Dell PowerVault MD3600i: Setting Up and Using Your Computer

You can choose from several color choices:

•Off

•Ruby

•Emerald

•Sapphire (default)

•Amber

•Amethyst

•Topaz

front-panel

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light

•Diamond

badge

CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions

located in the Product Information Guide.

NOTE: The front-panel light is not for diagnostic purposes.

1

Follow the procedures in "Before You Begin" on page 69.

2

Turn on (or restart) your computer.

3

Enter system setup by pressing <F2>. (See "Entering System Setup" on page 131 for details

about entering system setup).

4

Select the

Onboard Devices

option.

5

Select

Front LED Color

, and press <Enter>.

6

Press the left- and right- arrow keys to scroll through the color options. The front-panel light

color changes as you scroll through the options.

7

Select the color you want, and press <Enter>.

8

Press

<

Esc

>

, and press

Save and Exit

to save the new front-panel light color setting.

16 Setting Up and Using Your Computer

Using a Media Card Reader (Optional)

Use the media card reader to transfer data directly to your computer.

The media card reader supports the following memory types:

• xD-Picture card

• SmartMedia (SMC)

• CompactFlash Type I and II (CF I/II)

• MicroDrive card

• SecureDigital card (SD)

• MultiMediaCard (MMC)

• Memory Stick (MS/MS Pro)

For information on installing a media card reader, see "Installing a Media Card Reader" on

page 106.

xD-Picture card

Memory Stick

and SmartMedia (SMC)

(MS/MS Pro)

SecureDigital card (SD)/

MultiMediaCard (MMC)

CompactFlash Type I

and II (CF I/II) and

MicroDrive card

To use the media card reader:

1

Check the media or card to determine the proper orientation for insertion.

2

Slide the media or card into the appropriate slot until it is completely seated in the connector.

If you encounter resistance, do not force the media or card. Check the card orientation and

try again.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 17

Connecting Monitors

CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions

located in the Product Information Guide.

NOTE: Dependent upon options selected when you purchased your computer, your video card may have

either two DVI ports or one DVI port and one VGA port.

Connecting a Monitor to a PCI Express Graphics Card Dual Configuration

If you are using PCI Express graphics cards in a dual configuration, only a single monitor is

supported. Connect the monitor to the primary video card or the monitor will not function.

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primary video card

Connecting Two Monitors

NOTE: Your graphics card and configuration must support dual monitors for you to connect and enable

two monitors using the instructions in this section.

The graphics card that came with your computer has an S-video port and either two DVI ports

and a DVI-to-VGA adapter, or one DVI port and one VGA port.

To connect a monitor by attaching the DVI or VGA connector of the monitor directly to the

DVI or the (optional) VGA port on your computer, see "Connecting Two Monitors (Without an

Adapter)" on page 19. If you purchased a graphics card that has two DVI ports instead of a VGA

port and need to use a VGA monitor, see "Connecting Two Monitors (With the Use of an

Adapter)" on page 20.

18 Setting Up and Using Your Computer

Connecting Two Monitors (Without an Adapter)

NOTE: Dependent upon options selected when you purchased your computer, your video card may have

either two DVI ports or one DVI port and one VGA port.

Follow these instructions if you are connecting two monitors with DVI connectors to the two

optional DVI ports on your computer, or if you are connecting one monitor with a DVI

connector and one VGA monitor to the DVI and optional VGA ports on your computer.

If you have a monitor with a VGA connector, but your computer has two DVI ports, follow the

instructions in "Connecting Two Monitors (With the Use of an Adapter)" on page 20.

NOTE: If you are using PCI Express graphics cards in a dual configuration, only a single monitor is

supported.

1

Follow the procedures in "Before You Begin" on page 69.

2

Connect each of the monitors to a the appropriate connector on the back of the computer.

If your monitor has a DVI connector, use the white DVI port on your computer.

If your monitor has a VGA connector, use the (optional) blue VGA port on your computer.

3

Change the display settings to support both monitors (see "Changing the Display Settings to

Support Two Monitors" on page 20).

DVI-to-VGA

adapter

DVI (white) connector

TV-OUT connector

VGA (blue) connector

(optional)

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 19

Connecting Two Monitors (With the Use of an Adapter)

Follow these instructions if you purchased a graphics card that has two DVI ports instead of a

VGA port and need to use a VGA monitor.

NOTE: If you are using PCI Express graphics cards in a dual configuration, only a single monitor is

supported.

1

Follow the procedures in "Before You Begin" on page 69.

2

Attach the DVI connector on the appropriate monitor to the white DVI port on the back of

the computer.

NOTE: Your graphics card must support a VGA monitor being connected to the DVI port.

3

Connect the DVI-to-VGA adapter to the VGA connector on the other monitor, then connect

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the adapter to the white DVI port on the back of the computer.

4

Change the display settings to support both monitors (see "Changing the Display Settings to

Support Two Monitors" on page 20).

Connecting a TV

NOTE: If you are connecting a TV, you may connect only one monitor (VGA or DVI) in addition to the TV.

NOTE: See the documentation that came with your TV to ensure that you properly configure and connect

the TV.

To connect a TV to your computer, you must purchase an S-video cable, which is available at

most consumer electronics stores. An S-video cable is not included with your computer.

1

Follow the procedures in "Before You Begin" on page 69.

2

Connect one end of the S-video cable to the TV-OUT connector on the back of the computer.

3

Connect the other end of the S-video cable to the S-video input connector on your TV.

4

Connect one VGA or DVI monitor as described in the preceding subsection, "Connecting

Two Monitors (Without an Adapter)" on page 19.

Changing the Display Settings to Support Two Monitors

1

After you connect the monitors, turn on the computer.

®

®

The Microsoft

Windows

desktop displays on the primary monitor.

2

Enable clone mode or extended desktop mode in the display settings.

• In clone mode, both monitors display the same image.

• In extended desktop mode, you can drag objects from one screen to the other, effectively

doubling the amount of viewable work space.

For information on changing the display settings for your graphics card, see the user’s guide in

the Help and Support Center (click the

Start

button, click

Help and Support

, click

User and

system guides

, click

Device guides

, and then click the guide for your graphics card).

20 Setting Up and Using Your Computer

About Serial ATA Drives

Your computer supports up to three serial ATA hard drives. Serial ATA drives provide the

following benefits by transferring data using serial technology and flexible cables that are

thinner and longer than IDE cables:

• Improved cable routing facilitates more efficient airflow inside the chassis.

• Compact cable connectors save space on the system board and on the hard drive. Combined

with the improved cable routing, this allows a more efficient utilization of space inside the

chassis.

See "Hard Drive" on page 97 for information on serial ATA drive connections.

About Your RAID Configuration

NOTICE: If you might ever decide to migrate to a RAID array, before loading the operating system onto a

hard drive, set up that drive as a single drive RAID 0 array. See "Creating an Array using the Nvidia

MediaShield ROM Utility" on page 23 for instructions.

This section provides an overview of the RAID configuration that you might have selected when

you purchased your computer. Dell offers either a RAID level 0 configuration or a RAID level 1

configuration on your Dell™ XPS computer. A RAID level 0 configuration is recommended for

high-performance gaming, and a RAID level 1 configuration is recommended for the data

integrity requirements of digital photography and audio.

NOTE: RAID levels do not represent a hierarchy. A RAID level 1 configuration is not inherently better or

worse than a RAID level 0 configuration.

The drives in an array should be the same size in order to ensure that the larger drive does not

contain unallocated (and therefore unusable) space.

RAID Level 0 Configuration

A RAID level 0 configuration uses a storage technique known as "data striping" to provide a high

data access rate. Data striping is a method of writing consecutive segments, or stripes, of data

sequentially across the physical drives to create a large virtual drive. Data striping allows one of

the drives to read data while the other drive is searching for and reading the next block.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 21

serial ATA RAID

configured for

RAID level 0

segment 1

segment 2

segment 3

segment 4

segment 5

segment 6

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hard drive 1

hard drive 2

Another advantage of a RAID level 0 configuration is that it utilizes the full capacities of the

drives. For example, if you have two 120-GB drives installed, you have 240 GB on which to store

data.

NOTICE: Because RAID level 0 configurations provide no data redundancy, if one drive fails, then the

data on the other drive is also inaccessible. Therefore, ensure that you perform regular backups when

you use a RAID level 0 configuration.

RAID Level 1 Configuration

RAID level 1 uses a data-redundancy storage technique known as "mirroring." When data is

written to the primary drive, it is then duplicated, or mirrored, on the other drive. A RAID

level 1 configuration sacrifices high data-access rates for its data redundancy advantages.

serial ATA RAID

configured for

RAID level 1

segment 1

segment 1 duplicated

segment 2

segment 2 duplicated

segment 3

segment 3 duplicated

segment 4

segment 4 duplicated

segment 5

segment 5 duplicated

segment 6

segment 6 duplicated

hard drive 1

hard drive 2

22 Setting Up and Using Your Computer

If a drive failure occurs, subsequent read and write operations are directed to the surviving drive.

A replacement drive can then be rebuilt using the data from the surviving drive. Also, because

data is duplicated on both drives, a RAID level 1 configuration using two 120-GB hard drives

collectively has a maximum of 120 GB on which to store data.

Configuring Your Hard Drives for RAID

NOTICE: If you might ever decide to migrate to a RAID array, before loading the operating system onto a

hard drive, set up that drive as a single drive RAID 0 array. See "Creating an Array using the Nvidia

MediaShield ROM Utility" on page 23 for instructions.

At some point you may want to configure your computer for RAID if you did not select a RAID

configuration when you purchased your computer. You must have at least two hard drives

installed in your computer to set up a RAID configuration. For instructions on how to install a

hard drive, see "Installing a Hard Drive" on page 98.

You can use one of two methods to configure RAID hard drive volumes. One method uses the

Nvidia MediaShield ROM utility and is performed before you install the operating system onto

the hard drive. The second method uses Nvidia MediaShield, and this method is performed

after you have installed the operating system with the Nvidia RAID drivers.

Both methods require that you set your computer to RAID-enabled mode before starting any of

the RAID configuration procedures in this document.

Setting Your Hard Drives to RAID-Enabled Mode

1

Enter system setup (see "Entering System Setup" on page 131).

2

Press the up- and down-arrow keys to highlight

Drives

, and press <Enter>.

3

Press the up- and down-arrow keys to highlight the applicable SATA drive, and press

<Enter>.

4

Press the left- and right-arrow keys to highlight

RAID On

, press <Enter>, and then

press <Esc>.

NOTE: For more information about RAID options, see "System Setup Options" on page 132.

5

Press the left- and right-arrow keys to highlight

Save/Exit

, and press <Enter> to exit system

setup and resume the boot process. Repeat the process as necessary for each SATA hard drive.

Creating an Array using the Nvidia MediaShield ROM Utility

NOTICE: You will lose any data on your hard drives when you create a RAID configuration using the

following procedure. Back up data you want to keep before continuing.

NOTICE: If you might ever decide to migrate to a RAID array, before loading the operating system onto a

hard drive, set up that drive as a single drive RAID 0 array. See "Creating an Array using the Nvidia

MediaShield ROM Utility" on page 23 for instructions.

NOTE: Use the following procedure only if you are reinstalling your operating system. Do not use the

following procedure to migrate an existing storage configuration to a RAID configuration.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 23

Although any size drives may be used to create a RAID configuration, ideally the drives should

be of equal size. In a RAID level 0 configuration, the size of the configuration will be the size of

the smaller drive multiplied by the number (two) of drives in the configuration. In a RAID level

1 configuration, the size of the configuration will be the smaller of the two drives used.

1

Enable RAID on your hard drives (see "Setting Your Hard Drives to RAID-Enabled Mode" on

page 23).

2

Press <Ctrl-n> when prompted to enter the RAID BIOS.

NOTICE: If you do not press <Ctrl-n> before the window closes, restart your computer and wait for

the prompt to appear again.

The

Define a New Array

window appears.

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3

Press <Tab> to navigate to the

RAID Mode

field.

To create a RAID 0 configuration, use the arrow keys to select

Striping

.

To create a RAID 1 configuration, use the arrow keys to select

Mirroring

.

4

Press <Tab> to navigate to the

Free Disks

field.

5

Use the right- and left-arrow keys to select the hard drive or drives to include in your RAID

array; move the listed hard drives from the

Free Disks

field to the

Array Disks

field.

NOTE: Your computer supports a maximum of two drives per RAID1 array and three per RAID0

array.

6

After assigning hard drives to an array, press <F9>.

NOTICE: You will lose all data on the selected drives in the next step.

7

Press <Y> to clear all data from the selected drives.

The

Array Detail

window appears.

8

To specify the array as bootable, use the arrow keys to select the array and press <B>.

9

To review the details of the array that you set up, use the arrow keys to highlight the array in

the

Array Detail

window and press <Enter>.

To delete an array, navigate to the array using the arrow keys and press <D>.

Press <Enter> to return to the previous screen.

10

Press <Ctrl><X> to exit the RAID BIOS.

Using Nvidia MediaShield

Nvidia MediaShield

allows you to create, view, and manage RAID configurations. If you already

have one hard drive with the operating system installed on it, and you want to add a second hard

drive and reconfigure both drives into a RAID volume without losing the existing operating

system and any data, you need to use the morphing option (see "Morphing from a Single Drive

RAID 0 Configuration to a Dual Drive RAID Configuration" on page 26).

24 Setting Up and Using Your Computer

Create a RAID level 0 volume or RAID level 1 volume only when you are adding two new drives

to an existing single-drive computer configured as a single-drive level 0 RAID array, and you

want to configure the two new drives into a RAID array.

Although any size drives may be used to create a RAID configuration using Nvidia MediaShield,

ideally the drives should be of equal size. In a RAID level 0 configuration, the size of the

configuration will be the size of the smallest drive multiplied by the number (two) of drives in

the configuration. In a RAID level 1 configuration, the size of the configuration will be the

smaller of the two drives used.

Creating a RAID Array

NOTICE: You will lose any data on your hard drives when you create a RAID configuration using the

following procedure. Back up data you want to keep before continuing.

NOTE: Do not use the following procedure to migrate an existing storage configuration to RAID level 0

configuration.

1

Enable RAID on your hard drives (see "Setting Your Hard Drives to RAID-Enabled Mode" on

page 23).

2

After rebooting your computer, launch Nvidia MediaShield.

3

Click

Create Array

in the

System Tasks

pane.

The

Create Array Wizard

appears.

4

Use the drop-down box to select

Striping

(for RAID 0) or

Mirroring

(for RAID 1).

5

Click

Next

.

6

Click to select the drives that will make up the RAID configuration.

NOTE: Your computer supports a maximum of two drives per RAID1 array and three per RAID0

array.

7

Select desired options.

NOTICE: The Clear System Data option will delete all data on the selected drive.

8

Click

Next

.

9

Click

Finish

to create the RAID configuration.

The array and any other installed hard drives should be visible in the NVRAID management

utility window.

Deleting a RAID Array

NOTE: While this procedure deletes the RAID 1 volume, it also splits the RAID 1 volume into two non-

RAID hard drives with a partition, and leaves any existing data files intact. Deleting a RAID 0 volume,

however, destroys all data on the volume.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 25

Media Type Read Write Rewritable

DVD-R DL Maybe No No

DVD-RAM Maybe No No

Helpful Tips

®

®

• Use Microsoft

Windows

Explorer to drag and drop files to a CD-R or CD-RW only after

you start Sonic DigitalMedia and open a DigitalMedia project.

• Use CD-Rs to burn music CDs that you want to play in regular stereos. CD-RWs do not play

in most home or car stereos.

• You cannot create audio DVDs with Sonic DigitalMedia.

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• Music MP3 files can be played only on MP3 players or on computers that have MP3 software

installed.

• Commercially available DVD players used in home theater systems may not support all

available DVD formats. For a list of formats supported by your DVD player, see the

documentation provided with your DVD player or contact the manufacturer.

• Do not burn a blank CD-R or CD-RW to its maximum capacity; for example, do not copy a

650-MB file to a blank 650-MB CD. The CD-RW drive needs 1–2 MB of the blank space to

finalize the recording.

• Use a blank CD-RW to practice CD recording until you are familiar with CD recording

techniques. If you make a mistake, you can erase the data on the CD-RW and try again. You

can also use blank CD-RWs to test music file projects before you record the project

permanently to a blank CD-R.

• See the Sonic website at

www.sonic.com

for additional information.

Network Setup Wizard

®

®

The Microsoft

Windows

XP operating system provides a Network Setup Wizard to guide you

through the process of sharing files, printers, or an Internet connection between computers in a

home or small office.

1

Click the

Start

button, point to

All Programs

→

Accessories

→

Communications

, and then

click

Network Setup Wizard

.

2

On the welcome screen, click

Next

.

3

Click

Checklist for creating a network

.

NOTE: Selecting the connection method This computer connects directly to the Internet enables the

integrated firewall provided with Windows XP SP1.

4

Complete the checklist and required preparations.

Return to the Network Setup Wizard and follow the instructions on the screen.

32 Setting Up and Using Your Computer

Power Management

Overview

®

®

The Microsoft

Windows

XP power management features can reduce the amount of

electricity your computer uses when it is on and you are not using it. You can reduce power to

just the monitor or the hard drive, or you can use standby mode or hibernate mode to reduce

power to the entire computer. When the computer exits from a power conservation mode, the

Windows desktop is restored to the state it was in before it entered the mode.

NOTE: Windows XP Professional includes security and networking features not available in

Windows XP Home Edition. When a Windows XP Professional computer is connected to a network,

different options related to security and networking appear in certain windows.

NOTE: Depending on your operating system, the procedures to activate the standby and hibernate

modes may be different.

Standby Mode

Standby mode conserves power by turning off the display and the hard drive after a time-out.

When the computer exits from standby mode, it returns to the operating state it was in before it

entered standby mode.

To set standby mode to automatically activate after a defined period of inactivity:

1

Click the

Start

button and click

Control Panel

.

2

Under

Pick a category

, click

Performance and Maintenance

.

3

Under

or pick a Control Panel icon

, click

Power Options

.

To immediately activate standby mode without a period of inactivity, click the Start button,

click Turn Off Computer, and then click Stand by.

To exit from standby mode, press a key on the keyboard or move the mouse.

NOTICE: If your computer loses power while in standby mode, it may lose data.

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 the computer exits from hibernate mode,

the desktop is restored to the state it was in

before it entered hibernate mode.

To activate hibernate mode:

1

Click the

Start

button and click

Control Panel

.

2

Under

Pick a category

, click

Performance and Maintenance

.

3

Under

or pick a Control Panel icon

, click

Power Options

.

4

Define your hibernate settings on the

Power Schemes

tab,

Advanced

tab, and

Hibernate

tab.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 33

To exit from hibernate mode, press the power button. The computer may take a short time to

exit from hibernate mode. Pressing a key on the keyboard or moving the mouse does not bring

the computer out of hibernation, because the keyboard and the mouse do not function when

the computer is in hibernate mode.

Because hibernate mode requires a special file on your hard drive with enough disk space to

store the contents of the computer memory, Dell creates an appropriately sized hibernate mode

file before shipping the computer to you. If the computer’s hard drive becomes corrupted,

Windows XP recreates the hibernate file automatically.

Power Options Properties

Define your standby mode settings, hibernate mode settings, and other power settings in the

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Power Options Properties window.

To access the Power Options Properties window:

1

Click the

Start

button and click

Control Panel

.

2

Under

Pick a category

, click

Performance and Maintenance

.

3

Under

or pick a Control Panel icon

, click

Power Options

.

4

Define your power settings on the

Power Schemes

tab,

Advanced

tab, and

Hibernate

tab.

Power Schemes Tab

Each standard power setting is called a scheme. If you want to select one of the standard

Windows schemes installed on your computer, choose a scheme from the Power schemes drop-

down menu. The settings for each scheme appear in the fields below the scheme name. Each

scheme has different settings for starting standby mode or hibernate mode, turning off the

monitor, and turning off the hard drive.

The Power schemes drop-down menu displays the following schemes:

•

Always On

(default) — If you want to use your computer with no power conservation.

•

Home/Office Desk

— If you use your computer as a home or office computer and you require

minimal power conservation.

•

Portable/Laptop

— If your computer is a portable computer that you use for traveling.

•

Presentation

— If you want your computer to run without interruption (using no power

conservation).

•

Minimal Power Management

— If you want your computer to run with minimal power

conservation.

•

Max Battery

— If your computer is a portable computer and you run your computer from

batteries for extended periods of time.

34 Setting Up and Using Your Computer

If you want to change the default settings for a scheme, click the drop-down menu in the Tu rn

off monitor, Turn off hard disks, System stand by, or System hibernates field, and then select a

time-out from the displayed list. Changing the time-out for a scheme field permanently changes

the default settings for that scheme, unless you click Save As and enter a new name for the

changed scheme.

NOTICE: If you set the hard drive to time-out before the monitor does, your computer may appear to be

locked up. To recover, press any key on the keyboard or click the mouse. To avoid this problem, always

set the monitor to time-out before the hard drive.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab allows you to:

• Place the power options icon in the Windows taskbar for quick access.

• Set the computer to prompt you for your Windows password before the computer exits from

standby mode or hibernate mode.

• Program the power button to activate standby mode, activate hibernate mode, or turn off the

computer.

To program these functions, click an option from the corresponding drop-down menu and

click OK.

Hibernate Tab

The Hibernate tab allows you to enable hibernate mode. If you want to use the hibernate

settings you defined on the Power Schemes tab, click the Enable hibernate support check box

on the Hibernate tab.

For more information on power management options:

1

Click the

Start

button and click

Help and Support

.

2

In the

Help and Support

window, click

Performance and maintenance

.

3

In the

Performance and maintenance

window, click

Conserving power on your computer

.

Setting Up and Using Your Computer 35

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36 Setting Up and Using Your Computer