Troubleshooting Procedures; Restart Your Computer; Dry Out A Wet Computer - Dell Inspiron 3800 Reference And Troubleshooting Manual

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Troubleshooting Procedures

Before performing any of the procedures in this section, see "Checking the Basics,"
found earlier in this chapter, and read the "Safety Instructions" at the front of this
guide. Then perform the appropriate troubleshooting procedure.

Restart Your Computer

Several of the following sections advise you to restart the computer as part of the
troubleshooting process. To perform a proper restart, perform the following steps:
1. Save and close any open files, and exit any open application programs.
2. Click the Start button, click Shut Down, select Restart, and then click OK.
The computer restarts automatically.

Dry Out a Wet Computer

Liquids, rain, and excessive humidity can cause damage to the computer.
CAUTION: Perform the following procedure only after you are certain that
it is safe to do so. If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, Dell
recommends that you turn off AC power at the circuit breaker before
attempting to remove the power cables from the electrical outlet. Use the
utmost caution when removing wet cables from a live power source.
1. Turn off the computer and disconnect the AC adapter from the computer.
2. Disconnect the AC adapter from the electrical outlet.
3. Turn off any attached peripherals, and disconnect them from their power sources
and then from the computer.
4. Ground yourself by touching one of the metal connectors on the back of the
computer.
5. Remove the media bay device and PC Cards (if installed.)
Put the device and cards in a safe place to dry.
6. Remove the batteries from the battery bay and the media bay.
Wipe off the batteries and put them in a safe place to dry.
7 . Remove the hard-disk drive. For instructions, see "Installing an Internal Hard-Disk
Drive" in Chapter 2.
8. Remove the memory modules. For instructions, see "Installing Memory
Modules" in Chapter 2.
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