If you experience a problem with your computer, perform the checks in "Solving Problems" and run the Dell Diagnostics before you contact Dell for technical assistance. Running the Dell Diagnostics may help you resolve the problem without contacting Dell. If you do contact Dell, the test results can provide important information for Dell's service and support personnel.
The Dell Diagnostics allows you to:
Perform tests on one or all devices.
Select tests based on a symptom of the problem you are having.
Choose how many times a test is run.
Suspend testing if an error is detected.
Access help information that describes the tests and devices.
Receive status messages that tell you whether tests completed successfully.
It is recommended that you print these procedures before you begin.
NOTICE: Use the Dell Diagnostics to test your Dell™ computer only. Using
this program with other computers can result in error messages.
Enter system setup, review your computer's configuration information, and ensure that the device you want to test displays in system setup and is active.
Start the Dell Diagnostics from either your hard drive or from the Drivers and Utilities CD (also known as the ResourceCD).
When the DELL™ logo appears, press<F12> immediately.
NOTE: If you see a message stating that no diagnostics utility partition has
been found, run the Dell Diagnostics from your Drivers and Utilities CD.
If you wait too long and the Microsoft® Windows® logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop. Then shut down your computer through the Start menu and try again.
When the boot device list appears, highlight Boot to Utility Partition
and press <Enter>.
When the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu appears, select the test you
want to run.
When the DELL logo appears, press <F12> immediately.
If you wait too long and the Windows logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop. Then shut down your computer through the Start menu and try again.
NOTE: This feature changes the boot sequence for one time only. On the next
start-up, the computer boots according to the devices specified in system setup.
When the boot device list appears, highlight IDE CD-ROM Device
and press <Enter>.
Select the IDE CD-ROM Device option from the CD boot menu.
Select the Boot from CD-ROM option from the menu that appears.
Type 1 to start the ResourceCD menu.
Type 2 to start the Dell Diagnostics.
Select Run the 32 Bit Dell Diagnostics from the numbered list. If
multiple versions are listed, select the version appropriate for your
computer.
When the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu appears, select the test you
want to run.
If a problem is encountered during a test, a message appears with an
error code and a description of the problem. Write down the error code
and problem description and follow the instructions on the screen.
If you cannot resolve the error condition, contact Dell.
NOTE: The Service Tag for your computer is located at the top of each test
screen. If you contact Dell, technical support will ask for your Service Tag
number.
If you run a test from the Custom Test or Symptom Tree option, click
the applicable tab described in the following table for more
information.
A driver is a program that controls a device such as a printer, mouse, or keyboard. All devices require a driver program.
A driver acts like a translator between the device and any other programs that use the device. Each device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver recognizes.
Dell ships your computer to you with required drivers already installed—no further installation or configuration is needed.
NOTICE: The Drivers and Utilities CD may contain drivers for operating
systems that are not on your computer. Ensure that you are installing software
appropriate for your operating system.
Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with your Microsoft® Windows® operating system. You may need to install drivers if you:
Under Pick a Category, click Performance and Maintenance.
Click System.
In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab.
Click Device Manager.
Scroll down the list to see if any device has an exclamation point (a
yellow circle with a [!]) on the device icon.
If an exclamation point is next to the device name, you may need to reinstall the driver or install a new driver (see "Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities)."
NOTICE: The Dell Support website at support.dell.com and your Drivers and
Utilities CD provide approved drivers for Dell™ computers. If you install
drivers obtained from other sources, your computer might not work correctly.
If a problem occurs on your computer after you install or update a driver, use Windows XP Device Driver Rollback to replace the driver with the previously installed version.
Click the Start button and click Control Panel.
Under Pick a Category, click Performance and Maintenance.
Click System.
In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab.
Click Device Manager.
Right-click the device for which the new driver was installed and click
Properties.
Click the Drivers tab.
Click Roll Back Driver.
If Device Driver Rollback does not resolve the problem, then use System Restore to return your computer to the operating state that existed before you installed the new driver.
If using Device Driver Rollback or System Restore does not resolve the problem, then reinstall the driver from the Drivers and Utilities CD (also known as the ResourceCD).
NOTE: To access device drivers and user documentation, you must use the
Drivers and Utilities CD while your computer is running Windows.
Insert the Drivers and Utilities CD.
If this is your first time to use the Drivers and Utilities CD, the Installation window opens to inform you that the CD will begin the installation. Click OK and respond to the installation program prompts to complete the installation.
Click Next at the Welcome Dell System Owner screen.
Choose the appropriate selections for System Model, Operating
System, Device Type, and Topic.
Click My Drivers in the Topic drop-down menu.
The Drivers and Utilities CD scans your computer's hardware and operating system and then displays a list of device drivers for your system configuration.
Click the appropriate driver and follow the instructions to download
the driver for your computer.
To view a list of all available drivers for your computer, click Drivers in the Topic drop-down menu.
To access the help files on the Drivers and Utilities CD, click the question mark button or the Help link at the top of the screen.
NOTICE: Before performing the installation, back up all data files on your primary hard drive.
For conventional hard drive configurations, the primary hard drive is the first drive detected by
the computer.
To reinstall Windows XP, you need the following items:
Dell Operating System CD
Dell ResourceCD
NOTE: The Dell ResourceCD contains drivers that were factory-installed during assembly of the
computer. Use the ResourceCD to load any required drivers, including those drivers required if
your computer has a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) controller.
Product Key (Product ID Number) ____________________
NOTE: The Product Key is the bar code number on the sticker that is located on the external
side cover of your computer. You may be prompted for the Product Key when using the Operating
System CD under certain conditions.
To reinstall Windows XP, perform all the steps in the following sections in the order in which they are listed.
The reinstallation process can take 1 to 2 hours to complete. After you reinstall the operating system, you must also reinstall the device drivers, virus protection program, and other software.
NOTICE: The Operating System CD provides options for reinstalling Windows XP. The options
can overwrite files and possibly affect programs installed on your hard drive. Therefore, do not
reinstall Windows XP unless instructed to do so by a Dell technical support representative.
NOTICE: To prevent conflicts with Windows XP, disable any virus protection software installed
on your computer before you reinstall Windows XP. See the documentation that came with the
software for instructions.
When the Windows XP Setup screen appears, press <Enter> to select To set up
Windows now.
Read the information on the Microsoft Windows Licensing Agreement screen, and
press <F8> to accept the license agreement.
If your computer already has Windows XP installed and you want to recover your
current Windows XP data, type r to select the repair option, and then remove the CD
from the drive.
If you want to install a new copy of Windows XP, press <Esc> to select that option.
Press <Enter> to select the highlighted partition (recommended), and then follow
the instructions on the screen.
The Windows XP Setup screen appears, and the operating system begins to copy files and install the devices. The computer automatically restarts multiple times.
NOTE: The time required to complete the setup depends on the size of the hard drive and the
speed of your computer.
NOTICE: Do not press any key when the following message appears: Press any key to
boot from the CD.
When the Regional and Language Options screen appears, select the settings for your
location, and then click Next.
Enter your name and organization (optional) in the Personalize Your Software screen
and click Next.
If you are reinstalling Windows XP Home Edition, at the What's your computer's name
window, enter a name for your computer (or accept the name provided) and click
Next.
If you are reinstalling Windows XP Professional, at the Computer Name and Administrator Password window, enter a name for your computer (or accept the one provided) and a password, and then click Next.
If the Modem Dialing Information screen appears, enter the requested information
and click Next.
Enter the date, time, and time zone in the Date and Time Settings window and click
Next.
If the Networking Settings screen appears, click Typical and click Next.
If you are reinstalling Windows XP Professional and you are prompted to provide
further information regarding your network configuration, enter your selections. If you
are unsure of your settings, accept the default selections.
Windows XP installs the operating system components and configures the computer. The computer automatically restarts.
NOTICE: Do not press any key when the following message appears: Press any key to
boot from the CD.
When the Welcome to Microsoft screen appears, click Next.
When the How will this computer connect to the Internet? message
appears, click Skip.
When the Ready to register with Microsoft? screen appears, select No, not at this
time and click Next.
When the Who will use this computer? screen appears, you can enter up to five users.
Click Next.
Click Finish to complete the setup, and remove the CD from the drive.
Reinstall the appropriate drivers using the ResourceCD.
NOTICE: The Operating System CD provides options for reinstalling Windows XP. The options
can overwrite files and possibly affect programs installed on your hard drive. Therefore, do not
reinstall Windows XP unless instructed to do so by a Dell technical support representative.
The reinstallation process can take 1 to 2 hours to complete. After you reinstall the operating system, you must also reinstall the device drivers, virus protection program, and other software.
Save and close any open files and exit any open programs.
Insert the Operating System CD. If any program starts automatically, exit the program
before proceeding.
Shut down the computer through the Start menu and restart the computer.
Press <F12> immediately after the DELL™ logo appears.
If the operating system logo appears, wait until you see the Windows desktop, and then shut down the computer and try again.
Press the arrow keys to select CD-ROM, and then press <Enter>.
When the Press any key to boot from CD message appears, press any key.
When the Windows 2000 Setup window appears, ensure that To setup
Win2000 now, press ENTER is highlighted. Then press <Enter>.
When the Windows 2000 Professional Setup window appears, press the
arrow keys to select the Windows 2000 partition option that you want. Then
press the key for the partition option you chose.
When the Windows 2000 Professional Setup window reappears, press the
arrow keys to select the type of file system that you want Windows 2000 to
use, and then press <Enter>.
Press <Enter> again to restart your computer.
Click Next when the Welcome to the Windows 2000 Setup Wizard window
appears.
When the Regional Settings window appears, select your region, and
then click Next.
Enter your name and organization in the Personalize Your Software window,
and then click Next.
Enter the Windows product key, which is printed on the Microsoft label on
your computer. Then click Next.
When the Computer Name and Administrator Password window appears,
enter a name for your computer and a password, if desired. Then click Next.
Enter the date and time in the Date and Time Settings window, and
then click Next.
Windows 2000 installs components and configures the computer.
When the Completing the Windows 2000 Setup Wizard window appears,
remove the CD from the drive, and then click Finish.
The computer automatically restarts.
Reinstall the appropriate drivers using the Drivers and Utilities CD.
If a device is either not detected during the operating system setup or is detected but incorrectly configured, you can use Device Manager or the Hardware Troubleshooter to resolve the incompatibility.
To resolve incompatibilities using Device Manager:
Click the Start button and click Control Panel.
Click Performance and Maintenance and click System.
Click the Hardware tab and click Device Manager.
In the Device Manager list, check for devices that are incorrectly
configured.
Incorrectly configured devices are indicated by a yellow exclamation point (!) or a red X if the device has been disabled.
Double-click any device marked with an exclamation point to display
the Properties window.
The Device status area in the Properties window reports the cards or devices that need to be reconfigured.
Reconfigure the devices or remove the devices from the Device
Manager. See the documentation that came with the device for
information on configuring the device.
To resolve incompatibilities using the Windows XP Hardware Troubleshooter:
Click the Start button and click Help and Support.
Type hardware troubleshooter in the Search field and click the
arrow to start the search.
Click Hardware Troubleshooter in the Search Results list.
In the Hardware Troubleshooter list, click I need to resolve a hardware
conflict on my computer, and click Next.
To resolve incompatibilities using Device Manager:
Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
In the Control Panel window, double-click System.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click Device Manager.
Click View and click Resources by connection.
Double-click Interrupt request (IRQ).
Incorrectly configured devices are indicated by a yellow exclamation point (!) or a red X if the device has been disabled.
Double-click any device marked with an exclamation point to display
the Properties window.
The Device status area in the Properties window reports the cards or devices that need to be reconfigured.
Reconfigure the devices or remove the devices from the Device
Manager. See the documentation that came with the device for
information on configuring the device.
To resolve incompatibilities using the Windows 2000 Hardware Troubleshooter:
Click the Start button and click Help.
Click Troubleshooting and Maintenance on the Contents tab, click
Windows 2000 troubleshooters, and then click Hardware.
In the Hardware Troubleshooter list, click I need to resolve a hardware
conflict on my computer and click Next.
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