Dell Inspiron M431R User Manual
Inspiron 14/14R/M431R
Owner’s Manual
Computer model: Inspiron 3421/5421/5435
Regulatory model: P37G
Regulatory type: P37G001/P37G002
Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make
better use of your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss
of data if instructions are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage,
personal injury, or death.
____________________
© 2013 Dell Inc.
™
Trademarks used in this text: Dell
Dell Inc.; Microsoft
or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries; Bluetooth
by Dell under license.
2013 - 04 Rev. A01
®
, Windows®, and the Windows start button logo are either trademarks
®
is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used
, the DELL logo, and Inspiron™ are trademarks of
Contents
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Turn Off Your Computer and Connected Devices. . . . . 9
Safety Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Recommended Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
After Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . 11
Removing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Removing the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Replacing the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Removing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Replacing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Removing the Base Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Contents | 3
Replacing the Base Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Removing the Memory Module(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Replacing the Memory Module(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Removing the Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Replacing the Hard Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Removing the Wireless Mini-Card . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Replacing the Wireless Mini-Card . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Removing the Palm-Rest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Replacing the Palm-Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4 | Contents
Removing the Coin-Cell Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Removing the I/O Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Replacing the I/O Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Removing the Power-Adapter Port . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Replacing the Power-Adapter Port . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Removing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Replacing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Entering the Service Tag in system setup. . . . . . . . . . 50
Removing the Thermal-Cooling Assembly . . . . . 51
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Contents | 5
Replacing the Thermal-Cooling Assembly . . . . . 53
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Removing the Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Replacing the Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Removing the Display Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Replacing the Display Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Removing the Display Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Replacing the Display Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Removing the Display Hinges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Replacing the Display Hinges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
6 | Contents
Removing the Display Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Replacing the Display Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Removing the Camera Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Replacing the Camera Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Flashing the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Contents | 7
8 | Contents
Before You Begin
Turn Off Your Computer and Connected Devices
CAUTION: To avoid losing data, save and close all open files and exit all open
programs before you turn off your computer.
1 Save and close all open files and exit all open programs.
2 Shut down your computer.
• Windows 8:
a Point your mouse pointer to the upper-right or lower-right corner of the
screen to open the Charms sidebar.
b In the Charms sidebar, click Settings→ Power→ Shut down.
• Windows 7:
Click Start and click Shut down.
Microsoft Windows shuts down and then the computer turns off.
NOTE: If you are using a different operating system, see the documentation
of your operating system for shut-down instructions.
3 Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.
4 Disconnect all telephone cables, network cables, and attached devices from your
computer.
5 After you unplug all the cables from the computer, press and hold the power
button for 5 seconds to ground the system board.
Before You Begin | 9
Safety Instructions
Use the following safety guidelines to protect your computer from potential damage and
ensure your personal safety.
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
WARNING: Disconnect all power sources before opening the computer cover or
panels. After you finish working inside the computer, replace all covers, panels,
and screws before connecting to the power source.
CAUTION: To avoid damaging the computer, ensure that the work surface is flat
and clean.
CAUTION: To avoid damaging the components and cards, handle them by their
edges and avoid touching pins and contacts.
CAUTION: Only a certified service technician is authorized to remove the
computer cover and access any of the components inside the computer. See the
safety instructions for complete information about safety precautions, working
inside your computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.
CAUTION: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground yourself by
touching an unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the
computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to
dissipate static electricity, which could harm internal components.
CAUTION: When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on its pull-tab,
not on the cable itself. Some cables have connectors with locking tabs or
thumb-screws that you must disengage before disconnecting the cable.
When disconnecting cables, keep them evenly aligned to avoid bending any
connector pins. When connecting cables, ensure that the connectors and ports
are correctly oriented and aligned.
CAUTION: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from your
computer and then unplug the cable from the network device.
CAUTION: Press and eject any installed card from the media-card reader.
Recommended Tools
The procedures in this document may require the following tools:
• Phillips screwdriver
• Plastic scribe
10 | Before You Begin
After Working Inside Your Computer
After you complete the replacement procedures, ensure the following:
• Replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside your computer.
• Connect any external devices, cables, cards, and any other part(s) you removed
before working on your computer.
• Connect your computer and all attached devices to their electrical outlets.
CAUTION: Before turning on your computer, replace all screws and ensure
that no stray screws remain inside the computer. Failure to do so may damage
your computer.
After Working Inside Your Computer | 11
Removing the Battery
1
2
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on
page 9. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in "After
Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1 Close the display and turn the computer over.
2 Slide the battery latches to the unlock position. You hear a click when the battery is
unlocked.
3 Lift and remove the battery off the computer base.
1 battery latches (2) 2 battery
12 | Removing the Battery
Replacing the Battery
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on
page 9. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in "After
Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
Align the tabs on the battery with the slots on the battery bay and snap the battery
into place.
Replacing the Battery | 13
Removing the Optical Drive
1
2
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on
page 9. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in "After
Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Prerequisites
Remove the battery. See "Removing the Battery" on page 12.
Procedure
1 Remove the screw that secures the optical-drive assembly to the computer base.
2 Using your fingertips, slide the optical-drive assembly out of the optical-drive bay.
1 optical-drive assembly 2 screw
3 Remove the screw that secures the optical-drive bracket to the optical-drive
assembly and remove the optical-drive bracket.
14 | Removing the Optical Drive
4 Carefully pull the optical-drive bezel and remove it from the optical drive.
3
2
4
1
1 screw 2 optical-drive bracket
3 optical drive 4 optical-drive bezel
Removing the Optical Drive | 15
Replacing the Optical Drive
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on
page 9. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in "After
Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1 Align the tabs on the optical-drive bezel with the slots on the optical drive and snap
the optical-drive bezel into place.
2 Align the screw hole on the optical-drive bracket with the screw hole on
the optical-drive assembly and replace the screw that secures the optical-drive
bracket to the optical-drive assembly.
3 Slide the optical-drive assembly into the optical-drive bay and ensure that the
screw hole on the optical-drive bracket aligns with the screw hole
on computer base.
4 Replace the screw that secures the optical-drive assembly to the computer base.
Postrequisites
Replace the battery. See "Replacing the Battery" on page 13.
16 | Replacing the Optical Drive
Removing the Keyboard
1
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on
page 9. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in "After
Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Prerequisites
Remove the battery. See "Removing the Battery" on page 12.
Procedure
1 Remove the screws that secure the keyboard to the computer base
1screws (2)
Removing the Keyboard | 17
2 Turn the computer over and open the display as far as possible.
1
2
3
3 Using a plastic scribe, pry the keyboard from the tabs on the palm-rest.
1 tabs (5) 2 plastic scribe
3keyboard
18 | Removing the Keyboard
4 Lift and slide the keyboard towards the display to release the keyboard from the
4
3
1
2
palm-rest and place the keyboard on the palm-rest.
5 Lift the connector latch and disconnect the keyboard cable from the
keyboard-cable connector.
6 Lift the keyboard off the palm-rest.
1 keyboard 2 palm-rest
3 keyboard cable 4 connector latch
Removing the Keyboard | 19
Replacing the Keyboard
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on
page 9. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in "After
Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1 Slide the keyboard cable into the keyboard-cable connector and press down on the
connector latch to secure the cable.
2 Slide the tabs at the bottom of the keyboard into the slots on the palm-rest and
place the keyboard on the palm-rest.
3 Gently press around the edges of the keyboard to secure the keyboard under the
tabs on the palm-rest.
4 Replace the screws that secure the keyboard to the computer base.
Postrequisites
Replace the battery. See "Replacing the Battery" on page 13.
20 | Replacing the Keyboard
Removing the Base Cover
2
1
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on
page 9. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in "After
Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Prerequisites
Remove the battery. See "Removing the Battery" on page 12.
Procedure
1 Remove the screw that secures the base cover to the computer base.
2 Using your fingertips, lift the base cover out of the slots on the computer base.
1screw 2base cover
Removing the Base Cover | 21
Replacing the Base Cover
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information
that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in "Before You Begin" on
page 9. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions in "After
Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1 Slide the tabs on the base cover into the slots on the computer base and snap the
base cover into place.
2 Replace the screw that secures the base cover to the computer base.
Postrequisites
Replace the battery. See "Replacing the Battery" on page 13.
22 | Replacing the Base Cover
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