Dell OptiPlex 780 User Manual

Dell™ OptiPlex™ 780 Service Manual

Desktop Computer

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.

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, OptiPlex are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Core, and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel

Corporation in the U.S. and other countries; Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, MS- DOS and Windows Vista are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

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.

October 2012 Rev. A02

Working on Your Computer

Dell™ OptiPlex™ 780 Service Manual—Desktop

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

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

cable from the network device.

3. Disconnect all network cables from the computer.

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

6. Press and hold the power button while the system is unplugged to ground the system board.

7. Remove the cover

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.

Recommended Tools

The procedures in this document may require the following tools:

Small flat-blade screwdriver Phillips screwdriver Small plastic scribe Flash BIOS update program CD (see the Dell Support website at support.dell.com)

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 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 6 seconds to turn them off.

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

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.

1. Replace the cover

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

computer.

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

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

4. Turn on your computer.

5. Verify that the computer works correctly by running the Dell Diagnostics. See Dell Diagnostics

Back to Contents Page

Removing and Replacing Parts

Dell™ OptiPlex™ 780 Service Manual—Desktop

Cover Primary Hard Drive Floppy Drive (Optional) Expansion Card Memory Power Supply Fan System Board

Back to Contents Page

Optical Drive Secondary Hard Drive (Optional) Riser Cage Standard Back Plate Heat Sink and Processor Coin-Cell Battery IO Panel

Back to Contents Page

Technical Specifications

Processor Memory Expansion Bus Video System Information Cards Drives External Connectors

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.

NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, the specifications are identical for mini-tower, desktop, and small form factor

computers.

Processor

Type Intel® Core™2 Duo; FSB up to 1333 MHz

Controls and Lights Network Audio Power System Board Connectors Physical Environmental

Intel Core 2 Quad; FSB up to 1333 MHz Intel Pentium® Dual Core; FSB up to

1066 MHz Intel Celeron®; FSB up to 800 MHz

Level 2 (L2) cache at least 512 KB pipelined-burst, eight-

way set associative, writeback SRAM

Memory

Type DDR3 SDRAM (non-ECC memory only) Speed 1067 MHz Connectors four Capacity 1 GB, 2 GB or 4 GB non-ECC Minimum memory 1 GB Maximum memory 16 GB

Video

Integrated Intel graphics media accelerator X4500

up to 256 MB shared video memory (total system memory greater than 512 MB)

Discrete PCI Express x16 slot supports either a PCI

Express card or a DVI add-on card (for dual-monitor support)

Audio

Integrated Intel high definition audio

Network

Integrated Intel integrated network interface card

with riser — one full height card

System Information

Chipset Intel® Q45 Express chipset w/ICH10DO DMA channels eight Interrupt levels 24 BIOS chip (NVRAM) 64 Mb

Expansion Bus

Bus type PCI 2.3

Bus speed PCI: 133 MB/s

capable of 10/100/1000 Mb/s communication

PCI Express 2.0 SATA 1.0A and 2.0 eSATA USB 2.0

PCI Express:

Cards

PCI

Mini-tower Desktop

Small form factor

PCI Express x1

Mini-tower

x1-slot bidirectional speed — 250 MB/s

x16-slot bidirectional speed — 8

GB/s SATA: 1.5 Gbps and 3.0 Gbps eSATA: 3.0 Gbps USB: 480 Mbps

up to two full height cards without riser card — up to two low profile

cards with riser card — up to two full height

cards one low profile card

one full height card

Desktop Small form factor

PCI Express x16

Mini-tower Desktop

none none

one full height card without riser — one low profile card

Small form factor one low profile card

NOTE: The PCI Express x16 slot is disabled when a display is connected to the

integrated video connector.

Drives

Externally accessible

5.25 inch drive bay(s) Mini-tower Desktop Small form factor

3.5 inch drive bay Mini-tower Desktop Small form factor

Internally accessible

3.5 inch drive bay(s) Mini-tower Desktop Small form factor

NOTE: Your computer can support up to two 2.5 inch hard drives with brackets.

for SATA DVD-ROM, DVD+/-RW, or CD +/-RW drives

two bays one bay one slimline bay

for 19-in-1 Media Card Readers one bay one bay one slimline bay

for hard drives two bays one bay one bay

External Connectors

Audio

Back panel two connectors for line-in/ microphone

and line-out

Front panel two front-panel connectors for

headphones and microphone eSATA one 7-pin connector Network one RJ45 connector Parallel one 25-pin connector (bidirectional) Serial one 9-pin connector; 16550C-compatible USB

Front panel two connectors Back panel six connectors

Video one 15-hole VGA connector

one 20-pin DisplayPort connector

System Board Connectors

PCI 2.3

data width (maximum) — 32 bits

Mini-tower

two 120-pin connectors

Desktop

Small form factor

two 120-pin connectors

one 120-pin connector

PCI Express x1

Mini-tower Desktop Small form factor

PCI Express x16 one 164-pin connector

Serial ATA

Mini-tower Desktop

Small form factor Memory four 240-pin connectors Internal USB device one 10-pin connector (supports two USB

Processor fan one 5-pin connector Hard-drive fan one 5-pin connector

data width (maximum) — one PCI Express lane

one 36-pin connector not applicable not applicable

data width (maximum) — 16 PCI Express lanes

four 7-pin connectors three 7-pin connectors three 7-pin connectors

ports)

Front panel control one 40-pin connector Processor one 775-pin connector Power 12V one 4-pin connector Power one 24-pin connector

Controls and Lights

Front of the computer

Power button push button

Power light blinking green — indicates that the

computer is in sleep state solid green — indicates that the computer

is in power-on state blinking amber — indicates a problem

with the system board solid amber — indicates that the system

board is unable to initialize

Drive activity light blinking green — indicates that the

computer is reading data from or writing data to the hard drive

Network connectivity light green — indicates that a good connection

exists between the network and the computer

off (no light) — indicates that the computer is not detecting a physical connection to the network

Diagnostic lights four lights. For more information, see

Diagnostics.

Back of the computer

Link integrity light on integrated

network adapter

green — a good 10 Mbps connection exists between the network and the computer.

orange — a good 100 Mbps connection exists between the network and the computer.

yellow — a good 1000 Mbps connection exists between the network and the computer.

off (no light) — the computer is not detecting a physical connection to the network.

Network activity light on integrated

network adapter

Power

DC power supply

Wattage

Mini-tower Desktop Small form factor

Maximum heat dissipation

Mini-tower Desktop Small form factor

Voltage 90–265 VAC, 50/60 Hz Coin-cell battery 3 V CR2032 lithium coin cell

NOTE: Heat dissipation is calculated by using the power supply wattage rating. NOTE: See the safety information that shipped with your computer for important

voltage setting information.

yellow light — A blinking yellow light indicates that network activity is present.

305 W (non-EPA) or 255 W (EPA) 255 W (EPA) 235 W (EPA)

1041 BTU/hr 955 BTU/hr 938 BTU/hr

Physical

Height

Mini-tower

Desktop

Small form factor Width

Mini-tower

Desktop

Small form factor Depth

40.80 cm (16.10 inches)

11.40 cm (4.50 inches)

9.26 cm (3.65 inches)

18.70 cm (7.40 inches)

39.90 cm (15.70 inches)

31.40 cm (12.40 inches)

Mini-tower

Desktop

43.30 cm (17.00 inches)

Small form factor

35.30 cm (13.90 inches)

34.00 cm (13.40 inches)

Weight

Mini-tower

Desktop

Small form factor

11.70 kgs (25.80 lbs)

8.26 kgs (18.20 lbs)

6.80 kgs (15.00 lbs)

Environmental

Temperature

Operating 10° to 35°C (50° to 95°F)

Storage –40° to 65°C (–40° to 149°F) Relative humidity (noncondensing) operating: 20% to 80% (maximum wet

bulb temperature: 29°C) storage: 5% to 95% (maximum wet bulb

temperature: 38°C

Maximum vibration

Operating

Storage

5 to 350 Hz at 0.0002 G 5 to 500 Hz at 0.001 to 0.01 G

/Hz

Maximum shock

Operating 40 G +/- 5% with pulse duration of 2

msec +/- 10% (equivalent to 20 in/sec [51 cm/sec])

Storage 105 G +/- 5% with pulse duration of 2

msec +/- 10% (equivalent to 50 in/sec [127 cm/sec])

Altitude

Operating –15.2 to 3048 m (–50 to 10,000 ft)

Storage –15.2 to 10,668 m (–50 to 35,000 ft) Airborne contaminant level G2 or lower as defined by ISA-S71.04-

1985

Back to Contents Page

Diagnostics

Dell™ OptiPlex™ 780 Service Manual

Dell Diagnostics Power Button Light Codes Beep Codes Diagnostic Lights

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. 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 Disc

1. Insert the Drivers and Utilities disc.

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. Configuration Displays your hardware configuration for the selected device.

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.

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 disc, remove the

disc.

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.

Power Button Light Codes

The diagnostic lights give much more information about the system state, but legacy power light states are also supported in your computer. The power light states are shown in following table.

Power

Light

State

Off

Description

Power is off, light is blank.

Blinking

Amber

Solid

Amber

Blinking

Green

Solid

Green

Initial state of light at power up. Indicates system has power, but the POWER_GOOD signal is not yet active. If the Hard Drive light is off, it is probable that the power supply needs to be replaced. If the Hard Drive light on, it is probable that an onboard regulator or VRM has failed. Look at the diagnostic lights for further information.

Second state of the light at power up. Indicates the POWER_GOOD signal is active and it is probable that the power supply is fine. Look at the diagnostic lights for further information.

System is in a low power state, either S1 or S3. Look at the diagnostic lights to determine which state the system is in.

System is in S0 state, the normal power state of a functioning machine. The BIOS will turn the light to this state to indicate it has started fetching op-codes.

Beep Codes

If the monitor cannot display error messages during the POST, the computer may emit a series of beeps that identifies the problem or that can help you identify a faulty component or assembly. The following table lists the beep codes that may be generated during the POST. Most beep codes indicate a fatal error that prevents the computer from completing the boot routine until the indicated condition is corrected.

Code Cause

1-1-2 Microprocessor register failure 1-1-3 NVRAM read/write failure 1-1-4 ROM BIOS checksum failure 1-2-1 Programmable interval timer failure 1-2-2 DMA initialization failure 1-2-3 DMA page register read/write failure 1-3 Video Memory Test failure 1-3-1 through 2-4-4 Memory not being properly identified or used 3-1-1 Slave DMA register failure 3-1-2 Master DMA register failure 3-1-3 Master interrupt mask register failure 3-1-4 Slave interrupt mask register failure 3-2-2 Interrupt vector loading failure 3-2-4 Keyboard Controller Test failure 3-3-1 NVRAM power loss 3-3-2 Invalid NVRAM configuration 3-3-4 Video Memory Test failure 3-4-1 Screen initialization failure 3-4-2 Screen retrace failure

3-4-3 Search for video ROM failure

4-2-1 No timer tick 4-2-2 Shutdown failure 4-2-3 Gate A20 failure 4-2-4 Unexpected interrupt in protected mode 4-3-1 Memory failure above address 0FFFFh 4-3-3 Timer-chip counter 2 failure 4-3-4 Time-of-day clock stopped 4-4-1 Serial or parallel port test failure 4-4-2 Failure to decompress code to shadowed memory 4-4-3 Math-coprocessor test failure 4-4-4 Cache test failure

Diagnostic Lights

To help troubleshoot a problem, your computer has four lights labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the bank panel. When the computer starts normally, the lights flash before turning off. If the computer malfunctions, the sequence of the lights help to identify the problem.

NOTE: After the computer completes POST, all four lights turn off before booting to the operating system.

Light Pattern Problem Description Suggested Resolution

The computer is in a normal off condition or a possible pre-BIOS failure has occurred.

The diagnostic lights are not lit after the computer successfully boots to the operating system.

A possible processor failure has occurred.

Memory modules are detected, but a memory failure has occurred.

Plug the computer into a working electrical outlet. If the problem persists, contact Dell.

Reseat the processor (see Processor information for your computer). If the problem persists, contact Dell.

If two or more memory modules are installed, remove the modules, then reinstall one module and restart the computer. If the computer starts normally, continue to install additional memory modules (one at a time) until you have identified a faulty module or reinstalled all modules without error. If available, install working memory of the same type into your computer. If the problem persists, contact Dell.

A possible graphics card failure has occurred.

A possible floppy drive or hard drive failure has occurred.

A possible USB failure has occurred.

Reseat any installed graphics cards. If available, install a working graphics card into your computer. If the problem persists, contact Dell .

Reseat all power and data cables.

Reinstall all USB devices and check all cable connections.

No memory modules

are detected.

If two or more memory modules are installed, remove the modules, then

reinstall one module and restart the computer. If the computer starts normally, continue to install additional memory modules (one at a time) until you have identified a faulty module or reinstalled all modules without error. If available, install working memory of the same type into your computer. If the problem persists, contact Dell.

Memory modules are detected, but a memory configuration or compatibility error has occurred.

A possible expansion card failure has occurred.

Another failure has occurred.

Back to Contents Page

Ensure that no special requirements for memory module/connector placement exist. Ensure that the memory you are using is supported by your computer (see the "Specifications" section for your computer). If the problem persists, contact Dell.

Determine if a conflict exists by removing an expansion card (not a graphics card) and restarting the computer. If the problem persists, reinstall the card you removed, then remove a different card and restart the computer. Repeat this process for each expansion card installed. If the computer starts normally, troubleshoot the last card removed from the computer for resource conflicts. If the problem persists, contact Dell.

Ensure that all hard drive and optical drive cables are properly connected to the system board . If there is an error message on the screen identifying a problem with a device (such as the floppy drive or hard drive), check the device to make sure it is functioning properly. If the operating system is attempting to boot from a device (such as the floppy drive or optical drive), check system setup to ensure the boot sequence is correct for the devices installed on your computer. If the problem persists, contact Dell.

Back to Contents Page

System Setup

Dell™ OptiPlex™ 780 Service Manual—Mini-Tower, Desktop, and Small Form Factor

Boot Menu Navigation Keystrokes Entering System Setup System Setup Simulation System Setup Menu Options

Boot Menu

Press <F12> when the Dell™ logo appears to initiate a one-time boot menu with a list of the valid boot devices for the system. The options listed are:

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

This menu is useful when you are attempting to boot to a particular device or to bring up the diagnostics for the system. Using the boot menu does not make any changes to the boot order stored in the BIOS.

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, or +/– Expand or collapse all fields < > 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

Your computer offers the following BIOS and System Setup options:

Bring up a one-time boot menu by pressing <F12> Access System Setup by pressing <F2>

<F12> Menu

Press <F12> when the Dell™ logo appears to initiate a one-time boot menu with a list of the valid boot devices for the computer. Diagnostics and Enter Setup options are also included in this menu. The devices listed on the boot menu depend on the bootable devices installed in the computer. This menu is useful when you are attempting to boot to a particular device or to bring up the diagnostics for the computer. Making changes in the boot menu does not make any changes to the boot order stored in the BIOS.

<F2>

Press <F2> to enter System Setup and make changes to user-definable settings. If you have trouble entering System Setup using this key, press <F2> when the keyboard lights first flash.

System Setup Menu Options

NOTE: System Setup options may vary depending on your computer and may not appear in the exact same order.

General

System Board

Displays the following information:

System information: Displays BIOS Info,, System Info, Service Tag, Express Service Code, Asset Tag, Manufacture Date, and the

Ownership Date..

Memory information: Displays Installed Memory, Usable Memory, Memory Speed, Memory Channel Mode, Memory Technology,

DIMM_1 Size, DIMM_2 Size, DIMM_3 Size, and DIMM_4 Size. .

COM3

Processor information: Displays the Processor Type, Processor Speed, Processor Bus Speed, Processor L2 cache, Processor ID, Microcode Version, Multi Core Capable and HT Capable 64-bit Technology..

PCI information: Displays available slots on the system board.

Date/Time Displays Boot

Sequence

Drives

Diskette drive This field determines how the BIOS configures floppy drives, Operating Systems with USB support will recognize USB Floppy drives regardless of

SATA Operation

S.M.A.R.T. Reporting

Drives Enables or disables the SATA or ATA drives connected to the system board.

the system date and time. Changes to the system date and time take effect immediately.

Specifies the order in which the computer attempts to find an operating system from the devices specified in this list.

Onboard or USB Floppy HDD(will show the model currently in system) Onboard or USB CD-Rom Drive USB Device

this setting:

Disable - All Floppy drive are disable Enable - All floppy drive are enable.

The "USB Controller" Setup option will affect floppy operation. configures

Legacy mode provides for compatibility with some older operating systems that do not support native resources assigned to the drive controller. RAID Mode is incompatible with ImageServer. Please disable RAID mode if enabling Image Server.

This field controls whether hard drive errors for integrated drives are reported during system startup. This technology is part of the SMART(Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) specification.

This option is disabled by default.

the operating mode of the integrated hard drive controller.

RAID Autodetect / AHCI = RAID if signed drives, otherwise AHCI RAID Autodetect / ATA= RAID if signed drives, otherwise ATA RAID On / ATA= SATA is configured for RAID on every boot Legacy = The hard drive controller is configured for legacy mode

System Configuration

Integrated NIC

USB for Flex bay

USB Controller Enables or disables the integrated USB controller. You can set the USB controller to:

Parallel Port Identifies and defines the parallel port settings. You can set the parallel port to:

Enables

or disables the integrated network card. You can set the integrated NIC to:

Disable Enable (default)

Enable with PXE Enable with ImageSever

ImageServe is incompatible with RAID mode. Please disable RAID if enabling ImageServer. PXE is needed only if intending to boost to an operating system located on a server, not if you are booting on an OS located on a hard drive in

this system. This field enable and disable the internal USB for Flex Bay, you can set:

Disable - Internal USB for Flex Bay is disable Enable - Internal USB for Flex Bay is enable No Boot - Internal USB for Flex Bay is enable, but not bootable. (default)

Enable (default) Disable No boot

Operating systems with USB support will recognize USB Storage

Disable AT PS/2 (default) EPP ECP No DMA ECP DMA 1 ECP DMA 3

Parallel Port Address

Serial Port #1

Sets the base I/O address of the integrated parallel port.

Identifies

and defines the serial port settings. You can set the serial port to:

Disable Auto (default) COM1

Serial Port #2

Miscellaneous Devices

Video

Primary Video

Performance

Multi Core Support

Intel® SpeedStep™

C States Control

Limit CPUID Value

HDD Acoustic Mode

The Operating System may allocate resources even though the setting is disabled. Identifies and defines the serial port settings. You can set the serial port to:

Disable Auto (default) COM2 COM4

The Operating System may allocate resources even though the setting is disabled. Enables or disables the following onboard devices:

Front USB Rear Dual USB Rear Quad USB PCI slots Audio

This field determines which video controller will become the primary video controller when 2 controllers are available in the system. This selection matters only if there are 2 video controller present.

Auto(default) - Use the add-in video controller. Onboard/Card - Use the integrated video controller unless a Graphic care is installed. A PCI Express Graphic(PEG) card will override and disable

the integrated video controller.

This field specifies whether the processor will have one or all cores enable. The performance of some application will improve with the additional cores.

This Option enables or disables the Intel® SpeedStep™ mode of the processor. When disabled, the system is placed into the highest performance state and the Intel® SpeedStep™ applet or native operating system driver are prevented from adjusting the processor's performance. When enable. the Intel® SpeedStep™, enabled CPU is allowed to operate in multiple performance states.

This option is disabled by default. This option enables or disables additional processor sleep states. The operating system may optionally use these for additional power saving when

idle. This option is disabled by default.

This field limits the maximum value the processor Standard CPUID Function will support. Some operating systems will not complete installation when the maximum CPUID Function supported is greater than 3.

This option is disabled by default. This option allows you to optimize your hard drives performance and acoustic noise level based on your personal preferences.

Bypass(default)- Do nothing (needed for older drives) Quiet- The drive is slower, but quieter. Suggested - Allow drive manufacturer to select the mode. Performance- The drive is faster, but possibly noisier.

Virtualization Support

This Option specifies whether a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) can utilize the additional hardware capabilities provided by Intel® Virtualization

Virtualization

VT for Direct I/O

Trusted Execution

Security

Administrative Password

System Password Displays the current status of the system's password security feature and allows a new system password to be assigned and verified.

Password Changes Enables or disables the user from changing the system password without the administrative password.

TPM Security Enables or disables the trusted platform module (TPM) security.

Technology. Enable Intel® Virtualization Technology - This option is disabled by default.

Enables or disables the Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) from utilizing the additional hardware capabilities provided by Intel® Virtualization technology for direct I/O.

Enable Intel® Virtualization Technology for Direct I/O - This option is disabled by default. Field specifies whether a Measured Virtual Machine(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 enable to use this feature. Enable Intel® Trusted Execution Technology - This option is disabled by default.

Provides restricted access to the computer's system setup program in the same way that access to the system can be restricted with the

System Password option.

This option is not set by default.

This option is enabled by default.

You can set the TPM security to:

Deactivate (default) Activate

CPU XD Support Enables or disables the execute disable mode of the processor.

Computrace(R) Enables or disables the optional Computrace® service designed for asset management.

SATA

-0 Password Displays the current status of the password set for the hard drive connected to the SATA-0 connector on the system board.

Power Management

AC Recovery Determines how the system responds when AC power is re-applied after a power loss. You can set the AC Recovery to:

Auto On Time Sets time to automatically turn on the computer.

Time is kept in the standard 12-hour format (hours:minutes:seconds). Change the startup time by typing the values in the time and AM/PM fields. NOTE: This feature does not work if you turn off your computer using the switch on a power strip or surge protector or if Auto Power On is set

to disabled.

Low Power Mode

Remote WakeupAllows the system to power up when a network interface controller receives a wake up signal. You can set Remote Wake up to:

Enables This option is disabled by default. When low power mode is enabled, the integrated network card is disabled when the system is shutdown or in Hibernate mode. Only Add-in NIC

cards will be able to remotely wake the system.

Clear

NOTE: When TPM Security is set to Clear the system setup program clears the user information stored in the TPM.

This option is enabled by default.

You can set this option to:

Deactivate (default) Disable Activate

You can also set a new password. This option is not set by default. NOTE: The system setup program displays a password for each of the hard drives connected to your system board.

Power Off (default) Power On Last State

or disables low power mode.

Disable (default) Enable Enable with Boot NIC

Suspend Mode Sets the power management suspend mode to:

S1 S3 (default)

NOTE: If the AMT Management Engine (ME) of the system is disabled, the S1 suspend mode is unavailable in the system setup.

Fan Control Override

Maintenance

Service Tag Displays the Service Tag of your computer. Asset Tag Allows you to create a system asset tag if an asset tag is not already set.

SERR Messages Controls the SERR Message mechanism.

Image Server

Lookup Method Specifies how the ImageServer looks for the server address.

ImageServer IP Specifies the primary static IP address of the ImageServer with which the client software communicates.

Controls the speed of the system fan. NOTE: When enabled, the fan runs at full speed.

This option is not set by default.

This option is enabled by default. Some graphics cards require the SERR Message mechanism be disabled.

Static IP DNS

NOTE: You must set the Integrated NIC to Enable with ImageServer to set the Lookup Method.

The default IP address is 255.255.255.255

NOTE: You must set the Integrated NIC to Enable with ImageServer to set the ImageServer IP.

ImageServer Port Specifies the primary IP port of the image server with which the client software communicates.

The default IP port is 06910.

Client DHCP Specifies how the client obtains the IP address.

Static IP DHCP (default)

Client IP Specifies the static IP address of the client.

The default IP address is 255.255.255.255 NOTE: To set the Client IP you must set the Client DHCP to the Static IP

Client SubnetMask Specifies the subnet mask for the client.

The default setting is 255.255.255.255 NOTE: To set Client Subnet Mask you must set Client DHCP to Static IP

Client Gateway Specifies the gateway IP address for the client.

The default setting is 255.255.255.255 NOTE: To set Client Subnet Mask you must set Client DHCP to Static IP

License Status Displays the current license status.

Post Behavior

Fast Boot When enabled (default), your computer starts more quickly because it skips certain configurations and tests. NumLock

LED

Enables or disables the NumLock feature when your computer starts. When enabled (default), this option activates the numeric and mathematical features shown at the top of each key. When disabled, this option activates

the cursor-control functions labeled on the bottom of each key

POST Hotkeys

Allows you to specify the function keys to display on the screen when the computer starts.

Enable F2 = Setup (enabled by default) Enable F12 = Boot menu (enabled by default)

Keyboard Errors

MEBx Hotkey

Enables or disables keyboard error reporting when the computer starts. This option is enabled by default.

sign-on displays a message stating the keystroke sequence required to enter the Manageability Engine BIOS Extensions(MEBx) Setup program. This option is enabled by default.

Set the system maximum memory for OS to load while installation. If enabled the maximum available memory is 256MB RAM.

OS Install

This option is disable by default. Reason being some operating system will not complete install with more then 2GB of system memory.

System Logs

BIOS Events Displays the system event log and allows you to:

Clear Log Mark all Entries

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Cover

Dell™ OptiPlex™ 780 Service Manual—Desktop

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 Cover

NOTE: You may need to install Adobe Flash Player from Adobe.com to view the following illustrations.

1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer

2. Pull back the cover release latch.

3. Tilt the cover outward from the top, and then remove the cover from the computer.

Replacing the Cover

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

Back to Contents Page

Primary Hard Drive

Dell™ OptiPlex™ 780 Service Manual—Desktop

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 Primary Hard Drive

1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer.

2. Remove the optical drive

3. If present, remove the secondary hard drive

4. Disconnect the hard-drive data cable.

from the computer.

5. Disconnect the hard-drive power cable.

+ 56 hidden pages

Dell OptiPlex 780 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Technical Specifications