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A program crashes repeatedly
A solid blue screen appears
Other software problems
Other technical problems
General hardware problems
If your computer exhibits one or more of the following symptoms, a device conflict may exist:
l Your computer locks up, particularly while using a specific device.
l A recently added device does not work.
l Memory parity errors occur on parity-enabled computers.
l Unintelligible characters print from the printer.
NOTE: Software usually includes installation instructions in its documentation or on a floppy disk or CD.
Check the software documentation — Many software manufacturers maintain websites with information that may help you solve the
problem. Ensure that you properly installed and configured the program. If necessary, uninstall and then reinstall the program.
Turn the computer off — If the computer does not respond to a keystroke or a proper shutdown, press the power button for at least 8 to
10 seconds until the computer turns off. Press the power button again to restart the computer. The chkdsk program automatically runs
during the start-up process. Follow the instructions on the screen.
Check the software documentation or contact the software manufacturer for troubleshooting information
Back up your files immediately — If your computer has a CD-RW drive or a zip drive installed, see the drive's documentation for
instructions.
Ensure that you have not made an error while entering data — See the program documentation to make sure that the values or characters
you are entering are valid.
Check for viruses — Use a virus-scanning program to check the hard drive, floppy disks, or CDs.
Restart the computer — Save and close any open files, exit any open programs, and then shut down your computer through the Start menu
instead of pressing the power button. Otherwise, you may lose data.
Check for compatibility —
l Ensure that the program is compatible with the operating system installed on your computer and that your computer meets the
minimum hardware requirements needed to run the software. See the software documentation for information.
l If necessary, uninstall and then reinstall the program.
Ensure that you properly installed and configured the program — See the software documentation for information. If necessary, uninstall
and then reinstall the program.
Run the Dell Diagnostics — Run the System Board Devices tests. If all tests run successfully, the error condition is related to a software
problem.
Check for device driver conflicts —
l Verify that the program's device drivers do not conflict with certain programs.
l Call the software manufacturer for technical assistance.
Go to the Dell Support website —
Go to support.dell.com for help with general usage, installation, and troubleshooting questions.The support website offers several different
tools to help you, such as Dell Forum—a chat room where you can communicate with other Dell customers about their computers and gain
access to technical support through e-mail.
Call Dell — If you cannot solve your problem using the Dell Support website or e-mail service, call Dell for technical assistance.