Dell Dimension 4100 User Manual

Dell™ Dimension™ 4100 Systems

SOLUTIONS GUIDE

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Hints, Notices, and Cautions

HINT: A HINT indicates important information that helps you make better

use of your computer.

NOTICE: A NOTICE ind icates either potential damage to hardware or loss of

data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous situation

which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

For a complete listing of abbreviations and acronyms, see the Glossary in the Tell Me How help file (see “Accessing Help Files” on page 20 of this guide for instructions on how to open the help file).

____________________

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

Trademarks used in this text:

OptiPlex, Dell Precision Pentium

are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation;

trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. 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 Computer Corporatio n disclaims any proprietary interest in trad em arks and trade names other than its own.

March 2001 P/N 051VM Rev. A03

Dell, the DELL

, and

DellWare

logo,

are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation;

Dellnet, Inspiron, Dimension, Latitude

Microsoft

and

Windows

are registered

Intel

and

Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1 Setting Up

Setting Up Dellnet™ (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Accessing the Internet

Accessing Your E-Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Viewing Your Account Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Sending and Receiving E-Ma il

Resetting E-Mail Address Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Connecting a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Parallel Printer

USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Installing the Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Turning Off the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) and Windows Millennium Edition (Me)

Windows 20 00

2 Solving Problems

Finding Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Accessing Help Files Power Problems Start-Up Error Messages

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Contents 3

Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

If the screen is blank

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

If the screen is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

If you cannot print to a parallel port printer

. . . . . . . . . . 25

If you cannot print to a USB printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Modem Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Drive Problems

If you cannot save a file to a floppy disk

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

. . . . . . . . . . . . 28

If you cannot play a music CD or install a program from a CD

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

If you cannot play a DVD movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

If the CD-RW drive stops writing

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

If you have a hard drive problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Windows Error Messages General Program Problems

A program crashes

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

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

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

A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

A solid blue screen appears

Internet Connection Problems

If you have a problem with your Dellnet account

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

. . . . . . . . 33

4 Contents

E-Mail Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Resolving Other Technical Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Reinstalling Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Reinstalling Windows 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Reinstalling Windows Me

Reinstalling Windows 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

3 Adding Parts

Removing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Looking Inside Your Computer

System Board

Adding Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Removing Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Adding Memory

Adding a Second Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Adding Other Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

5.25-Inch Devices

3.5-Inch Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Replacing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

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

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

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

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

4 Appendix

Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Standard Settings

Viewing Settings System Setup Screens Clearing Forgotten Passwords Replacing the Battery

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Contents 5

Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Contact Numbers and Addresses

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . . . . . 94

Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

FCC Notices (U.S. Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Class A

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

Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Battery Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

NOM Information (Mexico Only)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Información para NOM (únicamente para México) . . . . . . . 100

Warranty and Return Policy Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

6 Contents

Safety Instructions

Use the following safety guidelines to protect yourself and your computer. For comfort and efficiency, observe the ergonomic guidelines provided in the Tell Me How help file.

When Using Your Computer

CAUTION: Do not operate your computer with any cover(s)

(including the computer cover, filler brackets, front-panel inserts, and so on) removed.

• To help avoid damaging your computer, be sure that the voltage

selection switch is set to match the AC power available at your location:

– 115 V/60 Hz in most of North and South America and some Far

Eastern countries such as South Korea and Taiwan – 100 V/50 Hz in ea stern Japan and 100 V/60 Hz in western Japan – 230 V/50 Hz in most of Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East

Also be sure that your monitor and attached devices are electrically rated to operate with the AC power available in your location.

• To help avoid possible damage to the system board, wait 5 seconds

after turning off the computer before disconnecting or connecting a non-USB device from the computer.

• To help prevent electric shock, plug the computer and device power

cables into properly grounded power sources. These cables are equipped with 3-prong plugs to help ensure proper grounding. Do not use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong from a cable. If you must use an extension cable, use a 3-wire cable with properly grounded plugs.

Safety Instructions 7

• To help protect your computer from sudden, transient increases and

decreases in electrical power, use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninterruptible power supply.

• Be sure that nothing rests on your computer’s cables and that the

cables are not located where they can be stepped on or tripped over.

• Do not spill food or liquids on your computer. If the computer gets

wet, contact Dell (see page 82).

• Do not push any ob jects into the o pen ings o f you r com put er. Doing so

can cause fire or electric shock by shorting out interior components.

• Keep your comput er away from radiators and heat sources. Als o, do not

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block cooling vents. Avoid placing loose papers underneath your computer; do not place your computer in a closed-in wall unit or on a bed, sofa, or rug.

When Working Inside Your Computer

Before you remove the computer cover, perform the following steps in the sequence indicated.

NOTICE: Do not attempt to service the computer yourself, except as

explained in this guide and elsewhere in Dell documentation. Always follow installation and service instructions closely.

1 Turn off your computer and all devices.

8 Safety Instructions

2 Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface at the back of

the computer before touching anything inside your computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the

computer to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal components.

3 Disconnect any devices connected to the computer, including the

monitor, from their electrical outlets to reduce the potential for personal injury or shock. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer.

4 Disconnect the power cable to your computer, and then press the

power button to ground the system board.

In addition, take note of these safety gu idelines when appropriate:

• When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector, not on the cable

itself. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to avoid bending any pins. Also, before you connect a cable, make sure that both connectors are correctly oriented and aligned.

• Handle components and cards with car e. Don ’t touch the components

on a card. Hold a card by its edges or by its metal bracket.

CAUTION: There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is

incorrectly installed. Replace the batter y only with the same or equivalent type recomme nded by the manufacture r. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructio ns.

Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge

To prevent static damage, d ischarge static electr icity from your body before you touch anything inside your computer and periodically while you work inside the computer. You can do so by touching an unpainted metal surface on the back of the computer.

Yo u can also take the following steps to prevent static damage:

• Do not remove items from their antistatic packi n g material until you

are ready to install them in your computer. Just before unwrapping the antistatic packaging, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body.

• When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an antistatic

container or packaging.

Safety Instructions 9

10 Safety Instructions

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SECTION 1

Setting Up

Setting Up Dellnet™ (U.S. Only) Connecting a Printer Turning Off the Computer

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HINT: Dellnet is not

available in all regions.

Setting Up Dellnet™ (U.S. Only)

To set up Dellnet Internet Access Service in the United States, double-click the Dellnet Si gnup icon on the Microsoft the instructions that appear on the screen.

Accessing the Internet

To access the Internet after completi ng the Dellnet registration process, double-click the Internet Explorer icon on your Windows desktop. Internet Explorer automatically initiates the Internet connection through Dellnet.

Windows® desktop and follow

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HINT: Del lnet all ows you

to use case-sensitive passwords. Be sure that <Caps Lock> is not turned on.

Accessi ng Your E-Mail

To access your Dellnet e-mail, double-click the Outlook Express icon on your Windows desktop. Click Send/Receive to download your messages from the mail server. When you download your messages, they are stored on your hard drive until you delete them.

Viewing Your Account Information

If you did not record your Dellnet user name or password, access the Dellnet Administration tool to verify or change this information:

1 Click the Start button, point to Programs—>Dellnet, and then click

Dellnet Administration.

2 Click Next twice. 3 Click Connect to connect to Dellnet. 4 When the Dellnet Self-Administration page appears, click View My

Account Information.

5 Click Next. 6 Type your Challenge Question answer. 7 Click Next.

Your account information appears on the screen.

12 Setting Up

8 Click Print to print the information or click Main Menu to go to the

main menu.

Sending and Receiving E-Mail

• Double-click the Outlook Express icon to initiate a connection to the

Internet through Dellnet.

• Always check the address of each recipient when sending e-mail.

Otherwise, your e-mail is returned to you.

• Be sure that the person who is sending e-mail to you is typing your

e-mail address correctly.

• Do not send e-mail messages larger than 2 MB.

• If you are having difficulties sending e-mail, determine whether the

problem involves just one recipient or all recipients. Then contact the Dellnet technical support staff (see page 82).

Resetting E-Mail Address Settings

If your e-mail software gets corrupted, reset your account:

1 Click the Start button, point to Programs—>Dellnet, and then click

Dellnet Administration.

2 Click Next twice. 3 Click Connect to connect to Dellnet. 4 When the Dellnet Self-Administration page appears, click Make My

Changes Take Effect.

5 Click Next. 6 Enter your Challenge Phrase answer. 7 Click Next. 8 Click the Click To Make Changes Take Effect button. 9 Click OK.

Connecting a Printer

See the documentation that came with the printer fo r an y recom m ended preparation procedures, such as:

• Removing the packaging

• Installing the toner or ink cartridge

• Loading paper

Setting Up 13

Then follow the instructions that came with the printer to connect it to the computer. If no information is provided, see the following sections.

Parallel Printer

1 Turn off the computer (see page 16).

NOTICE: Use only a standard IEEE parallel cable measuring 3 m (10 ft) or

less to connect the printer to the computer. Use of a nonstandard cable m ay prevent the printer from working.

2 Attach the parallel printer cable to the parallel connector on the

computer and tighten the two screws. Attach the cable to the parallel

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connector on the printer and snap the two clips into the two notches.

parallel connector on

screws (2)

computer

parallel connector on printer

14 Setting Up

parallel printer

clips (2)

cable

notches (2)

3 Turn on the printer and then turn on the computer. If the Add New

Hardware Wizard window appears, click Cancel.

4 Install the printer driver if necessary (see page 15).

USB Printer

Install the printer driver if necessary (see page 15).

1 2 Attach the USB printer cable to the USB connector on the co m puter

and the printer. The USB connectors only fit one way.

USB connector on computer

USB printer cable

USB connector on printer

Installing the Printer Driver

HINT: You can connect

USB devices while the computer is turned on.

If you need to ins tall a prin ter dr ive r, insert the installation CD into the C D or DVD d riv e. The n fol low t he pr ompts on t he scr e en usi ng t he ins truc tio ns that came with the printer.

If your printer install at ion CD does not automati c ally run, click the Start button on the Windows desktop, click Run, and type x:\setup.exe (where x is the letter of your CD or DVD drive [usually drive D]). Then click OK and follow the prompts on your screen.

If you connect an older printer and it doesn’t work after you install the driver, access the system s etup program (see page 78) and ensure that the parallel port is set to operate in bidirectional mode.

HINT: Dell installs

drivers for some new printers. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers. If your printer is listed in the Printers window, the printer is ready to use.

Setting Up 15

Turning Off the Computer

NOTICE: To prevent data loss, you must perform the Windows shutdown

procedure.

Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) and Windows Millennium Edition (Me)

1 Save and exit any programs and files you have open. 2 Click the Start button, and then click Shut Down. 3 In the Shut Down Windows window, click Shut down and then click

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OK. The computer automati c ally turns off after the shutdown process

finishes.

4 Turn off your monitor and any other devices connected to power.

Windows 2000

1 Save and exit any programs and files you have open. 2 Click the Start button, and then click Shut Down. 3 Click the pull-down menu under What do you want the computer to

do?.

16 Setting Up

4 Click Shut down and then click OK.

The computer automati c ally turns off after the shutdown process finishes.

5 Turn off your monitor and any other devices connected to power.

SECTION 2

Solving Problems

Finding Solutions Accessing Help Files Power Problems Start-Up Error Messages Video and Monitor Problems Sound and Speaker Problems Printer Problems Scanner Problems Modem Problems Mouse Problems Keyboard Problems Drive Problems Network Problems Windows Error Messages General Program Problems Internet Connection Problems E-Mail Problems Resolving Other Technical Problems Reinstalling Drivers Reinstalling Windows 98 Reinstalling Windows Me Reinstalling Windows 2000

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Finding Solutions

Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out where to go for answers. Use this chart to help you quickly find the answers to your questions.

See page 20.

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Get technical assistance from Dell. See page 82.

See page 31.

18 Solving Problems

See page 22.

See page 24.

See page 25.

See page 26.

See page 27.

See page 28.

See page 31.

See page 26.

See page 31.

See page 32.

See page 33.

Solving Problems 19

Accessing Help Files

TO ACC ESS THE TELL ME HOW HE LP FILE

1 Click the Start button, point to Programs—> User’s Guides, and then click

Tell Me How.

TO ACC ESS MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® 2000 HELP

1 Click the Start button and then click Help. 2 Click the Search tab. 3 Type a word or phrase that describes your problem and then click List Topics.

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4 Click the topic that describes your problem and then click Display. 5 Follow the instructions sho wn on the screen.

TO ACC ESS WINDOWS ME HELP

1 Click the Start button and then click Help. 2 Type a word or phrase that describes your problem in the Search box and then

click Go.

3 Click the topic that describes your problem and then click Display. 4 Follow the instructions sho wn on the screen.

HINT: See the

help file for

How

information on the standby mode.

20 Solving Problems

Tell Me

Power Problems

CHECK THE PO WER LIGHT— When the power light is lit or blinking, the

computer has power. If the power light is blinking, th e computer is in standby mode—press a key on the keyboard or move the mouse.

TEST THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET—Ensur e that t he elec trical o utlet is worki ng

by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

CHECK THE PO WER CABL E CONNECTION— Be sure that the power cable is

firmly inserted into the electrical outlet and the computer power connector.

CONNECT THE CO MPUTER DIRECTLY TO AN ELECTRICAL OUTLET—

Bypass power protection devices, power strips, and the extension cable to verify that the computer turns on.

SWAP THE COMPUTER AND MONITOR POWER CABLES— Swap the

computer and monitor power cables to determine if the power cable is defective.

CHECK FOR INTERFERENCE—Electrical appliances o n the same circuit or

operating near the computer can cause interference. Other causes of interference: power extension cables, keyboard and mouse extension cables, too many devices on a power strip, or multiple power strips connected to the same electrical outlet.

CHECK THE POWER PROPERTIES—See Windows Help.

To access Windows Help:

1 Click the Start button and then click Help. 2 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, click the Search tab. 3 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, type standby and then click List

Topics. For Windows Me, type standby and the n click Go.

4 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, click To change the elapsed t ime before

your computer automatically goes on standby. For Windows Me, click Changing the elapsed time before computer goes on standby or hibernate.

Start-Up Error Messages

OPERATING SYSTEM NOT FOUND—Call Dell for technical assistance (see

page 82).

INSERT BOOTABLE MEDIA —The operating system is trying to boot to a

nonbootable floppy disk or CD. Insert a bootable floppy disk or CD.

NON-SYSTEM DISK ERROR— There is a floppy disk in the floppy drive.

Remove the floppy disk and restart the computer.

Solving Problems 21

HINT: See the monitor

documentation for fault indications and troubleshooting procedures specific to your monitor.

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Video and Monitor Problems

If the screen is blank

CHECK THE VIDE O CABLE CONNECTION—Check for bent pins. Ensure

that the video cable is connected as shown on the START HERE sheet for your computer.

PRESS THE MONITOR POWER BUTTON—Be sure that you firmly pr essed th e

monitor power button.

CHECK THE PO WER LIGHT— When the power light is lit or blinking, the

monitor has power. If the power light is blinking, press a key on the keyboard or move the mouse.

TEST THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET—Ensur e that t he elec trical o utlet is worki ng

by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

SWAP THE COM PUTER AND MONITOR POWER CAB LES—Swap the

computer and monitor power cables to determine if the power cable is defective.

TEST THE VIDEO EX TENSI ON CABLE (IF USED)— If removing the video

extension cable solves the problem, the cable is defective.

22 Solving Problems

TEST THE MONITOR— If another monitor is availabl e, connect it to the

computer.

CHECK THE BACK PANEL LIGHTS— If all four lights below the serial port are

not green, call Dell for technical assista nce (see page 82).

CHECK THE POWER PROPERTIES IF THE MO NITOR SCREEN

OCCASIONALLY TURNS BLANK — See Windows Help.

To access Windows Help:

1 Click the Start button and then click Help. 2 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, click the Search tab. 3 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, type standby and then click List

Topics. For Windows Me, type standby and the n click Go.

4 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, click To change the elapsed t ime before

your computer automatically goes on standby. For Windows Me, click Changing the elapsed time before computer goes on standby or hibernate.

If the screen is difficult to read

ADJUST THE CO NTRAST AND BRIGHTNESS—See the monitor

documentation for instructions on adjusting the contrast and brightness.

MOVE THE SUBWOOFER AWAY FROM THE MONITOR— If your speaker

system includes a subwoofer, ensure that the subwoofer is at least 2 ft (60cm) away from the monitor.

ELIMINATE POSSIBLE INTERFERENCE—Turn off nearby fans, fluorescent

lights, or halogen lamps to check for interference.

ROTATE THE MONITOR TO F ACE A DI FFERENT DIRECTI ON—Eliminate

sunlight glare, which can cause poor picture quality.

DEGAUSS (DEMAGNETIZE) THE MONIT OR—See the monitor

documentation.

RUN THE MONITOR SE LF-TEST—See the monitor documentation .

RESTORE THE RECOMMENDED SETTINGS—Restore the original resolution

and refresh rate settings. Se e the Tell Me How help file for instructions.

CHECK FOR ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS—See the monitor documentation

for any additional adjustments that your monitor may require.

Solving Problems 23

HINT: The volume

control in some MP3 players overrides the Windows volume setting.

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If you have been listening to MP3 songs, make sure that you did not turn the player volume down or off.

ADJUST THE WINDOWS DISPLAY SETTINGS—Click the Start button,

point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the Display icon and then click the Settings tab. Try different settings for Colors and Screen area.

Sound and Speaker Problems

VERI FY THE SPEAKER CABLE CONNECTIONS— Ensure that the speakers

are connected as shown on the START HERE sheet for your co m p u te r an d th e setup diagram supplied with the speakers.

TEST THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET—Ensur e that t he elec trical o utlet is worki ng

by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

ENSURE THAT THE SPEAKERS ARE TURNED ON— See the setup diagram

supplied with the speakers.

ADJUST THE SPEAKER CONTR OLS— Adjust the volume, bass, or treble

controls to eliminate distortion.

ADJUST THE WINDOWS VOLUME CONTROL— Double-click the yellow

speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that the volume is turned up and that the sound is not muted.

24 Solving Problems

TEST THE SPEAKERS—Plug the speaker audio cable into the headphone jack

of the CD drive. Ensure that the headphone volume control is turned up. Play a music CD.

RUN THE SPEAKER SELF-TEST—Some speaker systems have a self-test

button on the su b wo o f er. See the speaker documen ta t io n fo r sel f-test instructions.

MOVE THE SUBW OOFER AWAY FR OM THE MONITOR— If your speaker

system includes a subwoofer, ensure that the subwoofer is at least 2 ft (6 cm) away from the monitor.

ELIMINATE POSSIBLE INTERFERENCE—Turn off nearby fans, fluorescent

lights, or halogen lamps to check for interference.

REINSTALL THE SOUND (AUD IO) DRIVER— See page 34.

Printer Problems

If you cannot print to a parallel port printer

VERI FY THE PRINTER CABLE CONNECTIONS— Ensure that the printer

cable is connec te d a s de sc r ibed on page 14.

TEST THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET—Ensur e that t he elec trical o utlet is workin g

by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

ENSURE THAT THE PR INTER IS TURNED ON —See the documentation

supplied with the printer.

VERI FY THAT THE PRINTER IS RECOGNIZED BY WINDOWS

1 Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers.

If the printer is listed , right-click the printe r icon, click Properties, and then select the Details tab.

2 Ensure that the Print to the following port: setting is LPT1 (Printer Port).

REINSTALL THE PR INTER DRI VER— See page 15.

If you cannot print to a USB printer

VERI FY THE PRINTER CABLE CONNECTIONS— Ensure that the printer

cable is connec te d a s de sc r ibed on page 15.

TEST THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET—Ensur e that t he elec trical o utlet is workin g

by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.

Solving Problems 25

ENSURE THAT THE PRINTER IS TURNED ON—See the doc um entation

supplied with the printer.

VERI FY THAT THE PRINTER IS RECOGNIZED BY WINDOWS—Click the

Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers. If the printer is listed, right-clic k the printer icon , click Properties, and then select the Details tab.

REINSTALL THE PR INTER DRI VER— See page 15.

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Scanner Problems

CHECK THE PO WER CABL E CONNECTION— Ensure that the scanne r power

cable is firmly co n ne c te d to a working electric a l p ow er source and that the scanner is turned on.

CHECK THE SCANNER CABLE CONNECTION— Ensure that the scanne r

cable is firmly co n ne c te d to th e co m p u te r an d to th e sc a nn e r.

UNLOCK THE SCAN NER—Ensure that your scanner is unlocked if it has a

locking tab or button.

REINSTALL THE S CANNER DRIVE R—Reinstall the scan ner driver. See the

scanner documentation for instructions.

Modem Problems

NOTICE: Connect the modem to an analog telephone jack only. Connecting

the modem to a digital telephone network d amages the modem.

CHECK THE TELEPHONE JACK—Disconnect the telephone line from the

modem and connect it to a telephone. Listen for a dial tone.

26 Solving Problems

CONNECT THE MODEM DIRECTLY TO THE TELEPHONE WALL JA CK—If

you have other tele phon e de vice s sh aring the lin e, su ch a s an an swer ing m ach ine, fax machine, surge protector, or line splitter, then bypass them and connect the modem directly to the telephone wall jack with the telephone line.

CHECK THE CONNECTION— V erify th at the t elephone line is co nnected t o the

green jack on the modem. (T he green lin e- i n j a ck ha s either a LINE IN la b el o r a connector-shaped icon next to it.)

CHECK THE TELEPHONE LINE—Try using a different telephone line. If you

are using a line that is 10 ft (3 m) or more in length, try a shorter one.

VERI FY THAT THE MODEM IS COMMUNICATIN G WITH WINDOWS

1 Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. 2 In the Control Panel, double-click Modems.

If there are multiple entries for the same modem or modems listed that are not installed, delete the entries and restart the computer.

3 Click the Diagnostics tab. 4 Click the COM port for your modem. 5 Click More Info to verify that the modem is co mmunicating with Windows.

If all commands receive responses, the modem is operating properly.

Mouse Problems

RECONNECT THE MOUSE CABLE

1 Press <Ctrl><Esc> to display the Start menu. 2 Use the keyboard arrow keys to highlight Shut Down and then press the

<Enter> key .

3 After the computer turns off, reconnect the mous e ca ble as shown on the

START HERE sheet for your computer.

4 Start the computer.

CHECK THE MO USE SETTINGS— Click the Start button, select Control

Panel, and then double-click the Mouse icon. Try adjusting the setting s.

Solving Problems 27

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

HINT: See the

Tell Me

How

help file for information on saving files to a floppy disk.

Keyboard Problems

RECONNECT THE KEYBOARD CABLE— Shu t down the computer (see

page 16), reconnect the keyboard cable as shown on the your computer, and then restart the computer.

ST ART HERE sheet for

Drive Problems

If you cannot save a file to a floppy disk

ENSURE THAT WINDOWS RECOGNIZES THE DR IVE—Double-click the

My Computer icon. If the floppy drive is not listed, perform a full scan with your antivirus softw are to check for and remove vir uses. Viruses can s o metimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.

28 Solving Problems

CANNOT SAVE FILES TO A FLOPPY DISK— Ensure that the floppy disk is

not full or write-protected (locked). See the following illustration.

TEST THE DRIVE WITH ANOTHER FLOPPY DISK— Insert another floppy

disk to eliminate the possibilit y th a t th e o rig inal floppy disk is de f ec tive.

back of floppy disk

write-protected

not writeprotected

If you cannot play a music CD or install a program from a CD

ENSURE THAT WINDOWS RECOGNIZES THE DR IVE—Double-click the

My Computer icon. If the CD drive is not listed, per form a full scan with your antivirus softw are to check for and remove vir uses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.

HINT: High-speed CD

drive vibration is normal and may cause noise. This does not indicate a defect in the drive or the CD.

TEST THE DRIVE WITH ANOTHER CD— Insert another CD to eliminate the

possibility that th e original CD is defective.

CLEAN THE DISC—See the Tell Me How help file for instructions.

ADJUST THE WINDOWS VOLUME CONTR OL—Double-click th e ye llow

speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that the volume is turned up and that the sound is not muted.

Solving Problems 29

HINT: Because of

different worldwide file types, not all DVD titles work in all DVD drives.

If you canno t play a DVD movie

ENSURE THAT WINDOWS RECOGNIZES THE DR IVE—Double-click the

My Computer icon. If the DVD drive is not listed, perform a full scan with your antivirus softw are to check for and remove vir uses. Viruses can s o metimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.

TEST THE DRIVE WITH ANOTHER DVD— Insert another DVD to eliminate

the possibility tha t the original DVD is defective.

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CLEAN THE DISC—See the Tell Me How help file for instructions.

If the CD-RW drive stops writing

TURN OFF STANDBY IN WINDOWS BEFORE WRITING TO A CD-RW

DISK— See Windows Help.

To access Windows Help:

1 Click the Start button and then click Help. 2 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, click the Search tab. 3 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, type standby and then click List

Topics. For Windows Me, type standby and then click Go.

4 For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, click To change the elapsed time before

your computer automatically goes on standby. For Windows Me, click Changing the elapsed time before computer goes on standby or hibernate.

CHANGE THE WRITE SPEE D TO A SLOWER RATE—The CD-RW drive

must rece ive a stea dy str eam of da ta wh en wri ting. I f th e str eam i s inte rrup ted, an error occurs. Closing all programs before writing to the CD-RW may also alleviate the problem.

If you have a hard drive problem

30 Solving Problems

RUN SCANDISK—Click the Start button, point to Programs—>

Accessories—> System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.

+ 72 hidden pages

Dell Dimension 4100 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Safety Instructions

Setting Up

Setting Up Dellnet™ (U.S. Only)

Connecting a Printer

Turning Off the Computer

Solving Problems

Finding Solutions

Accessing Help Files

Power Problems

Start-Up Error Messages

Video and Monitor Problems

Sound and Speaker Problems

Printer Problems

Scanner Problems

Modem Problems

Mouse Problems

Keyboard Problems

Drive Problems