Dell Alienware M18x R2 User manual

Alienware M18x R2

Owner’s Manual

Computer model: M18x R2 Regulatory model: P12E Regulatory type: P12E002

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make

better use of your computer.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to

hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage,

personal injury, or death.

____________________

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

®

Trademarks used in this text: Alienware Corporation; Dell™ is a trademark of Dell Inc.; Microsoft button logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft corporation in the United States and/or other countries;Bluetooth 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 product s. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.

2012 - 05 Rev. A01

is a registered trademark of Alienware

®

,Windows®, and the Windows start

®

is a registered trademark owned by

Contents

1 Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Turn Off Your Computer and Connected Devices. . . . 9

Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Recommended Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2 After Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3 Removing the Battery Pack

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

4 Replacing the Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

5 Removing the Base Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

6Replacing the Base Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

7 Removing the mSATA Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

8 Replacing the mSATA Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

9 Removing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Contents | 3

10 Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

11 Removing the Hard Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

12 Replacing the Hard Drive(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

13 Removing the Center Control Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

14 Replacing the Center Control Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

15 Removing the Power-Button Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

16 Replacing the Power-Button Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

17 Removing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

18 Replacing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

19 Removing the Macro Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

4 | Contents

20 Replacing the Macro Keyboard

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

21 Removing the Memory Module(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

22 Replacing the Memory Module(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

23 Removing the Display Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

24 Replacing the Display Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

25 Removing the Palm Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

26 Replacing the Palm Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

27 Removing the Status-Light Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

28 Replacing the Status-Light Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

29 Removing the Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Contents | 5

30 Replacing the Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

31 Removing the I/O Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

32 Replacing the I/O Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

33 Removing the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

34 Replacing the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

35 Removing the Video-Card Heat-Sink Fan(s) . . . . . . . 67

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

36 Replacing the Video-Card Heat-Sink Fan(s) . . . . . . . 69

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

37 Removing the Video-Card Heat-Sink(s) . . . . . . . . . . 70

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

38 Replacing the Video-Card Heat-Sink(s) . . . . . . . . . . 72

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

39 Removing the Video Card(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

6 | Contents

40 Replacing the Video Card(s)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

41 Removing the Processor Heat-Sink Fan . . . . . . . . . . 76

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

42 Replacing the Processor Heat-Sink Fan . . . . . . . . . . 77

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

43 Removing the Processor Heat-Sink. . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

44 Replacing the Processor Heat-Sink. . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

45 Removing the Processor Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

46 Replacing the Processor Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

47 Removing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

48 Replacing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Entering the Service Tag in the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . 88

49 Removing the Wireless Mini-Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Contents | 7

50 Replacing the Wireless Mini-Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

51 Removing the Subwoofer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

52 Replacing the Subwoofer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

53 System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Entering System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

System Setup Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Boot Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

54 Flashing the BIOS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

8 | Contents

Before You Begin

1

Turn Off Your Computer and Connected Devices

CAUTION: To avoid losing data, save and close all open files and exit

all open programs before you turn off your computer.

1 Save and close all open files and exit all open programs.

2 Click

3 Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.

4 Disconnect all telephone cables, network cables, and attached devices from your

5 After the computer is unplugged, press and hold the power button for about 5

Safety Instructions

Use the following safety guidelines to protect your computer from potential damage and ensure your personal safety.

Start and click Shut Down.

Microsoft Windows shuts down and then the computer turns off.

NOTE: If you are using a different operating system, see the documentation

of your operating system for shut-down instructions.

computer.

seconds to ground the system board.

WARNING: Disconnect all power sources before opening the

computer cover or panels. After you finish working inside the computer, replace all covers, panels, and screws before connecting to the power source.

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/regulatory_compliance.

CAUTION: To avoid damaging the computer, ensure that the work

surface is flat and clean.

CAUTION: To avoid damaging the components and cards, handle

them by their edges and avoid touching pins and contacts.

Before You Begin | 9

CAUTION: Only a certified service technician is authorized to remove

the computer cover and access any of the components inside the computer. See the safety instructions for complete information about safety precautions, working inside your computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.

CAUTION: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground

yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to dissipate static electricity, which could harm internal components.

CAUTION: When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on

its pull-tab, not on the cable itself. Some cables have connectors with locking tabs or thumb-screws that you must disengage before disconnecting the cable. When disconnecting cables, keep them evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. When connecting cables, ensure that the connectors and ports are correctly oriented and aligned.

CAUTION: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from

your computer and then unplug the cable from the network device.

Recommended Tools

The procedures in this document may require the following tools:

• Phillips screwdriver

• Plastic scribe

• Small flat-blade screwdriver

10 | Before You Begin

After Working Inside Your

2

Computer

After you complete the replacement procedures, ensure the following:

• Replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside your computer

• Connect any external devices, cables, cards, and any other part(s) you removed

before working on your computer

• Connect your computer and all attached devices to their electrical outlets

CAUTION: Before turning on your computer, replace all screws and

ensure that no stray screws remain inside the computer. Failure to do so may damage your computer.

After Working Inside Your Computer | 11

Removing the Battery Pack

3

1

2

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Procedure

1 Slide the battery latch to the unlock position. The battery pack pops up.

2 Lift and slide the battery pack away from the battery bay.

1 battery pack 2 battery latch

12 | Removing the Battery Pack

Replacing the Battery Pack

4

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

CAUTION: To avoid damage to the computer, use only the battery

designed for this particular Alienware computer.

Procedure

Align the tabs on the battery with the slots on the battery bay and snap the battery into place.

Postrequisites

Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.

Replacing the Battery Pack | 13

Removing the Base Cover

5

1

2

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Prerequisites

Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.

Procedure

1 Remove the screws that secure the base cover to the computer base.

2 Slide the base cover toward the back of the computer, and then lift it up to remove it

from the computer.

1 screws (4) 2 base cover

14 | Removing the Base Cover

Replacing the Base Cover

6

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Procedure

1 Align the tabs on the base cover with the slots on the computer base and slide the

base cover into place.

2 Replace the screws that secure the base cover to the computer base.

Postrequisites

1 Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.

2 Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.

Replacing the Base Cover | 15

Removing the mSATA Card

7

1

2

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Prerequisites

1 Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.

2 Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.

Procedure

1 Remove the screw that secures the mSATA to the system board.

2 Slide and remove the mSATA card off the system-board connector.

1 screw 2 mSATA card

16 | Removing the mSATA Card

Replacing the mSATA Card

8

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Procedure

1 Insert the mSATA card connector at a 45-degree angle into the system- board

connector.

2 Press the other end of the mSATA card down into the slot on the system board and

replace the screw that secures the mSATA card to the system-board connector.

Postrequisites

1 Replace the base cover. See "Replacing the Base Cover" on page 15.

2 Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.

3 Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.

Replacing the mSATA Card | 17

Removing the Coin-Cell

9

Battery

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

The coin-cell battery may need replacing if an incorrect time or date is displayed during the boot routine along with a message such as:

Time-of-day not set - please run SETUP program

or

Invalid configuration information - please run SETUP program

or

Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility

To determine whether you need to replace the coin-cell battery, reenter the time and date in system setup and exit the program to save the information. Turn off your computer and disconnect it from the electrical outlet for a few hours; then reconnect the computer, turn it on, and enter system setup. If the date and time are not correct in system setup, replace the coin-cell battery.

You can operate your computer without a coin-cell battery; however, without a coin-cell battery, the configuration information is erased if the computer is turned off or disconnected from the electrical outlet. In this case, you must enter system setup and reset the configuration options.

WARNING: The battery may explode if installed incorrectly.

Replace the battery only with the same or equivalent type. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

CAUTION: Removing the coin-cell battery resets the BIOS settings

to default. It is recommended that you note the BIOS settings before removing the coin-cell battery.

Prerequisites

1 Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.

2 Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.

18 | Removing the Coin-Cell Battery

Procedure

2

1

1 Disconnect the coin-cell battery cable from the connector on the system board.

1 coin-cell battery cable connector 2 coin-cell battery

2 Remove the coin-cell battery cable from the routing guides on the computer base.

3 Pry up the coin-cell battery from the slot on the system board.

Removing the Coin-Cell Battery | 19

Replacing the Coin-Cell

10

Battery

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Procedure

1 Place the coin-cell battery into the slot and press gently to adhere it to the computer

base.

2 Route the coin-cell battery cable through the routing guides on the computer base.

3 Connect the coin-cell battery cable to the connector on the system board.

Postrequisites

1 Replace the base cover. See "Replacing the Base Cover" on page 15.

2 Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.

3 Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.

20 | Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery

Removing the Hard Drive(s)

11

1

2

3

4

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

CAUTION: To avoid data loss, do not remove the hard drive while the

computer is in Sleep or On state.

CAUTION: Hard drives are extremely fragile. Exercise care when

handling the hard drive.

Prerequisites

1 Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.

2 Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.

Procedure

1 Lift the connector latch that secures the hard-drive cable to the connector on the

system board, and then disconnect the hard-drive cable from the connector on the system board.

2 Loosen the captive screws that secure the hard-drive assembly to the computer base.

3 Using the pull-tab, lift the hard-drive assembly out of the computer base.

1 hard-drive assembly 2 captive screws (4)

3 connector latch 4 hard-drive cable

Removing the Hard Drive(s) | 21

4 Disconnect the interposer from the hard drives.

2

1

5

4

2

1

3

1 hard drives (3) 2 interposer

5 Remove the screws that secure the hard drive(s) and slide the hard drive(s) out of

the hard-drive bracket.

1 hard-drive bracket 2 HDD 2 (SATA 2.0)

3 HDD 1 (SATA 3.0) 4 screws (12)

5 HDD 0 (SATA 3.0)

22 | Removing the Hard Drive(s)

Replacing the Hard Drive(s)

12

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/regulatory_compliance.

The following table provides the drive configurations supported on your computer:

Number of drives Dimensions supported Connect to

One 9.5 mm or 7.0 mm top (HDD 0) or bottom (HDD 1) connector of

the interposer

Two

Three

NOTE: For more information, see Specifications at support.dell.com/manuals.

Procedure

1 Place the primary hard drive (HDD 0) in the hard-drive bracket.

2 If applicable, slide the secondary and tertiary hard drive(s) into the hard-drive bracket.

3 Replace the screws that secure the primary hard drive (HDD 0).

4 If applicable, replace the screws that secure the secondary hard drive (HDD 1) and

tertiary hard drive (HDD 2) to the hard-drive bracket.

5 Connect the interposer to the hard drive(s).

6 Place the hard-drive assembly in the computer base.

7 Tighten the captive screws that secure the hard-drive assembly to the computer base.

8 Slide the hard-drive cable into the connector on the system board and press down on

the connector latch to secure the cable.

9.5 mm and/or 7.0 mm top (HDD 0) and bottom (HDD 1) connectors of the interposer

7.0 mm only all the three connectors of the interposer

Postrequisites

1 Replace the base cover. See "Replacing the Base Cover" on page 15.

2 Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.

3 Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.

4 Install the operating system for your computer, if needed.

5 Install the drivers and utilities for your computer, if needed.

Replacing the Hard Drive(s) | 25

Removing the Center Control

13

Cover

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Prerequisites

1 Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.

2 Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.

Procedure

1 Remove the screws that secure the center control cover to the computer base.

26 | Removing the Center Control Cover

CAUTION: Be extremely careful when removing the center control

1

2

cover. The cover along with the cable that attaches to it are fragile.

2 Turn the computer over and open the display as far as possible.

3 Gently pry up the center control cover and then ease the tabs on the center control

cover out of the slots on the palm-rest assembly.

1 center control cover 2 palm-rest assembly

Removing the Center Control Cover | 27

2

1

CAUTION: Be extremely careful when removing and handling the

center control cover. Failure to do so could result in scratching the display panel.

4 Turn the center control cover over and place it on the palm-rest assembly.

5 Lift the connector latch and disconnect the central control cover cable from the

connector on the system board.

1 center control cover cable 2 connector latch

6 Remove the center control cover away from the computer.

28 | Removing the Center Control Cover

Replacing the Center Control

14

Cover

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Procedure

1 Slide the central control cover cable into the connector on the system board and

press down on the connector latch to secure the cable.

2 Align the tabs on the center control cover with the slots on the palm-rest assembly

and snap the center control cover into place.

3 Close the display and turn the computer over.

4 Replace the screws that secure the center control cover to the computer base.

Postrequisites

1 Replace the base cover. See "Replacing the Base Cover" on page 15.

2 Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.

3 Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.

Replacing the Center Control Cover | 29

Removing the Power-Button

15

3

2

1

Board

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/regulatory_compliance.

Prerequisites

1 Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.

2 Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.

3 Remove the center control cover. See "Removing the Center Control Cover" on

page 26.

Procedure

1 Disconnect the power-button board cable from the system-board connector.

2 Remove the screws that secure the power-button board to the palm-rest assembly.

3 Lift the power-button board off the palm-rest assembly.

1 power-button board 2 screws (2)

3 system-board connector

30 | Removing the Power-Button Board

Replacing the Power-Button

16

Board

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Procedure

1 Align the screws holes on the power-button board with the screw holes on the palm-

rest assembly.

2 Replace the screws that secure the power-button board to the palm-rest assembly.

3 Connect the power-button board cable to the system-board connector.

Postrequisites

1 Replace the center control cover. See "Replacing the Center Control Cover" on

page 29.

2 Replace the base cover. See "Replacing the Base Cover" on page 15.

3 Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.

4 Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.

Replacing the Power-Button Board | 31

Removing the Keyboard

17

WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety

information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/ regulatory_compliance.

Prerequisites

1 Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.

2 Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.

3 Remove the center control cover. See "Removing the Center Control Cover" on

page 26.

32 | Removing the Keyboard