Dell Inspiron 1501 - Turion X2 TL-60 2GB DDR2 User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Inspiron™ 1501
Owner’s Manual
Model PP23LA

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.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see "Glossary" on page 147.
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.
© 2006 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, Inspiron, Dell Precision, Dimension, OptiPlex, Latitude, PowerEdge, PowerConnect,
PowerVault, PowerApp, XPS, and Strike Zone are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Microsoft,Outlook,and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation; AMD, Sempron, Turion and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. IBM is a registered
trademark of IBM Corporation; EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation; ENERGY STAR is a registered trademark of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
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 PP23LA
August 2006 P/N HN926 Rev. A00

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1 About Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Determining Your Computer’s Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Left Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Right Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Bottom View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2 Setting Up Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard With the
Operating System CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Without the
Operating System CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Connecting a USB Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Power Protection Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Line Conditioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Uninterruptible Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

4Contents
3 Using the Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Adjusting Brightness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Switching the Video Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Setting Display Resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Key Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
CD or DVD Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Microsoft®Windows®Logo Key Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Adjusting Keyboard Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Customizing the Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5 Using a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Checking the Battery Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Microsoft®Windows®Power Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Charge Gauge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Low-Battery Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Conserving Battery Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Power Management Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Configuring Power Management Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Charging the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Storing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Contents 5
6 Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Playing a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Adjusting the Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Adjusting the Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Copying CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
How to Copy a CD or DVD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Using Blank CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
7UsingCards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
ExpressCards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
ExpressCard Blanks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Installing an ExpressCard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Removing an ExpressCard or Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Media Memory Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Installing a Media Memory Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Removing a Media Memory Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
8 Setting Up a Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Physically Connecting to a Network or Broadband Modem . . . . . . . . . . 53
Network Setup Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Checking Your Wireless Network Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Setting Up a New WLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Enabling/Disabling the Wireless Network Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
9 Securing Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Security Cable Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

6Contents
Computer Tracking Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
10 Solving Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
CD and DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
If you cannot eject the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD+RW drive tray . . . . . 65
If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
ExpressCard Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
External Keyboard problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Unexpected characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft®Windows®
operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Contents 7
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
No sound from integrated speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
No sound from external speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Video and Display Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
If the display is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
If only part of the display is readable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Using the Operating System CD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
11 Adding and Replacing Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Returning a Hard Drive to Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Hinge Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Wireless Mini-Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

8Contents
Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
12 Traveling With Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Identifying Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Packing the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Travel Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Traveling by Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
13 Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
14 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
15 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Using the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Entering System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Commonly Used Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Computer, Keyboard, and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . 143
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals. . . . . . . . . . . 144
FCC Notice (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
FCC Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Contents 9
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

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
• A diagnostic program for my computer
• Drivers for my computer
• My computer documentation
• My device documentation
• Notebook System Software (NSS)
Drivers and Utilities CD (also known as ResourceCD)
NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities CD may be optional and may
not ship with your computer.
Documentation and drivers are already installed on your
computer. You can use the CD to reinstall drivers or run
the Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics" on page 61.)
Readme files may be
included on your CD 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.
• Warranty information
• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)
• Safety instructions
• Regulatory information
• Ergonomics information
• End User License Agreement
Dell™ Product Information Guide

12 Finding Information
• How to set up my computer Setup Diagram
• Service Tag and Express Service Code
• Microsoft Windows License Label
Service Tag and Microsoft
®
Windows
®
License
These labels are located on the bottom of your computer.
• Use the Service Tag to identify your computer when you
use
support.dell.com or contact technical support.
• Enter the Express
Service Code to direct
your call when
contacting technical
support.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

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 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.
• How to use the Windows operating system
• How to work with programs and files
• How to personalize my desktop
Windows Help and Support Center
1 Click the Start button and click Help and Support .
2 Type a word or phrase that describes your problem and
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

14 Finding Information
• How to reinstall my operating system Operating System CD
NOTE: The Operating System CD 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 one of the following
methods:
• Microsoft Windows System Restore — Microsoft
Windows
System Restore returns your computer to an
earlier operating state without affecting data files.
•Dell
PC Restore — Dell PC Restore returns your computer
to its original operating state. Dell
PC Restore may not
ship with your computer.
•
Operating System CD — If you received an Operating
System
CD with your computer, you can use it to restore
your operating system.
For more information, see "Restoring Your Operating
System" on page 82.
After you reinstall your
operating system, use the
Drivers and Utilities CD
(see page 80) 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.
• Service call status and support history
• Top technical issues for my computer
• Frequently asked questions
• File downloads
• Details on my computer configuration
• Service contract for my computer
Dell Premier Support Website — premiersupport.dell.com
The Dell Premier Support website is customized for
corporate, government, and education customers. This
website may not be available in all regions.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

About Your Computer 15
About Your Computer
Determining Your Computer’s Configuration
Based on selections that you made when purchasing your computer, your computer has one of
several different video controller configurations. To determine your computer’s video controller
configuration:
1
Access the Microsoft
®
Windows
®
Help and Support Center. For instructions, see "Windows Help
and Support Center" on page 13
.
2 Under Pick a Task , click Use Tools to view your computer information and diagnose problems.
3 Under My Computer Information , select Hardware .
From the My Computer Information - Hardware screen, you can view the type of video controller
installed in your computer, as well as the other hardware components.

16 About Your Computer
Front View
DISPLAY LATCH RELEASE —Press to release the display latches and open the display.
DISPLAY —For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" on page 33.
POWER BUTTON —Press the power button to turn on the computer or to enter or exit a power management mode.
See "Power Management Modes" on page 41.
1display latch release 2display latches (2) 3display
4power button 5device status lights 6touch pad
7speakers (2) 8touch pad buttons 9keyboard
10 keyboard and wireless
status lights
1
9
3
6
8
4
7
5
10
2

About Your Computer 17
DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS
If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the light operates as follows:
• Solid green: The battery is charging.
• Flashing green: The battery is almost fully charged.
If the computer is running on a battery, the light operates as follows:
• Off: The battery is adequately charged (or the computer is turned off).
• Flashing orange: The battery charge is low.
• Solid orange: The battery charge is critically low.
Turns on when you turn on the computer, and blinks when the computer is in a power
management mode.
Turns on when the computer reads or writes data.
NOTICE: To avoid loss of data, never turn off the computer while the light is flashing.
Turns on steadily or blinks to indicate battery charge status.

18 About Your Computer
TOUCH PAD —Provides the functionality of a mouse. Silk screening on the touch pad indicates scrolling
capabilities.
SPEAKERS —To adjust the volume of the integrated speakers, press the media control buttons or speaker-volume
keyboard shortcuts. For more information, see "Speaker Functions" on page 37.
TOUCH PAD BUTTONS —Touch pad buttons provide the functionality of a mouse.
KEYBOARD —The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft Windows logo key. For information
on supported keyboard shortcuts, see "Key Combinations" on page 36.

About Your Computer 19
KEYBOARD AND WIRELESS STATUS LIGHTS
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
DISPLAY LATCHES —Keep the display closed.
Turns on when the numeric keypad is enabled.
Turns on when the uppercase letter function is enabled.
Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.
Turns on when wireless networking is enabled. To enable
or disable wireless networking, press <Fn><F2>.
9
A

20 About Your Computer
Left Side View
CAUTION: Do not block, push objects into, or allow dust to accumulate in the air vents. Do not store your
computer in a low-airflow environment, such as a closed briefcase, while it is running. Restricting the airflow
can damage the computer or cause a fire.
AIR VENT —The computer uses fans to create airflow through the vents, which prevents the computer from
overheating.
NOTICE: Before you buy an antitheft device, ensure that it will work with the 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.
1air vent 2security cable slot 3optical drive bay
4optical-drive-tray eject
button
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