Dell 6100, 200 Finding Software Solutions, Installing and Configuring Software, Using Software

Chapter 4

Finding Software Solutions

Because most computers have several application pro- grams 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 may conflict with certain appli- cation programs

•Interrupt conflicts between devices

You can confirm that a computer problem is caused by software by running the System Set Test Group as described in Chapter 5, “Running the System Diagnos- tics.” If all tests in the test group complete successfully, the error condition is most likely caused by software.

This chapter provides some general guidelines for ana- lyzing software problems. For detailed troubleshooting information on a particular program, see the documenta- tion that accompanied the software or consult the support service for the software.

Installing and Configuring Software

You should check newly acquired programs and files for viruses with virus-scanning software before installing the programs on the computer’s hard-disk drive. Viruses, which are pieces of code that can replicate themselves, can quickly use all available system memory, damage and/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 pro- grams that you can download with a modem.

Before installing a program, you should read any pro- gram documentation to learn how the program works, what hardware it requires, and what its defaults are. A program usually includes installation instructions in its accompanying documentation and a software installation routine on its program diskettes or CD(s).

The software installation routine assists users in transfer- ring the appropriate program files to the computer’s hard-disk drive. Installation instructions may provide details about how to configure the operating system to successfully run the program. You should always read the installation instructions before running a program’s installation routine.

When you run the installation routine, be prepared to respond to prompts for information about how the com- puter’s operating system is configured, what type of computer you have, and what peripherals are connected to the computer.

Using Software

The following subsections discuss errors that can occur as a result of software operation or configuration.

Error Messages

Error messages can be produced by an application pro- gram, the operating system, or the computer. Chapter 3, “Messages and Codes,” discusses the error messages that are generated by the system. If you receive an error mes- sage that is not listed in Chapter 3, check the operating system or application program documentation.

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