Dell Inspirion 530 SERIES User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Inspiron™ 530 Series
Owner’s Manual
Model DCMF
book.book Page 1 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 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.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see the "Glossary" on page 203.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2007–2008 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc.
is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, YOURS IS HERE, and Inspiron are trademarks of
Dell Inc.; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under
license; Microsoft, Windows, Internet Explorer, Windows Vista, and Windows Vista start button logo
are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron are registered trademarks, SpeedStep and Core are
trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and 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 DCMF
September 2008 P/N KP338 Rev. A05
book.book Page 2 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1 Setting Up and Using Your Computer . . . 15
Front View of the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Inspiron 530/530a/530c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Inspiron 530b/530d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Back View of the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Inspiron 530/530a/530c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Inspiron 530b/530d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Back Panel Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Inspiron 530/530a/530c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Inspiron 530b/530d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Installing Your Computer in an Enclosure. . . . . . . . 27
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Connecting a USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Playing CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Adjusting the Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Configuring the Audio Connectors for
5.1-Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Adjusting the Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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4Contents
Copying CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How to Copy a CD or DVD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Using Blank CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Using a Media Card Reader (Optional) . . . . . . . . . 36
Connecting Two Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Connecting Two Monitors With VGA
Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Connecting One Monitor With a VGA Connector
and One Monitor With a DVI Connector . . . . . . 39
Connecting a TV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Changing the Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Power Management Options in
Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Standby Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Hibernate Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Power Options Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Power Management Options in
Windows Vista®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Standby Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Hibernate Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Power Plan Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Enabling SpeedStep™ Technology . . . . . . . . . . . 46
About RAID Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
RAID Level 1 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Configuring Your Hard Drives for RAID . . . . . . . 48
Configuring for RAID Using the Intel®
Option ROM Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Configuring for RAID Using the Intel®
Matrix Storage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
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Contents 5
Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . . . 54
Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Setting Up a Home and Office Network. . . . . . . . . 58
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . 58
Setting Up a Network in the Microsoft®
Windows®XP Operating System. . . . . . . . . . 59
Setting Up a Network in the Windows Vista®
Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . 60
2 Solving Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Troubleshooting Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Battery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Drive Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
CD and DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . 66
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . 70
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . 70
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
A program crashes repeatedly . . . . . . . . . . . 70
A program is designed for an earlier
Microsoft®Windows®operating system . . . . . 71
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6Contents
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Media Card Reader Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
No sound from speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
If the screen is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
If the screen is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . 84
3 Troubleshooting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Power Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Beep Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
When to Use the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . 90
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your
Hard Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
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Contents 7
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From the
Drivers and Utilities Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Dell Diagnostics Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
What is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . 95
Troubleshooting Software and Hardware
Problems in the Microsoft Windows®XP and
Windows Vista®Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Using Microsoft® Windows® System Restore . . . 98
Using Dell PC Restore and Dell Factory
Image Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Using the Operating System CD . . . . . . . . . . 103
4 Removing and Installing Parts . . . . . . . 105
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . 106
Removing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Inside View of Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
System Board Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Inspiron 530 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Inspiron 530a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Inspiron 530b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Inspiron 530c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Inspiron 530d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
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8Contents
Power Supply DC Connector Pin Assignments . . . . 120
Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Memory Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . 124
Installing Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Removing Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
PCI and PCI Express Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Removing the Bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Replacing the Bezel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Recommended Drive Cable Connections. . . . . 139
Connecting Drive Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Drive Interface Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Connecting and Disconnecting Drive
Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Hard Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Floppy Drive (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Media Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
CD/DVD Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Replacing the Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Replacing the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . 162
I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Removing the I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Installing the I/O Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
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Contents 9
Processor Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Removing the Processor Fan/Heat
Sink Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Installing the Processor Fan/Heat Sink
Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Removing the Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Installing the Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Chassis Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Removing the Chassis Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Replacing the Chassis Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Removing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Installing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Replacing the Computer Cover . . . . . . . . . . . 176
A Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Inspiron 530/530a/530c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Inspiron 530b/530d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Inspiron 530/530a/530b/530c/530d . . . . . . . . . 185
System Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Entering System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Boot Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
book.book Page 9 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

10 Contents
Clearing Forgotten Passwords. . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Inspiron 530 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Inspiron 530a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Inspiron 530b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Inspiron 530c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Inspiron 530d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Clearing CMOS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Flashing the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Computer, Keyboard, and Monitor . . . . . . . . 198
Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Floppy Drive (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . 199
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software
and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Definition of "Third-Party" Software
and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
FCC Notice (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
FCC Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
book.book Page 10 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 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
• 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
• Model Number See the back of your computer for the
model number.
NOTE: If there is no label present, the model
number is Inspiron 530.
book.book Page 11 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

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.
• 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.
What Are You Looking For? Find it Here
book.book Page 12 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

Finding Information 13
• 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 Drivers
and Downloads
.
2 Click Select Model .
3 Select your product model and click
Confirm , or enter a service tag and click
Go .
4 Click System Utilities .
5 Click Desktop System Software under
Dell - Utility , and click Download Now .
6 Click Run to run the driver, or Save to
save the driver to your computer.
NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface
may vary depending on your selections.
NOTE: DSS may or may not be available for
your desktop model.
• 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 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
book.book Page 13 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

14 Finding Information
book.book Page 14 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 15
Setting Up and Using Your Computer
Front View of the Computer
Inspiron 530/530a/530c
1
2
3
4
13
14
5
6
7
8
12
11
10
9
book.book Page 15 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

16 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
1 Service Tag (located on
top of the chassis
towards the back)
Use the Service Tag to identify your computer
when you access the Dell Support website or call
technical support.
2 CD/DVD drive Use the CD/DVD drive for playing a CD/DVD.
3 CD/DVD eject button Press to eject a disk from the CD or DVD drive.
4 optional CD/DVD drive
bay
Can contain an optional CD/DVD drive.
5 optional CD/DVD eject
button
Press to eject a disk from the optional CD or
DVD drive.
6 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 189 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.
7 IEEE 1394 connector
(optional)
Attach high-speed serial multimedia devices, such
as digital video cameras.
8 headphone connector Use the headphone connector to attach
headphones and most kinds of speakers.
9 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 185
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.
10 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.
11 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.
book.book Page 16 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 17
Inspiron 530b/530d
12 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.
13 FlexBay drive Can contain an optional floppy drive or optional
Media Card Reader.
14 CD/DVD drive panel This panel covers the CD/DVD drive.
(Shown in open position)
1
2
3
4
13
14
5
6
7
8
12
11
10
9
book.book Page 17 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

18 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
1 Service Tag (located on
top of the chassis
towards the back)
Use the Service Tag to identify your computer
when you access the Dell Support website or call
technical support.
2 CD/DVD drive Use the CD/DVD drive for playing a CD/DVD.
3 CD/DVD eject button Press to eject a disk from the CD or DVD drive.
4 optional CD/DVD drive
bay
Can contain an optional CD/DVD drive.
5 optional CD/DVD eject
button
Press to eject a disk from the optional CD or
DVD drive.
6 USB 2.0 connectors (2) 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 189 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.
7 IEEE 1394 connector
(optional)
Attach high-speed serial multimedia devices, such
as digital video cameras.
8 headphone connector Use the headphone connector to attach
headphones and most kinds of speakers.
9 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 185
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.
10 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.
11 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.
book.book Page 18 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 19
Back View of the Computer
Inspiron 530/530a/530c
12 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.
13 FlexBay drive Can contain an optional floppy drive or optional
Media Card Reader.
14 CD/DVD drive panel This panel covers the CD/DVD drive.
(Shown in open position)
1
2
3
46
5
7
book.book Page 19 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM

20 Setting Up and Using Your Computer
CAUTION: Ensure that none of the system air vents are blocked. Blocking them
can cause serious thermal problems.
1 power connector Insert the power cable.
2 voltage selector switch For selecting voltage rating.
3 power supply light 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 22for more information.
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.
book.book Page 20 Monday, October 6, 2008 11:28 AM