DellTM InspironTM 510m Owner's Manual Model PP10L 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 the Dell Inspiron Help file. To access the help file, see page 9. 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. © 2004­2005 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, Latitude, Inspiron, Dimension, OptiPlex, Dell Precision, Dell TravelLite, PowerApp, PowerEdge, PowerConnect, PowerVault, and TrueMobile are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks and Centrino is a trademark of Intel Corporation; Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks Microsoft Corporation; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell Inc. under license. 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 PP10L April 2005 P/N D7898 Rev. A02 Contents Finding Information ................................ 9 1 A Tour of Your Computer Front View Left View .................................... 13 16 18 19 23 ..................................... .................................... .................................... ................................... Right View Back View Bottom View 2 Setting Up Your Computer Connecting to the Internet . ........................... .................... ................... 25 25 26 28 28 28 28 29 30 31 31 31 32 32 Setting Up Your Internet Connection Modem and Internet Connection Problems E-Mail Problems ................................. ............................... ....................... ....................... ....................... Setting Up a Printer Printer Cable . . . . . . . . . Connecting a Parallel Printer . Connecting a USB Printer. . . Printer Problems . ................................ ........................... ...................... ...................... ...................... Power Protection Devices . Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . Line Conditioners . . . . . . . . Uninterruptible Power Supplies Turning Off Your Computer . ........................... Contents 3 3 Using a Battery Battery Performance . .............................. .......................... ................... ................... ................... ................... 33 34 34 35 35 35 35 36 36 37 38 38 Checking the Battery Charge DellTM QuickSet Battery Meter . . . . Microsoft® Windows® Power Meter Charge Gauge. . . . . . . . . . . . . Low-Battery Warning . . . . . . . . . Charging the Battery . Removing a Battery Installing a Battery. .............................. ............................... ............................... .................. Removing and Installing a Reserve Battery . Storing a Battery . Power Problems ................................ ................................. 4 Using the Module Bay About the Module Bay . ............................. ..... 41 41 42 Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Turned Off. Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Running . ...... 5 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad Numeric Keypad ................................. ............................... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 43 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 45 45 Keyboard Shortcuts System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CD or DVD Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Radios (Including Wireless Networking and Bluetooth® Wireless Technology) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions . . . . . . . 4 Contents Touch Pad .................................... ........................... ......................... 46 47 47 48 48 Customizing the Touch Pad Touch Pad or Mouse Problems External Keyboard Problems Unexpected Characters .......................... ............................. 6 Using CDs, DVDs, and other Multimedia Using CDs and DVDs . Drive Problems . .............................. 49 49 49 50 51 52 52 52 53 53 53 54 54 55 55 56 56 58 60 ................................. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... If you cannot save a file to a floppy disk drive . . . . . If you cannot play a CD, CD-RW, or DVD . . . . . . . . If you cannot eject the CD, CD-RW, or DVD drive tray . If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound . If the CD-RW drive stops writing . . . . . . . . . . . . If you have problems with a hard drive. . . . . . . . . Sound and Speaker Problems . ......................... ............. ............. If you have a problem with integrated speakers . If you have a problem with external speakers . . Copying CDs and DVDs. ............................. ...................... ...................... ...................... .................... ............... ............... ............... How to Copy a CD or DVD. . . . Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting a Television to the Computer S-Video Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Composite Video Connection . . . . . . . . . Enabling the Display Settings for a Television 7 Setting Up a Home and Office Network Connecting to a Network Adapter . Network Setup Wizard. Network Problems . ....................... 63 64 64 ............................. ............................... Contents 5 Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network . ................ .... .... 64 65 65 Determining Your Network Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft® Windows® XP . 8 Solving Problems Error Messages ................................. .......................... ................... ................... ................... ................... 69 70 70 70 71 72 73 74 75 75 76 76 76 76 76 76 77 78 78 78 79 79 80 81 81 83 Video and Display Problems . If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . If the display is difficult to read . . . . If only part of the display is readable . Modem and Internet Connection Problems Scanner Problems ................................ ............... ............... If you cannot save a file to a floppy disk drive If you have problems with a hard drive. . . . PC Card Problems ................................ ........................... ........................ ........................ ........................ ........................ ...................... General Program Problems A program crashes . . . . . A program stops responding A solid blue screen appears Error messages appear . . . Resolving Other Technical Problems If Your DellTM Computer Gets Wet ........................ ..................... If You Drop or Damage Your Computer 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 . . . . . . 6 Contents Dell Diagnostics ................................. ..................... 84 84 When to Use the Dell Diagnostics 9 Adding and Replacing Parts Before You Begin. ................................ ....................... ....................... 87 87 87 89 91 94 95 96 98 Recommended Tools . . . . . Shutting Down Your Computer Adding Memory ................................. ............................. ............................ ....................... Adding a Mini PCI Card Replacing the Hard Drive Returning a Hard Drive to Dell Keyboard ..................................... ............. Internal Card With Bluetooth® Wireless Technology. 10 Appendix Specifications ................................. ...................... 101 107 107 108 108 109 109 109 110 112 112 Viewing the System Setup Screens System Setup Screens . ............................ ........................... ...................... ...................... ...................... Commonly Used Options . Changing the Boot Sequence. Changing Printer Modes . . . Changing COM Ports . . . . . Enabling the Infrared Sensor FCC Notices (U.S. Only) ......................... ............................ ..................... NOM Information (Mexico Only) Contacting Dell. ................................ Index . ....................................... 131 Contents 7 8 Contents Finding Information NOTE: Some features may not be available for your computer or in certain countries. NOTE: Additional information may ship with your computer. What Are You Looking For? · · · · · · Warranty information Terms and Conditions (U.S. only) Safety instructions Regulatory information Ergonomics information End User License Agreement Find It Here DellTM Product Information Guide · 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 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. 9 www.dell.com | support.dell.com What Are You Looking For? · Service Tag and Express Service Code · Microsoft Windows License Label Find It Here 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. · 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. 10 What Are You Looking For? · Solutions -- Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles from technicians, 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 · 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 DellTM 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 Find It Here 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. The website may not be availabl ...