Dell Networking 8100 Series User manual

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Dell™ Dimension™ 8100

HINT: A HINT 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 potentially hazardous situation
which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury.
For a complete listing of abbreviations and acronyms, see the Glossary in
the Tell Me How help file. To open the file, click the Start button on the
Windows desktop, point to Programs—> User’s Guides, and then click
TellMe How.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2000-2001 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer
Corporation is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Dimension, Inspiron, Dell Precision, OptiPlex,
Latitude, DellPlus,DellNet,and DellWare are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation; Intel
and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft and Windows are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; 3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com
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 Computer Corporation disclaims any
proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
September 2001 P/N 65JDG Rev. A04

Contents 3
Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
When Using Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
When Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1Setting Up
Connecting a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Parallel Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Installing the Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Turning Off the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) and Windows
Millennium Edition (Me) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Windows 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2Solving Problems
Finding Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Help Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Start-Up Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
If the screen is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
If the screen is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

4Contents
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
If you cannot print to a parallel port printer . . . . . . . . . . 23
If you cannot print to a USB printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Modem Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
If you cannot save a file to a floppy disk . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
If you cannot play a music CD or install a program
from a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
If you cannot play a DVD movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
If the CD-RW drive stops writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
If you have a hard drive problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Windows Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
General Program Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A program crashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Internet Connection Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
E-Mail Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Resolving Other Technical Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Reinstalling Windows 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Contents 5
Reinstalling Windows Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Reinstalling Windows 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3Adding Parts
Removing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Looking Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Rotating the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Removing and Replacing the Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Adding Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Installing a Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Removing Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Removing and Replacing the AGP Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Adding Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Adding or Replacing Other Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Replacing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
4Appendix
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Standard Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Viewing Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Clearing Forgotten Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

6Contents
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . 67
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . 68
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . . . . . 82
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Battery Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
NOM Information (Mexico Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Información para NOM (únicamente para México) . . . . . . . 88
Warranty and Return Policy Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Safety Instructions 7
Use the following safety guidelines to protect yourself and your computer.
For comfort and efficiency, observe the ergonomic guidelines provided in
the Tell Me How help file.
When Using Your Computer
CAUTION: Do not operate your computer with any cover(s)
(including the computer cover, filler brackets, front-panel
inserts, and so on) removed.
•To help avoid damaging your computer, the power voltage is
automatically sensed to match the AC power available at your
location. If your computer does not automatically sense the power
voltage, please set it to the proper voltage for your location.
Also be sure that your monitor and attached devices are electrically rated to
operate with the AC power available in your location.
•To avoid shorting out your computer when disconnecting a network
cable, first unplug the cable from the NIC on the back of your
computer, and then from the network jack on the wall. When
reconnecting a network cable to your computer, first plug the cable
into the network jack, and then into the NIC.
•To help avoid possible damage to the system board, wait 5 seconds
after turning off the computer before disconnecting or connecting a
non-USB device.
•To help prevent electric shock, plug the computer and device power
cables into properly grounded power sources. These cables are
equipped with 3-prong plugs to help ensure proper grounding. Do not
use adapter plugs or remove the grounding prong from a cable. If you
must use an extension cable, use a 3-wire cable with properly grounded
plugs.
•To help protect your computer from sudden, transient increases and
decreases in electrical power, use a surge suppressor, line conditioner,
or uninterruptible power supply.
•Be sure that nothing rests on your computer’s cables and that the
cables are not located where they can be stepped on or tripped over.
•Do not spill food or liquids on your computer. If the computer gets
wet, contact Dell (see page 68).

8Safety Instructions
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•Do not push any objects into the openings of your computer. Doing so
can cause fire or electric shock by shorting out interior components.
•Keep your computer away from radiators and heat sources. Also, do
not block cooling vents. Avoid placing loose papers underneath your
computer; do not place your computer in a closed-in wall unit or on a
bed, sofa, or rug.
When Working Inside Your Computer
Before you remove the computer cover, perform the following steps in the
sequence indicated.
NOTICE: Do not attempt to service the computer yourself, except as
explained in this guide and elsewhere in Dell documentation. Always follow
installation and service instructions closely.
1Turn off your computer and all devices.
2Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface at the back of
the computer before touching anything inside your computer.
While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the
computer to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal
components.
3Disconnect any devices connected to the computer, including the
monitor, from their electrical outlets to reduce the potential for
personal injury or shock. Also, disconnect any telephone or
telecommunication lines from the computer.
4Disconnect the power cable to your computer, and then press the
power button to ground the system board.
In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when appropriate:
•When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector, not on the cable
itself. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to avoid
bending any pins. Also, before you connect a cable, make sure that
both connectors are correctly oriented and aligned.
•Handle components and cards with care. Don’t touch the components
on a card. Hold a card by its edges or by its metal bracket.
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.

Safety Instructions 9
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge
To prevent static damage, discharge static electricity from your body before
you touch anything inside your computer and periodically while you work
inside the computer. You can do so by touching an unpainted metal surface
on the back of the computer.
You can also take the following steps to prevent static damage:
•Do not remove items from their antistatic packing material until you
are ready to install them in your computer. Just before unwrapping the
antistatic packaging, be sure to discharge static electricity from your
body.
•When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an antistatic
container or packaging.

10 Safety Instructions
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