Dell Inspiron 8600 User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Inspiron™ 8600
Owner’s Manual
Model PP02X

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 (see page 61)
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 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,DellNet, Dell TravelLite, Inspiron, Dell Precision, Dimension, OptiPlex,
PowerApp, PowerEdge,PowerConnect, PowerVault, Axim, and Latitude are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron
are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation;
Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell Inc. under license; EMC is a registered
trademark of EMC 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 Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
Model PP02X
December 2004 P/N D7711 Rev. A01

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 A Tour of Your Computer
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Left View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Right View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Bottom View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2 Setting Up Your Computer
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Modem and Internet Connection Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Connecting a USB Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Setting Up the Docking Device to Connect to a Network. . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Power Protection Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Line Conditioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Uninterruptible Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4Contents
3 Using Batteries and Module Bay Devices
Using a Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Checking the Battery Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Charging the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Removing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Installing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Storing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
About the Module Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Checking the Charge on the Second Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Turned Off. . . . . . 32
If the Device Screw Is Not Installed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
If the Device Screw Is Installed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Running. . . . . . . 35
If the Device Screw Is Not Installed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
If the Device Screw Is Installed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
CD or DVD Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Radios (Including Wireless Networking and Bluetooth®). . . . . . . . . 40
Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Microsoft®Windows®Logo Key Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Customizing the Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Contents 5
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
External Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Unexpected Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5 Using CDs, DVDs, and Other Multimedia
Copying CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
How to Copy a CD or DVD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Using Blank CD-Rs, CD-RWs, DVD+Rs, and DVD+RWs . . . . . . . . . . 46
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
S-Video Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Composite Video Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Enabling the Display Settings for a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
6 Setting Up a Home and Office Network
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Network Setup Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Determining Your Network Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . 55
7 Solving Problems
Finding Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Accessing Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Video and Display Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
If the display is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
If only part of the display is readable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

6Contents
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
If you cannot save a file to a floppy drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
If you have problems with a hard drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
PC Card Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
General Program Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
A program crashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Error messages appear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
E-Mail Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
If Your Computer Gets Wet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
If You Drop or Damage Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Resolving Other Technical Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Manually Reinstalling Drivers for Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
8 Adding and Replacing Parts
Adding Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Adding a Mini PCI Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Adding a Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Replacing the Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Contents 7
9 Appendix
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Standard Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Viewing the System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Commonly Used Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . 98
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals. . . . . . . . . . . . 99
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

8Contents

Finding Information 9
Finding Information
What Are You Looking For? Find it Here
• 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
The Dell Inspiron 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 .
• 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. The Express Service Code
is not available in all countries.
• Use the number on the Microsoft Windows License
Label if you reinstall your operating system.

10 Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
• Latest drivers for my computer
• Answers to technical service and support questions
• Online discussions with other users and
technical support
• Documentation for my computer
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
NOTE: Select your region to view the appropriate
support site.
The Dell Support website provides several online
tools, including:
• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles
from technicians, and online courses
• 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, order status,
warranty, and repair information
• Downloads — Drivers, patches, and software updates
• Reference — Computer documentation, product
specifications, and white papers
• 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 11
A Tour of Your Computer
Front View
DISPLAY LATCH —Keeps the display closed.
DISPLAY —For more information about your display, see the Dell Inspiron help file. To access the help
file, see page 61.
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, turn off your computer by performing a Microsoft®Windows®shutdown
rather than by pressing the power button.
If the computer stops responding, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off completely
(which may take several seconds).
display latch
keyboard
display
touch pad
volume control
buttons device status
lights
touch pad buttons
mute button
power button
display latch
button
speakers
keyboard
status lights
media control
buttons

12 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS
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. If it is off, you
may not have a battery in your computer.
Turns on when Bluetooth®wireless technology is enabled.
NOTE: Bluetooth is an optional feature, so the light turns on only if you
ordered Bluetooth with your computer. For more information, see the
documentation that came with your Bluetooth technology products.
To turn off only the Bluetooth functionality, right-click the icon in
the system tray and select Disable Bluetooth Radio.
To quickly enable or disable all wireless devices, press <Fn><F2>.

A Tour of Your Computer 13
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.
KEYBOARD —The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft®Windows®logo key. For
information on supported keyboard shortcuts, see page 40.
MEDIA CONTROL BUTTONS —Control CD and DVD playback.
TOUCH PAD —Touch pad and touch pad buttons provide the functionality of a mouse. See page 42 for
more information.
DISPLAY LATCH BUTTON —Press this button to release the display latch and open the display.
SPEAKERS —To adjust the volume of the integrated speakers, press the volume control buttons or
volume control keyboard shortcuts. For more information, see page 41.
TOUCH PAD BUTTONS —Touch pad buttons provide the functionality of a mouse. See the Dell Inspiron
help file for more information. To access the help file, see page 61.
VOLUME CONTROL BUTTONS —Press these buttons to adjust the volume.
MUTE BUTTON —Press this button to turn off the volume.

14 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
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

A Tour of Your Computer 15
Left View
IEEE 1394 CONNECTOR (4-PIN)—Use to attach devices supporting IEEE 1394 high-speed transfer
rates, such as some digital video cameras.
PC CARD SLOT —Supports one PC Card, such as a modem or network adapter. For more information,
see the Dell Inspiron help file. To access the help file, see page 61.
AUDIO CONNECTORS
Attach headphones or speakers to the connector.
Attach a microphone to the connector.
IEEE 1394 connector
PC Card slot audio connectors
hard drive
security cable slot

16 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
HARD DRIVE —Stores software and data.
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.
Right View
module bay device latch release
security cable slot

A Tour of Your Computer 17
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.
MODULE BAY —You can install devices such as an optical drive or Dell TravelLite™ module in the
module bay. For more information, see the Dell Inspiron help file. To access the help file, see page 61.
DEVICE LATCH RELEASE —Releases a device. For more information, see the Dell Inspiron help file.
To access the help file, see page 61.
Back View
S-video TV-out connector
network connector (RJ-45)
modem connector (RJ-11)
video connector
AC adapter connector
air vents
air vent
USB connectors (2)

18 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
S-VIDEO TV-OUT CONNECTOR
USB CONNECTORS (2)
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 into the network connector.
Connects your computer to a TV. For more information,
see page 47.
Connect USB devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, or
printer. You can also connect the optional floppy drive
directly to a USB connector using the optional
floppy-drive cable, as shown below.
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.

A Tour of Your Computer 19
MODEM CONNECTOR (RJ-11)
VIDEO CONNECTOR
AC ADAPTER CONNECTOR —Attaches an AC adapter to the computer.
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.
AIR VENTS —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 fan 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.
To use the internal modem, connect the telephone line
to the modem connector.
For additional information on using the modem, see
the online modem documentation supplied with
your computer.
Connects an external monitor. For more information,
see the Dell Inspiron help file. To access the help file,
see page 61.

20 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Bottom View
BATTERY-BAY LATCH RELEASE —Releases the battery. See page 30.
BATTERY —When a battery is installed, you can use the computer without connecting the computer to
an electrical outlet. See page 30.
BATTERY CHARGE GAUGE —Provides information on the battery charge. See page 29.
DOCKING DEVICE SLOT —Lets you attach your computer to a docking device. See the documentation
that came with your docking device for additional information.
MEMORY MODULE COVER —Covers the compartment that contains the memory modules. See page 77.
FAN —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 fan 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.
MINI PCI CARD AND MODEM —Covers the compartment that contains the optional modem and
optional Mini PCI card. See page 81.
HARD DRIVE —Stores software and data.
hard drive
docking device slot
Mini PCI
card/modem
cover
battery
battery-bay latch release battery charge gauge
memory module cover
fan