Dell Latitude D531 User manual

Category
Notebooks
Type
User manual
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Dellâ„¢ Latitudeâ„¢ D531
User’s Guide
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 "Glossary" on page 171.
If you purchased a Dellâ„¢ 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.
© 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, Dimension, Optiplex, Dell Precision, Inspiron, PowerEdge, PowerConnect, PowerVault,
XPS, Latitude, PowerApp, ExpressCharge, Dell TravelLite, Undock & Go, Dell MediaDirect, Dell Media Experience, Dell TrueLife, and Dell
OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; AMD, AMD Sempron, AMD Turion, ATI Radeon, Catalyst, the AMD Arrow logo and combinations
thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Microsoft, Outlook, and Windows are registered trademarks, and Windows Vista and
the Windows Vista Start button are trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation; EMC is the registered trademark of EMC Corporation; Bluetooth is
a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under license; ENERGY STAR is a registered trademark of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. As an ENERGY STAR partner, Dell Inc. has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR
guidelines for energy efficiency.
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 PP04X
April 2007 P/N TU945Rev. A00
Contents 3
Contents
1 Finding Information
2 About Your Computer
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Left Side View
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Right Side View
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Back View
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Bottom View
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3 Transferring Information to a New Computer
Files and Settings Transfer Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4 Using a Battery
Battery Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Checking the Battery Charge
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Dellâ„¢ QuickSet Battery Meter
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Microsoft
®
Windows
®
Power Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Charge Gauge
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Low-Battery Warning
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Conserving Battery Power
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Power Management Modes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Standby Mode
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Hibernate Mode
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Configuring Power Management Settings
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Charging the Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Replacing the Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4 Contents
Storing a Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad
Numeric Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Key Combinations
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
System Functions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Wireless
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Display Functions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Power Management
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Speaker Functions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Touch Pad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Customizing the Touch Pad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6 Using the Display
Display Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Adjusting Brightness
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Switching the Video Image
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Display Resolution and Refresh Rate
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Using ATI Catalyst® Control Center
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Launching Catalyst Control Center
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Using an External Monitor or Projector
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Using an External Monitor
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Extending Your Computer Display
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Changing Your Primary Display
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Saving Battery Power
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
7 Using Multimedia
Playing CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Copying CDs and DVDs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
How to Copy a CD or DVD
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Contents 5
Using Blank CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Helpful Tips
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Adjusting the Volume
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Adjusting the Picture
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
If the Computer Is Turned Off or in Hibernate Mode
. . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
S-Video and Standard Audio
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Setting Up the Cyberlink (CL) Headphones
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Enabling the Display Settings for a TV
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
8 Setting Up and Using Networks
Connecting a Network or Broadband Modem Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Setting Up a Network
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Wireless Local Area Network
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Checking Your Wireless Network Card
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Using a Wireless Router and a Broadband Modem
. . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Connecting to a WLAN
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Mobile Broadband (WWAN)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Establishing a Mobile Broadband Network Connection
. . . . . . . . . . 64
Checking Your Dell Mobile Broadband Card
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Connecting to a Mobile Broadband Network
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Managing Your Network Settings
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Microsoft
®
Windows
®
Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
9Using Cards
Card Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
PC Cards
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
PC Card Blanks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Extended PC Cards
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Installing a PC Card or an ExpressCard
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Removing a PC Card or Blank
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
6 Contents
10 Securing Your Computer
Security Cable Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Passwords
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Using a Primary/System Password
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Using an Administrator Password
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Using a Hard Drive Password
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Computer Tracking Software
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
11 Cleaning Your Computer
Computer, Keyboard, and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Touch Pad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Mouse
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Cleaning a Non-Optical Mouse
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Cleaning an Optical Mouse
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Floppy Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
CDs and DVDs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
12 Troubleshooting
Dell Technical Update Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Dell Diagnostics
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
When to Use the Dell Diagnostics
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From Your Hard Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Starting the Dell Diagnostics From the Drivers and Utilities Media
. . . . 78
Dell Diagnostics Main Menu
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Dell Support Utility
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Accessing the Dell Support Utility
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Clicking the Dell Support Icon
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Double-Clicking the Dell Support Icon
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Drive Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
CD and DVD drive problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Contents 7
Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Error Messages
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
IEEE 1394 Device Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Keyboard Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
External keyboard problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Unexpected characters
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Lockups and Software Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
The computer does not start up
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
The computer stops responding
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly
. . . . . . . . . . . . 89
A program uses an earlier operating system version
. . . . . . . . . . . 89
A solid blue screen appears
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Other software problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Memory Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Network Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
PC Card or ExpressCard Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Power Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Ensuring Sufficient Power for Your Computer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Docking Power Considerations
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Printer Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Scanner Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Sound and Speaker Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
No sound from integrated speakers
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
No sound from external speakers
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
No sound from headphones
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Video and Display Problems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
If the display is blank
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
If the display is difficult to read
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
If only part of the display is readable
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
8 Contents
13 System Setup Program
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Viewing the System Setup Screens
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
System Setup Screens
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Commonly Used Options
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Changing the Boot Sequence
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Performing a One-Time Boot
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Changing COM Ports
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
14 Reinstalling Software
Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
What Is a Driver?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Identifying Drivers
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Using the Hardware Troubleshooter Tool
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Restoring Your Operating System
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Using Microsoft
Windows System Restore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Using the Operating System Media
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
15 Adding and Replacing Parts
Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Recommended Tools
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Turning Off Your Computer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Before Working Inside Your Computer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Hard Drive
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Returning a Hard Drive to Dell
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Hinge Cover
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Memory
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
DIMM A Connector
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
DIMM B Connector
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Contents 9
Mini-Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Keyboard
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Internal Card With Bluetooth
®
Wireless Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Coin-Cell Battery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
About the Media Bay
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
About the Device Security Screw
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Removing and Installing Media Bay Devices
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
16 Dellâ„¢ QuickSet
17 Traveling With Your Computer
Identifying Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Packing the Computer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Travel Tips
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Traveling by Air
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
18 Getting Help
Obtaining Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Technical Support and Customer Service
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
DellConnect
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Online Services
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
AutoTech Service
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Automated Order-Status Service
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Problems With Your Order
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Product Information
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Before You Call
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Contacting Dell
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
10 Contents
19 Specifications
20 Appendix
FCC Notice (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
FCC Class B
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Macrovision Product Notice
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Finding Information 11
Finding Information
NOTE: Additional information may ship with your computer.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.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
• A diagnostic program for my computer
• Drivers for my computer
• My device documentation
• Notebook System Software (NSS)
Drivers and Utilities Media (also known as the ResourceCD)
Documentation and drivers are already installed on your
computer. You can use the media to reinstall drivers (see
"Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities" on page 102) and to run
the Dell Diagnostics (see "Dell Diagnostics" on page 77).
Readme files may
be included on your
media to provide
last-minute updates
about technical
changes to your
computer or
advanced technical-
reference material
for technicians or
experienced users.
NOTE: Drivers and documentation updates can be found at
support.dell.com.
NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities media may be optional and
may not ship with your computer.
12 Finding Information
• How to set up my computer
• How to care for my computer
• Basic troubleshooting information
• How to run the Dell Diagnostics
• Error codes and diagnostic lights
• Tools and utilities
• How to set up a printer
• Additional information about setting up my computer
• How to troubleshoot and solve problems
• How to remove and install parts
• How to open my computer cover
• Specifications
• How to contact Dell
Quick Reference Guide
NOTE: This document may be optional and may not ship with
your computer.
NOTE: This document is available as a PDF at
support.dell.com.
• Warranty information
• Terms and Conditions (U.S. only)
• Safety instructions
• Regulatory information
• Ergonomics information
• End User License Agreement
Dellâ„¢ Product Information Guide
• How to remove and replace parts
• Specifications
• How to configure system settings
• How to troubleshoot and solve problems
User’s Guide
Microsoft Windows Help and Support Center
1
Click
Start
or
→
Help and Support
→
Dell User
and System Guides
→
System Guides
.
2
Click the
User’s Guide
for your computer in the list of
online documentation.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
Finding Information 13
• Service Tag and Express Service Code
• Microsoft Windows License Label
Service Tag and Microsoft
®
Windows
®
License
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.
• Solutions — Troubleshooting hints and tips, articles
from technicians, and online courses, frequently asked
questions
• 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 support
• Reference — Computer documentation, details on my
computer configuration, product specifications, and
white papers
• Downloads — Certified drivers, patches, and software
updates
• Notebook System Software (NSS) — If you reinstall the
operating system for your computer, you should also
reinstall the NSS utility. NSS provides critical updates
for your operating system and support for Dellâ„¢
3.5-inch USB floppy drives, AMDâ„¢ processors, optical
drives, and USB devices. NSS is necessary for correct
operation of your Dell computer. The software
automatically detects your computer and operating
system and installs the updates appropriate for your
configuration.
Dell Support Website — support.dell.com
NOTE: Select your region or business segment to view the
appropriate support site.
To download Notebook System Software:
1
Go to
support.dell.com
, select your region or business
segment, and enter your Service Tag.
2
Select Drivers & Downloads
and click
Go
.
3
Click your operating system and search for the keyword
Notebook System Software
.
NOTE: The support.dell.com user interface may vary
depending on your selections.
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
14 Finding Information
• Software upgrades and troubleshooting hints
• Frequently asked questions, hot topics, and general
health of your computing environment
Dell Support Utility
The Dell Support Utility is an automated upgrade and
notification system installed on your computer. This
support provides real-time health scans of your computing
environment, software updates, and relevant self-support
information. Access the Dell Support Utility from the
icon in the taskbar. For more information, see "Dell Support
Utility" on page 80.
• How to use Windows operating systems
• How to work with programs and files
• How to personalize my desktop
Windows Help and Support Center
1
Click the
Start
button or
→
Help and Support.
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 on the screen.
• Information on network activity, the Power Management
Wizard, hot keys, and other items controlled by Dell
QuickSet.
Dell QuickSet Help
To view
Dell QuickSet Help
,
right-click the QuickSet
icon in the Microsoft
®
Windows
®
taskbar.
For more information on Dell QuickSet, see "Dellâ„¢
QuickSet" on page 129.
• How to reinstall my operating system
The operating system is already installed on your computer.
See "Restoring Your Operating System" on page 104).
What Are You Looking For? Find It Here
About Your Computer 15
About Your Computer
Front View
1
display latch
2
display
3
power button
4 device status lights 5
speakers
(2) 6 keyboard
7
touch pad
8
touch pad buttons
9
keyboard status lights
10
wireless enable/disable button
11
ambient light sensor
1
5
2
9
7
4
10
3
6
8
11
16 About Your Computer
DISPLAY LATCH — Keeps the display closed.
DISPLAY — For more information about your display, see "Using the Display" on page 41.
POWER BUTTON — Press the power button to turn on the computer or exit a power management mode (see "Power
Management Modes" on page 32).
NOTICE: To avoid losing data, turn off your computer by performing a Microsoft
®
Windows
®
operating system
shutdown rather than by pressing the power button.
If the computer stops responding, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off completely (which
may take several seconds).
DEVICE STATUS LIGHTS
About Your Computer 17
If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the light operates as follows:
• Solid green: The battery is charging.
• Flashing green: The battery is almost fully charged.
If the computer is running on a battery, the light operates as follows:
• Off: The battery is adequately charged (or the computer is turned off).
• Flashing orange: The battery charge is low.
• Solid orange: The battery charge is critically low.
SPEAKERS — To adjust the volume of the integrated speakers, press the volume-control keyboard shortcuts. For
more information, see "Adjusting the Volume" on page 53.
KEYBOARD — The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Windows logo key. For information on
supported keyboard shortcuts, see "Key Combinations" on page 35.
TOUCH PAD — Provides the functionality of a mouse. See "Touch Pad" on page 37 for more information.
TOUCH PAD BUTTONS — Provide the functionality of a mouse. See "Touch Pad" on page 37 for more information.
WIRELESS ENABLE/DISABLE BUTTON — Toggles the Bluetooth or WLAN networking technology on and off.
AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR — Measures the intensity of light near the computer and adjusts the backlighting of the
LCD screen. This function provides optimal viewing and saves battery usage by reducing power to the LCD screen
when a high level of backlighting is not needed. See "Saving Battery Power" on page 45 for more information.
Turns on when you turn on the computer and blinks when the computer is in
standby mode.
Turns on steadily or blinks to indicate battery charge status.
Turns on when Bluetooth
®
wireless technology is enabled. To enable or
disable Bluetooth
wireless technology or other wireless devices, press the
wireless enable/disable button.
NOTE: Bluetooth wireless technology is an optional feature on your computer,
so the icon turns on only if Bluetooth wireless technology is installed on
your computer.
For more information, see the documentation that came with your Bluetooth
wireless technology.
Turns on when wireless devices are enabled.
Turns on when the computer reads or writes data.
NOTICE: To avoid loss of data, never turn off the computer while the
light is flashing.
18 About Your Computer
KEYBOARD STATUS LIGHTS
The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:
Left Side View
Turns on when the numeric keypad is enabled.
Turns on when the uppercase letter function is enabled.
Turns on when the scroll lock function is enabled.
9
A
1 234
5
6
About Your Computer 19
SECURITY CABLE SLOT —Lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device to the computer. For more
information, see the instructions included with the device.
NOTICE: Before you buy an antitheft device, ensure that it will work with the security cable slot.
AIR VENT — The computer uses an internal fan to create airflow through the vents, which prevents the computer
from overheating.
CAUTION: Do not block, push objects into, or allow dust to accumulate in the air vents. Do not store your
computer in a low-airflow environment, such as a closed briefcase, while it is running. Restricting the airflow
can damage the computer or cause a fire.
NOTE: The computer turns on the fan when the computer gets hot. Fan noise is normal and does not indicate a
problem with the fan or the computer.
IEEE 1394
CONNECTOR — Connects devices supporting IEEE 1394a high-speed transfer rates, such as some digital
video cameras.
AUDIO CONNECTORS
1 security cable slot 2 air vent 3 IEEE 1394 connector
4 audio connectors (2) 5 PC Card slot 6 hard drive
20 About Your Computer
PC CARD SLOT — Supports one PC Card, such as a modem or network adapter, or an ExpressCard in an adapter.
The computer ships with a plastic blank installed in the slot. For more information, see "Using Cards" on page 67.
HARD DRIVE — Stores software and data.
Right Side View
MEDIA BAY — You can install devices such as an optical drive, second battery, or a Dell TravelLite™ module in the
media bay. For more information, see "About the Media Bay" on page 125.
DEVICE LATCH RELEASE — Releases the media bay device. See "About the Media Bay" on page 125 for instructions.
USB
CONNECTORS
Back View
CAUTION: Do not block, push objects into, or allow dust to accumulate in the air vents. Do not store your
computer in a low-airflow environment, such as a closed briefcase, while it is running. Restricting the airflow
can damage the computer or cause a fire.
Attach headphones or speakers to the connector.
Attach a microphone to the connector.
1 media bay 2 device latch release 3 USB connectors (2)
Connect USB devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, or printer.
You can also connect the optional floppy drive directly to a
USB connector using the optional floppy drive cable.
1 3
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Dell Latitude D531 User manual

Category
Notebooks
Type
User manual

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