2-2 IBM Personal Computer User Guide
What can I do on my own?
Sometimes you can quickly solve problems that you may have with your computer.
We have given you sever al diff er ent methods y ou can us e to solv e prob lems on your
own. If you need to, you can still contact IBM f or su pp ort. There is more information
about telephone support in “How and when do I contact the IBM PC HelpCenter?”
on page2-5.

Printed documentation

The documentation that came with your computer contains information about
troubleshooting hardware and software problems. This information begins with the
quick step-by-step guide on page 10-6, which can help yo u di agn os e ha rdware and
software problems. Once you know the nature of the problem, you can follow the
instructions in the “Solving hardware and software problems” on page 10-7. Just
match the description or error code with your question and follow the instru cti ons to
solve the problem!

Online documentation

Your computer also came with several online resources that you can use to solve
problems.

Help files

The operating system and most preinstalled programs in your computer contain
online help files. These files may contain information about upgrading hardware,
using software and many other common computer tasks. The Hel p files also contain
information for questions on how to solve problems and prevent future trouble.

Readme files

Most operating systems and software programs also come with a file named
README.TXT. This is a text file that contains important information about the
program. You can read READ ME.TXT files b y ope ning t hem i n an y text file editor on
your computer. If an README file is provided, it is named README.TXT