Dell Inspiron 3700 Troubleshooting Guide

support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-23
6. Turn on the computer. Is the display on?
Allow one minute for the computer to initialize its components.
Ye s .  Go to step 7.
No. Go to step 9.
7. Press the  down-arrow or  up-arrow key combination to adjust the 
brightness. Is the full display readable?
Ye s .  Go to step 8.
No. Go to step 9. 
8. Has an error message or flash code appeared?
Ye s .  Refer to Appendix C, “Error Messages and Flash Codes,” to find the      
message or flash code, along with its...

3-24 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
3. Check the monitor cable for bent pins.
4. Turn off the computer, wait a minute, and then turn the computer back on. Adjust 
the monitor’s brightness and contrast controls. Is the monitor readable?
Allow one minute for the computer to initialize its components.
Ye s .  
The problem is resolved.
No. 
Go to step 6.
5. Raise your computer’s display into viewing position, if necessary, and press 
 to switch the video image from the external...

support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-25

Faulty I/O port logic on the system board

Conflicting COM port settings

Lack of drivers
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Make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” and fill it 
out as you perform the following steps:
1. Check the settings for the 
Serial Port and 
Parallel Mode options in the          
Pa ge Two  menu of the System Setup program. 
For information on the System Setup program, see Appendix B, “Using the...

3-26 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
5. Insert your System Soft ware
 CD into the CD-ROM drive, reboot the computer, 
and run the Serial Ports device group and/or the Pa ra l le l  Po rts device group in 
the Dell Diagnostics. (See “Running the Dell Diagnostics” found later in this 
ch a p t e r. )
The Serial Ports device group and the Parallel Ports device group check the 
basic functions of the system board’s I/O port logic. Also, if a parallel printer is 
connected to the...

support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-27
6. Attempt another print operation on the parallel printer.
Does the print operation complete successfully?
Ye s .  The problem is resolved.
No. Call Dell for technical assistance. (See Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” for 
instructions.)
 
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If the procedure titled “Troubleshooting the Basic I/O Functions” found earlier in this 
section indicates that the problem is with a device connected to one of the serial 
ports, perform the...

3-28 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
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This section provides a procedure for troubleshooting the computer’s infrared (IR) 
port. 
Make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” and fill it 
out as you perform the following steps:
1. Check the setting for the Infrared Port option in the Page  Two  menu of the    
System Setup program. 
For information on the System Setup program, see Appendix B, “Using the...

support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-29
2. Do the tests complete successfully?
Ye s .  The controller is functioning properly. If the problem persists, call Dell for 
technical assistance. (See Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” for instructions.)
No.
 Call Dell for technical assistance. (See Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” for 
instructions.)
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Make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” and fill it 
out as you perform the following steps:
1. Insert...

3-30 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide

A menu category called Devices that briefly describes each test and its 
parameters 

A menu category called Config that describes the configuration of the devices in 
the selected device group 

Status messages that inform you whether device groups or subtests were    
completed successfully 

Error messages that appear if any problems are detected 
Whenever a major component or device in your computer does not function properly, 
you...

support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-31
When you start the diagnostics, the Dell logo screen appears, followed by a message 
telling you that the diagnostics is loading. 
After the diagnostics loads, the 
Diagnostics Menu appears (see Figure 3-1). The 
menu allows you to run all or specific diagnostic tests or to exit to the MS-DOS 
prompt.
For a quick check of your computer, select the 
Quickly Test All Devices option. This 
option runs only the subtests that do not require user interaction and that...

3-32 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide

Two lines at the bottom of the screen make up the menu area. The first line lists 
the categories you can select; press the left- or right-arrow key to highlight a 
menu category. The second line gives information about the category currently 
highlighted.
NOTE: The options displayed on your screen should reflect the hardware                 
configuration of your computer.

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