Dell Precision 420 - Manual (Page 37)

This procedure determines what kind of mouse problem you have. If a system error message indicates a mouse problem when you start the
computer system or if the mouse does not operate as expected, perform the following steps in the order indicated until the problem is resolved:
1. Clean the mouse as instructed in your mouse documentation.
Most mice have a ball that can be removed and cleaned of debris by turning the mouse upside down and removing a cover on the bottom of
the mouse. Also remove any lint or other debris that has accumulated on the bottom of the mouse.
2. If the mouse or its cable shows signs of physical damage or if the buttons do not work, replace the mouse with a working mouse.
3. Insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD in the CD-ROM drive, reboot the system, and run the Mouse Test in the Dell Diagnostics .
4. If the Mouse Test fails, the system board may be faulty. See " Getting Help " for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
Troubleshooting I/O Ports
This section provides a procedure for troubleshooting the ports on your computer's I/O panel and the equipment connected to them, such as a
printer, scanner, or other peripheral device.
You can also use this procedure to test I/O ports on expansion cards. However, you should first make sure that the card is configured and installed
correctly.
If a system error message indicates a port problem or if equipment connected to a port seems to perform incorrectly or not at all, the source of the
problem may be any of the following:
l A faulty connection between the I/O port and the peripheral device
l
A faulty cable between the I/O port and the peripheral device
l
A faulty peripheral device
l
Incorrect settings in System Setup
l Incorrect settings in the system's configuration files
l Faulty I/O port logic on the system board
Troubleshooting Basic I/O Functions
If a system error message indicates an I/O port problem or the device connected to the port does not function properly, follow these steps in the
order indicated until the problem is resolved:
1. Enter System Setup and verify that the settings for the Serial Port 1, Serial Port 2, and Parallel Port options are set to Auto.
2. Insert the Dell Precision ResourceCD in the CD-ROM drive, reboot the system, and run the Serial/Infrared Ports test group and/or the
Parallel Ports test group in the Dell Diagnostics .
If any of the tests fail, the system board may be faulty. See " Getting Help " for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.
If the problem persists, go to " Troubleshooting a Parallel Printer " or " Troubleshooting a Serial I/O Device ," depending on which device appears to
be malfunctioning.
Troubleshooting a Parallel Printer
If the information in " Troubleshooting Basic I/O Functions " indicates that the problem is with a parallel printer, perform the following steps in the
order indicated until the problem is resolved:
1. Reinstall the printer device driver.
See the documentation for the printer and for your operating system for instructions on reinstalling the printer driver.
2. Turn off the parallel printer and computer, replace the parallel printer interface cable with a known working cable, and turn on the parallel
printer and computer.
If the problem is resolved, the original printer cable was faulty.
NOTE: With certain modems installed, the Serial Port test group subtests may fail because the modem appears to the diagnostics as a
serial port, but it cannot be tested as a serial port. If you have a modem installed and you experience a serial port test failure, remove
the modem and run the diagnostic tests again.