Dell PowerEdge 2450 - Manual (Page 33)

support.dell.com Finding Software Solutions 4-1

      




Because most computer systems have several application programs installed in addi-
tion to the operating system, isolating a software problem can be confusing. Software
errors can also appear to be hardware malfunctions at first.
Software problems can result from the following circumstances:


Improper installation or configuration of a program


Input errors


Device drivers that may conflict with certain application programs


Interrupt conflicts between devices
You can confirm that a computer system problem is caused by software by running
the system board tests in the Dell Diagnostics (see Chapter 5, “Running the Dell
Diagnostics”). If all tests in the test group are completed successfully, the problem is
most likely caused by software.
This section provides some general guidelines for analyzing software problems. For
detailed troubleshooting information on a particular program, see the documentation
that accompanied the software or consult the support service for the software.

 

 

Use virus-scanning software to check newly acquired application programs and files
for viruses before you install the programs on the computer's hard-disk drive. Viruses
can quickly use all available system memory, damage and/or destroy data stored on
the hard-disk drive, and permanently affect the performance of the programs they
infect. Several commercial virus-scanning programs are available for purchase.
Before you install a program, read its documentation to learn how the program works,
what hardware it requires, and what its defaults are. A program usually includes
installation instructions in its accompanying documentation and a software installation
routine.
The software installation routine assists you in transferring the appropriate program
files to the computer's hard-disk drive. Installation instructions may provide details
about how to configure the operating system to successfully run the program. Always
read the installation instructions before running a program's installation routine.