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About Your Computer

Dell™ Dimension™ 9100 Service Manual

  Front View of the Computer

  Back View of the Computer

Front View of the Computer

1	cover latch release	Use this latch to remove the cover. See "Removing the Computer Cover."
2	CD or DVD activity light	The drive light is on when the computer reads data from the CD or DVD drive.
3	CD or DVD eject button	Press to eject a disc from the CD or DVD drive.
4	Floppy drive bay	Can contain an optional floppy drive.
5	FlexBay	Can contain an optional floppy drive or optional Media Card Reader.
6	IEEE 1394 connector (optional)	Use the optional IEEE 1394 connector for high-speed data devices such as digital video cameras and external storage devices.
7	vents	For adequate cooling, do not block any of the vents. NOTICE: Ensure that there is a minimum of two inches of space between all vents and any object near these vents.
8	USB 2.0 connectors (2)	Use the front USB connectors for devices that you connect occasionally, such as joysticks or cameras. It is recommended that you use the back USB connectors for devices that typically remain connected, such as printers, keyboards, and mice, or for bootable USB devices, which may not function properly if attached to the front connectors.
9	power button	Press to turn on the computer. NOTICE: To avoid losing data, do not use the power button to turn off the computer. Instead, perform an operating system shutdown.
10	hard-drive activity light	The hard drive activity light is on when the computer reads data from or writes data to the hard drive. The light might also be on when a device such as a CD player is operating.
11	diagnostic lights (4)	Use the lights to help you troubleshoot a computer problem based on the diagnostic code. For more information, see "Diagnostic Lights."
12	headphone connector	Use the headphone connector to attach headphones.
13	microphone connector	Use the microphone connector to attach a personal computer microphone for voice or musical input into a sound or telephony program.
14	Service Tag	Used to identify your computer when you access the Dell Support website or call technical support.

Back View of the Computer

1	power connector	Insert the power cable.
2	sound card connectors (5)	Line-in connector — Use the blue line-in connector to attach a record/playback device such as a cassette player, CD player, or VCR. Line-out connector — Use the green line-out connector to attach headphones and most speakers with integrated amplifiers. Microphone connector — Use the pink microphone connector to attach a personal computer microphone for voice or musical input into a sound or telephony program. Surround connector — Use the black surround connector to attach multichannel-capable speakers. Center/subwoofer (Center/LFE) connector — Use the yellow subwoofer connector to attach multiple speakers.
3	network connector	To attach your computer to a network or broadband device, connect one end of a network cable to either a network port or your network or broadband device. Connect the other end of the network cable to the network connector on your computer. A click indicates that the network cable has been securely attached. NOTE: Do not plug a telephone cable into the network connector. On computers with a network connector card, use the connector on the card.
4	USB 2.0 connectors (5)	Use the back USB connectors for devices that typically remain connected, such as printers, keyboards, and mice, or for bootable USB devices which may not function properly if attached to the front connectors (see "System Setup" for more information on booting to a USB device) It is recommended that you use the front USB connectors for devices that you connect occasionally, such as joysticks or cameras.
5	card slots (6)	Access connectors for any installed PCI or PCI Express cards.

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