Dell PowerEdge 500SC - Manual (Page 21)

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Finding Software Solutions
Dell™ PowerEdge™ 500SC Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
Installing and Configuring Software
Using Software
Because most systems have several application programs installed in addition to the operating system, isolating a software problem can be confusing.
Software errors can also appear to be hardware malfunctions at first.
Software problems can result from the following circumstances:
l Improper installation or configuration of an application program
l Input errors
l Device drivers that may conflict with certain application programs
l Interrupt conflicts between devices
You can confirm that a system problem is caused by software by running the system diagnostics. See " Running the System Diagnostics ." If all tests in the test
group are completed successfully, the problem is most likely caused by software.
This section provides some general guidelines for analyzing software problems. For detailed troubleshooting information on a particular application program,
see the documentation that accompanied the software or consult the support service for the software.
Installing and Configuring Software
Use virus-scanning software to check newly acquired application programs and files for viruses before installing the application programs on the system's hard
drive. Viruses can quickly use all available system memory, damage and/or destroy data stored on the hard drive, and permanently affect the performance of
the application programs they infect. Several commercial virus-scanning programs are available for purchase.
Before installing an application program, read its documentation to learn how the application program works, what hardware it requires, and what its defaults
are. An application program usually includes installation instructions in its accompanying documentation and a software installation routine.
The software installation routine assists users in transferring the appropriate application program files to the system's hard drive. Installation instructions may
provide details about how to configure the operating system to successfully run the application program. Always read the installation instructions before
running an application program's installation routine.
When you run the installation routine, be prepared to respond to prompts for information about how the system's operating system is configured, what type
of system you have, and what peripherals are connected to the system.
Using Software
The following subsections discuss errors that can occur as a result of software operation or configuration.
Error Messages
Error messages can be produced by an application program, the operating system, or the system. " Indicators, Messages, and Codes " discusses the error
messages that are generated by the system. If you receive an error message that is not listed in " Indicators, Messages, and Codes ," check the operating
system or application program documentation.
Input Errors
If a specific key or set of keys is pressed at the wrong time, an application program may give you unexpected results. See the documentation that came with
the application program to make sure that the values or characters you are entering are valid.
Make sure that the operating environment is set up to accommodate the application programs you use. Keep in mind that whenever you change the
parameters of the system's operating environment, you may affect the successful operation of the application programs. Sometimes, after modifying the
operating environment, you may need to reinstall an application program that no longer runs properly.
Application Program Conflicts
Some application programs may leave portions of their setup information behind, even though you have exited from them. As a result, other application
programs cannot run. Rebooting the system can confirm whether these application programs are the cause of the problem.
Device drivers, which are application programs that use specialized subroutines, can cause problems with the system. For example, a variation in the way the
data is sent to the monitor may require a special screen driver application program that expects a certain kind of video mode or monitor. In such cases, you
may have to develop an alternate method of running that particular application program—by creating a start-up file made especially for that application
program, for example. Call the support service for the software you are using to help you with this problem.
Avoiding Interrupt Assignment Conflicts
Problems can arise if two devices attempt to use the same IRQ line. To avoid this type of conflict, check the documentation for the IRQ line's default for each
installed expansion card. Then consult
Table 3 -1 to configure the card for one of the available IRQ lines.