Dell studio XPS User manual

www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dell™ Portable Computers
Owner’s Manual
Model PP19L
book.book Page 1 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

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 "Glossary" on page 163.
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.
Trademarksusedinthistext:Dell,theDELLlogo,Inspiron,DellPrecision,Dimension,DellNet,OptiPlex,Latitude,PowerEdge,PowerConnect,
PowerVault, PowerApp, Dell TravelLite, ExpressCharge, and Strike Zone are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Celeron, and Pentium are registered
trademarksofIntelCorporation;Microsoft,Outlook,andWindowsare registeredtrademarksof MicrosoftCorporation;Bluetoothis aregistered
trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under license; IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation;EMCisaregisteredtrademarkofEMCCorporation;ENERGYSTARisaregisteredtrademarkoftheU.S.EnvironmentalProtection
Agency.
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 PP19L
October 2005 Rev. A02
book.book Page 2 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

Contents 3
Contents
Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1 A Tour of Your Computer
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Left Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Right Side View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Bottom View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2 Setting Up Your Computer
Connecting to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Setting Up Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Transferring Information to a New Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard With the
Operating System CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Without the
Operating System CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Setting Up a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Connecting a USB Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Power Protection Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Line Conditioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Uninterruptible Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
book.book Page 3 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

4Contents
3 Using the Display
Adjusting Brightness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Switching the Video Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Setting Display Resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Key Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
CD or DVD Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Radios (Including Wireless Networking and an Internal Card With
Bluetooth®Wireless Technology) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Microsoft®Windows®Logo Key Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Customizing the Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5 Power Management
Power Management Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Power Management Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Setting Sleep Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Selecting a Power Scheme. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Setting Battery Alarms and Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Completing the Power Management Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Power Management Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Standby Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Hibernate Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Power Options Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Power Schemes Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Alarms Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
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Contents 5
Power Meter Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Advanced Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Hibernate Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Dell™ QuickSet Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Clicking the QuickSet Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Double-Clicking the QuickSet Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Right-Clicking the QuickSet Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
6 Using a Battery
Battery Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Checking the Battery Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Dell™ QuickSet Battery Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Microsoft®Windows®Power Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Charge Gauge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Health Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Low-Battery Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Charging the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Storing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
7 Using CDs, DVDs, and Other Multimedia
Playing a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Adjusting the Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Adjusting the Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Copying CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
How to Copy a CD or DVD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Using Blank CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Using Dell MediaDirect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
S-Video and Standard Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
S-Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
book.book Page 5 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

6Contents
Composite Video and Standard Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Composite Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Enabling S/PDIF Digital Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Setting Up the Cyberlink (CL) Headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Enabling the Display Settings for a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
8 Using ExpressCards
ExpressCard Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
ExpressCard Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Installing an ExpressCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Removing an ExpressCard or Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
9 Using the 5-in-1 Media Memory Card Reader
Media Memory Card Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Media Memory Card Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Installing a Media Memory Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Removing a Media Memory Card or Blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
10 Setting Up a Home and Office Network
Connecting to a Network Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Network Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Determining Your Network Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft®Windows®XP . . . . . 74
11 Solving Problems
Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Drive Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
CD and DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
If you cannot eject the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD+RW drive tray . . . . . 81
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Contents 7
If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
IEEE 1394 Device Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Keyboard Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
External Keyboard problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Unexpected characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Lockups and Software Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft®Windows®
operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Dell MediaDirect problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Memory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Network Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
ExpressCard Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Power Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Scanner Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Sound and Speaker Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
No sound from integrated speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
No sound from external speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
No sound from headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Video and Display Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
If the display is difficult to read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
If only part of the display is readable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
book.book Page 7 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

8Contents
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Restoring Your Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Using the Operating System CD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
12 Adding and Replacing Parts
Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Before Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Removing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Installing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Returning a Hard Drive to Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Optical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
About the Device Security Screw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Removing and Installing Optical Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Installing a Memory Module in Connector DIMM B . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Installing a Memory Module in Connector DIMM A . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Modem (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Wireless Mini PCI Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Hinge Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Removing the Hinge Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Replacing the Hinge Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
book.book Page 8 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

Contents 9
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Removing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Replacing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Internal Card With Bluetooth®Wireless Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Removing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
13 Appendix
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Using the System Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Viewing the System Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
System Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Commonly Used Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Computer Tracking Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Traveling With Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Identifying Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Packing the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Travel Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Traveling by Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Cleaning Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Computer, Keyboard, and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Touch Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Floppy Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
CDs and DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Class A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
FCC Identification Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Macrovision Product Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
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10 Contents
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals . . . . . . . . . 144
Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals. . . . . . . . . . . 145
Contacting Dell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
book.book Page 10 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

Finding Information 11
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 CD (also known as ResourceCD)
NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities CD may be optional and may
not ship with your computer.
Documentation and drivers are already installed on your
computer. You can use the CD to reinstall drivers (see
page 97) or to run the Dell Diagnostics (see page 77).
Readme files may be
included on your CD 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
• 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
•Specifications
• How to contact Dell
Owner’s Manual
NOTE: This document is available as a PDF at
support.dell.com.
book.book Page 11 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

12 Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
• 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
the bottom of your computer.
•UsetheServiceTagto
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.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
book.book Page 12 Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:00 PM

Finding Information 13
• 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
• Reference — Computer documentation, details on my
computer configuration, product specifications, and
white papers
• Downloads — Certified drivers, patches, and software
updates
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
NOTE: Select your region to view the appropriate support
site.
NOTE: Corporate, government, and education customers
can also use the customized Dell Premier Support website at
premier.support.dell.com.
• 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
®
Pentium
®
M
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.
To download Notebook System Software:
1 Go to support.dell.com and click Downloads .
2 Enter your Service Tag or product model.
3 In the Download Category drop-down menu, click All .
4 Select the operating system and operating system
language for your computer, and click Submit.
5 Under Select a Device , scroll to System and
Configuration Utilities , and click Dell Notebook System
Software
.
• How to use Windows XP
• How to work with programs and files
• How to personalize my desktop
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
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14 Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
• How to reinstall my operating system Operating System CD
NOTE: The Operating System CD 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 CD. See "Reinstalling Windows XP" on page 103.
After you reinstall your
operating system, use the
Drivers and Utilities CD
(ResourceCD) to reinstall
drivers for the devices that
came with your computer.
NOTE: The color of your CD
varies based on the
operating system you
ordered.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
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A Tour of Your Computer 15
1
A Tour of Your Computer
Front View
1display latch release 5touch pad 9keyboard
2display 6media control buttons 10 keyboard and wireless
status lights
3power button 7speakers 11 display latches (2)
4device status lights 8touch pad buttons
1
9
2
5
8
3
7
10 4
6
11
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16 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
DISPLAY LATCH RELEASE —Press to release the display latches and open the display.
DISPLAY —For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" on page 33.
POWER BUTTON —Press the power button to turn on the computer or to enter or exit a power
management mode.
NOTICE: To avoid losing data when you turn off your computer, shut down your computer through the
Start menu instead of pressing the power button.
DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS
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.
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.
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.
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A Tour of Your Computer 17
TOUCH PAD —Provides the functionality of a mouse.
MEDIA CONTROL BUTTONS —Control CD, DVD, and Media Player playback.
SPEAKERS —To adjust the volume of the integrated speakers, press the media control buttons or speaker-
volume keyboard shortcuts. For more information, see "Speaker Functions" on page 37.
TOUCH PAD BUTTONS —Touch pad buttons provide the functionality of a mouse.
KEYBOARD —The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft Windows logo key. For
information on supported keyboard shortcuts, see "Key Combinations" on page 36.
Mute the sound.
Tu r n t h e v o l u m e d o w n .
Tu r n t h e v o l u m e u p .
Play or pause.
Play the previous track.
Play the next track.
Stop.
Launch Dell MediaDirect or Microsoft®Windows®Media Center Edition. See
"Using Dell MediaDirect" on page 54.
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18 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
KEYBOARD AND WIRELESS STATUS LIGHTS
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
DISPLAY LATCHES —Keeps the display closed.
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.
Turns on when wireless networking is enabled. To enable
or disable wireless networking, press <Fn><F2>.
Turns on when a card with Bluetooth®wireless
technology is enabled.
NOTE: The card with Bluetooth wireless technology is an
optional feature, so the light turns on only if you
ordered the card with your computer. For more information,
see the documentation that came with your card.
To turn off only the Bluetooth wireless technology
functionality, right-click the icon in the notification
area and click Disable Bluetooth Radio.
To quickly enable or disable all wireless devices, press
<Fn><F2>.
9
A
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A Tour of Your Computer 19
Left Side View
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.
NOTICE: Before you buy an antitheft device, ensure that it will work with the security cable slot.
SECURITY CABLE SLOT —Lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device to the computer.
For more information, see the instructions included with the device.
AIR VENT —The computer uses fans to create airflow through the vents, which prevents the computer
from overheating.
1security cable slot 4IEEE 1394 connector 75-in-1 media memory card
reader
2air vent 5microphone connector 8ExpressCard slot
3S-video TV-out connector 6headphone connector
345267 81
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20 A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
S-VIDEO TV-OUT CONNECTOR
IEEE 1394 CONNECTOR —Connects devices supporting IEEE 1394 high-speed transfer rates, such as
some digital video cameras.
AUDIO CONNECTORS
5-IN-1 MEDIA MEMORY CARD READER —Provides a fast and convenient way to view and share digital
photos, music, and videos stored on a memory card. The 5-in-1 media memory card reader reads the
following digital media memory cards:
• Secure Digital (SD) card/SDIO
• MultiMediaCard (MMC)
•MemoryStick
•MemoryStickPRO
•xD-PictureCard
EXPRESSCARD SLOT —Supports one ExpressCard. The computer ships with a plastic blank installed in
the slot. For more information, see "Using ExpressCards" on page 67.
Connects your computer to a TV. Also connects digital audio capable devices
using the TV/digital audio adapter cable.
Attach headphones or speakers to the connector.
Attach a microphone to the connector.
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