Dell Precision T5400: instruction

Dell Precision™ T5400

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

September 2007 P/N GX738 Rev. A00

Contents

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

Setting Up Your Computer

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

Changing Between Tower and Desktop

Orientations

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

Installing Your Computer in an Enclosure

. . . . . 11

Transferring Information to a New Computer

. . . . 13

Power Protection Devices

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

About Your Computer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Front View (Tower Orientation)

. . . . . . . . . . 18

Back View (Tower Orientation)

. . . . . . . . . . 20

Back Panel Connectors (Tower Orientation)

. . . . . 21

Front View (Desktop Orientation)

. . . . . . . . . 23

Back View (Desktop Orientation)

. . . . . . . . . 25

Cleaning Your Computer

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

Computer, Keyboard, and Monitor

. . . . . . . . . 26

Mouse (Non-Optical)

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

Floppy Drive

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CDs and DVDs

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Troubleshooting Tools

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Power Lights

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Diagnostic Lights

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Beep Codes

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

System Messages

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Hardware Troubleshooter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Dell Diagnostics

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Troubleshooting

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

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Contents 3

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

Documentation and drivers are already

installed on your computer. You can use

• My device documentation

the Drivers and Utilities disc to reinstall

• Desktop System Software (DSS)

drivers (see "Reinstalling Drivers and

Utilities" in your User’s Guide) and to run

the Dell™ Diagnostics (see

"Dell Diagnostics"

on page 36

).

NOTE: Drivers and documentation updates

can be found at support.dell.com.

• 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

→

Dell

• How to troubleshoot and solve problems

User and System Guides

→

System Guides

.

2

Click the

User’s Guide

for your computer.

This document is also available on

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

• Service Tag and Express Service Code

Service Tag and Microsoft Windows License

• Microsoft Windows License Label

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.

6 Quick Reference Guide

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and

Dell Support Website — support.dell.com

tips, articles from technicians, and online

NOTE: Select your region or business

courses, frequently asked questions

segment to view the appropriate support site.

• Community — Online discussion with

other Dell customers

• Upgrades — Upgrade information for

components, such as memory, the hard

drive, and the operating system

• Customer Care — Contact information,

service call and order status, warranty,

and repair information

• Service and support — Service call status

and support history, service contract,

online discussions with technical support

• 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

• Desktop System Software (DSS) — If you

To download Desktop System Software:

reinstall the operating system for your

1

Go to

support.dell.com

, select your

computer, you should also reinstall the

region or business segment, and enter

DSS utility. DSS provides critical updates

your Service Tag.

for your operating system and support for

2

Select

Drivers & Downloads

and click

Go

.

processors, optical drives, USB devices,

3

Click your operating system and search for

and so on. DSS is necessary for correct

the keyword

Notebook System Software

.

operation of your Dell computer. The

software automatically detects your

NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface

computer and operating system and

may vary depending on your selections.

installs the updates appropriate for your

configuration.

Quick Reference Guide 7

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• How to use Microsoft Windows XP or

Windows Help and Support

Vista™

Microsoft Windows XP:

• How to work with programs and files

1

Click the

Start

button and click

Help

and Support

.

• How to personalize my desktop

2

Either select one of the topics listed, or

type a word or phrase that describes your

problem into the

Search

box, click the

arrow icon, and then click the topic that

describes your problem.

3

Follow the instructions on the screen.

Microsoft Windows Vista:

1

Click the Windows Vista Start button

, and then click

Help and Support

.

2

In

Search Help

, type a word or phrase that

describes your problem, and then press

<Enter> or click the magnifying glass.

3

Click the topic that describes your problem.

4

Follow the instructions on the screen.

8 Quick Reference Guide

What Are You Looking For? Find It Here

• How to reinstall my operating system

Operating System Disc

NOTE: The Operating System disc may be

optional and may not ship with your computer.

The operating system is already installed on

your computer. To reinstall your operating

system, use the Operating System disc (see

"Reintalling Windows XP or Windows Vista"

in your User’s Guide).

After you reinstall your operating system,

use the Drivers and Utilities disc to reinstall

drivers for the devices that came with your

computer.

Your operating system product key label is

located on your computer.

NOTE: The color of your disc varies based

on the operating system you ordered.

• How to use Linux

Dell Supported Linux Sites

• E-mail discussions with users of Dell

• linux.dell.com

Precision products and the Linux

• lists.us.dell.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-

operating system

precision

• Additional information regarding Linux

and my Dell Precision computer

Quick Reference Guide 9

6

Under

What do you want to transfer?

, click to select the data you want to

transfer, then click

Next

.

The selected data is copied and the

Completing the Collection Phase

screen appears.

7

Click

Finish

.

TRANSFER DATA TO THE DESTINATION COMPUTER

1

Go to the destination computer.

2

Under

Now go to your old computer

, click

Next

.

3

Under

Where are the files and settings?

, click to select the method you

chose for transferring your settings and files, then click

Next

.

The wizard reads the collected files and settings and applies them to the

destination computer. When the transfer is complete, the

Finished

screen

appears.

4

Click

Finished

, and then restart the computer.

Microsoft Windows Vista

1

Click the Windows Vista Start button and then click

Transfer files

and settings

→

Start Windows Easy Transfer

.

2

In the

User Account Control

dialog box, click

Continue

.

3

Click

Start a new transfer

or

Continue a transfer in progress

.

Follow the instructions provided on the screen by the Windows Easy Transfer

wizard.

Power Protection Devices

Several devices are available to protect against power fluctuations and failures:

• Surge protectors

• Line conditioners

• Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)

16 Quick Reference Guide

Surge Protectors

Surge protectors and power strips equipped with surge protection help prevent

damage to your computer from voltage spikes that can occur during electrical

storms or after power interruptions. Some surge protector manufacturers include

warranty coverage for certain types of damage. Carefully read the device warranty

when choosing a surge protector and compare joule ratings to determine the

relative effectiveness of different devices. A device with a higher joule rating offers

more protection.

NOTICE: Most surge protectors do not protect against power fluctuations or power

interruptions caused by nearby lightning strikes. When lightning occurs in your area,

disconnect the telephone line from the telephone wall jack and disconnect your

computer from the electrical outlet.

Many surge protectors have a telephone jack for modem protection. See the

surge protector documentation for modem connection instructions.

NOTICE: Not all surge protectors offer network adapter protection. Disconnect the

network cable from the network wall jack during electrical storms.

Line Conditioners

NOTICE: Line conditioners do not protect against power interruptions.

Line conditioners are designed to maintain AC voltage at a fairly constant level.

Uninterruptible Power Supplies

NOTICE: Loss of power while data is being saved to the hard drive may result in

data loss or file damage.

NOTE: To ensure maximum battery operating time, connect only your computer to

a UPS. Connect other devices, such as a printer, to a separate power strip that

provides surge protection.

A UPS protects against power fluctuations and interruptions. UPS devices

contain a battery that provides temporary power to connected devices when

AC power is interrupted. The battery charges while AC power is available. See

the UPS manufacturer documentation for information on battery operating time

and to ensure that the device is approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

Quick Reference Guide 17

About Your Computer

Front View (Tower Orientation)

1

2

12

3

11

4

10

9

5

6

8

7

1 upper 5.25-inch

Holds an Optical Drive.

drive bay

2 lower 5.25-inch

You can use this bay for an optional Optical Drive.

drive bay

3 FlexBay You can use this bay for an optional third hard drive

(SATA or SAS), a floppy drive or a Media Card Reader.

4 hard-drive

The hard drive light is on when the computer reads data

activity light

from or writes data to the hard drive. The light might also

be on when a device such as your CD drive is operating.

5 IEEE 1394

Use the optional IEEE 1394 connector for high-speed

connector (optional)

data devices such as digital video cameras and external

storage devices.

18 Quick Reference Guide

6 USB 2.0 connectors (2) Use the front USB connectors for devices that you

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).

Dell recommends that you use the back USB connectors for

devices that typically remain connected, such as printers

and keyboards.

7 Dell rotatable badge To rotate the Dell badge for tower-to-desktop conversion:

remove the

front panel ("Removing the Computer Cover"

in your User’s Guide

)

, turn it over, and rotate the plastic

handle behind the badge.

8 power button,

Press the power button to turn on the computer. The light in

power light

the center of this button indicates power state. See "Controls

and Lights" in your User’s Guide for more information.

NOTICE: To avoid losing data, do not use the power

button to turn off the computer. Instead, perform an

operating system shutdown.

9 headphone connector Use the headphone connector to attach headphones.

10 microphone connector Use the microphone connector to attach a personal

computer microphone for voice or musical input into

a sound or telephony program.

11 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.

12 diagnostic lights (4) Use these lights to help you troubleshoot a computer

problem based on the diagnostic code. For more information,

see "Power Lights" on page 27.

Quick Reference Guide 19

Back View (Tower Orientation)

1

2

3

1 power connector Insert the power cable.

2 card slots Access connectors for any installed PCI and PCI Express cards.

The center four connector slots support full-length cards,

and the connector slots on either the top or bottom (one x8

PCI Express slot (wired as x4) and one PCI-X card) support

half-length cards.

3 back panel

Plug USB, audio, and other devices into the appropriate

connectors

connector. For more information, see "Back View (Desktop

Orientation)" on page 25.

CAUTION: Ensure that none of the system air vents are blocked. Blocking them

would cause serious thermal problems.

20 Quick Reference Guide