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book.book Page 1 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM
Dell™ XPS™ 730/730X
Quick Reference Guide
Model DCDO
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
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book.book Page 2 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Notes, Cautions, and Warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed. WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. ____________________ Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2008 Dell Inc. All rights res
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book.book Page 3 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Contents 1 Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2 Setting up Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Front and Back View of the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . 9 Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Front I/O Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Back View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Back I/O Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Setting up the Computer . . . . . . .
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book.book Page 4 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Software Based Performance Tuning (XPS 730 Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 NVIDIA Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 NVIDIA Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 5 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Diagnostic Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Dell™ Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 MP Memory Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Get
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book.book Page 5 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Reinstalling the Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Before you Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Reinstalling Windows XP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Reinstalling Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Using the Drivers and Utilities Media . . . . . . . 50 Recommended Driver Installation Order. . . . . . 51 6 Configuring the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 System Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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book.book Page 6 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM 6 Contents
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book.book Page 7 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM 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. Document/Media/Label Contents Service Tag/Express Service Code � Use the Service Tag to identify your computer when you use The Service Tag/Express Service Code is support.dell.com or contact support. located on yo
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book.book Page 8 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Document/Media/Label (continued) Contents Dell Technology Guide � About your operating system. The Dell Technology Guide is available at � Using and maintaining peripherals. support.dell.com. � Understanding technologies such as ® RAID, Internet, Bluetooth , E-mail, networking, and more. ® ® Microsoft Windows License Label � Provides your operating system product key. Your Microsoft Windows License is located on your computer. Product saf
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book.book Page 9 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Setting up Your Computer Front and Back View of the Computer Front View 5 6 4 3 2 7 1 8 9 10 Setting up Your Computer 9
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book.book Page 10 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM 1 front panel Multi-colored LEDs provide illumination for the LEDs (3) front of the computer. 2 front I/O Plug USB and other devices into the appropriate connectors connectors (see "Front I/O Connectors" on page 12). 3 3.5-inch drive Can hold optional devices such as a Media Card bays (2) Reader. NOTE: The Service Tag and Express Service Code are located on a label inside this bay door. 4 5.25-inch drive Can hold an optical or SATA hard
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book.book Page 11 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM 9 hard-drive The hard drive LED is on when the computer reads activity LED data from or writes data to the hard drive. The LED may also be on when a device such as your CD player is operating. 10 computer stand Attach the computer stand to provide stability to the system. WARNING: The computer stand should be installed and feet extended at all times to ensure maximum system stability. Failure to install the stand could result in the
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book.book Page 12 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Front I/O Connectors 13 2 4 1 IEEE 1394 Use the IEEE 1394 connector for high-speed data devices connector such as digital video cameras and external storage devices. 2 microphone Use the microphone connector to attach a personal connector computer microphone for voice or musical input into a sound or telephony program. 3 headphone Use the headphone connector to attach headphones. connector NOTE: Plugging headphones into this connection ma
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book.book Page 13 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Back View 2 1 3 4 5 7 6 1 power connector Insert the power cable. The appearance of this connector may differ from the illustration. 2 Built in Self Test Indicates power availability for the power supply. (BIST) LED � Green light—Indicates powe r availability for the power supply. � No light—Indicates no powe r available for the power supply or the power supply is not working. 3 BIST switch Use to test the power supply. 4 back panel LEDs
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book.book Page 14 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM 5 card slots Access connectors for any installed PCI or PCI Express (PCIe) cards. NOTE: Some connector slots support full-length cards. 6 back I/O Plug USB and other devices into the appropriate connectors connectors (see "Back I/O Connectors" on page 14). 7 rear I/O LED Multi-colored LEDs provide illumination for the I/O panel board on the back of the computer. Back I/O Connectors mouse Plug a standard PS/2 mouse into the green mouse co
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book.book Page 15 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM center/LFE Use the (orange) subwoofer connector to attach a single surround out subwoofer. NOTE: The LFE (Low Frequency Effects) audio channel, found in digital surround sound audio schemes, carries only low frequency information of 80 Hz and below. The LFE channel drives a subwoofer to provide extremely low bass extension. Systems not using subwoofers can shunt the LFE information to the main speakers in the surround sound setup. lin
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book.book Page 16 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM 1 network Use the network adapter connector to attach your adapter computer to a network or broadband device. connectors Connect one end of a network cable to either a network (2) jack or your network or broadband device, and then connect the other end of the network cable to the network adapter connector on your computer. A click indicates that the network cable has been 2 securely attached. NOTE: It is recommended that you use Cate
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book.book Page 17 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Setting up the Computer Your computer ships with the computer stand already installed. With the computer sitting in an upright position, carefully lift the rear of the computer, and extend the stabilizing feet fully. The extended feet ensure maximum system stability. Setting up Your Computer 17
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book.book Page 18 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Installing Your Computer in an Enclosure Installing your computer in an enclosure can restrict the airflow and impact your computer’s performance, causing it to overheat. It is not recommended to install the computer in an enclosure. However, if you must install the computer in an enclosure, refer to the following guidelines: CAUTION: The operating temperature specifications reflect the maximum ambient operating temperature. The room’s
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book.book Page 19 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM � If your computer is installed in a corn er on a desk or under a desk, leave at least 5.1 centimeters (2 inches) of clearance from the back of the computer to the wall to permit airflow required for proper ventilation. � Do not install your computer in an en closure that does not allow airflow. Restricting the airflow impacts your computer’s performance, possibly causing it to overheat. Setting up Your Computer 19
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book.book Page 20 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM Connecting to a Network To connect the system to a network: 1 Connect one end of a network cable to your network device (router, network switch, cable modem/DSL). 2 Connect the other end of the network cable to one of the network adapter connections on the back of your computer. A click indicates that the network cable is securely attached. NOTE: Your computer is configured with two integrated network adapter connections. These connectio
