Using the Software Support Utilities: Dell Precision WorkStation 410 Desktop Systems
Your Dell system comes with software support utilities on diskette or on your
computer's hard-disk drive. These software support utilities include system
utilities, system services, and bus-mastering enhanced integrated drive
electronics (EIDE) drivers, all of which are documented in this chapter.
For information on the additional software support utilities you received
with your system, refer to the following chapters or documents:
- Video drivers - See the documentation from the video card manufacturer.
(Video drivers support the video graphics requirements of a variety of
monitors and application programs running under the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
or Microsoft Windows 95 operating system.)
 |
NOTE:
Some video cards support the
Windows NT 4.0 operating system only. Refer to the
documentation that came with your video card for more information. |
- Audio drivers - See
"Using
the Integrated Audio Controller."
- Network interface drivers - See
"Using
the Network Interface Controller."
- SCSI interface drivers - See
"Using
the Integrated SCSI Controllers."
System utilities and services can be used to safeguard your system and to
explicitly control certain hardware features. Refer to
"System
Utilities and Services" found later in this chapter for
information about these utilities.
Bus-mastering EIDE drivers are included in the Windows 95 operating
system and are provided with your Dell system for the Windows NT 4.0 operating
system. These drivers can off-load certain functions from the system
microprocessor, providing a performance improvement during multithreaded
operations. Refer to
"Bus-Mastering
EIDE Drivers" found later in this chapter for information
about these drivers.
The system utilities, services, and bus-mastering EIDE drivers are already
installed on your hard-disk drive in two different forms: as working
utilities, operative immediately, and as diskette images.
In case you later need to reinstall the files for any reason, you need to
copy the diskette images to a backup diskette (see the next section,
"Backing Up the Software Support Utilities"). From the backup diskette,
you can install the desired file(s) to a directory on your hard-disk drive.
Further instructions for installing the utilities, services, and drivers are
provided later in this chapter.
Dell recommends that you create original diskette copies, or program
diskette sets, of your Dell-installed software. You will need these
diskettes if you ever want to reconfigure or reinstall your Dell-installed
software. To create program diskettes, use the Program Diskette Maker
(available through the Dell Accessories program folder).
If you received Dell software support diskettes, the Dell system utilities,
services, and bus-mastering EIDE drivers are provided on these diskettes. To
use a utility, service, or bus-mastering EIDE driver, you must install the
utility, service, or driver as described later in this chapter.
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NOTE:
On each software support
diskette set you receive, a release.txt file
may be included (on diskette 1 of the set). If included, the release.txt
file contains the latest updates to the information in this guide. Use the
editor included with your operating system to view and/or print the contents
of the release.txt file. |
The following utilities and services are included on your Dell system
utilities diskette:
- The Asset Tag utility lets you enter a system asset tag number and
an owner tag into nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM). Thereafter, you
can display this number using the Asset Tag utility or the System Setup
program.
- The Dell AutoShutdown service provides Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0
the ability to perform an orderly system shutdown when the power button is
pressed.
- The Dell ThermalShutdown service provides Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0
the ability to perform an orderly system shutdown in the event of a thermal
failure. This feature prevents permanent damage to your system caused by a
component overheating.
- The Auto Power On utility (which runs under the MS-DOS®
operating system only) reports what caused the system to power on, such as
the power switch or a call from the Auto Power On utility itself. This
utility also enables you to create a batch file to carry out a series of
commands when your system is powered on by the Auto Power On feature or by
the power switch.
The system utilities and services are already installed and operative on your
hard-disk drive. If, for any reason, you need to reinstall the utilities and
services, perform the following steps:
- If you have not already done so, use the Program Diskette Maker to make a
diskette copy of the Dell system utilities diskette image on your hard-disk
drive.
The Program Diskette Maker is available through the Dell Accessories
program folder. For more information, refer to the online help provided in the
Program Diskette Maker.
- Start Windows 95. If you are already running Windows 95, close any open
documents or application programs.
- With the backup diskette in drive A, run the
setup.exe
program from the diskette.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to install the Dell utilities and
services.
The Asset Tag utility and Auto Power On utility (if installed) are located in
the c:\dellutil directory.
The system utilities and services are already installed and operative on your
hard-disk drive. If, for any reason, you need to reinstall the utilities and
services, perform the following steps:
- If you have not already done so, use the Program Diskette Maker to make a
diskette copy of the Dell system utilities diskette image on your hard-disk
drive.
The Program Diskette Maker is available through the Dell Accessories program
folder. For more information, refer to the online help provided in the
Program Diskette Maker.
- Start Windows NT and log in as Administrator or as a user with administrative
privileges. If you are already running Windows NT, close any open documents
or application programs.
- With the backup diskette in drive A, run the
setup.exe
program from the diskette.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to install the Dell utilities and/or
services. When the installation is finished, restart your system to activate
the services.
- Verify that the utilities and/or service(s) are installed and running.
Double-click the Services icon in the Control Panel. AutoShutdown and
ThermalShutdown should be listed with the status of Started.
The Asset Tag utility and Auto Power On utility (if installed) are located in
the c:\dellutil directory.
To remove a service, perform the following steps:
- Insert the backup diskette in drive A.
- Run
remove.exe
from the diskette.
- Select the service(s) you want to remove and click Next.
The Asset Tag utility allows you to enter an asset tag number for the
computer. The default System Setup screens
(see Figure 3-1)
do not show the asset tag number unless you enter one using this utility.
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NOTE:
The Asset Tag utility does
not function correctly under Windows NT or
Windows 95. However, you may be able to run the utility in Windows NT by
booting from a DOS diskette or diagnostics diskette, exiting to the DOS
prompt, and then entering the asset command on the DOS command
line. |
You can use the Asset Tag utility to enter an asset tag number that you or
your company assign to the computer.
You can also use the Asset Tag utility to enter an owner tag that appears in
the system sign-on screen.
Use the asset command from an MS-DOS prompt. To view existing asset tag
and service tag numbers, type asset and press <Enter>. (You can also
view the asset tag number using the
System
Setup program.)
The Asset Tag utility is located in the c:\dellutil directory.
An asset tag number can have up to ten characters; any combination of
characters excluding spaces is valid. To assign or change an asset tag
number, type asset and a space followed by the new number; then press
<Enter>. For example, type the following command line and press
<Enter>:
asset 1234$ABCD&
When prompted to verify the asset tag number, type y and press <Enter>.
The system then displays the new or modified asset tag number and the
service tag number.
To delete the asset tag number without assigning a new one, type asset /d and
press <Enter>.
An owner tag can be up to 80 characters; any combination of letters, numbers
and spaces is valid. To assign an owner tag, type asset /o and a space
followed by the new owner tag; then press <Enter>. For example, type
the following command line and press <Enter>:
asset /o ABC Company
When prompted to verify the owner tag, type y and press <Enter>. The
system then displays the new owner tag.
To delete the owner tag without assigning a new one, type asset /o /d and
press <Enter>.
Table 2-1 lists the command line options you can use with the Asset Tag
utility. To use one of these options, type asset and a space followed by the
option.
Table 2-1.
Asset Tag Command-Line Options
| Asset Tag Option |
Description |
| /d |
Deletes the asset tag
number |
| /o <tag> |
Specifies a new owner tag |
| /o /d |
Deletes the owner tag |
| /? |
Displays the Asset Tag
utility help screen |
The Dell AutoShutdown service (available with the Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
95 operating systems) provides the ability to perform an orderly system
shutdown when the power button is pressed.
The power button operates in two modes: immediate and AutoShutdown mode.
When the system is off, the power button always acts in immediate mode-that
is, when the button is pressed, the system starts up immediately.
When the system is on and the AutoShutdown service is installed, the power
button operates in AutoShutdown mode. Pressing the power button signals the
service to perform an orderly operating system shutdown (reducing the
possibility of data loss and file corruption) before removing power from the
system. During the shutdown sequence, the power indicator on the front panel
of the computer flashes.
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NOTE:
The presence of the
AutoShutdown service does not affect the operation of the system reset
button. |
If, when you press the power button, the power indicator begins to flash but
the system does not turn off, your operating system may have locked up.
(A locked-up operating system cannot perform a safe shutdown.)
To ensure that the system can be turned off under these circumstances, a
manual intervention mechanism has been included in the software. To turn off
a locked-up system, either press the power button a second time or press the
reset button.
The Dell ThermalShutdown service helps protect components such as the system
processor and the primary hard-disk drive from damage due to overheating. It
can also protect your system data from loss or corruption resulting from a
thermal-related system shutdown.
When installed, the service uses sensors to monitor the temperature of
critical internal components. If a sensor detects a thermal event, the
system first performs an orderly operating system shutdown and then turns
itself off. During the shutdown phase, the power indicator flashes and a
screen message notifies the user that the system is shutting down.
If the ThermalShutdown service is unable to shut down the system, the system
will be shut down if Thermal Power-off is enabled in the System Setup
program. (See
"Thermal
Power-Off" in for more information.)
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CAUTION:
The thermal sensors are always
installed and operational. If the ThermalShutdown service is not
installed and a thermal event occurs, the system turns off after
approximately 3 minutes if Thermal Power-off is enabled in the System Setup
program. |
The Auto Power On utility (available for MS-DOS only) enables your system to
automatically perform routine tasks in your absence. For example, you might
want your system to turn on at night and perform a backup procedure. To use
the utility, you need to create a batch file containing the command(s) or
program(s) that you want performed in your absence. The Auto Power On
utility determines whether system power was turned on by the power button or
by the Auto Power On setting in the System Setup program and passes this
information on to your batch file, which initiates the appropriate commands
at system start-up. See
"Auto Power On"
in for information on setting Auto Power On in the System Setup program.
The following example shows the contents of a possible batch file.
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NOTE:
The first three lines of your
batch file must match the first three lines in the following
example. |
autopowr
if errorlevel 2 goto alarm
if errorlevel 1 goto button
:alarm
call alarm.bat
autopowr /off
:button
call button.bat
goto end
The autopowr /off command turns off your computer.
The Auto Power On utility is already installed on your hard-disk drive. If
you need to reinstall the Auto Power On utility, perform the following
steps:
- If you have not already done so, use the Program Diskette Maker to make a
diskette copy of the Dell System Utilities diskette image on your hard-disk
drive.
The Program Diskette Maker is available through the Dell Accessories
program folder. For more information, refer to the online help provided in
the Program Diskette Maker.
- With the backup diskette in drive A, copy
autopowr.com
from the diskette to a directory of your choice on your hard-disk
drive.
If the path statement in your autoexec.bat file does not
already contain the directory in which you reinstalled the Auto Power On
utility, modify the path statement to include that directory.
(See your MS-DOS reference documentation for information on modifying the
autoexec.bat file.)
Bus-mastering EIDE drivers (provided for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0
operating systems) offer a performance improvement by off-loading certain
functions from the system microprocessor during multithreaded operations.
The bus-mastering driver for your operating system has been installed by
Dell and is operative when you receive your computer. No further
installation or configuration is needed.
A backup copy of the Windows 95 driver is provided with the Windows 95 CD.
This driver will be reinstalled automatically if you reinstall Windows 95.
However, the driver is disabled until you complete the steps provided in
"Enabling
the Windows 95 Bus-Mastering EIDE Driver"
found later in this chapter.
The driver for Windows NT 4.0 has also been copied to your hard-disk drive in
diskette-image form. If you need to reinstall or remove this driver, you can
do so as described in the following subsections.
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NOTE:
To install the bus-mastering
EIDE driver for Windows NT 4.0, you must have a mouse connected to the system
and Windows NT 4.0 must already be installed on the hard-disk drive connected
to the primary EIDE channel. |
To reinstall the bus-mastering EIDE driver for Windows NT 4.0, perform the
following steps:
- If you have not already done so, use the Program Diskette Maker to make a
diskette copy of the Dell bus-mastering EIDE drivers diskette image on your
hard-disk drive.
The Program Diskette Maker is available through the Dell Accessories program
folder. For more information, refer to the online help provided in the
Program Diskette Maker.
- If an older bus-mastering EIDE driver is already installed, you must remove
the older driver before installing the new driver.
For instructions, see the next subsection "Removing the Windows
NT 4.0 Bus-Mastering EIDE Driver Removing the Windows NT 4.0 Bus-Mastering
EIDE Driver."
- Start the Windows NT operating system. If you are already running Windows
NT, close any open documents or application programs.
- Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
- From the Control Panel, double-click SCSI Adapters.
- From the SCSI Adapters window, click the Drivers tab and then the Add
button.
- From the Install Driver window, click Have Disk.
- When the Install From Disk window appears, verify that the correct directory
from which to install the driver is listed.
If you are installing the driver from the bus-mastering EIDE driver diskette,
make sure the diskette is in drive A and the listed directory is
a:\..
- When the Install Driver window appears, verify that Intel PIIX PCI Bus
Master IDE Controller is highlighted and click OK.
If the driver is already installed, the following message appears:
The SCSI Adapter selected is already installed.
Click Cancel and remove the older driver (see the next subsection for
instructions) before completing this procedure.
If the driver was installed previously (but is not currently installed), the
following message appears:
"Intel PIIX PCI Bus Master IDE Controller" is already installed on
the system.
Click New to install the new driver.
- When the Windows NT Setup dialog box appears, verify that the directory
for the driver is the same as indicated in step 8.
Windows NT copies the required files and then asks if you want to restart the
computer.
- If there is a diskette in drive A, remove it. Then click Yes.
- After Windows NT restarts, click the Start button, point to Settings, and
click Control Panel.
- From the Control Panel, double-click SCSI Adapters.
- Click the Devices tab, and verify that there are one or more Intel PIIX
PCI Bus Master IDE Controller entries.
Before installing a new bus-mastering EIDE driver for Windows NT 4.0, you
must remove any other installed bus-mastering EIDE driver as described in
the following steps:
- Start the Windows NT operating system. If you are already running Windows
NT, close any open documents or application programs.
- Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
- From the Control Panel, double-click SCSI Adapters.
- From the SCSI Adapters window, click the Drivers tab.
- Select Intel PIIX PCI Bus Master IDE Controller and then click
Remove.
- When asked if you are sure you want to remove the driver, click Yes.
- To install the standard Windows NT 4.0 EIDE driver, click Add from the SCSI
Adapters window.
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CAUTION:
You must install another driver
or your system will be unable to boot the next time you
restart it. |
- From the Install Driver window, select (Standard Mass Storage Controller)
on the left side of the window, and select IDE CD-ROM (ATAPI 1.2) Dual-Channel
PCI IDE Controller on the right side of the window. Then click OK.
- If a Driver window appears and indicates that these files are already
installed, click Yes.
- When Windows NT prompts you to restart the computer, click Yes.
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NOTE:
Bus-mastering EIDE support is
provided only in Windows 95 versions 4.00. 950 B and later. |
If you have disabled the Windows 95 bus-mastering EIDE driver and want to
reenable it, or if you have reinstalled Windows 95 from CD and want to
enable the bus-mastering EIDE driver, perform the following steps:
- Start the Windows 95 operating system.
- Double-click My Computer.
- Double-click Control Panel.
- Double-click the System icon.
- Click the Device Manager tab.
- Double-click the Disk Drives icon.
- Double-click the icon for EIDE (or IDE) drives.
- Click the Settings tab.
- Click the DMA check box and click OK.
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