Dell OptiPlex GX1 - Manual (Page 139)

Software Checks: Dell OptiPlex GX1 Small-Form-Factor System User's Guide
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Software Checks: Dell™ OptiPlex™ GX1 Small-Form-Factor
System User's Guide
Overview Memory-Resident Programs
Installing and Configuring Software Program Conflicts
Error Messages Memory Address Conflicts
Input Errors Interrupt Assignment Conflicts
Overview
Because most computers have several application programs installed in addition 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 conflict with certain application programs
Memory conflicts resulting from the use of terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs
Interrupt conflicts between devices
You can confirm that a computer problem is caused by software by running the System Set Test Group in
the Dell Diagnostics . If all tests in the test group complete successfully, the error condition 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.
Installing and Configuring Software
When you obtain software, check it for viruses with virus-scanning software before installing it on your
computer's hard-disk drive. Viruses, which are pieces of code that can replicate themselves, can quickly use
all available system memory, damage 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, and most bulletin board services (BBSs) archive freely distributed virus-scanning programs that
you can download with a modem.
Before you install a program, read its documentation to learn how the program works, what hardware it