Dell Networking 8100 Series User manual

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Dell Inspiron 8100
Dell™ Inspiron™ 8100
A Tour of Your Computer
Power Conservation
Solving Problems
System Specifications
Reinstalling Software
System Setup Program
Ports and Connector Pin-Outs
Removing and Replacing Parts
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.
© 2001 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, Dell TravelLite, Inspiron, AccessDirect, and TrueMobile are trademarks of Dell Computer
Corporation; Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks; GeForce2 Go is a trademark of NVIDIA 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 8100
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.
August 2001
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 8100
Back to Contents Page
A Tour of Your Computer
Dell™ Inspiron™ 8100
Front View
Left Side View
Right Side View
Back View
Front View
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 8100
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 8100
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 when the computer reads data from or writes data to the hard
drive.
●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 an adequately charged battery or
that the computer is turned off
❍Flashing green, which indicates that the battery is fully charged
❍Solid green, which indicates that the battery is charging
❍Flashing orange, which indicates that the battery charge is low
❍Solid orange, which indicates that the battery charge is critically low
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 8100
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 8100
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.
Track Stick
The track stick detects the pressure and movement of your finger for moving the cursor on the display
and, along with the track stick buttons, provides full mouse functionality.
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 8100
Touch Pad
The touch pad detects the position of your finger over a touch-sensitive area and provides the
computer with full mouse functionality.
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 CD drive, DVD drive, CD-RW and CD-R drive, second battery, or Dell
TravelLite™ travel module in the media bay.
Touch Pad/Track Stick 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.
Power Button
HINT: To turn off your computer, perform a Windows
shutdown.
Press the power button to turn on the computer or to initiate standby mode.
If the computer stops responding, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off
completely (this may take several seconds).
Microphone
The internal microphone allows you to record voice audio.
Volume Control Buttons
Increase or decrease the speaker volume with the volume control buttons. You can also change the
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A Tour of Your Computer : Dell Inspiron 8100
speaker volume using key combinations:
●To increase the volume press, the <Fn> and the <Page Up> keys.
●To decrease the volume, press the <Fn> and the <Page Dn> keys.
●To enable or disable (mute) the integrated stereo speakers or external speakers, press both of
the volume control buttons simultaneously.
HINT: If no sound comes from the speakers, press <Fn> and <End> and check the volume
control buttons to make sure that the sound is not disabled.
When you mute music, the computer may take a moment to respond.
Dell™ AccessDirect™ Buttons
HINT: To launch the Dell Solution Center, the computer must be turned on and functioning
properly.
1Press this button to launch the Dell Solution Center, where you can find support and educational
tools that Dell has installed on your computer.
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