94 Troubleshooting
SCAN THE COMPUTER FOR SPYWARE —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.
Error Messages
Fill out the Diagnostics Checklist as you complete these checks. See "Diagnostics Checklist" on
page149.
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the Product
Information Guide.
If the message is not listed, see the documentation for the operating system or the program that was
running when the message appeared.
AUXILIARY DEVICE FAILURE —The touch pad or external mouse may be faulty. For an external mouse, see
"Using the Keyboard and Mouse" on page27. Enable the Pointing Device option in the system setup
program. If the problem persists, contact Dell. See "Contacting Dell" on page150.
BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME —Ensure that you have spelled the command correctly, put spaces in the
proper place, and used the correct pathname.
CACHE DISABLED DUE TO FAILURE —The primary cache internal to the microprocessor has failed. Contact
Dell. See "Contacting Dell" on page150.
CD DRIVE CONTROLLER FAILURE —The CD drive does not respond to commands from the computer. See
"Dell Support Utility" on page90.
DATA ERROR —The hard drive cannot read the data. See "Dell Support Utility" on page90.
DECREASING AVAILABLE MEMORY —One or more memory modules may be faulty or improperly seated.
Reinstall the memory modules and, if necessary, replace them. See "Memory" on page129.
DISK C: FAILED INITIALIZATION —The hard drive failed initialization. Run the hard drive tests in the Dell
Diagnostics. See "Dell Diagnostics" on page87.
EXTENDED MEMORY SIZE HAS CHANGED —The amount of memory recorded in NVRAM does not match
the memory installed in the computer. Restart the computer. If the error appears again, contact Dell. See
"Contacting Dell" on page150.
THE FILE BEING COPIED IS TOO LARGE FOR THE DESTINATION DRIVE —The file that you are trying to copy is
too large to fit on the disk, or the disk is too full. Try copying the file to a different disk or use a larger
capacity disk.
A FILENAME CANNOT CONTAIN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERS: \ / : * ? “ < > | — Do not use these
characters in filenames.
GATE A20 FAILURE —A memory module may be loose. Reinstall the memory modules and, if necessary,
replace them. See "Memory" on page129.
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