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support.dell.com Basic Troubleshooting 3-9
• Double-click the My Computer icon, and check to see if the drive is recognized
by the system. Most of the common boot-sector viruses cause the optical drive
to “disappear.” Use virus-scanning software to check for and remove any viruses.
If Dell installed Windows 98 or Windows Me on your system, you should already
have virus-scanning software.
• Clean the disc with a soft, lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol.
• Try another optical media title.
• Enter the system setup program as described in Appendix B, “System Setup
Program,” and verify that Device Detection Mode is set to Auto for the appro-
priate integrated drive electronics (IDE) drive option.
• Run the appropriate tests in the IDE Devices device group as described in “Run-
ning the Dell Diagnostics” found later in this chapter.
Hard-Disk Drives
If you have hard-disk drive problems, perform the following checks:
• For Windows 98 and Windows Me, 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 Too l s tab.
• For Windows 2000, perform the following steps:
1. Double-click the My Computer icon located on the Windows desktop.
2. Click File, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Tool s tab.
4. Under Error-checking, click Check Now.
5. Under Check disk options, click Scan for and attempt recovery of bad
sectors.
6. Click Start.
• Run the appropriate tests in the IDE Devices device group as described in “Run-
ning the Dell Diagnostics” found later in this chapter.
• Check the settings for the Disk Drives option of the system setup program as
described in Appendix B, “System Setup Program.”
Running the Dell Diagnostics
Whenever a major component or device in your computer system does not function
properly, run the Dell Diagnostics provided on the Dell Dimension ResourceCD to
check your computer's hardware. If you find a problem you cannot solve by yourself,