Dell Inspiron 1720, Inspiron PP22X, Inspiron Inspiron 17, Inspiron DT549 Owner's Manual
Dell™ Inspiron™ 1720 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.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2007 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly
forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Inspiron, W i-F i 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.
Model PP22X
March 2007 P/N DT549 Rev. A00
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1 About Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Determining Your Computer’s Configuration . . . . . . 21
Front View
Left Side View
Right Side View
Back View
Bottom View
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2 Setting Up Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Setting Up Your Internet Connection
Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . . 37
Windows Easy Transfer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
. . . . . . . . 36
Setting Up a Printer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Printer Cable
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Connecting a USB Printer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Contents 3
Power Protection Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Surge Protectors
Line Conditioners
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
. . . . . . . . . . 40
3 Using the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Adjusting Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Switching the Video Image From Your Computer
Display To a Projector
Setting Display Resolution and Refresh Rate
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
. . . . . . 41
4 Using the Keyboard and Touchpad . . . . . 43
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Key Combinations
System Functions
Display Functions
Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Power Management
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions
Dell™ QuickSet Key Combinations
Adjusting Keyboard Settings
Touch Pad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Customizing the Touch Pad
. . . . . . . . . . . . 44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
. . . 44
. . . . . . . . . 44
4 Contents
5 Using a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Checking the Battery Charge
Dell QuickSet Battery Meter
®
Microsoft
Charge Gauge
Windows® Battery Meter . . . . . . . 49
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
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
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
. . . . . . . . . . . . 48
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
. . . . . 50
. . . . . . . . . . . 51
6 Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Playing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Copying CD, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) Media
How to Copy a CD, DVD, or BD
Using Blank CD, DVD, and BD Media
Helpful Tips
Adjusting the Volume
Adjusting the Picture
Using Dell MediaDirect™
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
. . . . . . . . . . . 57
. . . . . . . 57
. . . 56
Contents 5
Connecting Your Computer to a TV or
Audio Device
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
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
. . . . . . . . . . . . 64
. . . . . . . . . 65
. . . . . . . 67
. . . . 69
. . . . . . 71
. . . . 74
. . . . . . . 77
7 Using ExpressCards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
ExpressCard Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Installing an ExpressCard
Removing an ExpressCard or Blank
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
. . . . . . . . . . . 81
8 Using the Memory Card Reader . . . . . . . 83
Memory Card Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Installing a Memory Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Removing a Memory Card or Blank
. . . . . . . . . . . 84
9 Setting Up and Using Networks . . . . . . . 85
Connecting a Network or Broadband
Modem Cable
Setting Up a Network
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
6 Contents
Wireless Local Area Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
What You Need to Establish a WLAN
Connection
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Checking Your Wireless Network Card
. . . . . . 87
Setting Up a New WLAN Using a Wireless
Router and a Broadband Modem
Connecting to a WLAN
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
. . . . . . . . . 88
Mobile Broadband (or Wireless Wide
Area Network)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
What You Need to Establish a Mobile
Broadband Network Connection
Checking Your Dell Mobile Broadband Card
Connecting to a Mobile Broadband Network
. . . . . . . . . 91
. . . . 91
. . . 92
Enabling/Disabling the Dell Mobile
Broadband Card
Dell Wi-Fi Catcher™ Network Locator
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
. . . . . . . . . 93
10 Securing Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Security Cable Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Passwords
If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . 96
11 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Dell Technical Update Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Dell Diagnostics
Dell Support Utility
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Contents 7
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Optical drive problems
Hard drive problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
. . . . . . . . . . . . 114
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
. . . . . . . . . . . . 115
. . . . . . . . . . . . 115
The computer stops responding
. . . . . . . . . 106
. . . . . . . . . . 115
A program stops responding or crashes
repeatedly
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
A program is designed for an earlier
®
Microsoft
Windows® operating system . . . . . 116
A solid blue screen appears
Dell MediaDirect problems
Other software problems
Memory Problems
Network Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Mobile Broadband (Wireless Wide Area
Network [WWAN])
Power Problems
Printer Problems
Scanner Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
. . . . . . . . . . . . 116
8 Contents
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
No sound from integrated speakers
No sound from external speakers
No sound from headphones
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems
Video and Display Problems
If the display is blank
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
If the display is difficult to read
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
. . . . . . . . . 123
. . . . . . . . . . . . 123
. . . . . . . . . . 125
If only part of the display is readable
Drivers
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
What Is a Driver?
Identifying Drivers
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
. . . . . . . . . . 127
Troubleshooting Software and Hardware
Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
. . . . . . . . 123
. . . . . . . 126
Restoring Your Operating System
Using Microsoft
Windows System Restore . . . . 131
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec
Using the Operating System Media
. . . . . . . . . . . . 130
. . . . . . . . 131
. . . . . . . . 134
12 Adding and Replacing Parts . . . . . . . . . 137
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Recommended Tools
Turning Off Your Computer
Before Working Inside Your Computer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
. . . . . . . 138
Contents 9
Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Removing the Hard Drive
Replacing the Hard Drive
Returning a Hard Drive to Dell
Optical Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Removing the Optical Drive
Replacing the Optical Drive
Hinge Cover
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Removing the Hinge Cover
Replacing the Hinge Cover
Keyboard
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Removing the Keyboard
Replacing the Keyboard
Memory
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
. . . . . . . . . . . 142
. . . . . . . . . . . . 142
. . . . . . . . . . . . 143
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Removing the DIMM A Memory Module
Replacing the DIMM A Memory Module
Removing the DIMM B Memory Module
Replacing the DIMM B Memory Module
Subscriber Identity Module
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
. . . . . . 148
. . . . . 149
. . . . . . 150
. . . . . 152
Wireless Mini Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Removing a WLAN Card
Replacing a WLAN Card
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Removing a Mobile Broadband or
WWAN Card
Replacing a WWAN Card
Removing a WPAN Card
Replacing a WPAN Card
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
10 Contents
Flash Cache Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Removing the FCM
Replacing the FCM
Internal Card With Bluetooth
Technology
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Removing the Card
Replacing the Card
Coin-Cell Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Removing the Coin-Cell Battery
Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
®
Wireless
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
. . . . . . . . . . 167
. . . . . . . . . . 167
13 Dell™ QuickSet Features . . . . . . . . . . . 169
14 Traveling With Your Computer
. . . . . . . 171
Identifying Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Packing the Computer
Travel Tips
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Traveling by Air
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
15 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Technical Support and Customer Service
DellConnect
Online Services
AutoTech Service
Automated Order-Status Service
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
. . . . . . . . . 175
. . . . . 174
Contents 11
Problems With Your Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Product Information
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit
Before You Call
Contacting Dell
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
. . . . . 176
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
16 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
17 Appendix
Using the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Viewing the System Setup Screen
System Setup Screen
Commonly Used Options
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
. . . . . . . . . 190
Cleaning Your Computer
Computer, Keyboard, and Display
Touch Pad
Mouse
Media
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
. . . . . . . . . 192
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only)
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and
Peripherals
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and
Peripherals
FCC Notice (U.S. Only)
FCC Class B
Macrovision Product Notice
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
. . . . . . . 194
12 Contents
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Contents 13
14 Contents
Finding Information
NOTE: Some features may be optional and may not ship with your computer. Some
features may not be available in certain countries.
NOTE: Additional information may ship with your computer.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
• A diagnostic program for my computer
• Drivers for my computer
• Device documentation
• Notebook System Software (NSS)
Drivers and Utilities Media
Documentation and drivers are already
installed on your computer. You can use
the Drivers and Utilities media to
reinstall drivers (see "Reinstalling Drivers
and Utilities" on page 127) 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 Information 15
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
• Warranty information
• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)
• Safety instructions
• Regulatory information
• Ergonomics information
• End User License Agreement
• How to set up my computer
• Service Tag and Express Service Code
®
• Microsoft
Windows® Product Key
Dell™ Product Information Guide
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
or contact support.
• 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.
16 Finding 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
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
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
NOTE: Select your region or business
segment to view the appropriate support
site.
• 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
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
support.dell.com
, select your
.
Go
.
Find
, or under
Downloads
, search for the keyword
.
Drivers
NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface
may vary depending on your selections.
Finding Information 17
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
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 Utility" on page 103.
Windows Help and Support
1
Click the Windows Vista Start button
, and then click
2
In
Search Help
Help and Support
, type a word or phrase
.
that describes your problem, and then
press <Enter> or click the magnifying
glass.
3
Click the topic that describes your
problem.
• Information on network activity, the
Power Management Wizard, hotkeys,
and other items controlled by Dell
QuickSet.
4
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 169.
18 Finding Information
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
• How to reinstall my operating system
Operating System Media
The operating system is already installed
on your computer. To reinstall your
operating system, use one of the
following methods:
• Microsoft Windows System Restore —
Microsoft Windows System Restore
returns your computer to an earlier
operating state without affecting data
files.
• 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 130.
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 Information 19
20 Finding Information
About Your Computer
Determining Your Computer’s Configuration
Based on selections that you made when purchasing your computer, your
computer has one of several different video controller configurations. To
determine your computer’s video controller configuration:
1
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
Use Tools to view your computer information
Help and Support
, select
.
Hardware
.
About Your Computer 21
Front View
1
14
13
12
2
3
4
5
6
7
11
1 camera indicator (optional) 2 camera (optional)
3 display latch 4 display
5 power button 6 keyboard
7 device status lights 8 touch pad
22 About Your Computer
10
9 8
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 41.
POWER BUTTON — 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
Touchpad" on page 43.
About Your Computer 23
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).
24 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 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
TOUCH PAD — Provides the functionality of a mouse (see "Touch Pad" on page 45).
TOUCH PAD BUTTONS — Use these buttons much like the buttons on a mouse when
amber
: The battery charge is critically low.
you use the touch pad to move the cursor on the display (see "Touch Pad" on page 45).
MEDIA CONTROL BUTTONS — Control CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc™ (BD), and Media
Player playback.
Mute the sound. Play the previous track.
Turn the volume down. Play the next track.
About Your Computer 25
Turn the volume up. Stop.
Play or pause.
DELL™ MEDIADIRECT™ BUTTON — Press the Dell MediaDirect button to launch
Dell MediaDirect (see "Using Dell MediaDirect™" on page 61).
KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
The blue lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
9
A
DIGITAL ARRAY MICROPHONES — Built-in microphone for conferencing and chat.
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.
26 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 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.
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.
E
XPRESSCARD SLOT — Supports one ExpressCard. The computer ships with a
plastic blank installed in the slot. For more information see "Using ExpressCards" on
page 79.
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 93).
About Your Computer 27
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 93).
4 Wi-Fi Catcher light
• Flashing green: Searching for networks
• Solid green: Strong network found
• Solid yellow: Weak network found
• Flashing yellow: Error
• Off: No signal found
Right Side View
2
1
10 8 7 546911
1 battery status light 2 hard drive activity light
3
3 power light 4 USB connectors (2)
5 network connector (RJ-45) 6 video connector
28 About Your Computer
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 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
• SDIO card
• MultiMediaCard (MMC)
•Memory Stick
• Memory Stick PRO
• xD-Picture Card
About Your Computer 29
• 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.
30 About Your Computer
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