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Make sure that problems are not caused by a virus
—
use a virus- scanning application program to check the software installation diskettes or CDs
before using them.
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After you have checked the software installation diskettes or CDs with a virus-scanning application program, you should disable the virus- scanning
application program before installing the software. You should also disable any other application programs that are "hidden," or operate in the
background.
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Verify that the program's device drivers do not conflict with certain application programs.
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Confirm that a problem is software-related by running the
System Board Devices
tests in the
Dell Diagnostics
. If all tests run successfully, the error
condition may be related to a software problem.
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Ensure that the use of terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs has not resulted in a memory conflict.
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Remove or confirm the possibility of a program conflict by rebooting your computer system.
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Make sure that a
hardware conflict
does not exist between devices.
Operating System Compatibility
Make sure the computer's operating environment is set up to accommodate the application programs you use. Whenever you change the operating
environment parameters, you may also affect the successful operation of the application programs. Sometimes, after modifying the operating environment, you
may need to reinstall a program that no longer runs properly.
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.
Error Messages
Error messages are produced by the operating system, an application program, or the computer. "
Messages and Codes
" discusses error messages that are
generated by the operating system. If you receive an error message that is not listed in "
Messages and Codes
," check your computer or application program
documentation.
Device Drivers
Programs that use specialized subroutines called
device drivers
can also cause problems with your 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 program
—
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.
Memory-Resident Programs
Many utilities and supplementary programs load 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 suspect 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.
Program Conflicts
Some programs may leave portions of their setup information behind, even though you have exited from them. As a result, other programs cannot run.
Rebooting your system can confirm whether these programs are causing the problem.
Memory Address Conflicts
Memory address conflicts occur when two or more devices try to access the same address in the upper memory blocks (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 in to 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.
Interrupt Assignment Conflicts
Problems can arise if two devices attempt to use the same interrupt request (IRQ) line. To avoid this type of conflict, check the documentation for the default
IRQ-line setting for each installed expansion card. Then consult the following table to configure the card for one of the available IRQ lines.
NOTE:
The following table lists
default
IRQ settings. In systems with Plug and Play capabilities, you can modify the defaults. If you install a Plug and Play
card in a Plug and Play computer, the computer automatically selects an open IRQ line if any are available. If you install a non-Plug and Play card, you
may need to run the ISA Configuration Utility to determine the current IRQ settings and to find an available IRQ line.
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