Dell 1400 User Manual

Dell™ Vostro™ 1400 Owner’s Manual

Model PP26L

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Notes, Notices, and Cautions

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of

your computer.

NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data

and tells you how to avoid the problem.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury,

or death.

____________________

Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.

Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Vostro, Wi-F i Catc her , Dell MediaDirect and Dell Media Experience are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Celeron, and Core are re gistered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under license.

Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.

Model PP26L

September 2007 P/N WY106 Rev. A01

1 Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2 About Your Computer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Determining Your Computer’s Configuration . . . . . . 23

Front View

Left Side View

Right Side View

Back View

Bottom View

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

3 Setting Up Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Setting Up Your Internet Connection

Transferring Information to a New Computer

Microsoft

Windows® XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Microsoft Windows Vista™

Setting Up a Printer

Printer Cable

Connecting a USB Printer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

. . . . . . . . 38

. . . . . 39

. . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Power Protection Devices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Contents 3

Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Line Conditioners

Uninterruptible Power Supplies

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

. . . . . . . . . . 46

4 Using the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Adjusting Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Switching the Video Image From Your Computer Display To a Projector

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Setting Display Resolution and Refresh Rate . . . . . . 47

Microsoft

Windows Vista™

Windows® XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

5 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad . . . . 49

Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

6 Using a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

4 Contents

Key Combinations

System Functions

Display Functions

Battery

Power Management

Microsoft

Dell™ QuickSet Key Combinations

Adjusting Keyboard Settings

Touch Pad

Customizing the Touch Pad

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Windows® Logo Key Functions . . . . 50

. . . . . . . . . 51

. . . . . . . . . . . . 51

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Checking the Battery Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Dell QuickSet Battery Meter

Charge Gauge

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Low-Battery Warning

Microsoft

Windows® XP Battery Meter . . . . . 58

Windows® Vista Battery Meter . . . . 58

. . . . . . . . . . . . 56

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Conserving Battery Power

Power Management Modes

Standby and Sleep Mode

Hibernate Mode

Configuring Power Management Settings

Accessing Power Options Properties

Charging the Battery

Replacing the Battery

Storing a Battery

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

. . . . . . . 60

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

7 Using the Optional Camera . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Accessing the Camera’s Help File . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Manually Adjusting the Camera Settings

Creating a Picture or a Video

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

. . . . . . . . 64

8 Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Playing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Playing Media Using Dell Express Card Remote Control

Copying CD and DVD Media

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Contents 5

How to Copy a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Using Blank CD and DVD Media

Helpful Tips

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

. . . . . . . . . . 72

Adjusting the Volume

Adjusting the Picture

Using Dell Media Experience™ and Dell MediaDirect™

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

If the computer is turned on or in standby or sleep mode

If the computer is turned off or in hibernate mode

Dell MediaDirect and Dell Media Experience Help

Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device

S-Video and Standard Audio

S-Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio

Composite Video and Standard Audio

. . . . . . . . . . . . 78

. . . . . . . . . 80

. . . . . . . 82

Composite Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio

Component Video and Standard Audio

. . . . . . 86

Component Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio

Enabling the Display Settings for a TV

. . . . . . . 91

. . 76

. . . . 84

. . . . 88

9 Using ExpressCards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

ExpressCard Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

10 Using the Memory Card Reader . . . . . . . 97

6 Contents

Installing an ExpressCard

Removing an ExpressCard or Blank

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

. . . . . . . . . . . 95

Memory Card Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Installing a Memory Card

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Removing a Memory Card or Blank . . . . . . . . . . . 98

11 Setting Up and Using Networks . . . . . . . 99

Connecting a Network or Broadband Modem Cable . . 99

Setting Up a Network in the Microsoft

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

System

Windows® XP Operating

Setting Up a Network in the Microsoft Windows Vista™ Operating

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

System

Wireless Local Area Network

What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection

Checking Your Wireless Network Card

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

. 101

. . . . . . 101

Setting Up a New WLAN Using a Wireless Router and a Broadband Modem

Connecting to a WLAN

Mobile Broadband (or Wireless Wide Area Network)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

. 106

What You Need to Establish a Mobile Broadband Network Connection

Checking Your Dell Mobile Broadband Card

Connecting to a Mobile Broadband Network

Enabling/Disabling the Dell Mobile Broadband Card

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

. . . . 107

. . . 107

108

Dell Wi-Fi Catcher™ Network Locator . . . . . . . . . 108

12 Securing Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Security Cable Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Passwords

If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

. . . . . . . . . . . 112

Contents 7

13 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Dell Technical Update Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Dell Diagnostics

Dell Support Center

Dell Support 3

Dell PC Tune-Up

Dell PC Checkup

Dell Network Assistant

DellConnect

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Optical drive problems

Hard drive problems

E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems

Error Messages

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

ExpressCard Problems

IEEE 1394 Device Problems

Keyboard Problems

External Keyboard problems

Unexpected characters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

. . . . . . . . . 125

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

. . . . . . . . . . . . 133

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

8 Contents

Lockups and Software Problems

The computer does not start

The computer stops responding

. . . . . . . . . . . . 135

. . . . . . . . . . 135

A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly

A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft operating system

A solid blue screen appears

Dell MediaDirect problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

. . . . . . . . . . . . 136

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

135

Windows®

Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Memory Problems

Network Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Mobile Broadband (Wireless Wide Area Network [WWAN])

Power Problems

Printer Problems

Scanner Problems

Sound and Speaker Problems

No sound from integrated speakers

No sound from external speakers

No sound from headphones

Remote Control Problems

Touch Pad or Mouse Problems

Video and Display Problems

If the display is blank

If the display is difficult to read

If only part of the display is readable

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

. . . . . . . . 143

. . . . . . . . . 143

. . . . . . . . . . . . 144

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

. . . . . . . . . . 146

. . . . . . . 147

139

Drivers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

What Is a Driver?

Identifying Drivers

Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities

Troubleshooting Software and Hardware Problems

Restoring Your Microsoft

Using Windows Vista System Restore

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

. . . . . . . . . . 149

. . 152

Windows Vista™ Operating System 153

. . . . . . . 153

Restoring the Computer to the Default Factory Configuration

Using the Operating System Media

. . . . . . . . 156

Contents 9

155

Restoring Your Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System 158

Using Microsoft

Using Dell™ PC Restore

Using the Operating System Media

Windows System Restore . . . . 158

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

. . . . . . . . 161

14 Adding and Replacing Parts . . . . . . . . . 163

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Recommended Tools

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Turning Off Your Computer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Before Working Inside Your Computer

Hard Drive

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Removing the Hard Drive

Replacing the Hard Drive

Returning a Hard Drive to Dell

Optical Drive

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Removing the Optical Drive

Replacing the Optical Drive

Central Control Cover

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Removing the Central Control Cover

Replacing the Central Control Cover

Keyboard

Memory

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Removing the Keyboard

Replacing the Keyboard

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Removing the Memory Module

Replacing the Memory Module

. . . . . . . 164

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

. . . . . . . . . . . 168

. . . . . . . . . . . . 169

. . . . . . . . . . . . 170

. . . . . . . . 170

. . . . . . . . 171

. . . . . . . . . . 173

. . . . . . . . . . 175

10 Contents

Modem

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Subscriber Identity Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Wireless Mini-Cards

Removing a WLAN Card

Replacing a WLAN Card

Internal Card with Bluetooth

Removing a Mobile Broadband or WWAN Card

Replacing a WWAN Card

Flash Cache Module

Removing the FCM

Replacing the FCM

Coin-Cell Battery

Removing the Coin-Cell Battery

Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Wireless Technology 181

. . 182

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

. . . . . . . . . . 187

. . . . . . . . . . 188

15 Dell™ QuickSet Features . . . . . . . . . . . 189

16 Traveling With Your Computer

Identifying Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

. . . . . . . 191

Packing the Computer

Travel Tips

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Traveling by Air

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

17 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Technical Support and Customer Service

DellConnect

Online Services

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

. . . . . 194

Contents 11

AutoTech Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Automated Order-Status Service

. . . . . . . . . 195

Problems With Your Order

Product Information

Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit

Before You Call

Contacting Dell

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

. . . . . 196

18 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

19 Appendix

Using the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Cleaning Your Computer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Viewing the System Setup Screen

System Setup Screen

Commonly Used Options

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Computer, Keyboard, and Display

Touch Pad

Mouse

Media

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

. . . . . . . . . 212

. . . . . . . . . 214

12 Contents

Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only)

. . . . . . . 216

Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals

Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals

FCC Notice (U.S. Only)

FCC Class B

Macrovision Product Notice

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

217

Glossary 221

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Contents 13

14 Contents

Finding Information

NOTE: Some features may be optional and may not ship with your computer. Some

features may not be available in certain countries.

NOTE: Additional information may ship with your computer.

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• A diagnostic program for my computer

• Drivers for my computer

• Device documentation

• Notebook System Software (NSS)

Drivers and Utilities Media

Documentation and drivers are already installed on your computer. You can use the Drivers and Utilities media to reinstall drivers (see "Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities" on page 149) or run the Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics" on page 115).

Readme files may be included on your Drivers and Utilities media to provide last-minute updates about technical changes to your computer or advanced technical-reference material for technicians or experienced users.

NOTE: Drivers and documentation updates

can be found at support.dell.com.

Finding Information 15

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Warranty information

• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)

• Safety instructions

• Regulatory information

• Ergonomics information

• End User License Agreement

Dell™ Product Information Guide

• How to set up my computer

Setup Diagram

NOTE: See the setup diagram that came

with your computer.

16 Finding Information

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Service Tag and Express Service Code

• Microsoft

Windows® Licence Label

Service Tag and Microsoft Windows Licence

NOTE: Your computer’s Service Tag and

Microsoft located on your computer.

Your computer’s Service Tag contains both a Service Tag number and an Express Service Code.

• Use the Service Tag to identify your computer when you use

support.dell.com

• Enter the Express Service Code to direct your call when contacting support.

• Use the product key on the License Label if you need to reinstall your operating system.

NOTE: As an increased security measure,

the newly designed Microsoft Windows license label incorporates a missing portion or "hole" to discourage removal of the label.

Windows® License labels are

or contact support.

Finding Information 17

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles from technicians, online courses, and frequently asked questions

• Community — Online discussion with

Dell Support Website — support.dell.com

NOTE: Select your region or business

segment to view the appropriate support site.

other Dell customers

• Upgrades — Upgrade information for components, such as the memory, hard drive, and operating system

• Customer Care — Contact information, service call and order status, and warranty and repair information

• Service and support — Service call status, support history, service contract, and online discussions with support

• Dell Technical Update Service — Proactive e-mail notification of software and hardware updates for your computer

• Reference — Computer documentation, details on my computer configuration, product specifications, and white papers

• Downloads — Certified drivers, patches, and software updates

• Notebook System Software (NSS) — If you reinstall the operating system on your computer, you should also reinstall the NSS utility. NSS automatically detects your computer and operating system, and installs the updates appropriate for your configuration, providing critical updates for your operating system and support for Dell

3.5-inch USB floppy drives, Intel

processors, optical drives, and USB devices. NSS is necessary for correct operation of your Dell computer.

To download Notebook System Software:

Go to

support.dell.com

country/region, and then click

& Downloads

Enter your Service Tag or Product Type and Product Model, and then click

Confirm

Select your operating system and language, and then click

Downloads Search

Notebook System Software

NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface

may vary depending on your selections.

, select your

Find

, or under

Downloads

, search for the keyword

Drivers

18 Finding Information

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Software upgrades and troubleshooting hints — Frequently asked questions, hot topics, and general health of your computing environment

Dell Support Center

The Dell Support Center is an automated upgrade and notification system installed on your computer. This support provides real-time health scans of your computing environment, software updates, and relevant self-support information. Access the Dell Support Center from the

For more information, see "Dell Support Center

" on page 120

• How to use Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista™

• How to work with programs and files

• How to personalize my desktop

Windows Help and Support

Microsoft Windows XP:

Click the

and Support

Either select one of the topics listed, or type a word or phrase that describes your problem into the the arrow icon, and then click the topic that describes your problem.

Follow the instructions on the screen.

Microsoft Windows Vista:

Click the Windows Vista Start button

, and then click

Search Help

that describes your problem, and then press <Enter> or click the magnifying glass.

Click the topic that describes your problem.

Follow the instructions on the screen.

icon on the taskbar.

Start

button and click

Help and Support

, type a word or phrase

Help

box, click

Finding Information 19

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Information on network activity, the Power Management Wizard, hotkeys, and other items controlled by Dell QuickSet

Dell QuickSet Help

To view

Dell QuickSet Help, right-click

the QuickSet icon in the Microsoft Windows taskbar is located in the lower-right corner of your screen.

For more information on Dell QuickSet, see "Dell™ QuickSet Features" on page 189.

taskbar, and select Help. The

20 Finding Information

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• How to reinstall my operating system

Operating System Media

The operating system is already installed on your computer. To reinstall your operating system, use one of the following methods:

• Microsoft Windows System Restore — Microsoft Windows System Restore returns your computer to an earlier operating state without affecting data files.

• Operating System Installation Media — If you received operating system media with your computer, you can use it to restore your operating system.

For more information, see "Restoring Yo u r M ic r os of t Operating System" on page 153.

After you reinstall your operating system, use the Drivers and Utilities media to reinstall drivers for the devices that came with your computer.

Windows Vista™

Your operating system product key label is located on your computer.

NOTE: The color of your operating system

installation media varies according to the operating system you ordered.

Finding Information 21

22 Finding Information

About Your Computer

Determining Your Computer’s Configuration

Based on selections that you made when purchasing your computer, your computer has one of several different video controller configurations. To determine your computer’s video controller configuration:

1 Click

From the My Computer Information - Hardware screen, you can view the type of video controller installed in your computer, as well as the other hardware components.

Start

Under

Pick a Task

and diagnose problems.

Under

My Computer Information

, and then click

, click

Help and Support

Use Tools to view your computer information

, select

Hardware

About Your Computer 23

Front View

11 89

12 7

1 camera indicator 2 camera (optional)

3 digital microphones (2) 4 display

5 media control buttons 6 touch pad

7 touch pad buttons 8 microphone connector

9 headphone connectors (2) 10 wireless switch

10 6

24 About Your Computer

11 device status lights 12 8-in-1 memory card reader

13 keyboard 14 Dell™ MediaDirect™ button

15 keyboard status lights 16 power button

CAMERA INDICATOR — Indicates camera ON/OFF status.

CAMERA — Built-in camera for video capture, conferencing, and chat. Based on

configuration selections you made when ordering your computer, your computer may not include a camera.

IGITAL MICROPHONES — Digital directional microphones for conferencing and

chat.

DISPLAY — For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" on

page 47.

MEDIA CONTROL BUTTONS — Control CD, DVD, and Media Player playback.

Mute the sound. Play the previous track.

Turn the volume down. Play the next track.

Turn the volume up. Stop.

Play or pause.

About Your Computer 25

TOUCH PAD — Provides the functionality of a mouse (see "Touch Pad" on page 52).

1 2 3 4

TOUCH PAD BUTTONS — Use these buttons much like the buttons on a mouse when

you use the touch pad to move the cursor on the display (see "Touch Pad" on page 52).

UDIO CONNECTORS

Attach headphones to the connector.

Attach a microphone to the connector.

WIRELESS

a wireless LAN (WLAN) in your vicinity. You can also use it to rapidly turn off or on any wireless devices such as WLAN cards and internal cards with Bluetooth

SWITCH — When enabled through Dell QuickSet, this switch can scan for

wireless

technology.

1 off Disables wireless devices. 2 on Enables wireless devices.

26 About Your Computer

3 momentary Scans for WLAN networks (see "Dell Wi-Fi

Catcher™ Network Locator" on page 108).

•

4 Wi-Fi Catcher light

Flashing green: Searching for networks

•

Solid green: Strong network found

•

Solid yellow: Weak network found

•

Flashing yellow: Error

•

Off: No signal found

NOTE: The Wi-Fi Catcher Network Locatator light

appears only when the system is switched off and Wi-Fi is activated in BIOS.

DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS

The lights located on the palm rest towards the front of the computer indicate the following:

Power light – Turns on when you turn on the computer and blinks when the computer is in a power management mode.

Hard drive activity light – Turns on when the computer reads or writes data.

NOTICE: To avoid loss of data, never turn off the computer while the

light is flashing.

About Your Computer 27

Battery status light – Turns on steadily or blinks to indicate battery charge status.

WiFi status light – Turns on when wireless networking is enabled. To enable or disable wireless networking, use the wireless switch.

Bluetooth status light – Turns on when a card with Bluetooth wireless technology is enabled.

NOTE: The card with Bluetooth wireless technology is an optional feature.

The light turns on only if you ordered the card with your computer. For more information, see the documentation that came with your card.

To turn off only the Bluetooth wireless technology functionality, right-click the icon in the notification area, and then click Disable Bluetooth Radio.

To quickly enable or disable all wireless devices, use the wireless switch.

If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the light operates as follows:

– Solid blue: The battery is charging. – Flashing blue: The battery is almost fully charged. – Off: The battery is adequately charged.

If the computer is running on a battery, the light operates as follows:

– Off: The battery is adequately charged (or the computer is turned off). – Flashing amber: The battery charge is low.

amber

– Solid

8-IN-1 MEMORY CARD READER — Provides a fast and convenient way to view and share digital photos, music, and videos stored on a memory card. The 8-in-1 media memory card reader reads the following digital media memory cards:

• Secure Digital (SD)

• Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO)

• MultiMediaCard (MMC)

•Memory Stick

• Memory Stick PRO

• xD-Picture Card

• Hi Speed-SD

• Hi Density-SD

KEYBOARD — The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft

Windows

: The battery charge is critically low.

logo key.

28 About Your Computer

DELL™ MEDIADIRECT™ BUTTON — Press the Dell MediaDirect button to launch Dell MediaDirect (see "Using Dell Media Experience™ and Dell MediaDirect™" on page 74).

KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS

The blue lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:

Turns on when the numeric keypad is enabled.

Turns on when the uppercase letter (caps lock) function is enabled.

Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.

POWER BUTTON — Press the power button to turn on the computer or exit a power

management mode (see "Configuring Power Management Settings" on page 60).

NOTICE: To avoid losing data, turn off your computer by performing a Microsoft

Windows® operating system shutdown rather than by pressing the power button.

If the computer stops responding, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off completely (may take several seconds).

About Your Computer 29

Left Side View

1 2453 6

1 security cable slot 2 AC adapter connector

3 air vents 4 IEEE 1394a connector

5 USB connectors (2) 6 ExpressCard slot

SECURITY CABLE SLOT — Lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device

to the computer (see "Security Cable Lock" on page 111).

ADAPTER CONNECTOR — Attaches an AC adapter to the computer. The AC

adapter converts AC power to the DC power required by the computer. You can connect the AC adapter with your computer turned on or off.

CAUTION: The AC adapter works with electrical outlets worldwide. However,

power connectors and power strips vary among countries. Using an incompatible cable or improperly connecting the cable to the power strip or electrical outlet may cause fire or equipment damage.

NOTICE: When you disconnect the AC adapter cable from the computer, grasp the

connector, not the cable itself, and pull firmly, but gently to help prevent damage to the cable.

AIR VENTS — The computer uses an internal fan to create airflow through the vents,

which prevents the computer from overheating. The computer turns the fan on when the computer gets hot. Fan noise is normal and does not indicate a problem with the fan or the computer.

IEEE 1394

transfer rates, such as some digital video cameras.

A CONNECTOR — Connects devices supporting IEEE 1394a high-speed

30 About Your Computer

+ 216 hidden pages

Dell 1400 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Finding Information

About Your Computer

Determining Your Computer’s Configuration

Front View

Left Side View