Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, YOURS IS HERE, Inspiron, Wi-Fi Catcher, and
Dell MediaDirect are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel is a registered trademark and Core is a trademark
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; Blu-ray Disc is a
trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association; 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.
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 130) or run the
Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics"
on page 99).
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 Information15
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
• Service Tag and Express Service Code
• Microsoft
®
Windows® Product Key
Setup Diagram
Service Tag and Microsoft Windows
Product Key
These labels are located on your
computer.
• 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.
or contact support.
NOTE: As an increased security measure,
the newly designed Microsoft Windows
license label incorporates a "security
portal," which looks like a missing portion
of the label, to discourage removal of the
label.
16Finding Information
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:
1
Go to
support.dell.com
country/region, and then click
& Downloads
2
Enter your Service Tag or product
model, and then click
3
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
.
Go
.
Find
, or under
Downloads
, search for the keyword
.
Drivers
Finding Information17
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 Utility
The Dell Support Utility 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 Utility from the
icon on the taskbar. For more information,
see "Dell Support Center
• How to use Microsoft Windows Vista™
• How to work with programs and files
• How to personalize my desktop
Windows Help and Support
1
Click the Windows Vista Start button
, and then click
2
In
Search Help
that describes your problem, and then
press <Enter> or click the magnifying
glass.
3
Click the topic that describes your
problem.
4
Follow the instructions on the screen.
• 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 Dell QuickSet icon in the Windows
notification area.
For more information on Dell QuickSet,
see "Dell™ QuickSet Features" on
page 167.
" on page 104
Help and Support
, type a word or phrase
.
.
18Finding 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.
• Dell PC Restore — Dell PC Restore
returns your computer to its original
operating state. Dell PC Restore may
not ship with your computer.
• 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
Your Operating System" on page 133.
After you reinstall your operating system,
use the Drivers and Utilities media to
reinstall drivers for the devices that came
with your computer.
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 Information19
20Finding 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
C
lick Start
2
Under
and diagnose problems.
3
Under
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.
, and then click
Pick a Task
My Computer Information
, click
Help and Support
Use Tools to view your computer information
, select
.
Hardware
.
About Your Computer21
Front View
1
2
14
13
12
3
4
5
6
7
11
22About Your Computer
10
98
1camera indicator (optional)2camera (optional)
3display latch4display
5power button6keyboard
7device status lights8touch pad
9consumer IR10media control buttons
11touch pad buttons12Dell™ MediaDirect™ button
13keyboard status lights14digital array microphones
CAMERAINDICATOR — Indicates that the camera is turned on. Based on
configuration selections you made when ordering your computer, your computer may
not include a camera.
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.
DISPLAY LATCH — Keeps the display closed.
DISPLAY — For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" on
page 45.
POWERBUTTON — Press the power button to turn on the computer or exit a power
management mode (see "Configuring Power Management Settings" on page 50).
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).
KEYBOARD — For more information about the keyboard, see "Using the Keyboard and
Touch Pad" on page 41.
About Your Computer23
DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS
The blue lights located to the right of the keyboard 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.
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 (see "wireless
switch" on page 27).
24About Your Computer
®
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
(see "wireless switch" on page 27).
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.
– Solid
amber
: The battery charge is critically low.
TOUCH PAD — Provides the functionality of a mouse (see "Touch Pad" on page 43).
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 43).
MEDIACONTROLBUTTONS — Control CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc™ (BD), and Media
Player playback.
MutePlay the previous track
Turn the volume downPlay the next track
Turn the volume upStop
Play or pause
About Your Computer25
DELL™ MEDIADIRECT™ BUTTON — Press the Dell MediaDirect button to launch
Dell MediaDirect (see "Using Dell MediaDirect™" on page 62).
KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
The blue lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
Turns on when the numeric keypad (Num Lock) is enabled.
9
Turns on when the uppercase letter (Caps Lock) function is
A
enabled.
Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.
DIGITALARRAYMICROPHONES — Built-in microphone for conferencing and chat.
26About Your Computer
Left Side View
145632
1security cable slot2air vents
3hard drive4ExpressCard slot
5wireless switch6Wi-Fi Catcher light
SECURITYCABLESLOT — Lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device
to the computer (see "Security Cable Lock" on page 95).
CAUTION: Do not block, push objects into, or allow dust to accumulate in the air
vents. Do not store your computer in a low-airflow environment, such as a closed
briefcase, while it is running. Restricting the airflow can damage the computer or
cause a fire.
AIRVENTS — 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.
HARDDRIVE — Stores software and data.
E
XPRESSCARDSLOT — Supports one ExpressCard. The computer ships with a
plastic blank installed in the slot. For more information see "Using ExpressCards" on
page 79.
WIRELESSSWITCH — When enabled through Dell QuickSet, this switch can scan for
a wireless local area network (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 wireless technology (see "Dell Wi-Fi Catcher™ Network Locator" on
page 94).
About Your Computer27
1234
1off positionDisables wireless devices.
2on positionEnables wireless devices.
3momentary positionScans for WLAN networks (see "Dell Wi-Fi Catcher™
Network Locator" on page 94).
4Wi-Fi Catcher light
NOTE: The Wi-Fi Catcher Network Locator light appears only when the system is
switched off and Wi-Fi is activated in BIOS.
• Flashing green: Searching for networks
• Solid green: Strong network found
• Solid yellow: Weak network found
• Flashing yellow: Error
• Off: No signal found
Right Side View
2
1
3
1087546911
28About Your Computer
1battery status light2hard drive activity light
3power light4 USB connectors (2)
5network connector (RJ-45)6video connector
7IEEE 1394 connector88-in-1 memory card reader
9eject button10optical drive
11audio connectors
AUDIO CONNECTORS
Attach headphones to the connector.
Attach a microphone to the connector.
OPTICAL
DRIVE — For more information about the optical drive see "Using
Multimedia" on page 55.
EJECT BUTTON — Press the eject button to open the optical drive.
IN-1 MEMORY CARD READER — Provides a fast and convenient way to view and
8-
share digital photos, music, and videos stored on a memory card. The computer ships
with a plastic blank installed in the slot. The 8-in-1 memory card reader reads the
following digital memory cards:
• Secure Digital (SD) memory card
• Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO) card
• MultiMediaCard (MMC)
About Your Computer29
•Memory Stick
• Memory Stick PRO
• xD-Picture Card
• Hi Speed-SD
• Hi Density-SD
IEEE 1394 CONNECTOR — Connects devices supporting IEEE 1394 high-speed
transfer rates, such as some digital video cameras.
VIDEO CONNECTOR
Connects video devices, such as a monitor.
NETWORK
CONNECTOR (RJ-45)
NOTICE: The network connector is slightly larger than the modem connector. To
avoid damaging the computer, do not plug a telephone line into the network
connector.
Connects the computer to a network. The two lights next
to the connector indicate status and activity for wired
network connections.
For information on using the network adapter, see the
device user’s guide supplied with your computer.
CONNECTORS
USB
Connect USB devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, or
printer.
30About Your Computer
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