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support.dell.com Basic Troubleshooting 3-5
Windows 98 on your computer, you should already have virus-scanning software)
to check for and remove any viruses.
• Clean the disc with a soft, lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol.
• Clean the drive as described in the next subsection, “Cleaning Diskette Drives.”
• Try another CD or DVD title.
NOTE: Because of different conventions currently used in the industry, not all
DVD titles work in all DVD-ROM drives.
• Enter the Setup program as described in Appendix B, “Using the Setup
Program,” and verify that IDE Controller is set to Both.
• Run the IDE Devices device group as described in “Running the Dell
Diagnostics” found later in this chapter.
• Refer to “Troubleshooting the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive” found later in this
chapter for further troubleshooting information.
If you have hard-disk drive problems, perform the following checks:
• For Windows 98, run the ScanDisk utility by clicking the Start button, pointing to
Programs—> Accessories—> System Tools, and clicking ScanDisk.
• For Windows NT, run the error-checking utility by opening the property sheet of
the affected volume(s) and clicking Check Now in the Error-checking section of
the Tools tab.
• Run the IDE (ATA/ATAPI) Devices device group as described in “Running the
Dell Diagnostics” found later in this chapter.
• Check the settings on the IDE Configuration submenu of the Setup program as
described in Appendix B, “Using the Setup Program.”
Cleaning Diskette Drives
You can clean a diskette drive using a commercially available cleaning kit. These kits
contain pretreated diskettes to nonabrasively remove contaminants that accumulate
during normal operation.
If the kit does not contain instructions, insert a pretreated diskette into the drive and
turn on the system. After 20 or 30 seconds, remove the diskette from the drive.
NOTICE: Do not attempt to clean drive heads with a swab. You may
accidentally misalign the heads, rendering the drive inoperable.
Look and Listen
Looking at and listening to your computer is important in determining the source of a
problem. Look and listen for the indications described in Table 3-1.
If the problem is still not resolved, see the next subsection, “Setup Options.”