Dell Inspiron 600m User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Inspiron™ 700m
Owner’s Manual
Model PP07S

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
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 the Dell Inspiron Help file. To access the help file,
see "Finding Information" on page 9.
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.
© 2004–2005 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, Dell TravelLite, Dimension, OptiPlex, Latitude, TrueMobile,
DellNet, PowerApp, PowerEdge, PowerConnect, PowerVault, and Axim are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron are registered
trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, and Outlook are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; EMC is a registered
trademark of EMC Corporation; Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell Inc. under license.
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 PP07S
April 2005 P/N G7472 Rev. A02

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 A Tour of Your Computer
Front View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Left Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Right Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Bottom View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2 Setting Up Your Computer
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Connecting a USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Power Protection Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Line Conditioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Uninterruptible Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3 Using a Battery
Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Checking the Battery Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Microsoft Windows Power Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Low-Battery Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Charging the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Removing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

4Contents
Installing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Storing a Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4 Installing Module Bay Devices
About the Module Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Turned Off . . . . . 29
Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Running . . . . . . 30
5 Using CDs, DVDs, and Other Multimedia
Using CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Copying CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
How to Copy a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
S-Video Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Enabling the Display Settings for a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
6 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Key Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Radios (Including Wireless Networking) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Customizing the Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Contents 5
7 Using PC Cards
PC Card Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
PC Card Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Extended PC Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Removing a PC Card or Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Installing a PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
8 Setting Up a Home and Office Network
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Network Setup Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Determining Your Network Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft®Windows®XP. . . . . 45
9 Solving Problems
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
When to Use the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Starting the Dell Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Identifying Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
CD and DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
If you cannot eject the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD+RW drive tray . . . . . 55
If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound . . . . . . . . . . 56
Hard drive problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

6Contents
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
IEEE 1394 Device Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
External Keyboard Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Unexpected Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
A program crashes repeatedly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
A program is designed for an earlier Windows operating system. . . . . 61
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Network Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
PC Card Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Printer Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
No sound from integrated speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
No sound from external speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Video and Display Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
If the display is difficult to read. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
If only part of the display is readable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Contents 7
10 Adding and Replacing Parts
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Mini PCI Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
11 Appendix
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Using the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Viewing the System Setup Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
System Setup Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Commonly Used Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . 89
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . 89
Contacting Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Macrovision Product Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Class A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
FCC Identification Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

8Contents

Finding Information 9
Finding Information
NOTE: Some features may not be available for your computer or 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
• Tips on using Microsoft
®
Windows
®
• How to play CDs and DVDs
• How to use standby mode and hibernate mode
• How to change my display resolution
• How to clean my computer
Help File
1 Click the Start button and click Help and Support .
2 Click User and system guides and click User’s guides .
3 Click Dell Inspiron Help .

10 Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
• 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 11
• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles
from technicians, 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
• 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 Dell™
3.5-inch USB floppy drives, Intel
®
Pentium
®
M
processors, optical drives, and USB devices. 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 Notebook System Software:
1 Go to support.dell.com and click Downloads .
2 Enter your Service Tag or product model.
3 In the Download Category drop-down menu, click All .
4 Select the operating system and operating system
language for your computer, and click
Submit .
5 Under Select a Device , scroll to System and
Configuration Utilities
, and click Dell Notebook
System Software
.
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.The website may not be
available in all regions.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

12 Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
• How to use Windows XP
• Documentation for my computer
• Documentation for devices (such as a modem)
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

A Tour of Your Computer 13
A Tour of Your Computer
Front View
DISPLAY LATCH RELEASE —Slide this display latch to release and open the display.
DISPLAY —For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" in the Dell Inspiron Help
file.
To access help, see "Finding Information" on page 9.
SPEAKERS —To adjust the volume of the integrated speakers press the volume control keyboard
shortcuts. For more information, see "Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad" on page 35.
POWER BUTTON —Press the power button to turn on the computer or to enter or exit a power
management mode.
NOTICE: To avoid losing data, shut down your computer instead of pressing the power button.
display latch release
display
touch pad buttons
speakers (2)
device and keyboard
status lights
power button
touch pad
keyboard
IEEE 1394 connector microphone connector
headphone connector

14 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
AUDIO CONNECTORS —Connect headphones and microphone.
IEEE 1394 CONNECTOR —Connects devices supporting IEEE 1394 high-speed transfer rates, such as
some digital video cameras.
TOUCH PAD —Touch pad and touch pad buttons provide the functionality of a mouse. See "Using the
Keyboard and Touch Pad" on page 35 for more information.
KEYBOARD —The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft®Windows®logo key.
For information on supported keyboard shortcuts, see "Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad" on page 35.
Attach headphones or speakers to the connector.
Attach a microphone to the connector.

A Tour of Your Computer 15
DEVICE AND KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
NOTE: Device status lights are also visible when the display is closed.
Turns on when wireless networking is enabled. To enable or disable wireless
networking, press <Fn><F2>.
Turns on when you turn on the computer. Turns on steadily or blinks when
the computer is in a power management mode.
Indicates battery charge status.
If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the light operates
as follows:
– Solid green: The battery is charging.
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 green: The battery charge is low.
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 when the numeric keypad is enabled.
Turns on when the uppercase letter function is enabled.
Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.
9
A

16 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Left Side View
SECURITY CABLE SLOT —Lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device to the computer.
For more information, see the instructions included with the device.
NOTICE: Before you buy an antitheft device, ensure that it will work with the security cable slot.
EXHAUST VENT —The computer uses an internal fan to create airflow through the vents, which prevents
the computer from overheating.
NOTE: The computer turns on the fan when the computer gets hot. Fan noise is normal and does not
indicate a problem with the fans or the computer.
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.
video connector PC Card slot
USB connectors (2) Secure Digital
memory card slot
security
cable slot
exhaust vent

A Tour of Your Computer 17
VIDEO CONNECTOR
USB 2.0 CONNECTOR
PC CARD SLOT —Supports one PC Card, such as a modem or network adapter. The computer ships with
a plastic blank installed in the slot. For more information, see "Using PC Cards" on page 39.
SECURE DIGITAL MEMORY CARD SLOT
Connects an external monitor. For more information, see
"Using the Display" in the
Dell Inspiron Help file. To access
help, see "Finding Information" on page 9.
Connects USB 2.0 compliant devices, such as a mouse,
keyboard, or printer.
The Secure Digital memory card slot supports one Secure
Digital memory card. Use Secure Digital memory cards to
save or back up data.

18 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Right Side View
MODULE BAY —You can install devices such as an optical drive or Dell TravelLite™ module in the module
bay. For more information, see "Installing Module Bay Devices" on page 29.
MODEM CONNECTOR (RJ-11)
NETWORK CONNECTOR (RJ-45)
NOTICE: The network connector is slightly larger than the modem connector. To avoid damaging the
computer, do not plug a telephone line in to the network connector.
AC ADAPTER CONNECTOR —Connects the AC adapter so that you can run the computer on AC power
instead of battery power.
Connects the telephone line to the modem connector.
For information on using the modem, see the online modem
documentation supplied with your computer.
Connects the computer to a network. The green and yellow
lights next to the connector indicate activity for both wired
and wireless network communications.
For information on using the network adapter, see the
online network-adapter documentation supplied with
your computer.
modem connector AC adapter connector
network connector
S-video tv-out
connector
module bay

A Tour of Your Computer 19
The AC adapter converts AC power to the DC power required by the computer. You can connect the
AC adapter with your computer turned either on or off.
CAUTION: The AC adapter works with electrical outlets worldwide. However, power connectors and
power strips vary among countries. Using an incompatible cable or improperly connecting the cable to
the power strip or electrical outlet may cause fire or equipment damage.
NOTICE: When you disconnect the AC adapter cable from the computer, grasp the connector, not the
cable itself, and pull firmly but gently to avoid damaging the cable.
NOTICE: Ensure that the AC adapter cable is not in the path of chairs or other objects that could crush it.
S-VIDEO TV-OUT CONNECTOR
Connects your computer to a TV. For more information,
see "Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device"
on page 33.

20 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Bottom View
MODULE BAY —You can install devices such as an optical drive in the module bay. For more information,
see "Installing Module Bay Devices" on page 29.
MODULE BAY LATCH RELEASE —Releases a device. See "Installing Module Bay Devices" on page 29
for instructions.
HARD DRIVE — Stores software and data.
BATTERY LATCH RELEASE —Releases a device. See "Using a Battery" on page 25 for instructions.
BATTERY/BATTERY BAY —When a battery is installed, you can use the computer without connecting the
computer to an electrical outlet. See "Using a Battery" on page 25.
AIR VENT —The computer uses an internal fan to create airflow through the vents, which prevents the
computer from overheating.
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.
MEMORY MODULE COVER —Covers the compartment that contains the memory module. See "Memory"
on page 73.
MINI PCI CARD AND MODEM COVER —Covers the compartment that contains the Mini PCI card and
modem. See "Mini PCI Card" on page 76 and "Modem" on page 75.
Mini PCI card and modem cover
air vent
memory
module
cover
battery* battery latch release
module bay
hard drive cover
module bay
latch release
*optional 8-cell battery is shown