User manual DELL VOSTRO 1500

[. . . ] c o m Notes, Notices, and Cautions NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. ____________________ Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. [. . . ] All Programs 5 Type some characters on the internal keyboard and verify that they appear on the display. If the characters appear now, but did not with the external keyboard, you may have a defective external keyboard. Contact Dell (see "Contacting Dell" on page 193). R U N T H E K E Y B O A R D D I A G N O S T I C S T E S T S -- Run the PC-AT Compatible Keyboards tests in the Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics" on page 109). If the tests indicate a defective external keyboard, contact Dell (see "Contacting Dell" on page 193). Unexpected characters DI S A B L E T H E N U M E R I C K E Y P A D -- Press <Num Lk> to disable the numeric keypad if numbers are displayed instead of letters. Verify that the numbers lock light is not lit. Troubleshooting 125 Lockups and Software Problems CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide. The computer does not start C H E C K T H E A C A D A P T E R -- Ensure that the AC adapter is firmly connected to the computer and to the electrical outlet. The computer stops responding NOTICE: You might lose data if you are unable to perform an operating system shutdown. TURN T H E C O M P U T E R O F F -- If you are unable to get a response by pressing a key on your keyboard or moving your mouse, press and hold the power button for at least 8 to 10 seconds until the computer turns off, then restart your computer. A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly EN D T H E P R O G R A M -- 1 Press <Crtl><Shift><Esc> simultaneously. 2 Click the Applications tab and select the program that is no longer responding. Follow the instructions on the screen. C H E C K T H E S O F T W A R E D O C U M E N T A T I O N -- If necessary, uninstall and then reinstall the program. Software usually includes installation instructions in its documentation or on a floppy disk or CD. R U N T H E PR O G R A M C O M P A T I B I L I T Y W I Z A R D -- 126 Troubleshooting Windows XP The Program Compatibility Wizard configures a program so that it runs in an environment similar to non-XP operating system environments. 1 Click Start All Programs Accessories Program Compatibility Wizard Next. Windows Vista The Program Compatibility Wizard configures a program so that it runs in an environment similar to non-Windows Vista operating system environments. 1 Click Start Control Panel Programs Use an older program with this version of Windows. 3 Follow the instructions on the screen. A solid blue screen appears TURN T H E C O M P U T E R O F F -- If you are unable to get a response by pressing a key on your keyboard or moving your mouse, press and hold the power button for at least 8 to 10 seconds until the computer turns off, then restart your computer. Dell MediaDirect problems C H E C K T H E D E L L M E D I A D I R E C T H E L P F I L E F O R I N F O R M A T I O N -- Use the Help menu to access Dell MediaDirect Help. TO P L A Y M O V I E S W I T H DELL MEDIAD I R E C T , Y O U M U S T H A V E A D V D D R I V E A N D T H E D E L L DV D P L A Y E R -- If you purchased a DVD drive with your computer, this software should already be installed. VI D E O QUALITY P R O B L E M S -- Turn off the Use Hardware Acceleration option. This feature takes advantage of the special processing in some graphics cards to reduce processor requirements when playing DVDs and certain types of video files. C A N N O T P L A Y S O M E M E D I A F I L E S -- Because Dell MediaDirect provides access to media files outside the Windows operating system environment, access to licensed content is restricted. Licensed content is digital content that has Digital Rights Management (DRM) applied to it. The Dell MediaDirect Troubleshooting 127 environment cannot verify the DRM restrictions, so the licensed files cannot be played. You can access licensed files in the Windows operating system environment. AD J U S T I N G T H E C O L O R S E T T I N G S F O R M O V I E S T H A T C O N T A I N S C E N E S T H A T A R E T O O D A R K O R T O O B R I G H T -- Click EagleVision to use a video enhancement technology that detects video content and dynamically adjusts the brightness/contrast/saturation ratios. NOTICE: You cannot reinstall the Dell MediaDirect feature if you voluntarily reformat the hard drive. Contact Dell for assistance (see "Contacting Dell" on page 193). Other software problems CHECK THE SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATION OR CONTACT THE SOFTWARE MANUFACTURER FOR TROUBLESHOOTING INFORMATION -- · · Ensure that the program is compatible with the operating system installed on your computer. Ensure that your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements needed to run the software. If necessary, uninstall and then reinstall the program. · · · BA C K U P Y O U R F I L E S I M M E D I A T E L Y US E A V I R U S - S C A N N I N G P R O G R A M T O C H E C K T H E H A R D D R I V E , F L O P P Y D I S K S , O R C DS SAVE AND CLOSE ANY OPEN FILES OR PROGRAMS AND SHUT DOWN YOUR COMPUTER THROUGH THE START MENU S C A N T H E C O M P U T E R F O R S P Y W A R E -- 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. [. . . ] If the floppy disk is left in the drive when the computer is shut down and then turned on, the computer is infected when it reads the boot sectors of the floppy disk expecting to find the operating system. If the computer is infected, the boot virus may replicate itself onto all the floppy disks that are read or written in that computer until the virus is eradicated. V -- volt -- The measurement of electric potential or electromotive force. One V appears across a resistance of 1 ohm when a current of 1 ampere flows through that resistance. W W -- watt -- The measurement of electrical power. [. . . ]