Dell Precision T5400 User manual

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Dell Precision™ T5400
Quick Reference Guide
Model DCTA

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.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2007 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, and Dell Precision are trademarks of Dell Inc.;
Microsoft, Windows,and Windows Vista are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
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 DCTA
September 2007 P/N GX738 Rev. A00

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Setting Up Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Changing Between Tower and Desktop
Orientations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Installing Your Computer in an Enclosure . . . . . 11
Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . 13
Power Protection Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
About Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Front View (Tower Orientation) . . . . . . . . . . 18
Back View (Tower Orientation) . . . . . . . . . . 20
Back Panel Connectors (Tower Orientation) . . . . . 21
Front View (Desktop Orientation) . . . . . . . . . 23
Back View (Desktop Orientation) . . . . . . . . . 25
Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Computer, Keyboard, and Monitor . . . . . . . . . 26
Mouse (Non-Optical) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Troubleshooting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Power Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Diagnostic Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Hardware Troubleshooter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

4Contents

Quick Reference Guide 5
Finding Information
NOTE: Some features or media may be optional and may not ship with your computer.
Some features or media may not be available in certain countries.
NOTE: Additional information may ship with your computer.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
• A diagnostic program for my computer
• Drivers for my computer
• My device documentation
• Desktop System Software (DSS)
Drivers and Utilities Disc
Documentation and drivers are already
installed on your computer. You can use
the Drivers and Utilities disc to reinstall
drivers (see "Reinstalling Drivers and
Utilities" in your User’s Guide) and to run
the Dell™ Diagnostics (see
"Dell Diagnostics"
on page 36
).
NOTE: Drivers and documentation updates
can be found at support.dell.com.
• How to remove and replace parts
•Specifications
• How to configure system settings
• How to troubleshoot and solve problems
Dell Precision™ User’s Guide
Microsoft®Windows®XP and
Windows Vista™ Help and Support Center
1 Click Start → Help and Support → Dell
User and System Guides
→ System Guides .
2 Click the User’s Guide for your computer.
This document is also available on
support.dell.com.

6Quick Reference Guide
• Warranty information
• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)
• Safety instructions
• Regulatory information
• Ergonomics information
• End User License Agreement
Dell™ Product Information Guide
• 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 support.
• Enter the Express Service Code to direct
your call when contacting support.
NOTE: As an increased security measure,
the newly designed Microsoft Windows
license label incorporates a missing portion,
or "hole", to discourage removal of the label.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

Quick Reference Guide 7
• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and
tips, articles from technicians, and online
courses, frequently asked questions
• 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,
service call and order status, warranty,
and repair information
• Service and support — Service call status
and support history, service contract,
online discussions with technical support
• Dell Technical Update Service —
Proactive e-mail notification of software
and hardware updates for your computer
• Reference — Computer documentation,
details on my computer configuration,
product specifications, and white papers
• Downloads — Certified drivers, patches,
and software updates
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
NOTE: Select your region or business
segment to view the appropriate support site.
• Desktop System Software (DSS) — If you
reinstall the operating system for your
computer, you should also reinstall the
DSS utility. DSS provides critical updates
for your operating system and support for
processors, optical drives, USB devices,
and so on. DSS is necessary for correct
operation of your Dell computer. The
software automatically detects your
computer and operating system and
installs the updates appropriate for your
configuration.
To download Desktop System Software:
1 Go to support.dell.com , select your
region or business segment, and enter
your Service Tag.
2 Select Drivers & Downloads and click Go .
3 Click your operating system and search for
the keyword
Notebook System Software .
NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface
may vary depending on your selections.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

8Quick Reference Guide
• How to use Microsoft Windows XP or
Vista™
• How to work with programs and files
• How to personalize my desktop
Windows Help and Support
Microsoft Windows XP:
1 Click the Start button and click Help
and Support
.
2 Either select one of the topics listed, or
type a word or phrase that describes your
problem into the
Search box, click the
arrow icon, and then click the topic that
describes your problem.
3 Follow the instructions on the screen.
Microsoft Windows Vista:
1 Click the Windows Vista Start button
, and then click
Help and Support .
2 In Search Help , type a word or phrase that
describes your problem, and then press
<Enter> or click the magnifying glass.
3 Click the topic that describes your problem.
4 Follow the instructions on the screen.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

Quick Reference Guide 9
• How to reinstall my operating system Operating System Disc
NOTE: The Operating System disc may be
optional and may not ship with your computer.
The operating system is already installed on
your computer. To reinstall your operating
system, use the Operating System disc (see
"Reintalling Windows XP or Windows Vista"
in your User’s Guide).
After you reinstall your operating system,
use the Drivers and Utilities disc to reinstall
drivers for the devices that came with your
computer.
Your operating system product key label is
located on your computer.
NOTE: The color of your disc varies based
on the operating system you ordered.
• How to use Linux
• E-mail discussions with users of Dell
Precision products and the Linux
operating system
• Additional information regarding Linux
and my Dell Precision computer
Dell Supported Linux Sites
• linux.dell.com
• lists.us.dell.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-
precision
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

10 Quick Reference Guide
Setting Up Your Computer
Changing Between Tower and Desktop Orientations
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety
instructions in the
Product Information Guide .
NOTE: To change your computer to either the tower or the desktop orientation,
you must use an optional kit available from Dell. See "Product Information" in your
User’s Guide for more details on ordering from Dell.
NOTE: The tower computer supports one more 3.5-inch drive in the front than does
the desktop computer.
1 Follow the procedures in "Before You Begin" in your User’s Guide .
2 Remove the computer cover (see "Removing the Computer Cover" in your
User’s Guide ).
3 Remove the front panel (see "Removing the Front Panel" in your User’s Guide ).
4 Remove the drive panel and prepare the drive panel by adding or removing
inserts, as needed (see "Drive Panel" in your
User’s Guide ).
Switching From Tower to Desktop Orientation
1 Remove all installed floppy drives or media card readers by following the steps
in "Removing a Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader (Tower Computer)" in
your
User’s Guide , and then reinstall a single floppy drive or media card reader
by following the steps in "Installing a Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader
(Desktop Computer)" in your
User’s Guide .
2 Remove all installed optical drives by following the steps in "Removing an
Optical Drive (Tower Computer)" in your
User’s Guide , and then reinstall
the drives by following the steps in "Installing an Optical Drive (Desktop
Computer)" in your
User’s Guide .
Switching From Desktop to Tower Orientation
1 Remove the floppy drive or media card reader (if installed) by following
the steps in "Removing a Floppy Drive or a Media Card Reader (Desktop
Computer)" in your
User’s Guide , and then reinstall the floppy drive or
media card reader by following the steps in "Installing a Floppy Drive or
Media Card Reader (Tower Computer)" in your
User’s Guide .