Dell Vostro 400 User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Vostro™ 400
Owner’s Manual – Mini Tower
Model DCMF

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.
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.
© 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, Vostro, TravelLite, and Strike Zone are trademarks
of Dell Inc.; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell
under license; Microsoft, Windows, Outlook, and Windows Vista are either trademarks or registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Intel and Pentium
are registered trademarks; SpeedStep and Core are trademarks of Intel 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 DCMF
November 2007 P/N CR532 Rev. A01

Contents 3
Contents
1 Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2 Setting Up and Using Your Computer . . . 15
Front View of the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Back View of the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Back Panel Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Installing Your Computer in an Enclosure. . . . . . . . 22
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Connecting a USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Playing CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Adjusting the Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Adjusting the Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Copying CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Using a Media Card Reader (Optional) . . . . . . . . . 31
Connecting Two Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Connecting Two Monitors With VGA
Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Connecting One Monitor With a VGA Connector
and One Monitor With a DVI Connector . . . . . . 34
Connecting a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Changing the Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4Contents
Power Management Options in Windows XP. . . . . . 35
Standby Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Hibernate Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power Options Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Power Management Options in Windows Vista . . . . 38
Standby Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Hibernate Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Power Plan Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Enabling SpeedStep™ Technology . . . . . . . . . 41
About RAID Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
RAID Level 1 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Configuring Your Hard Drives for RAID . . . . . . . 43
Configuring for RAID Using the Intel®Option
ROM Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Configuring for RAID Using the Intel®Matrix
Storage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . . . 49
Setting Up a Home and Office Network . . . . . . . . . 53
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . 53
Network Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . 56
3 Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Troubleshooting Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Battery Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Contents 5
Drive Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Optical drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . 62
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . 66
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . 67
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
A program crashes repeatedly . . . . . . . . . . . 67
A program is designed for an earlier
Microsoft®Windows®operating system . . . . . 68
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Media Card Reader Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Network Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

6Contents
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
No sound from speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
If the screen is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
If the screen is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . 80
4 Troubleshooting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Power Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Beep Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
When to Use the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . 86
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your
Hard Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From the Drivers
and Utilities Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Dell Diagnostics Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . 90
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Using Microsoft Windows System Restore . . . . . 94
Using Dell PC Restore and Dell Factory
Image Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Using the Operating System Media. . . . . . . . . 98
Troubleshooting Software and Hardware
Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Contents 7
5 Removing and Installing Parts . . . . . . . 101
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . 102
Removing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Inside View of Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
System Board Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Power Supply DC Connector Pin Assignments . . . . . 108
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Memory Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . 112
Installing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Removing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
PCI and PCI Express Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Removing the Bezel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Replacing the Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Recommended Drive Cable Connections . . . . . 127
Connecting Drive Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Drive Interface Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Connecting and Disconnecting Drive Cables . . . 128
Hard Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Floppy Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Media Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

8Contents
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Replacing the Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Replacing the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . 152
I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Removing the I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Installing the I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Processor Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Removing the Processor Fan/Heat
Sink Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Installing the Processor Fan/Heat
Sink Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Removing the Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Installing the Processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Chassis Fan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Removing the Chassis Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Replacing the Chassis Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
System Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Removing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Installing the System Board. . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Replacing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . 166
6 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Entering System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Contents 9
System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Boot Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Clearing Forgotten Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Clearing CMOS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Flashing the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Computer, Keyboard, and Monitor . . . . . . . . . 183
Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Floppy Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only). . . . . . . . 184
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and
Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and
Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
FCC Notice (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
FCC Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

10 Contents

Finding Information 11
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
• Warranty information
• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)
• Safety instructions
• Regulatory information
• Ergonomics information
• End User License Agreement
Dell™ Product Information Guide
• How to set up my computer Setup Diagram
See the setup diagram that came with
your system.

12 Finding Information
• 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

Finding Information 13
• 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
• 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 to view the
appropriate support site.
NOTE: Corporate, government, and
education customers can also use the
customized Dell Premier Support website
at premier.support.dell.com.
• 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 Dell 3.5-inch USB floppy
drives, optical drives, and USB devices.
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 and click
Downloads .
2 Enter your Service Tag or product
model.
3 In the Download Category drop-down
menu, click
All .
4 Select the operating system and
operating system language for your
computer, and click
Submit.
5 Under Select a Device , scroll to System
and Configuration Utilities
, and click
Dell Desktop System Software .
What Are You Looking For? Find it Here

14 Finding Information
• How to use Windows Vista™
• How to work with programs and files
• How to personalize my desktop
Windows Help and Support Center
1 To access Windows Help and Support:
•In
Windows XP, click Start and click
Help and Support
.
•In
Windows Vista™ , click the
Windows Vista Start button
and
click
Help and Support .
2 Type a word or phrase that describes
your problem, and then 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 15
Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Front View of the Computer
1 location of Service Tag Use the Service Tag to identify your computer
when you access the Dell Support website or call
technical support.
2 optical drive Use the optical drive for playing a CD/DVD.
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16 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
3 optical drive panel This panel covers the optical drive.
(Shown in open position)
4 CD/DVD eject button Press to eject a disk from the optical drive.
5 optional optical drive bay Can contain an optional optical drive.
6 optional CD/DVD eject
button
Press to eject a disk from the optional optical drive.
7 FlexBay drive Can contain an optional floppy drive or optional
Media Card Reader.
8 USB 2.0 connectors (4) Use the front USB connectors for devices that you
connect occasionally, such as joysticks or cameras,
or for bootable USB devices (see "System Setup
Options" on page 176 for more information on
booting to a USB device).
It is recommended that you use the back USB
connectors for devices that typically remain
connected, such as printers and keyboards.
9 IEEE 1394 connector
(optional)
Attach high-speed serial multimedia devices, such
as digital video cameras.
10 headphone connector Use the headphone connector to attach
headphones and most kinds of speakers.
11 microphone connector Use the microphone connector to attach a personal
computer microphone for voice or musical input
into a sound or telephony program.
On computers with a sound card, the microphone
connector is on the card.
12 front panel door grip Slide up the front panel door grip to cover the
FlexBay drive, four Universal Serial Bus (USB)
connectors, one headphone connector, and one
microphone connector.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 17
13 power button,
power light
Press the power button to turn on the computer.
The light in the center of this button indicates
power state. See "Controls and Lights" on page 172
for more information.
NOTICE: To avoid losing data, do not use the
power button to turn off the computer. Instead,
perform an operating system shutdown.
14 drive activity light The drive activity light is on when the computer
reads data from or writes data to the hard drive.
The light might also be on when a device such as a
CD player is operating.

18 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Back View of the Computer
1 power connector Insert the power cable.
2 voltage selector switch Used to select voltage rating.
3 power supply LED Indicates power availability for power supply.
4 back panel connectors Plug USB, audio, and other devices into the
appropriate connector. See "Back Panel Connectors"
on page 20 for more information.
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Setting Up and Using Your Computer 19
CAUTION: Ensure that none of the system air vents are blocked. Blocking the
vents would cause serious thermal problems.
5 card slots Access connectors for any installed PCI and PCI
Express cards.
6 padlock rings Padlock rings are for attaching a commercially
available theft-deterrent device. The padlock rings
allow you to secure the computer cover to the
chassis with a padlock to prevent unauthorized
access to the inside of the computer. To use the
padlock rings, insert a commercially available
padlock through the rings, and then lock the
padlock.
7 security cable slot Security cable slot lets you attach a commercially
available antitheft device to the computer. For more
information, see the instructions included with the
device.

20 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Back Panel Connectors
1 network activity
light
Flashes a yellow light when the computer is transmitting
or receiving network data. A high volume of network traffic
may make this light appear to be in a steady "on" state.
2 network adapter
connector
To attach your computer to a network or broadband
device, connect one end of a network cable to either a
network port or your network or broadband device.
Connect the other end of the network cable to the network
adapter connector on the back panel of your computer. A
click indicates that the network cable has been securely
attached.
NOTE: Do not plug a telephone cable into the network
connector.
On computers with a network connector card, use the
connector on the card.
It is recommended that you use Category 5 wiring and
connectors for your network. If you must use Category 3
wiring, force the network speed to 10 Mbps to ensure
reliable operation.
3 link integrity light
• Green — A good connection exists between a
10/100 Mbps network and the computer.
• Off — The computer is not detecting a physical
connection to the network.
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