User manual DELL INSPIRON 1501

[. . . ] DellTM InspironTM 1501 Owner's Manual Model PP23LA w w w. c o m Notes, Notices, and Cautions NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. Abbreviations and Acronyms For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see "Glossary" on page 147. If you purchased a DellTM n Series computer, any references in this document to Microsoft® Windows® operating systems are not applicable. ____________________ Information in this document is subject to change without notice. [. . . ] 4 From the Windows desktop, click the Start button, point to 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. See "Contacting Dell" on page 109. R U N T H E K E Y B O A R D D I A G N O S T I C S T E S T S -- Run the PC-AT Compatible Keyboards tests in the Dell Diagnostics (see page 61). If the tests indicate a defective external keyboard, contact Dell. See "Contacting Dell" on page 109. Unexpected characters D I S A B L E T H E N U M E R I C K E Y P A D -- Press <Num Lk> to disable the numeric keypad if numbers are displayed instead of letters. Verify that the numbers lock light is not lit. Solving Problems 71 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 EN S U R E T H A T T H E A C A D A P T E R I S F I R M L Y C O N N E C T E D T O T H E C O M P U T E R A N D T O T H E E L E C T R I C A L O U T L E T The computer stops responding NOTICE: You might lose data if you are unable to perform an operating system shutdown. TU R N T H E C O M P U T E R O F F -- 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 EN D T H E P R O G R A M -- 1 Press <Crtl><Shift><Esc> simultaneously. 2 Click the Applications tab and select the program that is no longer responding. NOTE: The chkdsk program may run when you restart the computer. Follow the instructions on the screen. C H E C K T H E S O F T W A R E D O C U M E N T A T I O N -- If necessary, uninstall and then reinstall the program. Software usually includes installation instructions in its documentation or on a floppy disk or CD. A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft® Windows® operating system R U N T H E P R O G R A M C O M P A T I B I L I T Y W I Z A R D -- The Program Compatibility Wizard configures a program so it runs in an environment similar to non-Windows XP operating system environments. 1 Click the Start button, point to Programs Accessories, and then click Program Compatibility Wizard. 3 Follow the instructions on the screen. A solid blue screen appears TU R N T H E C O M P U T E R O F F -- 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. 72 Solving Problems Other software problems CHECK THE SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATION OR CONTACT THE SOFTWARE MANUFACTURER FOR TROUBLESHOOTING INFORMATION -- · · · · · Ensure that the program is compatible with the operating system installed on your computer. Ensure that your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements needed to run the software. See the software documentation for information. Ensure that the program is installed and configured properly. Verify that the device drivers do not conflict with the program. If necessary, uninstall and then reinstall the program. BACK UP YOUR FILES IMMEDIATELY U S E A V I R U S -S C A N N I N G P R O G R A M T O C H E C K T H E H A R D D R I V E , F L O P P Y D I S K S , O R C D S S A V E A N D C L O S E A N Y O P E N F I L E S O R P R O G R A M S A N D S H U T D O W N Y O U R C O M P U T E R T H R O U G H T H E Start M E N U S C A N T H E C O M P U T E R F O R S P Y W A R E -- If you are experiencing slow computer performance, you frequently receive pop-up advertisements, or you are having problems connecting to the Internet, your computer might be infected with spyware. Use an anti-virus program that includes anti-spyware protection (your program may require an upgrade) to scan the computer and remove spyware. For more information, go to support. dell. com and search for the keyword spyware. R U N T H E D E L L D I A G N O S T I C S -- If all tests run successfully, the error condition is related to a software problem. See "Dell Diagnostics" on page 61. Memory Problems CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide. IF YOU RECEIVE AN INSUFFICIENT MEMORY MESSAGE -- · · · · · · · Save and close any open files and exit any open programs you are not using to see if that resolves the problem. [. . . ] Change your wallpaper through the Windows Control Panel. You can also scan in your favorite picture and make it wallpaper. write-protected -- Files or media that cannot be changed. Use write-protection when you want to protect data from being changed or destroyed. [. . . ]