dell inspiron 8200 User Manual

							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
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Solving Problems 
Dell™ Inspiron™ 8200
  Accessing Help
  Power Problems
  Start-Up Error Messages 
  Video and Display Problems
  Sound and Speaker Problems
  Printer Problems
  Modem and Internet Connection Problems
  Scanner Problems
  Touch Pad or Mouse Problems
  External Keyboard Problems
  Unexpected Characters
  Drive Problems
  PC Card Problems
  Network Problems
  Error Messages
  General Program Problems
  E-Mail Problems
  Resolving Other Technical Problems
  If Your Computer Gets Wet
  If You Drop or Damage Your Computer
Accessing Help
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
To access the Tell Me How help file 1.  Click the Start button and then click Help and Support. 
2.  Click User and system guides and then click Users guides. 
3.  Click Tell Me How. 
To access help  1.  Click the Start button and then click Help and Support. 
2.  Type a word or phrase that describes your problem and then click the\
  arrow icon. 
3.  Click the topic that describes your problem. 
4.  Follow the instructions shown on the screen. 
Power Problems
HINT: See the Tell Me How help file for information on standby mode. 
Check the power light— When the power light is lit or blinking, the 
computer has power. If the power light is blinking, the computer is in 
standby mode—press the power button to exit standby mode. If the ligh\
t is 
off, press the power button to turn on the computer.
Charge the battery— The battery charge may be depleted. 1.  Reinstall the battery. 
2.  Use the AC adapter to connect the computer to an electrical outlet. \
3.  Turn on the computer. 
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
Check the battery status light— If the battery status light flashes orange 
or is a steady orange, the battery charge is low or depleted. Connect th\
e 
computer to an electrical outlet.
If the battery status light flashes green and orange, the battery is too\
 hot 
to charge. Turn off the computer, disconnect the computer from the 
electrical outlet, and then let the battery and computer cool to room 
temperature.
If the battery status light rapidly flashes orange, the battery may be 
defective. Contact Dell (see Contacting Dell in the Dell™ Owners Manual 
that came with your computer).
Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is working by 
testing it with another device, such as a lamp.
Check the AC adapter— Check the AC adapter cable connections. If the 
AC adapter has a light, ensure that the light is on.
Connect the computer directly to an electrical outlet— Bypass power 
protection devices, power strips, and the extension cable to verify that\
 the 
computer turns on.
Eliminate possible interference— Turn off nearby fans, fluorescent 
lights, halogen lamps, or other appliances.
Adjust the Power Properties— See the Tell Me How help file or search 
for the keyword standby in the Help and Support Center. To access the help 
file, see 
Accessing Help.
Reseat the memory modules— If the computer power light turns on but 
the display remains blank, reseat the memory modules.
Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer 
Your computer’s Intel® Mobile Pentium®4 microprocessor requires\
 more power than 
the microprocessors used in Dell’s earlier portable computers. Your c\
omputer is 
designed to use the 90-W AC adapter and the 4400-mAh battery that shippe\
d with it; 
for optimum system performance, you should always use these components.
The 70-W AC adapters used in some of Dell’s earlier portable computer\
s can be used 
with your computer, but they will decrease system performance. Likewise,\
 you can 
use the 3800-mAh and 3600-mAh batteries from earlier Dell computers, but\
 these 
lesser-capacity batteries will discharge faster. Using less-powerful AC \
adapters or 
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
batteries may cause you to receive a WARNING or a SYSTEM CONFIGURATION E\
RROR 
message similar to the following:
WARNING: 70 Watt AC adapter detected. System will not be capable of 
running in full performance without a 90 Watt AC adapter.
NOTICE: Do not use an AC adapter rated under 70 W or a battery rated under 
3600 mAh in this computer. To do so will cause indeterminate results, in\
cluding 
data loss and/or immediate system shutdown. Using one of these lower-
powered components will cause a SYSTEM CONFIGURATION ERROR message to 
appear. 
Docking Power Considerations 
HINT: If you want to upgrade the AC adapter for an existing Dell docking 
device, you can purchase an additional 90-W AC adapter from Dell.
The 4400-mAh battery supplied with the computer is not designed to suppo\
rt both the 
computer and a docking device. For optimum system performance, always us\
e the 90-
W AC adapter (with or without a battery installed) when using the comp\
uter in a 
docking device. You can identify the 90-W adapter by the lighter-gray ti\
p on the 
connector that plugs into the computer or docking device.
Using a 70-W AC adapter will cause the computer to run in reduced-perfor\
mance 
mode and may display an AC adapter WARNING message.
Docking While the Computer Is Running
To accommodate the initial power surge when connecting to a docking devi\
ce with the 
computer running in normal (non-power conservation) mode, a 90- or 70-\
W AC 
adapter and at least one battery (a 4400- or 3800-mAh battery) must be\
 installed in 
the computer. The computer will then run in either full-performance or r\
educed-
performance mode, depending on the battery/AC adapter combination instal\
led.
AC Power Loss While the Computer Is Docked
If a computer loses AC power while docked, the computer immediately goes\
 into low-
performance mode and displays an appropriate WARNING message.
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
Start-Up Error Messages 
Operating system not found— 
Contact Dell for technical assistance (see Contacting Dell in the Del\
l 
Owners Manual that came with your computer).
Insert bootable media— 
The operating system is trying to boot to a nonbootable floppy disk or C\
D. 
Insert a bootable floppy disk or CD.
Non-system disk error— 
A floppy disk is in the floppy drive. Remove the floppy disk and restart\
 the 
computer. 
Video and Display Problems
If the display is blank 
HINT: If you are using a program that requires a higher resolution than your 
computer supports, Dell recommends that you attach an external monitor t\
o 
your computer. 
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
Check the  light— 
When the 
 light is blinking, the computer has power. 
l     If the  light is blinking, the computer is in standby mode—press 
the power button to exit standby mode. 
l     If the  light is off, press the power button.
l     If the  light is on, your power management settings may have 
caused the display to turn off. Try pressing any key or move the 
cursor to exit standby mode.
Check the battery— 
If you are using a battery to power your computer, the battery charge ma\
y 
be depleted. Connect the computer to an electrical outlet using the AC 
adapter, and turn on the computer.
Test the electrical outlet— 
Ensure that the electrical outlet is working by testing it with another \
device, 
such as a lamp.
Check the AC adapter— 
Check the AC adapter cable connections. If the AC adapter has a light, 
ensure that it is on.
Connect the computer directly to an electrical outlet— 
Bypass power protection devices, power strips, and the extension cable t\
o 
verify that the computer turns on.
Adjust the Power Properties— 
See the Tell Me How help file, or search for the keyword standby in the 
Microsoft® Windows® Help and Support Center. To access the help fi\
le, see 

Accessing Help.
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
Switch the video image— 
If your computer is attached to an external monitor, press 
  to 
switch the video image to the display.
If the display is difficult to read 
Adjust the brightness— 
See the Tell Me How help file for instructions on adjusting the brightness. 
To access the help file, see 
Accessing Help.
Move the subwoofer away from the computer or monitor— 
If your external speaker system includes a subwoofer, ensure that the 
subwoofer is at least 60 cm (2 ft) away from the computer or external \
monitor.
Eliminate possible interference— 
Turn off nearby fans, fluorescent lights, halogen lamps, or other applia\
nces.
Rotate the computer to face a different direction— 
Eliminate sunlight glare, which can cause poor picture quality.
Adjust the Windows display settings 
1.  Click the Start button and then click Control Panel. 
2.  Click Appearance and Themes. 
3.  Click the area you want to change or click the Display icon. 
4.  Try different settings for Color quality and Screen resolution. 
See Error Messages— 
If an error message appears, see 
Error Messages.
If only part of the display is readable 
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
Connect an external monitor 1.  Turn off your computer and connect an external monitor to the  computer. 
2.  Turn on the computer and the monitor and adjust the monitor  brightness and contrast controls. 
If the external monitor works, the computer display or video controller \
may 
be defective. Contact Dell (see Contacting Dell in the Dell Owners Manual 
that came with your computer).
Sound and Speaker Problems
If you have a problem with integrated speakers 
Adjust the Windows® volume control— Double-click the speaker icon in 
the lower-right corner of your screen. Ensure that the volume is turned \
up 
and that the sound is not muted. Adjust the volume, bass, or treble cont\
rols 
to eliminate distortion.
Adjust the volume using keyboard shortcuts— See Using the 
Keyboard and Touch Pad in the Tell Me How help file. Press 
  to 
disable (mute) or reenable the integrated speakers.
Reinstall the sound (audio) driver— See 
Reinstalling Drivers and 
Utilities.
If you have a problem with external speakers 
HINT: The volume control in some MP3 players overrides the Windows volume 
setting. If you have been listening to MP3 songs, make sure that you did\
 not 
turn the player volume down or off. 
Check the speaker cable connections— See the setup diagram supplied 
with the speakers.
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is working by 
testing it with another device, such as a lamp.
Ensure that the speakers are turned on— See the setup diagram 
supplied with the speakers.
Adjust the Windows volume control— Double-click the speaker icon in 
the lower-right corner of your screen. Ensure that the volume is turned \
up 
and that the sound is not muted. Adjust the volume, bass, or treble cont\
rols 
to eliminate distortion.
Test the speakers— Plug the speaker audio cable into the line-out 
connector on the computer. Ensure that the headphone volume control is 
turned up. Play a music CD.
Run the speaker self-test— Some speaker systems have a self-test 
button on the subwoofer. See the speaker documentation for self-test 
instructions. 
Eliminate possible interference— Turn off nearby fans, fluorescent 
lights, or halogen lamps to check for interference.
Reinstall the sound (audio) driver— See 
Reinstalling Drivers and 
Utilities.
Printer Problems
Check the printer cable connections— 
Ensure that the printer cable is properly connected to the computer.
Test the electrical outlet— 
Ensure that the electrical outlet is working by testing it with another \
device, 
such as a lamp.
Ensure that the printer is turned on— 
See the documentation supplied with the printer.
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							Solving Problems: Dell Inspiron 8200
Verify that Windows® recognizes the printer 1.  Click the Start button. 
2.  Click Control Panel. 
3.  Click Printers and Other Hardware. 
4.  Click View installed printers or fax printers. If the printer model is  listed, right-click the printer icon. 
5.  Click Properties, and then click the Ports tab. Ensure that the Print 
to the following port(s): setting is LPT1 (Printer Port). 
Reinstall the printer driver— See 
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities.
Modem and Internet Connection Problems
NOTICE: Connect the modem to an analog telephone wall jack only. Connecting 
the modem to a digital telephone network damages the modem. 
NOTICE: Modem and network connectors look similar. Do not plug a telephone 
line into the network connector. 
HINT: If you can connect to your Internet service provider (ISP), your modem\
 
is functioning properly. If you are sure that your modem is working prop\
erly and 
you still experience problems, contact your ISP. 
Check the telephone wall jack— 
Disconnect the telephone line from the modem and connect it to a 
telephone. Listen for a dial tone. Ensure that you have touchtone teleph\
one 
service. Try connecting the modem to a different telephone wall jack.
Slow connection speeds can be caused by telephone noise as well as by 
telephone line or network conditions. Contact your telephone company or \
network administrator for more information.
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