Dell Inspiron 3500 Reference And Troubleshooting Manual page 58

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Because most computers have several application programs 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:
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Improper installation or configuration of a program
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Input errors
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Drivers that may conflict with certain application programs
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Memory conflicts resulting from the use of terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR)
programs, such as drivers
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Interrupt conflicts between devices
You can confirm that a computer problem is caused by software by first running the
System Set test group as described in Chapter 4, "Running the Dell Diagnostics." If
all tests in the test group complete successfully, the error condition is most likely
caused by software.
The following subsections provide general guidelines for analyzing some 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.
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When you obtain software, check it for viruses using virus-scanning software before
installing it on the computer's hard-disk drive. Viruses can quickly use all available sys-
tem 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, 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 you 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. Always
read the installation instructions before running a program's installation routine. If you
are instructed to modify the start-up files, see the documentation that came with the
operating system for instructions.
When you run the installation routine, be prepared to respond to prompts for informa-
tion about how the computer's operating system is configured, what type of
computer you have, and what peripherals are connected to the computer.
Troubleshooting Your Computer 3-11