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3-10 Dell Dimension 900 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
the diagnostic tests can provide you with important information you will need when
talking to Dell's service and support personnel.
NOTICE: Use the Dell Diagnostics to test only your Dell computer system.
Using this program with other computers may cause incorrect computer
responses or result in error messages.
The Dell 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 Devices menu category that briefly describes each test and its parameters
• A Config menu category that describes the configuration of the devices in the
selected device group
• Status messages that inform you whether test groups or subtests were com-
pleted successfully
• Error messages that appear if any problems are detected
As long as the microprocessor and the input and output components of your com-
puter system (the monitor, keyboard, optical drive, and diskette drive) are working,
you can use the Dell Diagnostics. If you are experienced with computers and know
what component(s) you need to test, simply select the appropriate diagnostic test
group(s) or subtest(s). If you are unsure about how to begin diagnosing a problem,
read the rest of this section.
Starting the Dell Diagnostics
To start the diagnostics, perform the following steps:
1. Turn on (or restart) your system.
2. Enter the system setup program by pressing <Del> when the blue Dell logo
appears.
If you wait too long and the operating system begins to load into memory, let the
system complete the load operation. Then shut down the system and try again.
See Appendix B, “System Setup Program,” for more information.