Dell Inspiron 2100 User guide

Conventions: Dell™ Dimension™ 2100 System
Reference
Notes, Notices, and Cautions
Typographical Conventions
The following subsections describe notational conventions used in this
document.
Notes, Notices, and Cautions
Throughout this guide, blocks of text may be accompanied by an icon and
printed in bold type or in italic type. These blocks are notes, notices, and
cautions, and they are used as follows:
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.
Typographical Conventions
The following list defines (where appropriate) and illustrates typographical
conventions used as visual cues for specific elements of text throughout this
document:
• Interface components are window titles, button and icon names, menu
names and selections, and other options that appear on the monitor
screen or display. They are presented in bold.
Example: Click OK.

• Keycaps are labels that appear on the keys on a keyboard. They are
enclosed in angle brackets.
Example: <Enter>
• Key combinations are series of keys to be pressed simultaneously
(unless otherwise indicated) to perform a single function.
Example: <Ctrl><Alt><Enter>
• Commands presented in lowercase bold are for reference purposes
only and are not intended to be typed when referenced.
Example: “Use the format command to . . . .”
In contrast, commands presented in the Courier New font are part of an
instruction and intended to be typed.
Example: “Type format a: to format the floppy in drive A.”
• Filenames and directory names are presented in lowercase bold.
Examples: autoexec.bat and c:\windows
• Screen text is a message or text that you are instructed to type as part
of a command (referred to as a command line). Screen text is presented
in the Courier New font.
Example: The following message appears on your screen:
No boot device available
Example: “Type md c:\programs and press <Enter>.”
• Variables are placeholders for which you substitute a value. They are
presented in italics.
Example: DIMM_x(where xrepresents the memory socket designation).
Technical Overview: Dell™ Dimension™ 2100 System
Reference

Internal View Power Supply
Back-Panel Features DC Power Cables
System Board Connectors and Sockets DC Power Connector Pin Assignments
System Board Configuration Jumper Control Panel Connector (J9F2) Pin
Assignments
Internal View
1
Front-panel release
2
5.25-inch drive bay
3
3.5-inch drive bays
4
Hard drive
5
Power supply
6
AC power connector
7
I/O panel
8
Security cable slot
9
Release latch and padlock
ring
Back-Panel Features

1
Mouse connector
2
Parallel connector
3
Keyboard connector
4
USB connectors (2)
5
Video connector
6
Serial connector
7
Diagnostic code lights (4)
System Board Connectors and Sockets

1
Microprocessor connector (J5H1)
12
Speaker (LS9A1)
2
Memory sockets (BANKn)
13
Configuration jumper (J7A1)
3
Fan connector (J3J1)
14
Power light
4
3.3-V power connector (OPTIONAL
POWER)
15
Card connectors (natural color) (PCIn)
5
Secondary IDE channel connector (SEC
IDE)
16
Serial connector (COM1)
6
Control panel connector (J9F2)
17
Parallel connector; sometimes referred to
as LPT1 (PARALLEL)
7
Floppy drive interface connector
(FLOPPY)
18
Video connector (VIDEO)
8
Primary IDE channel connector (PRI IDE)
19
USB connectors (USBn)
9
Power input connector (POWER)
20
Mouse connector (MOUSE)
10
Battery socket (BATTERY)
21
Keyboard connector (KEYBD)
11
Wakeup On LAN connector (WOL)
System Board Configuration Jumper
NOTE: The red dot in the jumper denotes pin 1.
Jumper
Setting Jumper Description
Pins 1-2
jumpered
(Normal
In Normal mode, system setup settings and
installed passwords are retained when the
computer starts up. In this mode, an automatic

mode) recovery is attempted if the BIOS detects that
any of its main blocks are corrupted.
Pins 2-3
jumpered
(Maintenance
mode)
Starting the computer with the jumper set in
Maintenance mode automatically starts the
system setup program, adds
the Maintenanceoption to the menu bar, and
displays theMaintenance screen. This screen
provides the following option.
NOTICE: Entering Maintenance mode
returns all settings in the system setup
program to their defaults. Dell strongly
recommends that you record or print all
current settings before entering this
mode so that you can correct them
when the computer is reset to Normal
mode.
Clear All Passwords — Disables a
forgotten password so that you can access
the computer and assign new passwords.
For the complete password procedure,
see "Clearing Forgotten Passwords" in
the Solutions Guide.
Power Supply
The 145-watt (W) power supply can operate from an AC power source of 115
volts AC (VAC) at 60 hertz (Hz) or 230 VAC at 50 Hz. The power supply
provides the DC operating voltages and currents listed in the following table.
NOTE: The power supply produces DC voltages only under its loaded condition. The DC
power cable connectors must be connected to their corresponding power input connectors
on the system board or drives to measure these voltages.
DC Voltage Ranges
Voltage Range
Maximum
Output Current Notes

+3.3
VDC
+3.14 to
+3.47 VDC
10.00 A The combined load on the +3.3-VDC and +5-
VDC outputs cannot exceed 85 W.
+5 VDC +4.90 to
+5.25 VDC
16.00 A The combined load on the +3.3-VDC and +5-
VDC outputs cannot exceed 85 W.
–5 VDC –4.50 to –
5.50 VDC
0.300 A
+12
VDC
+11.40 to
+12.60 VDC
4.5 A The +12-VDC output can withstand surges of up
to 11.0 A to support disk start-up operations.
–12
VDC
–10.80 to –
13.20 VDC
0.300 A
+5 VSB +4.75 to
+5.25 VDC
1.2 A The +5 volts standby (VSB) is sometimes called
volts flea power (VFP).
DC Power Cables

DC Power Connector Pin Assignments
The power-supply output voltages can be measured at the back (wire side) of
the DC power connectors without disconnecting them. The following figures
show the wire side of the connectors:
DC Power Connector P1

1
+5 VDC (red)
11
PSON#
2
(brown)
2
Common (black)
12
Common (black)
3
+5 VDC (red)
13
Common (black)
4
Common (black)
14
Common (black)
5
PWRGOOD
1
(orange)
15
–5 VDC (white)
6
+5 VFP (purple)
16
+5 VDC (red)
7
+12 VDC (yellow)
17
+5 VDC (red)
8
–12 VDC (blue)
18
+5 VDC (red)
9
Common (black)
19
Not connected
10
Common (black)
20
+5 VDC (red)
1
Pin 5 — PWRGOOD is a status signal generated by the power supply to
notify the computer that the DC operating voltages are within the ranges
required for proper computer operation.
2
Pin 11 — PSON# is activated by pressing and releasing the power button
while the power supply is in standby state. Activating PSON# connects the
power supply's PSON# input to ground, thereby switching the power supply to
full-on condition.
DC Power Connector P2

1
Common (black)
2
Common (black)
3
Common (black)
4
+3.3 VDC (orange)
5
+3.3 VDC (orange)
6
+3.3 VDC (orange)
DC Power Connector P3
1
+12 VDC (yellow)
2
Common (black)
3
Common (black)
4
+5 VDC (red)
DC Power Connectors P4, P5, and P6
1
+12 VDC (yellow)
2
Common (black)
3
Common (black)
4
+5 VDC (red)
Control Panel Connector (J9F2) Pin Assignments

1
Hard-drive light (+)
2
Power light (+)
3
Hard-drive light (-)
4
Power light (-)
5
Reset switch
6
Power switch
7
Reset switch
8
Power switch
14
No pin
17
No pin
18
No pin
Controls and Lights: Dell™ Dimension™ 2100 System
Reference
Front Panel
Back Panel
Front Panel

1
Floppy-drive access light — Lights up when a
floppy drive is being accessed.
2
Power — Turns the computer on and off. Lights
up when the computer is on. Press and hold for
4 seconds to shut down.
3
Hard-drive access light — Lights up when a
hard drive is being accessed.
Back Panel

Drivers: Dell™ Dimension™ 2100 System Reference
Your Computer's Drivers
Using the Dell Dimension ResourceCD to Reinstall Drivers
All of your computer’s drivers for Dell-installed devices are operative when
you receive the computer—no further installation or configuration is needed.
However, if you ever need to reinstall any of these drivers, the driver files are
provided on the Dell Dimension ResourceCD.
Device problems can often be corrected by reinstalling the appropriate drivers.
Also, hardware manufacturers frequently provide updated drivers that support
feature enhancements or that correct problems. Obtain updated drivers for
products purchased from Dell at the support section of the Dell World Wide
Web site (http://support.dell.com).

NOTICE: Drivers available on the Dell Web site have been validated for
correct operation on Dell systems. Installing drivers obtained from other
sources may cause errors or performance degradation.
Your Computer�s Drivers
The device drivers that can be reinstalled on your computer are listed below:
• Intel�800 Series Chip Set Driver — Installs Microsoft�Windows�
98 device installation files (.inf) that tell the operating system how
certain chip set components should be configured for proper operation.
• Intel Security Driver — Provides a heightened level of security for
transmitting data across a network or across the Internet.
• Intel 810e Video Driver — Enables the computer’s video controller to
properly function.
• Other Drivers — Control the devices, such as video, modem, or
network interface controller (NIC) cards, that might be installed on your
computer. For instructions on how to reinstall those drivers, see the
device’s documentation. The documentation can be found by clicking
the Start button on the Windows desktop, pointing
to Programs�> User�s Guides, and then clicking System
Documentation.
NOTES: If a driver does not appear under a selected operating system on the Dell
Dimension ResourceCD, then the driver is not required by that operating system.
If you reinstall Windows 98, you must reinstall the Intel 800 Series Chip Set driver
before you reinstall any other drivers.
Using the Dell Dimension ResourceCD to Reinstall Drivers
NOTICE: The Dell Dimension ResourceCD contains drivers for devices
that might not be installed in your computer. Do not install device
drivers unless you first identify the specific driver intended for the
hardware installed in your computer (see " Your Computer’s Drivers ").
Installing incorrect drivers might make your computer inoperable.
1. From the Windows desktop, insert the Dell Dimension ResourceCD into
the CD or DVD drive.

If this is your first time to use the ResourceCD, go to the next step. If
not, go to step 5 .
2. When the ResourceCD Installation program starts, follow the
instructions on the screen.
3. When the InstallShield Wizard Complete window appears, remove
the ResourceCD and clickFinish to restart the computer.
4. When you see the Windows desktop, reinsert the ResourceCD into the
CD or DVD drive.
5. At the Welcome Dell System Owner screen, click Next.
The Please wait... the ResourceCD is detecting hardware in your
computer message appears.
The drivers that are used by your computer are automatically displayed in
the My Drivers�The ResourceCD has identified these components in
your system window.
6. Click the driver that you want to reinstall and follow the prompts on the
screen.
If a particular driver is not listed, then that driver is not required by your
operating system.
NOTE: The ResourceCD displays drivers only for hardware that Dell installed at
the time of purchase. If you installed any additional hardware, those drivers may
not be displayed by the ResourceCD. If those drivers are not displayed, exit the
ResourceCD program and refer to the documentation and drivers that came with
that product.
To view other contents on the ResourceCD:
1. Be sure your computer is selected in the System Model list.
2. Be sure your operating system is selected in the Operating System list.
3. Select the type of device in the Device Type list.

NOTICE: The Dell Dimension ResourceCD contains drivers for devices
that are not part of your computer. Only reinstall the specific drivers for
hardware included in your computer. Otherwise, your computer might
not work correctly.
4. Select a topic in the Topic list.
If you select Drivers in the Topic list and a particular driver is not listed, then
that driver is not required by your operating system.
System Codes and Messages: Dell™ Dimension™
2100 System Reference
Diagnostic Codes
POST Beep Codes
System Messages
Diagnostic Codes
Your computer is equipped with four diagnostic code lights, which are labeled "A," "B,"
"C," and "D" on the back of the computer. Each of the four lights can be yellow, green,
or off, as shown in Table 1. When the computer is turned on or restarted and is
functioning normally, the lights flash during power-on self-test (POST). After the
computer starts, the lights remain green to signify normal computer operation.
If a malfunction is detected and the computer fails to start, the lights display a code that
identifies the problem. Write down the diagnostic code displayed and look it up in Table
1.
Table 1. Diagnostic Codes
Diagnostic Code
Definition
Corrective Action

Power up default. Make sure that the
computer is connected to
a known working
electrical outlet, and then
check whether the front-
panelpower light is on or
off. If the power light is
off, check the power
supply. If the problem
persists, see "Contacting
Dell" in theSolutions
Guide for instructions on
obtaining technical
assistance.
Remove all cards. If
the computer still does
not start,
see "Contacting Dell"
in the Solutions
Guide for instructions
on obtaining technical
assistance.
System board is
receiving power, but
the BIOS is not
executing.
Set the configuration
jumper to Maintenance
mode, and restart the
computer. Enter
thesystem setup
program and ensure that
the processor speed is
set correctly. Exit and
save the setting. Turn off
the computer, reset the
configuration jumper to
Normal mode, and then
restart the computer.
Remove all cards and
restart the computer to
determine if a resource
conflict exists. If a conflict
exists, resolve the
conflict.

If the problem persists,
see "Contacting Dell"
in the Solutions
Guide for instructions
on obtaining technical
assistance.
Recovery mode from
BIOS failure.
Set the configuration
jumper to Maintenance
mode, and restart the
computer. Enter
thesystem setup
program and ensure that
the processor speed is
set correctly. Exit and
save the setting. Turn off
the computer, reset the
configuration jumper to
Normal mode, and then
restart the computer. If
the problem
persists, see "Contacting
Dell" in theSolutions
Guide for instructions on
obtaining technical
assistance.
Microprocessor has
failed a BIOS test.
If the problem persists,
see "Contacting Dell" in
the Solutions Guide for
instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
Memory failed to be
sized or enabled.
Reseat the memory
modules. If the problem
persists, remove all but
one memory module,
and then restart the
computer. Repeat this
step until the
malfunctioning memory
module is identified.

PCI bus failure has
occurred.
Remove all cards and
restart the computer to
determine if a resource
conflict exists. If a conflict
exists, resolve the
conflict.
If the problem persists,
see "Contacting Dell"
in the Solutions
Guide for instructions
on obtaining technical
assistance.
Video controller failed
to initialize or respond.
If the problem persists,
see "Contacting Dell" in
the Solutions Guide for
instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
IDE bus failure has
occurred.
Reseat the IDE cables. If
the problem persists,
see "Contacting Dell" in
theSolutions Guide for
instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
USB port or a device
connected to it has
failed initialization.
Disconnect the device
from the USB port. If the
problem persists,
see "Contacting Dell" in
theSolutions Guide for
instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
Other failure. See "Contacting Dell" in
the Solutions Guide for
instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.

Computer has started
and turned over
control to the
operating system.
No action is necessary.
POST Beep Codes
If the monitor cannot display errors or problems, during power-on self-test (POST) the
computer may emit a series of beeps, or beep code, that identifies the problem.
If the computer emits a beep code and then fails to start, write down the beep code and
look it up in Table 2.
Table 2. System Beep Codes
Beep
Code Possible Cause Corrective Action
1 Memory refresh failure Reseat the memory modules.
2 Parity cannot be reset Reseat the memory modules.
3 Memory failure within
the first 64 KB of
memory
Reseat the memory modules.
4 Timer not operational See "Contacting Dell" in the Solutions
Guide for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.
5 Processor failure See "Contacting Dell" in the Solutions
Guide for instructions on obtaining
technical assistance.