Dell Dimension H7228 User manual

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Dell™ Dimension™ 4600C
front door
power button
hard-drive light CD or DVD drive light
USB 2.0 connectors (2)
headphone connector
breakaway hinge
IEEE 1394 connector*
breakaway hinge
PC Card connectors (2)**
*On computers with integrated IEEE 1394 connectors.
** On computers with integrated PC Card connectors.
optional video card connector
(see the setup diagram)
parallel connector
USB 2.0 connectors (6)
microphone connector
voltage selection switch
mouse connector
diagnostic lights (4)
integrated video
connector
power connector
keyboard connector
line-in connector
center/LFE connector
SPDIF-out connector
modem connectors (2)
IEEE 1394 connector
surround connector
line-out connector
network adapter 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 Tell Me How help file. To access help files, see page 25.
____________________
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.
Trademarks usedinthistext:Dell,theDELL logo,Inspiron, DellPrecision,Dimension,OptiPlex, DellNet,PowerApp,PowerVault,PowerEdge,
PowerConnect, Axim, 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 DHP
July 2004 P/N H7228 Rev. A00

Contents 3
Contents
Safety Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Finding Information for Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Connecting the AC Adapter (Japan only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Attaching and Removing the Computer Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connecting a Parallel Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connecting a USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Connecting an IEEE 1394 Device (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Setting Up a Home and Office Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Network Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Copying CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
How to Copy a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Hyper-Threading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Booting to a USB Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2 Solving Problems
Finding Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Finding Help Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4Contents
Battery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
CD drive problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Problems writing to a CD-RW drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Hard drive problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
General Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A program crashes repeatedly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft®Windows®
operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Other technical problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
General hardware problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
IEEE 1394 Device Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Mouse Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Network Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
PC Card Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Printer Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
No sound from speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Contents 5
Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
If the screen is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
If the screen is difficult to read. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3 Advanced Troubleshooting
Diagnostic Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Starting the Dell Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Identifying Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Reinstalling Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4 Adding Parts
Front and Back View of the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Reattaching the Front Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Opening the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Looking Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Adding PC Cards (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
PC Card Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Installing a PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Removing a PC Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Adding Other Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

6Contents
Adding or Replacing a Video Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Removing a Video Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Installing a Video Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Adding Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
DDR Memory Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Installing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Removing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Closing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5 Appendix
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Standard Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Viewing Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
System Setup Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Clearing Forgotten Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . 81
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . 81
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Class A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
FCC Identification Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

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

8Safety Instructions
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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
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• 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
amodem)
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
Connecting the AC Adapter (Japan only)
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the
Product Information Guide.
1
Connect the AC adapter to the plug on the AC power cable.
CAUTION: If you decide to connect the green ground wire to an electrical outlet, do not permit contact
between the green ground wire and power leads because electrical shock, fire, or damage to your
computer can occur (see the following figure).
If you decide not to connect the green ground wire to an electrical outlet, go to step 3.
2 Connect the metal ground connector to the grounding source on the outlet (see the
following figure):
a Loosen the grounding source.
b Slide the metal ground connector behind the grounding source, and then tighten the
grounding source.
3 Connect the AC power cable to the outlet.
grounding source
metal ground connector

12 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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Attaching and Removing the Computer Stand
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the
Product Information Guide.
NOTE: Place your computer on a soft surface to prevent scratching the top cover.
To attach the stand:
1 Rotate the computer to an upside-down position.
2 Insert the screw into the bottom of the stand.
3 Align the two tabs and the screw on the stand with the tab holes and screw hole in the bottom
of the computer.
tabs (2)
tab holes (2)
screw screw hole

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 13
4 Tighten the screw.
5 Place the computer in the upright position.
To remove the stand:
1 Turn the computer over so that the stand is at the top.
2 Loosen the screw and lift the stand away.
3 Place the computer in a horizontal position until you reattach the stand.
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.

14 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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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
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the
Product Information Guide.
1
Complete the operating system setup, if you have not already done so.
2 Turn off the computer (see page 21).
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.
4 Turn on the printer and then turn on the computer. If the Add New Hardware Wizard
window appears, click
Cancel .
5 Install the printer driver if necessary. See the documentation that came with your printer.
parallel printer
cable
parallel connector on computer
connector on printer
screws (2) clips (2)
notches (2)

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 15
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.
USB printer
cable
USB connector on
computer
USB connector
on printer

16 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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Connecting an IEEE 1394 Device (Optional)
IEEE 1394 devices can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices and
are ideal for use with multimedia devices, such as digital video cameras.
Your computer provides a IEEE 1394 connector on both the front and back panels (see "Front and
Back View of the Computer" on page 53 for locations.)
NOTE: The connector can accept six-pin IEEE 1394 devices with the use of an adapter.
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:
1 Connect the network cable to the network adapter connector on the back of your computer.
NOTE: Insert the cable until it clicks into place, and then gently pull it to ensure that it is secure.
2
Connect the other end of the network cable to a network connection device, such as a
network wall jack.
NOTE: Do not use a network cable with a telephone wall jack.
IEEE 1394 cable
IEEE 1394
connector

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 17
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 This computer connects directly to the Internet connection method 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.
network
wall jack
network adapter
connector on computer network cable

18 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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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.
• 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 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.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 19
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 27. 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.
Copying CDs and DVDs
NOTE: Ensure that you follow all copyright laws when you create CDs.
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 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.

20 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
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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.
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
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.