Dell Inspiron 1200 User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Vostro™ 1200 Owner’s Manual
Model PP16S
book.book Page 1 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 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.
____________________
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, Vost ro, and TravelLite are trademarks of Dell Inc.;
Intel and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows,and Windows
Vista are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries. Bluetooth is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Blu-ray Disc is a trademark
of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
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 PP16S
November 2007 P/N RK930 Rev. A00
book.book Page 2 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

Contents 3
Contents
1 Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2 About Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Left Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Right Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Bottom View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3 Using a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Battery Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Checking the Battery Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Microsoft®Windows®Power Meter . . . . . . . 32
Low-Battery Warning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Conserving Battery Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Power Management Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Standby and Sleep Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Hibernate Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Configuring Power Management Settings . . . . . . . 35
Accessing Power Options Properties . . . . . . . 35
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4Contents
Charging the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Removing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Storing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4 Using the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Key Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Microsoft®Windows®Logo Key Functions . . . . 40
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Customizing the Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5 Using the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Adjusting Brightness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Using a Projector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Making Images and Text Look Bigger or Sharper. . . . 44
Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Windows Vista™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Using Both a Monitor and Your Computer Display . . . 45
Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Windows Vista™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Using a Monitor as Your Primary Display . . . . . . . . 46
Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Windows Vista™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
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Contents 5
6 Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Playing CDs or DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Copying CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
How to Copy a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Using Blank CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Adjusting the Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Adjusting the Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
7 Setting Up and Using Networks . . . . . . . 55
Connecting a Network or Broadband Modem Cable . . 55
Setting Up a Network in the Microsoft®Windows®XP
Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Setting Up a Network in the Microsoft Windows Vista™
Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) . . . . . . . . . 57
What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection . 57
Checking Your Wireless Network Card. . . . . . . 57
Setting Up a New WLAN Using a Wireless Router and a
Broadband Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Connecting to a WLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Microsoft®Windows®Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
8 Using Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
ExpressCards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
ExpressCard Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
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6Contents
Installing an ExpressCard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Removing an ExpressCard or Blank . . . . . . . . 65
9 Securing Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Security Cable Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
About Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Using a Primary (or System) Password . . . . . . . 68
Using an Administrator Password . . . . . . . . . 69
Computer Tracking Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Fingerprint Reader (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
10 Troubleshooting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Diagnostic Lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Diagnostic Light Codes During POST . . . . . . . . 73
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Hardware Troubleshooter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
When to Use the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . 79
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your Hard Drive 79
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From the Drivers and
Utilities Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Dell Diagnostics Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
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Contents 7
11 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Battery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . 85
Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Lockups and Software Problems. . . . . . . . . . 88
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems. . . . . . . . . . . 95
Video and Monitor Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Power Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Dell Technical Update Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Dell Support Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Accessing the Dell Support Utility . . . . . . . . . 99
Clicking the Dell Support Icon . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Double-Clicking the Dell Support Icon . . . . . . . 99
12 System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Viewing the System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . 102
System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Commonly Used Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Changing the Boot Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Enabling the Infrared Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
book.book Page 7 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

8Contents
13 Reinstalling Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . 106
Hardware and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . 110
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Using Microsoft Windows System Restore . . . . 111
Using Dell™ PC Restore and Dell Factory Image
Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Using the Operating System Media. . . . . . . . 116
14 Traveling With Your Computer . . . . . . . . 119
Identifying Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Packing the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Travel Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Traveling by Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
15 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Technical Support and Customer Service . . . . 124
DellConnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
AutoTech Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Automated Order-Status Service . . . . . . . . . 125
Problems With Your Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
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Contents 9
Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . 126
Before You Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
16 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
17 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
FCC Notice (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
FCC Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Computer, Keyboard, and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Mouse (Non-Optical) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
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10 Contents
book.book Page 10 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

Finding Information 11
1
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
• Notebook System Software (NSS)
Drivers and Utilities Media
Documentation and drivers are already
installed on your computer. You can use
the media to reinstall drivers (see
"Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities" on
page 106).
Readme files may be included on your
media to provide last-minute updates
about technical changes to your computer
or advanced technical-reference material
for technicians or experienced users.
NOTE: Drivers and documentation updates
can be found at support.dell.com.
book.book Page 11 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

12 Finding Information
•Warrantyinformation
• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)
•Safetyinstructions
•Regulatoryinformation
• Ergonomics information
• End User License Agreement
Dell™ Product Information Guide
• How to set up my computer Setup Diagram
NOTE: See the setup diagram that came
with your computer.
NOTE: The appearance of your setup
diagram may vary.
• How to set up my computer
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
book.book Page 12 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

Finding Information 13
• Service Tag and Express Service Code
• Microsoft Windows License Label
Service Tag and Microsoft
®
Windows
®
License
NOTE: Your computer’s Service Tag and
Microsoft®Windows®License labels are
located on your computer.
Your computer’s Service Tag contains
both a Service Tag number and an Express
Service Code.
• 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.
• Use the product key on the License
Label if you need to reinstall your
operating system.
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 13 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

14 Finding Information
• 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 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, and 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.
• Notebook System Software (NSS)— If
you reinstall the operating system for
your computer, you should also reinstall
the NSS utility. NSS provides critical
updates for your operating system and
support for processors, optical drives,
USB devices, and so on. NSS 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 NSS System Software:
1 Go to support.dell.com and click
Drivers & Downloads.
2 Enter your Service Tag or Product Type
and Product Model, and click
Go .
3 Scroll to System and Configuration
Utilities
→ Dell Notebook System
Software and click Download Now .
4 Select Drivers & Downloads and
click Go .
NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface
may vary depending on your selections.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
book.book Page 14 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

Finding Information 15
• Software upgrades and troubleshooting
hints — Frequently asked questions, hot
topics, and general health of your
computing environment
Dell Support Utility
The Dell Support Utility is an automated
upgrade and notification system installed
on your computer. This support provides
real-time health scans of your computing
environment, software updates, and
relevant self-support information. Access
the Dell Support Utility from the
icon in the taskbar. For more information,
see "Dell Support Utility" on page 98
• How to find information about my
computer and its components
• How to connect to the Internet
• How to add user accounts for different
people
• How to transfer files and settings from
another computer
Windows Welcome Center
The Windows Welcome Center
automatically appears when you use the
computer for the first time. You can
choose to have it appear every time you
start your computer by placing a check in
the Run at startup checkbox. Another
method of accessing the Welcome Center
is to click the Windows Vista Start button
, and then click Welcome Center.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
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16 Finding Information
• How to use Microsoft Windows XP or
Windows 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.
• 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 110."
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
book.book Page 16 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

Finding Information 17
After you reinstall your operating system,
use the Drivers and Utilities media 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 CD varies based
on the operating system you ordered.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
book.book Page 17 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

18 Finding Information
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About Your Computer 19
2
About Your Computer
Front View
1 left array microphone (optional with
camera)
2 camera (optional)
4
5
12
9
13
12 10
3
7
6
8
11
book.book Page 19 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM

20 About Your Computer
MICROPHONE —The built-in microphone allows you to communicate without
connecting an external microphone.
CAMERA —The built-in camera features a 2.0 mega pixel CMOS web camera.
DISPLAY —For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" on
page 43.
MEDIA CONTROL BUTTONS —Press these buttons to adjust the volume. Press
<Fn> and the right-arrow key to toggle on and off these lights for illumination of the
keyboard in low-light environments.
KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
3 right array microphone (optional with
camera)
4display
5 media control buttons 6 keyboard status lights
7 keyboard 8 fingerprint reader
9 touch pad 10 touch pad buttons
11 speaker 12 device status lights
13 power button
book.book Page 20 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:32 AM