Dell Dimension 2400 Series User manual

Dell™ Dimension™ 2400 Series
CD or DVD drive
activity light
CD or DVD
headphone
connector
CD or DVD eject button
floppy-drive
activity light*
floppy-drive eject button*
hard-drive activity light
power button
CD or DVD
volume
control dial
power light
USB 2.0 connectors (2) headphone connector
service tag
second bay for optional drive
*On computers with an optional floppy drive.
video connector
parallel connector
keyboard connector
USB 2.0 connectors (4)
microphone connector line-in connector
line-out connector
mouse connector
serial connector
PCI card slots (3)
voltage selection switch
power connector
network adapter
connector
diagnostic lights (4)
cover latch

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.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see the Tell Me How help file. To access help files, see page 9.
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.
© 2003–2004 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarksusedinthistext:Dell,theDELLlogo,Inspiron,DellPrecision,Dimension,OptiPlex,Axim,PowerApp,PowerEdge,PowerConnect,
PowerVault, and Latitude are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft
and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
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 MTC2
July 2004 P/N F7556 Rev. A00

Contents 3
Contents
Safety Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Finding Information for Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Connecting a Parallel Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Connecting a USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Setting Up a Home and Office Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Network Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Copying CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
How to Copy a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Hyper-Threading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Booting to a USB Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2 Solving Problems
Battery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CD and DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Hard drive problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

4Contents
IEEE 1394 Device Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
A program crashes repeatedly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
A program is designed for an earlier Windows operating system. . . . . 25
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Mouse Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Network Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Printer Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
No sound from speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
If the screen is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
If the screen is difficult to read. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3 Advanced Troubleshooting
Diagnostic Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Starting the Dell Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Identifying Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Reinstalling Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Contents 5
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4 Removing and Installing Parts
Front and Back View of the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Removing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Looking Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
System Board Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Adding Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Adding a Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Adding a Second CD or DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Adding Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Installing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Removing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Replacing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
5 Appendix
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Standard Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Viewing Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
System Setup Program Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Boot Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Clearing Forgotten Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . 76
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . 77

6Contents
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Class A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
FCC Identification Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Safety Instructions 7
Safety Instructions
See your Product Information Guide for safety instructions.

8Safety Instructions
www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Finding Information for Your Computer 9
Finding Information for Your Computer
What are you looking for? Find It Here
• How to set up my computer Setup Diagram
• Tips on using Windows
• How to clean my computer
• How to use my mouse and keyboard
Tell Me How Help File
1 Click the Start button and click Help and Support .
2 Click User and system guides and click User’s guides .
3 Click Tell Me How .
• Express Service Code and Service Tag
• Microsoft
®
Windows
®
License Label
Express Service Code and Product Key Label
These labels are located on your
computer.

10 Finding Information for Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
• Latest drivers for my computer
• Answers to technical service and support
questions
• Online discussions with other users and
technical support
• Documentation for my computer
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
The Dell Support website provides several online tools, including:
• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles from technicians, and
online courses
• Community Forum — 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, order status, warranty, and repair
information
• Downloads — Drivers, patches, and software updates
• Reference — Computer documentation, product specifications, and white
papers
• How to use Windows XP
• Documentation for my computer
• Documentation for devices (such as a
modem)
Windows Help and Support Center
1 Click the Start button and click Help and Support .
2 Type a word or phrase that describes your problem and click the arrow
icon.
3 Click the topic that describes your problem.
4 Follow the instructions on the screen.
What are you looking for? Find It Here

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 11
Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Setting Up a Printer
NOTICE: Complete the operating system setup before you connect a printer to the computer.
See the documentation that came with the printer for setup information, including how to:
• Obtain and install updated drivers.
• Connect the printer to the computer.
• Load paper and install the toner or ink cartridge.
• Contact the printer manufacturer for technical assistance.
Printer Cable
Your printer connects to your computer with either a USB cable or a parallel cable. Your printer may
not come with a printer cable, so if you purchase a cable separately, ensure that it is compatible
with your printer. If you purchased a printer cable at the same time you purchased your computer,
the cable may arrive in the computer box.
Connecting a Parallel Printer
1 Complete the operating system setup, if you have not already done so.
2 Shut down the computer through the Start menu (see page 18).
NOTICE: For best results, use a 3-m (10-ft) or shorter parallel cable.
Attach the parallel printer cable to the parallel connector on the computer and tighten the two
screws. Attach the cable to the connector on the printer and snap the two clips into the two
notches.

12 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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3 Turn on the printer and then turn on the computer. If the Add New Hardware Wizard
window appears, click
Cancel .
4 Install the printer driver if necessary. See the documentation that came with your printer.
Connecting a USB Printer
NOTE: You can connect USB devices while the computer is turned on.
1
Complete the operating system setup if you have not already done so.
2 Install the printer driver if necessary. See the documentation that came with your printer.
3 Attach the USB printer cable to the USB connectors on the computer and the printer. The
USB connectors fit only one way.
parallel printer
cable
parallel connector on computer
connector on printer
screws (2) clips (2)
notches (2)

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 13
Setting Up a Home and Office Network
Connecting to a Network Adapter
Before you connect your computer to a network, the computer must have a network adapter
installed and a network cable connected to it.
To connect a network cable, perform the following steps.
NOTE: Insert the cable until it clicks into place, and then gently pull it to ensure that it is secure.
1
Connect the network cable to the network adapter connector on the back of your computer.
NOTE: Do not use a network cable with a telephone wall jack.
2
Connect the other end of the network cable to a network connection device, such as a
network wall jack.
USB printer
cable
USB connector on computer
USB connector
on printer

14 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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Network Setup Wizard
The Microsoft
®
Windows
®
XP operating system provides a Network Setup Wizard to guide you
through the process of sharing files, printers, or an Internet connection between computers in a
home or small office.
1 Click the Start button, point to All Programs → Accessories → Communications , and then
click
Network Setup Wizard .
2 On the welcome screen, click Next .
3 Click Checklist for creating a network .
NOTE: Selecting the connection method This computer connects directly to the Internet enables the
integrated firewall provided with Windows XP.
4
Complete the checklist and required preparations.
5 Return to the Network Setup Wizard and follow the instructions on the screen.
Connecting to the Internet
NOTE: ISPs and ISP offerings vary by country.
To connect to the Internet, you need a modem or network connection and an Internet service
provider (ISP), such as AOL or MSN. Your ISP will offer one or more of the following Internet
connection options:
• Dial-up connections that provide Internet access through a phone line. Dial-up connections
are considerably slower than DSL and cable modem connections.
• DSL connections that provide high-speed Internet access through your existing phone line.
With a DSL connection, you can access the Internet and use your phone on the same line
simultaneously.
network
wall jack
network adapter
connector on computer
network cable

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 15
• Cable modem connections that provide high-speed Internet access through your local cable
TV line.
If you are using a dial-up connection, connect a telephone line to the modem connector on your
computer and to the telephone wall jack before you set up your Internet connection. If you are
using a DSL or cable modem connection, contact your ISP for setup instructions.
Setting Up Your Internet Connection
To set up an AOL or MSN connection:
1 Save and close any open files, and exit any open programs.
2 Double-click the MSN Explorer or AOL icon on the Microsoft
®
Windows
®
desktop.
3 Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the setup.
If you do not have an
MSN Explorer or AOL icon on your desktop or if you want to set up an
Internet connection with a different ISP:
1 Save and close any open files, and exit any open programs.
2 Click the Start button and click Internet Explorer .
The
New Connection Wizard appears.
3 Click Connect to the Internet .
4 In the next window, click the appropriate option:
• If you do not have an ISP and want to select one, click
Choose from a list of Internet
service providers (ISPs)
.
• If you have already obtained setup information from your ISP but you did not receive a
setup CD, click
Set up my connection manually .
• If you have a CD, click
Use the CD I got from an ISP .
5 Click Next .
If you selected
Set up my connection manually , continue to step 6. Otherwise, follow the
instructions on the screen to complete the setup.
NOTE: If you do not know which type of connection to select, contact your ISP.
6
Click the appropriate option under How do you want to connect to the Internet? , and then
click
Next .
7 Use the setup information provided by your ISP to complete the setup.
If you are having problems connecting to the Internet, see "E-Mail, Modem, and Internet
Problems" on page 21. If you cannot connect to the Internet but have successfully connected in the
past, the ISP might have a service outage. Contact your ISP to check the service status, or try
connecting again later.

16 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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Copying CDs and DVDs
NOTE: Ensure that you follow all copyright laws when you create CDs or DVDs.
This section applies only to computers that have a CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD+R, or
DVD/CD-RW combo drive.
The following instructions show how to make an exact copy of a CD or DVD. You can also use
Sonic RecordNow for other purposes, including creating CDs from audio files on your computer
and creating MP3 CDs. For instructions, see the Sonic RecordNow documentation that came with
your computer. Open Sonic RecordNow, click the question mark icon in the upper-right corner of
the window, and then click
RecordNow Help or RecordNow Tutorial .
How to Copy a CD or DVD
NOTE: If you have a DVD/CD-RW combo drive and you experience recording problems, check for
available software patches at the Sonic support website at support.sonic.com.
NOTE: Most commercial DVDs have copyright protection and cannot be copied using Sonic
RecordNow.
1
Click the Start button, point to All Programs → Sonic → RecordNow! → RecordNow!.
2 Click either the audio tab or the data tab, depending on the kind of CD you are planning to
copy.
3 Click Exact Copy .
4 To copy the CD or DVD:
•
If you have one CD or DVD drive , ensure that the settings are correct and click Copy . The
computer reads your source CD or DVD and copies it to a temporary folder on your
computer hard drive.
When prompted, insert a blank CD or DVD into the CD or DVD drive and click
OK .
•
If you have two CD or DVD drives , select the drive into which you have inserted your
source CD or DVD and click
Copy . The computer copies the data on the CD or DVD to
the blank CD or DVD.
Once you have finished copying the source CD or DVD, the CD or DVD that you have
created automatically ejects.
Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs
Your CD-RW drive can write to two different types of recording media—CD-Rs and CD-RWs. Use
blank CD-Rs to record music or permanently store data files. After creating a CD-R, you cannot
write to that CD-R again without changing your method of recording (see the Sonic
documentation for more information). Use blank CD-RWs to write to CDs or to erase, rewrite, or
update data on CDs.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 17
Helpful Tips
• Use Microsoft
®
Windows
®
Explorer to drag and drop files to a CD-R or CD-RW only after
you start Sonic RecordNow and open a RecordNow project.
• You must use CD-Rs to burn music CDs that you want to play in regular stereos.
CD-RWs do not play in most home or car stereos.
• You cannot create audio DVDs with Sonic RecordNow.
• Music MP3 files can be played only on MP3 players or on computers that have MP3 software
installed.
• Do not burn a blank CD-R or CD-RW to its maximum capacity; for example, do not copy a
650-MB file to a 650-MB blank CD. The CD-RW drive needs 1 or 2 MB of the blank CD to
finalize the recording.
• Use a blank CD-RW to practice CD recording until you are familiar with CD recording
techniques. If you make a mistake, you can erase the data on the CD-RW and try again. You
can also use blank CD-RWs to test music file projects before you record the project
permanently to a blank CD-R.
• See the Sonic support website at
support.sonic.com for additional information.
Hyper-Threading
NOTE: Hyper-Threading is supported only on computers that have 3.06-GHz (or higher) microprocessors
installed.
Hyper-Threading is an Intel
®
technology that can enhance overall computer performance by
allowing one physical microprocessor to function as two logical microprocessors, capable of
performing certain tasks simultaneously. It is recommended that you use the Microsoft
®
Windows
®
XP operating system because Windows XP is optimized to take advantage of Hyper-
Threading technology. While many programs can benefit from Hyper-Threading, some programs
have not been optimized for Hyper-Threading and may require an update from the software
manufacturer. Contact the software manufacturer for updates and information about using Hyper-
Threading with your software.
To determine if your computer is using Hyper-Threading technology:
1 Click the Start button, right-click My Computer , and then click Properties .
2 Click Hardware and click Device Manager .
3 In the Device Manager window, click the plus (+) sign next to the processor type. If Hyper-
Threading is enabled, the processor is listed twice.
You can enable or disable Hyper-Threading through the system setup program. For more
information on accessing the system setup program, see page 74. For more information on Hyper-
Threading, search the Knowledge Base on the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com .

18 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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Booting to a USB Device
NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To ensure that your device is bootable,
check the device documentation.
To restart your computer to a USB device such as a floppy drive, memory key, or CD-RW drive:
1 Connect the USB device to a USB connector (see page 46).
2 Shut down the computer through the Start menu (see page 18).
3 Turn on the computer. When the DELL™ logo appears, press <F12> immediately.
If you wait too long and the Microsoft
®
Windows
®
logo appears, continue to wait until you
see the Windows desktop. Then shut down your computer through the
Start menu and try
again.
NOTE: These steps change the boot sequence for one time only. On the next start-up, the computer
boots according to the devices specified in the system setup program.
4
When the boot device list appears, highlight USB Flash Device and press <Enter>.
The computer reboots to the connected USB device.
Turning Off Your Computer
NOTICE: To avoid losing data, turn off your computer by performing a Microsoft®Windows® operating
system shutdown, as described in this section, rather than by pressing the power button.
1
Save and close any open files, exit any open programs, click the Start button, and then click
Turn Off Computer .
2 In the Turn off computer window, click Tur n off .
The computer turns off after the shutdown process finishes.

Solving Problems 19
Solving Problems
Battery Problems
CAUTION: There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is incorrectly installed. Replace the
battery only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Discard used
batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions.
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the
Product Information Guide.
Drive Problems
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the
Product Information Guide
REPLACE THE BATTERY — If you have to repeatedly reset time and date information after turning on the
computer, or if an incorrect time or date displays during start-up, replace the battery (see page 66). If
the battery still does not work properly, contact Dell (see page 78).
ENSURE THAT MICROSOFT®WINDOWS®RECOGNIZES THE DRIVE — Click the Start button and click My
Computer. If the floppy, CD, or DVD drive, is not listed, perform a full scan with your antivirus
software to check for and remove viruses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing
the drive.
TEST THE DRIVE —
• Insert another floppy disk, CD, or DVD to eliminate the possibility that the original one is defective.
• Insert a bootable floppy disk and restart the computer.
CLEAN THE DRIVE OR DISK — See the Tell Me How help file. To access help files, see page 9.
CHECK THE CABLE CONNECTIONS

20 Solving Problems
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CD and DVD drive problems
NOTE: High-speed CD or DVD drive vibration is normal and may cause noise, which does not indicate a
defect in the drive or the CD or DVD.
NOTE: Because of different regions worldwide and different disc formats, not all DVD titles work in all
DVD drives.
Problems writing to a CD/DVD-RW drive
CHECK FOR INTERRUPT REQUEST CONFLICTS. — See page 44.
RUN THE DELL DIAGNOSTICS — See page 38.
ADJUST THE WINDOWS VOLUME CONTROL —
• Click the speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen.
• Ensure that the volume is turned up by clicking the slidebar and dragging it up.
• Ensure that the sound is not muted by clicking any boxes that are checked.
CHECK THE SPEAKERS AND SUBWOOFER — See "Sound and Speaker Problems" on page 31.
CLOSE OTHER PROGRAMS — The CD/DVD-RW drive must receive a steady stream of data when writing. If
the stream is interrupted, an error occurs. Try closing all programs before you write to the
CD/DVD-RW.
TURN OFF STANDBY MODE IN WINDOWS BEFORE WRITING TO ACD/DVD-RW DISC — See the Tell Me How help
file or search for the keyword standby in Windows Help for information on power management modes.
To access help files, see page 9.