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Running the System Diagnostics 5-1
Chapter 5
Running the System Diagnostics
U
nlike many diagnostic programs, Dell’s system diag-
nostics helps you check the computer’s hardware without
any additional equipment and without destroying any
data. By using the diagnostics, you can have confidence
in the computer system’s operation. And if you find a
problem you cannot solve by yourself, the diagnostic
tests can provide you with important information you
will need when talking to Dell’s service and support per-
sonnel.
F
eatures of the System
Diagnostics
The system diagnostics provides a series of menus and
options from which you choose particular test groups or
subtests. You can also control the sequence in which the
tests are run. The diagnostic test groups or subtests also
have these helpful features:
•
Options that let you run tests individually or
collectively
•
An option that allows you to choose the number of
times a test group or subtest is repeated
•
The ability to display or print out test results or to
save them in a file
•
Options to temporarily suspend testing if an error is
detected or to terminate testing when an adjustable
error limit is reached
•
A menu category called About that briefly describes
each test and its parameters
•
Status messages that inform you whether test groups
or subtests were completed successfully
•
Error messages that appear if any problems are
detected
W
hen to Use the System
Diagnostics
Whenever a major component or device in the computer
system does not function properly, you may have a com-
ponent failure. As long as the microprocessor and the
input and output components of the computer system (the
monitor, keyboard, or CD-ROM drive) are working, you
can use the system diagnostics. If you know what compo-
nent(s) you need to test, simply select the appropriate
diagnostic test group(s) or subtest(s). If you are unsure
about the scope of the problem, read the rest of this
chapter.
CAUTION: Use the system diagnostics
to test
only
Dell computer systems. Using this program with
other computers may cause incorrect computer
responses or result in error messages.