Solving Problems

To access the Tell Me How help file

Click the Start button, point to Programs—>User's Guides, and then click Tell Me How.

To access Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Help

Click the Start button and then click Help.
Click the Search tab.
Type a word or phrase that describes your problem and then click List Topics.
Click the topic that describes your problem and then click Display.
Follow the instructions shown on the screen.

To access Windows Me Help

Click the Start button and then click Help.
Type a word or phrase that describes your problem in the Search box and then click Go.
Click the topic that describes your problem and then click Display.
Follow the instructions shown on the screen.

Power Problems

HINT: See the Tell Me How help file for information on standby mode.

Check the power light— When the power light is lit or blinking, the computer has power. If the power light is blinking, the computer is in standby mode—press the power button to exit standby mode. If the power light is off, press the power button.

Check the battery— If you are using a battery to power your computer, the battery charge may be depleted. Connect the computer to an electrical outlet using the AC adapter, and turn on the computer.

Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is working by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

Check the AC adapter— Be sure that the power cable is firmly inserted into the electrical outlet and the green light on the AC adapter is on.

Connect the computer directly to an electrical outlet— Bypass power protection devices, power strips, and the extension cable to verify that the computer turns on.

Check for interference— Electrical appliances on the same circuit or operating near the computer can cause interference. Other causes of interference: power extension cables, too many devices on a power strip, or multiple power strips connected to the same electrical outlet.

Adjust the Power Properties— See the Tell Me How help file or search for the keyword standby in Windows Help.

Reseat the memory modules— If your computer power light turns on but the display remains blank, you may need to reseat the memory modules.

Start-Up Error Messages

Operating system not found— Contact Dell for technical assistance. See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Solutions Guide that came with your computer for contact information.

Insert bootable media— The operating system is trying to boot to a nonbootable floppy disk or CD. Insert a bootable floppy disk or CD.

Non-system disk error— A floppy disk is in the floppy drive. Remove the floppy disk and restart the computer.

Video and Display Problems

If the display is blank

If the display is difficult to read

Adjust the brightness— See the Tell Me How help file for instructions on adjusting the brightness.

Move the subwoofer away from the computer or monitor— If your external speaker system includes a subwoofer, ensure that the subwoofer is at least 60 cm (2 ft) away from the computer or external monitor.

Eliminate possible interference— Turn off nearby fans, fluorescent lights, or halogen lamps to check for interference.

Rotate the computer to face a different direction— Eliminate sunlight glare, which can cause poor picture quality.

Restore the recommended settings— Restore the original resolution and refresh rate settings. For more information, see the Tell Me How help file for instructions.

Adjust the Windows display settings—

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Display icon and then click the Settings tab.
Try different settings for Colors and Screen area.

Sound and Speaker Problems

Integrated Speakers

Adjust the Windows volume control— Double-click the yellow speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that the volume is turned up and that the sound is not muted.

Check the volume control buttons— Press both volume control buttons simultaneously or press <Fn><End> to disable (mute) or reenable the integrated speakers.

Reinstall the sound (audio) driver— See "Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities."

External Speakers

HINT: The volume control in some MP3 players overrides the Windows volume setting. If you have been listening to MP3 songs, make sure that you did not turn the player volume down or off.

Verify the speaker cable connections— Ensure that the speakers are connected as shown on the setup diagram supplied with the speakers.

Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is working by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

Ensure that the speakers are turned on— See the setup diagram supplied with the speakers.

Adjust the speaker controls— Adjust the volume, bass, or treble controls to eliminate distortion.

Adjust the Windows volume control— Double-click the yellow speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that the volume is turned up and that the sound is not muted.

Test the speakers— Plug the speaker audio cable into the headphone connector on the side of the computer. Ensure that the headphone volume control is turned up. Play a music CD.

Run the speaker self-test— Some speaker systems have a self-test button on the subwoofer. See the speaker documentation for self-test instructions.

Move the subwoofer away from the computer or monitor— If your external speaker system includes a subwoofer, ensure that the subwoofer is at least 60 m (2 ft) away from the computer or external monitor.

Eliminate possible interference— Turn off nearby fans, fluorescent lights, or halogen lamps to check for interference.

Reinstall the sound (audio) driver— See "Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities."

Printer Problems

If you cannot print to a parallel port printer

Verify the printer cable connections— Ensure that the printer cable is connected (see "Connecting a Printer" in the Dell Solutions Guide that came with your computer).

Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is working by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

Ensure that the printer is turned on— See the documentation supplied with the printer.

Verify that the printer is recognized by Windows—

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers.

If the printer is listed, right-click the printer icon, click Properties, and then select the Details tab.

Ensure that the Print to the following port: setting is LPT1 (Printer Port).

Reinstall the printer driver— See "Installing the Printer Driver" in the Dell Solutions Guide that came with your computer.

If you cannot print to a USB printer

Verify the printer cable connections— Ensure that the printer cable is connected correctly.

Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is working by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

Ensure that the printer is turned on— See the documentation supplied with the printer.

Verify that the printer is recognized by Windows—

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers.

If the printer is listed, right-click the printer icon, click Properties, and then select the Details tab.

Ensure that the Print to the following port: setting is USB.

Reinstall the printer driver— See "Installing the Printer Driver" in the Dell Solutions Guide that came with your computer.

Modem Problems

NOTICE: Connect the modem to an analog telephone wall jack only. Connecting the modem to a digital telephone network damages the modem.

Check the telephone jack— Disconnect the telephone line from the modem and connect it to a telephone. Listen for a dial tone.

Connect the modem directly to the telephone wall jack— If you have other telephone devices sharing the line, such as an answering machine, fax machine, surge protector, or line splitter, then bypass them and connect the modem directly to the telephone wall jack with the telephone line.

Check the connection— Verify that the telephone line is connected to the modem.

Check the telephone line— Try using a different telephone line. If you are using a line that is 3 m (10 ft) or more in length, try a shorter one.

Verify that the modem is communicating with Windows—

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
In the Control Panel window, double-click Modems.

If there are multiple entries for the same modem or modems listed that are not installed, delete the entries and restart the computer.

Click the Diagnostics tab.
Click the COM port for your modem.
Click More Info to verify that the modem is communicating with Windows.

If all commands receive responses, the modem is operating properly.

Scanner Problems

Check the power cable connection— Ensure that the scanner power cable is firmly connected to a working electrical power source and that the scanner is turned on.

Check the scanner cable connection— Ensure that the scanner cable is firmly connected to the computer and to the scanner.

Unlock the scanner— Ensure that your scanner is unlocked if it has a locking tab or button.

Reinstall the scanner driver— See the scanner documentation for instructions.

Touch Pad Problems

Check the touch pad settings— Click the Start button, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the Mouse icon. Try adjusting the settings.

External Keyboard Problems

HINT: If you connect an external PS/2 keyboard or keypad to the computer, the numeric keypad on the integrated keyboard is disabled. If you connect an external USB keyboard or keypad to the computer, the numeric keypad remains enabled.

Disconnect the keyboard cable— Shut down the computer. Disconnect the keyboard cable and check the cable connector for bent or broken pins.

Unexpected Characters

Disable the numeric keypad— Press the <Num Lk> key to disable the numeric keypad. Verify that the numbers lock light is not lit.

Drive Problems

HINT: For information on saving files to a floppy disk, see the Tell Me How help file.

If you cannot save a file to a floppy disk

Ensure that Windows recognizes the drive— Double-click the My Computer icon. If the floppy drive is not listed, perform a full scan with your antivirus software to check for and remove viruses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.

Cannot save files to a floppy disk— Ensure that the floppy disk is not full or write-protected (locked). See the following figure.

Test the drive with another floppy disk— Insert another floppy disk to eliminate the possibility that the original floppy disk is defective.

If you cannot play a music CD or install a program from a CD

HINT: High-speed CD drive vibration is normal and may cause noise. This noise does not indicate a defect in the drive or the CD.

Ensure that Windows recognizes the drive— Double-click the My Computer icon. If the CD drive is not listed, perform a full scan with your antivirus software to check for and remove viruses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.

Test the drive with another CD— Insert another CD to eliminate the possibility that the original CD is defective.

Clean the disc— See the Tell Me How help file for instructions.

Adjust the Windows volume control— Double-click the yellow speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that the volume is turned up and that the sound is not muted.

If you have one CD in the fixed optical drive and one CD in the media bay drive— Identify which CD is not playing:

Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
Double-click the drive letter of the device the you are verifying.

If you cannot play a DVD movie

HINT: Because of different worldwide file types, not all DVD titles work in all DVD drives.

Ensure that Windows recognizes the drive— Double-click the My Computer icon. If the DVD drive is not listed, perform a full scan with your antivirus software to check for and remove viruses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.

Test the drive with another DVD— Insert another DVD to eliminate the possibility that the original DVD is defective.

Clean the disc— See the Tell Me How help file for instructions.

If the CD-RW drive stops writing

HINT: If you must disable standby mode to write to a CD-RW drive, remember to enable standby mode again when you finish writing the CD.

Disable standby mode in Windows before writing to a
CD-RW disk— Search for the keyword standby in Windows Help.

Change the write speed to a slower rate— The CD-RW drive must receive a steady stream of data when writing. If the stream is interrupted, an error occurs. Closing all programs before writing to the CD-RW may also alleviate the problem.

If you have a hard drive problem

Check the hard drive for errors—
Windows Me:
Click the Start button, point to Programs—> Accessories—> System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.
Windows 2000:

Double-click the My Computer icon.
Right-click the Local Disk icon and then click Properties.
Click the Tools tab.
Click Check Now.

Network Problems

Check the network cable connector— Ensure that the network cable connector is firmly connected to the connector on the computer and the network wall jack.

Check the network lights on the network connector— Green indicates that the network connection is active. If the status light is not green, try replacing the network cable. Amber indicates that the network card driver is loaded and the card is detecting activity.

Restart the computer— Try to log on to the network again.

Contact your network administrator— Verify that your network settings are correct and that the network is functioning.

Windows® Error Messages

x:\ is not accessible. The device is not ready— Insert a disk into the drive and try again.

A filename cannot contain any of the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > |— Do not use these characters in filenames.

Not enough memory or resources. Close some programs and try again— You have too many programs open. Close all windows and open the program that you want to use.

The file being copied is too large for the destination drive— The file that you are trying to copy is too large to fit on the disk, or the disk is too full. Try copying the file to a different disk or use a larger capacity disk.

A required .DLL file was not found— The program that you are trying to open is missing an essential file. To remove and then reinstall the program:
Windows Me:

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
Select the program that you want to remove.
Click Add/Remove and follow the prompts on the screen.
See the program documentation for installation instructions.

Windows 2000:

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
Select the program that you want to remove.
Click Change/Remove and follow the prompts on the screen.
See the program documentation for installation instructions.

General Program Problems

A program crashes

See the software documentation— Many software manufacturers maintain websites with information that may help you to solve the problem.

A program stops responding

Press <Ctrl><Alt><Del>— In the Close Program window, select the program that is no longer responding. Then click End Task.

A solid blue screen appears

Turn the computer off— If the computer does not respond to a keystroke or a proper shutdown, press the power button until the computer turns off. Press the power button again to restart the computer. The solid blue screen appears because you were not able to perform a proper Windows shutdown. ScanDisk will automatically run during the start-up process. Follow the instructions on the screen.

E-Mail Problems

Review "Sending and Receiving E-mail"— See "Setting Up" in the Dell Solutions Guide that came with your computer.

Ensure that you are connected to the Internet— With the Outlook Express e-mail program open, click File. If Work Offline has a check next to it, click the check to remove it and connect to the Internet.

If Your Computer Gets Wet

CAUTION: Perform this procedure only after you are certain that it is safe to do so. If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, Dell recommends that you turn off AC power at the circuit breaker before attempting to remove the power cables from the electrical outlet. Use the utmost caution when removing wet cables from a live power source.

Turn off the computer, disconnect the AC adapter from the computer, and disconnect the AC adapter from the electrical outlet.
Turn off any attached external devices, and disconnect them from their power sources and then from the computer.
Ground yourself by touching one of the metal connectors on the back of the computer.
Remove the media bay device and any installed PC Cards, and put them in a safe place to dry.
Remove the battery.
Wipe off the battery and put it in a safe place to dry.
Remove the hard drive.
Remove the memory modules.
Open the display and place the computer right-side up across two books or similar props to let air circulate all around it. Let the computer dry for at least 24 hours in a dry area at room temperature.

NOTICE: Do not use artificial means, such as a hair dryer or a fan, to speed the drying process.

CAUTION: To help prevent electrical shock, verify that the computer is thoroughly dry before continuing with the remainder of this procedure.

Ground yourself by touching one of the metal connectors on the back of the computer.
Replace the memory modules, the memory module cover, and the screw.
Replace the hard drive.
Replace the media bay device and any PC Cards you removed.
Replace the battery, and connect the computer to an electrical outlet.
Turn on the computer and verify that it is working properly.

If the computer does not start, or if you cannot identify the damaged components, contact Dell for technical assistance. See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Solutions Guide that came with your computer for contact information.

If You Drop or Damage Your Computer

Save and close any open files, exit any open programs, and shut down the computer.
Disconnect the AC adapter from the computer, and disconnect the AC adapter from the electrical outlet.
Turn off any attached external devices, and disconnect them from their power sources and then from the computer.
Remove and reinstall the battery.
Turn on the computer.

If the computer does not turn on, or if you cannot identify the damaged components, contact Dell for technical assistance. See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Solutions Guide that came with your computer for contact information.

Resolving Other Technical Problems

Go to the Dell support website— Go to http://support.dell.com for help with general usage, installation, and troubleshooting questions.

E-mail Dell— Go to http://support.dell.com and then click E-Mail Dell in the Communicate list. Send an e-mail message to Dell about your problem; you can expect to receive an e-mail message from Dell within hours.

Call Dell— If you cannot solve your problem using the Dell support website or e-mail service, contact Dell for technical assistance. See "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Solutions Guide that came with your computer for contact information.

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