Dell 7500 Using Software

3-8 Dell Inspiron 7500 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide

read the installation instructions before running a program’s installation routine. If you

are instructed to modify the start-up files, see the documentation that came with the

operating system for instructions.

When you run the installation routine, be prepared to respond to prompts for

information about how the computer’s operating system is configured, what type of

computer you have, and what peripherals are connected to the computer.

Start-Up Files

Whenever you start or reboot the computer, the operating system executes

commands from its start-up files.

These files contain commands that automatically configure the operating system by

setting system parameters, starting memory-resident programs, and loading device

driver software. If you experience program conflicts or memory error messages,

check the commands for memory-resident programs in the start-up files of the

operating system. (For information on start-up files, see the documentation that came

with the operating system). If a program or peripheral does not work correctly, check

the product’s documentation to see if you need to modify these files.

Using Software

The following subsections discuss errors that can occur while using software.

Error messages can be produced by an application program, the operating system, or

the computer. Appendix C, “System Messages and Beep Codes,” discusses the error

messages generated by the computer. If you receive an error message not listed in

Appendix C, check the operating system or application program documentation.

If a specific key or set of keys is pressed at the wrong time, a program may give you

unexpected results. See the documentation that came with the application program

to make sure the values or characters you are entering do not conflict with the

application program you are using.

Make sure the operating system is compatible with the programs you use. Keep in

mind that whenever you change the parameters of the computer’s operating system,

you may affect the successful operation of the programs. Sometimes, after modifying

the operating system, you may need to reinstall a program that no longer runs

properly.

There are a variety of utilities and supplementary programs that can be loaded either

when the computer boots or from an operating system prompt. These programs are

designed to stay resident in system memory and thus always be available for use.

Because they remain in the computer’s memory, memory conflicts and errors can