Dell Xps Gen 2 Manual

Finding Information11
 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...

12Finding Information
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
 How to use Windows XP
 Documentation for my computer 
 Documentation for devices (such as a modem)Windows Help and Support Center
1Click the Start button and click Help and Support.
2Type a word or phrase that describes your problem and 
click the arrow icon.
3Click the topic that describes your problem.
4Follow the instructions on the screen.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
G8011bk2.book  Page 12  Thursday, March 31, 2005  1:50 PM 

A Tour of Your Computer13
A Tour of Your Computer
Front View
DISPLAY LATCHES—Keeps the display closed.
DISPLAY LATCH RELEASE—Slide this to release the display latches and open the display.
DISPLAY—For more information about your display, see the Dell Inspiron Help file. To access the help 
file, see page 9.
display latch release
keyboarddisplay
touch pad
touch pad 
buttons (2)
power button
speakers (2) and customizable lights keyboard status 
lights (5)
device status 
lights (3)
media control 
buttons...

14A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
POWER BUTTON—Press the power button to turn on the computer or to enter or exit a power 
management mode.
 
NOTICE: To avoid losing data when you turn off your computer, shut down your computer through the 
Start menu instead of pressing the power button. 
DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS
If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the   light operates as follows:
 Solid green: The battery is charging.
 Flashing green: The battery is almost fully...

A Tour of Your Computer15
If the computer is running on a battery, the   light operates as follows:
 Off: The battery is adequately charged (or the computer is turned off).
 Flashing orange: The battery charge is low.
 Solid orange: The battery charge is critically low.
AIR VENTS (2) —The computer uses fans to create airflow through the vents, which prevents the 
computer from overheating. 
 
CAUTION: Do not block, push objects into, or allow dust to accumulate in the air vents. Do not store 
your...

16A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
SPEAKERS (2) AND CUSTOMIZABLE LIGHTS—To adjust the volume of the integrated speakers, press the 
media control buttons or speaker-volume keyboard shortcuts. For more information, see Speaker 
Functions on page 49. Lights in several different colors emit light through the speaker grilles, allowing you 
to color-customize your computer as often as you like. You can change the color and color intensity through 
the system setup program and Dell...

A Tour of Your Computer17
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
Left Side View
OPTICAL DRIVE—You can install devices such as a DVD drive or other optical drive in the optical drive 
bay. For more information, see Optical Drive on page 99.Turns on when the numeric keypad is enabled.
Turns on when the uppercase letter function is enabled.
Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.
Turns on when wireless networking is enabled. To enable 
or disable wireless networking,...

18A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
OPTICAL-DRIVE-TRAY EJECT BUTTON—Press this button to eject a CD or DVD from the optical drive. 
This button only works when the computer is turned on. 
USB 
CONNECTORS—Connect USB devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, or printer. You can also connect 
the optional floppy drive directly to a USB connector using the optional floppy-drive cable
AIR VENT AND CUSTOMIZABLE LIGHTS—The computer uses fans to create airflow through the vents, 
which prevents...

A Tour of Your Computer19
Right Side View
SECURE DIGITAL I/O SLOT—The Secure Digital I/O slot supports one Secure Digital memory card or 
other SDI/O device. Use Secure Digital memory cards to save or back up data.
AIR VENT AND CUSTOMIZABLE LIGHTS—The computer uses fans to create airflow through the vents, 
which prevents the computer from overheating. 
 
CAUTION: Do not block, push objects into, or allow dust to accumulate in the air vents. Do not store 
your computer in a low-airflow environment, such...

20A Tour of Your Computer
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
AUDIO CONNECTORS
IEEE 1394 CONNECTOR—Connects devices supporting IEEE 1394 high-speed transfer rates, such as 
some digital video cameras.
HARD DRIVE—Stores software and data.
PC C
ARD SLOT—Supports one PC Card, such as a modem or network adapter. The computer ships with 
a plastic blank installed in the slot. For more information, see the Dell Inspiron Help file. To access the help 
file, see page 9.
Back View
Attach headphones or speakers to the...