Alienware Sentia 3450 Technical Reference
101
Upgrading and Adding New Hardware/Software
• Do not be tempted to make changes to your Windows Registry unless you are
very sure of what you are doing, otherwise you will risk severely damaging
your system.
• Don’t open your computer or undertake any repair or upgrade work if you are
not comfortable with what you are doing.
• Read the documentation. We can assume, since you are reading this
that you are looking at the computer’s manual, but what about any
new peripheral devices you have just purchased? Many problems are
caused by the installation of new hardware and/or software. Always refer to
the documentation of any new hardware and/or software, and pay particular
attention to files entitled “READ ME” or “READ ME FIRST”.
• When installing a new device always make sure the device is powered on, and
in many cases you will need to restart the computer. Always check that all the
cables are correctly connected.
• Make sure you have installed the drivers for any new hardware you have
installed (latest driver files are usually available to download from vendor’s
websites).
• Thoroughly check any recent changes you made to your system as these
changes may affect one or more system components, or software programs.
If possible, go back and undo the change you just made and see if
the problem still occurs.
• Don’t over complicate things. The less you have to deal with then the easier
the source of the problem may be found; Example - if your computer has many
devices plugged into its ports, and a number of programs running, then it will
be difficult to determine the cause of a problem. Try disconnecting all of
the devices and restarting the computer with all the peripheral
devices unplugged. A process of elimination (adding and removing
devices and restarting where necessary) will often find the source of
a problem, although this may be time consuming.
