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Overview | ||
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Installing and Configuring Software | ||
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Using Software |
Because most computer systems 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:
You can confirm that a computer system problem is caused by software by running the system board tests in the Dell Diagnostics. If all tests in the test group are completed successfully, the problem 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.
Use virus-scanning software to check newly acquired application programs and files for viruses before you install the programs on the computer's hard-disk drive. Viruses 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.
Before you install 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.
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.
When you run the installation routine, 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 peripheral devices 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 program, the operating system, or the computer. "Messages and Codes" provides information about the error messages that are generated by the computer. If you receive an error message that is not listed in "Messages and Codes," check the operating system or application program documentation.
If you press a specific key or set of keys at the wrong time, a program may give you unexpected results. See the documentation that came with the application program 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 these programs are the cause of the problem.
Device drivers, which are programs that use specialized subroutines, 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 alternate method of running that particular program—by creating a start-up 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 IRQ line's default for each installed expansion card. Then consult Table 1 to configure the card for one of the available IRQ lines.
Table 1. IRQ Line Assignment Defaults
| IRQ Line | Used By/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 2 |
| IRQ3 | Used by serial port 2 (COM2 and COM4) or PCI device |
| IRQ4 | Used by serial port 1 (COM1 and COM3) or PCI device |
| IRQ5 | Available unless used by a secondary parallel port |
| IRQ6 | Used by the diskette drive controller |
| IRQ7 | Used by the primary parallel port or PCI device |
| IRQ8 | Used by the RTC |
| IRQ9 | Used by ACPI |
| IRQ10 | Available |
| IRQ11 | Available |
| IRQ12 | Used by the PS/2 mouse port |
| IRQ13 | Reserved for floating-point errors |
| IRQ14 | Available |
| IRQ15 | Used by ESM |
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see "Abbreviations and Acronyms."