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Finding Software Solutions: Dell PowerEdge 6300 Installation and Troubleshooting
Guide
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Finding Software Solutions: Dell™ PowerEdge™
6300 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Table 1. 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 |
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 abbreviation and acronym list that
precedes the Index. |
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