Not everyone is a computer whiz out there but this should not stop you from running Dells Simple Diagnostic Tools. It's easy to use and you will be glad you did.
When to use Dell Diagnostics? Use the Dell Diagnostic tools when you Dell and Only (Dell) computer starts to act up. Such as boot up errors or your computer blue screening on you.
How do I access the Dell Diagnostic Tools? All Dell computers have diagnostic tools preloaded on them in a separate partition of the hard drive. To access the Diagnostic tools press F12 when you first turn on the computer and see the Dell screen. This option can be F2 and F9 as well on some models. You may need to reboot a few times to get into it. Once in the menu you have several options. I would recommend running the advanced tests. This can take a good 40 minutes boot it's a good test for the majority of components installed in the system.
What do I do if it found an error? Well that all depends on what the error is. Write down the error code and what the error is if one was given. If your computer is under warranty still then call Dell up and depending on what your warranty plan is they will guide you the rest of the way. If your computer is not under warranty the best advice I can give is call a few computer repair shops and get there opinion.
What to do if no issue was found? Just because no hardware issue was found does not mean it's not hardware. Chances are it is not and that's a good think because you will probably save some money now. Most likely it is software related. Try doing a system restore.
