Dell GU051 User Manual

Dell™ Inspiron™ 1721 Owner’s Manual

Model PP22X

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, Yours is here, Inspiron, Wi-Fi Catcher, and Dell MediaDirect are trademarks of Dell Inc.; AMD, AMD Turion, HyperMemory, ATI Radeon and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; 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 PP22X

September 2007 P/N GU051 Rev. A02

Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1 About Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Determining Your Computer’s Configuration . . . . . . 19

Front View

Left Side View

Right Side View

Back View

Bottom View

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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

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

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

2 Setting Up Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Setting Up Your Internet Connection

Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . . 35

Windows Easy Transfer

Setting Up a Printer

Printer Cable

Connecting a USB Printer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

. . . . . . . . 34

Contents 3

Power Protection Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Surge Protectors

Line Conditioners

Uninterruptible Power Supplies

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

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

. . . . . . . . . . 38

3 Using the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Adjusting Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Switching the Video Image From Your Computer Display To a Projector

. . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Setting Display Resolution and Refresh Rate

. . . . . . 39

4 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad . . . . 41

Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Key Combinations

System Functions

Display Functions

Battery

Power Management

Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions

Dell™ QuickSet Key Combinations

Adjusting Keyboard Settings

Touch Pad

Customizing the Touch Pad

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

. . . 42

. . . . . . . . . 42

. . . . . . . . . . . . 42

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

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

4 Contents

5 Using a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Checking the Battery Charge

Dell QuickSet Battery Meter

Microsoft

Charge Gauge

Windows® Battery Meter . . . . . . . 47

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

Low-Battery Warning

Conserving Battery Power

Configuring Power Management Settings

Using the Sleep Power State

Charging the Battery

Replacing the Battery

Storing a Battery

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

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

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

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

. . . . . 49

. . . . . . . . . . . 49

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

6 Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Playing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Playing Media Using Dell Travel Remote

Copying CDs and DVDs

How to Copy a CD or DVD

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

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

Using Blank CDs and DVDs

Helpful Tips

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

. . . . . . . . 55

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

Adjusting the Volume

Adjusting the Picture

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

Using Dell MediaDirect™

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

Contents 5

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

Composite Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio

Component Video and Standard Audio

Component Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio

Enabling the Display Settings for a TV

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

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

. . . . . . . . . 64

. . . . . . . 66

. . . . 68

. . . . . . 70

. . . . 72

. . . . . . . 75

7 Using ExpressCards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

ExpressCard Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Installing an ExpressCard

Removing an ExpressCard or Blank

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

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

8 Using the Memory Card Reader . . . . . . . 81

Memory Card Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Installing a Memory Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Removing a Memory Card or Blank

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

9 Setting Up and Using Networks . . . . . . . 83

Connecting a Network or Broadband Modem Cable

Setting Up a Network

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

6 Contents

Wireless Local Area Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection

Checking Your Wireless Network Card

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

. . . . . . 85

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

Connecting to a WLAN

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

. . . . . . . . . 86

Mobile Broadband (or Wireless Wide Area Network)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

What You Need to Establish a Mobile Broadband Network Connection

Checking Your Dell Mobile Broadband Card

Connecting to a Mobile Broadband Network

. . . . . . . . . 89

. . . . 90

. . . 90

Enabling/Disabling the Dell Mobile roadband Card

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Dell Wi-Fi Catcher™ Network Locator

. . . . . . . . . 92

10 Securing Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Security Cable Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Passwords

If Your Computer is Lost or Stolen

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

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

11 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Dell Technical Update Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Dell Diagnostics

Dell Support Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Dell Support 3

DellConnect

Network Assistant

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

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

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Contents 7

PC TuneUp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

PC CheckUp

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Drive Problems

Optical drive problems

Hard drive problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

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

E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems

Error Messages

ExpressCard Problems

IEEE 1394 Device Problems

Keyboard Problems

External Keyboard problems

Unexpected characters

Lockups and Software Problems

The computer does not start

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

. . . . . . . . . . . . 114

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . 116

The computer stops responding

A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly

A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft

Windows® operating system . . . . . 116

A solid blue screen appears

Dell MediaDirect problems

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 128) or run the Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics" on page 97).

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

NOTE: Drivers and documentation updates

can be found at support.dell.com.

Finding Information 13

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

14 Finding Information

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Service Tag and Express Service Code

• Microsoft

Windows® Product Key

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.

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.

or contact support.

Finding Information 15

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, AMD processors, optical drives, and USB

To download Notebook System Software:

Go to

support.dell.com

country/region, and then click

Downloads

Enter your Service Tag or product model, and then click

Select your operating system and language, and then click

Downloads Search

System Software

NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface

may vary depending on your selections.

devices. NSS is necessary for correct operation of your Dell computer.

, select your

Drivers &

Find

, or under

Downloads

, search for the keyword Notebook

16 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

• How to use Microsoft Windows Vista™

• How to work with programs and files

• How to personalize my desktop

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

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

Windows Help and Support

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.

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 165.

" on page 101

Help and Support

, type a word or phrase

Finding Information 17

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 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 131.

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

returns

18 Finding Information

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.

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:

lick Start

Under

and diagnose problems.

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 Computer 19

Front View

20 About Your Computer

9 8

1 camera indicator (optional) 2 camera (optional)

3 display latch 4 display

5 power button 6 keyboard

7 device status lights 8 touch pad

9 consumer IR 10 media control buttons

11 touch pad buttons 12 Dell™ MediaDirect™ button

13 keyboard status lights 14 digital array microphones

CAMERA INDICATOR — 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 39.

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

management mode (see "Configuring Power Management Settings" on page 49).

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 Computer 21

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.

Wi-Fi status light – Turns on when wireless networking is enabled. To enable or disable wireless networking, use the wireless switch (see "wireless switch" on page 25).

22 About 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 25).

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

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).

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

: The battery charge is critically low.

Mute Play the previous track

Turn the volume down Play the next track

Turn the volume up Stop

Play or pause

About Your Computer 23

DELL™ MEDIADIRECT™ BUTTON — Press the Dell MediaDirect button to launch Dell MediaDirect (see "Using Dell MediaDirect™" on page 59).

KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS

The blue lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:

Turns on when the numeric keypad (Num Lock) is enabled.

Turns on when the uppercase letter (Caps Lock) function is

enabled.

Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.

DIGITAL ARRAY MICROPHONES — Built-in microphone for conferencing and chat.

24 About Your Computer

Left Side View

1 45632

1 security cable slot 2 air vents

3 hard drive 4 ExpressCard slot

5 wireless switch 6 Wi-Fi Catcher light

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

to the computer (see "Security Cable Lock" on page 93).

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.

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.

HARD DRIVE — Stores software and data.

XPRESSCARD SLOT — Supports one ExpressCard. The computer ships with a

plastic blank installed in the slot. For more information see "Using ExpressCards" on page 77.

WIRELESS SWITCH — 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 92).

About Your Computer 25

1 2 3 4

1 off position Disables wireless devices.

2 on position Enables wireless devices.

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

Network Locator" on page 92).

4 Wi-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

10 8 7 546911

26 About Your Computer

1 battery status light 2 hard drive activity light

3 power light 4 USB connectors (2)

5 network connector (RJ-45) 6 video connector

7 IEEE 1394 connector 8 8-in-1 memory card reader

9 eject button 10 optical drive

11 audio 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 53.

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

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

About Your Computer 27

• MultiMediaCard (MMC)

•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.

28 About Your Computer

Back View

1 2

1 S-video TV-out connector 2 USB connectors (2)

3 AC adapter connector 4 modem connector (RJ-11)

5 USB connector

S-VIDEO TV-OUT CONNECTOR

USB CONNECTORS

Connects your computer to a TV. Also connects digital audio-capable devices using the TV/digital audio adapter cable.

Connect USB devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, or printer.

4 5

About Your Computer 29

AC 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.

MODEM CONNECTOR (RJ-11)

Connect the telephone line to the modem connector.

For information on using the modem, see the online modem documentation supplied with your computer.

30 About Your Computer

+ 190 hidden pages

Dell GU051 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

Right Side View

Back View