Basic Troubleshooting
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This chapter describes basic troubleshooting procedures that can help you
diagnose a computer system problem. These procedures can often reveal the
source of a problem or indicate the correct starting point for troubleshooting
the system. For a brief explanation of how to load and start the system diag-
nostics, see “Running the Dell Diagnostics” found later in this chapter. Dell
recommends that you perform the following procedures in the order they are
presented in this manual.
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When you first contact a user who has a problem, ask the user to describe the
problem and the conditions under which it occurs. A verbal description can
often indicate the cause of a problem or indicate the appropriate troubleshoot-
ing procedure to use. After the user describes the problem, follow these
steps:
1.
Ask the user to back up any data on the hard-disk drive if the system’s con-
dition permits.
Appendix C, “Maintaining the System,” in the
User’s Guide provides infor-
mation about backing up data.
2. Ask the user to try to duplicate the problem by repeating the operations he
or she was performing at the time the problem occurred.
Can the user duplicate the problem?
Yes. Proceed to step 3.
No. Proceed to the next section, “External Visual Inspection.”
