Dell Inspiron C3W6D User manual

SETUP GUIDE
INSPIRON™

SETUP GUIDE
Regulatory model: P07G series Regulatory type: P07G002
INSPIRON™

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your
computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells
you how to avoid the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
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.
© 2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell , the DELL logo, YOURS IS HERE , Solution Station , Inspiron,and DellConnect are
trademarks of Dell Inc.; AMD , AMD Phenom , AMD Athlon , AMD Turion , and ATI Mobility Radeon are trademarks of
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Microsoft , Windows , Windows Vista , and the Windows Vista start button logo are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; Blu‑ray Disc
is a trademark of the Blu‑ray Disc Association; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is
used by Dell 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.
November 2010 P/N C3W6D Rev. A01

3
Setting Up Your Inspiron Laptop. . . . . . . . . .5
Before Setting Up Your Computer . . . . . . . . . 5
Connect the AC Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Connect the Network Cable (Optional) . . . . . 7
Press the Power Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Set Up the Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Create System Recovery Media
(Recommended). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Enable or Disable Wireless (Optional). . . . . 12
Connect to the Internet (Optional) . . . . . . . . 14
Using Your Inspiron Laptop. . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Right View Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Left View Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Front View Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Status Lights and Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Computer Base and Keyboard Features . . . 26
Touch Pad Gestures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Multimedia Control Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Display Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Removing and Replacing the
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Software Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Dell Dock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Dell DataSafe Online Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Power Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . 45
Contents

4
Contents
Using Support Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Dell Support Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
My Dell Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Hardware Troubleshooter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . .56
System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Dell DataSafe Local Backup. . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
System Recovery Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Dell Factory Image Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Technical Support and Customer
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
DellConnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Automated Order‑Status Service . . . . . . . . . 67
Product Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Returning Items for Repair Under
Warranty or for Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Before You Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Finding More Information and
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Macrovision Product Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Information for NOM, or Official
Mexican Standard (Only for Mexico). . . . . . 84
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

5
This section provides information about setting
up your Dell™ Inspiron™laptop.
Before Setting Up Your
Computer
When positioning your computer, ensure that
you allow easy access to a power source,
adequate ventilation, and a level surface to
place your computer.
Restricting airflow around your laptop may
cause it to overheat. To prevent overheating
ensure that you leave at least 10.2 cm (4 inches)
at the back of the computer and a minimum of
5.1 cm (2 inches) on all other sides. You should
never place your computer in an enclosed
space, such as a cabinet or drawer when it is
powered on.
WARNING: Do not block, push objects
into, or allow dust to accumulate in
the air vents. Do not place your Dell™
computer in a low-airflow environment,
such as a closed briefcase, or on fabric
surfaces, such as carpets or rugs, while
it is powered on. Restricting the airflow
can damage the computer, deteriorate the
computer performance, or cause a fire.
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: Placing or stacking heavy or
sharp objects on the computer may result
in permanent damage to the computer.
Setting Up Your Inspiron Laptop
INSPIRON

6
Setting Up Your Inspiron Laptop
Connect the AC Adapter
Connect the AC adapter to the computer and then plug it into an electrical outlet or surge protector.
WARNING: 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 a power strip or electrical outlet may cause fire or
permanent damage to your computer.

7
Setting Up Your Inspiron Laptop
Connect the Network Cable (Optional)
To use a wired network connection, connect the network cable.

8
Setting Up Your Inspiron Laptop
Press the Power Button