FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
ANSWERS
I can't remember my BIOS password on my Laptop. How
do I reset it?
The ONLY way to reset a forgotten password
on a Dell Portable computer is to call Dell's
Mobile Computing Hotline at 1.800.247.9252 (have your System Service Tag Number handy). After a
Dell Tech verifies that you really are the owner of the machine you will be given the
master password, which is unique for every Portable computer that Dell manufactures. There
is absolutely no other way to do this as there are no jumpers on the mainboard like a
desktop system has.
Dave Dykhuis
How do I shutoff those annoyingly loud beeps during
bootup?
On the Inspiron series the first beep that you hear is from the POST (power-on self-test). To disable this go
into your BIOS setup and enable 'Quiet Boot'. Save, Exit and allow your system to startup.
Now shutdown (do not do a 'restart'). Turn your machine back on and the POST beep is gone.
As
far as I can tell the Latitude series of computers do not have
a POST beep, or a Quiet Boot setting in the BIOS. If you are
hearing any beeps while starting a Latitude then it is most likely
from a PCMCIA card.
If you have PC Cards installed then you are also hearing a double set of beeps during
bootup for each card that is installed as Windows detects each card. To disable these
beeps click 'Start|Settings|Control Panel and double click 'PC Card (PCMCIA)'. Click the
'Global Settings' tab. Place a check mark next to 'Disable PC card sound effects'. Click
'Apply' and click 'OK'. The next time your computer starts you will no longer hear those
beeps either.
Dave Dykhuis
Can I hot swap my CD-ROM, Floppy, Zip, and DVD
drives in the options bay?
For the Inspiron 3000, 3200, & 7500 the answer is NO, this will not work, as the BIOS must
detect which drive is present during initial bootup, and the Operating System gets it's
information about which drive is present from the BIOS. You have to shutdown to change
drives. Admittedly some people have reported success with Hot Swapping by logging out of
Windows and logging back in again. Why that would work is a mystery and it is not a good
idea. By Hot Swapping a component that was not designed to do so you also risk doing
serious damage to the device and the computer with a small power spike/drop or spark as
the connection is made or broken.
For the Inspiron 3500, 3700, & 7000 the answer is YES, if you are running Windows 98, 98se, or NT. You
will need to install the latest BIOS revision, and Softex Bay Manager if you want to Hot Swap the options bay components.
For the Latitude series the answer is YES for most models if you are running Windows
95, 98,
98se, or NT. You will need to install the latest BIOS revision and Softex BayManager if you want to hot swap the options bay components. If BayManager is unavailable for your system, you may still be able to hot swap under Windows NT if you have the Softex drivers installed.
You can obtain the necessary files by going here, entering your system's service tag number, and clicking Go.
Dave Dykhuis
Can I swap or replace the Primary and Secondary hard drives in my Inspiron 7500?
Yes, but it isn't easy. For very well written and highly detailed
instructions written by John Kajfes click here.
Dave Dykhuis
Why won't my external floppy drive work when
attached to a "pass-through" port?
Unfortunately the external floppy is very sensitive to signal loss and when the signal
passes through another device such as a zip drive, printer, or A/B switch by the time the
signal gets to the floppy drive it is usually too weak to operate the drive. There is no
way around it. If you want to use the floppy drive on the parallel port it has to be
hooked up directly to the port.
Dave Dykhuis
The images and fonts are rough and grainy when the
screen resolution is changed from 1024x768 to 800x600. How do I adjust this?
On Dell Latitudes hit Fn|F7. On the Inspiron 7000 hit Fn|F8 (you can also try the suggestion outlined below
for the I35K). The screen should shrink some, a black border about 1.5" wide
will surround the screen image, and the graphics & fonts should get nice and sharp
again.
On the Inspiron 3000 and 3200 you need to use Dell's 'Screen
Shrinker' utility (click here to begin downloading lcdutil.exe).
When activated, after changing the screen resolution, the Screen Shrinker will have the
same effect as the Fn|F7 keys do on the Latitudes.
After downloading the lcdutil.exe file place a formatted
blank diskette in the floppy drive. Double click the lcdutil.exe
and the 'Screen Shrinker' files will be extracted to the diskette. Copy the files from the
diskette to the folder of your choice, I recommend creating a new folder in the root
directory and naming it "Shrink". Open the readme.txt file and follow the
instructions for using this utility. The instructions are written for the Inspiron 3000
& 3200 running Windows 95b, but they do apply to Windows 98 also.
On the Inspiron 3500 this is accomplished with an expansion setting in Display Properties.
Carry out the following steps, after you have changed the resolution, to shrink the I35K
screen:
Right click on your Desktop
Click Properties
Click the Settings tab
Click the Advanced button
Click the NeoMagic tab
Uncheck the Expansion box
Click Apply
Dave Dykhuis
Can I use a PS/2 splitter on my Dell Portable
Computer?
Dell's position is NO, it will not work. Dell recommends getting a Port Replicator, which
has two PS/2 Ports, if you need to connect two PS/2 devices to your machine. Generally
speaking Dell is correct. Most PS/2 splitters don't seem to work on Dell Portables for
some reason, as is evidenced by the posts that I have seen on DellTalk.
However, I have seen many posts in DellTalk from folks that have had success with the IBM
ThinkPad PS/2 splitter on a variety of Dell models. It has also been reported by some
folks that the Belkin splitter for the IBM ThinkPad also works, although I have seen posts
on DellTalk from folks that could not get a Belkin splitter to work. It should be noted
here that Belkin makes two different splitters and the folks that were having trouble did
not specify which Belkin splitter they were using.
The keyboard and/or mouse that is being used can also play a role in whether or not the
splitter will work. For example- One person has reported that the Belkin brand IBM
ThinkPad splitter would not allow a genuine Microsoft Ergo Keyboard to work although the
mouse worked just fine. He then tried the newer Microsoft Elite Ergo Keyboard and it
worked just fine along with the mouse. This was tried and confirmed on an Inspiron 3500,
Latitude CP and CPi A. What it boils down to is this- if you're going to use a splitter
get either the IBM or Belkin brand and if the keyboard and/or mouse does not work then try
different brands or types of keyboards and mice before you conclude that the splitter will
not work on your machine.
I have one of IBM's splitters and it allows me to use a PS/2 Intellimouse and an external
generic keyboard on my Inspiron 3000 with no problems at all. I have not tried any other
brand of PS/2 splitter and I don't guarantee that the IBM or Belkin splitter will work for
you. Keep in mind that Dell does not recommend the use of any PS/2
Port splitter. Your mileage may vary.
The IBM brand ThinkPad splitter (P/N 54G0441)
is available directly from IBM here.
Info on the Belkin splitter for IBM ThinkPad's is available by going here,
clicking Cable Products, and searching for P/N F3G117-01 6 or the term Splitter.
Dave Dykhuis
What components can I Upgrade/Replace on my Dell
Portable Computer?
Generally speaking anything that is inside the machine is not upgradeable. The following
list covers the common items that can or can not be upgraded, and while it may not be
complete, it certainly covers most items and will give you an idea of what can not be done
easily:
Non-Upgradeable/Non-Replaceable Components
Processor
Internal DVD Decoder Card
Video Card (which includes the Video Ram)
Speakers (use external ones if you are not happy with the built-in speakers)
MainBoard
Internal Modem
LCD Display
Latch Assembly
Touchpad
Upgradeable/Replaceable Components
Memory (click here
for memory spec's, and here for the Dell Memory
Selector)
Hard Drive
Floppy Drive
CD-ROM Drive
DVD Drive
Zip Drive
PCMCIA Cards
Batteries
On Dell Portable Computers there is very little that can be upgraded by the end user due
to the difficulty in opening up the machine (I've had mine completely apart and it is not
a job for the faint of heart) and the cost of components. While you can usually get the
part that you wish you had ordered with your machine in the first place, or the latest
part offered that wasn't around when you bought your machine, it may not work, even if you
do shell out the bucks for it, and are willing to open up your machine. Should you decide
to try and upgrade an internal component: do your compatibility
research very carefully, and very thoroughly, before making a purchase and
attempting to install the part.
Dave Dykhuis
Why can't I upgrade such-and-such
component & why doesn't Dell offer upgrade service?
Here's my take on the upgrade issue for Portable computers, using a Processor upgrade from
366MHz to 400Mhz for an example. (you can substitute any of the non-upgradeable components
and the appropriate dollar figure for your particular upgrade question. I'm sure you'll
get the general idea of what I'm getting at) :
Given enough time and money anything is possible. BUT, would it really be worth it?
Probably not. The performance increase would barely be noticeable, if you could
even tell the difference. Now if I could upgrade this 233MHz that I'm using, to 400MHz, that
would probably be a noticeable difference in performance.
If you were to perform the upgrade yourself you would void your warranty. Also- it is not
an easy task to disassemble and reassemble a Portable computer. It is not just a matter of
undoing a few screws and removing the cover. Most of the case parts are interlocked
together with plastic tabs that can break quite easily. Unlike desktop systems, with lots
of room inside, where you can just pop off the case and plug in a new processor, the
portable units have an awful lot of stuff packed into a very small space. If all of the
wires are not routed exactly right when you put it back together you can very easily pinch
one causing lots of damage. They also use ZIF connectors, which are soldered onto the
mainboard and are quite fragile. If you break one, then you have to get a new mainboard.
These are just a few reasons why a processor upgrade should not be done by the end user.
If Dell were to offer upgrades, you're talking about creating an entire new department,
assuming that there is enough demand to justify such a division, which I don't think that
Dell is ready to tackle right now. They can't keep up with the business they have now,
never mind generating even more in a whole new direction. Then there is the issue of
customer satisfaction. I think that most people would be sorely disappointed with the end
result of a 34MHz, or even a 100MHz, processor upgrade after paying $3000 or more for the
computer, and then another $600 or more for the upgrade, which they wouldn't even be able
to tell was done just by using the machine. They would have to look at the processor size
during the POST, or in System Properties, to even know that it had a faster processor.
This all assumes that the current mainboard is compatible with the faster Processor. If
the mainboard needs to be replaced also, that will increase the price, and labor involved
tremendously.
Now if they were to design the machine with the processor on the bottom of the mainboard,
with an access door on the bottom of the unit, so that it is real easy to change the
processor...
Just wishful thinking :o)
Dave Dykhuis
Here is a very good
explanation as to why the Video card can not be upgraded,
written by Josh Turiel...
Laptop graphics chips use highly proprietary interfaces, in the interest of building an easily integrated, low-cost, low-power solution for an "all-in-one" portable box. In a few cases, (like I7K systems), the graphics processor is on a daughtercard - but you're still confined to the Rage Pro/Rage Mobility/Rage 128 Mobility or any other ATI chipsets that use the same electrical and pin specifications. Period. If you design for S3 video processors, you're pretty much stuck with them unless the laptop vendor chooses to engage in a relatively expensive redesign of the system board, which generally won't happen. Same for ATI or any other chip maker.
Desktops can use hotrod cards because PCI and AGP are standard card form factors in a desktop environment. In a laptop, "AGP" or "PCI" refers strictly to the
signaling and/or logic, NOT to the form factor. There is a "mini-PCI" connector form factor out there - the first two generations of iMac had it hidden on the logic board, though unsupported officially. Several laptops extend the PCI bus through and into a docking station - and those can sometimes use Auxiliary PCI gaming cards like the Voodoo 2 when docked. Many can't, though.
Finally, desktop graphics processors are optimized for one thing: performance. They have ample power supplies feeding them and plenty of room in the case for air circulation to deal with the heat issues. Laptops run on a fraction of the power (most draw from 40-55 watts of power, as opposed to the 250-300 available to a desktop), and have limited ways of dealing with heat. So laptop graphics chips are designed for low power consumption (you get a lot less juice at any given time from a battery than from the power grid...) and to run in a tight thermal envelope. Performance isn't the priority it is on the desktop, and it never will be in comparison. That said, performance is steadily improving - it just won't ever equal the desktop levels. The design issues are just too different.
Josh Turiel
Why does my computer have a Designed for NT sticker
on it and Dell won't sell or support it with NT?
First of all, let me say that this is rapidly becoming a moot question as the Inspiron
7000 is now available with Windows NT preinstalled by Dell. That leaves the Inspiron 3500
as the only Dell Portable Computer that is not available with the Windows NT operating
system. I think that eventually the Inspiron 3500 will be available with NT also as it is
a very popular operating system.
It should also be noted that, even though Dell is not, and should not, be obligated to
support NT on systems they did not ship with NT, the Tech's on DellTalk do help out quite
a bit with NT problems and installations on machines that were not shipped with NT.
According to Dell, the Designed for Windows 95,98,NT sticker that is on Dell Portable
Computers is supplied to Dell by Microsoft. Dell says they have no control over what the
sticker says, that Microsoft only has one sticker, and they must put it on any machine
they sell with any of Microsoft's operating systems. Dell also says that just because the
sticker is on your machine it does not mean that Dell has to sell it with NT, or support
the installation of NT on a machine that did not have NT preinstalled. Dell says that all
it means is Microsoft has tested the computer with a bare bones install of NT and it
worked.
You may notice that some computers made by the "other guys" have a sticker that
says, Designed for Windows 98, with no mention of NT at all. This blows away Dell's claim
that Microsoft only has one sticker. I believe what's actually happening is this- If a
computer passes Microsoft's requirements for Windows 98 & Windows NT, then the multi
operating system sticker must be used. What is not known at this point is whether a
manufacturer must submit a computer specifically for NT certification by Microsoft, or if
Microsoft just tests all computers with all of their operating systems when submitted for
certification for an operating system.
One Inspiron 7000 owner found a work-around to the sticker issue by putting the
Designed for NT
on her refrigerator and the Intel Inside sticker on her
microwave.
Dave Dykhuis
I lost the Standby option in the Shutdown menu. How
do I get it back?
If it is missing, it could be that Win98's "fixes itself" feature offered
to remove an 'acting up' Standby and it was accepted. To restore go Start, Settings,
Control Panel, System, System Properties Device manager tab. Double click System Devices.
Double click Advanced Power Management support, place a check in [Disable in this hardware
profile] box and shutdown. Reboot and go back and remove the same check you just added,
reboot again and Standby will be restored.
Art Johnson
How can I close the lid without going into Standby
mode?
The only way that I know of to do this is with a program called Suspend
Manager written by Al Testani. It works quite well with
Windows 95, Windows 98, and some versions of Windows NT. I use it without any problems on
my Inspiron 3000 and I have seen it reported on DellTalk to work just fine on the other
Inspiron models as well as the Latitude series of portable computers. Do not use Suspend Manager if you are going to close the lid and put your
computer in a case or bag as there is a very good chance that you will overheat the unit.
It is ok to close the lid with this program if you are going to leave the computer out on
a hard flat surface. I leave the lid closed on mine every night and have Virus Scan, Scan
Disk, Defrag, and my backup program run during the night while I sleep. I've been doing
this for several months now without encountering any problems at all.
You can download susmgr.zip by clicking here. Be sure to read the readme.txt file after unzipping the
download.
There is new info about using Suspend Manager with Windows NT in the readme.txt file and
it is also on the Downloads page.
Dave Dykhuis
What is the difference between Standby, Suspend to
RAM, and Suspend to Disk modes?
Standby Mode- This is a very shallow form of power management
that will shutoff the screen and spin down the hard drive when the lid is closed. Upon
opening the lid you should be able to come out of Standby Mode simply by pressing any key.
Suspend to RAM Mode- This will save all of the information
about what is currently running to memory. It will shutoff your PCMCIA cards and your
display, spindown your hard drive, and power down any other peripherals that you have.
Your computer will stay in this state as long as it has power, either from the AC adapter
or the battery. To resume operation from this mode press the power button momentarily and
you should be running again in 10 to 20 seconds.
Suspend to Disk Mode- This will save all of the information
about what is currently running to either a file on your hard drive or a partition on your
hard drive depending on how your machine is setup. As with Suspend to RAM your PCMCIA
cards will be shutoff, the display will be shutoff, the hard drive will spindown, and any
other peripherals will be powered down. This mode does not require any power to maintain
it's suspend state. To resume operations press the power button. Your computer will go
through a full reboot and everything that you had running should be as you left it
prior to going into suspend mode.
You should read your owners manual to find out which key combinations will place you in
the various power saving modes as I believe that they are different for the various models
of Dell portable computers. If you are running Windows 98 it is also a good idea to
disable all power management features in the BIOS setup as they tend to conflict with
Windows power management.
Dave Dykhuis
My computer gets extremely hot. Why doesn't the fan
turn on? by Norman Voo
The information that I have stated below was gathered by me through talking with Dell techs, stuff I read on
the DellTalk forum, and through my personal experiences. It probably applies to all models of Inspirons (including the later ones as well), but maybe not.
The fan contained in your notebook (Dell) is a "green" fan. This means it does not stay on constantly, but rather will turn on and off as needed. It has multiple speed settings ranging from Low to High.
Basically, once the inside of the notebook reaches a certain temperature, the fan will turn on (or if it is already on, it will bump up a speed). Also, once the notebook cools down enough, the fan will turn off (or go down a speed).
I've noticed a couple people say that their fan doesn't come on. Note that the fan is a green fan, so it doesn't have to come on all the time (or always go to the High setting). Also keep in mind that Dell notebooks are designed to run hotter than other notebooks. If you are worried, you can run the fan tests on the Dell diagnostics disk to confirm proper operation. Also listen to see if the fan tests itself upon boot up.
Other people say that the fan noise is too loud, and some also say that it goes away, then comes back again. Again, the fan is a green fan, thus on High setting it does make quite a bit of noise compared to the barely
audible low or lower settings or the silent off setting. Maybe the notebook was running hotter than usual that day because of CPU intensive work, or the outside temperature was 110F, or that it was operating on a soft surface or lap*. Any of these and other factors can/should make the fan work harder to cool down your system, maybe even prompting it to go into the High setting. If you are worried about the fan malfunctioning, run the fan diagnostics or call dell for help.
Proper fan operation can be confirmed by hearing the fan turn on briefly upon bootup, as well as if it passes the fan diagnostics supplied on the Dell Diagnostic Disk (available for download from support.dell.com as well).
I've had my notebook for a year now, and I've only heard my fan go into the high setting 3 times (aside from the boot up test). The rest of the time it was on low, or off.
Of course this probably won't answer EVERY fan question out there, or explain problems with the fan when there is a problem, but hopefully it'll help people in one way or another...
*NOTE: Your Dell notebook was
NOT made to operate on a soft surface! Operating it on a soft surface (ex: blankets, carpet, etc...) will result in a hotter notebook than usual since the airflow required to keep the notebook at a "normal" temperature is being impeded. Always operate your notebook on a solid, flat surface.
Norman Voo
Okay, so how do I get my computer to run
cooler?
To get the fan to run as much as possible, install the latest BIOS available for your
computer, disable all power management, and plug it into AC power. Even by doing this your
fan still may not turn on, but you will at least have provided the most "favorable"
Thermal Tables for it to do so.
The installation of a program called Rain, which helps cool the processor by putting
it into a semi suspend mode when it is idle, will help considerably. I, as well as many other Inspiron and
Latitude owners, have been using Rain
with great success for many months now. For more
information, written by Tom Arnett,
and a download link, go to the Downloads
page.
Another thing that will help is to elevate the back of
your computer so that more air can circulate around it. Some folks use a couple of foam wrist rests
under the back edge of the computer. Many folks, myself included, use a device called CoolPad
which is available from RoadTools.
It has rubber feet that elevate your computer so that air can circulate
under it.
The biggest help though, would be a user selectable option in the BIOS
that would allow the Fan to run all the time while
on AC power only. This BIOS switch could be written in such
a manner that when Always On for the
fan is selected the Fan would run all the time when the AC
power is connected. When on DC power the fan would
still be controlled by the BIOS Thermal Tables. Likewise, if
the user opted to not select Always On while on AC power the
Thermal Tables would control the fan as they do now. If you
would like to see Dell implement such a BIOS option in
future BIOS upgrades for any, or all, of Dell's Portable
Computers then please send a suggestion to Dell's Product
Development Team by clicking here.
Well Dell has finally come up with an unofficial partial fix. They
now have a utility that will allow you to your fan on until the next
reboot. Click here for more information,
download links, and another fan-on program written by Doug
McFadyen.
Dave Dykhuis / Tom Arnett
How do I find out which Processor, Display Screen, and BIOS Version I have?
Immediately after turning on your machine (while the Dell splash screen is being displayed), press
Esc and then Pause. The fourth line of text should look something like this:
Inspiron 7000 D300LT BIOS Rev A14 (039A)
* The first part will tell you what sort of system you have (for example, Inspiron 7000)
* The first letter identifies the type of CPU:
- 4 - 486
- P - Pentium
- M - Pentium w/ MMX
- D - Pentium II w/ off-die cache
- C - Celeron
- A - Pentium II w/ on-die cache
- R - Pentium III
Note:
Later models using this designation do have SpeedStep. It is unclear
when this change took place though.
- G - Pentium III w/ SpeedStep
|
* Next, there will be two or three numbers--this is the speed of your CPU in MHz.
* The next letter identifies the size of your screen and its native
resolution:
|
|
12.1"
13.1"
14.1"
14.1"
15.0"
15.0"
15.0"
15.4" |
SXGA
XGA
XGA
SXGA+
XGA
SXGA+
UXGA
SXGA |
800x600
1024x768
1024x768
1400x1050
1024x768
1400x1050
1600x1200
1280x1024 |
* The last letter identifies the type of screen you have:
- T - thin-film transistor (TFT)
- D - dual-scan supertwist nematic (STN)
Note: The above screen type designations do not seem to apply to models introduced after January 1, 2000 (currently the Inspiron 3800 and 5000e). Dell is now using the letters W and G in this position. Since these models have TFT displays, it is unclear what exactly these letters signify.
|
* The part after "BIOS Rev" is your current BIOS revision. This takes the form of the letter A followed by two numbers (for example, A14).
* The final part (in parentheses) is the keyboard BIOS revision. You don't need to pay any attention to this.
After you're done looking at this screen, press Enter and your system will continue booting.
Tom Arnett
Why does CPUID (or any other program) say my Pentium II
is a Celeron?
The code used to detect the CPU was written before the current batch of PIIs
was released. It uses the size of the L2 cache to determine what chip you have:
>512KB = Xeon
512KB = PII
<512KB = Celeron (one of two kinds)
However, the 300PE, 333, 366, and 400MHz PIIs all have 256KB on-die cache, so CPUID detects
them as Celerons. This will have no effect on performance as long as you tell the program
that you have a PII.
Oh, and don't feel cheated--256KB on-die is much faster than 512KB off-die.
Tom Arnett
How can I get my touchpad to work in DOS mode?
You need to install the Synaptics DOS
drivers. These drivers will enable you to use your touchpad in
DOS mode. Extract the files to your root directory and add the line
c:\syntouch.com to your autoexec.bat
file. Syntouch.txt explains the various command-line switches you can use, but none of them are really necessary.
Tom Arnett
What is the Part Number for the Hard Drive Bracket for my
Dell Portable Computer?
The following part numbers have been garnered from posts by
a Dell Technician on DellTalk:
Latitude XPi and
XPi-CD: 67325
Latitude CP and
CPi: 84993
Inspiron 3000
and 3200: 9818C
Inspiron 3500:
N/A
Inspiron 5000: 2189U
Inspiron 7000: 5941E
These part numbers have been garnered from
posts by Inspiron owners on DellTalk:
Latitude CP and
CPi:
Bracket- 84993
Interface Card- 85408
Inspiron 3500:
Bracket- 3042D
Converter Cable- 4622
Screw- 4042D
Inspiron 7000:
Carrier- 6654P
Interface Connector- 2960E
Inspiron 7500:
Primary Hard Drive Carrier- 6654P
I can not attest to the accuracy or validity of any of the
part numbers listed above. You can find information on ordering
parts for your system here.
Dave Dykhuis
How do I clean my LCD screen?
Distilled water and a lint-free cloth (such as an old T-shirt) is your best bet. On the road, Kiwi Endust for Electronics Wipes are an excellent way to clean all the surfaces of the machine. Whatever you do, never dry-wipe the display, since this can cause scratching.
Also have a look at Document Number: FA1011125
in the Dell
Knowledge Base.
Tom Arnett
Where can I find information about using Windows 2000 on Dell Notebooks?
James Crivellone has very helpful page with FAQ's for
Windows 2000 on Dell Notebooks. James' Win
2000 FAQ page is here,
and his home
page, which has links to several other very helpful
pages he has put together, is here.
Dave Dykhuis
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