Dell Latitude CP, Reference And Troubleshooting Manual, Page: 49 / 136

Troubleshooting Your Computer 3-13
the documentation that accompanied the software or con-
sult 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 perfor-
mance of the programs they infect. Several commercial
virus-scanning programs are available for purchase, and
most bulletin board services (BBSs) archive freely dis-
tributed 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 trans-
ferring the appropriate program files to your computer’s
hard-disk drive. Installation instructions may provide
details about how to configure your operating system
to run the program successfully. Always read the
installation instructions before running a program’s
installation routine. You may be instructed to modify the
initialization or startup files of your operating system.
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.
Initialization or Startup Files
Whenever you start or reboot your computer, your oper-
ating system executes commands it finds in its
initialization or startup files.
These files contain commands that automatically
configure the operating environment by setting system
parameters, starting memory-resident programs, and
loading device driver software. If you experience
program conflicts or memory error messages, check
the commands for memory-resident programs in the
initialization or startup files of your operating system. If a
program or peripheral does not work correctly, check the
documentation that came with the product to see if you
need to modify these files.
Using Software
The following subsections discuss errors that can occur
while using your software.
Error Messages
Error messages can be produced by an application pro-
gram, the operating system, or the computer. “Messages
and Codes,” found earlier in this chapter, discusses the
error messages that are generated by the computer. If you
receive an error message that is not listed in that section,
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 accom-
modate 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. Occasionally, when you
modify the operating environment, you may need to rein-
stall 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 initialization or start-
up files contain commands to start TSR programs when
you boot your computer. If you suspect that one of these
TSR programs is causing a memory conflict, remove the