Dell M2300, NY105 User Manual

Dell Precision™ M2300

User’s Guide

Model PP18L

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.

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

____________________

Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Dell Precision, Expr essChar ge, T r avelLite, Strike Zone, W i-F i Catcher, and Client Manager are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Core, Centrino, and Intel are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Outlook, Windows, and W indows Vista are either re gistered trademarks or 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; TouchStrip is a trademark of UPEK, Inc.; EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation; ENERGY STAR is a re gistered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency . As an ENERGY STAR partner, Dell Inc. has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency.

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 PP18L

August 2008 P/N NY105 Rev. A03

Contents

1 Finding Information

2 About Your Computer

Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Left Side View

Right Side View

Back View

Bottom View

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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

3 Transferring Information to a New Computer

Microsoft® Windows® XP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard With the Operating System Media 27

Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Without the Operating System Media 28

Microsoft Windows Vista®

Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista

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

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

4 Using a Battery

Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Checking the Battery Charge

Dell™ QuickSet Battery Meter

Microsoft Charge Gauge

Windows® Power Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Low-Battery Warning

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Conserving Battery Power

Power Management Modes

Standby and Sleep Mode

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Contents 3

Hibernate Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Configuring Power Management Settings

Accessing Power Options Properties

Charging the Battery

Replacing the Battery

Storing a Battery

Battery Errors

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

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

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

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

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

5 Using the Keyboard

Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Key Combinations

System Functions Battery Display Functions Power Management Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions

Touch Pad

Customizing the Touch Pad and Track Stick

Changing the Track Stick Cap

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

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

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

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

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

6 Using the Display

4 Contents

Adjusting Brightness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Using the Ambient Light Sensor

Switching the Video Image

Setting Display Resolution and Refresh Rate

Dual Independent Display Mode

Swapping Primary and Secondary Displays

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

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

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

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

7 Setting Up and Using Networks

Connecting a Network or Broadband Modem Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Setting Up a Network in the Microsoft

Windows® XP Operating System . . 48

Setting Up a Network in the Microsoft Windows Vista® Operating System

Wireless Local Area Network

What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection Checking Your Wireless Network Card

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

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

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

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

Mobile Broadband (or Wireless Wide Area Network)

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

What You Need to Establish a Mobile Broadband Network Connection Checking Your Dell Mobile Broadband Card Connecting to a Mobile Broadband Network Enabling/Disabling the Dell™ Mobile Broadband Card

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

. . . . . . . . . . 53

Managing Your Network Settings Through the Dell QuickSet Location Profiler

Dell Wi-Fi Catcher™ Network Locator

Microsoft

Windows® Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

8 Using Multimedia

Playing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Copying Media

How to Copy Media Using Blank Media Helpful Tips

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

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

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

. 48

. 52

Adjusting the Volume

Adjusting the Picture

Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista® Operating System

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

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

9Using Cards

Card Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

PC Cards

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Contents 5

ExpressCards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Smart Cards Card Blanks Extended Cards

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Installing a PC Card or ExpressCard

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

PC Card ExpressCards

Removing a Card or Blank

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

10 Securing Your Computer

Security Cable Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Smart Card

Passwords

Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

Security Management Software

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

About Smart Cards Installing a Smart Card

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

About Passwords Using a Primary (or System) Password Using an Administrator Password Using a Hard Drive Password

Enabling the TPM Feature

Activating the Security Management Software Using the Security Management Software

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

11 Troubleshooting

6 Contents

Computer Tracking Software

If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Dell™ Technical Update Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Dell Diagnostics

When to Use the Dell Diagnostics Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your Hard Drive

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

. . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Starting the Dell Diagnostics from the Drivers and Utilities Media . . . . 76

Dell Diagnostics Main Menu

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Dell Support Utility

Accessing the Dell Support Utility Clicking the Dell Support Icon Double-Clicking the Dell Support Icon

Drive Problems

Media drive problems

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you cannot eject the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD+RW drive tray If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound Hard drive problems

E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems

Error Messages

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

IEEE 1394 Device Problems

Keyboard Problems

External Keyboard problems Unexpected characters

Lockups and Software Problems

The computer does not start up The computer stops responding

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

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

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

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

A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft A solid blue screen appears Other software problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Windows® operating system 87

. . . . . 80

. . . . . . . . . . . 80

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

Memory Problems

Network Problems

General

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

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

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

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Mobile Broadband (Wireless Wide Area Network)

PC Card Problems

Power Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

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

Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer Docking Power Considerations

Printer Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

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

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Contents 7

Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Sound and Speaker Problems

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 If the display is difficult to read If only part of the display is readable

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

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

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

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

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

12 System Setup Program

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Viewing the System Setup Screens

System Setup Screens

Commonly Used Options

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Changing the Boot Sequence Changing Printer Modes Changing COM Ports

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

13 Reinstalling Software

8 Contents

Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

What Is a Driver? Identifying Drivers Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities

Using the Hardware Troubleshooter Tool

Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows Vista

Restoring Your Operating System

Using Microsoft Using the Operating System Media

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

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

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

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

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

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

Windows® System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

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

14 Adding and Replacing Parts

Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Recommended Tools Turning Off Your Computer Before Working Inside Your Computer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Hinge Cover

Keyboard

Internal Card With Bluetooth

Coin-Cell Battery

Memory

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Wireless Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

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

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

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Card

Mobile Broadband Card

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card

Hard Drive

Media Bay

FCM (Flash Cache Module)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Removing Media Bay Devices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

15 Dell™ QuickSet

16 Traveling With Your Computer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Identifying Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Packing the Computer

Travel Tips

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Traveling by Air

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Contents 9

17 Specifications

18 Getting Help

Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Technical Support and Customer Service DellConnect Online Services AutoTech Service

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Automated Order-Status Service

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Problems With Your Order

Product Information

Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit

Before You Call

Contacting Dell

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

19 Appendix

Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Computer, Keyboard, and Display Touch Pad Mouse Floppy Drive CDs and DVDs

FCC Notice (U.S. Only)

FCC Class B

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Macrovision Product Notice

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

10 Contents

Finding Information

NOTE: Some features or media may be optional and may not ship with your computer. Some features or

media 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

• My device documentation

• Notebook System Software (NSS)

Drivers and Utilities Media

NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities media may be optional and

may not ship with your computer.

Documentation and drivers are already installed on your computer. You can use the media to reinstall drivers (see "Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities" on page 102) or to run the Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics" on page 75).

Readme files may be included on your media to provide last-minute 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 11

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• How to set up my computer

• Basic troubleshooting information

• How to run the Dell Diagnostics

• How to open my computer

Quick Reference Guide

NOTE: This document may be optional and may not ship with

your computer.

NOTE: This document is available as a PDF at

support.dell.com.

• Warranty information

• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)

• Safety instructions

• Regulatory information

• Ergonomics information

• End User License Agreement

Dell™ Product Information Guide

• Service Tag and Express Service Code

• Microsoft Windows License Label

12 Finding Information

Service Tag and Microsoft® Windows® License

These labels are located on your computer:

• Use the Service Tag to identify your computer when you use

support.dell.com

• Enter the Express Service Code to direct your call when contacting support.

or contact support.

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles from technicians, and online courses, frequently asked questions

Dell Support Website — support.dell.com

NOTE: Select your region or business segment to view the

appropriate support site.

• Community — Online discussion with other Dell customers

• Upgrades — Upgrade information for components, such as memory, the hard drive, and the operating system

• Customer Care — Contact information, service call and order status, warranty, and repair information

• Service and support — Service call status and support history, service contract, online discussions with technical 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 for your computer, you should also reinstall the NSS utility. NSS provides critical updates for your operating system and support for processors, optical drives, USB devices, and so on. NSS is necessary for correct operation of your Dell computer. The software automatically detects your computer and

To download Notebook System Software:

Go to

support.dell.com

segment, and enter your Service Tag.

Select

Click your operating system and search for the keyword

Notebook System Software

NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface may vary

depending on your selections.

operating system and installs the updates appropriate for your configuration.

• Software upgrades and troubleshooting hints — Frequently asked questions, hot topics, and general health of your computing environment

Dell Support Utility

The Dell Support Utility is an automated upgrade and notification system installed on your computer. This support provides real-time health scans of your computing environment, software updates, and relevant self-support information. Access the Dell Support Utility from the

icon in the taskbar.

, select your region or business

Drivers & Downloads

and click Go.

Finding Information 13

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• How to use Microsoft Windows XP or 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.

Windows Help and Support

Microsoft Windows XP:

Click the

Either select one of the topics listed, or type a word or phrase that describes your problem into the click the arrow icon, and then click the topic that describes your problem.

Follow the instructions on the screen.

Microsoft Windows Vista:

Click the Windows Vista Start button , and then click

Help and Support

Search Help

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 QuickSet

icon in the Microsoft

For more information on Dell QuickSet, see "Dell™ QuickSet" on page 131.

• How to reinstall my operating system

Operating System Media

NOTE: The Operating System media may be optional and may

not ship with your computer.

The operating system is already installed on your computer. To reinstall your operating system, use the Operating System media.

media varies based on the operating system you ordered.

Start

button and click

, type a word or phrase that describes your

Windows® taskbar.

Help and Support

After you reinstall your operating system, use the optional 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

box,

14 Finding Information

About Your Computer

NOTE: The appearance of your computer may vary slightly from the model shown in this document.

Front View

About Your Computer 15

1 display latch 2 display 3 power button

4 device status lights 5 keyboard 6 touch pad

7 fingerprint reader (optional) 8 touch pad buttons/track stick

9 track stick

buttons

10 keyboard status lights 11 volume control buttons 12 ambient light sensor

13 mute button

DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS

16 About Your Computer

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.

NOTICE: To avoid loss of data, never turn off the computer while the

light is flashing.

Turns on steadily or blinks to indicate battery charge status.

Turns on when wireless devices are enabled.

Turns on when Bluetooth®

wireless technology is enabled. To enable or disable Bluetooth wireless technology, move the wireless switch to the "on" position. See "wireless switch" on page 20 for more information.

NOTE: Bluetooth wireless technology is an optional feature on your

computer, so the icon turns on only if you ordered Bluetooth wireless technology with your computer. For more information, see the documentation that came with your Bluetooth wireless technology.

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

– Solid green: The battery is charging. – Flashing green: The battery is almost fully charged. – Off: The battery is adequately charged (or external power is not available to charge the battery).

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 orange: The battery charge is low.

– Solid orange: The battery charge is critically low.

DISPLAY — For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" on page 43.

DISPLAY LATCH — Keeps the display closed.

DISPLAY LATCH BUTTON — Press this button to release the display latch and open the display.

KEYBOARD — The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft

information on supported keyboard shortcuts, see "Using the Keyboard" on page 39.

Windows® logo key. For

About Your Computer 17

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 uppercase letter function is enabled.

Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.

POWER BUTTON — Press the power button to turn on the computer or to enter or exit a power management mode.

NOTICE: To avoid losing data, shut down your computer instead of pressing the power button.

FINGERPRINT READER (OPTIONAL)—Helps to keep your Dell™ computer secure. When you slide your finger over

the reader, it uses your unique fingerprint to authenticate your user identity. For information on how to activate and use the security management software that controls the fingerprint reader, see "Security Management Software" on page 72.

AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR — Detects available environmental light and automatically increases or decreases the

display backlighting to compensate for low-light and high-light environments. Press the <Fn> and left-arrow keys to enable or disable the sensor ("Using the Ambient Light Sensor" on page 43).

18 About Your Computer

Left Side View

1 2 3 65 7 84 9

1 security cable slot 2 air vents 3 audio connectors (2)

4 smart card slot (with blank) 5 1394 connector 6 wireless switch

™

7 Wi-Fi Catcher

Locater light

AIR VENTS — The computer uses an internal fan to create airflow through the vents, which prevents the computer

from overheating.

CAUTION: Do not block, push objects into, or allow dust to accumulate in the air vents. Do not store your Dell

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.

NOTE: The computer turns on the fan when the computer gets hot. Fan noise is normal and does not indicate a

problem with the fan or the computer.

SECURITY CABLE SLOT — Lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device to the computer (see "Security

Cable Lock" on page 67).

AUDIO CONNECTORS

Network

8 PC Card slot 9 hard drive

About Your Computer 19

Attach headphones or speakers to the connector.

1 2 3 4

Attach a microphone to the connector.

SMART CARD SLOT (WITH BLANK)— Supports one smart card. Smart cards provide a variety of functions,

including security features and data storage. The blank prevents foreign matter from entering the interior of the computer when a smart card is not installed in the smart card slot. For more information and instructions on removing the blank, see "Smart Cards" on page 63.

IEEE 1394

CONNECTOR — Connects devices supporting IEEE 1394 high-speed transfer rates, such as some digital

video cameras.

WIRELESS SWITCH — When enabled through Dell QuickSet, this switch can scan for a wireless LAN (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 54).

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 54)

4 Wi-Fi Catcher Network

Locater light

I -FI CATCHER

™

NETWORK LOCATER LIGHT — The light operates as follows:

– Flashing green: Searching for networks – Solid green: Strong network found

– Solid yellow:

Weak network found

– Flashing yellow: Error

– Off: No signal found

20 About Your Computer

NOTE: The Dell Wi-Fi Catcher Network Locator light appears only when the computer is turned off and wireless

2 3

1 2 63 4 75

networking is activated in the system setup program. While working in Microsoft Windows operating systems, the light is designed not to appear.

ARD SLOT — Supports one PC Card, such as a modem or network adapter. The computer ships with a blank

PC C

installed in the slot to prevent foreign matter from entering the computer interior when a card is not installed (see "Card Types" on page 63).

HARD DRIVE — Stores software and data.

Right Side View

1 optical drive in media bay 2 media-bay device latch release 3 USB connectors (2)

MEDIA BAY — Supports a floppy or an optical drive, second battery, second hard drive, or a Dell TravelLite™

module (see "Using Multimedia" on page 57).

DEVICE LATCH RELEASE — Press the latch release to eject any device installed in the media bay.

CONNECTORS

USB

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

Back View

About Your Computer 21

1 network connector (RJ-45) 2 modem connector (RJ-11) 3 USB connectors (2)

4 serial connector 5 video connector 6 AC adapter connector

7 air vents

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.

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.

22 About Your Computer

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 (see "Finding Information" on page 11).

USB

CONNECTORS

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

SERIAL

CONNECTOR

Connects serial devices, such as a mouse or handheld device.

VIDEO

CONNECTOR

Connects video devices, such as a monitor.

AC ADAPTER CONNECTOR

Connects an AC adapter to the computer.

About Your Computer 23

The AC adapter converts AC power to the DC power required by the computer. You can connect the AC adapter

with your computer turned either 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 avoid damaging the cable. When you wrap the AC adapter cable, ensure that you follow the angle of the connector on the AC adapter to avoid damaging the cable.

AIR VENTS — The computer uses an internal fan to create airflow through the vents, which prevents the computer

from overheating.

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.

24 About Your Computer

Bottom View

1 battery charge gauge/health

2 battery 3 battery-bay latch releases (2)

gauge

4 device locking screw (if

5 memory module cover 6 docking-device connector

present)

7 air vents 8 hard drive 9 hard drive screws (2)

BATTERY CHARGE GAUGE/HEALTH GAUGE — Provides information on the battery charge (see "Checking the

Battery Charge" on page 32).

BATTERY — When a battery is installed, you can use the computer without connecting the computer to an

electrical outlet (see "Using a Battery" on page 31).

BATTERY-BAY LATCH RELEASES — Releases the battery (see "Replacing the Battery" on page 36 for instructions).

DEVICE LOCKING SCREW — If present, locks devices, such as an optical drive, in place.

DOCKING-DEVICE CONNECTOR — Lets you attach your computer to a docking device. See the Dell documentation

that came with your docking device for more information.

MEMORY MODULE COVER — Covers the compartment that contains the second memory module connector

(DIMM B) (see "Memory" on page 115).

About Your Computer 25

AIR VENTS — The computer uses an internal fan to create airflow through the fan air vents, which prevents the

computer from overheating.

HARD DRIVE SCREWS — Secure the hard drive in place.

26 About Your Computer

Transferring Information to a New Computer

You can use your operating system wizards to help you transfer files and other data from one computer another. For instructions, see the following section that corresponds to the operating system your computer is running.

Microsoft® Windows® XP

The Microsoft Windows XP operating system provides the Files and Settings Transfer wizard to move data from a source computer to a new computer. You can transfer data such as:

• E-mail messages

• Toolbar settings

• Window sizes

• Internet bookmarks

You can transfer the data to the new computer over a network, serial connection, or on removable media such as a writable CD.

NOTE: You can transfer information from the old computer to the new computer by directly connecting a

serial cable to the input/output (I/O) ports of the two computers. To transfer data over a serial connection, you must access the Network Connections utility from the Control Panel and perform additional configuration steps, such as setting up an advanced connection and designating the host computer and the guest computer.

For instructions on setting up a direct cable connection between two computers, see Microsoft Knowledge Base 87uArticle #305621, titled How to Set Up a Direct Cable Connection Between Two Computers in Windows XP. This information may not be available in some countries.

For transferring information to a new computer, you must run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. You can use the optional Operating System media for this process or you can create a wizard disk with the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard With the Operating System Media

NOTE: This procedure requires the Operating System media. This media is optional and may not be included

with all computers.

To prepare the new computer for the file transfer:

Start the

When the

On the

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

Which computer is this?

screen, click

welcome screen appears, click

New Computer

Transferring Information to a New Computer 27

and click

On the and click

When the click

To copy data from the old computer:

On the old computer, insert the Windows XP

On the

Under

On the

After the information has been copied, the

Click

To transfer data to the new computer:

On the

On the settings and files and click

The wizard reads the collected files and settings and applies them to your new computer.

Do you have a Windows XP CD?

Now go to your old computer

at this time.

Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP

What do you want to do?

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

Which computer is this?

Select a transfer method

What do you want to transfer?

Finish

Now go to your old computer

Where are the files and settings?

, click

screen, click

screen, click the transfer method you prefer.

screen on the new computer, click

screen, click

screen appears, go to your old or source computer. Do

Operating System

screen, click

Transfer files and settings

welcome screen, click

Old Computer

screen, select the items you want to transfer and click

Completing the Collection Phase

screen, select the method you chose for transferring your

I will use the wizard from the Windows XP CD

media.

Perform additional tasks

and click

screen appears.

not

When all of the settings and files have been applied, the

Click

Finished

and restart the new computer.

Finished

screen appears.

Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Without the Operating System Media

To run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard without the Operating System media, you must create a wizard disk that will allow you to create a backup image file to removable media.

To create a wizard disk, use your new computer with Windows XP and perform the following steps:

Click

Start→ Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

When the

On the

drive

Insert the removable media, such as a writable CD, and click OK.

When the disk creation completes and the

do not

28 Transferring Information to a New Computer

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

Which computer is this?

Do you have a Windows XP CD?

→

Next.

click

screen, click

welcome screen appears, click

New Computer→

screen, click

Now go to your old computer

I want to create a Wizard Disk in the following

message appears,

Go to the old computer.

To copy data from the old computer:

On the old computer, insert the wizard disk.

Click the

In the media) and click

On the

After the information has been copied, the

Click

Start→

Run

Open

field on the

Run

window, browse to the path for

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

Which computer is this?

Select a transfer method

screen, click

screen, click the transfer method you prefer.

What do you want to transfer?

Finish

fastwiz

(on the appropriate removable

welcome screen, click

Old Computer→

screen, select the items you want to transfer and click

Completing the Collection Phase

To transfer data to the new computer:

On the

On the settings and files and click

Now go to your old computer

screen on the new computer, click

Where are the files and settings?

. Follow the instructions on the screen.

screen, select the method you chose for transferring your

The wizard reads the collected files and settings and applies them to your new computer.

screen appears.

When all of the settings and files have been applied, the

Click

Finished

NOTE: For more information about this procedure, search support.dell.com for document #PA1089586 (How Do I

Transfer Files From My Old Computer to My New Dell Computer Using the Microsoft System?).

NOTE: Access to the Dell™ Knowledge Base document may not be available in some countries.

and restart the new computer.

Finished

screen appears.

Windows® XP Operating

Microsoft Windows Vista®

Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista

Insert the Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista Application Software media into the computer you are transferring data from.

Follow the on-screen instructions until you are prompted to connect the Transfer Cable.

Connect the Easy Transfer Cable to the source computer.

You are prompted to select a device option.

Continue until you are prompted to plug the other end of the Easy Transfer Cable into the destination computer.

Transferring Information to a New Computer 29

The screen indicates that a connection has been made.

At the computer you are transferring data from, follow the on-screen instructions to select the settings and files you want to transfer.

You will come to a screen that indicates you are ready to transfer files.

From the destination computer, view the transfer and wait for the indication that the transfer is complete.

Select

You are prompted to restart the computer.

Select

Yes

The computer reboots and the transfer is complete.

30 Transferring Information to a New Computer

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