Dell Inspiron 640M - Manual (Page 93)

Troubleshooting
93
T O VERIFY THAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE EXTERNAL KEYBOARD , CHECK THE INTEGRATED KEYBOARD —
1 Shut down the computer.
2 Disconnect the external keyboard.
3 Turn on the computer.
4 From the Windows desktop, click the Start button, point to All Programs→ Accessories, and click
Notepad.
5 Type some characters on the internal keyboard and verify that they appear on the display.
If the characters appear now but did not with the external keyboard, you may have a defective external
keyboard. Contact Dell. See "Contacting Dell" on page 135.
R UN THE KEYBOARD DIAGNOSTICS TESTS — Run the PC-AT Compatible Keyboards tests in the Dell
Diagnostics. See "Dell Diagnostics" on page 81. If the tests indicate a defective external keyboard,
contact Dell. See "Contacting Dell" on page 135.
Unexpected characters
D ISABLE THE NUMERIC KEYPAD — Press <Num Lk> to disable the numeric keypad if numbers are
displayed instead of letters. Verify that the numbers lock light is not lit.
Lockups and Software Problems
CAUTION:
Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the Product
Information Guide.
The computer does not start up
E NSURE THAT THE A C ADAPTER IS FIRMLY CONNECTED TO THE COMPUTER AND TO THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET
The computer stops responding
NOTICE:
You might lose data if you are unable to perform an operating system shutdown.
T URN THE COMPUTER OFF — If you are unable to get a response by pressing a key on your keyboard or
moving your mouse, press and hold the power button for at least 8 to 10 seconds until the computer
turns off. Then restart your computer.
A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly
E ND THE PROGRAM —
1 Press <Crtl><Shift><Esc> simultaneously.
2 Click the Applications tab and select the program that is no longer responding.
3 Click End Task.
NOTE:
The chkdsk program may run when you restart the computer. Follow the instructions on the screen.