Finding
Software Solutions: Dell™ PowerEdge™
2300 Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Because most
computer systems have several applications installed in addition to the operating system,
isolating a software problem can be confusing. Software errors can also appear to be
hardware malfunctions at first.
Software
problems can result from the following circumstances:
- Improper installation or configuration of a
program
- Input errors
- Device drivers that may conflict with certain
applications
- Interrupt conflicts between devices
You can confirm that a computer system problem is caused by
software by running the System Set Test Group as described in Running the Dell Diagnostics. If all tests in the
test group complete successfully, the error condition is most likely caused by software.
This section
provides some general guidelines for analyzing software problems. For detailed
troubleshooting information on a particular program, see the documentation that
accompanied the software or consult the support service for the software.
You should
use virus-scanning software to check newly acquired programs and files for viruses before
installing the programs on the computer's hard-disk drive. Viruses, which are pieces of
code that can replicate themselves, can quickly use all available system memory, damage
and/or destroy data stored on the hard-disk drive, and permanently affect the performance
of the programs they infect. Several commercial virus-scanning programs are available for
purchase, and most bulletin board services (BBSs) archive freely distributed
virus-scanning programs that you can download with a modem.
Before
installing a program, you should 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 documentation and a software installation
routine on its program diskettes.
The software
installation routine assists users in transferring the appropriate program files to the
computer's hard-disk drive. Installation instructions may provide details about how to
configure the operating system to successfully run the program. You should always read the
installation instructions before running a program's installation routine.
When you run
the installation routine, you should be prepared to respond to prompts for information
about how the computer's operating system is configured, what type of computer you have,
and what peripherals are connected to the computer.
The following
subsections discuss errors that can occur as a result of software operation or
configuration.
Error Messages
Error
messages can be produced by an application, the operating system, or the computer. Messages and Codes discusses the error
messages that are generated by the computer. If you receive an error message that is not
listed in Chapter 3, check the operating system or application 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 the application to make sure that the values
or characters you are entering are valid.
Make sure
that the operating environment is set up to accommodate 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 the programs. Sometimes, after modifying the operating
environment, you may need to reinstall a program that no longer runs properly.
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 the system can confirm whether or
not these programs are the cause of the problem.
There are also programs that use
specialized subroutines called device drivers that can cause problems with the computer
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--by creating 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.
Avoiding 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 Table 1 to configure the card for one of the
available IRQ lines.
| IRQ Line
|
Used/Available
|
IRQ0 |
Used by the system timer |
IRQ1 |
Used by the keyboard to signal that the output buffer is full |
IRQ2 |
Used by interrupt controller 1 to enable IRQ8 through IRQ15 |
IRQ3 |
Used by serial port 2 (COM2 and COM4) |
IRQ4 |
Used by serial port 1 (COM1 and COM3) |
IRQ5 |
Available unless used by a secondary parallel port |
IRQ6 |
Used by the diskette drive controller |
IRQ7 |
Used by the primary parallel port |
IRQ8 |
Used by the RTC |
IRQ9 |
Used for power management functions |
IRQ10 |
Available |
IRQ11 |
Available |
IRQ12 |
Used by the PS/2 mouse port unless mouse is disabled in System
Setup program |
IRQ13 |
Used by the math coprocessor |
IRQ14 |
Available |
IRQ15 |
Used by embedded server management functions |
 NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table,
see the Abbreviations and Acronyms list. |
