Dell Inspiron 2100 User manual

Dell Inspiron 2100
Dell™ Inspiron™ 2100
A Tour of Your Computer
Power Conservation
Solving Problems
System Specifications
Drivers and Utilities
System Setup Program
Ports and Connector Pin-Outs
Removing and Replacing Parts
Hints, Notices, and Cautions
HINT: A HINT 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 potentially hazardous situation which,
if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see the Glossary in the Tell Me
How help file (click Start, point to Programs, point to User's Guides, and then click
Tell Me How).
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2001 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is
strictly forbidden.
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Dell Inspiron 2100
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Dell TravelLite, Inspiron, and DellWare are
trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation; Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation;
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft 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 Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary
interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
A01 5 Mar 2001
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2100
Back to Contents Page
A Tour of Your Computer
Dell™ Inspiron™ 2100
Front View
Left Side View
Right Side View
Back View
Bottom View
External Media Bay
Front View
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2100
Display Latch
This tab keeps the display locked in place when the display is closed.
Display
The computer has a color LCD.
Device Status Lights
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
●The light labeled turns on when the computer reads or writes data.
●The light labeled turns on when you press to enable the numeric keypad.
●The light labeled turns on when you press to enable the uppercase letter
function.
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2100
●The light labeled turns on when you press to enable the scroll lock
function.
NOTICE: To avoid data loss, never turn off the computer while the light labeled is
flashing.
Microphone
The internal microphone allows you to record voice audio.
Touch Pad
The touch pad detects the position of your finger over a touch-sensitive area and provides the
computer with full mouse functionality.
Touch Pad Buttons
These buttons correspond to the left and right buttons on a standard mouse.
Status Lights
The lights below the display indicate the following:
●The light labeled turns on steadily or blinks to indicate battery charge status. Indicator
states include:
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2100
❍Solid green, which indicates that the battery is charging
❍Flashing green, which indicates that the battery charge cycle is complete
❍Flashing amber, which indicates that the battery charge is low
❍Solid amber, which indicates that the battery charge is critically low
●The light labeled turns on when the computer is turned on.
Keyboard
The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft® Windows® logo key, , which
supports the Windows operating systems. See the Tell Me How help file for information on your
computer's supported key combinations.
Power Button
HINT: To turn off your computer, perform a Windows shutdown.
Press the power button to turn on the computer or to initiate standby mode. Depending on the
computer's power management settings, pressing the power button may activate hibernate or
shutdown mode instead.
If the computer stops responding, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off
completely (this may take several seconds).
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2100
Display-Close Button
When you close the display, this button activates a power conservation mode that you can select on
the Microsoft Windows Power Options Properties window.
NOTICE: Do not press the display-close button with your finger.
Left Side View
Fan Exhaust
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2100
HINT: The computer turns on the fan only when the computer gets hot. It may run most of the
time or very seldom, depending on your use of the computer. Because the fan spins at a high
rate of speed, it may make a noise. This noise is normal and does not indicate a problem with
the fan or the computer.
The fan works with the air intakes to prevent the computer from overheating. When the computer
gets hot, the small internal fan turns on and draws air through the air intakes to cool the computer.
Hot air is expelled through the fan exhausts.
CAUTION: Do not push objects into or block the fan exhaust. Doing so can cause fire
or damage the interior components. Keep the opening free from dust and other
foreign particles.
Audio Connectors
●Attach a microphone to the connector.
●Attach headphones or speakers to the connector.
USB Connector
Use this connector to attach USB-compatible devices such as a mouse,
keyboard, printer, or scanner to your computer.
Right Side View
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2100
Security Cable Slot
The slot lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device to the computer. Complete
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2100
instructions for installing antitheft devices are usually included with the device.
NOTICE: Antitheft devices are of differing designs. Before you buy one, make sure it will work
with the security cable slot in the computer.
Hard Drive
The hard drive reads and writes data on a hard disk.
PC Card Slot
The PC Card slot has one connector that supports various types of PC Cards, including modems and
network cards. See the Tell Me How help file for more information on supported PC Cards and for
installation and removal instructions.
Back View
Network Connector
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