ALIENWARE Area-51 m9750 Technical Reference

Alienware Area-51 m9750 Technical Reference

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NOTICE

Specifications and information found in this manual are subject to change without
notice. Any changes therefore will be incorporated in future editions. The manufacturer
assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this document.

TRADEMARKS

Windows™ XP is the trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Bluetooth® is the trademark owned by its proprietor.

This product incorporates copyright protect technology that is protected by U.S.
patents and other intellectual property rights. Use of this copyright protect technology
must be authorized by Macrovision, and is intended for home and other limited
viewing uses only unless otherwise authorized by Macrovision. Reverse engineering or
disassembly is prohibited.

Other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

Standards

The following standards are adopted throughout this manual:

* Notebook in boldface (with or without capitalization) refers to the notebook
computer that you have purchased.

* Boldface type is also used to highlight important information in this document.

* Whenever extra caution is called for, the information will be boxed in a dark
frame preceded by “Note:” or “Warning:”

Rev. 1.0 May 2007

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 - BEFORE YOU BEGIN, (3)

CHECKING WHAT YOU RECEIVED, (3)
EXAMINING YOUR COMPUTER, (4)
THE TWO SYSTEM LEDS, (8)
THE SEVEN STATUS LEDS, (9)
THE POWER BUTTON, (10)
THE NINE FINGER-TOUCH BUTTONS, (10)
PCI EXPRESS CARD AND MEDIA SLOTS, (12)
OPERATING TEMPERATURE, (13)
THE <FN> KEY, (14)

CHAPTER 2 - BATTERY, (16)

BATTERY PACK, (16)
RECHARGING THE BATTERY PACK, (16)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, (16)
BATTERY MAINTENANCE, (17)
POWER CONSUMPTION, (18)
REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION, (18)
REMOVING THE BATTERY PACK, (19)

CHAPTER 3 - MEMORY, (20)

REMOVING MEMORY MODULES, (21)

CHAPTER 4 - THE HDD DRIVES, (23)

THE TWO HDD SOCKETS, (23)
REMOVING THE HARD DISK DRIVES, (24)

APPENDIX A - AGENCY REGULATORY NOTICES, (25)

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Chapter 1 - Before You Begin

Please read this section before you start using your computer.

Checking What You Received

Your notebook package should contain the following items:

• The Notebook.

• AC Adapter.

• AC Power Cord.

• CD Disc (Including Drivers and User’s Guide).

• Battery Pack.

Note: You should keep the original factory carton and packing materials in case you
need to ship the unit back for servicing.

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Examining Your Computer

Before you start using your computer, you need to get acquainted with your
notebook’s main features and interfaces:

Web Cam
LCD Latch
LCD Screen
Power Button
Keyboard
Two Click Buttons
Seven System LEDs
Nine Finger-Touch Buttons
Touch Pad
ODD Drive
Two Speakers

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Note: Press this key combination (Fn+F4) to power on and power off
the optional Web Cam module. After powering on the Web Cam, you
need to activate its function through Windows™.

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Front View

1. LCD Latch 4. Emergency Latch

2. Two Speakers 5. Eject Button

3. CIR Infrared Receiver Underneath 6. ODD Drive

Rear View

1. VGA Port 7. S-Video In Connector

2. S-Video Out Connector 8. DC-In Jack

3. Ventilation Holes 9. USB Connector

4. RJ11 Fax/Modem Connector 10. DVI Connector

5. Audio-In Connector 11. Ventilation Holes

6. TV-In Connector

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Left View

1. PCI Express Card Slot 5. Ventilation Holes

2. Media Card Slot 6. RJ 45 LAN Connector

3. Two USB Connectors 7. IEEE1394 Connector

4. Kensington Lock 8. Two HDD Doors

Right View

1. SPDIF-Out Connector 5. Digital Volume Dial

2. Three Audio-Out Ports 6. Ventilation Holes
(Front/ Surround/ Center speakers) 7. USB Connector

3. Microphone Jack

4. Headphone Jack

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Bottom View

1. Compartment Door 4. Woofer

2. Ventilation Holes 5. Battery Latch

3. Two HDD Doors 6. Battery Pack

Two Types of Audio Jack

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The Two System LEDs

The two System LEDs are closely knitted together to reflect the system and battery
recharge statuses as below.

Off • The system is off, or in hibernation mode, and

• The battery pack is fully charged, or battery pack
is not inserted.

Blue • The system is in full operation mode, and

• The battery pack is fully charged, or battery pack
is not inserted.

Blue blinking once
per 1.5 seconds

• The system is in standby mode.

Amber • The battery pack is being recharged (fast-charge

or pre-charge).

Purple • The system is in full operation mode, and

• The battery pack fails to be recharged.

Purple blinking
once per second

• The system is in standby mode, and

• The battery pack fails to be recharged.

Amber blinking
once per 3 seconds

• The battery pack is under discharge, and

• The battery power is more than 10% level.

Amber blinking
once per second

• The system is in full operation mode, and

• The battery power is less than 10% level.

Amber blinking five
times per second

• The system is off, or in hibernation mode, and

• The battery power is less than 5% level.

Note: The two System LEDs are located at the rear bottom side of the LCD display screen.

For more details on Standby and Hibernate, please refer to Power Options in the
Control Panel of your Microsoft Windows operating system.

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The Num Lock LED
The LED will be lit when the keyboard is in Num Lock mode. In
this mode, the embedded numeric keypads can be used.

The Caps Lock LED
The LED will be lit when the keyboard is in Caps Lock mode. In
this mode, all characters you type are in uppercase.

The Touch Pad LED
The LED will be lit when the touch pad function is activated.
You can press the (Fn+F5) key combination to switch off and to switch
on the touch pad function.

The HDD/ODD LED
The LED will be lit when the system is accessing the hard disk
drive and/or optical drive.

The AC Adapter LED
The LED will be lit when the system is connected to an AC adapter.

The Wireless LED
The LED will be lit when the wireless function is powered on.

The Finger-Touch Button LED
The LED will temporarily be lit when any of the finger-touch
buttons is pressed. For details on finger-touch buttons, please refer to
Chapter 1.6.

The Seven Status LEDs

Note: The seven Status LEDs are located near the topside of the keyboard. For the
exact location, please refer to the Panoramic View diagram in Chapter 1.2.

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The Power Button

Power Button

This Power Button is programmable by user. For details on how to program
this button, please refer to Power Options in the Control Panel of Windows.

Note: The Power Button is located near the right side of the keyboard. For the exact
location, please refer to the Panoramic View diagram in Chapter 1.2.

The Nine Finger-Touch Buttons

TV Button (Optional)
Press this button to run the TV Program.

DVD Button (Optional)
Press this button to run the DVD Program.

Music Button (Optional)
Press this button to run the Music Program.

Next Track Button
Press this button to skip to the next track/chapter of media playback.

Previous Track Button
Press this button to skip to the previous track/chapter of media
playback.

Stop Button
Press this button to stop media playback.

Play/Pause Button
Press this button to play or pause media playback.

Email Button
Press this button to activate the email function.

Internet Button
Press this button to activate the Internet function.

Note: The nine Finger-Touch Buttons are “finger-touch sensitive” and are located near
the top of the keyboard. For the exact location, please refer to the Panoramic View
diagram in Chapter 1.2.

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Note: The system supports Windows™ MCE and Windows™ XP operating systems.
Windows™ MCE supports full media center features.

In order to take full advantage of the three buttons (TV Button, DVD Button, Music
Button), you are requested to install the Function Key Controller program as supplied
in the system driver CD. Without installing this program, you will not be able to
activate these functions (through these three buttons) unless you have entered into
the main menu of the media center software. By installing this program, you will be
able to activate these functions (through these three buttons) whether you have
entered into the main menu of the media center software or not.

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