Dell Inspiron 2500 User manual

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Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
Dell™ Inspiron™ 2500 Systems
A Tour of Your Computer
Power Conservation
Solving Problems
System Specifications
Drivers and Utilities
Reinstalling Microsoft® Windows®
System Setup Program
Ports and Connector Pin-Outs
Removing and Replacing Parts
Documentation
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 potential for property damage, personal injury, or
death.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see the Tell Me How help file (click the Start button
on the Microsoft® Windows® desktop, point to Programs—> User's Guides, and click Tell Me
How).
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2000–2002 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, and Inspiron are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation; Intel and
Pentium are registered trademarks and Celeron is a 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
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Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
than its own.
This product incorporates copyright protection technology that is protected by method claims of certain U.S. patents and
other intellectual property rights owned by Macrovision Corporation and other rights owners. Use of this copyright
protection technology must be authorized by Macrovision Corporation, and is intended for home and other limited viewing
uses only unless otherwise authorized by Macrovision Corporation. Reverse engineering or disassembly is prohibited.
February 2002 Rev. A03
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
Back to Contents Page
A Tour of Your Computer
Dell™ Inspiron™ 2500 Systems
Front View
Left Side View
Right Side View
Back View
Front View
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
Display Latch
This latch keeps the display locked in place when the display is closed.
Display
The computer has a color LCD.
Device Status Lights
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
The lights below the display indicate the following:
●The light labeled turns on when the computer is turned on and blinks when the computer
is in standby mode.
●The light labeled turns on steadily or blinks to indicate the battery charge status.
Indicator states include:
❍Off, which indicates that the computer is operating on battery power or that the
computer is turned off
❍Flashing green, which indicates that the battery is charging or that the battery power is
low
❍Solid green, which indicates that the battery is fully charged and that the computer is
operating on AC power
❍Flashing amber, which indicates that the battery power is critically low
●The light labeled turns on when the computer reads data from or writes data to any
drive.
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
NOTICE: To avoid data loss, never turn off the computer while the green light labeled is
flashing.
Air Intake
HINT: The computer turns on the fans only when the computer gets hot. They may run most of
the time or very seldom, depending on your use of the computer. Because the fans spin at a
high rate of speed, they may make a noise. This noise is normal and does not indicate a
problem with the fans or the computer.
The fans work with the air intakes to prevent the computer from overheating. When the computer gets
hot, the small internal fans turn on and draw 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 air intakes. Doing so can cause fire
or damage the interior components. Keep the openings free from dust and other
foreign particles.
Keyboard Status Lights
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
●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.
●The light labeled turns on when you press to enable the scroll lock
function.
Touch Pad
The touch pad detects the position of your finger over a touch-sensitive area and provides the
computer with full mouse functionality.
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
Battery Bay
With a charged battery in this bay, you can use the computer without plugging it in to an electrical
outlet.
Media Bay
You can install devices such as a floppy drive, an internal Zip drive, or a Dell TravelLite™ travel module
in the media bay.
Touch Pad Buttons
These buttons correspond to the left and right buttons on a standard mouse.
Keyboard
The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft® Windows® logo key that supports
the Windows operating systems.
Dell AccessDirect™ Buttons
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 2500 Systems
HINT: To launch the Dell Solution Center, the computer must be turned on and functioning
properly.
1 Press this button to launch the Dell Solution Center, where you can find
support and educational tools that Dell has installed on your computer.
2Press this button to launch your default Internet browser.
3Press this button to launch http://www.dell.com, or reprogram the
button to launch a program of your choice.
4 Press this button to open your default e-mail program, reprogram the
button to launch a program of your choice.
You can also reprogram the button scheme to control CD or DVD player functions.
Power Button
HINT: To turn off your computer, perform a Windows
shutdown.
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