Dell Dimension 4300 - Manual (Page 30)

If you cannot play a music CD or install a program from a CD
If you cannot play a DVD movie
If the CD-RW drive stops writing
If you have a hard drive problem
HINT: High-speed CD drive vibration is normal and may cause noise. This does not indicate a defect in the drive or the CD.
Ensure that Windows recognizes the drive— In Windows XP, click the Start button, and then click My Computer. In Windows Me and
Windows 2000, double-click the My Computer icon on the Windows desktop. 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.
Test the drive with another CD— Insert another CD to eliminate the possibility that the original CD is defective.
Clean the disc— See the Tell Me How help file for instructions.
Adjust the Windows volume control— In Windows XP, click the speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. In Windows Me or
2000, double-click the speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that the volume is turned up and that the sound is not
muted.
If headphones are connected to the front-panel headphone jack, check for sound from the headphones— Sound from the speakers is
automatically disabled when headphones are connected to the computer's front-panel headphone jack.
Check the speakers and subwoofer— See " Sound and Speaker Problems ."
HINT: Because of different worldwide file types, not all DVD titles work in all DVD drives.
Adjust the Windows volume control— In Windows XP, click the speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. In Windows Me or
2000, double-click the speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that the volume is turned up and that the sound is not
muted.
Test the drive with another DVD— Insert another DVD to eliminate the possibility that the original DVD is defective.
Clean the disc— See the Tell Me How help file for instructions.
HINT: If you disable standby mode to write to a CD-RW drive, remember to reenable standby mode when you finish writing to the CD.
Turn off Standby in Windows before writing to a CD-RW disc— See the Tell Me How help file or search for the keyword standby in Help and
Support (Help in Windows Me and Windows 2000). See " Accessing Help Files ."
Change the write speed to a slower rate— The CD-RW drive must receive a steady stream of data when writing. If the stream is
interrupted, an error occurs. Closing all programs before writing to the CD-RW may also alleviate the problem.
Run ScanDisk
Windows XP and Windows 2000
1. In Windows XP click the Start button, and then click My Computer. In Windows 2000 double-click the My Computer icon on the
Windows desktop.
2. Right-click the drive letter (local disk) that you want to scan for errors, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Tools tab.
4. Under Error-checking, click Check Now.
5. Click Start.
Windows Me
1. Click the Start button, point to Programs—> Accessories—> System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.
Check for interrupt request conflicts— See " Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities ."