Before you start testing, Starting the dell diagnostics, Before you start testing -2 – Dell Latitude LM User Manual

Page 58: Starting the dell diagnostics -2, Efore you start testing, Tarting the dell diagnostics

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4-2

Dell Latitude LM Reference and Troubleshooting Guide

B

efore You Start Testing

Follow these steps to safeguard your master copy of the
Dell Diagnostics Diskette:

1.

Make a working copy of the Dell Diagnostics Diskette
on a blank diskette.

Refer to your operating system’s documentation for
information on how to duplicate diskettes. Put the
original diskette away for safekeeping.

2.

Turn on your printer, if one is attached, and make
sure it is on line.

3.

Confirm the computer’s system configuration
information, and enable all its components and
devices, such as ports.

For instructions, see the topic titled “Setup Program”
in the online System User’s Guide.

4.

Disable all system setup options for power
management.

For instructions, see the topics titled “Using the
PowerPanel” and “Setup Program” in the online Sys-
tem User’s Guide
.

5.

Attach an AC adapter to the computer.

Although it is possible to run the Dell diagnostics on
a computer using battery power, connecting the com-
puter to AC power helps ensure that power will not
be lost during the tests.

S

tarting the Dell Diagnostics

After you complete the preliminary instructions specified
in the previous section, follow these steps to start the
diagnostics:

1.

Install a CD-ROM drive in the options bay.

For instructions, see the topic titled “Options Bay” in
the online System User’s Guide.

2.

Attach the diskette drive to the parallel port con-
nector on the back of the computer.

For instructions, see the topic titled “Parallel
Devices” in the online System User’s Guide.

3.

Turn off the computer.

4.

Place the Dell Diagnostics Diskette in the diskette
drive, and boot the computer.

NOTE: Before you read the rest of this chapter, you may
want to start the Dell diagnostics so you can see the
menus on your display.

When you start the diagnostics, the Dell logo screen
appears, and a program tests the random-access memory
(RAM) that will be used by the diagnostics.

If a failure in RAM is detected, a message appears on the
screen telling you the memory address of the defective
memory module. Write down the memory address and
see Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” for instructions on obtain-
ing technical assistance.

If no errors are found in RAM, the diagnostics loads and
the Diagnostics Menu appears (see Figure 4-1). The
menu allows you to exit to the MS-DOS prompt.

Figure 4-1. Diagnostics Menu

Dell Computer Corporation

Dell Latitude LM Diagnostics Version X.XX

Run All Tests
RUn Quick Tests
Run Specific Tests
Exit To MS-DOS

DIAGNOSTICS MENU

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