Hi, my name is Roger. I'm with R-Tech Computers. The question is how to troubleshoot a Dell Laptop? And this process can really be applied to just about any laptop, but the first thing you have to figure out in any scenario where trying to troubleshoot a computer is, "Is it a software problem or is it a hardware problem?" If, now this could be a little difficult to figure out because how can you tell if it's a software or hardware problem. The best way, though it's not the most practical way, is to reload the computer back to factory settings. Now, please be careful when you do this because process will wipe out your data completely. Most manufacturers will provide you with a recovery disk. Many of the manufacturers nowadays are giving options for, during the recovery process where they will backup your files. While I know they mean well, I've already experienced at least one case where the process managed to wipe out the client's data anyways. But, once you had your data backed-up, then you can go ahead and use the recover disk or in many cases, you can press the F10 key or something to start the recovery process during the boot up; 'cause many times they don't give you CDs where the recovery program but they put it on a partition of the hard drive. And then once you've start that recovery process, again, keep in mind, that's a destructive process, so you will lose your data when you do this; so please have a backup. I know I'm sounding redundant but, I want to emphasize this. Once you've got that recovery process started, if it completes successfully, then you will have identified that it was a software problem and eliminated the software problem at the same time and your computer will function fine. If the recovery process doesn't go through smoothly or you get errors of any kind, which you really shouldn't get any errors of any kind, then it's more than likely a hardware problem. At that point you can contact the manufacturer and explain to the that, "Hey, I've already tried the recovery process and it doesn't work". They will agree with you that it's a hardware problem; you ship it back to them and they will fix it. If your product is out of warranty, feel free to contact us at 818-347-1100 and we will be happy to troubleshoot the hardware for you.
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