Dell Inspiron 7000 Reference And Troubleshooting Manual page 57

Whenever you start or reboot the computer, the operating system executes com-
mands from its start-up files.
These files contain commands that automatically configure the operating system by
setting system parameters, starting memory-resident programs, and loading device
driver software. If you experience program conflicts or memory error messages,
check the commands for memory-resident programs in the start-up files of the oper-
ating system. (For information on start-up files, see the documentation that came
with the operating system). If a program or peripheral does not work correctly, check
the product's documentation to see if you need to modify these files.
The following subsections discuss errors that can occur while using software.
Error messages can be produced by an application program, the operating system, or
the computer. "Messages and Codes," found earlier in this chapter, discusses the
error messages generated by the computer. If you receive an error message not listed
in "Messages and Codes," check the operating system or application program
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 program
to make sure the values or characters you are entering do not conflict with the appli-
cation program you are using.
Make sure the operating system is compatible with the programs you use. Keep in
mind that whenever you change the parameters of the computer's operating system,
you may affect the successful operation of the programs. Sometimes, after modifying
the operating system, you may need to reinstall a program that no longer runs
properly.
There are a variety of utilities and supplementary programs that can be loaded either
when the computer boots or from an operating system prompt. These programs are
designed to stay resident in system memory and thus always be available for use.
Because they remain in the computer's memory, memory conflicts and errors can
result when other programs require use of all or part of the memory already occupied
by these TSR programs.
Typically, the operating system's start-up files contain commands to start TSR pro-
grams when you boot the computer. If you suspect that one of these TSR programs is
causing a memory conflict, remove the commands that start them from the start-up
file. If the problem you were experiencing does not recur, one of the TSR programs
probably created the conflict. Add the TSR commands back into the start-up files one
at a time until you identify which TSR program is creating the conflict.
Troubleshooting Your Computer 3-11