Running the System Diagnostics 139
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Running the System Diagnostics

If you experience a problem with your system, run the diagnostics through
the system GUI before calling for technical assistance. The purpose of the
Dell diagnostics suite is to test your system's hardware without requiring
additional equipment or risking data loss. If you are unable to fix the problem
yourself, service and support personnel can use diagnostics test results to help
you solve the problem.

Embedded System Diagnostics Features

The embedded system diagnostics provides a series of menus and options for
particular device groups or devices. The system diagnostics menus and
options allow you to:
Run tests individually or collectively
Control the sequence of tests
Repeat tests
Display, print, or save test results
Temporarily suspend testing if an error is detected or terminate testing
when a user-defined error limit is reached
View help messages that briefly describe each test and its parameters
View status messages that inform you if tests are completed successfully
View error messages that inform you of problems encountered
during testing

When to Use the Embedded System Diagnostics

If a major component or device in the system does not operate properly,
component failure may be indicated. As long as the processor and the
system's input/output devices are functioning, you can use the system
diagnostics to help identify the problem.
book.book Page 139 Friday, January 6, 2012 2:11 PM