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Only partial power, Floppy drive problems, Cd, cd-rw, dvd drive problems – Dell Latitude C800 User Manual

Page 72

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No.

Call Dell

for technical assistance.

Only Partial Power

If the

light shows

that your computer is
receiving power, but the
display remains blank, part
of your computer is probably
not receiving power. See also
"

No Power at All

."

1. Turn off the computer and devices and disconnect them from the electrical outlet. Disconnect any attached

devices from the computer.

2. Make sure that the

AC adapter

is connected to the computer and to an electrical outlet, or confirm that a fully

charged battery is properly seated in the modular bay.

3. Turn on the computer. Is the display on?

Allow 1 minute for the computer to initialize its components before checking for signs of power.

Yes. The entire computer is receiving power; the problem is resolved.

No.

Adjust the brightness

of the display. If the display still does not show an image,

call Dell

for technical

assistance.

Floppy Drive Problems

During the power-on
self-test (POST), the

computer checks the floppy
drive, comparing its
characteristics with the
system configuration

information. (The

light

blinks as the computer
performs this check on a
floppy drive.)

Basic Checks:

l

If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound when a drive is accessed, make sure the sound is not
caused by the application program that is running. The sound could be caused by a hardware malfunction. See
"

Help Overview

" for instructions on obtaining technical assistance from Dell.

l

When you turn on the computer, you can hear floppy or hard-disk drive activity during the boot routine. If your
computer does not boot, call Dell for technical assistance. (See "

Help Overview

" for instructions.) Otherwise,

see the "

Dell Diagnostics

."

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Test this indicator by inserting a floppy disk into the drive, typing dir a: at an MS-DOS prompt, and pressing

l

Ensure that the floppy disk is not write-protected if you are trying to copy data to it.

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Run the Diskette tests as described in "

Dell Diagnostics

."

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Try a different floppy disk in the drive. If the new floppy disk works, the original one may be defective.

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Check the settings on the Page One submenu of the

system setup program

.

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Clean the drive using a commercially available cleaning kit.

NOTICE: Do not attempt to clean drive heads with a swab. You may accidentally misalign the heads,
rendering the drive inoperable.

If the problem still exists after you complete the basic checks, fill out the

Diagnostics Checklist

as you perform the

following steps:

1. Save and close any open files, exit any open application programs, and shut down the computer.
2. Remove the floppy drive from the

modular bay

.

3. Reinstall the floppy drive.
4. Reboot the computer. Does the

light blink during the boot routine?

Yes. Go to step 6.

No. Go to step 5.

5. Remove and reinsert the floppy drive. Reboot the computer. Does the

light appear during the boot routine?

Yes. Go to step 6.

No. Go to step 9.

6. Does the computer display a drive error message?

Yes. See "

Understanding Error Messages

" for an explanation of the message, and then go to step 7.

No. Go to step 9.

7. Insert a bootable 1.44-megabyte (MB) floppy disk into the floppy drive and reboot the computer.

8. Does the

light blink during the boot routine, and does the drive boot the operating system?

Yes. The floppy drive problem has probably been resolved. If you continue to experience trouble,

call Dell

for technical assistance.

No. Go to step 9.

9. Call Dell for technical assistance.

CD, CD-RW, DVD
Drive Problems

Basic Checks:

l

If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound when a drive is accessed: