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22 Quick Reference Guide
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Caring for Your Computer
To help maintain your computer, follow these suggestions:
• To avoid losing or corrupting data, never turn off your computer when the hard drive light is on.
• Schedule regular virus scans using anti-virus software.
• Manage hard drive space by periodically deleting unnecessary files and defragmenting the
drive.
• Back up files on a regular basis.
• Periodically clean your monitor screen, mouse, and keyboard (see your
User’s Guide
for
more information).
Solving Problems
Follow these tips when troubleshooting your computer:
• If you added or removed a computer part before the problem started, review the installation
procedures and ensure that the part is correctly installed.
• If a peripheral device does not work, ensure that the device is properly connected.
• If an error message appears on the screen, write down the exact message. This message may
help technical support diagnose and fix the problem(s).
• If an error message occurs in a program, consult the program’s documentation.
• If the recommended action in the troubleshooting section is to see a section in your
User’s Guide
, go to
support.dell.com
(on another computer if necessary) to access
your
User’s Guide
.
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities
If a device is either not detected during the operating system setup or is detected but incorrectly
configured, you can use the Hardware Troubleshooter to resolve the incompatibility.
Microsoft Windows
®
XP
To resolve incompatibilities using the Hardware Troubleshooter:
1
Click the
Start
button and click
Help and Support
.
2
Ty p e
hardware troubleshooter
in the
Search
field and click the arrow to start the search.
3
Click
Hardware Troubleshooter
in the
Search Results
list.
4
In the
Hardware Troubleshooter
list, click
I need to resolve a hardware conflict on my
computer
, and click
Next
.