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DellTM InspironTM 1501 Owner's Manual Model PP23LA w w w. d e l l . c o m | s u p p o r t . d e l l . c o m 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 147. If you purchased a DellTM 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. © 2006 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, PowerConnect, PowerVault, PowerApp, XPS, and Strike Zone are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Microsoft, Outlook, and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; AMD, Sempron, Turion and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation; EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation; ENERGY STAR is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection 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 PP23LA August 2006 P/N HN926 Rev. A00 Contents Finding Information ............................... 11 1 About Your Computer . Front View .......................... .................. 15 15 16 20 21 22 24 Determining Your Computer's Configuration .................................... .................................. ................................. Left Side View Right Side View Back View .................................... ................................... Bottom View 2 Setting Up Your Computer. Connecting to the Internet . ....................... 25 25 25 26 26 27 29 29 29 30 30 31 31 ........................... .................... ................. ....... ....... Setting Up Your Internet Connection Transferring Information to a New Computer . Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard With the Operating System CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Without the Operating System CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting Up a Printer ............................... ......................... ......................... Printer Cable . . . . . . . Connecting a USB Printer. Power Protection Devices . ........................... ...................... ...................... ...................... Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . Line Conditioners . . . . . . . . Uninterruptible Power Supplies Contents 3 3 Using the Display. Adjusting Brightness. ............................. 33 33 33 33 .............................. ........................... ........................... Switching the Video Image Setting Display Resolution. 4 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad . Numeric Keypad Key Combinations ................ 35 35 36 36 36 36 36 36 37 37 37 38 38 ................................. ................................ ................ ................ ................ ................ ................ ................ ................ ................ System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CD or DVD Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions Adjusting Keyboard Settings . . . . . . . . Touch Pad .................................... ........................ Customizing the Touch Pad . 5 Using a Battery . Battery Performance . .............................. .............................. 39 39 40 40 40 41 41 41 42 43 43 44 Checking the Battery Charge Charge Gauge. . . . . Low-Battery Warning . Conserving Battery Power . .......................... ® Windows® Power Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Microsoft ........................... ........................... ........................... ................. ................. Power Management Modes . . . . . . . Configuring Power Management Settings Charging the Battery . Replacing the Battery Storing a Battery . .............................. .............................. ................................ 4 Contents 6 Using Multimedia Playing a CD or DVD Adjusting the Volume Adjusting the Picture ............................. 45 45 46 46 46 47 47 48 ............................... .............................. .............................. ............................. ........................ ........................ ........................ Copying CDs and DVDs. How to Copy a CD or DVD. . Using Blank CDs and DVDs . Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . 7 Using Cards ExpressCards. ................................. 49 49 49 49 50 51 51 52 .................................. .................... .................... .................... ExpressCard Blanks. . . . . . . . . Installing an ExpressCard. . . . . . Removing an ExpressCard or Blank Media Memory Cards .............................. ..................... ..................... Installing a Media Memory Card . Removing a Media Memory Card. 8 Setting Up a Network. Network Setup Wizard. .......................... .......... 53 53 54 54 54 54 55 56 57 Physically Connecting to a Network or Broadband Modem ............................. ..................... ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection Checking Your Wireless Network Card . . . . . . Setting Up a New WLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network. . Enabling/Disabling the Wireless Network Card . 9 Securing Your Computer. Security Cable Lock Passwords ........................ 59 59 59 ............................... .................................... Contents 5 Computer Tracking Software .......................... ....................... 60 60 If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen . 10 Solving Problems. Dell Diagnostics Drive Problems . ............................. 61 61 64 64 65 65 65 65 66 70 70 71 71 72 72 72 72 72 72 73 73 74 74 75 75 76 ................................. ................................. ..... ..... ..... ..... CD and DVD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If you cannot eject the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD+RW drive tray If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound . . . . . . Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . Error Messages .................... ................................. ............................. ExpressCard Problems . Keyboard Problems ............................... ........................ ........................ ........................ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... External Keyboard problems Unexpected characters. . . Lockups and Software Problems The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly . . . . . A program is designed for an earlier Microsoft® Windows® operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Memory Problems ................................ ............................... Network Problems . Power Problems ................................. ............... Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer Printer Problems . Scanner Problems ................................ ................................ 6 Contents Sound and Speaker Problems . ......................... .................... .................... .................... 76 76 76 77 77 78 78 78 79 79 79 79 80 81 82 82 84 85 No sound from integrated speakers No sound from external speakers . No sound from headphones . . . . Touch Pad or Mouse Problems Video and Display Problems . ......................... .......................... ................... ................... ................... If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . If the display is difficult to read . . . . If only part of the display is readable . Drivers ...................................... ...................... ...................... ...................... ............. What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . . Identifying Drivers . . . . . . . Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities Restoring Your Operating System ........................ .............. .............. .............. Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . Using the Operating System CD. . . . . . . . . 11 Adding and Replacing Parts . Before You Begin. ..................... 87 87 87 87 88 90 90 92 92 95 97 98 99 ................................ .................. .................. .................. Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . Before Working Inside Your Computer . Optical Drive . Hard Drive .................................. .................................... ....................... Returning a Hard Drive to Dell Memory. Modem .....................................