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If Something Goes Wrong

Problems when you turn on the computer

Problems when you turn on the computer

These problems may occur when you turn on the power.

The computer will not start.

Make sure you attached the AC adaptor and power cord/cable properly or installed a charged battery.

Press and hold the power button for at least 10 seconds.

If you are using the AC adaptor, check that the wall outlet is working by plugging in another device, such as a lamp.

Verify that the computer is on by looking at the on/off indicator. If the indicator is glowing, the computer is on. Also, try turning the computer off and then on.

If you are using an AC adaptor, verify that the computer is receiving power from the external power source by looking at the AC power light. If the indicator is glowing, the computer is connected to a live external power source.

The computer starts but when you press a key nothing happens.

Verify that the active program accepts text input. Try clicking your mouse on an area where you can type text and try typing again.

Your computer may be in Standby mode and have a software or resource conflict. When this happens turning the power on returns you to the problem instead of restarting the system. To clear the condition, press Ctrl, Alt, and Del simultaneously. Then shut down the computer via software, or follow the steps if your program stops responding (see “Problems that are easy to fix” on page 168).

Clearing the condition may get the computer running, but it will not solve a resource conflict. Read the documentation that came with the conflicting device and “Resolving a hardware conflict” on page 174.

The computer is not accessing the hard disk or the optional external diskette drive.

Your computer normally loads the operating system from the hard disk. If you have a hard disk problem, you will not be able to start the computer. Insert a system diskette into the optional external diskette drive and press F12 when the machine starts and use the arrow keys to select the boot-up device. (You may need to press F12 several times.)