Dell Dimension 8200 - Manual (Page 33)

If you cannot play a music CD or install a program from a CD
If you cannot play a DVD movie
If the CD-RW drive stops writing
If you have a hard drive problem
HINT: High-speed CD drive vibration is normal and may cause noise. This does not indicate a defect in the drive or the CD.
Ensure that Windows recognizes the drive — In Windows XP, click the Start button, and then click My Computer. In Windows Me and
Windows 2000, double-click the My Computer icon on the Windows desktop. If the floppy drive is not listed, perform a full scan with your
antivirus software to check for and remove viruses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.
Test the drive with another CD — Insert another CD to eliminate the possibility that the original CD is defective.
Clean the disc — See the Tell Me How help file for instructions.
Adjust the Windows volume control — In Windows XP, click the speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. In Windows Me or
Windows 2000, double-click the speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that the volume is turned up and that the
sound is not muted.
If headphones are connected to the front-panel headphone jack, check for sound from the headphones — Sound from the speakers is
automatically disabled when headphones are connected to the computer's front-panel headphone jack.
Check the speakers and subwoofer — See " Sound and Speaker Problems ."
HINT: Because of different worldwide file types, not all DVD titles work in all DVD drives.
Ensure that Windows recognizes the drive — In Windows XP, click the Start button, and then click My Computer. In Windows Me and
Windows 2000, double-click the My Computer icon on the Windows desktop. If the DVD drive is not listed, perform a full scan with your
antivirus software to check for and remove viruses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.
Test the drive with another DVD — Insert another DVD to eliminate the possibility that the original DVD is defective.
Clean the disc — See the Tell Me How help file for instructions.
HINT: If you disable standby mode to write to a CD-RW drive, remember to reenable standby mode when you finish writing to the CD.
Turn off Standby in Windows before writing to a CD-RW disc — See the Tell Me How help file or search for the keyword standby in Help and
Support (Help in Windows Me and Windows 2000). See " Accessing Help Files ."
Change the write speed to a slower rate — The CD-RW drive must receive a steady stream of data when writing. If the stream is
interrupted, an error occurs. Closing all programs before writing to the CD-RW may also alleviate the problem.
Run ScanDisk
Windows XP and Windows 2000
1. In Windows XP, click the Start button, and then click My Computer. In Windows 2000, double-click the My Computer icon on the
Windows desktop.
2. Right-click the drive letter (local disk) that you want to scan for errors, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Tools tab.
4. Under Error-checking, click Check Now.
5. Click Start.
Windows Me
Click the Start button, point to Programs—> Accessories—> System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.
Check for interrupt request conflicts — See " Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities ."