Dell Precision 350: instruction

Dell Precision™ 350 Workstation

Setup and Quick

Reference Guide

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Notes, Notices, and Cautions

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better

use of your computer.

NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of

data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage,

personal injury, or death.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see the “Glossary” in the

User’s Guide.

If you purchased a Dell™ n Series computer, any references in this

®

®

document to Microsoft

Windows

operating systems are not applicable.

____________________

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.

© 2002 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer

Corporation is strictly forbidden.

Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, and Dell Precision are trademarks of Dell

Computer Corporation; Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming

the marks and names or their products. Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest

in trademarks and trade names other than its own.

December 2002 P /N 6T342 Rev. A01

Contents

Finding Information for Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Connect the keyboard and the mouse

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Connect the modem or the network cable

. . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Connect the monitor

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Connect the speakers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Connect the power cables and turn on the computer

and monitor

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Install additional software or devices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Opening the Computer Cover

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Inside Your Computer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Solving Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities

. . . . . . . 20

Using System Restore in Windows XP

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Using the Last Known Good Configuration in

Windows 2000

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

When to Use the Dell Diagnostics

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Starting the Dell Diagnostics

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Beep Codes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Error Messages

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Diagnostic Lights

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Frequently Asked Questions

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Contents 3

4 Contents

Finding Information for Your Computer

The following table lists the resources that Dell provides as support tools.

Additional resources may be shipped with your computer.

What Are You Looking For? Find it Here

• A diagnostic program for my computer

Drivers and Utilities CD (also known as the

• Drivers for my computer

ResourceCD)

• My computer documentation

• My device documentation

You can use this CD to access documentation, reinstall drivers, or run

diagnostics tools.

• How to set up my computer

Setup and Quick Reference Guide

• Troubleshooting information

• Tools and utilities

Setup and Quick Reference Guide 5

What Are You Looking For? Find it Here

• Express Service Code and Service Tag

Express Service Code and Product Key

®

®

• Microsoft

Windows

License Label

The labels are located on your computer under the front-panel door.

• How to reinstall my operating system Operating System CD and Installation Guide

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

If you reinstall your operating system, use the Drivers and Utilities CD

to reinstall drivers for the devices that came with your computer.

6 Setup and Quick Reference Guide

What Are You Looking For? Find it Here

• How to remove and replace parts

User’s Guide Icon

• Technical specifications

• How to configure system settings

• How to troubleshoot and solve problems

To access the electronic documentation stored on your hard drive:

If you are using Microsoft Windows 2000, double-click the User’s

Guides icon on your desktop. If you are using Windows XP, click the

Start button and click Help and Support.

• Location of connectors on the system board System Information Label

This label is located on the inside of your computer cover.

• Latest drivers for my computer

Dell Support Website — support.dell.com

• Answers to technical service and support

The Dell Support website at support.dell.com provides several online

questions

tools, including:

• Online discussions with other users and

• Knowledge Base — Hints, tips, and online courses

technical support

• Customer Forum — Online discussion with other Dell customers

• Documentation for my computer including

• Upgrades — Upgrade information for components, such as memory,

the Service Manual

the hard drive, and the operating system

• Customer Care — Contact information, order status, warranty, and

repair information

• Downloads — Drivers, patches, and software updates

• Reference — Computer documentation, product specifications, and

white papers

Setup and Quick Reference Guide 7

What Are You Looking For? Find it Here

• Service call status

Dell Premier Support Website —

• Top technical issues for my computer

premiersupport.dell.com

• Frequently asked questions

The Dell Premier Support website is customized for corporate,

• File downloads

government, and education customers. This website may not be

available in all regions.

• Details on my computer’s configuration

• Service contract for my computer

• Warranty Information System Information Guide

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

• How to use Windows XP

Windows XP Help and Support Center

• Documentation for my computer and

1 Click the Start button and click Help and Support.

devices

2 Type a word or phrase that describes your problem and click the

arrow icon.

3 Click the topic that describes your problem.

4 Follow the instructions shown on the screen.

8 Setup and Quick Reference Guide

Setting Up Your Dell Precision™ 350

Computer

You must complete all steps to properly set up your computer.

Connect the keyboard and the mouse

Setup and Quick Reference Guide 9

Install additional software or devices

Before you install any devices or software that did not ship with your

computer, read the documentation that came with the software or device or

contact the vendor to verify that the software or device is compatible with

your computer and operating system.

Congratulations! You have completed the setup for your

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

computer.

For more information about your computer, including removing and

replacing parts, diagnostics and troubleshooting tools, access the User’s

Guide from your hard drive, the Drivers and Utilities CD, or the Dell

Support website.

To access the User’s Guide from your hard drive:

If you have Windows 2000, double-click the User’s Guides icon.

If you have Windows XP, click the Start button and click Help and

Support.

To access the User’s Guide from the CD:

1 Insert the Drivers and Utilities CD into the drive.

If you are using the Drivers and Utilities CD for the first time, the

ResourceCD Installation window opens to inform you that the CD is

about to begin installation.

2 Click OK to continue, and then respond to the prompts offered by the

installation program.

3 Click Next at the Welcome Dell System Owner screen.

To access the User’s Guide from the Dell Support Site:

1 Go to www.support.dell.com.

2 Follow the prompts on the website that ask for information about your

computer.

16 Setup and Quick Reference Guide

3 At the Dell Support website home page, click Reference, click User’s

Guides, click Systems, and then select your Dell Precision computer.

Opening the Computer Cover

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

follow the safety instructions in the System Information Guide.

1

Shut down the computer through the Start menu.

2 Ensure that your computer and attached devices are turned off. If your

computer and attached devices did not automatically turn off when

you shut down your computer, turn them off now.

NOTICE: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from your

computer and then unplug it from the network wall jack.

3

Disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the

computer.

4 Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from electrical

outlets, and then press the power button to ground the system board.

5 If you have installed a padlock through the padlock ring on the back

panel, remove the padlock.

CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your

computer from the electrical outlet before opening the cover.

6

Lay the computer on its side as shown in the illustration.

NOTICE: Ensure that sufficient space exists to support the open cover—at

least 30 cm (1 ft) of desktop space.

7

Open the computer cover:

a Facing the back of the computer, press the release button on the

right side of the computer with one hand while pulling up on the

top of the cover with the other hand.

b Press the release button on the left side of the computer with one

hand while pulling up on the top of the cover with the other hand.

c Hold the bottom of the computer with one hand, and then pull

open the cover with the other hand.

Setup and Quick Reference Guide 17

1

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

2

3

1

1 release buttons (2)

2 padlock ring

3 security cable slot

18 Setup and Quick Reference Guide

Inside Your Computer

1

9

8

7

6

2

3

5

4

1 hard drive 6 heat sink and blower assembly

2 internal speaker 7 power supply

3 chassis intrusion switch 8 floppy drive

4 system board 9 CD/DVD drive

5 padlock ring

Setup and Quick Reference Guide 19

Solving Problems

Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities

®

®

Microsoft

Windows

XP

Windows XP IRQ conflicts occur if a device either is not detected during

the operating system setup or is detected but incorrectly configured.

To check for conflicts on a computer running Windows XP:

1 Click the Start button and click Control Panel.

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

2 Click Performance and Maintenance and click System.

3 Click the Hardware tab and click Device Manager.

4 In the Device Manager list, check for conflicts with the other devices.

Conflicts are indicated by a yellow exclamation point (

!) beside the

conflicting device or a red

X if the device has been disabled.

5 Double-click any conflict to display the Properties window.

If an IRQ conflict exists, the Device status area in the Properties

window reports the cards or devices that share the device's IRQ.

6 Resolve conflicts by reconfiguring the devices or removing the devices

from the Device Manager.

To use the Windows XP Hardware Troubleshooter:

1 Click the Start button and click Help and Support.

2 Type hardware troubleshooter in the Search field, and click the

arrow to start the search.

3 Click Hardware Troubleshooter in the Search Results list.

4 In the Hardware Troubleshooter list, click I need to resolve a hardware

conflict on my computer, and then click Next.

Windows 2000

To check for conflicts on a computer running Windows 2000:

1 Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control

Panel.

2 In the Control Panel window, double-click System.

20 Setup and Quick Reference Guide