Dell Precision M4300 User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell Precision™ M4300
User’s Guide

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 "Glossary" on page 167.
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.
© 2007 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, Dell Precision, Dimension, OptiPlex, Latitude, PowerEdge, PowerVault, PowerApp,
ExpressCharge, TravelLite, Strike Zone, Wi-Fi Catcher, XPS, and Dell OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel is a registered trademark
and Core is a trademark of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Outlook, and Windows are registered trademarks and Windows Vista and the Windows
Vista Start button are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by
Dell under license; EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation; ENERGY STAR is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. As an ENERGY STAR partner, Dell Inc. has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy
efficiency.
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 PP04X
May 2007 P/N TX453 Rev. A00

Contents 1
Contents
1 Finding Information
2 About Your Computer
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Left Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Right Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Bottom View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard With the Operating System Media
25
Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Without the Operating System Media
26
Windows Vista™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3 Using a Battery
Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Checking the Battery Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Dell™ QuickSet Battery Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Microsoft®Windows®Power Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Charge Gauge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Low-Battery Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Conserving Battery Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Power Management Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Standby Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Hibernate Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Configuring Power Management Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Charging the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2Contents
Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Storing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Key Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Microsoft®Windows®Logo Key Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Customizing the Touch Pad and Track Stick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Changing the Track Stick Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5 Using Multimedia
Playing CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Adjusting the Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Adjusting the Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Connecting Your Computer to a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Enabling the Display Settings for a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
6 Using the Display
Adjusting Brightness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Switching the Video Image From Your Computer Display to a Projector. . . . 45
Making Images and Text Look Bigger or Sharper on the Screen: Setting Display
Resolution and Refresh Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Windows Vista™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Contents 3
Using an External Monitor Simultaneously as an Extension of Your Computer Display
46
Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Windows Vista™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Using an External Monitor as Your Primary Display: Swapping Primary and Secondary
Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Windows Vista™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Using the Ambient Light Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
7 Setting Up and Using Networks
Connecting a Network or Broadband Modem Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Setting Up a Network in Microsoft Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Setting Up a Network in Microsoft Windows Vista. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Checking Your Wireless Network Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Setting Up a New WLAN Using a Wireless Router and a Broadband Modem 53
Connecting to a WLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Monitoring the Status of Wireless Network Connections Through Dell™ QuickSet
55
Mobile Broadband or Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN). . . . . . . . . 55
What You Need to Establish a Mobile Broadband Network Connection . 56
Checking Your Mobile Broadband Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Connecting to a Mobile Broadband Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Enabling/Disabling the Dell Mobile Broadband Network Card. . . . . . . 57
Managing Your Network Settings Through the Dell QuickSet Location Profiler 57
Dell™ Wi-Fi Catcher™ Network Locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Internet Connection Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
8 Using Cards
Card Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Card Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

4Contents
Extended Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Installing a PC Card or ExpressCard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
ExpressCard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Removing a Card or Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
9 Securing Your Computer
Security Cable Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Smart Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
About Smart Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Installing a Smart Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Using a Primary/System Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Using an Administrator Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Using a Hard Drive Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Enabling the TPM Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Security Management Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Computer Tracking Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
10 Troubleshooting
Dell Technical Update Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
When to Use the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From the Drivers and Utilities Media . . . . 70
Dell Diagnostics Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Dell Support Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Accessing the Dell Support Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Clicking the Dell Support Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Double-Clicking the Dell Support Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Contents 5
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
CD and DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
IEEE 1394 Device Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
External keyboard problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Unexpected characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft® Windows® operating system 81
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
PC Card or ExpressCard Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Docking Power Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
No sound from integrated speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
No sound from external speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Video and Display Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
If the display is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

6Contents
If only part of the display is readable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
11 System Setup Program
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Viewing the System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
System Setup Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Commonly Used Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Changing the Boot Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Changing COM Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
12 Traveling With Your Computer
Identifying Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Packing the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Travel Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Traveling by Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
13 Reinstalling Software
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Using the Hardware Troubleshooter Tool in Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista
Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Using Microsoft Windows System Restore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Using the Operating System Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
14 Adding and Replacing Parts
Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Contents 7
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Returning a Hard Drive to Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Media Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Removing and Installing Media Bay Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Hinge Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Wireless Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Mobile Broadband or Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) Cards . . 118
FCM (Flash Cache Module) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Internal Card With Bluetooth®Wireless Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
15 Dell™ QuickSet
16 Specifications
17 Getting Help
Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Technical Support and Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
DellConnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
AutoTech Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Automated Order-Status Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Problems With Your Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

8Contents
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Before You Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
18 Appendix
Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Computer, Keyboard, and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Macrovision Product Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
FCC Notice (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
FCC Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Finding Information 9
Finding Information
NOTE: Some features or media may be optional and may not ship with your computer. Some features or media may
not be available in certain countries.
NOTE: Additional information may ship with your computer.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
• A diagnostic program for my computer
• Drivers for my computer
• My device documentation
• Notebook System Software (NSS)
Drivers and Utilities Media
NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities media may be optional and
may not ship with your computer.
Documentation and drivers are already installed on your
computer. You can use the media to reinstall drivers (see
"Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities" on page 96), to run the
Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics" on page 69), or to
access your documentation.
Readme files may be
included on your media to
provide last-minute
updates about technical
changes to your computer
or advanced technical-
reference material for
technicians or experienced
users.
NOTE: Drivers and
documentation updates
can be found at support.dell.com.
• How to set up my computer
• Basic troubleshooting information
• How to run the Dell Diagnostics
Quick Reference Guide
NOTE: This document may be optional and may not ship with
your computer.
NOTE: This document is available as a PDF at
support.dell.com.

10 Finding Information
• Warranty information
• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)
• Safety instructions
• Regulatory information
• Ergonomics information
• End User License Agreement
Dell™ Product Information Guide
• Service Tag and Express Service Code
• Microsoft Windows License Label
Service Tag and Microsoft
®
Windows
®
License
These labels are located on your computer.
Enter the Express Service
Code to direct your call
when contacting Dell
technical support.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

Finding Information 11
• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles
from technicians, and online courses, frequently asked
questions
• 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, service call and
order status, warranty, and repair information
• Service and support — Service call status and support
history, service contract, online discussions with
technical support
• Dell Technical Update Service — Proactive e-mail
notification of software and hardware updates for your
computer
• Reference — Computer documentation, details on my
computer configuration, product specifications, and
white papers
• Downloads — Certified drivers, patches, and software
updates
• Notebook System Software (NSS)— If you reinstall the
operating system for your computer, you should also
reinstall the NSS utility. NSS provides critical updates
for your operating system and support for Dell™
3.5-inch USB floppy drives, Intel
®
processors, optical
drives, and USB devices. NSS is necessary for correct
operation of your Dell computer. The software
automatically detects your computer and operating
system and installs the updates appropriate for your
configuration.
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
NOTE: Select your region or business segment to view the
appropriate support site.
NOTE: Corporate, government, and education customers
can also use the customized Dell Support website at
HTTP://support.us.dell.com.The website may not be
available in all regions.
To download Notebook System Software:
1 Go to support.dell.com , select your region or business
segment, and enter your Service Tag.
2 Select Drivers & Downloads and click Go .
3 Click your operating system and search for the keywords
Notebook System Software .
NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface may vary
depending on your selections.
• Software upgrades and troubleshooting hints —
Frequently asked questions, hot topics, and general
health of your computing environment
Dell Support Utility
The Dell Support Utility is an automated upgrade and
notification system installed on your computer. This
support provides real-time health scans of your computing
environment, software updates, and relevant self-support
information. Access the Dell Support Utility from the
icon in the taskbar. For more information, see "Dell Support
Utility" on page 72.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

12 Finding Information
• How to use Windows XP and Windows Vista™
• How to work with programs and files
• How to personalize my desktop
Windows Help and Support Center
1 Click Start or → 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.
• Information on network activity, the Power Management
Wizard, hotkeys, and other items controlled by Dell
QuickSet.
Dell QuickSet Help
To view Dell QuickSet Help , right-click the Quickset
icon in the Microsoft®Windows®taskbar.
For more information on Dell QuickSet, see "Dell™
QuickSet" on page 125.
• How to reinstall my operating system Operating System Media
NOTE: The Operating System media may be optional and may
not ship with your computer.
The operating system is already installed on your computer.
To reinstall your operating system, use the Operating
System media (see "Reinstalling Windows" on page 100).
After you reinstall your
operating system, use the
Drivers and Utilities media
to reinstall drivers for the
devices that came with
your computer.
Your operating system
product key label is located
on your computer.
NOTE: The color of your
media varies based on the operating system you ordered.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

About Your Computer 13
About Your Computer
Front View
DISPLAY LATCH —Keeps the display closed.
DISPLAY —For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" on page 45.
1
display latch 2 display 3 power button
4 device status lights 5 speakers (2) 6 keyboard
7 touch pad 8 touch pad/track stick buttons 9 track stick
10 keyboard status lights 11 volume control buttons 12 mute button
13 ambient light sensor
1
5
2
10
7
11 4
12
3
6
8
13
9

14 About Your Computer
POWER BUTTON —Press the power button to turn on the computer or exit a power management mode (see "Power
Management Modes" on page 31).
NOTICE: To avoid losing data, turn off your computer by performing a Microsoft® Windows® operating system
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).
DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS

About Your Computer 15
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.
– Off: The battery is adequately charged (or external power is not available to charge the battery).
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.
SPEAKER —To adjust the volume of the integrated speaker, press the volume control buttons or mute button.
KEYBOARD —The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Windows logo key. For information on
supported keyboard shortcuts, see "Numeric Keypad" on page 35.
TOUCH PAD —Provides the functionality of a mouse. See "Touch Pad" on page 37 for more information.
TOUCH PAD/TRACK STICK BUTTONS —Provide the functionality of a mouse. See "Touch Pad" on page 37 for more
information.
TRACK STICK —Provides the functionality of a mouse (see "Customizing the Touch Pad and Track Stick" on
page 38).
FINGERPRINT READER (OPTIONAL)—Helps to keep your Dell™ computer secure. When you slide your finger over
the reader, it uses your unique fingerprint to authenticate your user identity. For information on how to activate and
use the security management software that controls the fingerprint reader, see "Securing Your Computer" on
page 63.
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.
Turns on when wireless devices are enabled. To enable or disable WiFi, use
the wireless switch on the left side of the computer.
Turns on when Bluetooth® wireless technology is enabled. To enable or
disable Bluetooth wireless technology, use the wireless switch on the left
side of the computer.
NOTE: Bluetooth wireless technology is an optional feature on your
computer, so the icon turns on only if you ordered Bluetooth wireless
technology with your computer. For more information, see the
documentation that came with your Bluetooth wireless technology.

16 About Your Computer
KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
VOLUME CONTROL BUTTONS —Press these buttons to adjust the speaker volume.
MUTE BUTTON —Press this button to turn off the speakers.
AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR —Helps to control display brightness. For more information, see "Using the Ambient
Light Sensor" on page 48.
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

About Your Computer 17
Left Side View
SECURITY CABLE SLOT —Lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device to the computer. For more
information, see "Security Cable Lock" on page 63.
NOTICE: Before you buy an antitheft device, ensure that it will work with the security cable slot.
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 Dell™
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 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.
IEEE 1394 CONNECTOR —Connects devices supporting IEEE 1394 high-speed transfer rates, such as some digital
video cameras.
1 security cable slot 2 air vents 3 IEEE 1394 connector
4 audio connectors 5 ExpressCard slot 6 wireless switch
7 Wi-Fi Catcher
™
light 8 PC Card slot 9 smart card slot
1 2 3 4 65 7 8 9

18 About Your Computer
AUDIO CONNECTORS
EXPRESSCARD SLOT —Supports 34- and 54-mm PCI ExpressCards or USB-based ExpressCards (see "Using Cards"
on page 59).
WIRELESS SWITCH —Turns on/off wireless devices such as WiFi and internal cards with Bluetooth wireless
technology and scans for WiFi networks. For more information about scanning for wireless networks, see "Dell™ Wi-
Fi Catcher™ Network Locator" on page 58.
NOTE: The wireless switch does not detect Mobile Broadband networks or networks that use internal cards with
Bluetooth technology.
Attach headphones to the connector.
Attach a microphone to the connector.
1"off" position 2"on" position 3"momentary" position
4Wi-Fi Catcher light
1234