Dell PowerEdge 5160 User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Inspiron™ 5160
Owner’s Manual
Model PP08L

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
page 10.
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.
© 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, AccessDirect, Dell Precision, Dell TravelLite, Dimension, OptiPlex, Latitude,
TrueMobile, DellNet, PowerApp, PowerEdge, PowerConnect, PowerVault, and Axim are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron
areregisteredtrademarksofIntelCorporation;Microsoft,Windows,MS-DOS, and Outlook are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation;
EMCisaregisteredtrademarkofEMCCorporation;BluetoothisatrademarkownedbyBluetoothSIG,Inc.andisusedbyDellInc.underlicense.
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 PP08L
January 2005 P/N G7482 Rev. A02

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 A Tour of Your Computer
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Left Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Right Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Bottom View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2 Setting Up Your Computer
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Connecting a USB Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Power Protection Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Line Conditioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Uninterruptible Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3 Using a Battery
Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Checking the Battery Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Microsoft Windows Power Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Low-Battery Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Charging the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Removing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

4Contents
Installing a Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Storing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4 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
Composite Video Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Enabling the Display Settings for a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
5 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad
Dell™ AccessDirect™ Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Button Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Reprogramming the Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Key Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Microsoft®Windows®Logo Key Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Customizing the Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6 Using PC Cards
PC Card Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
PC Card Blanks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Extended PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Contents 5
Removing a PC Card or Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Installing a PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
7 Setting Up a Home and Office Network
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Network Setup Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Determining Your Network Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft Windows XP. . . . . . . 47
Configuring Security Settings (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
8 Solving Problems
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
When to Use the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Starting the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Optical drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
If you cannot eject the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD+RW drive tray . . . . . 58
If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
E-mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
IEEE 1394 Device Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
External Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Unexpected Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
A program crashes repeatedly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

6Contents
A program is designed for an earlier Windows operating system . . . . . 64
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
PC Card Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
No sound from integrated speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
No sound from external speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Video and Display Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
If the display is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
If only part of the display is readable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
9 Adding and Replacing Parts
Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Contents 7
Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Returning a Hard Drive to Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Mini PCI Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
10 Appendix
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Using the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Viewing the System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Commonly Used Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . 101
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals. . . . . . . . . . . 101
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Macrovision Product Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

8Contents

Finding Information 9
Finding Information
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
• How to set up a printer
• Additional information about setting up my computer
• How to troubleshoot and solve problems
• How to remove and install parts
• Technical specifications
• How to contact Dell
Inspiron Owner’s Manual
NOTE: This document is available as a PDF at
support.dell.com.
• Warranty information
• Terms and conditions
• Safety instructions
• Regulatory information
• Ergonomics information
• End-user license agreement
Dell™ Product Information Guide
NOTE: This document is available as a PDF at
support.dell.com.

10 Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
• 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.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

Finding Information 11
• 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

12 Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com

A Tour of Your Computer 13
A Tour of Your Computer
Front View
DISPLAY LATCH —Keeps the display closed.
DISPLAY —For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" in the Dell Inspiron Help
file. To access the help file, see page 10.
display latch
display
speaker
keyboard
status lights
keyboard
device status lights
touch pad
speaker
touch pad buttons
power button
Dell™ AccessDirect™
button

14 A Tour of Your Computer
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KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
KEYBOARD —
The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft
®
Windows
®
logo key. For
information on supported key combinations, see page 38.
SPEAKERS —To adjust the volume of the integrated speakers, use the key combinations (see page 38) for
volume control.
Turns on when the numeric keypad is enabled.
Turns on when Caps Lock is enabled.
Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.
9
A

A Tour of Your Computer 15
DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS
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 orange: The battery charge is low.
– Solid orange: The battery charge is critically low.
TOUCH PAD BUTTONS —Touch pad buttons provide the functionality of a mouse. See page 40 for more
information.
TOUCH PAD —The touch pad and touch pad buttons provide the functionality of a mouse. See page 40
for more information.
POWER BUTTON —Press the power button to turn on the computer or to enter or exit a power
management mode. For more information, see "Power Management" in the Dell Inspiron Help file. To
access the help file, see page 10.
NOTICE: To avoid losing data, turn off your computer by performing a Windows shutdown rather than by
pressing the power button (see "Turning Off Your Computer" on page 79).
Turns on when you turn on the computer. Blinks or turns off in 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.
Blinks to indicate battery charge status.

16 A Tour of Your Computer
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If the computer stops responding, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off completely
(which may take several seconds).
DELL™ ACCESSDIRECT™ BUTTON —Press this button to launch a frequently used program, such as
support and educational tools. You can reprogram the button to launch a program of your choice. For more
information, see page 37.
Left Side View
PC CARD SLOT —Supports one PC Card, such as a modem or network adapter. For more information,
see "Using PC Cards" in the Dell Inspiron Help file. To access the help file, see page 10.
AUDIO CONNECTORS
OPTICAL DRIVE —Accommodates a DVD drive, a DVD/RW+R drive, or DVD/CD-RW combo drive.
Attach headphones or speakers to the connector.
Attach a microphone to the connector.
PC Card slot
audio connectors (2) optical drive

A Tour of Your Computer 17
Right Side View
BATTERY/BATTERY BAY —When a battery is installed, you can use the computer without connecting
the computer to an electrical outlet. See page 27.
AIR VENTS —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.
NOTE: The fan runs constantly, and fan speed may vary depending on usage. Fan noise is normal and
does not indicate a problem with the fan or the computer.
battery/battery bay air vents
security cable slot

18 A Tour of Your Computer
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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.
Back View
NOTE: The connector for your AC adapter on your computer may look different than the connector in the
following graphic.
AIR VENTS —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.
USB connectors (2)
S-video TV-out connector
network connector
video connector
AC adapter connector
air vents
IEEE 1394 connector
modem connector

A Tour of Your Computer 19
NOTE: The fan runs constantly, and fan speed may vary depending on usage. Fan noise is normal and
does not indicate a problem with the fan or the computer.
AC ADAPTER CONNECTOR —Attach an AC adapter to the computer.
NOTE: The AC adapter in the following graphic may not look exactly like the AC adapter that shipped
with your computer.
NOTICE: Use only the AC adapter that came with your 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.
CAUTION: Place the AC adapter in a ventilated area, such as a desk top or on the floor, when you use
it to run the computer or to charge the battery. Do not cover the AC adapter with papers or other items
that will reduce cooling; also, do not use the AC adapter inside a carrying case.
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.
S-VIDEO TV-OUT CONNECTOR
Connects your computer to a TV. For more information,
see page 33.
AC adapter connector
AC adapter

20 A Tour of Your Computer
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USB CONNECTORS
VIDEO CONNECTOR
IEEE 1394 CONNECTOR —Use to attach devices supporting IEEE 1394 high-speed transfer rates, such as
some digital video cameras.
MODEM CONNECTOR
NETWORK CONNECTOR
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 USB devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, or
printer.
Connects an external monitor. For more information, see
"Using the Display" in the Dell Inspiron Help file. To access
the help file, see page 10.
Connect 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 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.