The following table lists the resources that Dell provides as support tools. Additional resources may be shipped with your computer system.
Resources
Contents
Using the Resource
Dell OptiPlex ResourceCD
Dell Diagnostics
Drivers
Utilities
Computer and device documentation
See the main menu on the ResourceCD that was shipped with your computer. Use the pull-down menu to make selections appropriate for your computer. You can perform the following tasks:
Diagnose a problem
Install or reinstall drivers
Obtain information on your computer and devices
NOTE: User documentation and drivers are already
installed on your computer when shipped from Dell. You
can use this CD to access documentation, reinstall drivers,
or run diagnostics tools. You must boot your computer
from this CD to run the diagnostics, which may require
changing your computer's boot sequence.
See the Setup and Quick Reference Guide for information on the following:
Setting up your computer
Finding and using support resources
Diagnosing a problem
Using tools and utilities
Service and Registration Labels—located on the front or side of your Dell™ computer.
Express Service Code and Service Tag Number
Product Key (also called the Product ID or Certificate of Authenticity [COA])
The Express Service Code and Service Tag Number are unique identifiers for your Dell computer.
You may need the Product Key (or Product ID) number to complete the operating system setup.
Operating System CD
To reinstall your operating system, use the Operating System CD that was shipped with your computer.
NOTE: The operating system CD may not include all the
latest drivers for your computer. If you reinstall your
operating system, use the ResourceCD to reinstall drivers
for the devices shipped with your computer.
For more information about reinstalling your operating system, see the operating system installation documentation that was shipped with your computer.
Operating system installation guide
See the operating system installation guide for information on reinstalling and configuring your operating system.
Click the Start button and select Help or Help and Support, depending on your operating system, to obtain more information on your operating system.
User's guides for your computer and devices
Depending on your operating system, double-click the User's Guides icon on your desktop or click the Start button and then select Help and Support to access the electronic documentation stored on your hard drive. Obtain information on the following:
Using your computer
Configuring system settings
Removing and installing parts
Installing and configuring software
Diagnosing a problem
Technical specifications
Device documentation (on selected operating systems)
Getting technical assistance
Dell Support website
Technical support and information
Downloads for your computer
Order or delivery status
Hints and tips, technology papers, service information
Go to Dell Support website at support.dell.com and complete the one-time registration.
Get help with general usage, installation, and troubleshooting questions
Obtain answers to technical service and support questions
Get the latest versions of the drivers for your computer
Access documentation about your computer and devices
Join online discussions with other Dell customers and Dell technical professionals
Explore a list of online links to Dell's primary vendors
Dell Premier Support website
Service call status
Top technical issues by product
Frequently asked questions by product number
Customized service tags
System configuration detail
Go to premiersupport.dell.com:
The Dell Premier Support website is customized for corporate, government, and education customers.
The following figures show the controls, lights, and features located on the front panel of the small form-factor, small desktop, and small mini-tower computers.
Open the front panel door to access two Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors and one headphone connector. This door is removable; if you remove it or accidentally knock it off its hinges, it snaps back in place.
The power button controls the computer's AC input power.
The Microsoft® Windows® 98 Second Edition (SE), Windows 2000, and Windows XP operating systems let you configure the function of the power button through the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) feature, as shown in the following table.
NOTICE: To turn off your computer, perform an orderly computer shutdown
using the operating system menu when possible.
Power Button Functions for Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, and Windows XP with ACPI
Action
Results
Computer Turned On and ACPI Enabled
Computer in Standby Mode
Computer Turned Off
Press power button
Computer goes into standby mode or turns off (depending on the operating system setup)
Computer turns on
Boots and computer turns on
Hold power button for 6 seconds*
Computer turns off
Computer turns off
Boots and computer turns on
*Pressing or holding the power button to shut down the computer may result in
data loss. Use the power button to shut down the computer only if the operating
system is not responding.
*Pressing or holding the power button to shut down the computer may result in data
loss. Use the power button to shut down the computer only if the operating system is
not responding.
*Pressing or holding the power button to shut down the computer may result in data
loss. Use the power button to shut down the computer only if the operating system is
not responding.
If the computer does not turn off when you press the power button, the computer may be hung. Press and hold the power button until the computer turns off completely (this process may take several seconds). If the computer is hung and the power button fails to function properly, unplug the AC power cable from the computer, wait for it to completely stop running, and plug in the AC power cable. If the computer does not restart, press the power button to restart the computer.
The power light illuminates in two colors and blinks or remains solid to indicate different states (normal and nonnormal). The following are normal lights:
No light — computer is in the off state (S4, S5, or mechanical OFF)
Steady green — normal operating state
Blinking green — low-power state (S1 or S3)
NOTE: Your computer
can resume from the S3
state (suspend to RAM) in
several ways. Pressing the
power button always
works. Remote Wake Up
also creates an S3 wake
event if enabled in system
setup and in your
operating system.
Personal System/2 (PS/2)
wake events also vary
depending on your
operating system, but
PS/2 mice always wake
the computer from S3
with both movement and
click. Certain USB
devices also wake the
computer from S3, and
the action required varies
by device. Check your
device documentation for
details.
The floppy drive access light lights when the drive is reading data from, or writing data to, a floppy disk. Wait until this light turns off before you remove the floppy from the drive.
When you connect external devices to your computer's back panel, follow these guidelines:
Check the documentation that accompanied the device for specific installation and configuration instructions.
For example, you must connect most devices to a particular input/output (I/O) connector to operate properly. Also, external devices like a mouse or printer usually require you to load device drivers into computer memory before they will work.
Always attach external devices while your computer is turned off. Then turn on the computer before turning on any external devices, unless the documentation for the device specifies otherwise. (If the computer does not seem to recognize the device, try turning on the device before turning on the computer.)
NOTICE: When you disconnect external devices from the back of the
computer, wait 10 to 20 seconds after turning off the computer before you
disconnect any devices to avoid possible damage to the system board.
This is used to connect printers. Default designation is LPT1.
NOTE: The integrated
parallel connector is
automatically disabled if
the computer detects an
installed expansion card
containing a parallel
connector configured to
the same address as
specified in "Additional
System Setup Options."
Turn off the computer and any attached devices before connecting a mouse to the computer. If your computer uses Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0, Dell installed the necessary mouse drivers on your hard drive.
The network adapter, which includes a Remote Wake Up feature, has the following lights:
A yellow network activity light flashes when the 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.)
A dual-colored link integrity light, which is green when a good connection exists between a 10-megabit per second (Mbps) network and the computer, or is orange when a good connection exists between a 100-Mbps network and the computer. When the light is off, the computer is not detecting a physical connection to the network.
The network adapter connector attaches an unshielded twisted pair (UTP) Ethernet cable to your computer. Press one end of the UTP cable to an RJ45 jack wall plate or to an RJ45 port on a UTP concentrator or hub, depending on your network configuration, and press the other end of the UTP cable into the network adapter connector until the cable snaps securely into place.
Dell recommends the use of Category 5 wiring and connectors for our customers' networks.
This jack is used to attach record/playback devices such as cassette players, CD players, and VCRs. Connect the line-out cable from any of these devices to the line-in jack.
This jack is used to attach computer speakers. This jack is amplified, so speakers with integrated amplifiers are not required. Connect the audio cable from the speakers to this jack.
Default port designations: COM1 for port 1 and COM2 for port 2. You can reassign the serial connector's designation if you add an expansion card containing a serial connector using this designation.
If you set the computer's serial connectors to Auto in system setup and add an expansion card containing a serial connector configured to a specific designation, the computer automatically maps (assigns) the integrated ports to the appropriate COM setting as necessary.
Before you add a card with a serial connector, check the documentation that accompanied your software to make sure that the software can be mapped to the new COM port designation.
