Getting Help; Technical Assistance - Dell OptiPlex N Troubleshooting Manual

Chapter 7

Getting Help

T
his chapter describes the tools Dell provides to help
you when you have a problem with your computer sys-
tem. It also tells you when and how to call Dell for
technical or customer assistance in the following situa-
tions:
•
If you have a technical problem, read the next sec-
tion, "Technical Assistance."
•
If you are looking for information about a specific
subject or about Dell's services, read "Help Tools"
found later in this chapter.
•
If you have a problem with your order, read "Prob-
lems With Your Order" found later in this chapter.
•
If you need to return an item for warranty repair or
credit, read "Returning Items for Warranty Repair or
Credit" found later in this chapter.
•
If you would like to place an order or need informa-
tion about additional products available from Dell,
call Dell at the appropriate telephone number listed
in "Dell Contact Numbers" found later in this
chapter.
T
echnical Assistance
If you need assistance with a technical problem, perform
the following steps:
1. Review the Frequently Asked Questions cards, if
applicable.
Two information cards, one titled Frequently Asked
Questions About Your Dell System and another titled
Frequently Asked Questions About MS-DOS and
Microsoft Windows, come with certain Dell systems.
NOTE: You may also find these questions and
answers in the Dell Q&A for certain systems. For
more information, see "Dell Q&A" found later in
this chapter.
2. Review the remaining documentation that accom-
panied your Dell system.
To decide which document has the answers you
need, consult the Preface of your system
documentation.
3. Run the diagnostics for your Dell system.
See Chapter 4, "Running the Dell Diagnostics," for
instructions on using the Dell Diagnostics program.
4. Make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist (found
later in this chapter), and fill it out.
NOTE: Save the Diagnostics Checklist in this chap-
ter as a master so you can use it to make copies as
needed.
On your copy of the Diagnostics Checklist, docu-
ment any error messages or beep codes as they occur
so you can inform the Dell technician of them.
Describe what you were doing when the error
occurred. Note the steps you have taken to solve the
problem.
5. Use the AutoTech service for help with installa-
tion and troubleshooting procedures.
For instructions on using the AutoTech service, see
"AutoTech Service" found later in this chapter
6. If the preceding steps have not resolved the prob-
lem and you need to talk to a Dell technician, you
can call Dell's customer technical support service.
Before you call Dell, convert your service tag num-
ber into an express service code. When prompted by
Dell's automated telephone system, enter the express
service code to route your call directly to the proper
support personnel.
Getting Help 7-1