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Drive Problems
Fill out the Diagnostics Checklist as you complete these checks.
Floppy drive problems
CD drive problems
Problems writing to a CD-RW drive
Test the drive —
l Insert another disk to eliminate the possibility that the original floppy disk is defective.
l Insert a bootable floppy disk and reboot the computer.
Ensure that the disk is not full or write-protected — Ensure that the disk has available space and that it is not write-protected (locked).
See the following illustration.
1
back of floppy disk
2
write-protected
3
not write-protected
Run the Dell Diagnostics — Run the Diskette Device Group test. If any of the tests fail, contact Dell.
NOTICE: Do not attempt to clean drive heads with a swab. You may accidentally misalign the heads, which can render the drive inoperable.
Clean the drive — Use a commercially available cleaning kit.
Adjust the Windows volume control — Click the speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen.
l Ensure that the volume is turned up by clicking the slidebar and dragging it up.
l Ensure that the sound is not muted by clicking any boxes that are checked.
Test the drive with another CD — Insert another CD to eliminate the possibility that the original CD is defective.
Ensure that Windows recognizes the drive — Click the Start button and click My Computer. If the CD drive is not listed, perform a full scan
with your antivirus software to check for and remove viruses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.
Clean the disc — Use a commercially available cleaning kit.