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 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 Dell™ 
3.5-inch USB floppy drives, Intel
® Pe n t i u m®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:
1Go to support.dell.com and click Downloads. 
2Enter your Service Tag or product model.
3In the Download Category drop-down menu, click All.
4Select the operating system and operating system 
language for your computer, and click 
Submit.
5Under Select a Device, scroll to System and 
Configuration Utilities
, and click Dell Notebook 
System Software
.
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
NOTE: Select your region to view the appropriate support 
site.
NOTE: Corporate, government, and education customers 
can also use the customized Dell Premier Support website 
at premier.support.dell.com. The website may not be 
available in all regions. What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
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							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
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							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 (7) display latches (2)
air vents (2)
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							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 charged.
Turns on when you turn on the computer, and blinks when the computer is in a power 
management mode. 
Turns on when the computer reads or writes data.
 
NOTICE: To avoid loss of data, never turn off the computer while the   light is flashing.
Turns on steadily or blinks to indicate battery charge status.
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							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 computer in a low-airflow environment, such as a closed briefcase, while it is running. Restricting 
the airflow can damage the computer or cause a fire.
TOUCH PAD—Provides the functionality of a mouse.
MEDIA CONTROL BUTTONS—Control CD, DVD, and Media Player playback.
Mutes the sound. 
Turns the volume down.
Turns the volume up.
Play or pause. This button also launches Dell Media 
Experience or Microsoft
® Windows® Media Center 
Edition. See Using Dell MediaDirect on page 37.
Plays the previous track.
Plays the next track. 
Stop. 
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							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 QuickSet.
TOUCH PAD BUTTONS—Touch pad buttons provide the same functionality as mouse buttons.
KEYBOARD—The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft® Windows® logo key. For 
information on supported keyboard shortcuts, see Key Combinations on page 47.
KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
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							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, press .
Turns on when an internal card with Bluetooth
® wireless 
technology is enabled. 
NOTE: The internal card with Bluetooth® wireless 
technology is an optional feature, so the   light turns on 
only if you ordered the card with your computer. For more 
information, see the documentation that came with your 
card.
To turn off only the Bluetooth
® wireless technology 
functionality, right-click the   icon in the Windows 
notification area (in the lower-right corner of your screen) 
and click Disable Bluetooth Radio.
To quickly enable or disable all wireless devices, press 
.
9
A
optical drive
USB connectors (2)optical drive-tray 
eject button
air vent and 
customizable 
lights
security cable slot
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							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 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 as a closed briefcase, while it is running. Restricting 
the airflow can damage the computer or cause a fire.
Lights in several different colors emit light through the air vents, 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 QuickSet.
SECURITY CABLE SLOT—Lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device to the computer. 
For more information, see the instructions included with the device.
 
NOTICE: Before you buy an antitheft device, ensure that it will work with the security cable slot.
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							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 as a closed briefcase, while it is running. Restricting 
the airflow can damage the computer or cause a fire.
Lights in several different colors emit light through the air vents, 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 QuickSet.
audio connectors
IEEE 1394 connector PC Card slot
hard drive
Secure Digital I/O slot
air vent and 
customizable lights
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							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   connector.
Attach a microphone to the   connector.
video connectornetwork connector (RJ-45)
AC adapter connector USB connectors (4)
modem connector (RJ-11)
S-video TV-out connectorDVI-D connector
air vents (2)
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