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Using Your Computer: Dell™ Latitude™ C810 User's Guide

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	Modular Bay		Dell AccessDirect™ Key
	Floppy Drive		Speaker Controls
	CD, CD-RW, or DVD Drive		Cursor Controls
	Display		PC Cards
	Keyboard and Keypad Controls

CAUTION: Do not operate your 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 could cause discomfort or, eventually, a burn.

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Modular Bay

Your computer comes with a floppy drive installed in the modular bay. To use another device in the modular bay, first remove the floppy drive (see "Swapping Devices While the Computer Is Off" or "Swapping Devices While the Microsoft® Windows® Operating System Is Running.")

NOTICE: When drives are not inside the computer, they are fragile and must be handled carefully to avoid damage. Do not press down on the drives or place heavy objects on top of them. Place the drives in a travel case to keep them free of dust and liquids. Store the drives in a safe place.

You can install the following modules in the modular bay: 

• Second battery
  
  
• Floppy drive
  
  
• CD drive
  
  
• DVD drive
  
  
• CD-RW drive
  
  
• SuperDisk drive
  
  
• Zip drive
  
  
• Second hard drive

To make the computer as light as possible, use the travel module in the modular bay in place of any of the available drives.

Swapping Devices While the Computer Is Off

1. Save and close any open files, exit any open programs, and shut down the computer.
   
   
2. If the computer is connected (docked) to an Advanced Port Replicator (APR) or docking station, undock it.
   
   
3. Close the display and turn the computer over.
   
   
4. Slide and hold the latch release, and pull the device out of the bay.
   

NOTICE: To prevent damage to devices, place them in a travel case when they are not inserted in the computer. Store devices in a dry, safe place, and avoid pressing down on them or placing heavy objects on top of them. 

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 the computer over and open the display.
   
   
7. Turn on the computer.
   

Swapping Devices While the Microsoft Windows Operating System Is Running

NOTICE: To prevent damage to the docking connector, do not remove or replace devices while the computer is connected to an APR or docking station. 

In Windows XP

1. Double-click the icon on the Windows taskbar.
   
   
2. Click the device you want to eject.
   
   
3. Keep the display open, and tilt the computer back so that you can access the bottom of the computer.
   
   
4. Slide and hold the latch release, and pull the device out of the bay.

NOTICE: To prevent damage to devices, place them in a travel case when they are not inserted in the computer. Store devices in a dry, safe place, and avoid pressing down on them or placing heavy objects on top of them. 

 

6. Insert the new device into the bay, and push the device in until you hear a click.
   
   
7. If necessary, enter your password to unlock your computer.

In Windows 2000

1. Double-click the icon on the Windows taskbar.
   
   
2. Click the device you want to eject and then click Stop.
   
   
3. Click OK, and wait until the device you want to eject is cleared from the list of devices in the Unplug or Eject Hardware window.
   
   
4. Keep the display open, and tilt the computer back so that you can access the bottom of the computer.
   
   
5. Slide and hold the latch release, and pull the device out of the bay.

NOTICE: To prevent damage to devices, place them in a travel case when they are not inserted in the computer. Store devices in a dry, safe place, and avoid pressing down on them or placing heavy objects on top of them. 

 

6. Insert the new device into the bay, and push the device in until you hear a click.
   
   
7. Turn the computer over and open the display.
   
   
8. Press the power button to resume from standby mode.
   
   
9. If necessary, enter your password to unlock your computer.
   
   
10. When Windows resumes and recognizes the new device, click Close.

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Floppy Drive

To use the floppy drive:

1. Insert a 3.5-inch floppy disk into the drive with the label side up and metal end first. 
   
   
2. Push the floppy disk into the drive until the eject button extends outside the drive casing.

NOTICE: Do not travel with a floppy disk in the floppy drive. Doing so could break the eject button and damage the drive.

To remove a floppy disk from the drive:

1. Press the eject button to release the floppy disk.
   
   
2. Pull the floppy disk out of the drive.

To remove the drive or to use another device in the modular bay, see "Swapping Devices While the Computer Is Off" or "Swapping Devices While the Computer Is On."

NOTICE: When drives are not inside the computer, they are fragile and must be handled carefully to avoid damage. Do not press down on the drives or place heavy objects on top of them. Place the drives in a travel case to keep them free of dust and liquids. Store the drives in a safe place.

Caring for Floppy Disks

• Never use damaged floppy disks in the computer.
  
  
• Do not store floppy disks near magnetic sources.

NOTICE: Do not move the computer when using the drive. 

NOTICE: Always use compressed air to clean the lens in the drive. Never touch the lens.

Display

When you run the computer on battery power, set the brightness control to the lowest setting that affords comfortable viewing. You can conserve battery power by using the minimum brightness setting.

Adjusting Brightness

NOTE: On an external keyboard, press <Scroll Lock> with the key combinations in the following table if the External Hot Key option is enabled in the system setup program.

Keys	Function	Key Combination
	Increase brightness
	Decrease brightness

Controlling Display Modes

Press to switch the video image to the next display in the following sequence: the computer's display, the display and external monitor simultaneously, or an external monitor. 

Customizing Display Resolution

In Windows 2000

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click the Display icon, and then click the Settings tab.
   
   
3. Try different settings for Colors and Screen area. 
   
   For more information, see your operating system documentation.
   
   If you choose a resolution or color palette that is higher than the display supports, the settings adjust automatically to the closest possible setting.

Video Drivers and Video Resolution 

The Dell-installed video drivers work with the operating system to let you customize the video resolution and number of screen colors on your display. For detailed information on video resolution, see "Technical Specifications."

NOTE: The Dell-installed video drivers are designed to offer the best performance on your computer. Dell recommends that you use only these drivers with your factory-installed operating system.

If the video resolution setting is higher than that supported by the display, the computer enters pan mode. In pan mode the screen cannot be completely displayed. For example, the taskbar that usually appears at the bottom of the desktop may no longer be visible. To view the rest of the screen, use the touch pad or track stick to pan up and down and left and right. 

NOTICE: You can damage the monitor by using an unsupported refresh rate. Before adjusting the refresh rate on an external monitor, see the monitor's user's guide. 

If you select a resolution and color combination that the computer does not support, the computer automatically selects the next supported combination.

NOTE: Color depth is based on 256 colors for 8-bit, 65,536 colors for 16-bit, and 4,294,967,296 colors for 32-bit displays.

Keyboard and Keypad Controls

Key combinations allow you to:

• Use the numeric keypad.
  
  
• Enter power management modes.
  
  
• Control display settings.
  
  
• Control the Dell AccessDirect key.
  
  
• Adjust speaker volume.
  
  

NOTE: On an external keyboard, press <Scroll Lock> with the appropriate keys if the External Hot Key option is enabled in the system setup program.

Numeric Keypad

The numeric keypad shares some of the keys on your computer's keyboard. The shared numbers and symbol characters are shown on the right side of the keys. When you activate the numeric keypad, the light turns on.

Numeric Keypad Key Combinations

Function	When Keypad Is Off
Turn on the keypad
Temporarily enable a cursor-control key in the keypad	<cursor key>
Temporarily enable text highlighting	<number key>
Function	When Keypad Is On
Turn off the keypad
Temporarily enable the lowercase characters/functions of the keyboard	<key>
Temporarily enables the uppercase characters/functions of the keyboard
Temporarily enable a cursor-control key in the keypad	<cursor key>

Power Conservation Key Combination

Press   to activate power conservation properties if you configured the power management properties. See "Conserving Power."

Dell AccessDirect™ Key

The Dell AccessDirect key allows you to quickly access a frequently used program, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer.

NOTE: Using an external keyboard with your computer disables the AccessDirect key.

For information on using the AccessDirect key and viewing or changing key assignments, see the AccessDirect Help:

1. Open the Dell AccessDirect program in one of the following ways:
   
   
• Double-click the AccessDirect icon in the system tray on the Windows taskbar (normally in the bottom-right corner of the screen).
  
  
• In Windows XP, click the Start button, and then click Control Panel. Under Pick a category, click Printers and Other Hardware, click Keyboard, and then click the AccessDirect tab.
  
  In Windows 2000, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then double-click Control Panel. In the Control Panel window, double-click the Keyboard icon, and then click the AccessDirect tab.
  
  
2. Click Help.

Speaker Controls

NOTE: On an external keyboard, press <Scroll Lock> with the appropriate keys if the External Hot Key option is enabled in the system setup program.

Function	Key Combination
Turn the volume up
Turn the volume down
Turn the speakers on or off

Cursor Controls

Your computer is equipped with the Dell DualPoint integrated pointing device, which includes two cursor pointing devices that perform traditional mouse functions: the touch pad and the track stick. You can choose to use the touch pad only, the track stick only, or both at the same time. 

DualPoint device software allows you to adjust settings, such as sensitivity, motion, and drag and drop features for both the touch pad and track stick. 

NOTE: If the Pointing Device option in the system setup program is set to Touch Pad-PS/2 Mouse (the default), you can use both the DualPoint device and an external mouse.

Using the Touch Pad

The two touch pad buttons, located directly below the touch pad, correspond to the left and right buttons on a mouse.

• To move the cursor, lightly slide your finger over the smooth sensor area.
  
  
• To select an object, gently tap once on the surface of the touch pad or use your thumb to press the left touch pad button. 
  
  
• To select and move (or drag) an object, position the cursor on the object and tap down-up-down on the touch pad. On the second down motion, leave your finger on the touch pad and move the selected object by sliding your finger across the surface.
  
  
• To double-click an object, position the cursor on the object and then tap the touch pad or the left touch pad button twice.

Using the Track Stick

The two track stick buttons, located between the touch pad and the space bar on the keyboard, correspond to the left and right buttons on a mouse. 

• To move the cursor, apply pressure to the track stick with your index finger. Press up or down to move the cursor to the top or bottom of the display screen. Press left or right to move the cursor to the left or right of the display screen.
  
  
• To select an object, tap once on the track stick or use your thumb to press the left track stick button.  
  
  
• To select and move (or drag) an object, position the cursor on the object. Then press and hold the left track stick button. Leave your thumb on the button and move the selected object by pressing the track stick in the desired direction.
  
  
• To double-click an object, position the cursor on the object and then tap the left track stick button or the track stick itself twice. The track stick functions much like the touch pad in that it allows you to use buttons for mouse functions or the pointing device itself. 

Customizing the DualPoint Integrated Pointing Device

In Windows XP

1. Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
2. Under Pick a category, click Printers and Other Hardware. 
   
   
3. Click the Mouse icon, and then click the Touch tab in the Mouse Properties window.
   
   
4. In the drop-down menu, click to select either the touch pad or the pointing stick (track stick) and click Apply.
   
   
5. Click OK to save the settings and close the window.

You can also right-click the touch pad icon on the taskbar and click Touch Pad Properties to open the Mouse Properties window.

Click in the Disable this Device box to disable the selected touch pad or track stick settings. If you docked your computer with a mouse, the touch pad and track stick settings are automatically disabled.

In Windows 2000

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click the Mouse icon and click the Touch tab in the Mouse Properties window.
   
   
3. In the drop-down menu, click to select either the touch pad or the pointing stick (track stick) and click Apply.
   
   
4. Click OK to save the settings and close the window.

To open the Mouse Properties window, you can also right-click the Touch Pad icon on the taskbar, and click Touch Pad Properties.

To disable the selected touch pad or track stick settings, click in the Disable this Device box. If you docked your computer with a mouse, the touch pad and track stick settings are automatically disabled.

Changing the Track Stick Cap

Your computer may have come with additional track stick caps. If so, you may need to change the track stick cap if it wears down from prolonged use.

1. Pull the cap off the track stick.

2. Align a new cap over the square track stick post and gently press the cap down onto the post. 
   
   
3. Test the track stick to ensure that the cap is seated properly.

PC Cards

See "Technical Specifications" for information on supported PC Cards.

NOTES: A PC Card is not a boot device. The "type" of a card refers to its thickness, not its functionality. Your computer recognizes most I/O cards and automatically loads the device driver associated with the card.

NOTICE: Extended cards are longer versions of standard PC Cards. They fit into and operate correctly with your computer. Follow these precautions when using extended PC Cards:

• Make sure that nothing strikes the exposed end of an installed extended card. Otherwise, damage to the system board can occur. 
  
  
• Always remove an extended PC Card before you pack the computer in its carrying case.
  
  
• Try installing an extended card in the upper PC Card slot to allow room for a second PC Card.

Removing PC Cards and Blanks

NOTICE: Use the PC Card configuration utility on the taskbar to select and disable a card before you remove it. If you do not disable the card using the configuration utility, you could lose data from open programs.

1. Disable the PC Card by using the PC Card configuration utility on the taskbar.
   
   
2. Press the eject button.
   

   NOTE: A dot on each eject button indicates whether the button is for the top or bottom PC Card slot.

3. Gently remove the card or blank.
   
   Save a blank to use whenever you do not have a PC Card installed. The blank protects the PC Card slot from dust and other particles.

Installing PC Cards

You do not need to turn off your computer or exit suspend or standby mode before you install a PC Card. 

1. If necessary, remove the blank from the PC Card slot.
   
   
2. Insert the card, and press in firmly until the card is completely seated.

If card orientation is not clear, see the documentation that came with the card.

3. If you encounter resistance when inserting the card, do not force the it. Check the card's orientation and try again.

Configuring PC Cards

The PC Card configuration utility performs the following functions:

• Notifies you whenever a PC Card is inserted and tells you how the card is configured
  
  
• Automatically loads the proper device driver if the driver is available on the hard drive
  
  
• Prompts you to install drivers if they are not available on the hard drive

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