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™ ™
Dell Inspiron 4000 System
SOLUTIONS GUIDE
www.dell.com
support.dell.com
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Hints, Notices, and Cautions HINT: A HINT 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 potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury. Abbreviations and Acronyms For a complete listing of abbreviations and acronyms, see the Glossary in the Tell Me How help fil
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Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 When Using Your Computer When Removing or Installing Memory Modules . . . . . . . . . 10 Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Setting Up 1 ™ Setting Up Dellnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Accessing the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Accessing Your E-Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
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2 Solving Problems Finding Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Accessing Help Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Power Problems Start-Up Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Video and Display Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 If the display is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 If the display is difficult to read . . . . . . . . .
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Windows Error Messages General Program Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 A program crashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 A program stops responding A solid blue screen appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Internet Connection Problems . . . . . . . . . 41 If you have a problem with your Dellnet account E-Mail Problems .
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Undocking the Computer Monitor Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Adding Memory Replacing a Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Returning a Hard Drive to Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Appendix 4 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Standard Setting
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Safety Instructions Use the following safety guidelines to help protect yourself and your computer. For comfort and efficiency, observe the ergonomic guidelines in "Sitting Comfortably at Your Computer" in the Tell Me How help file. When Using Your Computer CAUTION: Do not operate your portable computer for an extended period of time with the base resting directly on your body. With extended operation, heat can potentially build up in the base. Allowing sustained contact with the skin coul
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Before you connect the computer to a power source, ensure that the voltage rating of the AC adapter matches that of the available power source: – 115 V/60 Hz in most of North and South America and some Far Eastern countries such as South Korea and Taiwan – 100 V/50 Hz in eastern Japan and 100 V/60 Hz in western Japan – 230 V/50 Hz in most of Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East To help prevent electric shock, plug the AC adapter and external device power cables into properly grounde
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When traveling with the hard drive removed from the computer, wrap the drive in a nonconducting material, such as cloth or paper. If you have the drive checked by hand, be ready to install the drive in the computer. You can put the hard drive through an X-ray security machine, but never put the drive through a metal detector. When traveling, do not place the computer in overhead storage compartments where it could slide around. Do not drop your computer or subject it to other mechanic
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Clean the display with a soft, clean cloth and commercial window cleaner that does not contain wax or abrasives. Apply the cleaner to the cloth; then stroke the cloth across the display in one direction, moving from the top of the display to the bottom. If the display contains grease or some other contaminant, use isopropyl alcohol instead of commercial window cleaner. If your computer gets wet, see page 42 for instructions. If you drop or damage the computer, see page 43. If, after fo
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In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when appropriate: When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector, not on the cable itself. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to avoid bending any pins. Also, before you connect a cable, make sure that both connectors are correctly oriented and aligned. Handle memory modules with care. Don’t touch the components on a module. Hold a module by its edges. CAUTION: There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is
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12 Safety Instructions www.dell.com | support.dell.com
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www.dell.com | support.dell.com 1 SE CT ION 1 Setting Up Setting Up Dellnet™ Connecting a Printer Turning Off the Computer Using the Modular Bay Setting Up the APR to Connect to a Network
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™ HINT: Dellnet is not Setting Up Dellnet available in certain regions. To set up Dellnet Internet Access Service, double-click the Dellnet Signup ® ® icon on the Microsoft Windows desktop and follow the instructions that appear on the screen. Accessing the Internet To access the Internet after completing the Dellnet registration process, double-click the Internet Explorer icon on your Windows desktop. Internet Explorer automatically initiates the Internet connection through Dellnet. Acces
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Sending and Receiving E-Mail Double-click the Outlook Express icon to initiate a connection to the Internet through Dellnet. Always check the address of each recipient when sending e-mail. Otherwise, your e-mail is returned to you. Be sure that the person who is sending e-mail to you is typing your e-mail address correctly. Do not send e-mail messages larger than 2 MB. If you are having difficulties sending e-mail, determine whether the problem involves just one recipient or all re
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Connecting a Printer See the documentation that came with the printer for any recommended preparation procedures, such as: Removing the packaging Installing the toner or ink cartridge Loading paper Then follow the instructions that came with the printer to connect it to the computer. If no information is provided, see the following sections. Installing the Printer Driver Dell installs drivers for some new printers. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers. If y
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2 Attach the parallel printer cable to the parallel port connector on the computer and tighten the two screws. Attach the cable to the parallel connector on the printer and snap the two clips into the two notches. screws (2) parallel port connector on computer printer cable connector clips (2) parallel printer cable notches (2) 3 Turn on the printer and then turn on the computer. If the Add New Hardware Wizard window appears, click Cancel. 4 Install the printer driver if necessary (see pa
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USB Printer HINT: You can connect 1 Install the printer driver if necessary (see page 16). USB devices while the 2 Attach the USB printer cable to the USB port connector on the computer is turned on. computer and the printer. The USB connectors fit only one way. USB port connector on computer USB port connector on printer USB printer cable Turning Off the Computer NOTICE: To prevent data loss, you must perform the Windows shutdown procedure to turn off your computer. Windows Millennium E
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Windows 98 1 Save and close any open files and exit any open programs. 2 Click the Start button and then click Shut Down. 3 In the Shut Down Windows window, click Shut down and then click OK. The computer automatically turns off after the shutdown process finishes. Using the Modular Bay Dell ships your computer with a CD drive (or an optional DVD drive) installed in the modular bay. The modular bay also supports the following devices: CD drive CD-RW drive DVD drive Zip drive Flopp
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4 Slide and hold the latch release, and pull the device out of the modular bay. NOTICE: To prevent damage, place devices in a travel case when they are not inserted in the computer. Store devices in a dry, safe place, and avoid placing heavy objects on top of them. bottom of computer latch release device NOTICE: Insert devices before you dock and turn on the computer. 5 Insert the new device into the bay, and push it until you hear a click. 6 Turn on the computer. 20 Setting Up www.dell.com
