LegacySelect technology control offers legacy-full, legacy-reduced, or legacy-free solutions based on common platforms, hard-drive images, and help desk procedures. Control is provided to the administrator through system setup, Dell OpenManage™ IT Assistant, or Dell™ custom factory integration.
LegacySelect allows administrators to electronically activate or deactivate connectors and media devices that include serial and USB connectors, a parallel connector, a floppy drive, PCI slots, and a PS/2 mouse. Connectors and media devices that are deactivated make resources available. You must restart the computer to effect the changes.
ASF is a DMTF management standard that specifies "pre-operating system" or "operating system-absent" alerting techniques. It is designed to generate an alert on potential security and fault conditions when the operating system is in a sleep state or the system is powered down. ASF is designed to supercede previous operating system-absent alerting technologies.
The OptiPlex GX260 supports the following ASF alerts and remote capabilities:
Alert
Description
Chassis Intrusion/Chassis Intrusion Cleared
System chassis has been opened/System chassis intrusion alert has been cleared
Corrupt BIOS
The system BIOS is corrupted
Failure to Boot to BIOS
System BIOS did not complete loading upon initiation
System Password Failure
System password invalid (after 3 failed attempts)
Entity Presence
Periodic Heartbeats transmitted to verify system presence
Temperature - Too Low/Low/High/Too High/Fault - Non Critical/Fault - Critical
System temperature out of limits
Voltage - Too Low/Too High/Fault
System voltage out of limits
Cooling Device - Speed Low/Speed Too Low/Malfunction/Status Change
For more information about Dell's ASF implementation, see the ASF User's Guide and the ASF Administrator's Guide, available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
IT Assistant is a workgroup management solution for managing Dell clients and servers. It is not required to manage Dell client systems, but it is an easy-to-use, browser-based management console that allows an administrator to monitor system health at a glance. It has a robust discovery engine that will identify systems, place them in the appropriate group (Desktop, Portable, Workstation, Server), and provide extensive detail on the configuration, OS, and hardware makeup of these systems.
For information about IT Assistant, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant User's Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
OMCI is an application that ships standard on all OptiPlex™ systems and is optionally available for Dell Precision™ and Latitude™. OMCI is based on industry-standard management protocols such as DMI and CIM, and it has support for SNMP. OMCI allows DMI-, CIM-, or SNMP-compliant management consoles to collect inventory and configuration information and receive proactive notification of potential fault conditions. OMCI monitors the system hardware and sends an alert when a chassis has been compromised or a potential problem has been detected. Used in conjunction with IT Assistant, OMCI allows customers to remotely perform remote BIOS updates and modify CMOS settings on a single Dell system or a group of Dell systems.
For information about Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation, see the Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation User's Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
Enabled — If the computer cover is opened, the setting changes to Detected, and the following alert message displays during the boot routine at the next computer start-up:
Alert! Cover was previously removed.
To reset the Detected setting, enter system setup. In the Chassis Intrusion option, press the left- or right-arrow key to select Reset, and then choose Enabled, Enabled-Silent, or Disabled.
Enabled-Silent (default) — If the computer cover is opened, the setting changes to Detected. No alert message appears during the boot sequence at the next computer start-up.
Disabled — No intrusion monitoring occurs and no messages appear.
Use one of the following methods to secure your computer:
Use a padlock alone or a padlock and looped security cable with the padlock ring.
A padlock alone prevents the computer from being opened.
A security cable looped around a stationary object is used in conjunction with a padlock to prevent unauthorized movement of the computer.
Attach a commercially available antitheft device to the security cable slot on the back of the computer.
NOTE: Before you
purchase an antitheft
device, make sure that it
works with the security
cable slot on your
computer.
Antitheft devices usually include a segment of metal-stranded cable with an attached locking device and key. Dell recommends that you use a Kensington lock. The documentation that comes with the device contains instructions for installing it.
NOTICE: Although passwords provide security for the data on your computer,
they are not foolproof. If your data requires more security, it is your
responsibility to obtain and use additional forms of protection, such as data
encryption programs.
NOTICE: If you leave your computer running and unattended without having
a system password assigned, or if you leave your computer unlocked so that
someone can disable the password by changing a jumper setting, anyone can
access the data stored on your hard drive.
To escape from the field without assigning a system password, press <Tab> or the <Shift><Tab> key combination to move to another field, or press <Esc> at any time before you complete step 5.
Enter system setup (see "System Setup") and verify that Password
Status is set to Unlocked.
Highlight SystemPassword and then press the left- or right-arrow key.
The option heading changes to EnterPassword, followed by an empty 32-character field in square brackets.
Type your new system password.
You can use up to 32 characters. To erase a character when entering your password, press <Backspace> or the left-arrow key. The password is not case sensitive.
Certain key combinations are not valid. If you enter one of these combinations, the computer emits a beep.
As you press each character key (or the spacebar for a blank space), a placeholder appears in the field.
Press <Enter>.
If the new system password is less than 32 characters, the whole field fills with placeholders. Then the option heading changes to Verify Password, followed by another empty 32-character field in square brackets.
To confirm your password, type it a second time and press <Enter>.
The password setting changes to Enabled.
Exit system setup.
Password protection takes effect when you restart the computer.
When you start or restart your computer, one of the following prompts appears on the screen.
If Password Status is set to Unlocked:
Type in the password and
- press <ENTER> to leave password security enabled.
- press <CTRL><ENTER> to disable password security.
Enter password:
If PasswordStatus is set to Locked:
Type the password and press <Enter>.
If you have assigned a setup password, the computer accepts your setup password as an alternate system password.
If you type a wrong or incomplete system password, the following message appears on the screen:
** Incorrect password. **
If you again type an incorrect or incomplete system password, the same message appears on the screen. The third and subsequent times you type an incorrect or incomplete system password, the computer displays the following message:
** Incorrect password. **
Number of unsuccessful password attempts: 3
System halted! Must power down.
Even after your computer is turned off and on, the previous message is displayed each time you type an incorrect or incomplete system password.
NOTE: You can use
Password Status in
conjunction with System
Password and Setup
Password to further
protect your computer
from unauthorized
changes.
Enter system setup (see "System Setup") and verify that Password
Status is set to Unlocked.
Restart your computer.
When prompted, type the system password.
Press <Ctrl><Enter> to disable the existing system password.
Confirm that Not Enabled is displayed for the System Password
option.
If Not Enabled is displayed, the system password is deleted. If Not Enabled is not displayed, press <Alt><b> to restart the computer, and then repeat steps 3 through 5.
The setup password can be the same as the system password.
NOTE: If the two
passwords are different,
the setup password can be
used as an alternate
system password.
However, the system
password cannot be used
in place of the setup
password.
Enter system setup (see "System Setup") and verify that Setup
Password is set to Not Enabled.
Highlight Setup Password and press the left- or right-arrow key.
The computer prompts you to type and verify the password. If a character is not permitted, the computer emits a beep.
Type and then verify the password.
After you verify the password, the Setup Password setting changes to Enabled. The next time you enter system setup, the computer prompts you for the setup password.
Exit system setup.
A change to Setup Password becomes effective immediately (no need to restart the computer).
Close the computer cover and reconnect the computer and devices to
electrical outlets and turn them on.
This reenables the password feature. When you enter system setup, both password options appear as Not Enabled—the password feature is enabled but no password is assigned.
To set user-selectable options such as date and time or system password
To read the current amount of memory or set the type of hard drive installed
Dell recommends that you print the system setup screens (by pressing <Print Screen>)
or record the information for future reference.
Before you use system setup, you must
know the kind of floppy drive(s) and hard drive(s) installed in your computer. To confirm this information,
see the Manufacturing Test Report that came with your computer, or find this information in
the online Dell Accessories folder.
When Press <F2> to Enter Setup appears in the upper-right
corner of the screen, press <F2> immediately.
If you wait too long and the Microsoft® Windows® logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop, then shut down your computer and try again.
NOTE: To ensure an orderly computer shutdown, consult the
documentation that came with your operating system.
System setup screens display current configuration information for your computer. Information on the screen is organized into four areas:
Title — The box at the top of all screens that lists the computer name
Computer data — Two boxes below the title box that display your computer processor, L2 cache, service tag, and the version number of the BIOS
Options — A scrollable box listing options that define the configuration of your computer, including installed hardware, power conservation, and security features
Fields to the right of the option titles contain settings or values. The fields that you can change appear bright on the screen. The fields that you cannot change (because they are set by the computer) appear less bright. When <Enter> appears to the right of an option title, press <Enter> to access a pop-up menu of additional options.
Key functions — A line of boxes across the bottom of all screens that lists keys and their functions within system setup
Normal — (Available only for the current boot process) The computer attempts to boot from the sequence of devices specified in system setup.
Diskette Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the floppy drive. If the floppy disk in the drive is not bootable, or if no floppy disk is in the drive, the computer generates an error message.
Hard Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the primary hard drive. If no operating system is on the drive, the computer generates an error message.
CD Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the CD drive. If no CD is in the drive, or if the CD has no operating system, the computer generates an error message.
PXE — As the computer boots, press <F3> to display a menu that allows you to select a method for booting from a network server. If a boot routine is not available from the network server, the system attempts to boot from the next device in the boot sequence list.
USB Flash Device — Insert the key into a USB port and restart the computer. When F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press <F12>. The BIOS detects the key and adds the USB key option to the boot menu.
NOTE: To boot to a USB Flash Device, the device must be bootable. To make sure your device is bootable, check the device documentation or website.
You can use this feature, for example, to tell the computer to boot from the CD drive so you can run the Dell Diagnostics, but specify that the computer boots from the hard drive when the diagnostic tests are complete.
If you wait too long and the Windows logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop, then shut down your computer and try again.
Turn on or restart your computer.
When F2 = Setup appears in the upper-right corner of the screen,
press <F12>.
The Boot Device Menu appears, listing all available boot devices. Each device has a number next to it. At the bottom of the menu, enter the number of the device that is to be used for the current boot only.
AC Power Recovery—
Determines what happens when AC power is restored to the computer
Off — Computer remains off when AC power is restored
On — Computer starts when AC power is restored
Last — Computer returns to the AC power state existing at the time that AC power was lost
Asset Tag—Displays the customer-programmable asset tag number for the computer if an asset tag number is assigned—
Auto Power On—
Sets time and days of week to turn on the computer automatically. Choices are every day or every Monday through Friday.
Time is kept in a 24-hour format (hours:minutes). Change the start-up time by pressing the right- or left-arrow keys to increase or decrease the numbers or type numbers in both the date and time fields.
Disabled is the default.
This feature does not work if you turn off your computer using a power strip or surge protector.
CPU ID—
Manufacturer's identification code for the installed microprocessor
CPU Information
CPU Speed — Processor speed at which the computer boots
Press the left- or right-arrow key to toggle the CPU Speed option between the resident microprocessor's rated speed (the default) and a lower compatibility speed. A change to this option takes effect immediately (no restart is necessary).
To toggle between the rated processor speed and the compatibility speed while the computer is running in real mode, press <Ctrl><Alt><\>. (For keyboards that do not use American English, press <Ctrl><Alt><#>.)
Bus Speed — Speed of the microprocessor's system bus
Processor ID — Manufacturer's identification code(s) for the installed microprocessor
Clock Speed — Core speed at which the microprocessor(s) operates
Cache Size — Size of the microprocessor's L2 cache
Diskette Drive A—
Type of floppy drive(s) installed in the computer. With the standard cabling configuration, Diskette Drive A (the boot floppy drive) is the 3.5-inch floppy drive installed in the top externally accessible drive bay. The two options are 3.5 Inch, 1.44 MB, and Not Installed.
Tape drives are not reflected in the Diskette Drive A option. For example, if a single floppy drive and a tape drive are attached to the floppy drive interface cable, set Diskette Drive A to 3.5 Inch, 1.44 MB.
Fastboot
On (default) — Your computer boots in 10 seconds or less, skipping certain configurations and tests
Off — Your computer does not skip certain configurations and tests during the bootprocess
To boot from a USB memory device, select the USB device and move it to make it the first device.
Integrated Devices—
Configures the following devices integrated with the system board:
Sound — Settings are On (default) or Off.
USB Controller — Settings are On or Off.
Network Interface Controller — Settings are On (default), Off, or Onw/ PXE. Settings for On w/ PXE are PXE, RPL, BootP, or NetWare as the active boot mode.
Mouse Port — Settings are On or Off.
Serial Port 1 and Serial Port 2 — Settings are Off and Auto (default).
Auto automatically configures a connector to a particular designation (COM1 or COM3 for Serial Port 1; COM2 or COM4 for Serial Port 2).
If you set a serial connector to Auto and add a card containing a connector configured to the same designation, the computer automatically remaps the integrated port to the next available connector designation that shares the same IRQ setting as follows:
COM1 (I/O address 3F8h), which shares IRQ4 with COM3, is remapped to COM3 (I/O address 3E8h).
COM2 (I/O address 2F8h), which shares IRQ3 with COM4, is remapped to COM4 (I/O address 2E8h).
NOTE: When two COM connectors share an IRQ setting, you can use either
connector as necessary, but you may not be able to use them both at the same
time. If you are running the Windows 95 or IBM® OS/2® operating system, you
cannot use both serial connectors at the same time. If the second connector
(COM3 or COM4) is also in use, the integrated connector is turned off.
Parallel Port — Settings are Mode, I/O Address, and DMA Channel
Mode settings are PS/2, EPP, ECP, AT, or Off. Set the Mode option according to the type of device connected to the parallel connector. To determine the correct mode to use, see the documentation that came with the device.
I/O Address settings are 378h (default), 278h, or 3BCh. The settings are not available when Mode is set to Off.
NOTE: You cannot set the parallel connector to 3BCh if Mode is set to EPP.
DMA Channel appears only when Mode is set to ECP. Settings are DMA 1, DMA 3, or Off.
IDE Drive Interface — Settings are Off and Auto (default)
Auto turns off the IDE interface when necessary to accommodate a controller card installed in an expansion slot.
Diskette Interface — Settings are Auto (default), Read Only, and Off
Auto turns off the integrated floppy drive controller when necessary to accommodate a controller card installed in an expansion slot.
Read Only prevents the computer's integrated floppy drive controller from writing to floppy drives and activates Auto.
USB Emulation — Settings are On and Off (default for Windows NT®)
Primary Video Controller — When video is integrated on the system board, the options are Auto (default) and Onboard.
When an AGP card is used, the options are AGP (default) and Auto.
Video DAC Snoop — Settings are Off (default) and On.
On corrects video problems such as incorrect colors or blank windows that may occur when you use certain video cards.
Keyboard NumLock —
Settings are On and Off (does not apply to 84-key keyboards)
On — Activates the rightmost bank of keys so they provide the mathematical and numeric functions shown at the top of each key.
Off — Activates the rightmost bank of keys so they provide cursor-control functions shown by the label on the bottom of each key.
Memory Information—
Indicates amount of installed memory, computer memory speed, amount of video memory, and size of the display cache
PCI IRQ Assignment—
Specifies which IRQ lines are assigned to the PCI devices installed in the computer
Press <Enter> and then select the device whose IRQ line you want to change, and press the plus (+) or minus (–) key to scroll through the available IRQ lines.
Primary Driven and Secondary Driven—
Settings are Auto (use this setting for all IDE devices from Dell) and Off
Primary Drive n identifies drives attached to the primary IDE interface connector (labeled IDE1) on the system board.
Secondary Drive n identifies drives connected to the secondary IDE interface connector (labeled IDE2).
NOTE: You must have an IDE device connected to the primary IDE interface if
you have an IDE device connected to the secondary IDE interface.
If You Have a Problem
If the computer generates a drive error message the first time you boot your computer after you install an IDE drive, your drive may not work with the automatic drive-type detect feature. Press <Alt><d> in any hard drive field to set the hard drive autoconfiguration feature.
During POST, the computer scans the IDE channels for supported devices and generates a summary message. For example, if the computer detects that a hard drive is connected to the Primary channel and that a CD drive is connected to the Secondary channel, it generates the following message:
Performing automatic IDE configuration...
Primary Master: IDE Disk Drive
Secondary Master: CD-ROM Reader
If the computer detects a device during the scan, it sets the device to Auto in system setup. If no device is listed, it sets the device setting to Off in system setup.
If your computer does not reset after you perform these steps, enter system setup and reset the computer to its original Dell settings:
Restart your computer.
As the system restarts, press <F2> to enter system setup.
When the system setup screen appears, press <Alt><F> to load the Dell default settings.
The computer beeps when the settings are restored.
Verify that the time, date, and year are correct and that the Secondary Drive 0 option is set to Auto.
Press <Esc> and then press <Enter> to save your changes and exit.
NOTICE: Ensure that your computer is turned off and unplugged before you
change the jumper settings. Otherwise, damage to your computer or
unpredictable results can occur.
To change a jumper setting, pull the plug off its pin(s) and carefully fit it down onto the pin(s) indicated.
NOTICE: To turn off your computer, perform an orderly computer shutdown
when possible.
You can use the ACPI feature to configure the function of the Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.
Power Button Functions for Windows 2000 and Windows XP With ACPI Enabled
Action
Results
Computer Turned On and ACPI Enabled
Computer in Standby Mode
Computer Turned Off
Press power button
Computer goes into standby mode or turns off (depending on the operating system setup)
Computer turns on
Boots and computer turns on
Hold power button for 6 seconds*
Computer turns off
Computer turns off
Boots and computer turns on
NOTE: Pressing or holding the power button to shut down the computer may result
in data loss. Use the power button to shut down the computer only if the operating
system is not responding.
NOTE: Pressing or holding the power button to shut down the computer may result
in data loss. Use the power button to shut down the computer only if the operating
system is not responding.
NOTE: Pressing or holding the power button to shut down the computer may result
in data loss. Use the power button to shut down the computer only if the operating
system is not responding.
If the computer does not turn off when you press the power button, the computer may be hung. Press and hold the power button until the computer turns off completely (this process may take several seconds). If the computer is hung and the power button fails to function properly, unplug the AC power cable from the computer, wait for the computer to completely stop running, and plug in the AC power cable. If the computer does not restart, press the power button to restart the computer.
Hyper-Threading is an Intel® technology that can enhance overall performance
by allowing one physical microprocessor to function as two logical
microprocessors, capable of performing certain tasks simultaneously. It is
recommended that you use the Windows XP operating system because Windows XP is
optimized to take advantage of Hyper-Threading technology. While many programs
can benefit from Hyper-Threading technology, some programs have not been
optimized for Hyper-Threading and may require an update from the software
manufacturer. Contact the software manufacturer for updates and information on
using your software with Hyper-Threading.
NOTE: Hyper-Threading
is supported only on computers that have 3.06-GHz (or higher)
microprocessors installed.
To determine if your computer is using Hyper-Threading technology:
Click the Start button, right-click
My Computer, and then click Properties.
Click Hardware and click Device
Manager.
In the Device Manager window, click
the plus (+) sign next to the processor type. If Hyper-Threading is
enabled, the processor is listed twice.
You can enable or disable Hyper-Threading through system
setup. For more information on Hyper-Threading, search the Knowledge Base on
the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
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