Dell DIMENSION 3000 SYSTEMS DMC User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Dimension™ 3000 Systems
Owner’s Manual
Model DMC
CD or DVD drive
activity light
CD or DVD
headphone
connector CD or DVD eject button
floppy drive 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
keyboard connector
mouse connector
USB 2.0 connectors (4)
microphone connector*
line-in connector*
line-out connector*
parallel connector
serial connector
PCI card slots (3)
voltage selection switch
power connector
network adapter connector
diagnostic lights (4)
cover latch**
*On computers with integrated sound.
**May not be present on all computers.
integrated video connector

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 Dell Dimension Help file. To access the help file, see
"Finding Information" on page 7.
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.
© 2004 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Inspiron, Dell Precision, Dimension, OptiPlex, Latitude, PowerEdge, PowerVault, PowerApp,
and Dell OpenManage 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 DMC
June 2004 P/N J6758 Rev. A00

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecting a USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecting a Parallel Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Setting Up a Home and Office Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Network Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Copying CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
How to Copy a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Hyper-Threading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2 Solving Problems
Troubleshooting Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Battery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
CD and DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Hard drive problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
IEEE 1394 Device Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

4Contents
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The computer does not start up
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
A program crashes repeatedly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
A program is designed for an earlier Windows operating system. . . . . 23
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Mouse Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Network Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Printer Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
No sound from speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
If the screen is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
If the screen is difficult to read. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3 Advanced Troubleshooting
Diagnostic Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Dell Diagnostics Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Identifying Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Reinstalling Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Contents 5
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4 Removing and Installing Parts
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Front and Back View of the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Removing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Inside View of Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
System Board Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
DDR Memory Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Memory Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Installing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
PCI Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Removing the Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Removing the Front-Panel Insert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Reattaching the Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
General Installation Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Connecting Drive Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Hard Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Removing a Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Installing a Hard Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Adding a Second Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

6Contents
Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Removing a Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Installing a Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
CD/DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Removing a CD/DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Installing a CD/DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Adding a Second CD or DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Replacing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5 Appendix
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Entering System Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Boot Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Clearing Forgotten Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . 90
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . 90
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Class A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
FCC Identification Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Finding Information 7
Finding Information
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
• Warranty information
• Safety instructions
• Regulatory information
• Ergonomics information
• End User License Agreement
• Terms and Conditions
Dell™ Product Information Guide
• How to set up my computer Setup Diagram
• Tips on using Microsoft
®
Windows
®
XP
• How to play CDs and DVDs
• How to use standby mode and hibernate mode
• How to change my display resolution
• How to clean my computer
Dell Dimension 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 Dell Dimension Help .

8Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
• Service Tag and Express Service Code
• Microsoft Windows License Label
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 or
contact technical
support.
• Enter the Express Service Code to direct your call when
contacting technical support. The Express Service Code
is not available in all countries.
• 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
NOTE: Select your region to view the appropriate support
site.
The Dell Support website provides several online tools,
including:
• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles
from technicians, and online courses
• 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, 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 9
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 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.

10 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Connecting a Parallel Printer
1 Complete the operating system setup, if you have not already done so.
2 Turn off the computer (see page 43).
NOTICE: For best results, use a 3-m (10-ft) or shorter parallel cable.
3
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.
USB printer
cable
USB connector on computer
USBconnector
on printer