Dell XPS DC01L User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ XPS™ 420 Owner’s Manual
Model DC01L
book.book Page 1 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

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, XPS, Dell TravelLite, the Dell Media Xcelerator,
Yours Is Here, and StrikeZone are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium,Intel Core 2 Extreme , Intel
Core 2 Duo, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel SpeedStep, and Intel ViiV are either trademarks or registered
trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista, Outlook, SideShow,and the
Windows Vista Start button are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
intheUnitedStatesand/orothercountries;Blu-rayDiscisatrademarkoftheBlu-rayDiscAssociation;
Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under license.
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 DC01L
November 2007 P/N GX404 Rev. A01
book.book Page 2 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1 Setting Up and Using Your Computer . . . 15
Front and Back View of the Computer . . . . . . . . . 15
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Front I/O Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Back I/O Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Installing Your Computer in an Enclosure . . . . . . . 22
Connecting Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Connecting a Monitor (Without an Adapter) . . . . 25
Connecting a Monitor (With an Adapter) . . . . . 26
Connecting Two or More Monitors . . . . . . . . 28
Connecting a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Changing the Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 30
About Your RAID Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
RAID Level 0 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
RAID Level 1 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Configuring Your Computer for RAID . . . . . . . . 32
Using the Intel®RAID Option ROM Utility . . . . . 33
Using the Intel®Application Accelerator . . . . . 36
Dell DataSafe (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
book.book Page 3 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

4Contents
Intel®Viiv™ Technology (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Using Intel Viiv Quick Resume
Technology (QRT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Enabling the QRT Feature in System Setup . . . . 42
Enabling the QRT Feature in the Operating
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Playing CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Copying Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
How to Copy a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
How to Copy a Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) Media . . . . . 45
Using Blank CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Using a Media Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Understanding the Media Xcelerator™ (Optional) . . . 49
Understanding Windows®SideShow™ and the
LCD display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Configuring the LCD display . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Adding Gadgets To LCD Display Menu . . . . . . . 51
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Connecting a USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . 54
Network Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . . . 56
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Contents 5
Power Management Options in Windows Vista . . . . 56
Sleep Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Hybrid Sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Hibernate Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Configuring Power Management Settings . . . . . 57
2 Optimizing for Greater Performance . . . . 59
Understanding Intel™ SpeedStep®Technology . . . . 59
3 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Coin-Cell Battery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . 63
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
IEEE 1394a Device Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . 66
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Power Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Diagnostic Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
book.book Page 5 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

6Contents
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
When to Use Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Starting Dell Diagnostics From Your
Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Starting Dell Diagnostics From the Drivers and
Utilities Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Dell Diagnostics Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . 91
Using Windows Device Driver Rollback . . . . . . 91
Using the Drivers and Utilities Media . . . . . . . 92
Troubleshooting Software and Hardware Problems
in the Microsoft Windows Vista™ Operating
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Using Microsoft Windows System Restore . . . . 94
Using Dell Factory Image Restore . . . . . . . . . 95
Using the Operating System Media . . . . . . . . 96
Troubleshooting LCD Display Problems . . . . . . . . . 98
4 Removing and Installing Parts . . . . . . . . 99
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . 100
Removing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
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Contents 7
Inside View of Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
System Board Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Memory Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Installing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Removing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
PCI Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
PCI Express Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Drive Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Removing the Drive Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Removing the Drive-Panel Insert . . . . . . . . . 125
Replacing the Drive-Panel Insert . . . . . . . . . 126
Replacing the Drive Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
General Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . 128
Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Removing a Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Installing a Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Adding a Second Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Installing a Hard Drive in the FlexBay . . . . . . . 134
Removing a Hard Drive From the FlexBay . . . . . 135
Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Removing a Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Installing a Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Media Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Removing a Media Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . 140
Installing a Media Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . 142
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8Contents
CD/DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Removing a CD/DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Installing a CD/DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Processor Airflow Shroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Removing the Processor Airflow Shroud
Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Installing the Processor Airflow Shroud
Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Removing the Processor Fan Cage . . . . . . . . 149
Installing the Processor Fan Cage . . . . . . . . . 150
Removing the Processor Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Installing the Processor Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Removing the Card Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Installing the Card Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Removing the Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Installing the Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Removing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Installing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Power Supply (PSU) DC Connector Pin
Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Removing the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Installing the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Front I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Front I/O-Panel Components . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Removing the Front I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Installing the Front I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
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Contents 9
Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . 170
Replacing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
A Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Entering System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Boot Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Clearing Forgotten Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Clearing CMOS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Computer, Keyboard, and Monitor . . . . . . . . . 191
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Class A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
FCC Identification Information . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Technical Support and Customer Service . . . . . 196
DellConnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
book.book Page 9 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

10 Contents
AutoTech Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Automated Order-Status Service . . . . . . . . . 197
Problems With Your Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . 198
Before You Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
book.book Page 10 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

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
• A diagnostic program for my computer
• Drivers for my computer
• My device documentation
• Desktop System Software (DSS)
Drivers and Utilities Media
Documentation and drivers are already
installed on your computer. You can use the
Drivers and Utilities media to reinstall
drivers (see "Reinstalling Drivers and
Utilities" on page 91), access your
documentation, or run the Dell Diagnostics
(see "Dell Diagnostics" on page 86).
Readme files may also be included on your
media to provide last-minute updates
about technical changes to your computer
or advanced technical reference material
for technicians and experienced users.
NOTE: Drivers and documentation updates
can be found at support.dell.com.
book.book Page 11 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

12 Finding Information
• 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
• Service Tag and Express Service Code
• Microsoft Windows License Label
Service Tag and Microsoft Windows
Product Key
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
book.book Page 12 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

Finding Information 13
• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints
and tips, articles from technicians,
online courses, and frequently asked
questions
• Community — Online discussion
with other Dell customers
• Upgrades — Upgrade information for
components, such as the memory,
hard drive, and operating system
• Customer Care — Contact
information, service call and order
status, and warranty and repair
information
• Service and Support — Service call
status, support history, service
contract, and online discussions with
support
• Reference — Computer
documentation, details on my
computer configuration, product
specifications, and white papers
• Downloads — Certified drivers,
patches, and software updates
• Desktop System Software (DSS) —
If you reinstall the operating system
on your computer, you should also
reinstall the DSS utility. DSS
automatically detects your computer
and operating system and installs the
updates appropriate for your
configuration, providing critical
updates for your operating system and
support for Dell™ 3.5-inch USB floppy
drives, Intel
®
Pentium
®
M processors,
optical drives, and USB devices. DSS
is necessary for correct operation of
your Dell computer.
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
NOTE: Select your region or business
segment to view the appropriate support site.
To download Desktop System Software:
1 Go to support.dell.com , select your
business segment, and then enter your
Service Tag or product model.
2 Select Drivers & Downloads , and then
click
Go .
3 Select your operating system and
language, and then search for the keyword
Desktop System Software .
NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface
may vary depending on your selections.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
book.book Page 13 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

14 Finding Information
• How to use your Windows™ operating
system
• How to work with programs and files
• How to personalize my desktop
Windows Help and Support
1 To access Windows 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.
• How to reinstall my operating system
Operating System Media
The operating system is already installed on
your computer. To reinstall your operating
system, use the Operating System media
(see "Restoring Your Operating System" on
page 94).
After you
reinstall the
operating
system, use
the Drivers
and Utilities
media to
reinstall
drivers for the
devices that
came with
your
computer.
The operating system product key label is
located on your computer.
NOTE: The color of your Operating System
CD varies according to the operating system
you ordered.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
book.book Page 14 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 15
Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Front and Back View of the Computer
Front View
1
16
17
15
3
4
5
2
6
8
14
13
12
7
10
9
11
book.book Page 15 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

16 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
1cover release latch Use this latch to remove the cover (see "Removing
the Computer Cover" on page 101).
2storage space Use to stack CDs, place a digital camera while
transferring images to system and so on.
3LCD display menu Use to scroll through the different menu options
available on LCD display.
4LCD navigation
buttons
Use to navigate the menu options on LCD display.
Use the buttons to scroll up and down, navigate
options on left and right, or select.
5optical drive tray eject
button (2)
Use to eject the drive tray of an optical drive.
NOTE: The self-tending doors on the optical drive open
automatically when the eject button is pressed.
6vents For adequate cooling, do not block any of the vents.
NOTICE: Ensure that there is a minimum of
two inches of space between all vents and any
object near the vents.
NOTICE: Keep the vent area clean and dust-free
to ensure that the system is adequately
ventilated. Use only a dry cloth to clean the vent
area to avoid water damage to the system.
7IEEE 1394 connector Use the IEEE 1394 connector for high-speed data
devices such as digital video cameras and external
storage devices.
8power button Press to turn on the computer.
NOTICE: To avoid losing data, do not use the
power button to turn off the computer. Instead,
perform an operating system shutdown.
NOTE: The power button can also be used to wake the
system or to place it into a power-saving state (see
"Power Management Options in Windows Vista" on
page 56).
book.book Page 16 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 17
9USB connectors (2) Use the front USB connectors for devices that you
connect occasionally, such as flash memory keys,
cameras, or bootable USB devices. For more
information on booting to a USB device, see "System
Setup" on page 178.
NOTE: It is recommended that you use the back USB
connectors for devices that typically remain connected,
such as printers and keyboards.
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.
12 3.5-inch flexbays (2) Can hold an optional Media Card Reader, audio
input, video input, output device with or without a
graphics accelerator device, floppy drive or an
additional hard drive.
13 5.25-inch drive bays (2) Can hold CD-RW/DVD, audio or video input or
output with or without graphics accelerator device,
DVD-RW or Blu-ray Disc™.
14 hard-drive activity light The hard drive light is on when the computer reads
data from or writes data to the hard drive. The light
may also be on when a device such as your CD player
is operating.
15 diagnostic lights(4) Use the sequence of these diagnostics lights to help
troubleshoot a problem with your computer (see
"Dell Diagnostics" on page 86).
16 network indicator light The network link light is on when a good connection
exists between a network and the computer.
17 LCD display Displays a “Now playing” screen for audio and video
applications. Allows you to navigate, select, and
launch devices available on your system.
book.book Page 17 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

18 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Front I/O Connectors
1microphone
connector
Use the microphone connector to attach a personal
computer microphone for voice or musical input into a
sound or telephony program.
2headphone
connector
Use the headphone connector to attach headphones.
3USB connectors (2) Use the front USB connectors for devices that you
connect occasionally, such as flash memory keys, cameras,
or bootable USB devices. For more information on
bootable USB devices see "Boot Sequence" on page 186.
It is recommended that you use the back USB connectors
for devices that typically remain connected, such as
printers and keyboards.
4IEEE 1394
connector
Use the IEEE 1394 connector for high-speed data devices
such as digital video cameras and external storage
devices.
12 43
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Setting Up and Using Your Computer 19
Back View
1power connector Insert the power cable. The appearance of this connector
may differ from what is pictured.
2audio connectors Connect appropriate audio devices (see "Back I/O
Connectors" on page 20).
3USB connectors Recommended for devices that typically remain connected,
such as printers and keyboards.
4S/PDIF (RCA) Connects to external digital stereo speakers.
5eSATA Use it to connect to additional storage devices.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
book.book Page 19 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM

20 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Back I/O Connectors
6card slots Access connectors for any installed PCI or PCI Express cards.
NOTE: Some connector slots support full-length cards.
7IEEE 1394 Use the IEEE 1394 connector for high-speed data devices
such as digital video cameras and external storage devices.
8network adapter
connector
NOTICE: Do not plug a telephone cable into the network
connector.
Use the network adapter connector to attach your computer
to a network or broadband device.
1IEEE 1394 Use the IEEE 1394 connector for high-speed data devices
such as digital video cameras and external storage devices.
2eSATA Use this connector to connect to external SATA storage
devices.
3S/PDIF (RCA) Connects to external digital stereo speakers.
4USB connectors
(4)(rear quad)
Use the back, rear-quad USB connectors for devices that
typically remain connected, such as printers and keyboards.
NOTE: It is recommended that you use the front USB
connectors for devices that you connect occasionally, such as
joysticks, cameras, or bootable USB devices.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
10
1113 12
9
14
book.book Page 20 Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:29 AM