Dell Inspiron J5MFN User manual

SETUP GUIDE
INSPIRON™

SETUP GUIDE
Model P04E Regulatory type P04E001
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.
© 2009 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, Dell On Call, and DellConnect are trademarks of
Dell Inc.; Intel , Celeron , and Pentium are registered trademarks and Core is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S.
and other countries; Microsoft , Windows , Windows Vista, MS-DOS, and Windows Vista start button logo are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; ATI Radeon is
a trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc; 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.
July 2009 P/N J5MFN 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 Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Enable or Disable Wireless (Optional). . . . . 10
Connect to the Internet (Optional) . . . . . . . . 12
Using Your Inspiron Laptop. . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Right Side Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Left Side Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Front Side Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Computer Base Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Touch Pad Gestures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Media Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Using the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Display Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Removing and Replacing the Battery . . . . . 32
Software Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Power Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . 43
Using Support Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Dell Support Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Hardware Troubleshooter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Contents

4
Contents
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . .51
System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Dell Factory Image Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Operating System Reinstallation . . . . . . . . . 54
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Technical Support and Customer
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
DellConnect™. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Automated Order-Status Service . . . . . . . . . 59
Product Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Returning Items for Repair Under
Warranty or for Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Before You Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Finding More Information and
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Macrovision Product Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

5
This section provides information about setting
up your 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 Inspiron
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 store your Dell™
computer in a low-airflow environment,
such as a closed briefcase, while it is
powered on. Restricting the airflow can
damage the computer 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

9
Setting Up Your Inspiron™ Laptop
Set Up Windows Vista
Your Dell computer is preconfigured with Windows Vista®. To set up Windows Vista for the first time,
follow the instructions on the screen. These steps are mandatory and may take up to 15 minutes to
complete. The Windows Vista set up screens will take you through several procedures including
accepting license agreements, setting preferences, and setting up an Internet connection.
CAUTION: Do not interrupt the operating system’s setup process. Doing so may render your
computer unusable and you will need to reinstall the operating system.

10
Setting Up Your Inspiron™ Laptop
Enable or Disable Wireless (Optional)

11
Setting Up Your Inspiron™ Laptop
To enable wireless:
Ensure that your computer is turned on.1.
Press the wireless key2. on the keyboard.
A confirmation of your selection appears on the screen.
Wireless enabled
Wireless disabled
To disable wireless:
Press the wireless key on the keyboard again to turn off all radios.
NOTE: The wireless key allows you to quickly turn all of your wireless radios (Bluetooth and
WiFi) off, such as when you are asked to disable all wireless radios on an airplane flight.

12
Setting Up Your Inspiron™ Laptop
Connect to the Internet
(Optional)
To connect to the Internet, you need an external
modem or network connection and an Internet
service provider (ISP).
If an external USB modem or WLAN adapter
is not a part of your original order, you can
purchase one from the Dell website at
www.dell.com.
Setting Up a Wired Connection
If you are using a dial-up connection,•
connect the telephone line to the external
USB modem (optional) and to the telephone
wall connector before you set up your
Internet connection.
If you are using a DSL or cable/satellite•
modem connection, contact your ISP
or cellular telephone service for setup
instructions.
Setting Up a Wireless Connection
Before you can use your wireless Internet
connection, you need to connect to your
wireless router.
Ensure that wireless is enabled on your1.
computer (see “Enable or Disable Wireless”
on page 10).
Save and close any open files, and exit any2.
open programs.
Click3. Start →Connect To.
Follow the instructions on the screen to4.
complete the setup.

13
Setting Up Your Inspiron™ Laptop
Setting Up Your Internet Connection
ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and ISP
offerings vary by country. Contact your ISP for
offerings available in your country.
If you cannot connect to the Internet but have
successfully connected in the past, the ISP
might have a service outage. Contact your ISP
to check the service status, or try connecting
again later.
Have your ISP information ready. If you do not
have an ISP, the Connect to the Internet wizard
can help you get one.
Save and close any open files, and exit any1.
open programs.
NOTE: The following instructions are
applicable for the Windows default view,
and may not apply if you set your computer
to the Windows Classic view.
Click2. Start →Control Panel.
Click3. Network and Internet→Network and
Sharing Center→Set up a connection or
network→ Connect to the Internet.
The Connect to the Internet window appears.
NOTE: If you do not know which type of
connection to select, click Help me choose
or contact your ISP.
Follow the instructions on the screen and4.
use the setup information provided by your
ISP to complete the setup.

14
Using Your Inspiron Laptop
This section provides information about the features available on your Inspiron laptop.
Right Side Features
1 2 34
INSPIRON

15
Using Your Inspiron Laptop
1ExpressCard slot – Supports 34/54 mm wide ExpressCard. The computer ships with a plastic
blank installed in the slot.
NOTE: Blanks protect unused slots from dust and other particles. Save the blank for use when
no ExpressCard is installed in the slot; blanks from other computers may not fit your computer.
2Optical drive – Plays or records CDs and DVDs. Ensure that the side with print or writing is
facing upward when placing discs on the optical drive tray.
3Eject button – Opens or closes the optical drive tray when pressed.
4USB 2.0 connector – Connects to USB devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, printer,
external drive, or MP3 player.

16
Using Your Inspiron Laptop
Left Side Features
1 2 3 4 5

17
Using Your Inspiron Laptop
1Security cable slot – Attaches a commercially available security cable to the computer.
NOTE: Before you buy a security cable, ensure that it works with the security cable slot on
your computer.
2AC adapter connector – Connects to an AC adapter to power the computer and charge
the battery.
3VGA connector – Connects to a monitor or projector.
4Network connector – Connects your computer to a network or a broadband device if you
are using a wired network.
5USB 2.0 connectors (2) – Connects to USB devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, printer,
external drive, or MP3 player.

18
Using Your Inspiron Laptop
Front Side Features
12 3 4 5