DellTM InspironTM 9300 Owner's Manual Model PP14L 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 "Finding Information" on 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. © 2005 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, PowerConnect, DellNet, and Dell OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, and Outlook are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell 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 PP14L September 2005 P/N G7903 Rev. A03 Contents Finding Information ................................ 9 1 A Tour of Your Computer Front View .................................... .................................. ................................. 13 17 18 19 22 Left Side View Right Side View Back View .................................... ................................... Bottom View 2 Setting Up Your Computer Connecting to the Internet . ........................... .................... 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26 26 Setting Up Your Internet Connection Setting Up a Printer ............................... ......................... ......................... Printer Cable . . . . . . . Connecting a USB Printer. Power Protection Devices . ........................... ...................... ...................... ...................... Surge Protectors . . . . . . . . Line Conditioners . . . . . . . . Uninterruptible Power Supplies 3 Using a Battery Battery Performance . .............................. .......................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... 27 28 28 28 29 29 Checking the Battery Charge Dell QuickSet Battery Meter . . . Microsoft Windows Power Meter Charge Gauge. . . . . . . . . . . Low-Battery Warning . . . . . . . Contents 3 Charging the Battery . Removing a Battery Installing a Battery. Storing a Battery . .............................. 29 29 30 30 ............................... ............................... ................................ 4 Using CDs, DVDs, and Other Multimedia Using CDs and DVDs . .............................. ............................. ...................... ...................... ...................... 31 31 31 32 32 33 34 35 36 38 39 41 41 Copying CDs and DVDs. How to Copy a CD or DVD. . . . Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs Helpful Tips . . . . . . . . . . . Using MediaDirect . ............................... .............. 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 . Changing Your Audio Settings . . . . . . . Enabling the Display Settings for a TV . . . ................ ................ ................ ................ ................ ................ 5 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad Numeric Keypad ................................. ................................ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 43 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 45 45 Key Combinations 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 46 Customizing the Touch Pad . 6 Using PC Cards PC Card Types .................................. ................................. ............................... ............................... .......................... 47 47 47 47 48 PC Card Blanks. Extended PC Cards . Installing a PC Card Removing a PC Card or Blank 7 Setting Up a Home and Office Network Connecting to a Network Adapter . Network Setup Wizard. ....................... 51 52 52 52 53 ............................. ................ .... .... Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network . Determining Your Network Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft® Windows® XP . 8 Solving Problems Dell Diagnostics ................................. ..................... 55 55 57 58 59 60 61 62 62 62 63 When to Use the Dell Diagnostics Drive Problems . ................................. ............................ ............................ .................... DVD drive problems. Hard drive problems E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . Error Messages ................................. ........................... IEEE 1394 Device Problems Keyboard Problems ............................... ........................ ........................ External keyboard problems Unexpected characters. . . Contents 5 Lockups and Software Problems ........................ .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 63 64 64 64 64 64 65 65 66 66 67 67 68 69 70 70 70 71 71 72 72 73 73 74 74 74 74 75 76 77 79 80 The computer does not start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The computer stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A program stops responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A program crashes repeatedly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A program is designed for an earlier Windows operating system . A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other software problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Memory Problems ................................ ............................... Network Problems . PC Card Problems Power Problems ................................ ................................. ................................ ................................ ......................... .................... .................... .................... Printer Problems . Scanner Problems Sound and Speaker Problems . 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 . Restoring Your Operating System Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore . Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec . . . . . . Using the Operating System CD. . . . . . . . . Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities 6 Contents 9 Adding and Replacing Parts Before You Begin. ................................ .................. .................. .................. 81 81 81 82 83 84 85 88 89 92 93 94 95 97 97 Recommended Tools . . . . . . . . . . Turning Off Your Computer . . . . . . . Before Working Inside Your Computer . Hard Drive .................................... ....................... Returning a Hard Drive to Dell Memory. Modem ..................................... ...................................... .................................. Mini PCI Card. Hinge Cover Keyboard ................................... ..................................... ................................ Coin-Cell Battery . Display ...................................... .................................. ............. Optical Drive . Internal Card With Bluetooth® Wireless Technology. 10 Appendix Specifications .................................. ....................... ................... ................... ................... ................... .................. ......... ......... 99 105 105 105 106 106 107 107 108 108 Using the System Setup Program Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viewing the System Setup Screens System Setup Screen . . . . . . . . Commonly Used Options . . . . . . Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only) . Definition of "Dell-Installed" Software and Peripherals Definition of "Third-Party" Software and Peripherals. . Contacting Dell. ................................ Contents 7 FCC Notices (U.S. Only) ............................ ...................... ...................... ...................... 126 126 126 127 127 Class A . . . . . . . . . . . . Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . FCC Identification Information Macrovision Product Notice. ......................... Index . ....................................... 129 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. Finding Information 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. 10 Finding Information 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 vi ...