DellTM InspironTM 9100 Owner's Manual Model PP09L www.dell.com | support.dell.com 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 DellTM InspironTM Help file. To access the help file, see page 16. 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. © 2004 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, TrueMobile, Dell TravelLite, Inspiron, Dell Precision, Dimension, OptiPlex, Latitude, PowerEdge, PowerVault, PowerConnect, PowerApp, DellNet, Axim, and Dell OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG and is used by Dell Inc. under license; EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation. 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 PP09L May 2004 P/N G2806 Rev. A02 Contents CAUTION: Safety Instructions ....................... ...................... ...................... ...................... ...................... ...................... 9 9 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 13 13 15 SAFETY: General . . . . . SAFETY: Power . . . . . . SAFETY: Battery. . . . . . SAFETY: Air Travel. . . . . SAFETY: EMC Instructions . When Using Your Computer ........................ .......... .......... .......... .......... SAFETY: Ergonomic Computing Habits . . . . . . . SAFETY: When Working Inside Your Computer . . . SAFETY: Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge SAFETY: Battery Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finding Information ............................ 1 A Tour of Your Computer Front View. ................................ .............................. .............................. 19 23 25 25 29 Left Side View . Right Side View Back View ................................ ............................... Bottom View. 2 Setting Up Your Computer Connecting to the Internet ......................... .................. ................ 31 31 32 33 34 34 Setting Up Your Internet Connection Transferring Information to a New Computer Setting Up a Printer ............................ ....................... ....................... Printer Cable . . . . . . Connecting a USB Printer Contents 3 Power Protection Devices ......................... .................... .................... .................... 34 35 35 35 35 Surge Protectors . . . . . . . Line Conditioners . . . . . . . Uninterruptible Power Supplies Turning Off Your Computer ......................... 3 Optimizing Performance DDR Memory and Processor Front-Side Bus Hyper-Threading. ................ 37 37 ............................. 4 Using a Battery Battery Performance . ........................... ....................... ................. ................. ................. ................. 39 40 40 40 41 41 41 42 43 43 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 Storing a Battery. ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................. 5 Using the Module Bay About the Module Bay ........................... ..... 45 45 47 Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Turned Off Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Running ...... 4 Contents 6 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad Numeric Keypad . Key Combinations ............................. ............................. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... 49 49 49 49 49 50 50 50 50 51 51 52 53 System Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CD or DVD Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Display Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Radios (Including Wireless Networking and the Card With Bluetooth® Wireless Technology) . . . . . . . . . . . . Power Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Speaker Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions. . . . . . . . Touch Pad . ................................ .............. Customizing the Touch Pad and Track Stick. Changing the Track Stick Cap ....................... 7 Using CDs, DVDs, and Other Multimedia Using CDs and DVDs . ........................... .......................... ................... ................... ................... ............. 55 55 55 56 56 57 58 59 61 62 64 65 65 Copying CDs and DVDs. How to Copy a CD or DVD . . . . Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs . Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device S-Video and Standard Audio . . . . . . . S-Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio . . . . Composite Video and Standard Audio . . Composite Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio Enabling S/PDIF Digital Audio . . . . . . Setting Up the Dolby Headphone. . . . . Enabling the Display Settings for a TV . . ............... ............... ............... ............... ............... ............... ............... Contents 5 8 Setting Up a Home and Office Network Connecting to a Network Adapter Network Setup Wizard . ..................... 67 67 68 68 69 71 .......................... ............... .... .... .... Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network Determining Your Network Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft® Windows® XP. Configuring Security Settings (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Solving Problems Error Messages .............................. ........................ ................. ................. ................. 75 76 76 77 78 78 78 78 79 79 80 81 82 82 83 83 83 84 84 84 Video and Display Problems If the display is blank . . . . . . . . If the display is difficult to read. . . . If only part of the display is readable . Scanner Problems . ............................ ........................... ................ Hard Drive Problems . If you have problems with a hard drive . PC Card Problems ............................. ........................ External Keyboard Problems Power Problems . ............................. .......................... ....................... Unexpected Characters Touch Pad or Mouse Problems Printer Problems. ............................. ............................ ........................ ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... Network Problems. General Program Problems. A program crashes . . . . . A program stops responding . A solid blue screen appears . Error messages appear . . . 6 Contents CD or DVD Problems . ........................... .......... .......... .......... 84 84 85 85 86 86 86 87 89 89 89 90 90 92 93 93 93 94 94 94 96 96 97 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 Sound and Speaker Problems ....................... ............ ............ If you have a problem with integrated speakers. If you have a problem with external speakers. . E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems Resolving Other Technical Problems Drivers ................... .................... .................................. .................... .................... .................... ............ What Is a Driver? . . . . . . . Identifying Drivers. . . . . . . Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities Using Microsoft® Windows® XP System Restore .............. .......... .......... .......... Creating a Restore Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Restoring the Computer to an Earlier Operating State Undoing the Last System Restore . . . . . . . . . Using the Dell Diagnostics . ® ........................ ................... .................. When to Use the Dell Diagnostics ® Reinstalling Microsoft Windows XP. Before You Begin . . . . Reinstalling Windows XP ....................... ....................... 10 Adding and Replacing Parts Before You Begin ............................. .................... .................... 99 99 99 101 102 103 106 Recommended Tools . . . . . Shutting Down Your Computer . Hard Drive. ............................... .................... Returning a Hard Drive to Dell Memory . ................................ .............................. Mini PCI Card Contents 7 Subwoofer Fans. ............................... 109 111 113 115 118 120 121 123 129 129 129 130 130 131 132 132 132 132 149 149 152 155 155 157 .................................. .............................. Hinge Covers Display ................................. ................................ ............................. ............... Keyboard Reserve Battery Card with Bluetooth® Wireless Technology. Specifications . ............................. .................... ................. ................. ................. ................. Using the System Setup Program . Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viewing the System Setup Screens. System Setup Screens. . . . . . . Commonly Used Options. . . . . . Enabling the Infrared Sensor . ...................... ................ ........ ........ Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals . Contacting Dell ............................. ........................... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... Limited Warranties Limited Warranty for Dell-Branded Hardware Products (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Limited Warranty Terms for Dell-Branded Hardware Products (Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dell Software and Peripherals (Canada Only) . . . . . . 1-Year End-User Manufacturer Guarantee (Latin America and the Caribbean Only) . . . . . . . . Intel® Warranty Statement for Pentium® and Celeron® Processors Only (U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . . . . . Index ................................... 159 8 Contents CAUTION: Safety Instructions Use the following safety guidelines to help ensure your own personal safety and to help protect your computer and working environment from potential damage. SAFETY: General · · · · · · Do not attempt to service the computer yourself unless you are a trained service technician. Always follow installation instructions closely. If you use an extension power cable with your AC adapter, ensure that the total ampere rating of the products plugged in to the extension power cable does not exceed the ampere rating of the extension cable. Do not push objects into air vents or openings of your computer. Doing so can cause fire or electric shock by shorting out interior components. Do not store your computer in a low-airflow environment, such as a carrying case or a closed briefcase, while the computer is turned on. Restricting airflow can damage the computer or cause a fire. Keep your computer away from radiators and heat sources. Also, do not block cooling vents. Avoid placing loose papers underneath your computer; do not place your computer in a closed-in wall unit or on a bed, sofa, or rug. 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. The AC adapter may become hot during normal operation of your computer. Use care when handling the adapter during or immediately after operation. Do not allow your portable computer to operate with the base resting directly on exposed skin for extended periods of time. The surface temperature of the base will rise during normal operation (particularly when AC power is present). Allowing sustained contact with exposed skin can cause discomfort or, eventually, a burn. Do not use your computer in a wet environment, ...