: • Seek errors are reported by the operating system or application programs. • An error message appears on the screen stating that the computer cannot read from an IDE CD-ROM drive (typically, drive D or drive E). Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group The subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group check the computer’s interface with external devices, such as a printer and a mouse, that are connected to the computer through a serial or infrared port. The subtests in this test group are not intended as a diagnostic test for the actual peripheral attached to each port. NOTES: With certain modems installed, the Serial/ Infrared Ports Test Group subtests may fail because the modem appears to the Dell Diagnostics as a serial or infrared port, but it cannot be tested as a serial or infra- red port. If a modem is installed and one of the serial/ infrared ports subtests fails, remove the modem and run the diagnostic tests again. If an external loopback connector is not attached to a serial or infrared port, the Serial External Transmission Test will fail for that port and the results of this test should therefore be ignored. An external modem con- nected to the port does not substitute for an external loopback connector. Subtests The four subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group confirm the following port functions: • Serial/Infrared Baud Rate Test Checks the baud rate generator in each serial com- munications chip against the computer’s clock • Serial/Infrared Interrupt Test Checks the serial port’s ability to send IRQs to the microprocessor • Serial/Infrared Internal Transmission Test Checks several internal functions of the serial port using the internal loopback mode of the serial com- munications chip • Serial External Transmission Test If a loopback device is attached, checks the line con- trol bits of the serial port and sends a test pattern at several baud rates, checking the returned values Why Run a Serial/Infrared Ports Test? If the Dell Diagnostics does not recognize your com- puter’s serial or infrared ports, enter the System Setup program and check the Serial/infrared Port category to see whether the port has been disabled. The subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group cannot test a port unless it is enabled. When a port is faulty, it may not be immediately evident that the port, and not the device connected to the port, is faulty. Instead, the peripheral (such as a printer or mouse) might behave erratically or not operate at all. If the external device is not properly installed through your software, it also may not function properly. Try operating the peripheral from different programs or through the operating system. If it still does not work, you can eliminate the software configuration as the cause of the problem.

4-19 Another possible cause for errors is the external device. Use the documentation that came with the peripheral to troubleshoot it and confirm that it is working properly. (Most printers have a self-test.) After you eliminate incorrect system configuration information settings, peripheral malfunctions, and soft- ware errors as potential causes of port problems, you can run the subtests in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group to check your hardware. Although the following symptoms can be caused by faulty peripherals or software errors, they might also suggest a port problem: • If a peripheral works intermittently or produces intermittent errors, the port may be faulty. • If the computer displays an error message that is related to the external device connected to a port, but corrections to the device do not resolve the error, run the appropriate subtest in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group. • If your software and the diagnostics do not recognize that you have a serial or infrared port, you should check the Serial/Infrared Port category in the System Setup program, and if necessary, run the appropriate subtest in the Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group. Parallel Ports Test Group The subtests in the Parallel Ports Test Group check the computer’s interface with external devices, such as a printer, that are connected to the computer through a par- allel port. The subtests in this test group are not intended as a diagnostic test for the actual peripheral attached to each port. (The only exception is a printer, as described in the Parallel Internal Test.) NOTE: If an external loopback connector is not attached to the parallel port, the Parallel External Loopback Test will fail for that port and the results of this test should therefore be ignored. Subtests The four subtests in the Parallel Ports Test Group confirm the following port functions: • Parallel Internal Test Checks several internal functions of the parallel port • Parallel External Loopback Test Tests the functionality of the control lines through an external loopback connector, if an external loopback connector is available • Parallel External Interrupt Test Tests the parallel port’s ability to generate interrupts from all possible sources, if an external loopback connector or printer is available • Parallel Printer Pattern Test Tests a printer and tests the parallel port’s ability to send a pattern to the printer, if connected Why Run a Parallel Ports Test? If the Dell Diagnostics does not recognize your com- puter’s parallel port, enter the System Setup program and check the Parallel Port category to see if the port has been disabled. The subtests in the Parallel Ports Test Group cannot test a port unless it is enabled. When a port is faulty, it may not be immediately evident that the port, and not the device connected to the port, is faulty. Instead, the peripheral (such as a printer) might behave erratically or not operate at all. If the external device is not properly installed through your software, it also may not function properly. Try operating the periph- eral from different programs or through the operating system. If it still does not work, you can eliminate the software setup as the cause of the problem. Another possible cause for errors is the external device. Use the documentation that came with the peripheral to troubleshoot it and confirm that it is working properly. (Most printers have a self-test.) After you eliminate incorrect system configuration infor- mation settings, peripheral malfunctions, and software errors as potential causes of port problems, you can run the subtests in the Parallel Ports Test Group to check your hardware. Although the following symptoms can be caused by faulty peripherals or software errors, they might also suggest a port problem: • If a peripheral works intermittently or produces intermittent errors, the port may be faulty. • If the computer displays an error message that is related to the external device connected to a port, but corrections to the device do not resolve the error, run

the appropriate subtest in the Parallel Ports Test Group. • If your software and the Dell Diagnostics do not rec- ognize that you have a parallel port, you should check the Parallel Port category in the System Setup program, and if necessary, run the appropriate sub- test in the Parallel Ports Test Group. SCSI Devices Test Group The subtests in the SCSI Devices Test Group check the functionality of up to four SCSI host adapters and all the SCSI devices attached to them. NOTES: Before conducting these subtests on CD-ROM drives, insert a CD with audio and data tracks (such as a multimedia CD) into each CD-ROM drive. All of the sub- tests, except for the Audio Output Test, require a CD with data tracks. The Audio Output Test requires a CD with audio tracks. If a CD-ROM drive is empty or if it contains a CD that does not have the required data or audio tracks (depend- ing on the subtest[s] being conducted), the subtest(s) will fail. Subtests The seven subtests in the SCSI Devices Test Group con- firm the following drive functions: • Internal Diagnostic Causes the device to run its internal self-test. • Seek Test Checks the device’s ability to search for a specified track on the device and to position its read/write heads to all tracks. • Read Test Positions the read/write heads at each block of the device for reading data and verifies that all tracks on the device can be read correctly. • Write Test Positions the read/write heads at each block of the device and verifies that all tracks on the device can be written to correctly. • Audio Output Test Causes the CD-ROM drive to begin playing the first audio track on an audio CD. To determine whether the test passed, listen to the audio output of the drive. NOTE: To conduct the Audio Output Test, you must select it individually. It will not run as part of the test group. • Eject Removable Media Causes a CD-ROM drive to eject its CD or a SCSI tape drive to eject its tape cartridge. • Display Information Displays a screen of information about each SCSI host adapter in the computer, the resources allocated to each SCSI host adapter, and a list of target devices attached to the SCSI host adapter. Why Run a SCSI Devices Test? If you check your SCSI hard-disk drive to determine the amount of available space, your operating system will probably report problem areas. Problem areas on hard- disk drives are common, because most hard-disk drives have a small amount of space that is not usable. The hard- disk drive keeps a record of this space so that your computer will not attempt to use it. Identification of unusable disk space, unless it is an unusually large amount (over five percent of the possible total), should not be regarded as a cause for testing the hard-disk drive. These are the most common symptoms that might prompt you to test a SCSI device: • A SCSI hard-disk drive fails during the boot routine. • Seek errors are reported by the operating system or application programs. • An error message appears on the screen stating that the computer cannot read from or write to a SCSI device. • Data on a SCSI device is corrupted or lost; this prob- lem may be intermittent. Once saved by a program, files cannot be properly recalled.

4-21 Network Interface Test Group The subtests in the Network Interface Test Group verify the basic operation of the network interface controller (NIC). They test its internal functions, including read and write access to its registers and internal transmit and receive (loopback) capability. Subtests The subtests in the Network Interface Test Group con- firm the following functions: • Registers Test Writes patterns to the writable registers in the con- troller and reads the patterns back to verify whether they are accessible and able to retain data. This subtest also tests interrupt generation and register- specific functionality based on the type of controller. • Internal Loopback Test Places the controller into its various internal loop- back modes and tests its ability to transmit and receive data. NOTE: For some controllers, this test is not applicable. • External Loopback Test Places the controller into its various external loop- back modes and tests its ability to transmit and receive data. A loopback plug is required to perform this test. NOTE: For some controllers, this test is not applicable. • Shared RAM Test Performs a memory test on controllers with memory- mapped shared RAM. On controllers with first-in first-out (FIFO)-shared RAM, writes a data pattern to all locations and reads the pattern back to verify the operation. Some controllers do not support shared RAM tests. • Display Information Displays addresses and configuration information about the NIC. This information includes the net- work address used for communication on the local area network (LAN). Why Run a Network Interface Test? Running a subtest in the Network Interface Test Group helps diagnose problems that may be encountered while the system is operating in a network environment. Most network failures are caused by one of the following: • Poor network connections • Failure in the controller • Interrupt conflict (the controller trying to use the same IRQ line as another device) • Software configuration error If a problem occurs while the system is operating in a network, the network connection should be inspected. If the connection is good, the Network Interface Test Group can be run to indicate whether the NIC is functioning, and if the test group is run in a loop, it can be used to detect intermittent failures. The Registers Test subtest checks the interrupt generation capability of the controller. The Display Information Test displays the controller’s IRQ level. You can then make sure there is not an interrupt conflict by verifying that the IRQ level is not being used by another device in the system. Audio Test Group The subtests in the Audio Test Group check the functions of the audio controller and the computer’s recording and playback features. NOTE: The following subtests are only applicable for systems with built-in speakers. Subtests The eleven subtests in the Audio Test Group confirm the following functions: • Software Reset Test Checks for the presence of an active audio controller in your system • Compatibility ID Test Determines if the correct sound controller is installed in your system

• Interrupt Test Checks to see if the audio controller is generating an interrupt on the IRQ line configured for that controller • DMA Test Tests for the presence of a DMA channel on the sys- tem chip set, and determines if the DMA controller and audio controller can exchange signals • FIFO RAM Test Checks the read/write capabilities and status of the audio controller • Initial Reset Status Test Verifies the reset values of the extended registers on the audio controller • Internal Register Test Writes test patterns to the internal registers of the audio controller, then reads other registers to confirm that the patterns are correctly interpreted • Dual Channel Test Confirms the presence of a second DMA channel on the system chip set and determines if the DMA con- troller and audio controller can exchange signals on that second DMA channel • FM Sound Playback Test Tests whether the system can synthesize sounds and play them through the built-in speakers • Analog Sound Playback Test Tests whether the system can play sampled sounds through the built-in speakers • Record and Playback Test Checks the ability of the audio controller to generate a sampled sound from signals received from the built-in microphone Why Run an Audio Test? If you do not hear sounds from your built-in speakers when you expect to, it is possible that your operating system or sound application uses resource settings different from those of the audio controller in the computer. In the absence of an expected sound, first check the documentation that accompanied your operating system or sound application to see if the sound features are correctly configured to work with the computer. The default settings for the audio con- troller are: • DMA channel: 1 • IRQ line: 5 • Port address: 220h If necessary, change the resource settings in your operat- ing system or sound application to match these default settings. If you still do not hear sound when you expect to, run the Audio Test Group. NOTE: Before running the Audio Test group, make sure to enable the built-in speaker(s), and make sure that the speaker volume has not been muted. Other Test Group The subtests in the Other Test Group check devices that are currently not covered by one of the other groups. Subtests The three subtests in the Other Test Group confirm the following functions: • ESM Firmware Status Checks to make sure the embedded server manage- ment (ESM) firmware was downloaded correctly and is operational • ESM Interface Test Checks the interface between the host and the ESM hardware to ensure all bits in the data port are work- ing properly • ESM Sensor Check Verifies the current measurements of the ESM sensors

5-1 Chapter 5 Checking Your Equipment This chapter provides troubleshooting procedures for equipment that connects directly to the input/output (I/O) panel of your computer, such as your monitor, keyboard, mouse, or printer. Before performing any of the proce- dures in this chapter, see “Checking Connections and Switches” in Chapter 1. Then perform the troubleshoot- ing procedures for the equipment that is malfunctioning. You need the following items to perform the procedures in this chapter: • A copy of the Dell Diagnostics Diskette • Your system documentation NOTE: When you see the question, “Is the problem resolved?” in a troubleshooting procedure, perform the operation that caused the problem. Troubleshooting the Monitor Troubleshooting video problems involves determining which of the following is the source of the problem: • Monitor and monitor interface cable • Video memory • Video logic of the computer or the high-resolution video expansion card, which overrides the video logic of the computer The procedures in this section troubleshoot problems with the monitor and the monitor interface cable only. See Chapter 6, “Checking Inside Your Computer,” for troubleshooting procedures for video expansion cards, video memory, and your computer’s video logic. If information on the monitor screen is displayed incor- rectly or not at all, complete the following steps to determine the problem: 1. Turn on the system, including any attached peripherals. 2. Adjust the switches and controls as specified in the monitor’s documentation to correct the video image, including the horizontal and vertical posi- tion and size. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 3. 3. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Does the monitor display text properly? Yes. Go to step 5. No. Go to step 4. 4. Type g and press the down-arrow key four times. Then press the plus (+) key to send all error mes- sages to a printer, or press the plus (+) key twice to send the error messages to a file named result on a diskette that you insert into drive A when prompted. If you are running the diagnostics from a utility partition on your hard-disk drive, the result file will be saved on the hard-disk drive. 5. Run the Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) Most of the tests in the Video Test Group require you to respond before the diagnostics continues with the next test.

Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 6. 6. Turn off the system and disconnect it from alter- nating current (AC) power. Swap the monitor with one of the same type that is working, and reconnect the system to AC power. 7. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, reboot the system, and run the Video Test Group again. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. You probably need a new monitor. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. No. If you have a video expansion card installed in your computer, see “Troubleshooting Expansion Cards” in Chapter 6. Troubleshooting the Keyboard This procedure determines what kind of keyboard prob- lem you have. If a system error message indicates a keyboard problem when you start up the computer sys- tem or during the Dell Diagnostics, complete the following steps: 1. Look at the keyboard and the keyboard cable for any signs of damage. Press and release each key on the keyboard. Do the keyboard and its cable appear to be free of physical damage, and do the keys work? Yes. Go to step 3. No. Go to step 2. 2. Swap the faulty keyboard with a working keyboard. To swap a faulty keyboard, unplug the keyboard cable from your computer’s back panel and plug in a working keyboard. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You probably need a new keyboard. See Chap- ter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. No. Go to step 3. 3. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, reboot the system, and run the Keyboard Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) Can you use the keyboard to select the Keyboard Test Group? Yes. Go to step 4. No. Go to step 5. 4. Does the Keyboard Interactive Test complete successfully? Yes. Go to step 6. No. Go to step 5. 5. Swap the faulty keyboard with a working keyboard. 6. Does the Keyboard Controller Test complete successfully? Yes. You need a new keyboard. See Chapter 7, “Get- ting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting I/O Ports This section provides a procedure for troubleshooting the ports on your computer’s I/O panel and the equipment connected to them, such as a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device. You can also use this procedure to test I/O ports on expansion cards. However, you should first complete the procedures in “Troubleshooting Expansion Cards” in Chapter 6 to verify that the card is configured and installed correctly. If a system error message indicates a port problem or if equipment connected to a port seems to perform

5-3 incorrectly or not at all, the source of the problem may be any of the following: • A faulty connection between the I/O port and the peripheral device • A faulty cable between the I/O port and the periph- eral device • A faulty peripheral device • Incorrect settings in the System Setup program • Incorrect settings in the system’s configuration files • Faulty I/O port logic on the system board NOTE: With certain modems installed, the Serial Port Test Group subtests may fail because the modem appears to the diagnostics as a serial port, but it cannot be tested as a serial port. If you have a modem installed and you experience a serial-port test failure, remove the modem and run the diagnostic tests again. Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions This procedure determines whether the computer’s basic I/O functions are operational. If a system error message indicates an I/O port problem or the device connected to the port does not function properly, follow these steps: 1. Enter the System Setup program and check the settings for the Serial Port 1, Serial Port 2, Paral- lel Port, and Mouse categories. NOTE: Not all systems have a Mouse category in the System Setup program. Are the communication port categories set to Auto, and is the Mouse category set to On? Yes. Go to step 3. No. Go to step 2. 2. Change the setting for the Serial Port 1, Serial Port 2, and Parallel Port categories to Auto, and change the setting for the Mouse category to On; then reboot the system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 3. 3. Check the contents of your start-up files (such as autoexec.bat and config.sys). (See “Installing and Configuring Software” in Chapter 3.) Are the port configuration commands correct? Yes. Go to step 5. No. Go to step 4. 4. Change the necessary statements in the start-up files. If the port problem is confined to a particular appli- cation program, see the application program’s documentation for specific port configuration requirements. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 5. 5. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, reboot the system, and run the Serial/ Infrared Ports Test Group and/or the Parallel Ports Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) The Serial/Infrared Ports Test Group and the Parallel Ports Test Group test the basic functions of the sys- tem board’s I/O port logic. Also, if a parallel printer is connected to the parallel port, the Parallel Ports Test Group tests the communication link between the system board’s I/O port logic and the printer. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. Go to step 6. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 6. If the problem persists, go to “Troubleshooting a Parallel Printer” or “Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device” found later in this chapter, depending on which device appears to be malfunctioning.

Troubleshooting a Parallel Printer If the preceding procedure, “Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions,” indicates that the problem is with a paral- lel printer, follow these steps: 1. Turn off the parallel printer and computer. 2. Swap the parallel printer interface cable with a known working cable. 3. Turn on the parallel printer and computer. 4. Attempt a print operation on the parallel printer. Does the print operation complete successfully? Yes. You probably need a new interface cable. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. No. Go to step 5. 5. Run the parallel printer’s self-test. Does the self-test complete successfully? Yes. Go to step 6. No. The printer is probably defective. If you bought the printer from Dell, see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. If you bought the printer elsewhere, take it to one of the manufacturer’s authorized service centers for repair. 6. Attempt another print operation on the parallel printer. Does the print operation complete successfully? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device If the procedure titled “Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions” indicates that the problem is with a device connected to one of the serial ports, follow these steps: 1. Turn off the computer and any peripheral devices connected to the serial ports. Are two serial devices connected to the computer? Yes. Go to step 2. No. Go to step 4. 2. Disconnect the devices from serial ports 1 and 2, and connect the malfunctioning serial device to the opposite port. 3. Turn on the computer and the reconnected serial device. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The serial port may be defective. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining techni- cal assistance. No. Go to step 4. 4. Turn off the computer and the serial device, and swap the interface cable (that connects the device to the serial port) with a known working cable. 5. Turn on the computer and the serial device. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You probably need a new interface cable. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. No. Go to step 6. 6. Turn off the computer and the serial device, and swap the device with a comparable working device. For example, if your serial mouse has a problem, swap it with a serial mouse you know is working properly. 7. Turn on the computer and the serial device. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You probably need a new device. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.

6-1 Chapter 6 Checking Inside Your Computer This chapter provides troubleshooting procedures for components inside your computer. Before you start any of the procedures in this chapter, do the following: • Perform the procedures described in “Checking Con- nections and Switches” and “The System Setup Program” in Chapter 1. • Read the safety instructions in “Safety First—For You and Your Computer” found next in this chapter. You need the following items to perform the procedures in this chapter: • A copy of the Dell Diagnostics Diskette • Your system documentation • A small flat-blade screwdriver and a #1 Phillips- head screwdriver (or quarter-inch hex-nut driver) NOTE: When you see the question, “Is the problem resolved?” in a troubleshooting procedure, perform the operation that caused the problem. Safety First—For You and Your Computer The procedures in this chapter require that you remove the cover and work inside your computer. While working inside your computer, do not attempt to service the com- puter except as explained in this guide and elsewhere in Dell documentation. Always follow the instructions closely. Working inside your computer is safe—if you observe the following precautions. In addition, Dell recommends that you periodically review the safety instructions at the front of this guide. Removing and Replacing the Computer Cover To troubleshoot problems inside your computer, you need to remove the computer cover. Instructions for removing the computer cover are in your system documentation. WARNING FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF YOUR EQUIPMENT Before starting to work on your computer, perform the following steps in the sequence indicated: 1. Turn off your computer and all peripherals. 2. Disconnect your computer and peripherals from their power sources. Doing so reduces the potential for personal injury or shock. Also dis- connect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 3. Touch an unpainted metal surface on the com- puter chassis, such as the metal around the card-slot openings at the back of your com- puter, before touching anything inside your computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the computer chas- sis to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal components.

When you finish your troubleshooting procedure, replace the cover of your computer by following the steps out- lined in your system documentation. Troubleshooting a Wet Computer Liquids can damage your computer. While you are not likely to submerge your computer, spills, splashes, and excessive humidity can also cause damage. If an external device (such as a printer or an external drive) gets wet, contact the manufacturer for instructions. If your com- puter gets wet, complete the following steps: 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the alternating current (AC) power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or tele- communication lines from the computer. 2. Remove the computer cover. 3. Let the computer dry for at least 24 hours. Make sure that it is thoroughly dry before proceeding. 4. Remove all expansion cards installed in the com- puter except a drive controller card and video expansion card (if applicable). See your system documentation for instructions. 5. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. Does the system have power? Yes. Go to step 6. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 6. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, remove the computer cover, and reinstall all expansion cards you removed in step 4. See your system documentation for instructions. 7. Replace the computer cover, and reconnect the system to AC power. Also, reconnect any tele- phone or telecommunication lines to the computer. 8. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, reboot the system, and run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. Your system is operating properly. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting a Damaged Computer If your computer was dropped or damaged, you should check your computer to see if it functions properly. If an external device attached to your computer is dropped or damaged, contact the manufacturer of the device for instructions or see Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for infor- mation on obtaining technical assistance from Dell. Follow these steps to troubleshoot a damaged computer: 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 2. Remove the computer cover. 3. Check all the expansion-card connections in the computer. See your system documentation for instructions. 4. Verify the diskette/tape drive, hard-disk drive, and all other internal connections (including options such as video-memory upgrade modules, math coprocessors, and microprocessor upgrades). CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

6-3 Make sure that all cables are properly connected and that all components are properly seated in their con- nectors and sockets. See your system documentation for instructions. 5. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and reconnect any telephone or tele- communication lines. 6. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. 7. Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diag- nostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. Your system is operating properly. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting the Battery If an error message indicates a problem with the battery or if the System Setup program loses the system configu- ration information when the computer is turned off, the battery may be defective. Follow these steps to troubleshoot the battery: 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 2. Remove the computer cover. 3. Check the connection of the battery to the system board. Some systems have a coin cell battery that snaps into a socket on the system board. Other systems have a battery with a cable that attaches to a header connec- tor on the system board. Is the battery firmly attached to the battery socket or connector on the system board? Yes. Go to step 5. No. Go to step 4. 4. Reseat the battery in its socket, or reconnect the battery cable to the system board. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The connection was loose. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 5. 5. Replace the battery. See your system documentation for instructions. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The battery’s charge was low. You have fixed the problem. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. WARNING There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is incorrectly installed. Replace the battery only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

Troubleshooting Expansion Cards If an error message indicates an expansion-card problem or if an expansion card seems to perform incorrectly or not at all, the problem could be a faulty connection, a conflict with software or other hardware, or a faulty expansion card. Follow these steps to troubleshoot expansion cards: 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 2. Remove the computer cover. 3. Verify that each expansion card is firmly seated in its connector. Are the expansion cards properly seated in their connectors? Yes. Go to step 5. No. Go to step 4. 4. Reseat the expansion cards in their connectors. See your system documentation for instructions. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The connection was loose. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 5. 5. Verify that the appropriate cables are firmly con- nected to their corresponding connectors on the expansion cards. For instructions on which cables should be attached to specific connectors on an expansion card, see the expansion card’s documentation. Are the appropriate cables firmly attached to their connectors? Yes. Go to step 7. No. Go to step 6. 6. Reconnect the cable connectors to the appropri- ate connectors on the expansion cards. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The cable connections were loose. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 7. 7. Inspect all jumpers and configuration switches on each expansion card. Most Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA) expansion cards have configuration settings for an interrupt request (IRQ) line, a direct memory access (DMA) channel, and a base-memory or basic input/ output system (BIOS) address. To keep expansion cards from conflicting with each other, you need to know both the starting memory address and the amount of memory required by each card. For instructions on jumpers and configuration settings, see the expansion card’s documentation. Is each expansion card configured correctly? Yes. Go to step 9. No. Go to step 8. 8. Reconfigure the card according to the instruc- tions in the card’s documentation. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The memory configuration of the card was incorrect. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 9. 9. Inspect all configuration jumpers on the system board to ensure that they are configured correctly for any installed expansion cards. For information on the configuration jumpers and their settings, see your system documentation. Are the system board’s configuration jumpers set correctly? Yes. Go to step 11. No. Go to step 10. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

6-5 10. Correct the system board’s configuration jumper settings. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 11. 11. Remove all expansion cards except the hard-disk drive controller card (if one is installed). See your system documentation for instructions. 12. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. 13. Enter the System Setup program, and update the system configuration information. 14. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, reboot the system, and run the RAM Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. Go to step 15. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for information on obtaining technical assistance. 15. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, and remove the computer cover. 16. Reinstall one of the expansion cards you removed in step 11, and repeat steps 12 and 13. 17. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Run the RAM Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. Go to step 18. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for information on obtaining technical assistance. 18. Remove the Dell Diagnostics Diskette from drive A. Repeat steps 15, 16, and 17 for each of the remaining expansion cards that you removed in step 11. Have you reinstalled all of the expansion cards with- out encountering a test failure? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for information on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting System Memory A computer memory problem can be a faulty single in- line memory module (SIMM), an improperly configured or faulty memory expansion card (if one is installed), or a faulty system board. If a random-access memory (RAM) error message appears, the computer probably has a memory problem. When you turn on or reboot the system, the Caps Lock and Scroll Lock indicators on the keyboard should flash momentarily and then turn off. If the Num Lock category in the System Setup program is set to On, the Num Lock indicator should flash momentarily and then remain on; otherwise, it should turn off. Abnormal operation of these indicators can result from a defective SIMM in socket A. Follow these steps to troubleshoot system memory: 1. Turn on the system, including any attached peripherals. Does an error message appear indicating invalid sys- tem configuration information after the memory count completes? Yes. Go to step 2. No. Go to step 8. 2. Enter the System Setup program to check the Total Memory or System Memory category. Does the amount of memory installed match the Total Memory or System Memory setting? Yes. Go to step 8. No. Go to step 3.

3. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 4. Remove the computer cover. 5. Reseat the SIMMs in their sockets. See your system documentation for instructions. 6. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. 7. Enter the System Setup program to check the Total Memory or System Memory category again. Does the amount of memory installed match the Total Memory or System Memory setting? Yes. Go to step 8. No. Go to step 9. 8. Reboot the system, and observe the monitor screen and the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock indicators on the keyboard. Does the monitor screen remain blank, and do the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock indicators on the keyboard remain on? Yes. Go to step 9. No. Go to step 11. 9. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, and remove the computer cover. 10. If possible, swap the SIMM in socket A with one of the same capacity, reboot the system, and observe the monitor screen and the indicators on the keyboard. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 11. 11. Determine whether there is a memory expansion card installed in an expansion slot. Is a memory expansion card installed? Yes. Go to step 12. No. Go to step 14. 12. Check the memory expansion card’s documenta- tion to determine whether the card is configured correctly. Is the memory expansion card configured correctly? Yes. Go to step 13. No. Go to step 14. 13. Reconfigure the memory expansion card. 14. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, reconnect any telephone or telecom- munication lines and turn it on. 15. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, reboot the system, and run the RAM Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting the Video Subsystem Troubleshooting video problems involves determining which of the following is the source of the problem: the monitor, the monitor interface cable, the video memory, or the video logic of the computer. You can also have a high-resolution video expansion card installed, which overrides the video logic of the computer. The following procedure troubleshoots problems with the video memory and video logic only. Before you begin, perform the procedure found in “Troubleshooting the Monitor” in Chapter 5 to determine whether or not the monitor is the source of the problem. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

6-7 If you have a high-resolution video expansion card, first complete the steps in “Troubleshooting Expansion Cards” found earlier in this chapter to verify that the card is configured and installed correctly. Follow these steps to troubleshoot the video subsystem: 1. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, reboot the system, and run the Video Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) Most of the tests in the Video Test Group are interac- tive; that is, you must respond before the diagnostics continues with the next test. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. It is not a video hardware problem. Go to Chap- ter 3, “Finding Software Solutions.” No. Go to step 2. 2. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 3. Remove the computer cover. 4. Check the system-board configuration jumpers. See your system documentation for a list of the sys- tem board jumpers and their settings. Are the jumpers set correctly? Yes. Go to step 9. No. Go to step 5. 5. Correct the configuration jumper settings on the system board. 6. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, reconnect any telephone or telecom- munication lines and turn it on. 7. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Run the Video Test Group again. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The configuration jumpers were set incorrectly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 8. 8. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, and remove the computer cover. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 9. Determine whether a video-memory upgrade module is installed. See your system documentation for the location of the video-memory upgrade module. Is a video-memory upgrade module installed? Yes. Go to step 10. No. Go to step 11. 10. Reseat the video-memory upgrade module. See your system documentation for instructions. 11. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, reconnect any telephone or telecom- munication lines and turn it on. 12. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Run the Video Test Group again. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. The video-memory upgrade module was not connected properly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 13. 13. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, and remove the computer cover. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 14. Determine whether a video expansion card is installed. Is a video expansion card installed? Yes. Go to step 15. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. 15. Remove the video expansion card, and repeat steps 11 and 12. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. The video expansion card is faulty. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining tech- nical assistance. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting the System Board A system board problem can result from a defective system board component, a faulty power supply, or a defective component connected to the system board. If an error message indicates a system board problem, follow these steps to find the problem: 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 2. Remove the computer cover. 3. Remove all expansion cards except the hard-disk drive controller card and the video expansion card (if they are installed). 4. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. 5. Enter the System Setup program, and update the system configuration information. 6. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Run the System Set Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics.”) Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. Go to step 7. No. Go to step 12. 7. Remove the Dell Diagnostics Diskette from drive A , turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, and remove the computer cover. 8. Reinstall one of the expansion cards you removed in step 3, and repeat steps 4 and 5. See your system documentation for instructions. 9. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Run the System Set Test Group again. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. Go to step 10. No. Go to step 12. 10. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, and remove the computer cover. 11. Repeat steps 7, 8, and 9 for each of the remaining expansion cards you removed in step 3. Have you reinstalled all of the expansion cards with- out encountering a test failure? Yes. Go to step 12. No. Your expansion card is faulty. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining techni- cal assistance. 12. Disconnect the keyboard and reboot the system. Does the system boot successfully? Yes. Go to step 13. No. Go to step 14. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

6-9 13. Swap the keyboard with a comparable working keyboard, and run the System Set Test Group again. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 14. 14. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting the Diskette/ Tape Drive Subsystem If the monitor displays a system error message indicating a diskette drive problem during execution of either the boot routine or the Dell Diagnostics, the problem may be caused by any of the following conditions: • The system configuration settings do not match the physical diskette/tape drive subsystem configuration. • The diskette/tape drive cables are not properly con- nected or are faulty. • An expansion card is interfering with proper drive operations. • A diskette drive may be improperly configured. • The diskette drive or tape drive is faulty. • The computer’s power supply is not providing suffi- cient power for the drives. • The computer’s diskette/tape drive logic is faulty. In any computer that has multiple drives, a problem with one drive can affect the entire subsystem. Therefore, the troubleshooting procedures for the diskette/tape drive subsystem are divided into the following subsections: • “Checking the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” • “Troubleshooting a Diskette-Drive Subsystem” • “Troubleshooting a Non-SCSI Internal Tape Drive” • “Troubleshooting a SCSI Tape Drive” Before you begin the troubleshooting procedures, com- plete steps 1 and 2 in the next subsection, “Checking the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem,” to verify that the sys- tem configuration information is correct for the installed diskette drive(s). If, after completing these steps, the system boots cor- rectly and the monitor no longer displays a system error message, the problem is resolved. If you continue to have problems, however, proceed with the appropriate diskette/tape drive subsystem troubleshooting procedure. Checking the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem To verify that the diskette/tape drive subsystem is operat- ing properly, follow these steps: 1. Enter the System Setup program, and verify that the system is configured correctly for the Diskette Drive A and Diskette Drive B categories. See your system documentation for instructions. 2. If the system configuration settings are incorrect, make the necessary corrections in the System Setup program, and then reboot the system. 3. Insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, reboot the system, and run the Diskette Drives Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics to see whether the diskette/tape drive subsystem now works correctly. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics,” for more information. Do the tests complete successfully? Yes. Continue with the next step in the procedure you were performing. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting a Diskette-Drive Subsystem If you receive a system error message indicating a dis- kette drive problem, insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system by turning the com- puter off, allowing the hard-disk drive(s) to spin down, and turning the computer on again. NOTE: You must leave the Dell Diagnostics Diskette in drive A throughout this entire procedure except for steps that specifically require you to remove it.

Follow these steps to troubleshoot a diskette-drive subsystem: 1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 2. Remove the computer cover. 3. Check the diskette drive cabling. See your system documentation for the location of your diskette drive and cabling. The diskette drive should be connected to the drive A connector on the diskette/tape drive interface cable. Is the diskette drive securely connected to the proper diskette/tape drive interface cable connector? Is the diskette/tape drive interface cable connector securely connected to the interface connector on the system board? Is the drive’s direct current (DC) power cable firmly connected to the drive? Yes. Go to step 5. No. Go to step 4. 4. Reconnect the cable connectors. 5. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Does the system boot properly from the Dell Diag- nostics Diskette? Yes. Go to “Checking the Diskette/Tape Drive Sub- system” found earlier in this chapter. No. Go to step 6. 6. Repeat steps 1 and 2, and remove all expansion cards. See your system documentation for instructions. 7. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Does the system boot properly from the Dell Diag- nostics Diskette? Yes. An expansion card may be conflicting with the diskette/tape drive logic, or you may have a faulty expansion card. Go to “Checking the Diskette/Tape Drive Subsystem” found earlier in this chapter. No. Go to step 8. 8. Repeat steps 1 and 2, and reinstall one of the expansion cards you removed in step 6. 9. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Does the system boot properly from the Dell Diag- nostics Diskette? Yes. Go to step 10. No. Go to step 11. 10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 until all expansion cards have been reinstalled or until one of the expan- sion cards prevents the system from booting from the Dell Diagnostics Diskette. 11. Repeat steps 1 and 2. Verify that the drive’s ter- mination is enabled and that the drive-select jumper is set to the DS1 position. NOTE: Some diskette drives may require you to remove the drive from the computer to access the ter- mination and drive-select jumper. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide. connect to boot diskette drive (drive A) connect to tape drive or second diskette drive connect to FLOPPY connector on system board

6-11 For information about the drive’s termination and drive-select jumper settings, refer to the documenta- tion for the drive. Is the drive configured correctly? Yes. Go to step 14. No. Go to step 12. 12. Correct the drive-select jumper setting and ter- minator installation. 13. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, insert the Dell Diagnostics Diskette into drive A, and reboot the system. Does the system boot properly from the Dell Diag- nostics Diskette? Yes. Go to “Checking the Diskette/Tape Drive Sub- system” found earlier in this chapter. No. Go to step 14. 14. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting a Non-SCSI Internal Tape Drive In a drive configuration containing both a single diskette drive and an internal tape drive that is not a small com- puter system interface (SCSI) drive, the diskette drive and the tape drive are connected, respectively, to the drive A and drive B connectors on the diskette/tape drive interface cable. When the internal diskette/tape drive sub- system is configured in this manner, the Drive B category on the System Board Options screen in the EISA Config- uration Utility and the Diskette Drive B category in the System Setup program must be set to Not Installed to prevent interference with tape drive operation. NOTE: Some systems may have an external tape drive, in which case a special tape-drive controller card must be installed in one of the expansion slots. The troubleshoot- ing procedure in this subsection applies specifically to internal tape drives. Tape drive problems usually result from a defective tape drive, a defective tape cartridge, or software. Follow these steps to troubleshoot a non-SCSI internal tape drive: 1. Remove the tape that was in use when the prob- lem occurred, and replace it with a tape that you know is not defective. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The original tape was defective. Replace it with a new tape. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 2. 2. Remove any installed terminate-and-stay- resident (TSR) programs. See “Memory-Resident Programs” in Chapter 3 for information about unloading TSR programs. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The TSR program was conflicting with the tape backup software. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 3. 3. Reinstall the tape backup software as instructed in the tape-backup software documentation. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The tape backup software was corrupted. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 4. 4. If the system contains a single diskette drive, enter the System Setup program, and verify that the Diskette Drive B category is set to Not Installed. See your system documentation for instructions. Is the Diskette Drive B category set to Not Installed? Yes. Go to step 6. No. Go to step 5. 5. Correct the Diskette Drive B category setting. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The system configuration information was incorrect. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 6.

6. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 7. Remove the computer cover. 8. Check the interface cable connections to the tape drive and to the interface connector on the system board or the controller card (if one is installed). Check the DC power cable connection to the tape drive. Are the cables firmly connected? Yes. Go to step 10. No. Go to step 9. 9. Reseat the cable connectors, replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The connections were loose. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 10. 10. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, and remove the computer cover. 11. Remove the tape drive, and ensure that the input/ output (I/O) address and IRQ jumper settings do not conflict with any other device’s settings. See “Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts” in Chapter 3. For information on setting the jumpers, see the documentation for the tape drive. Are the drive’s jumpers positioned correctly? Yes. Go to step 13. No. Go to step 12. 12. Correct the drive’s jumper settings according to the documentation for the tape drive, and rein- stall the tape drive. 13. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, reconnect any telephone or telecom- munication lines, and turn on the computer. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The IRQ jumper settings were incorrect. You have fixed the problem. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting a SCSI Tape Drive A SCSI tape drive can be either an internal device installed in one of the externally accessible drive bays or an external device that attaches to a SCSI host adapter connector on the back panel of the computer. In either case, the SCSI tape drive is controlled by a SCSI host adapter installed in the computer, which may also control other SCSI devices connected to one or more SCSI cables. SCSI devices sometimes require device drivers for the particular operating system being used by the computer system. Tape drive problems often result from a defective tape drive, a defective tape cartridge, or software. Follow these steps to troubleshoot a SCSI tape drive: 1. Remove the tape that was in use when the prob- lem occurred, and replace it with a tape that you know is not defective. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The original tape was defective. Replace it with a new tape. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 2. 2. Remove any installed TSR programs. See “Memory-Resident Programs” in Chapter 3 for information about unloading TSR programs. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The TSR program was conflicting with the tape backup software. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 3. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

6-13 3. Verify that any required SCSI device drivers are installed on the hard-disk drive and are config- ured correctly. If the computer system is using a built-in SCSI host adapter or a Dell Advanced SCSI Host (DASH) Bus Adapter card, see the SCSI Device Driver Installa- tion and Configuration Guide for instructions on installing and configuring the SCSI device drivers. For any other type of SCSI host adapter card, see the documentation that accompanied the host adapter card. Are the drivers installed and configured correctly? Yes. The SCSI device drivers were installed or con- figured incorrectly or were corrupted. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 4. 4. Reinstall the tape backup software as instructed in the tape-backup software documentation. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The tape backup software was corrupted. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 5. 5. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 6. Remove the computer cover. 7. Check the SCSI cable connections to the tape drive and to the SCSI host adapter connector. If the tape drive is an internal device, check the DC power cable connection to the tape drive. Are the cables firmly connected? Yes. Go to step 9. No. Go to step 8. 8. Reseat the cable connectors, replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 9. 9. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Then remove the computer cover. 10. Remove the tape drive. Then verify that the tape drive is configured for a unique SCSI identifica- tion (ID) number and that the tape drive’s termination is enabled or disabled as appropriate. See the documentation for the tape drive for instruc- tions on selecting the SCSI ID and enabling or disabling termination. Is the tape drive configured correctly? Yes. Go to step 13. No. Go to step 11. 11. Reconfigure the tape drive’s SCSI ID and termi- nation settings as appropriate. Reinstall the tape drive, replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The tape drive was configured incorrectly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 12. 12. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Then remove the computer cover. 13. Replace the SCSI cable that connects the tape drive to the SCSI host adapter connector. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

14. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, reconnect any telephone or telecom- munication lines, and turn on the computer. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting Hard-Disk Drives Hard-disk drive problems can be caused by a number of conditions, including problems with the drive itself, a hard-disk drive controller card, the optional SCSI back- plane board, the SCSI host adapter, or an interface cable. This section is further subdivided into three procedures for troubleshooting hard-disk drives: • “Troubleshooting IDE Hard-Disk Drives” • “Troubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives in a Sys- tem Without a SCSI Backplane Board” • “Troubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives in a Sys- tem With a SCSI Backplane Board” Troubleshooting IDE Hard-Disk Drives Use the following procedure to troubleshoot a hard-disk drive problem if your system includes one or more inte- grated drive electronics (IDE) hard-disk drives. 1. Boot the system from a diskette, enter the System Setup program, and verify that the hard-disk drive categories are set correctly for the installed hard-disk drives. Refer to your system documentation for the correct settings of these categories. You can also use the automatic drive-type detect feature to correctly set the drive-type number and the drive parameters for each drive. Are the system configuration settings correct for the installed hard-disk drive? Yes. Go to step 3. No. Go to step 2. 2. Correct the system configuration settings, and reboot the system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The system configuration settings were set incorrectly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 3. 3. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 4. Remove the computer cover. 5. Check the hard-disk drive interface cable connec- tions to the drive and to the IDE connector on the system board or the controller card (if one is installed). Check the DC power cable connection to the drive. Are the cables firmly connected? Yes. Go to step 7. No. Go to step 6. 6. Reseat the cable connectors, replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The cables were loose. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 7. 7. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, and remove the computer cover. 8. Remove the hard-disk drive. CAUTION: This troubleshooting procedure can destroy data stored on the hard-disk drive. Before you proceed, make sure you have backed up all the files on your hard-disk drive. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

6-15 9. Check the hard-disk drive’s jumpers and the con- troller card’s jumpers (if a controller card is installed). (For an Industry-Standard Architec- ture [ISA] card, check the settings on the card itself; for an Extended Industry-Standard Archi- tecture [EISA] card, check the settings through the EISA Configuration Utility.) For a description of the jumper settings for the drive or controller card, see the documentation for the drive or controller card. Are the jumpers positioned correctly? Yes. Go to step 11. No. Go to step 10. 10. Correct the jumper settings for the drive and/or controller card as instructed by the documenta- tion for the drive and reinstall the hard-disk drive. 11. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, reconnect any telephone or telecom- munication lines to the computer, and turn on the computer. 12. Listen for the drive spinning up after the power supply turns on. Can you hear the drive spinning up? Yes. Go to step 13. No. Go to step 14. 13. Partition and logically format the hard-disk drive. If possible, restore the files to the drive. To partition and logically format the drive, see the documentation for the computer’s operating system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The hard-disk drive’s file structure was proba- bly corrupt. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 14. 14. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. Troubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives in a System Without a SCSI Backplane Board Use the following procedure to troubleshoot a hard-disk drive problem if your system includes one or more SCSI hard-disk drives and does not contain a SCSI backplane board. 1. Boot the system from a diskette, and enter the System Setup program. Are both of the hard-disk drive categories set to None? Refer to your system documentation for more infor- mation about the hard-disk drive categories. Yes. Go to step 3. No. Go to step 2. 2. Change both categories to None, and reboot the system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The system configuration settings were set incorrectly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 3. 3. Verify that any required SCSI device drivers are installed and configured correctly. If the system is using the built-in SCSI host adapter or the DASH Bus Adapter card, see the SCSI Device Driver Installation and Configuration Guide to determine which drivers are required and how they should be installed and configured. Are the required SCSI device drivers installed and configured correctly? Yes. Go to step 5. No. Go to step 4. CAUTION: This troubleshooting procedure can destroy data stored on the hard-disk drive. Before you proceed, make sure you have backed up all the files on your hard-disk drive.

4. Reinstall and/or reconfigure the required SCSI device drivers. Then reboot the system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 5. 5. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. 6. Remove the computer cover. 7. Check the SCSI cable connection to the drive and to the SCSI host adapter. Check the DC power cable connection to the drive. Are the cables firmly connected? Yes. Go to step 9. No. Go to step 8. 8. Reseat the cable connectors, replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, recon- nect any telephone or telecommunication lines to the computer, and turn it on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The cables were loose. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 9. 9. Turn off the system, disconnect it from AC power, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer, and remove the com- puter cover. 10. Remove the hard-disk drive. 11. Verify that the hard-disk drive is configured for a unique SCSI ID and that termination is enabled or disabled as appropriate. See the documentation for the hard-disk drive for instructions on selecting the SCSI ID and enabling or disabling termination. Is the hard-disk drive configured correctly? Yes. Go to step 13. No. Go to step 12. 12. Reconfigure the hard-disk drive’s SCSI ID and termination settings as appropriate. Reinstall the hard-disk drive. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The hard-disk drive was configured incorrectly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 13. 13. Replace the SCSI cable connecting the drive to the SCSI host adapter. Replace the computer cover, reconnect the system to AC power, recon- nect any telephone or telecommunication lines to the computer.and turn it on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The SCSI cable was faulty. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 14. 14. Partition and logically format the hard-disk drive. If possible, restore the files to the drive. To partition and logically format the drive, see the documentation for the computer’s operating system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The hard-disk drive’s file structure was proba- bly corrupt. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 15. 15. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

6-17 Troubleshooting SCSI Hard-Disk Drives in a System With a SCSI Backplane Board Use the following procedure to troubleshoot a hard-disk drive problem if your system contains an optional SCSI backplane board. 1. Boot the system from a diskette, and enter the System Setup program. Are both of the hard-disk drive categories set to None? Yes. Go to step 3. No. Go to step 2. 2. Change both categories to None, and reboot the system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 3. 3. Verify that any required SCSI device drivers are installed and configured correctly. If the system is using the built-in SCSI host adapter or the DASH Bus Adapter card, see the SCSI Device Driver Installation and Configuration Guide to determine which drivers are required and how they should be installed and configured. Are the required SCSI device drivers installed and configured correctly? Yes. Go to step 5. No. Go to step 4. 4. Reinstall and/or reconfigure the required SCSI device drivers. Then reboot the system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 5. 5. Determine whether the system has a Dell SCSI Array (DSA) controller card. Does the system have a DSA controller card? Yes. Go to step 6. No. Go to step 15. 6. Run the DSA Manager program to see if it can determine which hard-disk drive is faulty. See the Dell SCSI Array User’s Guide for instruc- tions on running the DSA Manager. Can the DSA Manager identify the faulty drive? Yes. Go to step 26. No. Go to step 7. 7. Remove the computer cover. 8. Check the hard-disk drive failure indicator on the front of each hard-disk drive carrier. Is the hard-disk drive failure indicator on or blinking for any of the drive carriers? Yes. Go to step 26. No. Go to step 9. 9. Check the online indicator on the front of each hard-disk drive carrier. Is the online indicator on for each drive carrier? Yes. Go to step 13. No. Go to step 10. 10. Press the release button on the front of the drive carrier. Does the online indicator blink and then turn on? Yes. The drive carrier was not installed into the array. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 11. CAUTION: This troubleshooting procedure can destroy data stored on the hard-disk drive. Before you proceed, make sure you have backed up all the files on your hard-disk drive. CAUTION: See “Protecting Against Electro- static Discharge” in the safety instructions at the front of this guide.

11. Check the SCSI ID switch settings on the back of the SCSI backplane board to verify that each drive bay is configured for a unique SCSI ID and that none of the SCSI IDs conflict with the SCSI ID for the SCSI host adapter. See your system documentation for the recom- mended SCSI ID switch settings. Is the drive bay configured for a unique SCSI ID? Yes. Go to step 13. No. Go to step 12. 12. Change the SCSI ID switch settings so that each drive bay is configured for a unique SCSI ID that does not conflict with the SCSI host adapter. Turn off the computer, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The drive bay was configured incorrectly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 13. 13. Remove the drive carrier from its bay, and check all cable connections between the drive and the drive carrier. Also make sure that the SCSI ID cable is oriented correctly and is installed on the correct set of pins on the drive. Reinstall the drive carrier in its bay. Verify that a jumper plug is not installed on the READ_ONLY jumper pins on the interface board. Then press the release button on the front of the drive carrier. See your system documentation for information on cable connections and the correct installation of the SCSI ID cable. Does the online light-emitting diode (LED) blink and then stay on? Yes. The drive carrier was not firmly seated in the connector on the SCSI backplane board, or one of the cables in the drive carrier was installed incor- rectly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 14. 14. Remove the drive carrier and install it in another drive bay. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The SCSI backplane board has a defective con- nector. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance. No. Go to step 21. 15. Check the online indicator on the front of each hard-disk drive carrier. Is the online indicator on for each drive carrier? Yes. Go to step 19. No. Go to step 17. 16. Check the SCSI ID switch settings on the back of the SCSI backplane board to verify that each drive bay is configured for a unique SCSI ID and that none of the SCSI IDs conflict with the SCSI ID for the SCSI host adapter. See your system documentation for the recom- mended SCSI ID switch settings. Is the drive bay configured for a unique SCSI ID? Yes. Go to step 19. No. Go to step 18. 17. Change the SCSI ID switch settings so that each drive bay is configured for a unique SCSI ID that does not conflict with the SCSI host adapter. Turn off the computer, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The drive bay was configured incorrectly. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 19. CAUTION: Removing the jumper plug from the READ_ONLY jumper pins and then rein- stalling the drive with the system turned on will cause all data on the drive to be erased. To preserve the data on the drive, either turn off the system, reinstall the drive, and then turn on the system, or do not reinstall the drive.

6-19 18. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. Remove the computer cover if it is not already removed. 19. Remove a drive carrier from its bay, and check all cable connections between the drive and the drive carrier. Also make sure that the SCSI ID cable is oriented correctly and is installed on the correct set of pins on the drive. Reinstall the drive carrier in its bay. Repeat this procedure for all the other drive carriers. Reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. See your system documentation for information on cable connections and the correct installation of the SCSI ID cable. Is the problem resolved? Yes. A drive carrier was not firmly seated in its con- nector on the SCSI backplane board. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 21. 20. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. 21. Check the SCSI cable connections to the SCSI backplane board and to the SCSI host adapter. Check the DC power cable connection to the SCSI backplane board. See your system documentation for the location of the cable connectors on the SCSI backplane board. Are the cables firmly connected? Yes. Go to step 24. No. Go to step 23. 22. Reseat the cable connectors, reconnect the com- puter and peripherals to their AC power sources, and turn them on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The cable connections were faulty. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 24. 23. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect all the AC power cables from their power sources. 24. Replace the SCSI cable connecting the SCSI backplane board to the SCSI host adapter. Reconnect the system to AC power, and turn it on. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The SCSI cable was faulty. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 26. 25. Partition and logically format the hard-disk drive. If possible, restore your files to the drive. To partition and logically format the drive, see the documentation for the computer’s operating system. Is the problem resolved? Yes. The hard-disk drive format was corrupted. You have fixed the problem. No. Go to step 26. 26. See Chapter 7, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.

you when you have a problem with your computer sys- tem. It also tells you when and how to call Dell for technical or customer assistance in the following situations: • If you have a technical problem, read the next sec- tion, “Technical Assistance.” • If you are looking for information about a specific subject or about Dell’s services, read “Help Tools” found later in this chapter. • If you have a problem with your order, read “Prob- lems With Your Order” found later in this chapter. • If you need to return an item for warranty repair or credit, read “Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit” found later in this chapter. • If you would like to place an order or need informa- tion about additional products available from Dell, call Dell at the appropriate telephone number listed in “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in this chapter. Technical Assistance If you need assistance with a technical problem, perform the following steps: 1. Review the Frequently Asked Questions cards, if applicable. Two information cards, one titled Frequently Asked Questions About Your Dell System and another titled Frequently Asked Questions About MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows, come with certain Dell systems. NOTE: You may also find these questions and answers in the Dell Q&A for certain systems. For more information, see “Dell Q&A” found later in this chapter. 2. Review the remaining documentation that accom- panied your Dell system. To decide which document has the answers you need, consult the Preface of your system documentation. 3. Run the diagnostics for your Dell system. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics,” for instructions on using the Dell Diagnostics program. 4. Make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist (found later in this chapter), and fill it out. NOTE: Save the Diagnostics Checklist in this chap- ter as a master so you can use it to make copies as needed. On your copy of the Diagnostics Checklist, docu- ment any error messages or beep codes as they occur so you can inform the Dell technician of them. Describe what you were doing when the error occurred. Note the steps you have taken to solve the problem. 5. Use the AutoTech service for help with installa- tion and troubleshooting procedures. For instructions on using the AutoTech service, see “AutoTech Service” found later in this chapter 6. If the preceding steps have not resolved the prob- lem and you need to talk to a Dell technician, you can call Dell’s customer technical support service. Before you call Dell, convert your service tag num- ber into an express service code. When prompted by Dell’s automated telephone system, enter the express service code to route your call directly to the proper support personnel.

If you did not convert your service tag number to an express service code the first time you turned on the system, do it before you call Dell for technical assis- tance. Find the Express Service Code icon in the Dell Accessories folder or program group. Double- click the icon and follow the directions. NOTE: Dell’s Express Service may not be available in all countries. For instructions on using the technical support ser- vice, see “Technical Support Service” and “Before You Call” found later in this chapter. Help Tools Dell provides a number of tools to assist you. Table 7-1 lists subjects you may want information about, tasks you may want to perform, and the tool(s) you can use for help. Each tool is described later in this section. Frequently Asked Questions Cards Dell anticipates some of your questions by providing two information cards with certain Dell systems. One card is Table 7-1. Help Tools Subject or Task Tool BIOS revisions TechConnect BBS Frequently asked questions Frequently Asked Questions cards, Dell Q&A, AutoTech service Information about Dell, its products, and its service and support policies TechFax service, TechConnect BBS, World Wide Web on the Internet Installation instructions System documentation, technical support service, AutoTech service Interrupt maps TechFax service Ordering parts Technical support service, TechConnect BBS Software update information TechFax service System board layouts TechFax service, system documentation Technical notes on system compatibility and revisions TechFax service Technical training class information TechFax service Technical specifications TechFax service, system documentation Troubleshooting, step-by-step instructions System documentation, Dell Diagnostics program, Auto- Tech service Unresolved problems requiring assistance from a Dell technician Technical support service, TechConnect BBS NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the abbreviations and acronyms list that precedes the Index.

tem and the other is titled Frequently Asked Questions About MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. Be sure to review these cards when you have a question about your system, MS-DOS, or the Windows 3.x or Windows 95 operating system. Dell Q&A The Dell Q&A, a Windows-based online help file that answers questions that are often asked by Dell computer users, is included with certain Dell systems that were pur- chased with the Dell-installed Windows 3.x or Windows 95 operating system. To view the Dell Q&A, open the Dell Accessories pro- gram group or folder and double-click on the Dell Q&A icon. If you need further instructions on using the Dell Q&A, click Help from the Dell Q&A button bar. System Documentation The system documentation shipped with your system includes information about installing hardware, software support utilities, and video drivers and about using the System Setup program. For certain Dell systems, the sys- tem documentation is provided online and is located in the Dell Accessories program group or folder. World Wide Web on the Internet Dell can be accessed electronically on the Internet via a World Wide Web site, a file transfer protocol (FTP) site, and electronic mail (e-mail) using the following addresses: • World Wide Web http://www.dell.com/ http://www.dell.com/intl/apcc/ (for Asian/Pacific countries only) http://www.dell.com/euro/ (for Europe only) • Anonymous FTP ftp.dell.com/ Log in as user: anonymous, and use your e-mail address as your password. • Electronic Support Service [email protected] [email protected] (for Asian/Pacific countries only) • Electronic Quote Service [email protected] [email protected] (for Asian/Pacific coun- tries only) • Electronic Information Service [email protected] Commercial Online Service Dell can be accessed electronically via CompuServe® by typing GO DELL. Dell Diagnostics Program Every Dell system comes with the Dell Diagnostics, a program that can help you determine what is wrong with the system when it does not operate correctly. This pro- gram provides valuable information for you and for Dell technicians should you need to call Dell. See Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnostics,” for instructions on using the diagnostics. You can use this diagnostic program to test major components or devices in the system, if the system can boot. AutoTech Service Dell’s automated technical support service—AutoTech— provides recorded answers to the questions most fre- quently asked by Dell customers. When you call AutoTech, you use your touch-tone tele- phone to select the subjects that correspond to your questions. You can even interrupt an AutoTech session and continue the session later. The code number that the AutoTech service gives you allows you to continue your session where you ended it. The information available through AutoTech includes: • Specifications and prices for Dell systems currently on sale • Installation instructions for Dell systems and peripherals

• Answers to questions about MS-DOS and the Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows 3.x operating systems • Help in troubleshooting your Dell system The AutoTech service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also access this service through the technical support service. For the telephone number to call, see “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in this chapter. NOTE: AutoTech is not always available in all locations outside the continental U.S. Please call your local Dell representative for information on availability. TechFax Service Dell takes full advantage of fax technology to serve you better. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you can call the Dell TechFax line toll-free for all kinds of technical information. Using a touch-tone phone, you can select from a full directory of topics. The technical information you request is sent within minutes to the fax number you designate. TechFax information includes: • Interrupt maps, system board layouts, and specifications. • Technical notes on system compatibility and revisions. • News on updates for operating systems and applica- tion programs. • Descriptions of available technical training classes. For Dell-certified technicians, TechFax offers infor- mation such as parts lists, drawings, and maintenance and repair data. For the TechFax telephone number, see “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in this chapter. NOTE: TechFax is not always available in all locations outside the continental U.S. Please call your local Dell representative for information on availability. TechConnect BBS Use your modem to access Dell’s TechConnect Bulletin Board Service (BBS) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is menu-driven and fully interactive. The modem settings for the BBS are 8 bit, no parity, 1 stop bit. You can use the BBS to do the following: • Send questions to a Dell technician • Request a follow-up call or leave a message for a Dell technical support specialist • Order parts • Download basic input/output system (BIOS) and video driver upgrades • Download updates For the BBS telephone number, see “Dell Contact Num- bers” found later in this chapter. NOTE: The TechConnect BBS is not always available in all locations outside the continental U.S. Please call your local Dell representative for information on availability. Automated Order-Status System You can call this automated service to check on the status of any Dell products that you have ordered. A recording prompts you for the information needed to locate and report on your order. For the telephone number to call, see “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in this chapter. NOTE: The Automated Order-Status System is not always available in all locations outside the continental U.S. Please call your local Dell representative for infor- mation on availability. Technical Support Service Dell’s industry-leading hardware technical support ser- vice is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At any hour of any day, a Dell technical expert is ready with the answers to your questions about Dell hardware.

track record: more than 90 percent of all problems and questions are taken care of in just one toll-free call, usu- ally in less than ten minutes. When you call, our experts can refer to records we keep on your specific Dell system to better understand your particular question. Our techni- cal support staff use computer-based diagnostics to provide fast, accurate answers to your questions. To contact Dell’s technical support service, first refer to the section titled “Before You Call” and then call the number for your country as listed in “Dell Contact Num- bers” found later in this chapter. (For information about receiving technical assistance in the U.K., refer to the Placing a Service Call card that came with your system.) NOTE: Technical support services may vary outside the continental U.S. Contact your local Dell representative for more information. Problems With Your Order If you have a problem with your order, such as missing parts, wrong parts, or incorrect billing, contact Dell Com- puter Corporation for customer assistance. Have your invoice or packing slip handy when you call. For the tele- phone number to call, see “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in this chapter. Product Information If you need information about additional products avail- able from Dell Computer Corporation, or if you would like to place an order, a sales specialist will be glad to help. For the telephone number to call, see “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in this chapter. Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit Prepare all items being returned, whether for repair or credit, as follows: 1. Call Dell to obtain an authorization number, and write it clearly and prominently on the outside of the box. For the telephone number to call, see “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in this chapter. 2. Include a copy of the invoice and a letter describ- ing the reason for the return. 3. Include a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist indi- cating the tests you have run and any error messages reported by the Dell Diagnostics. 4. Include any accessories that belong with the item(s) being returned (power cables, software diskettes, guides, and so on) if the return is for credit. 5. Pack the equipment to be returned in the original (or equivalent) packing materials. You are responsible for paying shipping expenses. You are also responsible for insuring any product returned, and you assume the risk of loss during shipment to Dell Computer Corporation. Collect on delivery (C.O.D.) packages are not accepted. Returns that are missing any of the preceding require- ments will be refused at our receiving dock and returned to you. Before You Call Keep a record of your diagnostic and troubleshooting activities by photocopying the Diagnostics Checklist in Figure 7-1 and filling it out whenever you experience a problem with the system. NOTE: Be sure to save the checklist in Figure 7-1 as a master, so you can use it to make copies as needed. The checklist can also be accessed in “Diagnostics Check- list” in the online System User’s Guide.

If you need to call Dell Computer Corporation for assis- tance, you will be able to inform the support technician of the actions you have taken to resolve the problem. If you must return a piece of hardware to Dell, a technician will assign a Return Material Authorization Number. Record the number on the checklist, and include the completed checklist in the shipping box. Dell’s technical support staff uses computer-based diag- nostics to provide fast, accurate answers to your questions. When you call, the technical support staff refers to records regarding your specific Dell system to better understand your particular question. NOTE: Have your express service code ready when you call. The code helps Dell’s automated support telephone system direct your call more efficiently. If possible, turn your system on before you call Dell for technical assistance and call from a telephone at or near the system. You may be asked to type some commands at the keyboard, relay detailed information during opera- tions, or try other troubleshooting steps possible only at the system itself. Make sure the system’s user documentation is available. You should also have a flat-blade screwdriver or a quar- ter-inch nut driver available. WARNING: If you need to remove the computer cover, be sure to first disconnect the computer sys- tem’s power and modem cables from all electrical outlets.

Address: _____________________________________________________________Phone number: ____________ Service tag (bar code on the back of the computer): ___________________________________________________ Express service code: ___________________________________________________________________________ Return Material Authorization Number (if provided by Dell support technician): ____________________________ Operating system and version: ____________________________________________________________________ Peripherals: ___________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ PC Cards or expansion cards:______________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Are you connected to a network? yes no Network, version, and network card: _______________________________________________________________ Programs and versions: __________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ See your operating system documentation to determine the contents of the system’s start-up files. If the computer is connected to a printer, print each file. Otherwise, record the contents of each file before calling Dell. Error message or beep code: ______________________________________________________________________ Description of problem and troubleshooting procedures you performed: ___________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Diagnostics Checklist

Figure 7-1. Diagnostics Checklist Dell Contact Numbers When you need to contact Dell, use the telephone num- bers and codes provided in Tables 7-2 and 7-3. Table 7-2 provides the various codes required to make long- distance and international calls. Table 7-3 provides local telephone numbers, area codes, and toll-free numbers, if applicable, for each department or service available in various countries around the world. If you are making a direct-dialed call to a location outside of your local tele- phone service area, determine which codes to use (if any) in Table 7-2 in addition to the local numbers provided in Table 7-3. For example, to place an international call from Paris, France, to Bracknell, England, dial the inter- national access code for France followed by the country code for the U.K., the city code for Bracknell, and then the local number as shown in the following illustration. To place a long-distance call within your own country, use area codes instead of international access codes, country codes, and city codes. For example, to call Paris, France from Montpellier, France, dial the area code plus the local number as shown in the following illustration. The codes required depend on where you are calling from as well as the destination of your call; in addition, each country has a different dialing protocol. If you need assis- tance in determining which codes to use, contact a local or an international operator. NOTE: Toll-free numbers are for use only within the country for which they are listed. Area codes are most often used to call long distance within your own country (not internationally)—in other words, when your call originates in the same country you are calling. 00 International Access Code (in France) 1344 City Code (Bracknell) ________ Local Number 44 Country Code (for U.K.) 01 Area Code (for Paris from outside Paris) ________ Local Number

Country (City) International Access Code Country Code City Code Australia (Sydney) 0011 61 2 Austria (Vienna) 900 43 1 Belgium (Brussels) 00 32 2 Brunei — 673 — Canada (North York, Ontario) 011 — Not required Chile (Santiago) — 56 2 China (Beijing) — 86 10 Czech Republic (Prague) 00 420 2 Denmark (Horsholm) 009 45 Not required Finland (Helsinki) 990 358 9 France (Paris) (Montpellier) 00 33 (1) (4) Germany (Langen) 00 49 6103 Hong Kong 001 852 Not required Ireland (Bray) 16 353 1 Italy (Milan) 00 39 2 Japan (Kawasaki) 001 81 44 Korea (Seoul) 001 82 2 Luxembourg 00 352 — Macau — 853 Not required Malaysia (Penang) 00 60 4 Mexico (Colonia Granada) 95 52 5 Netherlands (Amsterdam) 00 31 20 New Zealand 00 64 — Norway (Lysaker) 095 47 Not required Poland (Warsaw) 011 48 22 Singapore (Singapore) 005 65 Not required South Africa (Johannesburg) 09/091 27 11

Spain (Madrid) 07 34 1 Sweden (Upplands Vasby) 009 46 8 Switzerland (Geneva) 00 41 22 Taiwan 002 886 — Thailand 001 66 — U.K. (Bracknell) 010 44 1344 U.S.A. (Austin, Texas) 011 1 Not required Table 7-2. International Dialing Codes (continued) Country (City) International Access Code Country Code City Code Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number Australia (Sydney) Customer Technical Support (Dell Dimension® systems only) . . . . . . . . . . . 1-300-65-55-33 Customer Technical Support (Other systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-808-378 Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-819-339 Corporate Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-808-385 Transaction Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-808-312 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-818-341 Austria* (Vienna) Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491 04 0 Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0660-8779 Belgium* (Brussels) Customer Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4819288 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 0800 16884 SalesFax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4819299 Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4819100 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4819299 * For technical assistance in this country after normal working hours, use one of the following numbers: (353-1) 204 4008 or (353-1) 286 5908 (English only—the call is rerouted to the U.S.A.).

Brunei call Malaysia for sales, customer, and tech- nical assistance. Customer Technical Support (Dell Dimension systems only) (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4946 Customer Technical Support (Other systems) (Penang, Malaysia). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4966 Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Transaction Sales (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4955 Canada (North York, Ontario) NOTE: Customers in Canada call the U.S.A. for access to TechConnect BBS. Automated Order-Status System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-433-9014 AutoTech (Automated technical support). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-247-9362 Customer Care (From outside Toronto). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-387-5759 Customer Care (From within Toronto) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758-2400 Customer Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-847-4096 Sales (Direct Sales—from outside Toronto) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-387-5752 Sales (Direct Sales—from within Toronto). . . . . . . . . . . . . 416 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758-2200 Sales (Federal government, education, and medical) . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-567-7542 Sales (Major Accounts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-387-5755 TechConnect BBS (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.). . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-8528 TechFax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-950-1329 Chile (Santiago) NOTE: Customers in Chile call the U.S.A for sales, customer, and tech- nical assistance. Sales, Customer Support, and Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1230-020-4823 China (Beijing) NOTE: Customers in China call Malaysia for customer assistance. Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6846 1122 (extensions 8309 to 8314) Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers (continued) Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number

Czech Republic* (Prague) Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8728 221 Customer Service and Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879250 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66710274 Denmark* (Horsholm) Customer Care, Technical Support, and Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 800 171 62 Finland* (Helsinki) Customer Support and Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 0800-534 55 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 0800-33 55 France* (Paris/Montpellier) Technical Support (Paris) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 62 68 90 Technical Support (Montpellier) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 06 62 86 Customer Care (Major Accounts) (Paris) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 62 69 39 Customer Care (VAR Accounts) (Paris) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 62 69 26 Customer Care (Direct Sales) (Paris) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 62 69 76 TechFax (Montpellier) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 22 53 11 TechConnect BBS (Montpellier) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 22 53 04 Switchboard (Paris). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 62 68 50 Switchboard (Montpellier). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 06 65 51 Germany* (Langen) Customer Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06103 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971-200 Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06103 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971-500 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06103 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971-666 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06103 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971-460 Hong Kong NOTE: Customers in Hong Kong call Malaysia for technical assistance for Dell Dimension systems and for customer assistance. Technical Support (Dell Dimension systems only) (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4948 Technical Support (Other systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 800 96 4107 Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Transaction Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 800 96 4109 Corporate Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 800 96 4108 * For technical assistance in this country after normal working hours, use one of the following numbers: (353-1) 204 4008 or (353-1) 286 5908 (English only—the call is rerouted to the U.S.A.). Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers (continued) Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number

Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-850-235-235 SalesFax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 2020 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 6848 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 4761 TechFax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 4044 Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 0500 Italy* (Milan) Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264 21 820 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264 13 420 Japan (Kawasaki) Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 0088-22-7890 Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 044 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556-4240 Direct Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 044 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556-3344 Commercial Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 044 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556-3430 556-3440 Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 044 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556-4300 Korea (Seoul) NOTE: Customers in Korea call Malaysia for customer assistance. Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 080-200-3800 Transaction Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 080-200-3600 Corporate Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 080-200-3900 Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 3122 Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 5600 * For technical assistance in this country after normal working hours, use one of the following numbers: (353-1) 204 4008 or (353-1) 286 5908 (English only—the call is rerouted to the U.S.A.). Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers (continued) Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number

Latin America NOTE: Customers in Latin America call the U.S.A. for sales, customer, and technical assistance. Customer Technical Support (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.). . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-4093 Customer Service (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-3619 Fax (Technical Support and Customer Service) (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-3883 Sales (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-4397 SalesFax (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-4600 728-3772 Luxembourg* NOTE: Customers in Luxembourg may call Belgium for sales, customer, and technical assistance as well as the SalesFax service, and they call the Netherlands for the TechFax and TechConnect BBS services. Customer Technical Support (Brussels, Belgium) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 0800 2109 Customer Service (Luxembourg). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295151 Customer Service (Brussels, Belgium). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .481 92 99 SalesFax (Brussels, Belgium) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .481 92 44 TechFax (Amsterdam, Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682 91 06 TechConnect BBS (Amsterdam, Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686 65 04 Macau NOTE: Customers in Macau call Malaysia for technical assistance for Dell Dimension systems and for customer assis- tance. Technical Support (Dell Dimension systems only) (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4948 Technical Support (Other systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 0800 582 Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Transaction Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 0800 581 Malaysia (Penang) Technical Support (Dell Dimension systems only) . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4946 Technical Support (Other systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 1 800 888 298 Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Transaction Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 1 800 888 202 Corporate Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 1 800 888 213 * For technical assistance in this country after normal working hours, use one of the following numbers: (353-1) 204 4008 or (353-1) 286 5908 (English only—the call is rerouted to the U.S.A.). Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers (continued) Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number

Mexico call the U.S.A. for access to the Automated Order-Status System and AutoTech. Automated Order-Status System (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-0685 AutoTech (Automated technical support) (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-0686 Customer Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228-7870 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228-7811 toll free: 91-800-900-37 toll free: 91-800-904-49 Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228-7878 Main. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228-7800 Netherlands* (Amsterdam) Customer Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5818838 Direct Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 0800-0663 Direct SalesFax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682 7171 Corporate Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581 8818 Corporate SalesFax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686 8003 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686 6504 New Zealand Technical Support (Dell Dimension systems only) ($2.50 + GST per call). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0900 51010 Technical Support (Other systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0800 446 255 Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0800 444 617 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0800 441 567 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0800 441 566 Norway* (Lysaker) Customer Technical Support and Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-67 50 00 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67-125 711 Poland* (Warsaw) Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620-7898 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620-4584 * For technical assistance in this country after normal working hours, use one of the following numbers: (353-1) 204 4008 or (353-1) 286 5908 (English only—the call is rerouted to the U.S.A.). Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers (continued) Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number

Singapore (Singapore) NOTE: Customers in Sin- gapore call Malaysia for technical assistance for Dell Dimension systems and for customer assis- tance. Technical Support (Dell Dimension systems only) (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4947 Technical Support (Other systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 800 6011 051 Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Transaction Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 800 6011 054 Corporate Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 800 6011 053 South Africa (Johannesburg) Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709 7700 Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709 7710 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706 0495 Southeast Asian/ Pacific Countries (excluding Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand— see individual listings for these countries) Customer Technical Support, Customer Service, and Sales (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 4 810-4810 Spain* (Madrid) Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .902 100 130 Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329 10 80 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329 33 53 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .902 100 185 Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .722 92 00 Sweden* (Upplands Vasby) Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .590 05 199 Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .590 05 169 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .590 05 591 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .590 05 185 * For technical assistance in this country after normal working hours, use one of the following numbers: (353-1) 204 4008 or (353-1) 286 5908 (English only—the call is rerouted to the U.S.A.). Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers (continued) Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number

Commercial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .799 01 01 Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .799 01 50 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .799 01 90 Taiwan NOTE: Customers in Tai- wan call Malaysia for cus- tomer assistance. Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 0080 651 226/0800 33 557 Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Transaction Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 0080 651 228/0800 33 556 Corporate Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .toll free: 0080 651 227/0800 33 555 Thailand NOTE: Customers in Thailand call Malaysia for customer assistance. Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 0880 060 07 Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4949 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 0880 060 06 U.K.* (Bracknell) Customer Technical Support (Dell Dimension systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01344 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .720111 Customer Technical Support (Other systems) . . . . . . . . . 01344 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .723723 Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01344 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .720110 TechFax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01344 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .723178 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01344 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .723858 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01344 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .720000 * For technical assistance in this country after normal working hours, use one of the following numbers: (353-1) 204 4008 or (353-1) 286 5908 (English only—the call is rerouted to the U.S.A.). Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers (continued) Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number

U.S.A. (Austin, Texas) Automated Order-Status System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-433-9014 AutoTech (Automated technical support). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-247-9362 Customer Technical Support (Desktops) (Return Material Authorization Numbers—warranty repairs) . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-624-9896 Customer Technical Support (Server Hotline) (Return Material Authorization Numbers—warranty repairs) . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-967-1068 Dell Customer Service (Credit Return Authorization Numbers). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-624-9897 Dell Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-247-4618 DellWare® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-753-7201 DellWare FaxBack Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-1681 Fee-Based Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-433-9005 Sales (Catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-426-5150 Spare Parts Sales: Dell Direct1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-274-1490 Major Accounts2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-357-3355 Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-727-8320 TechFax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 1-800-950-1329 TechConnect BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-8528 Switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338-4400 1 Use this telephone number if your call is about a system purchased for home, personal, or small-business use. 2 Use this number if you are calling for an established Dell national account (have your account number handy), if you work for a governmental agency (local, state, or federal), or if you work for an educational or medical institution. Table 7-3. Dell Contact Numbers (continued) Country (City) Area Local Number or Department Name or Service Code Toll-Free Number