Dell Precision T3400: instruction

Dell Precision™ Workstation T3400

Quick Reference Guide

Model DCTA

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.

____________________

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.

© 2007 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly

forbidden.

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

Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft

Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

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 Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and

trade names other than its own.

Model DCTA

August 2007 P/N DU217 Rev. A00

Contents

Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

About Your Computer

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

Front View (Tower Orientation)

. . . . . . . . . . 11

Back View (Tower Orientation)

. . . . . . . . . . 14

Front View (Desktop Orientation)

. . . . . . . . . 15

Back View (Desktop Orientation)

. . . . . . . . . 18

Back Panel Connectors

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

Setting Up Your Computer

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

Changing Between Tower and

Desktop Orientations

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

Installing Your Computer in an Enclosure

. . . . . 22

Transferring Information to a New Computer

. . . 25

Power Protection Devices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Cleaning Your Computer

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

Computer, Keyboard, and Monitor

. . . . . . . . . 30

Mouse (Non-Optical)

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

Floppy Drive

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

CDs and DVDs

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Troubleshooting Tools

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Power Lights

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Diagnostic Lights

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Beep Codes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

System Messages

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Hardware Troubleshooter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Dell Diagnostics

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Contents 3

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Battery Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Drive Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems

. . . . . . 48

Error Messages

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

IEEE 1394 Device Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Keyboard Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Lockups and Software Problems

. . . . . . . . . . 51

Memory Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Mouse Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Network Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Power Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Printer Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Scanner Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Sound and Speaker Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . 58

Video and Monitor Problems

. . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

4 Contents

Finding Information

NOTE: Some features or media may be optional and may not ship with your

computer. Some features or media may not be available in certain countries.

NOTE: Additional information may ship with your computer.

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• A diagnostic program for my computer

Drivers and Utilities Disc

• Drivers for my computer

NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities disc may

be optional and may not ship with your

• Desktop System Software (DSS)

computer.

Documentation and drivers are already

installed on your computer. You can use

the Drivers and Utilities disc to reinstall

drivers (see "Reinstalling Drivers and

Utilities" in your User’s Guide), or to run

the Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics"

on page 41).

Readme files may be included on your

disc to provide last-minute updates about

technical changes to your computer or

advanced technical-reference material for

technicians or experienced users.

Drivers and documentation updates can be

found at support.dell.com.

Quick Reference Guide 5

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Warranty information

Dell™ Product Information Guide

• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)

• Safety instructions

• Regulatory information

• Ergonomics information

• End User License Agreement

• How to remove and replace parts

Dell Precision™ User’s Guide

®

®

• Specifications

Microsoft

Windows

XP and Windows

™

Vista

Help and Support Center

• How to configure system settings

1

Click

Start

→

Help and Support

→

• How to troubleshoot and solve problems

Dell User and System Guides

→

System Guides

.

2

Click the

User’s Guide

for your

computer.

6 Quick Reference Guide

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Service Tag and Express Service Code

Service Tag and Microsoft Windows

Product Key

• Microsoft Windows Product Key

These labels are located on your

computer.

• Use the Service Tag to identify your

computer when you use

support.dell.com

or contact support.

• Enter the Express Service Code to

direct your call when contacting

support.

NOTE: As an increased security measure,

the newly designed Microsoft Windows

license label incorporates a missing

portion, or hole, to discourage removal of

the label.

Quick Reference Guide 7

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and

Dell Support Website — support.dell.com

tips, articles from technicians, online

NOTE: Select your region or business

courses, and frequently asked questions

segment to view the appropriate support

• Community — Online discussion with

site.

other Dell customers

• Upgrades — Upgrade information for

components, such as the memory, hard

drive, and operating system

• Customer Care — Contact information,

service call and order status, and

warranty and repair information

• Service and support — Service call

status, support history, service contract,

and online discussions with support

• Dell Technical Update Service —

Proactive e-mail notification of software

and hardware updates for your computer

• Reference — Computer documentation,

details on my computer configuration,

product specifications, and white papers

• Downloads — Certified drivers, patches,

and software updates

8 Quick Reference Guide

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Desktop System Software (DSS)— If

To download Desktop System Software:

you reinstall the operating system for

1

Go to

support.dell.com

, select your

your computer, you should also reinstall

country/region, and then click

Drivers

the DSS utility. DSS automatically

& Downloads

.

detects your computer and operating

2

Click

Select Model

or

Enter a Tag

,

system and installs the updates

make the appropriate selections or enter

appropriate for your configuration,

the appropriate information for your

providing critical updates for your

computer, and then click

Confirm

.

operating system and support for

3

Scroll down to

System and

processors, optical drives, USB devices,

Configuration Utilities

→

Desktop

etc. DSS is necessary for correct

System Software

, and then click

operation of your Dell computer.

Download Now.

NOTE: The support.dell.com user

interface may vary depending on your

selections.

• How to use Windows XP

Windows Help and Support Center

1

Click

Start

→

Help and Support

.

• How to use Windows Vista

2

Type a word or phrase that describes

• How to work with programs and files

your problem and click the arrow icon.

• How to personalize my desktop

3

Click the topic that describes your

problem.

4

Follow the instructions on the screen.

Quick Reference Guide 9

5 IEEE 1394 connector

Use the optional IEEE 1394 connector for high-speed

(optional)

data devices such as digital video cameras and external

storage devices.

6 USB 2.0 connectors

Use the front USB connectors for devices that you

(2)

connect occasionally, such as flash memory keys or

cameras, or for bootable USB devices (see "System

Setup" in your User’s Guide for more information on

booting to a USB device).

NOTE: It is recommended that you use the back USB

connectors for devices that typically remain connected,

such as printers and keyboards.

7 power button Press to turn on the computer.

NOTICE: To avoid losing data, do not use the

power button to turn off the computer. Instead,

perform an operating system shutdown.

NOTICE: If your operating system has ACPI

enabled, when you press the power button the

computer will perform an operating system

shutdown.

NOTE: The power button can also be used to wake the

system or to place it into a power-saving state (see

"Power Management" in your User’s Guide).

16 Quick Reference Guide

8 power light The power light illuminates and blinks or remains solid

to indicate different states:

• No light — The computer is turned off (S4, S5, or

mechanical OFF).

• Steady green — The computer is in a normal

operating state.

• Blinking green — The computer is in a power-

saving state (S1 or S3).

• Blinking or solid amber — See "Power Problems"

in

your User’s Guide

.

To exit from a power-saving state, press the power

button or use the keyboard or mouse if it is configured

as a wake device in the Windows Device Manager. For

more information about sleep states and exiting from

a power-saving state, see "Power Management" in your

User’s Guide.

For a description of diagnostic light codes for

troubleshooting problems with your computer, see

"Diagnostic Lights" on page 33.

9 diagnostic lights (4) Use the diagnostic lights to help you troubleshoot

a problem with your computer (see "Diagnostic Lights"

on page 33).

10 microphone

Use the microphone connector to attach a personal

connector

computer microphone for voice or musical input into

a sound or telephony program.

11 headphone connector Use the headphone connector to attach headphones.

12 network link light The network link light is on when a good connection

exists between a 10-Mbps, 100-Mbps, or 1000-Mbps

(or 1-Gbps) network and the computer.

Quick Reference Guide 17

Back View (Desktop Orientation)

1

32

4

1 card slots Access connectors for any installed PCI or PCI Express

cards.

NOTE: Check the documentation for cards to ensure that

you can accommodate them in your configuration. Some

cards that require more physical space and power (such

as PCI Express graphics cards) may restrict the use of

other cards.

2 power connector Insert the power cable.

3 voltage selection

See the safety instructions in the Product Information

switch

Guide for more information.

NOTE: The voltage selection switch is available on the

375-W PSU only.

4 back panel connectors Plug serial, USB, and other devices into the

appropriate connector.

18 Quick Reference Guide

Back Panel Connectors

1

2 345

6

7

891011

1 mouse connector Plug a PS/2 mouse into the green mouse connector. Turn off

the computer and any attached devices before you connect

a mouse to the computer. If you have a USB mouse, plug it

into a USB connector.

2 parallel

Connect a parallel device, such as a printer, to the parallel

connector

connector. If you have a USB printer, plug it into a USB

connector.

NOTE: The integrated parallel connector is automatically

disabled if the computer detects an installed card containing

a parallel connector configured to the same address. For more

information, see "System Setup Options" in your User’s Guide.

3 link integrity

• Green — A good connection exists between a 10-Mbps

light

network and the computer.

• Orange — A good connection exists between a 100-Mbps

network and the computer.

• Yellow — A good connection exists between a 1000-Mbps

(1-Gbps) network and the computer.

• Off — The computer is not detecting a physical

connection to the network.

Quick Reference Guide 19

4 network adapter

To attach your computer to a network or broadband device,

connector

connect one end of a network cable to either a network jack

or your network or broadband device. Connect the other

end of the network cable to the network adapter connector

on your computer. A click indicates that the network cable

has been securely attached.

NOTICE: Do not plug a telephone cable into the network

connector.

On computers with an additional network connector card,

use the connectors on the card and on the back of the

computer when setting up multiple network connections

(such as a separate intra- and extranet).

It is recommended that you use Category 5 wiring and

connectors for your network. If you must use Category

3 wiring, force the network speed to 10 Mbps to ensure

reliable operation.

5 network activity

The network activity light is on (flashing) when the

light

computer is transmitting or receiving network data. A high

volume of network traffic may make this light appear to be

in a steady on state.

6 line-out

Use the green line-out connector to attach headphones and

connector

most speakers with integrated amplifiers.

On computers with a sound card, use the connector on the

card.

7 line-in connector Use the blue line-in connector to attach a record/playback

device such as a microphone, cassette player, CD player,

or VCR.

On computers with a sound card, use the connector on the

card.

8 Rear Dual USB

Use the back USB connectors for devices that typically

2.0 connectors

remain connected, such as printers and keyboards.

(2)

NOTE: It is recommended that you use the front USB

connectors for devices that you connect occasionally, such as

flash memory keys or cameras, or for bootable USB devices.

20 Quick Reference Guide