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Working Inside Your Computer: Dell OptiPlex GX1 and GX1p Midsize Managed PC Systems
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Working Inside Your Computer:
Dell™ OptiPlex™ GX1 and GX1p Midsize Managed PC Systems
Your Dell computer system supports a variety of internal options
that expand system capabilities. This chapter prepares you to install options inside the
computer. It describes how to remove and replace the computer cover and expansion-card
cage, as well as rotate the power supply away from the system board. It also familiarizes
you with the internal components you may handle if you install Dell hardware options.
To make working inside your computer easier, make sure you have
adequate lighting and a clean work space. If you temporarily disconnect cables or remove
expansion cards, note the position of the connectors and slots so that you can reassemble
the system correctly.
You will use the information in this section every time you install
a hardware option inside your computer. Read this section carefully, because the
information is not repeated in detail elsewhere in this guide.
Working inside your computer is safe—if you observe the
following precautions.
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CAUTION FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY
AND PROTECTION OF YOUR EQUIPMENT |
Before starting to work on your computer, perform the
following steps in the sequence indicated:
- Touch an unpainted metal surface on the computer chassis, such as the power supply,
before touching anything inside your computer.
While you work, periodically
touch an unpainted metal surface on the computer chassis to dissipate any static
electricity that might harm internal components. Also avoid touching components or
contacts on a card and avoid touching pins on a chip.
- Turn off your computer and all peripherals.
- Disconnect your computer and peripherals from their AC power sources. Also, disconnect
any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer. Doing so reduces the potential
for personal injury or shock.
- If you are disconnecting a peripheral from the computer or are removing a component from
the system board, wait 5 seconds after turning off the computer before disconnecting the
peripheral or removing the component to avoid possible damage to the system board.
In addition, Dell recommends that you periodically review the safety instructions in
your System Information Guide.
When you remove an option from its shipping carton, you may find it
wrapped in antistatic packing material designed to protect it from electrostatic damage.
Do not remove the packing material until you are ready to install the option.
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NOTE: If your chassis has an optional
stand for vertical orientation attached to it, remove the optional
stand before you remove the computer cover. |
Use the following procedure to remove the computer cover:
- Turn off your computer and peripherals, and observe the Caution for Your Personal
Safety and Protection of Your Equipment described in "Safety First — For
You and Your Computer."
- If you have installed a padlock through the padlock ring on the back panel (see Figure
1), remove the padlock.
Figure 1. Padlock Installed
Remove the cover.
Face the back of the computer and slide the upper half of the padlock ring to unlock
the cover release mechanism.Face the front of the computer and press in the two
securing cover-release buttons that are located on the sides of the cover toward the back
(see Figure 2).
With the buttons depressed, lift the cover at the back, allowing it
to pivot up toward you.
Disengage the plastic hooks that secure the cover to the front of
the chassis, and lift the cover away.
Figure 2.
Removing the Computer Cover
Use the following procedure to replace the computer cover:
- Check all cable connections, especially those that might have come loose during your
work. Fold cables out of the way so that they do not catch on the computer cover. Make
sure cables are not routed over the drive cage. They will prevent the cover from closing
properly.
- Check to see that no tools or extra parts (including screws) are left inside the
computer's chassis.
- Replace the cover.
Face the front of the computer and hold the cover at a
slight angle as shown in Figure 3. While aligning the back of the cover with the chassis, insert the cover
hooks into the rectangular slots on the chassis. (It may be helpful to look down into the
chassis to verify that the hooks are in place.)
Pivot the cover down toward the back and into position. With both hands, press against
the top edge of the cover to make sure that the securing buttons click into place.
Slide the two halves of the padlock ring together to lock the cover release mechanism.
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NOTE: The computer should be placed fully on a flat
surface. It is difficult to align the cover if the front of the computer is hanging over
the edge of a table. |
Figure 3.
Replacing the Computer Cover
- If you are using the optional stand, reattach it.
See "Using
the Optional Stand for Vertical Orientation" for instructions.
- If you are using a padlock to secure your system, reinstall the padlock.
Figure 4 shows an overhead view of your computer to help orient you
when installing hardware options. Unless otherwise specified, locations or directions
relative to the computer are as shown.
Figure 4.
Computer Orientation View
Figure 5 shows
your computer with its cover removed. Refer to this illustration to locate interior
features and components discussed in this guide.
When you look inside your computer, note the direct current (DC)
power cables coming from the power supply. These cables supply power to the system board;
to internal diskette drives, hard-disk drives, and tape drives; and to certain expansion
cards that connect to external peripherals.
The flat ribbon cable in Figure
5 is typical of the interface cables for internal drives. An interface cable
connects a drive to a connector on the system board or on an expansion card.
The system board—the large printed circuit board at the bottom
of the chassis—holds the computer's control circuitry and other electronic
components. Some hardware options are installed directly onto the system board.
During an installation procedure, you may be required to change a
jumper setting on the system board and/or a jumper setting on an expansion card or on a
drive. Jumpers provide a convenient and reversible way of reconfiguring the circuitry on a
printed circuit board. For more information, see "Jumpers."
Figure 5. Inside the Chassis
Jumpers are small blocks on a circuit board with two or more pins
emerging from them. Plastic plugs containing a wire fit down over the pins. The wire
connects the pins and creates a circuit.
To change a jumper setting, pull the plug off its pin(s) and
carefully fit it down onto the pin(s) indicated.
| NOTICE: Make
sure your system is turned off before you change a jumper setting. Otherwise, damage to
your system or unpredictable results may occur. |
A jumper is referred to as open or unjumpered when the plug is
pushed down over only one pin or if there is no plug at all. When the plug is pushed down
over two pins, the jumper is referred to as jumpered. In some documents, the jumper
setting may be shown in text as two numbers, such as 1-2. The number 1 is printed on the
circuit board so that you can identify each pin number based on the location of pin 1.
Figure 6 shows the location and default settings
of the jumper blocks on your system board. See Table 1 for the
designations, default settings, and functions of your system's jumpers.
Figure 6. System Board Jumpers
Table 1. System-Board Jumper Settings
| Jumper |
Setting |
Description |
| PSWD |
 |
Password features are enabled. |
 |
Password features are disabled. |
| BIOS |
 |
Reserved (do not change). |
| BUS66M |
|
Reserved (do not change). |
| 266MHZ* |
|
Reserved (do not change). |
| 300MHZ* |
|
Reserved (do not change). |
| 333MHZ* |
|
Reserved (do not change). |
| 350MHZ* |
|
Reserved (do not change). |
| 400MHZ* |
|
Reserved (do not change). |
| 450MHZ* |
|
Reserved (do not change). |
| 500MHZ* |
|
Reserved (do not change). |
| * |
The
correct microprocessor speed is automatically detected and set by the system. Do not
change the settings of these jumpers. |
|
The system can operate
with a microprocessor speed up to 600 MHz. |
| NOTE: For the full name of an
abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary in your online System User's
Guide. |
 |
jumpered |
 |
unjumpered |
Table 2 lists the labels for connectors and
sockets on your system board and riser board, and it gives a brief description of their
functions.
Table 2. System Board and Riser Board
Connectors and Sockets
| Connector or Socket |
Description |
| AMC |
ATI multimedia channel |
| BATTERY |
Battery socket |
| CD_IN |
CD-ROM audio interface connector |
| DIMM_x |
DIMM socket |
| DSKT |
Diskette/tape drive interface connector |
| ENET |
NIC connector (optional) |
| FAN |
Microprocessor fan connector |
| HDLED |
Hard-disk drive LED connector (on riser
board) |
| IDEn |
EIDE interface connector |
| INTRUSION |
Chassis intrusion switch connector |
| ISAn* |
ISA expansion-card connector (on riser
board) |
| KYBD |
Keyboard connector |
| LINE-IN |
Audio line-in jack |
| LINE-OUT |
Audio line-out jack (amplified source) |
| MIC |
Microphone jack |
| MONITOR |
Video connector |
| MOUSE |
Mouse connector |
| P1 |
Wakeup On LAN power connector (on riser
board) |
| PANEL |
Control panel connector |
| PARALLEL |
Parallel port connector; sometimes
referred to as LPT1 |
| PCIn* |
PCI expansion-card connector (on riser
board) |
| POWER_1 |
Main power input connector |
| POWER_2 |
3.3-V power input connector |
| RISER |
Riser board connector |
| SERIALn |
Serial port connectors |
| SLOT1 |
Pentium II processor SEC cartridge
connector |
| TAPI |
Telephony connector |
| USB |
USB connectors |
| VIDEO_UPGRADE |
Video-memory upgrade socket |
| NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or
acronym used in this table, see the Glossary in your online System User's Guide. |
Your Dell computer has a removable expansion-card cage, which
greatly simplifies many installation procedures by allowing you to remove the riser board
and all installed expansion cards in a single step.
Use the following procedure to remove the expansion-card cage.
- Remove the computer cover as instructed in "
Removing the Computer Cover."
- Check any cables connected to expansion cards through the back-panel openings.
Disconnect any cables that will not reach to where the cage must be placed upon removal
from the chassis.
- Locate the securing lever (see Figure 7). Rotate the lever upward until it stops in an
upright position.
Figure 7. Removing the Expansion-Card Cage
- Slide the expansion-card cage out of the chassis.
- Lift the expansion-card cage up and away from the chassis.
Use the following procedure to replace the expansion-card cage:
- With the securing lever in the upright position, align the slots in the left side of the
expansion-card cage with the tabs on the left side of the chassis (see Figure 7).
- Rotate the securing lever downward until it is flush with the top of the chassis. Make
sure that the riser board is fully seated in the RISER connector on the system board.
- Reconnect any cables you removed in step 2 of the previous procedure, "Removing the Expansion-Card
Cage."
- Replace the computer cover, and reconnect your computer and peripherals to their electrical outlets and
turn them on.
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NOTE: If Enabled, the Chassis Intrusion option will cause the following message to be displayed at the next system
start-up:
ALERT! Cover was previously removed. |
To access some components on the system board, you may have to
rotate the system power supply out of the way. Use the following procedure to rotate the
power supply.
- Remove the computer cover as instructed in "Removing the Computer Cover."
- Disconnect the AC power cable from the AC power receptacle on the back of the power
supply (see Figure 8).
Figure 8. Rotating the Power Supply
- Free the power supply from the securing tab labeled "RELEASE —>, " and
rotate it upward until it locks in its extended position.
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