dell inspiron 8100 User Manual

							Power Conservation : Dell Inspiron 8100 
Back to Contents Page 
Power Conservation 
Dell™ Inspiron™ 8100 
  Conservation Tips
  Power Conservation Modes
  Power Options Properties
Conservation Tips
l     You automatically conserve battery power each time you attach your compu\
ter 
to an electrical outlet. When the AC adapter is attached, the battery is\
 charged 
while the computer uses AC power. Your batterys life expectancy is larg\
ely 
determined by the number of times it is charged, so use an AC power sour\
ce to 
run the computer if one is available. 
l     When the computer is using battery power, remove the PC Cards that you a\
re 
not using. 
l     When possible, attach your computer to an electrical outlet when you pla\
y CDs 
and DVDs. Playing a CD or DVD uses a lot of battery power. 
l     Place the computer in standby mode or hibernate mode when you leave the \
computer unattended for long periods of time. 
Power Conservation Modes
Standby Mode 
Standby mode conserves power by turning off the display and the hard dri\
ve after a 
predetermined period of inactivity (a time-out.) When you exit standby\
 mode, the 
desktop is restored to the same state that it was in before the computer\
 entered 
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							Power Conservation : Dell Inspiron 8100 
standby mode.
To activate standby mode:
l     Click the Start button, click Shut down, click Stand by, and then click OK. 
or
l     Press the power button or the power conservation key combination, 
, that you programmed (via the Advanced tab). 
HINT: You can use the Advanced tab to program the display-close option, the 
power button, and the power conservation key combination to activate sta\
ndby 
mode. 
To exit standby mode, press the power button, or if you activated standb\
y mode by 
closing the display, open (raise) the display.
Hibernate Mode 
Hibernate mode conserves power by copying system data to a reserved area\
 on the 
hard drive and then completely turning off the computer. When you exit h\
ibernate 
mode, the application programs and files that were open before you activ\
ated 
hibernate mode are still open.
Your computer enters hibernate mode if the battery charge level becomes \
critically 
low, or if either the power button, the power conservation key combinati\
on, 
, or the display-close option are programmed to activate hi\
bernate 
mode in the Advanced tab of the Power Options Properties window.
HINT: Some PC Cards may not operate correctly after resuming operation from 
hibernate mode. If you encounter problems with a PC Card, reinsert the c\
ard or 
restart your computer. 
To exit hibernate mode, press the power button. The computer may take a \
short time 
to return to its normal operating state. Pressing a key or touching the \
touch pad or 
track stick does not bring the computer out of hibernate mode.
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							Power Conservation : Dell Inspiron 8100 
Hibernate mode requires a special file on your hard drive with enough di\
sk space to 
store the contents of the computer memory. Dell creates an appropriately\
 sized 
hibernate mode file before shipping the computer to you.
If you reinstall the operating system, you must reenable 
hibernate support.
Power Options Properties
To access the Microsoft® Windows® Power Options Properties window:1.  Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. 
2.  Double-click the Power Options icon. 
Power Schemes Tab 
The Power schemes pull-down menu displays the selected preset power scheme:
l     Portable/Laptop (default) 
l     Home/Office 
l     Always On 
l     Presentation (Windows 2000 only) 
l     Minimal Power Management (Windows 2000 only) 
l     Max Battery (Windows 2000 only) 
HINT: Dell recommends that you continue to use the Portable/Laptop power 
scheme to maximize battery power conservation. 
Each preset power scheme has different time-out settings for putting the\
 computer 
into standby mode, turning off the display, and turning off the hard dri\
ve.
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							Power Conservation : Dell Inspiron 8100 
Alarms Tab 
HINT: To enable audible alarms, click each Alarm Action button and select 
Sound alarm. 
The Low battery alarm and Critical battery alarm settings alert you with a 
message when the battery charge falls below a certain percentage. When y\
ou receive 
your computer, the Lower battery alarm and Critical battery alarm check boxes 
are selected. Dell recommends that you continue to use these defaults.
Power Meter Tab 
The Power Meter tab displays the current power source and amount of battery 
charge remaining.
Advanced Tab 
The Advanced tab allows you to:
l     Set icon and standby password options. 
l     Program the following functions: 
m     Activate standby mode (the default when you close the display).
m     Activate hibernate mode (the default for the power button).
m     Shut down Windows and turn off the computer.
m     Choose no action (None).
HINT: If you are going to connect your computer to a port replicator, click 
None when you program the display-close option. This setting ensures that yo\
ur 
computer does not enter standby mode or hibernate mode when you close 
(lower) the display. 
To program these functions, click an option from the corresponding pull-\
down menu, 
and then click OK.
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							Power Conservation : Dell Inspiron 8100 
Hibernate Tab 
The Hibernate tab lets you enable hibernate mode by clicking the Enable hibernate 
support check box.
Back to Contents Page
 
 
 
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							Solving Problems : Dell Inspiron 8100 
Back to Contents Page 
Solving Problems 
Dell™ Inspiron™ 8100 
  Accessing Help Files
  Power Problems
  Start-Up Error Messages 
  Video and Display Problems
  Sound and Speaker 
Problems
  Printer Problems
  Modem Problems
  Scanner Problems
  Touch Pad Problems
  External Keyboard Problems
  Unexpected Characters
  Drive Problems
  Network Problems
  Windows® Error Messages
  General Program Problems
  E-Mail Problems
  If Your Computer Gets Wet
  If You Drop or Damage Your 
Computer
  Resolving Other Technical 
Problems
HINT: If you have a problem with an external device, see the device 
documentation or contact the manufacturer. 
Accessing Help Files
To access the Tell Me How help file 1.  Click the Start button, point to Programs—>Users  Guides, and then click Tell Me How. 
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							Solving Problems : Dell Inspiron 8100 
To access Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Help 1.  Click the Start button and then click Help. 
2.  Click the Search tab. 
3.  Type a word or phrase that describes your problem and then  click List Topics. 
4.  Click the topic that describes your problem and then click  Display. 
5.  Follow the instructions shown on the screen. 
To access Windows Me Help  1.  Click the Start button and then click Help. 
2.  Type a word or phrase that describes your problem in the  Search box and then click Go. 
3.  Click the topic that describes your problem and then click  Display. 
4.  Follow the instructions shown on the screen. 
Power Problems
HINT: See the Tell Me How help file for information on standby mode. 
Check the power light— When the power light is lit or blinking, 
the computer has power. If the power light is blinking, the 
computer is in standby mode—press the power button to exit 
standby mode. If the power light is off, press the power button.
Check the battery— If you are using a battery to power your 
computer, the battery charge may be depleted. Connect the 
computer to an electrical outlet using the AC adapter, and turn on 
the computer.
Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is 
working by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.
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							Solving Problems : Dell Inspiron 8100 
Check the AC adapter— Be sure that the power cable is firmly 
inserted into the electrical outlet and the green light on the AC 
adapter is on.
Connect the computer directly to an electrical outlet— 
Bypass power protection devices, power strips, and the extension 
cable to verify that the computer turns on.
Check for interference— Electrical appliances on the same circuit 
or operating near the computer can cause interference. Other 
causes of interference: power extension cables, too many devices 
on a power strip, or multiple power strips connected to the same 
electrical outlet.
Adjust the Power Properties— See the 
Tell Me How help file or 
search for the keyword standby in 
Windows Help.
Reseat the memory modules— If your computer power light 
turns on but the display remains blank, you may need to 
reseat the 
memory modules.
Start-Up Error Messages 
Operating system not found— Contact Dell for technical 
assistance. See Contacting Dell in the Dell Solutions Guide that 
came with your computer for contact information.
Insert bootable media— The operating system is trying to boot 
to a nonbootable floppy disk or CD. Insert a bootable floppy disk or 
CD.
Non-system disk error— A floppy disk is in the floppy drive. 
Remove the floppy disk and restart the computer. 
Video and Display Problems
If the display is blank 
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							Solving Problems : Dell Inspiron 8100 
Check the power light— When the power light is lit or blinking, 
the computer has power. If the power light is blinking, the 
computer is in standby mode—press the power button to exit 
standby mode. If the power light is off, press the power button.
Check the battery— If you are using a battery to power your 
computer, the battery charge may be depleted. Connect the 
computer to an electrical outlet using the AC adapter, and turn on 
the computer.
Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is 
working by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.
Check the AC adapter— Be sure that the power cable is firmly 
inserted into the electrical outlet and the green light on the AC 
adapter is on.
Adjust the power properties— Search for the keyword standby 
in 
Windows Help.
If the display is difficult to read 
Adjust the brightness— See the Tell Me How help file for 
instructions on adjusting the brightness.
Move the subwoofer away from the computer or monitor— If 
your external speaker system includes a subwoofer, ensure that 
the subwoofer is at least 60 cm (2 ft) away from the computer or 
external monitor.
Eliminate possible interference— Turn off nearby fans, 
fluorescent lights, or halogen lamps to check for interference.
Rotate the computer to face a different direction— Eliminate 
sunlight glare, which can cause poor picture quality.
Restore the recommended settings— Restore the original 
resolution and refresh rate settings. For more information, see the 
Tell Me How help file for instructions.
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							Solving Problems : Dell Inspiron 8100 
Adjust the Windows display settings— 1.  Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click  Control Panel. 
2.  Double-click the Display icon and then click the Settings  tab. 
3.  Try different settings for Colors and Screen area. 
Sound and Speaker Problems
Integrated Speakers 
Adjust the Windows volume control— Double-click the yellow 
speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Be sure that 
the volume is turned up and that the sound is not muted.
Check the volume control buttons— Press both volume control 
buttons simultaneously or press  to disable (mute) or 
reenable the integrated speakers.
Reinstall the sound (audio) driver— See 
Reinstalling Drivers 
and Utilities.
External Speakers 
HINT: The volume control in some MP3 players overrides the Windows volume 
setting. If you have been listening to MP3 songs, make sure that you did\
 not 
turn the player volume down or off. 
Verify the speaker cable connections— Ensure that the 
speakers are connected as shown on the setup diagram supplied 
with the speakers.
Test the electrical outlet— Ensure that the electrical outlet is 
working by testing it with another device, such as a lamp.
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