Dell 3000 manual

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_________ __________ __ Information in this document is subject to change without not ice.  1994–199 7 Del l Com pute r Corporation. All rights reserve d . Reproduc tion in any ma nn er whatsoev er wi th out the writ te n permission of De ll Compu te r Corporat ion is st ri ct ly forbidden. Trade marks u sed i n this text: Dell , the DELL logo[...]

v Safety In structions U se the following safety g uidelines to he lp protect your com puter from pot ential d amage and to he lp ensu re your own person al safet y . W hen Usin g Yo ur Co mpu ter As you u se your comp uter, observ e the fol lowing safety guidelines: • When setting up the compu ter for work, place it on a level surface. • When [...]

vi computer, wait 5 seconds after tu rning off the co m- puter befor e removing the memory mod ule or disco nnecting the dev ice to h elp av oid possi ble da m- age to the system b oard. • Before you clean your compu ter, turn it off , unplug it from it s power s ource, and remo ve the batt ery. • Clean your computer with a so ft cloth dampened[...]

vii 1. Turn off your computer and any atta ched peripherals. 2. Disconnect your computer and peripherals from AC power to reduce the potential for personal injury or s hock. Also , disconnect any telepho ne or telecommunication lines from the computer. 3. Remove the main battery from the bat tery com- partment and, if necessary, the secondary batte[...]

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ix Preface A bout This Guide This guide is intend ed for anyone who uses the Dell Inspiron 3000 port able comp uter. It can b e used by b oth first-time and ex perienced computer users who want to learn about the features of the computer. This gu ide also provi des bas ic troub l esh oot i ng procedu res and inst r uc- tions for using th e Dell Dia[...]

x O ther Documents You May Need Besi de s th is Reference and Trou blesho oting Gu ide , the fol- lowing o nlin e d ocumentation is in cluded with your computer: The Win dows-based System Us er’s Guide con - tains essential information you need to use your po rtable computer. Look for the System User’s Guide icon in the Dell Accessories folder.[...]

xi • Filenames and directory names are presented in lowercase bold. Examples: autoexec.bat and c:windows • Syntax l ines consist of a command and all its possi- ble parameter s. Commands are displayed in lowercase bold; v ariable parameters (those for which you substitute a valu e) are display ed in low ercase italics; constant parameters are [...]

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xiii Contents Chapter 1 Intr oduct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 Hardware Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 Software Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

xiv Infrared Por t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5 Parallel Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5 Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

xv Messages and Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 System Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7 Finding Software So lutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

xvi Completing the Dell Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3 How to Use the Dell Diagno stics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3 Confirming the System Config uration Inform ation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4 How to [...]

xvii Mouse Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15 Why Run the Mouse Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15 Subtests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

xvii i Returning I tems for Warran ty Repair or C redit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5 Before You Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5 Dell Contact Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

xix Appendix C Regulatory Noti ces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1 FCC Class B No tice (U.S. Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1 Modem Requ irements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-[...]

xx Figures Figure 1-1. Front View of the Portable Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 Figure 1-2. Back View of the Por table Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 Figure 2-1. Main Menu of Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 Figure 2-2. System Devices Menu of S[...]

xxiii DELL CONFIDENTIAL Preliminary 2/4/98 Figures Figure 1-1. Front View of the Portable Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 Figure 1-2. Back View of the Por table Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 Figure 2-1. Main Menu of Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

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xxv DELL CONFIDENTIAL Preliminary 2/4/98 Tables Table 3-1. Boot Routine In dications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 Table 3-2. System Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 Table 3-3. Beep Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

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Introducti on 1-1 Chapter 1 Introduction T he Del l ® Insp iron ™ 3000 is an expand able, mul ti- media po rtable comput er designed around the Intel ® Pentium ® microprocessor with MMX ™ technolo gy and Perip heral Comp onen t Inte rco nnec t (PC I) tec hno logy. This chapter descr ibes the major har dware and software features of you r com[...]

1-2 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Figure 1-2. Back View of the Portable Computer H ardware Features Your Dell com puter has the fo llowing feat ures: • An Intel Penti um micr oprocess or with MMX techno l- ogy running at 16 6, 200, o r 233 megahertz (MHz). • Full multimedia cap abil ity through the foll owing standa[...]

Introducti on 1-3 The battery is des igned to work on ly with Dell Inspiro n 3000 computers. Do not a ttempt to use t he battery with other computers. • Cache memory that enhances the speed of many micropr ocessor op erations by stori ng the mo st recently accessed cont ents of system memory. Dell Inspir on 3000 M166ST co mputers hav e 32 kilobyt[...]

1-4 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide S oftware Features Dell has installed th e M icrosof t ® Windows ® 95 operating system on your hard -disk dr ive. The foll owing s oftware is also included with your Dell computer: • A Setup prog ram and s ystem utilities th at let you customize the o peration of you r computer. Als[...]

Introducti on 1-5 • Memory modules (16-, 32-, and 64-MB cap acities) • Carrying cases • Auto adapter • Micropho ne • External speakers • Headphones Instruction s for connecting or installing these options are contained in t he online System User’s Guide or are included in the upgrad e kit you received from Dell. G etting Help If at an[...]

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Cust omizi ng Sys tem Fe atur es 2-1 Chapter 2 Customizing System Features A s your co mputing en vironment ch anges, you may want to customize the con figuration of yo ur compu ter. The system utilit ies and the Setup pr ogram let you con- trol various hard ware and software f eatures of you r computer and allow you to monito r and reduce po wer c[...]

2-2 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide S etup Program Your computer retains system con figuration inform ation in the nonv olatile random-access memo ry (NVRAM) main tained b y your computer’s b ackup batt ery. Each time you turn on your computer, the system compares the installed hardware with the syst em configuration in[...]

Cust omizi ng Sys tem Fe atur es 2-3 Figure 2-1. Main Menu of Setup Program System Time S ys t e m Tim e sets the computer to the time you sp ecify (usually the curren t time). Type in the ap propriate infor- matio n. Use the tab key to move be tween t he hours, minute s, and s econds fi elds. This optio n is usefu l if you travel between time zone[...]

2-4 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide and an extern al device simultaneously (Simul Mode, the default). When you are u sing Windows 95 (rather than the Setup progr a m), p r ess <F n> <F8> to change th e vide o disp lay device. System Memory System Memo ry disp lays the base amo unt of d ynamic random-access mem[...]

Cust omizi ng Sys tem Fe atur es 2-5 PS/2 Mouse The default setting is Enabled. Select Disabled when you want to attach a serial mouse to the computer. NOTE: Before con necting or disconn ecting a PS/2 mouse, turn off your computer. After you connect a PS/2 mouse and turn your compu ter back on, the external mouse is auto matically detected a nd th[...]

2-6 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide When set to Disabled , you can disable the p ort and free its assigned LPT address for another devi ce. When set to Enabled, you con figure the port settings . If for some reason you need to chan ge the parallel port address and/or DMA channel, b e careful not to create a conflict with [...]

Cust omizi ng Sys tem Fe atur es 2-7 System Password If no syste m pas sword h as be en set , the sett ing for Sys- tem Password is Clear. Otherwise, the setting displaye d is Set. Set System Password Press <Enter> to set up a new system password, and then follow t he instru ctions on you r screen. Thi s pass word restricts access to the Setu[...]

2-8 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Power Ma nagement Mo de Customi zed (the default) allo ws you t o control the power savin g time-o uts in dividu ally. Select Dis abled if yo u want to di sable a ll power sav ings, regardles s of how t he time-ou t option s are set. Select Maximum Performance to configure power saving [...]

Cust omizi ng Sys tem Fe atur es 2-9 save-t o-RA M or save-t o-di sk suspend mode fi rst. Fo r instance, if Suspend Time-Ou t is set for 10 minu tes and Standby T ime-Out is set f or 4 minu tes, the comput er enters sav e-t o-R A M or save-to-d isk susp end mode aft er 10 minutes of no I/O activity an d then enters standby mode 4 minutes later. NOT[...]

2-10 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Figure 2-5. Boot Menu of Setup Program To select th e boot device, u se the up - or down-arro w key; then press <F6> to move the device u p the list or <F5> to move the devi ce down the list. Diskette Drive first (the default) caus e s th e computer to attempt booting first[...]

Customiz ing Syst em Fea tures 2-1 1 Figure 2-6. Exit Menu of Setup Program Save C hanges an d Exi t After you have changed a settin g in the Setup program, select this option to save the changes into NVRA M and exit the Set up prog ram. If you t ry to ex it th e Setup p rogram wit hout s aving you r changes, y ou are promp ted to save. Discard Cha[...]

2-12 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide This sect ion explain s how to rein stall utilit ies and drivers on yo ur Dell porta ble comput er wit h Windows 9 5. You may need to us e these procedur es under th e following conditi ons: • Dell did not instal l an oper atin g syst em or other sys- tem so ftware on your compu ter.[...]

Customiz ing Syst em Fea tures 2-1 3 Reinstalling Touch Pad Drivers Touch pad driv ers and associated ut ilities allow you to custo mize the oper atio n of you r touch pad and cur sor fea- tures. To reinstall the touch p a d drivers, follow these steps: 1. Save your work in all o pen applica tion prog rams, because you will need to restart your com[...]

2-14 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide To create the save-to-di sk suspend file, follo w these steps: 1. Insert the System Utilities diskette into the d is- kette drive. 2. Restart yo ur compu ter. 3. At the MS-DOS ® prompt, type a: to ensure that you are accessing files from the diskette drive. 4. Type PHDISK /CREATE /FIL[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3 -1 Chapter 3 Troubleshooting Your Computer I f your Dell Inspi ron 3000 is n ot working as expected, this chapter provides initial checks for solving basic com- puter problems as well as d etailed troublesh ooting procedures. It lists system messages and beep co des, their possible caus es, and actions yo u can ta[...]

3-2 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide 3. Perform the steps found in “Look and Listen” found later in this chapter. Did you r computer complete t he bo ot (start -up) routine? NOTE: The boot ro utine is the op erating system’s attempt to lo ad its files into memor y from the boot- up sector on the h ar d-d isk d rive o[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3 -3 • The second ary battery o r any oth er optional device installed in the o pti ons bay Figure 3-3. Checking an Optional Device • Cables that connect external devi ces throug h the I /O panel on the b ack of the compu ter. Figure 3-4. I/O Panel Connectors for External Devic es L ook and Listen Looking at and[...]

3-4 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Setup Options You can easily correct c ertain system prob lems by ver ify- ing the s ettings for se tup opti ons. When you bo ot the computer, it com pares the system configuration infor ma- tion with the current hardware co nfiguration. If the computer’s hardware confi guration doesn[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-5 If, after checkin g the set up opt ions, yo u have n ot resolved the pro blem, see Chapter 4, “Running the Dell Diagnosti cs.” M essages and Codes The application pr ograms, ope rating system, and the computer itself are capable of identifyin g problems and alerting you to them. When this occur s, a message [...]

3-6 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Incorrect drive A type— run Setup The diskette drive is not identified pr op erly in the Setup p rogram. Shut down the computer, remove the d iskette drive com- pletely, and then reinsert the diskette driv e. Turn the computer back on, and check for the err or message. If the problem [...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-7 System Bee p Codes When errors occur during the boot routine that cannot be repor ted on t he bu i lt-i n dis pl ay o r on an ex ter nal mo ni t or (if attached), the computer may emit a series of beeps that identify the prob lem . The b eep code is a pattern of sounds: for exam ple, one beep, followed b y a sec[...]

3-8 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide . Table 3-3. Beep Codes Messag e Cause Action 1-2 Memor y m odule n ot being properly identified or used See “Troubleshooting Mem ory” found later in this chapter. 1-2-2-3 ROM BIOS checksum failure Run the System Set test group in the Dell Diagn ostics. (See Chapter 4, “Running th[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-9 F inding Softwar e Solu tions Because most computer s have several application pro- grams installed in addition to th e operating system , isolat ing a so ftware prob lem can b e confusi ng. So ftware errors can also app ear to be har dware malfunctions at first. Software problems can result from th e follo win [...]

3-10 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Input Er ro rs If a specific key or set of keys is pressed at the wrong time, a progr am may give you unexpect ed results . See the documentation that came with th e application p rogram to make sure the value s or characters you are entering do not conflict with th e application progr[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-1 1 T roubleshooting Procedur es This secti on provides troubles hooting p rocedures fo r built-in com ponents (such as the display) and for external devices that connect to the compu ter (such as an ex ternal monitor ). Before perform ing any of the procedur es in this section, see “Basic Checks” found earlie[...]

3-12 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide 8. Open the display, and place the computer across two books o r sim ilar props to let air circu late all around it. Let the computer dry fo r at least 24 hours. Place the computer in a dry area at r oom tempera- ture. Do not u se artificial means to speed up the drying process. 9. Gro[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-1 3 11. Replace any batteries that yo u removed in step 1. 12. Reconnect the computer and peripherals to AC power, and turn them on. 13. Run the Dell Diagnostics to verify that the com- puter is operating properly. (See Chapter 4, “Running t he Dell Diagnostics ,” for instructions.) 14. If the computer does no[...]

3-14 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide 3. Do e s th e ligh t-em ittin g diod e (L ED) o n to p of the AC adapter turn on? Yes. Go to st ep 4. No. The AC adapter may be defective. Go to step 5. 4. Turn on the computer. Does the power indicator appear in th e status disp lay panel? Yes. The problem is resolved. No. Go to step[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-1 5 No Power to a Part o f the Comp uter If the power indicator shows that your compu ter is receiving power, but the display remains blank, p art of your comp uter is probabl y not receiving power. To trou- bleshoot this pr oblem, make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist fo un d in Chapter 5 and fill it out as yo[...]

3-16 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide If a failu re occurs with the drive, m ake a copy of the Diagnosti cs Checklist foun d in Chapter 5 and fill it out as you comp lete the following procedu re: 1. Remove the CD-ROM drive from the o ptions bay. 2. Save your w or k in an y o pen appl ication pr o - grams, and then shut do[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-1 7 and press <Enter>. Does MS-DOS display the root directory cont ents for drive D? Yes. You may have a corrup ted bo ot sector o r file allocation table (FAT) on drive C. Go to step 9. No. Go to step 8. 6. Rename you r autoexec.bat and config.sys files, remove the operating system diskette fro m drive A, a[...]

3-18 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide 7. Turn off the computer, and disconnect the ex- ternal keyboard from the computer. 8. Turn on the computer. Does the computer recog- nize the built-in keyboard? Allow one minute for th e com puter to initialize its components. Then u se the computer’s b uilt-in keyboard to type some[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-1 9 make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in C hap- ter 5 and fill it out as you co m plete the follow ing procedure. NOTE: The highes t video r esoluti on suppo rted by a 12.1-i nch SVGA bui lt-in di splay is 800 x 600 pixel s. A 13.3-i nch XGA buil t-in display sup ports 1024 x 768 pix- els. If you r ap[...]

3-20 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide 3. Make sure the external monitor’s video cable is firmly connected to the computer’s external- monitor connector, and verify t hat the monitor’s power cable (if it has one) is firmly plugged into an AC power source. Make sure the monitor is turned on. 4. Check the monitor cable [...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-2 1 3. Check the contents of your initialization and start-up files. (See “Installing and Co nfiguring Software” found earlier in this chapter.) Are the port con figuration comman ds correct? Yes. Go to st ep 5. No. Go to step 4. 4. Change the necessary statements in the start-up file s. If the port prob lem i[...]

3-22 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide 4. Turn off the computer and the serial device, and swap the device with a comparable working device. For example, if y our seria l mouse has a pro blem, swap it wit h a serial mo use you k now is worki ng proper ly. 5. Turn on the computer and the serial device. Is the problem res olv[...]

Troubles hootin g Your Compu ter 3-2 3 Troubleshooting Audio Functions This section provides a procedure for troubleshoo ting the computer ’s sound functi ons. Make a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chap- ter 5, and fill it out as you complete the foll owing procedure: Insert your diagnostics d iskette into drive A, reboot the computer[...]

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Running the Del l Diagn ostic s 4-1 Chapter 4 Running the Dell Diagnostics U nlike many diagn ostic programs, the Dell Diagnos- tics allows you to check the comput er’s hardware without any addi tional eq uipment and with out dest roying any data. By using the Dell Diagnost ics, you can have confi- dence in the com puter’s opera tion. If you fi[...]

4-2 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide B efore You Start Testing Follow these steps to safeguard your m aster copy of the Dell Diagnostics Dis kette : 1 . M ake a wor king copy of the Dell Diagnostics Diskette on a blank diskette. Refer to your operating syst em’s documentation for information on h ow to du plicate diskett[...]

Running the Del l Diagn ostic s 4-3 Figure 4-1. Diagnostics Menu For a qu ick check of your sys tem, select the Run Qui ck Tests option. Thi s option runs only the subtests that do not require user interactio n and that do not take a lo ng time to run. Del l recommends th at you choose this option first to increase the odds of tracin g the source o[...]

4-4 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Figure 4-2. Ma in Screen of the Dell Diagnostics C onfirming the System Config uration Information When you bo ot the computer fr om your diagnos tics d is- kette, the d iagnost ics check s your sy stem configurat ion information and displays it in th e System Configu ration area on the[...]

Running the Del l Diagn ostic s 4-5 H ow to Use the Menu One of the menu options is already highlighted at the bot- tom of the screen. You can mo ve the hi ghlight ing from one op tio n to anot her by pr essin g th e left- or right- a rrow key. As yo u move from one menu option t o another , a brief explanation of the currently h ighlighted o ption[...]

4-6 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide The Key-Help opt ion dis plays a lis t of avai lable key con - trols. The Quit Menu op tion returns yo u to the previous menu. Selec t (Und er S ubte st) Select in th e Subtest m enu allows y ou to sel ect individual subtests to tailo r the tes ting process to your parti cular needs. Yo[...]

Running the Del l Diagn ostic s 4-7 Number of Times to Repe at Test( s) This parameter specifies the number of times the tests run when you s elect Run. To change th e default, type in the desired value. If you type 0 (zero), the test is run until you press <Ctrl><Break>. Ma xim u m Erro rs Al l ow ed This paramet er specif ies the maxi[...]

4-8 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Output Device fo r Status Messages Ordinarily, all status messages appear only on the d is- play. This param eter allows you to direct status m essages to either a p rinter or a file, in add ition to the disp lay. Use the righ t-arro w key to select th e optio n you wan t. If you choose[...]

Running the Del l Diagn ostic s 4-9 How you chan ge a value for the limits of a test grou p or subtest depends on the type of p arameter associated with it. Different keys are u sed to change values for different types of parameters. For example, m emory address limits specified for the R AM test group are changed by typ ing in number s ove r the d[...]

4-10 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Table 4-2. Del l Diagnostics Tests Test Grou ps Subtests Description RAM Quick Test Comprehe nsive Tes t Tests the RAM. System Set CMOS Confidence Test DMA Controller Test Real-Time Clock Test System Speaker Test Secondary Cache Test System Timers Test Interrupt Contr oller Test Coproc[...]

Running the Del l Diagnos tics 4-1 1 Hard-Disk Drives (Non -SCS I) Disk Cont roller Test Seek Test Read Test Write Test Tests a drive that uses fi xed , internal disks. Also tests the associated control- ling de vices. IDE CD ROM Drives Drive Controller Test Seek Test Read Test Audi o Outpu t Test Eject Removable Media Tests an IDE drive that u ses[...]

4-12 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide E rror Messages When you run a tes t group or subte st in the diagn ostics, error messages may result. These particular error mes- sages are not covered in this guide because the errors that generate these messages can be resolved only with a technician’s assistance. Record the messa[...]

Running the Del l Diagnos tics 4-1 3 • Correcting er rors in the system configur ation infor- matio n does not r esolv e a prob lem. • The computer’ s clock/calendar stops. • The speaker no long er f unction s. The p rob lem cou ld be a failure of the system timers as well as a failure of the speaker itself. Run th e System Timers Test, fol[...]

4-14 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide an external monitor, some of the test screens may flicker and ap pear to malfunct ion. This conditio n does not affect the accuracy of the video subtests or indicate a hardware proble m. Why Run a Video Test? Many of the s ymptoms that would promp t you t o run a subtest in the Video t[...]

Running the Del l Diagnos tics 4-1 5 symptoms that are likely to be keyboard-related. Some- times, the configuration of a pr ogram changes the function of a key or k ey com bination . Simil arl y , key co n- figurati on progr ams li ke ProKey can change a key’s function. B ecause these programs are memo ry resident , be sure to clear them out of [...]

4-16 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide You must have a d iskette-drive cable to perform the fol- lowing procedu re. If you do no t have a diskette-drive cable, you can order one from Dell. See Chapter 5, “ Get- ting Help,” for in fo rmation on con tact ing Dell. Why Run a Disket te Dri ves Test? Very oft en, a diske t t[...]

Running the Del l Diagnos tics 4-1 7 Subtests The four subtests in the Hard-Disk Drives (Non -SCSI) test group con firm th e followin g drive functions: • Disk Controller Test Checks the internal micr ocode of th e hard-disk drive controller • Seek Test Checks the drive’s ability to search for a specified track on the drive and to positi on t[...]

4-18 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide S erial/Infrared Ports Test Group The subtes ts in the S erial/Inf rared Port s test gr oup check the computer’s inter face with external devices (s u c h a s a s er i a l m o u s e or a p r i n t er ). The su bt ests in this test group are not intended as a diagnostic test for the e[...]

Running the Del l Diagnos tics 4-1 9 If it still does not work, yo u can eliminate the software setup as the cause of the p roblem. Another possibl e cause for errors is a pro blem with the external device itself. Use the do cumentation that came with the peripheral to tro ubles hoot it and confirm that it is working prop erl y. (Most prin ters hav[...]

4-20 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide • FM Sound Playback Test Tests whether the system can synthesize sounds and play them throu gh the built-in speaker(s) • Analog Sound Playback Test Tests whether the system can p lay sampled sound s through the built-in speaker(s) • Record and Play back Test Checks the ab ility o[...]

Get t ing H elp 5-1 Chapter 5 Getting Help T his chapter des cribes the tools Dell p r ovides to help you when yo u have a problem wi th your computer. It also tells you when and how to call Dell Comp uter Corpora- tion for technical or customer assistance in the following situations: • If you have a technical problem , read the next sec- tion, ?[...]

5-2 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide before you call Dell for technical assistance. Find the Express Service Code icon in the Dell Accesso- ries folder. Double-click th e icon and follow the directio ns. When prompted by Dell’ s auto mat ed tele ph one sy s- tem, enter the expr ess serv ice cod e to ro ute y our call dir[...]

Get t ing H elp 5-3 Dell Q&A The Dell Q&A , a Windows-based onli ne h elp file that answers questions that are often asked by Dell computer users, is included w ith certain Dell systems that were pur- chased with the Dell-in stalled Microsoft Windows 95 operating system. To view the De ll Q&A , open the Dell Accessories folder and doubl[...]

5-4 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide The AutoT ech service is avai lable 24 hours a day, sev en days a week. You can also access this service through the technical support service. For the telephon e number to call, see “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in this chapter. NOTE: AutoT ech is not always a vailable in all [...]

Get t ing H elp 5-5 P roblems With Your Order If you h ave a prob lem wit h your ord er, such as miss ing parts, wrong parts, or inco rrect bil ling, contact Del l Com- puter Corporation for customer assistance. Have your invoice or packing sl ip handy when you call. For the tele- phone number to call, see “Dell Contact Numbers” found later in [...]

5-6 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Fig u re 5-1. Di ag no stic s Ch eck lis t Name: ___ ______ _________ _____ ______ _____ _________ ______ _____ ______ __Date: ________ _____ ______ _ Address: ______ ______ ______ _____ _________ _____ ______ ______ ________ ____P hone nu mber: ________ ____ Servi ce tag (bar co de on [...]

Get t ing H elp 5-7 D ell Contact Numbers When you need to cont act Dell, use t he telephone num- bers and cod es provided in Tables 5- 2 an d 5-3. Tab le 5- 2 provi des the var ious cod es requ ired to make long- distance and in ternational calls. Table 5-3 provide s local telephone numbers , area codes, an d toll-f ree numbers, if applicable, for[...]

5-8 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Table 5-2. Interna tional Dialing Codes Country (City) Internationa l Access Code Country Code City Code Australi a (Sydney ) 0011 61 2 Austria (Vienna) 900 43 1 Belgium (B russels) 00 32 2 Brunei — 6 73 — Canada (Nort h York, Onta rio) 011 — Not requir ed Chile (Santiago) — 56 [...]

Get t ing H elp 5-9 Spain ( Mad rid) 07 34 1 Sweden (Upp lands Vasby) 009 46 8 Switzerland (Geneva) 00 41 22 Taiwan 002 886 — Thailand 001 66 — U.K. (Bracknell) 0 10 44 1344 U.S.A. (A ustin, Texas) 011 1 Not requi red Table 5-2. Interna tional Dialing Codes (cont inued) Country (City) Internationa l Access Code Country Code City Code Table 5-3.[...]

5-10 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Brune i NOTE: Customers in Brunei call Mala ysia for sales, cust omer, and tech- nical assistance. Customer Technical Sup port (Dell Dimension systems only) (P enang, Malaysia ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4946 Customer Technical Sup port (Other systems) ([...]

Get t ing H elp 5 - 11 Denmark * (Horshol m) Customer Care, Techn ical Support, and Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 800 171 62 Finland * (Helsinki) Customer Support and Technical Suppo rt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . toll free: 0800-534 55 Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

5-12 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Ireland * (Bray) Customer Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-850-543-543 Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-850-235-23 5 SalesFax . . . . . . [...]

Get t ing H elp 5 - 13 Latin America NOTE: Customers in Latin A merica c all the U.S.A. for sales, customer, and techni cal assistance. Customer Technical Sup port (Austin, Texas, U.S .A.) . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-4093 Customer Service (Austin, Texa s, U. S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-361[...]

5-14 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Mexico (Colonia Grana da) NOTE: Customers in Mexico c all the U.S .A. for access to th e Automate d Order-Status System and AutoTech. Automated Order-Status Sy stem (Austin, Texas, U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728-068[...]

Get t ing H elp 5 - 15 Singap ore (Singapore) NOTE: Customers in Sin- gapore c all Ma laysia fo r technical as sistanc e for Dell Dimension systems and for cust omer assistance. Technical S upport (Dell Dimension systems only) (P enang, Malaysia ) . . . . . . . 04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810 4947 Technical S upport (Other systems) . . . .[...]

5-16 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide Switzerland * (Geneva) Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0844 811 411 Commercial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799 01 01 Customer Service . .[...]

Technica l Specifi cation s A-1 Appendix A Technical Specifications PC Table A-1. Technic al Specifications Microp rocessor Microprocessor type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intel Mobile Module Pentium microproces sor with MMX technology Microprocessor speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166, 200 , or 23 3 MHz Internal cache memo ry . . . . . . . . . .[...]

A-2 Dell Ins piron 3000 Referenc e and Troublesh ooting Guide PC Card PCI controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Instruments PCI 11 31 cardb us controller PC Card con nectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . two (supports two type I or type II car ds or one typ e III card) Cards supp orted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3-V an[...]

Technica l Specifi cation s A-3 Audio Audio type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sound Blaster Pro-co mpatible voice and music f unctions Audio controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crystal 4237B Conversi on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 bit (stereo analog-to- digital and digital -to-analog) Interfaces: Intern[...]

A-4 Dell Ins piron 3000 Referenc e and Troublesh ooting Guide Display (S VGA) (contin ued) Operating angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 ° (clos ed) to 180 ° Dot pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.264 mm Power consum ption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.35 W Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

Technica l Specifi cation s A-5 Touch Pad Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PS/2-compatible X/Y position reso lu tion (graphics tabl e mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 points/mm (5 00 points/inch) Size: Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.65 mm (0.18 inch ) at highest compo nent Width . . . . . . . . . . [...]

A-6 Dell Ins piron 3000 Referenc e and Troublesh ooting Guide Main Battery (contin ued) Charge time (appro ximate): 1 Computer on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 hour Computer off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 hour Operating time 1 (approximat e, with no p ower manageme nt features enabled) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

Technica l Specifi cation s A-7 AC Adapter Input voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 to 264 VAC Input curr ent (maximum) . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 A at 90 VAC, full load Input freq uency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 to 63 Hz Output current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 A (continu ous) Output power . . . . [...]

A-8 Dell Ins piron 3000 Referenc e and Troublesh ooting Guide Environmental ( Computer) Temperature: Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ° to 35 ° C (41 ° to 95 ° F) Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . –20 ° to 50 ° C (–4 ° to 122 ° F) Relative humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% to 90% (no nco[...]

Diagnost ic Video T ests B-1 Appendix B Diagnostic Video Tests T he Video Test Gro up of the Dell Diagnostics co nsists of the following eight tests, each of which verifies a parti cular video f unction or gro up of f unctions on you r built-in disp lay or on an external monit or: • Video Memory Test — Checks th e integrity of char- acters gene[...]

B-2 Dell Ins piron 3000 Referenc e and Troublesh ooting Guide The fol lowing su bsectio ns des cribe th e subtes ts of the Text Mode Cha racter Test in the order in which they appear. Charact er Attribu tes Subtes t (80 x 25) The 80 -column x 25-lin e character attribu tes subtest dis- plays four lines of text that demonstrate normal-int ensity vid[...]

Diagnost ic Video T ests B-3 T ext Mode Color Test The Text Mode Color Test contains thr ee subtests that check the video subsyst em’s ability to presen t co lor in text mo d es. The followi ng subs ections describ e these subtes ts. Color At tributes Subtest (80 x 25) The 80 -colu mn x 25-line color attr ibut es s ubt est di s pla ys a pattern o[...]

B-4 Dell Ins piron 3000 Referenc e and Troublesh ooting Guide Color At tributes Subtest (40 x 25) The 40-col umn x 25-lin e color attributes subt est is t he same as the previous subtest except th at the characters are displayed in 40-column by 25- line (doub le-wide) text mode. Type y if each character is displayed correctly; otherwise, t ype n . [...]

Diagnost ic Video T ests B-5 Figure B-3. 640 x 480 2-Color Gr aphics Mode Scree n 640 x 48 0 16-Colo r Graph ics Mode Scree n The 640- x 480-p ixel 16-col or gr aphics mod e screen di s- plays a series of stars in 16 different colors with the name of the color beneath each star. Type y if all the stars are the correct color s; otherwise, type n . 3[...]

B-6 Dell Ins piron 3000 Referenc e and Troublesh ooting Guide The second screen is the r ed/green/blue ( RGB) color combination screen . This screen allows you to test the ability of the display o r monitor to increase or decr ease the intensity o f the th ree basic co lors. The RGB color combina tion screen displays an RGB b ox in the top center o[...]

Regulatory Notices C-1 Appendix C Regulatory Notices A ll regulatory notices for the co mputer are located on the bottom of the computer. F CC Class B Noti ce (U.S. Only) NOTE: This equipment gen erates, uses, and can rad iate radio frequ ency energ y and, if not installed and used in accordance with the m anufacturer’s in struction manual, may c[...]

C-2 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide M odem Requirements This equipment op erates in compliance with Part 68 of the FCC rules. In accordance with this regulation, the fol- lowing requ irem ents should be o bserved. Type of Service Your Dell po rtable compu ter modem i s designed to be used on st andard devi ce telephon e l[...]

Regulatory Notices C-3 ICES-3” or “IC Cl ass B ICES-3” wil l be located on one of these labels . Note t ha t I ndustr y Canada r egulat ions pr ov ide that changes or modification s not ex pressly approv ed b y Dell Computer Corpo ration could v oid yo ur authority to op er- ate this equipment. Canadian Modem Requirements The ICES label ident[...]

C-4 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide • EN 50082-1 — “Electromagn etic compatibility— Generic immunity stan d ard Part 1: Residential, commercial, and light in dustry.” • IEC 801-2 — “Electro magnetic comp atibility f or industr ial-proc ess measu rement and con trol equ ipment Part 2: El ectr osta tic disch[...]

Regulatory Notices C-5 P olish Center for Testin g and Certification Notice All equipment that works together (computer, monitor, printe r, and so on) sh ould hav e the same p ower sup ply source. The phasing con ductor o f the room’s electr ical installa- tion sh ould h ave a r eserve short-ci rcuit p rotectio n device in the form of a fuse with[...]

C-6 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide N OM 024 Information (Mexico Only) The followin g information is pro vided on the devi ce(s) described in th is document in compliance with the requirem ents of t he offi cial Mexican s tandards (NOM 024): I nformación para NOM 024 (únicamente para México) La infor mación siguie nte[...]

Warrantie s and Return Policy D-1 Appendix D Warranties and Return Policy D ell systems come with either a on e-year limited war- ranty o r a three-year limited warran ty. The s tandard limited one-year and thr ee-year warranties for systems purchased in th e U.S. and Canada are included in th e fol- lowing s ubsections. Ho wever, you r actual limi[...]

D-2 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. SOME STATES (OR JURISDICTIONS) DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR COND ITIONS, SO THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. DELL’S RESPONSIBILITY F OR MALFUNCTIONS AND DEFECTS IN HARDWAR E IS LIMITED TO REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT AS SET FORTH IN THIS W[...]

Warrantie s and Return Policy D-3 media, such as diskettes, CDs, or PC Cards. Dell does not accept liability for lo st data or soft wa re. Dell owns all p arts removed f rom repaired pr oduct s. Dell uses new a nd recond itioned parts made by variou s manu- facturers in performing warranty repairs an d building replacement prod ucts. If Dell repair[...]

D-4 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide “ T otal Satisfaction” Return Policy (U.S . and C anada O nly) If you ar e an end-u ser cust omer who b ought pr oducts directly from a Dell company, y ou may return them to Dell up t o 30 days f rom the da te of invo ice for a refun d of the product purcha se price if alr eady paid[...]

Inde x 1 Index A About option in Dell Di agn ostics, 4-9 AC adapter con nector, 1-2 alternating current. See AC assistance technical, 5-1 teleph one num bers, 5-7 warranty repair or credit, 5-5 audio f unctions troub leshooti ng, 3-23 audio jacks, 1-2 Audio tes t group Dell Diagnostics, 4 -19 AutoTech service, 5- 3 B basic input/o utput system . Se[...]

2 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide CPU. See microp rocessor customizing compu ter features, 2-1 D Dell Diagnostics about, 4-1 Audio te st group, 4-19 befo re st arting , 4-2 diagno stic vid eo tes ts, B-1 Diag no stics M enu, 4- 3 Diskette Dri ves test group, 4-1 5 error messages, 4 -12 features, 4-1 Hard-Disk Drives (Non-[...]

Inde x 3 F fai lures basic checks, 3- 1 technical assistance, 5-1 troub leshooti ng, 3-1 fixed d isk. S ee hard-dis k drive fixing proble ms, 5-1 floppy d rive. See d iskette drive G gettin g he lp, 5-1 graphics mode screen s, B-4 groundi ng procedu re, vi , 3-1 H hard drive. See hard-disk drives hard -d isk dri ves about, 1-3 ATA, 1-3 capacity, 2-[...]

4 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide L lithium ion b attery, 1-2 M main battery, 1- 1 math coprocessor test in g, 4-13 memo ry failu re during POST, 3-18 RAM test group in Dell Diag no stics, 4-12 memory modules reseati ng, 3- 18 menu options Dell Diagnostics, 4 -5 messages beep codes, 3- 7 Dell Diagnostics, 4 -1, 4-1 2 erro[...]

Inde x 5 POST CD-ROM drive check, 3 -15 diskette drive ch eck, 3-15 external keybo ard check, 3-1 7 external monitor check, 3-19 hard-disk drive check, 3- 16 memory check , 3-18 power button , 1-1, 1- 4 powe r fai lure AC power, 3- 13 batte ry powe r , 3-14 cable connections, 3-2 partial, 3-15 troub leshooti ng, 3-13 power managem ent modes, 1 -3 s[...]

6 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide servi ce tag, 5-2 Setup messages, 2-2 Setup p r ogram accessing, 2-2 Exit menu optio ns, 2-9 Main menu options, 2-2 Power menu optio ns, 2-7 Securi ty menu op tions, 2- 6 System D evice s m enu optio ns, 2-4 shielded cables, C-1 shutting down the computer, 1 -4 soft ware apparent mal func[...]

Inde x 7 touch p ad about, 1-3 location, 1-1 test in g, 4-15 troub leshooti ng, 3-22 troublesh ooting about, 3-1 AC power failure, 3-13 audible s igns o f problems , 3-3 audio f unctions, 3-23 basi c proble m s, 3 - 1 batte ry pow e r fai lure, 3- 14 beep codes, 3- 7 CD-R O M drive , 3-15 checking connections, 3 -2 Diagnostics Checklist, 5-6 disket[...]

8 Dell Inspiron 3 000 R eference and Trou blesh ooting Guide W warnings, x warranty information, ix, D-2 warranty repair or credit, 5-5 water damage, 3-11 X XGA display, 1-2 55899BK1.BK : 55899bk1.IX Page 8 Wednesday, February 4, 1998 1:20 PM[...]

For questions or problems with files contact: Donna Moore - Graphic Devel opment Dell Computer Corporation (512) 728 -3439 Dell Informatio n Development Postscript Imagin g Specs JOB TITLE: Dell Inspiron 3000 Reference and Troubleshooting Guide (Twister) LANGUAGES: English PART NUMBER: 55899 Rev. A01 PREPA RED BY: Gloria Salinas PHONE NUMBE R: 728-[...]

For questions or problems with files contact: Donna Moore - Graphic Devel opment Dell Computer Corporation (512) 728 -3439 FILE NAME(S ) & PAGE COUNT: Section Filename Page Count Americas Full Covr: European Full Cov: Malaysia Full Cov: Title page: Safety : Preface: Toc: Ch1: Ch2: Ch3: Ch4: Ch5: AppA: AppB: AppC: AppD: Index: 55899am1.ps or 558[...]