Check The Electrical Power Source; Running The Dell Diagnostics - Dell Inspiron 3800 Reference And Troubleshooting Manual

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Check the Electrical Power Source

If you are experiencing problems with power, perform the following checks:
•
Check the computer power indicator. When lit, the power indicator verifies that
the power supply is operating.
•
Verify that the electrical outlet is functional by plugging an operational device,
such as a lamp, into the outlet.
•
Plug the computer directly into a functioning electrical outlet.
•
If your computer is connected to a power strip, shut down the computer. Turn off
and then turn on the power strip to reset it.

Running the Dell Diagnostics

The Dell Diagnostics helps you to check your computer hardware without any addi-
tional equipment and without destroying any data. By using the diagnostics, you can
have confidence in your computer's operation. If you find a problem you cannot solve
by yourself, the diagnostic tests can provide you with important information. Record
this information on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist (see Figure 5-1) before you call
Dell for technical assistance.
NOTICE: The Dell Diagnostics is designed specifically for your computer. Do
not run the Dell Diagnostics on any other computer. Using this diagnostic
program with other computers may cause incorrect computer responses or
may result in error messages.
The Dell Diagnostics provides a series of menus and options from which you can
choose particular device group tests. You can also control the sequence in which the
tests are run. Other helpful features include the following:
•
A menu category called Options that lets you run tests individually or collectively
•
An option that allows you to choose the number of times a device group test is
repeated
•
The ability to display test results, print them out, or to save them in a file
•
The option to temporarily suspend testing if an error is detected or to terminate
testing if an adjustable error limit is reached
•
A menu category called Devices that briefly describes each test and its
parameters
•
A menu category called Config that describes the configuration of the devices in
the selected device group
•
Status messages that inform you whether device group tests ran successfully
•
Error messages that appear if problems are detected
Troubleshooting 3-3