Dell M6500 User Manual

Dell Precision™ Workstation M6500 Service Manual

Working on Your Computer
Removing and Replacing Parts
Specifications
Diagnostics
System Setup

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.

If you purchased a Dell™ n Series computer, any references in this document to Microsoft® Windows® operating systems are
not applicable.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2009-2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of this material in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, and Vostroare trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, Celeron, and Core are either trademarks

or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under license;
Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista , and the Windows Vista start button are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in
the United States and/or other countries; Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems
Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries; ATI FirePro is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

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.

March 2010 Rev. A01

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Working on Your Computer

Dell Precision™ Workstation M6500 Service Manual

Before Working Inside Your Computer
Recommended Tools
Turning Off Your Computer
After Working Inside Your Computer

Before Working Inside Your Computer

Use the following safety guidelines to help protect your computer from potential damage and to help to ensure your personal
safety. Unless otherwise noted, each procedure included in this document assumes that the following conditions exist:

You have performed the steps in Working on Your Computer.
You have read the safety information that shipped with your computer.
A component can be replaced or—if purchased separately—installed by performing the removal procedure in reverse
order.

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
www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.

CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform

troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the
online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is
not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.

CAUTION: To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by

periodically touching an unpainted metal surface, such as a connector on the back of the computer.

CAUTION: Handle components and cards with care. Do not touch the components or contacts on a card.

Hold a card by its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a component such as a processor by its
edges, not by its pins.

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; if you are disconnecting this type of cable, press in on the
locking tabs before you disconnect the cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to
avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before you connect a cable, ensure that both connectors are
correctly oriented and aligned.

NOTE: The color of your computer and certain components may appear differently than shown in this document.

To avoid damaging your computer, perform the following steps before you begin working inside the computer.

1. Ensure that your work surface is flat and clean to prevent the computer cover from being scratched.

2. Turn off your computer (see Turning Off Your Computer

3. If the computer is connected to a docking device (docked), undock it.

CAUTION: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from your computer and then unplug the

cable from the network device.

).

4. Disconnect all network cables from the computer.

5. Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.

6. Where applicable, disconnect any adapters from the computer.

6. Close the display and turn the computer upside-down on a flat work surface.

CAUTION: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the main battery before you service the

computer.

7. Remove the main Battery.

8. Turn the computer top-side up.

9. Open the display.

10. Press the power button to ground the system board.

CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before

opening the display.

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.

11. Remove any installed ExpressCards or Smart Cards

12. Remove the Hard Drive

.

from the appropriate slots.

Recommended Tools

The procedures in this document may require the following tools:

Small flat-blade screwdriver
#0 Phillips screwdriver
#1 Phillips screwdriver
Small plastic scribe
Flash BIOS update program CD

Turning Off Your Computer

CAUTION: To avoid losing data, save and close all open files and exit all open programs before you turn off

your computer.

1. Shut down the operating system:

In Windows Vista®:

Click Start , then click the arrow in the lower-right corner of the Start menu as shown below, and then click
Shut Down.

In Windows® XP:

Click Start® Turn Off Computer® Turn Off.
The computer turns off after the operating system shutdown process is complete.

2. Ensure that the computer and all attached devices are turned off. If your computer and attached devices did not
automatically turn off when you shut down your operating system, press and hold the power button for about 4
seconds to turn them off.

After Working Inside Your Computer

After you complete any replacement procedure, ensure you connect any external devices, cards, and cables before turning on
your computer.

CAUTION: To avoid damage to the computer, use only the battery designed for this particular Dell

computer. Do not use batteries designed for other Dell computers.

1. Connect any external devices, such as a port replicator, battery slice, or media base, and replace any cards, such as an
ExpressCard.

2. Connect any telephone or network cables to your computer.

CAUTION: To connect a network cable, first plug the cable into the network device and then plug it into the

computer.

3. Replace the Battery

4. Connect your computer and all attached devices to their electrical outlets.

5. Turn on your computer.

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Removing and Replacing Parts

Dell Precision™ Workstation M6500 Service Manual

ExpressCard
PCMCIA Card
Battery
Coin-Cell Battery
Hard Drive
Secondary Hard Drive
Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) Card
Flash Cache Module (FCM)
Memory
Camera
PCMCIA Card Cage
Heat Sink
Processor
System Board

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SIM Card
Media Card
Access Panel
Hinge Cover
Optical Drive
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) card
Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) card
Keyboard
Display Assembly
Palm Rest
I/O and IEEE 1394 Board
Fan
Video Card Assembly

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Technical Specifications

System Information
Memory
Audio
PC Card
Smart Card
Display
Touchpad
Battery
Physical

NOTE: Offerings may vary by region. For more information regarding the configuration of your computer, click Start®

Help and Support and select the option to view information about your computer.

System Information

Chipset Mobile Intel PM55 Chipset
Data bus width 64 bits
DRAM bus width dual-channel 64 bits

Processor
Video
Communications
ExpressCard
Ports and Connectors
Keyboard
Fingerprint Reader (optional)
AC Adapter
Environmental

NOTE: You must install memory in pairs

for dual- channel mode to work.
Processor address bus width 36 bits
Flash EPROM SPI 32 Mbits
Graphics bus PCI-Express x16 Gen 2 capable
PCI bus 32 bits, 33 MHz

Processor

Types Intel Core i5-520M Dual Core

Intel Core i5-540M Dual Core

Intel Core i7-620M Dual Core

Intel Core i7-740QM Quad Core

Intel Core i7-840QM Quad Core

Intel Core i7-940XM Quad Core Extreme
L1 cache 32 KB instruction, 32 KB data cache per

core
L2 cache Intel Core i5-520M Dual Core — 3 MB

Intel Core i5-540M Dual Core — 3 MB

Intel Core i7-620M Dual Core — 4 MB

Intel Core i7-740QM Quad Core — 6 MB

Intel Core i7-840QM Quad Core — 8 MB

Intel Core i7-940XM Quad Core Extreme

— 8 MB
External bus frequency 1333 MHz

Memory

Type DDR3
Speed 1333 MHz or 1600 MHz

NOTE: Intel Core i5/i7 dual-core

processors support 1600 MHz and 1333

MHz memory modules, but the memory

will operate at 1067 MHz.

NOTE: Intel Core i7-920XM Quad-Core

processor supports memory frequency up

to 1600 MHz. All other Core i7 Quad-Core

processors support memory frequency up

to 1333 MHz only, even if memory

modules of higher frequency are installed.
Connectors four SODIMM connectors

NOTE: Computers shipped with dual-core

processors support a maximum of two

memory modules populated in slots A and

B.
Module capacities 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, and 8GB
Minimum memory 2 GB
Maximum memory 8 GB running at 1600 MHz

32 GB running at 1333 MHz

NOTE: When upgrading or replacing memory modules, you must ensure that the

modules are paired and matched in slots A and B first, and then in slots C and D.

Video

Type discrete
Data bus PCI-Express x16 Gen 2 capable
Controller and Memory NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M (1 GB GDDR3

graphics memory)

NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M (1 GB GDDR3

graphics memory)

AMD ATI FirePro M7820 (1 GB GDDR5

graphics memory)
Output 15-pin video connector

dual mode DisplayPort connector

Audio

Type two-channel Intel High Definition Audio
Controller IDT 92HD81B
Stereo conversion 24-bit (analog-to-digital and digital-to-

analog)
Interfaces:

Internal high definition audio codec
External microphone connector

stereo headphone/external speaker

connector
Speakers two 2 W speakers

Internal speaker amplifier class AB, 2 W Stereo BTL speaker

amplifier
Volume controls volume up, volume down, and mute

Communications

Network adapter 10/100/1000 Mbps Broadcom NetXtreme

Wireless internal WLAN, WWAN, Bluetooth, and

PC Card

NOTE: The PC Card slot is designed only for PC Cards. It does NOT support

ExpressCards.
CardBus controller Texas Instruments PCI 8412
PC Card connector one (supports Type I or Type II card)
Cards supported 3.3 V and 5 V
PC Card connector size 80 pins

buttons

5761E Gigabit Ethernet Controller

UWB wireless support (if optional cards

are purchased)

ExpressCard

NOTE: The ExpressCard slot is designed only for ExpressCards. It does NOT

support PC Cards.
ExpressCard connector ExpressCard slot (USB and PCI-Express

based interfaces)
Cards supported 34 mm and 54 mm

Smart Card

Read/write capabilities supports ISO-7816-3 (asynchronous and

synchronous Type I and II), ISO7816-12
Cards supported 1.8 V, 3 V, and 5 V
Program technology supported java cards
Interface speed 9600–115, 200 bps
EMV level level 1 certified
WHQL certification PC/SC

Ports and Connectors

Audio microphone connector

stereo headphone/external speaker

connector
Video 15-pin video connector

dual-mode DisplayPort connector
Network adapter RJ-45 connector
USB one USB 2.0-compliant connector

one eSATA/USB 2.0-compliant connector

two USB 3.0-compliant connectors
Memory card reader 8-in-1 memory card reader supporting

Mini Card two full-height mini card slots

CardBus/PCMCIA slot supports Type I and Type II cards
IEEE 1394 Texas Instruments PCI 8412 controller,

E-family docking connector 144-pin docking connector

Display

Type (active-matrix TFT) 17 inches, WXGA+, LED

Active area (X/Y) 367.3 mm x 229.5 mm
Dimensions:

Height:

WXGA+/WUXGA 245 mm (9.64 inches)

SD, SDIO, Hi-density SD, Hi-capacity SD,

XD, MS, MS-Pro, MMC, Mini-MMC, and

MMC+ cards

two half-height mini-card slots

powered 6-pin connector

17 inches, WUXGA, LED, RGB, or RGB

edge-

to-edge glass

WUXGA 248 mm (9.76 inches)

Width (WXGA+/WUXGA) 383 mm (15.08 inches)
Diagonal 432 mm (17.00 inches)

Maximum resolutions and brightness:

WXGA+ 1440 x 900 at 262 K colors, 220 nits
WUXGA 1920 x 1200 at 262 K colors, 300 nits

WUXGA RGB 1920 x 1200 at 16.7 M colors, 300 nits
Operating angle 0° (closed) to 152°
Refresh rate 60 Hz
Viewing angles:

WXGA+ Horizontal 40°/40°

WXGA+ Vertical 15°/30°

WUXGA Horizontal 60°/60°

WUXGA Vertical 45°/45°
Pixel pitch:

WXGA+ 0.191 mm

WUXGA 0.225 mm

Keyboard

Number of keys United States: 101 keys

United Kingdom: 102 keys
Brazil: 104 keys
Japan: 105 keys

Layout QWERTY/AZERTY/Kanji

Touchpad

Resolution:

X axis 57.52 units per mm

Y axis 78.12 units per mm
Active Area:

X axis 80.0 mm (3.14 inches)

Y axis 47.11 mm (1.85 inches)

Fingerprint Reader (Optional)

Type swipe fingerprint sensor, FIPS 140-2 /

FIPS 201

Battery

Type 9-cell "smart" lithium ion (90 W/hr)
Charge time with computer off approximately 1 hour to 80% capacity
Operating time battery operating time varies depending

on operating conditions and can be
significantly reduced under certain power­intensive conditions.

Life span approximately 300 charge/discharge

cycles

Dimensions:

Depth 85 mm (3.35 inches)

Height 23 mm (0.90 inches)
Voltage 11.1 V
Temperature range:

Operating 0 °C to 35 °C (32 °F to 95 °F)

Storage –40 °C to 65 °C (–40 °F to 149 °F)
Coin-cell battery 3 V CR2032 lithium

AC Adapter

Type:

Slim 210 W or 240 W

Standard 210 W
Input voltage 100–240 VAC
Input current (maximum):

Slim 3.5 A

Standard 3.2 A
Input frequency 50 Hz–60 Hz
Output current:

Slim 12.3 A

Standard 10.8 A
Output voltage 19.50 VDC
Dimensions:

Slim (210 W / 240W):

Height 100 mm (3.94 inches)
Width 25.40 mm (1.00 inch)
Depth 200 mm (7.87 inches)

Standard (210 W):

Height 100 mm (3.94 inches)
Width 43 mm (1.70 inches)
Depth 200 mm (7.87 inches)

Temperature range:

Operating 0 °C to 40 °C

(32 °F to 104 °F)

Storage –40 °C to 65 °C

(–40 °F to 149 °F)

Physical

Height 38.5 mm (1.52 inches)
Width 393.0 mm (15.47 inches)
Depth 280.5 mm (11.04 inches)
Weight (minimum) 3.81 kg (8.40 lb)

Environmental

Temperature range:

Operating 0 °C to 35 °C (32 °F to 95 °F)

Storage –40 °C to 65 °C (–40 °F to 149 °F)
Relative humidity (maximum):

Operating 10% to 90% (noncondensing)

Storage 5% to 95% (noncondensing)
Maximum vibration (measured using a

random vibration spectrum that simulates
user environment):

Operating 0.66 Grms (2 Hz–600 Hz)

Storage 1.30 Grms (2 Hz–600 Hz)
Maximum shock (measured with hard

drive in head-parked position and a 2 ms
half-sine pulse):

Operating 142 G

Storage 162 G
Altitude (maximum):

Operating –15.20 m to 3048 m (–50 to 10,000 ft)

Storage –15.20 m to 10,668 m (–50 to 35,000 ft)
Airborne contaminant level G2 or lower as defined by ANSI/ISA-

S71.04-1985

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Diagnostics

Dell Precision™ Workstation M6500 Service Manual

Device Status Lights
Battery Status Lights
Battery Charge and Health
Keyboard Status Lights
LED Error Codes
Dell Diagnostics

Device Status Lights

Turns on when you turn on the computer and blinks when the computer is in a
power management mode.

Turns on when the computer reads or writes data.

Turns on steadily or blinks to indicate battery charge status.

Turns on when wireless networking is enabled.
Turns on when a card with Bluetooth® wireless technology is enabled. To turn off

only the Bluetooth wireless technology function, right-click the icon in the system
tray and select Disable Bluetooth Radio.

Battery Status Lights

If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the battery light operates as follows:

Alternately blinking amber light and blue light — An unauthenticated or unsupported, non-Dell AC adapter is
attached to your laptop.

Alternately blinking amber light with steady blue light — Temporary battery failure with AC adapter present.
Constantly blinking amber light — Fatal battery failure with AC adapter present.
Light off — Battery in full charge mode with AC adapter present.
Blue light on — Battery in charge mode with AC adapter present.

Battery Charge and Health

To check the battery charge, press and release the status button on the battery charge gauge to illuminate the charge-level
lights. Each light represents approximately 20 percent of the total battery charge. For example, if four lights are on, the
battery has 80 percent of its charge remaining. If no lights appear, the battery has no charge.

To check battery health using the charge gauge, press and hold the status button on the battery charge gauge for at least 3
seconds. If no lights appear, the battery is in good condition and more than 80 percent of its original charge capacity remains.
Each light represents incremental degradation. If five lights appear, less than 60 percent of the charge capacity remains, and
you should consider replacing the battery.

Keyboard Status Lights

The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:

Turns on when the numeric keypad is enabled.

Turns on when the Caps Lock function is enabled.

Turns on when the Scroll Lock function is enabled.

LED Error Codes

The following table shows the possible LED codes that may display in a no-POST situation.

Appearance Description Next Step

ON-FLASH-FLASH

No SODIMMs are

installed

FLASH-ON-ON

System board error

1. Install supported memory modules.

2. If memory is already present,

3. Try known good memory from

4. Replace the system board.

1. Reseat the processor.

2. Replace the system board.

3. Replace the processor.

reseat the module(s) one at time in
each slot.

another computer or replace the
memory.

FLASH-ON-FLASH

OFF-FLASH-OFF

ON-FLASH-ON

OFF-FLASH-FLASH

LCD panel error

Memory compatibility

error

Memory is detected

but has errors

1. Reseat the LCD cable.

2. Replace the LCD panel.

3. Replace the video card/system
board.

1. Install compatible memory
modules.

2. If two modules are installed
remove one and test. Try the other
module in the same slot and test.
Test the other slot with both
modules.

3. Replace the memory.

4. Replace the system board.

1. Reseat the memory.

2. If two modules are installed
remove one and test. Try the other
module in the same slot and test.
Test the other slot with both
modules.

3. Replace the memory.

4. Replace the system board.

Modem error

1. Reseat the modem.

2. Replace the modem.

3. Replace the system board.

FLASH-FLASH-FLASH

FLASH-FLASH-OFF

System board error

Option ROM error

1. Replace the system board.

1. Reseat the device.

2. Replace the device.

3. Replace the system board.

OFF-ON-OFF

Storage device error

FLASH-FLASH-ON

Video card error

Dell Diagnostics

When to Use the Dell Diagnostics

It is recommended that you print these procedures before you begin.

NOTE: The Dell Diagnostics software works only on Dell™ computers.

1. Reseat the hard drive and optical
drive.

2. Test the computer with just the
hard drive and just the optical
drive.

3. Replace the device that is causing
the failure.

4. Replace the system board.

1. Replace the system board.

NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities media is optional and may not ship with your computer.

Enter System Setup (see Entering System Setup
device you want to test displays in System Setup and is active.

Start the Dell Diagnostics from either your hard drive or from the Drivers and Utilities media.

), review your computer's configuration information, and ensure that the

Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your Hard Drive

1. Turn on (or restart) your computer.

2. When the DELL logo appears, press <F12> immediately.

NOTE: If you see a message stating that no diagnostics utility partition has been found, run the Dell Diagnostics from

your Drivers and Utilities media.

If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft®
Windows® desktop. Then shut down your computer and try again.

3. When the boot device list appears, highlight Boot to Utility Partition and press <Enter>.

4. When the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu appears, select the test that you want to run.

Starting the Dell Diagnostics From the Drivers and Utilities Media

1. Insert the Drivers and Utilities media.

2. Shut down and restart the computer.
When the DELL logo appears, press <F12> immediately.
If you wait too long and the Windows logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop. Then shut

down your computer and try again.

NOTE: The next steps change the boot sequence for one time only. On the next startup, the computer boots according

to the devices specified in the system setup program.

3. When the boot device list appears, highlight Onboard or USB CD-ROM Drive and press <Enter>.

4. Select the Boot from CD-ROM option from the menu that appears and press <Enter>.

5. Type 1 to start the menu and press <Enter> to proceed.

6. Select Run the 32 Bit Dell Diagnostics from the numbered list. If multiple versions are listed, select the version

appropriate for your computer.

7. When the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu appears, select the test you want to run.

Dell Diagnostics Main Menu

1. After the Dell Diagnostics loads and the Main Menu screen appears, click the button for the option you want.

Option Function

Express
Test

Extended
Test

Custom
Test

Symptom
Tree

2. If a problem is encountered during a test, a message appears with an error code and a description of the problem.

3. If you run a test from the Custom Test or Symptom Tree option, click the applicable tab described in the following

Tab Function

Results Displays the results of the test and any error conditions encountered.
Errors Displays error conditions encountered, error codes, and the problem description.
Help Describes the test and may indicate requirements for running the test.

Performs a quick test of devices. This test typically takes 10 to 20 minutes and requires no interaction on your
part. Run Express Test first to increase the possibility of tracing the problem quickly.

Performs a thorough check of devices. This test typically takes 1 hour or more and requires you to answer
questions periodically.

Tests a specific device. You can customize the tests you want to run.

Lists the most common symptoms encountered and allows you to select a test based on the symptom of the
problem you are having.

Write down the error code and problem description and follow the instructions on the screen.

table for more information.

Configuration Displays your hardware configuration for the selected device.

The Dell Diagnostics obtains configuration information for all devices from system setup, memory, and
various internal tests, and it displays the information in the device list in the left pane of the screen. The
device list may not display the names of all the components installed on your computer or all devices
attached to your computer.

Parameters Allows you to customize the test by changing the test settings.

4. When the tests are completed, if you are running the Dell Diagnostics from the Drivers and Utilities media, remove the

media.

5. Close the test screen to return to the Main Menu screen. To exit the Dell Diagnostics and restart the computer, close

the Main Menu screen.

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System Setup

Dell Precision™ Workstation M6500 Service Manual

Boot Menu
Navigation Keystrokes
Entering System Setup
System Setup Options

Boot Menu

The boot menu allows you to set a one-time boot sequence without entering system setup. You can also use this procedure
to run the diagnostics on your

1. Turn on (or restart) your computer.

2. When the Dell™ logo appears, press <F12> immediately. The following options appear:

Internal hard drive
CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive
Onboard NIC
BIOS Setup
Diagnostics

3. Select the device from which you want to boot and press <Enter>.

The computer boots to the selected device. The next time you reboot the computer, the previous boot order is restored.

Navigation Keystrokes

Use the following keystrokes to navigate the System Setup screens.

Navigation Keystrokes
Action Keystroke

Expand and collapse field <Enter>, left- or right-arrow key
Exit BIOS <Esc>—Remain in Setup, Save/Exit, Discard/Exit
Change a setting Left or right-arrow key
Select field to change <Enter>
Cancel modification <Esc>
Reset defaults <Alt><F> or Load Defaults menu option

Entering System Setup

You can enter System Setup using one of the following methods:

Using the boot menu
By pressing <F2>

Boot Menu

1. Turn on (or restart) your computer.

2. When the Dell™ logo appears, press <F12> immediately.

3. Highlight the option to enter System Setup and then press <Enter>

NOTE: Making changes in the boot menu does not make any changes to the boot order stored in the System Setup

program.

<F2>

1. Turn on (or restart) your computer.

2. When the Dell logo appears, press <F2> immediately.

If you are unable to enter System Setup by pressing the <F2> key when the Dell Logo appears, continue to wait until you
see the Windows desktop. Then restart your computer and press <F2> when the keyboard lights first flash.

System Setup Options

The following tables describe the menu options for the System Setup program.

General
Option Description

This section lists the primary hardware features of your computer. There are no configurable options in this
section.

System Information

BIOS Version
Service Tag
Asset Tag
Ownership Tag

Memory Information

Memory Installed
Memory Available
Memory Speed
Memory Channel Mode
Memory Technology
DIMM A Size
DIMM B Size
DIMM C Size
DIMM D Size

Processor Information

Processor Type
Core Count

System
Information

Processor ID
Current Clock Speed
Minimum Clock Speed
Maximum Clock Speed

Battery
Information

Device Information

Primary Hard Drive
Secondary Hard Drive
Fixed Bay Device
System eSATA Device
Dock eSATA Device

Video Controller
Video BIOS Version
Video Memory
Panel Type
Native Resolution

Audio Controller
Wi-Fi Device
Cellular Device
Bluetooth® Device
Wireless USB Device

Indicates the primary battery status. Also displays the type of AC adapter connected to the computer.

The computer attempts to boot from the sequence of devices specified in this list:

Ambient Light Enabling this feature allows your computer to automatically change the brightness of the display panel

Diskette drive
USB Storage Device
CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive
Internal hard drive

Boot
Sequence

Date/Time Displays current date and time settings.

System Configuration
Option Description

NOTE:

Integrated
NIC

System
Management

Parallel Port

Serial Port

Cardbus NIC
Onboard NIC

This list specifies the order that the BIOS searches for devices while trying to find an operating system to
boot.

To change the boot order, select the device to be changed in the list then click the up/down arrows or use the
keyboard PgUp/PgDn keys to change the boot order of the device.

To remove devices for the boot list, clear the check boxes.

The System Configuration group contains options and settings relater to integrated system devices.
(Depending on your computer and installed devices, the items listed in this section may or may not
appear.)

Enables or disables the onboard LAN controller.
Default setting: Enabled w/PXE

This option controls System Management mechanism. The settings are Disabled, Alert Only, and ASF

2.0.
Default setting: Disabled

This option determines how the parallel port on the docking station operates. The settings are Disabled,
AT, PS/2, and ECP.

Default setting: ECP
This option determines how the serial port on the docking station operates. It lets you avoid resource

conflicts between devices by disabling or re-mapping the address of the port. The settings are Disabled,
COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4.

Default setting: COM1

SATA
Operation

Miscellaneous
Devices

Video
Option Description

This option configures the operating mode of the internal SATA hard drive controller. The settings are
Disabled, ATA, AHCI, and RAID.

Default setting: RAID
Use the check boxes to enable/disable the following devices:

External USB Port I
Microphone
IEEE 1394
ExpressCard
Precision ON Reader
Module Bay
PC Card
Media Card
eSATA Ports

Default setting: All enabled

Sensor based on the amount of light in the surroundings.

LCD
Brightness

Security
Option Description

Admin
Password

System
Password

Internal
hard drive
PW

Password
Bypass

This option (represented by a slider bar for On Battery and On AC) sets the panel brightness when the
ambient light sensor is off.

This field lets you set, change, or delete the administrator password. The administrator password enables
several security features when set including:

Restricts changes to the settings in Setup.
Restricts the boot devices listed in the <F12> Boot Menu to those enabled in the Boot Sequence
field.
Prohibits changes to the owner and asset tags.

Substitutes for the system password if the system prompts for a password during power on.
Successful changes to this password take effect immediately.
If you delete the admin password, the system password is also deleted. Also, the admin password can be

used to delete the hard drive password. For this reason, you cannot set an admin password if a system
password or hard drive is already set. The admin password must be set first if used in conjunction with a
system and/or hard drive password.

This field lets you set, change, or delete the system password.
This field lets you set, change, or delete the password on the system's internal hard drive. Successful

changes take place immediately and require a system restart. The hard drive password travels with the
hard drive, so the hard drive is protected even when installed in another system.

This option lets you bypass the system and internal hard drive password prompts during a system restart or
when resuming from a standby state. Settings are Disabled, Reboot Bypass, Resume Bypass, and
Reboot & Resume Bypass.

The system will always prompt for the set system and internal hard drive password when powered on from
an off state (cold boot).

Password
Change

TPM Security

Computrace®

CPU XD
Support

Default setting: Disabled
This option lets you determine whether changes to the System and hard drive passwords are permitted

when an Admin password is set. Use the check box to allow or disallow changes.
Default setting: Allow Non-Admin Password Changes

This option lets you control whether the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) in the system is enabled and visible
to the operating system. When disabled (check box is empty), the BIOS will not turn on the TPM during
POST. The TPM will be non-functional and invisible to the operating system. When enabled (check box
filled) the BIOS will turn the TPM on during POST so the it can be used by the operating system.

Disabling this option does not change any settings you may have made to the TPM, nor does it delete or
change any information or keys you may have stored there. It simply turns off the TPM so that it cannot be
used. When you re-enable the TPM, it will function exactly as it did before it was disabled.

Once TPM is enabled (check box filled), the available settings are Deactivate, Activate, and Clear.
With the TPM in Deactivate mode, it will not execute any commands that use the resources of the TPM, nor

will it allow any access to stored owner information.
The Clear setting allows the owner's information stored in the TPM to be cleared. Use this to restore the

TPM to its default state if you lose or forget the owner authentication data.
This field lets you activate or disable the BIOS module interface of the optional Computrace software. The

settings are Deactivate, Disable, and Activate.
The Activate and Disable options will permanently activate or disable the feature and no further changes will

be allowed.
This field enables or disables the Execute Disable mode of the processor. Use the check box to enable /

disable this feature.
Default setting: Enabled

Non-Admin

This option lets you determine whether changes to the setup option are permitted when an administrator

Setup
Changes

Performance
Option Description
Intel® SpeedStep Use the check box to enable / disable mode for the CPU.

Power Management
Option Description
Wake onACUse the check box to enable/disable the computer to power up from the off or hibernation state when an AC

Auto On
Time

USB Wake
Support

password is set. If disabled the setup option is locked by the admin password. It cannot be modified unless
setup is unlocked. Use the check boxes to allow / deny access to the Wi-Fi Catcher Changes and / or
Wireless Switch Changes within the system setup.

adapter is inserted.
This field sets the days, if any, when you would like the system to turn on automatically. The settings are

Disabled, Everyday, or Weekdays.
Default setting: Off

Use the check box to enable/disable the ability for USB devices to wake the system from Standby.
This feature is only functional when the AC power adapter is connected. If the AC power adapter is removed

during Standby, the BIOS will remove power from all of the USB ports to conserve battery power.
This field allows the computer to power up from the off state when triggered by a special LAN signal or from

Hibernate state when triggered by a special wireless LAN signal. Wake-up from the Standby state is
unaffected by this setting and must be enabled in the operating system.

Wake on
LAN/WLAN

The factory default setting is Off.

Charger
Behavior

POST Behavior
Option Description

Adapter
Warnings

Keypad
(Embedded)

This field lets you enable / disable the battery charger. If disabled, the battery will not lose power when the
system is connected to an AC adapter but it will not charge either.

Default setting: Charger Enabled

Disabled — Do not allow the system to power on when it receives a wake-up signal from the LAN or
wireless LAN.

LAN Only — Allow the system to be powered on by special LAN signals.
WLAN Only — Allow the system to be powered on by special WLAN signals.
LAN or WLAN — Allow the system to be powered on by special LAN or wireless LAN signals.

Use the check box to enable/disable the BIOS warning messages when you use certain power adapters. The
BIOS displays these messages if you attempt to use a power adapter that has too little capacity for your
configuration.

Default setting: Enabled
This option lets you choose one of two methods to enable the keypad that is embedded in the internal

keyboard.

Fn Key Only — The keypad is only enabled when you hold down the <Fn> key.
By Num Lk — The keypad is enabled when (1) the Num Lock LED is on and (2) no external keyboard

is attached. Note that the system might not notice immediately when an external keyboard is
detached.

Numlock
LED

When Setup is running, this field has no effect—Setup works in the Fn Key Only mode.
Default setting: Fn Key Only

Use the check box to enable/disable the Num Lock LED when the system boots.
Default setting: Enabled

USB

This option defines how the BIOS, in the absence of a USB–aware operating system, handles USB devices.

Emulation

USB emulation is always enabled during POST. Use the check box to enable/disable this feature.
Default setting: Enabled

This field lets you use the <Scroll Lock> key on an external PS/2 keyboard the same way you use the <Fn>
key on the computer's internal keyboard. Use the check box to enable/disable this feature.

Fn Key
Emulation

Fast Boot

Virtualization Support
Option Description

Virtualization

VT for Direct
I/O

Trusted
Execution

USB keyboards cannot emulate the <Fn> key if you are running an ACPI operating system such as
Microsoft® Windows® XP. USB keyboards will only emulate the <Fn> key in non-ACPI mode (e.g., when you
are running in DOS).

Default setting: Enabled

This field can speed up the boot process by bypassing some compatibility steps.

Minimal — Boot quickly unless the BIOS has been updated, memory changed, or the previous POST
did not complete.

Thorough — Do not skip any steps in the boot process.
Auto — Allow the operating system to control this setting (this works only when the operating system

supports Simple Boot Flag).

Default setting: Minimal

This field specifies whether a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) can utilize the additional hardware
capabilities provided by Intel® Virtualization Technology. Use the check box to enable/disable this
feature.

Default setting: Disabled.
This option specifies whether a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) can utilize the additional hardware

capabilities provided by Intel Virtualization Technology for Direct I/O. Use the check box to enable/disable
this feature.

Default setting: Disabled.
This option specifies whether a Measured Virtual Machine Monitor (MVMM) can utilize the additional

hardware capabilities provided by Intel Trusted Execution Technology. The TPM, Virtualization
Technology, and Virtualization Technology for Direct I/O must be enabled to use this feature. Use the
check box to enable/disable this feature.

Default setting: Disabled.

Wireless
Option Description

Wireless Switch Use the check boxes to determine which wireless devices will be controlled by the wireless switch. The

available options are WWAN, WLAN, Bluetooth®, and Wireless USB.

Wireless
Devices

Maintenance
Option Description

Service Tag

Asset Tag

Use the check boxes to enable / disable the various wireless devices. The available options are Internal
WWAN, Internal WLAN, Internal Bluetooth®, and Wireless USB.

This field displays your system's Service Tag. If for some reason the Service Tag was not already set,
you would be able to use this field to set it.

If a Service Tag has not been set for this system, the computer will automatically bring up this screen
when users enter the BIOS. You will be prompted to enter the Service Tag.

This field allows you to create a system Asset Tag. The field can only be updated if the Asset Tag is not

already set.

System Logs
Option Description

BIOS Events

DellDiag Events

Thermal Events

Power Events

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This field allows you to view and clear BIOS power-on self-test (POST) events. It includes the date and
time of the event as well as the LED code.

This filed allows you to view the diagnostic results from Dell Diagnostics and PSA. It includes the time
and date, the diagnostic version and the resulting code.

This field allows you to view and clear thermal events. It includes the date and time as well as the name
of the event.

This field allows you to view and clear power events. It includes the date and time of the event as well as
the power state and reason.

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Battery

Dell Precision™ Workstation M6500 Service Manual

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
www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.

Removing the Battery

NOTE: You may need to install Adobe® Flash® Player from Adobe.com in order to view the illustrations below.

1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer

2. Slide the latch to release the battery from the computer.

.

3. Lift the battery up and away from the computer.

Replacing the Battery

To replace the battery, perform the above steps in reverse order.

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Back to Contents Page

ExpressCard

Dell Precision™ Workstation M6500 Service Manual

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
www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.

Removing the ExpressCard

NOTE: You may need to install Adobe® Flash® Player from Adobe.com in order to view the illustrations below.

1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer

2. Push in the ExpressCard to release it from its slot on the computer.

.

3. Pull out the ExpressCard and remove it from the computer.

Replacing the ExpressCard

To replace the ExpressCard, perform the above steps in reverse order.

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Back to Contents Page

Hard Drive

Dell Precision™ Workstation M6500 Service Manual

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
www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.

Removing the Hard Drive

NOTE: You may need to install Adobe® Flash® Player from Adobe.com in order to view the illustrations below.

1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer

2. Remove the battery

3. Loosen the captive screws that secure the hard drive to the hard-drive cage.

.

.

4. Pull the release tab to release the hard-drive cage from the computer.

5. Remove the hard-drive cage from the computer.