DellTM OptiPlexTM GX50 Systems User's Guide 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 "Glossary." ____________________ Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2001 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden. Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Inspiron, Dimension, Latitude, Dell Precision, DellNet, and OptiPlex are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation; Intel is a registered trademark and Celeron is a trademark of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows NT, MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; 3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation; IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation; NetWare and Novell are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. As an ENERGY STAR partner, Dell Computer Corporation has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. 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 Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own. Models: DHS, DHP and DHM , January 2002 P/N 005VJ Rev. A03 Contents Safety Instructions ......................... .............. ........... 9 9 10 11 When Working Inside Your Computer Ergonomic Computing Habits Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge .................. 1 About Your Computer Front View ............................. ........................ ................. 16 19 20 20 22 23 23 23 26 27 27 27 27 27 28 28 28 28 28 28 29 Front Panel Door Power Button Power Light . Speaker/Headphone Connector .......................... .......................... ................... Floppy Drive Access Light . Hard Drive Access Light Back View . .................... ............................. ....................... ....................... ........................ ........................ ............. Connecting Devices Parallel Connector Mouse Connector USB Connectors Integrated Network Adapter Connector Network Cable Requirements Line-In Jack Line-Out Jack .................. .......................... .......................... ........................ ..................... ...................... Microphone Jack Serial Port Connectors Keyboard Connector . Video Connector Inside Your Computer ........................ ....................... Contents ii i System Board Components ................... .......... 32 35 Removing and Attaching the Computer Stand 2 Advanced Features LegacySelect Technology Control Manageability ................. 40 40 40 41 41 41 42 42 42 45 46 47 48 48 50 52 58 58 60 ........................... ................. ........... Dell OpenManage IT Assistant Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation . Security .............................. .................. ............. Chassis Intrusion Detection Security Cable Slot and Padlock Ring Password Protection . System Password Setup Password ....................... ....................... ........................ ................ Disabling a Forgotten Password Computer Settings ........................ .................... Entering System Setup . System Setup Screens ..................... .................. ................. Changing the Boot Sequence Additional System Setup Options If You Have a Problem Jumper Settings ..................... ........................ ............. Software Installation and Configuration 3 Installing Upgrades Opening the Computer Cover Closing the Computer Cover Expansion Cards .................. .................. 62 64 65 66 .......................... ................. Installing an Expansion Card iv Conte n ts Removing an Expansion Card .................. ...... 73 74 74 75 76 77 79 80 85 Expansion Card Cage (Small Desktop Computer Only) Removing the Expansion-Card Cage Replacing the Expansion-Card Cage Memory ............... ............... ............................... ........................ ....................... Installing DIMMs Removing DIMMs . Microprocessor ........................... ......................... Front Panel Inserts Removing Front Panel Inserts--Small Form-Factor and Small Desktop Computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Removing Front Panel Inserts--Small Mini-Tower Computer Replacing Front Panel Inserts Internal Drives .. 88 89 89 92 93 95 96 99 102 103 107 109 109 113 116 121 121 125 127 .................. ........................... ...................... IDE Drive Addressing Connecting Drives Hard Drives ........................ ............................. .................. Detaching Hard Drive Cables Removing a Hard Drive Installing a Hard Drive ..................... .................... ................ . Reattaching Hard Drive Cables Adding a Second Hard Drive -- Small Mini-Tower Computer Floppy Drives ........................... ................ Detaching Floppy Drive Cables Removing a Floppy Drive ................... ....... Installing a Floppy Drive and Reattaching Cables CD Drives ............................. .................. Detaching CD Drive Cables Removing a CD Drive ..................... ......... Installing a CD Drive and Reattaching Cables Contents v Battery . .............................. ..................... 131 132 Replacing the Battery 4 Microsoft® Windows® XP Features Overview .............................. .................... 136 136 137 137 138 139 139 140 141 141 142 143 144 145 146 146 147 147 148 148 149 149 150 Help and Support Center New User Interface ........................ ................... Switching to Classic View Clean Desktop Wizard Taskbar Grouping ..................... ....................... ................... ................ .............. Notification Area Cleanup Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Application and Device Compatibility . Program Compatibility Wizard . System Restore ................ .......................... ..................... Using System Restore Restore Process Driver Rollback ........................ ........................ ............. User Accounts and Fast User Switching How to Use Fast User Switching ................ ....... ....... What Happens When a Fast User Switch Occurs? Special Considerations With Fast User Switching How to Turn Off Fast User Switching . How to Add Users ............. ....................... ............... Home and Small Office Networking . Network Setup Wizard . .................... ................... Internet Connection Firewall vi Conte n ts 5 Technical Specifications 6 Solving Problems Finding Solutions ......................... ........................ ................. ................. 162 163 163 165 166 167 169 170 171 173 176 177 178 179 179 180 180 181 182 183 184 184 184 184 185 187 188 189 189 196 Power Problems Video and Monitor Problems Sound and Speaker Problems Printer Problems Mouse Problems ....................... .............. Serial or Parallel Device Problems Keyboard Problems ....................... ...................... .................... ..................... Floppy Drive Problems Hard Drive Problems Battery Problems ....................... ................... ....... Expansion Card Problems Recover From a Program That Is Not Responding Restart a Computer That Is Not Responding Repairing a Wet Computer Hardware Conflicts Repairing a Dropped or Damaged Computer Computer Memory Problems System Board Problems . .......... .................. .......... ...................... ................. ................... .............. Resetting a Damaged System Board Dell Diagnostics . Features ......................... ............... When to Use the Dell Diagnostics Before You Start Testing Advanced Testing ........................... ................... ................. Running the Dell Diagnostics Advanced Testing Help Menu Messages and Codes ....................... ................. ....................... ...................... ..................... Computer Messages Computer Beep Codes Contents vii Warning Messages Diagnostic Lights Front Panel Light Back Panel Lights Software Problems Input Errors ....................... ..................... 199 199 199 200 201 203 204 204 204 205 205 205 206 206 207 Diagnostics Messages ....................... ....................... ....................... ........................ ................ Operating System Compatibility Error Messages Device Drivers .......................... ........................ ......................... .................. Memory-Resident Programs Program Conflicts Memory Address Conflicts ....................... ................... ................ Interrupt Assignment Conflicts . BIOS Recovery Utility ....................... 7 Getting Help Help Overview Help Tools ........................... ...................... 210 210 210 213 213 213 214 216 Technical Assistance ........................... ................... Problems With Your Order Product Information Before You Call ...................... ........ Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit . ........................ ....................... Dell Contact Numbers 8 Additional Information Regulatory Notices ........................ .................... .................... .................. 232 233 235 235 FCC Notices (U.S. Only) IC Notice (Canada Only) CE Notice (European Union) viii Conte n ts Battery Disposal ....................... ................... ......... 236 237 237 238 239 241 241 242 244 245 246 247 248 CCIB Notice (China Only) EN 55022 Compliance (Czech Republic Only) VCCI Notice (Japan Only) . MIC Notice (Republic of Korea Only) .................. ............. ....... ..... Polish Center for Testing and Certification Notice PozostaSe instrukcje bezpieczeÒstwa BSMI Notice (Taiwan Only) NOM Information (Mexico Only) Wymagania Polskiego Centrum BadaÒ i Certyfikacji ............. .................. ............... ...... Información para NOM (únicamente para México) ENERGY STAR® Compliance . .................. ............... Limited Warranty and Return Policy Glossary . ............................... 249 Contents ix x Conte n ts Safety Instructions When Working Inside Your Computer Before you open the computer cover, perform the following steps in the sequence indicated. NOTICE: Do not attempt to service the computer yourself, except as explained in your online Dell documentation or otherwise provided to you. Always follow installation and service instructions closely. NOTICE: To help avoid possible damage to the system board, wait 5 seconds after turning off the computer before removing a component from the system board or disconnecting a device from the computer. 1 2 3 Perform an orderly computer shutdown using the operating system menu. Turn off your computer and any devices. Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface on the chassis, such as the metal around the card-slot openings at the back of the computer, before touching anything inside your computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the computer chassis to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal components. 4 Disconnect your computer and devices from their power sources. Also, disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. Doing so reduces the potential for personal injury or shock. In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when appropriate: · When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on its strainrelief loop, not on the cable itself. Some cables have a connector with locking tabs; if you are disconnecting this type of cable, press in on the locking tabs before disconnecting the cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before you connect a cable, make sure both connectors are correctly oriented and aligned. 9 w w w. d e l l . c o m | s u p p o r t . d e l l . c o m · Handle components and cards with care. Do not touch the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a component such as a microprocessor chip by its edges, not by its pins. CAUTION: There ...