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Setup and Operation: Dell™ OptiPlex™ GX300 System User's
Guide
If you need to set up your computer system yourself (rather than
having it set up by a network administrator), see "Getting Started" in the System
Information Guide that accompanied your system for instructions on connecting cables
and turning on your system for the first time.
After you correctly connect all the cables to your system and turn
it on, see the setup guide for your operating system to complete its installation. When
the operating system is installed, you can connect peripheral devices such as a printer,
or install application programs not already installed by Dell.
Figure 1 shows the connectors on the back of your computer for
attaching external devices.
Figure 1. I/O
Ports and Connectors
When you connect external devices to your computer's back panel,
follow these guidelines:
- Check the documentation that accompanied the device for specific
installation and configuration instructions.
For example, you must connect most devices to a particular
input/output (I/O) port or connector to operate properly. Also, external devices like a
mouse or printer usually require you to load device drivers into system memory before they
will work.
- Always attach external devices while your computer is turned off.
Then turn on the computer before turning on any external devices, unless the
documentation for the device specifies otherwise. (If the computer does not seem to
recognize the device, try turning on the device before turning on the computer.)
NOTICE: When you disconnect external devices from the back
of the computer, wait 5 seconds after turning off the computer before you disconnect any
devices to avoid possible damage to the system board.
The serial ports use 9-pin D-subminiature connectors on the back
panel. These ports support devices such as external modems or plotters that require serial
transmission (sending one bit of data at a time over one line).
The default designations for these integrated serial ports are COM1
for serial port 1 and COM2 for serial port 2. Port designations are used in software
installation procedures to identify the port used by a device—for example, to specify
the port used by a modem when you install communications software.
The system contains a reconfiguration feature to reassign the serial
port's designation if you add an expansion card containing a serial port using this
designation.
If you set the system’s integrated serial ports to Auto
in System Setup and add an expansion card containing a serial
port configured to a specific designation, the computer automatically maps (assigns) the
integrated ports to the appropriate COM setting as necessary.
Before you add a card with a serial port, check the documentation
that accompanied your software to make sure that the software can be mapped to the new COM
port designation.
The integrated parallel port uses a 25-pin D-subminiature connector
on the computer's back panel.
This I/O port sends data in parallel format (where eight data bits,
or one byte, are sent simultaneously over eight separate lines in a single cable). The
parallel port is used primarily for printers.
The default designation of your computer's integrated parallel port
is LPT1. Port designations are used, for example, in software installation procedures to
identify the port to which your printer is attached, thus telling your software where to
send its output. (An incorrect designation prevents the printer from printing or causes
scrambled print.)
 |
NOTE: The integrated parallel port is
automatically disabled if the system detects an installed expansion card containing a
parallel port configured to the same address as specified in Parallel Port in System Setup. |
The microphone jack can be used to attach a standard personal
computer microphone. Connect the audio cable from the microphone to the microphone jack.
The microphone input is a monaural source with maximum signal levels of 89 millivolts root
mean squared (mVrms).
The line-out jack can be used to attach most computer speakers. The
line-out jack is amplified, so speakers with integrated amplifiers are not required.
Connect the audio cable from the speakers to this jack.
The line-in jack can be used to attach record/playback devices such
as cassette players, CD players, and VCRs. Connect the line-out cable from any of these
devices to the line-in jack on the back of your computer.
Your system uses a Personal System/2 (PS/2)-compatible mouse. The
mouse cable attaches to a 6-pin miniature Deutsche Industrie Norm (DIN) connector on the
back panel of your computer. Turn off the computer and any attached peripherals before
connecting a mouse to the computer.
A PS/2-compatible mouse works as does an industry-standard serial
mouse or bus mouse except that it has its own dedicated connector, which frees up the
serial ports and does not require an expansion card.
Mouse driver software gives the mouse priority with the
microprocessor by issuing interrupt request (IRQ) 12 whenever you move the mouse. The
drivers also pass along the mouse data to the application that is in control. If you have
the Microsoft® Windows® 98, Windows 95, or Windows NT® 4.0 operating system, Dell
already installed the necessary mouse drivers on your hard-disk drive. If you need to
reinstall the mouse drivers, see the documentation that accompanied your Dell
ResourceCD for instructions.
Your system uses a PS/2-style keyboard. The keyboard cable attaches
to a 6-pin miniature DIN connector on the back panel of your computer.
Your system contains two Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors for
attaching USB-compliant devices. USB-compliant devices are typically peripherals such as
keyboards, mice, printers, and computer speakers.
Your system has an integrated 10/100-megabit-per-second (Mbps)
3Com® Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) 3C920 (3C905C-TX-compatible) Ethernet
network interface controller (NIC). The NIC provides all the functions of a separate
network expansion card and supports both the 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX Ethernet standards.
The NIC includes a Remote Wakeup feature that enables the computer
to be started by a special local area network (LAN) signal from a server management
console. Remote Wakeup provides remote computer setup, software downloading and
installation, file updates, and asset tracking after hours and on weekends when LAN
traffic is typically at a minimum.
The NIC connector on the computer's back panel has the following
indicators (see Figure 1):
- A yellow activity indicator flashes when the system is
transmitting or receiving network data. (A high volume of network traffic may make this
indicator appear to be in a steady "on" state.)
- A dual-colored link integrity and speed indicator, which
lights up green when there is a good connection between a 10-Mbps network and the NIC, or
it lights up orange when there is a good connection between a 100-Mbps network and the
NIC. When the orange or green indicator is off, the computer is not detecting a physical
connection to the network.
Your computer's NIC connector (an RJ45 connector located on the back
panel) is designed for attaching an unshielded twisted pair (UTP) Ethernet cable. Press
one end of the UTP cable into the NIC connector until the cable snaps securely into place.
Connect the other end of the cable to an RJ45 jack wall plate or to
an RJ45 port on a UTP concentrator or hub, depending on your network configuration.
A 100-Mbps network requires Category 5 wiring and connectors. A
10-Mbps network requires Category 3 or Category 5 wiring and connectors.
The system uses a 15-pin high-density D-subminiature connector on
the back panel for attaching a video graphics array (VGA)-compatible monitor to your
system.
Figure 2 shows the controls and indicators located on the front
panel of your computer.
Figure 2.
Controls and Indicators
The diskette-drive access indicator lights up when the drive is
reading data from or writing data to a diskette. Wait until the access indicator turns off
before removing a diskette from the drive.
The power button controls the system's AC input power.
For Microsoft Windows 95, the power button functions as follows:
- When the computer is turned off, pushing the power button turns on
the computer.
- When the computer is turned on, pushing the power button turns off
the computer.
For Microsoft Windows 98 and Windows NT, you can configure the power
button's function through the basic input/output system (BIOS). If you configure the power
button, it functions as follows:
- When the computer is turned off, pushing the power button turns on
the computer.
- When the computer is turned on, pushing the power button and holding
it for more than 6 seconds turns off the computer.
- When the computer is turned on, pushing the power button and
releasing it places the computer in a suspended state that you determine through the BIOS
configuration.
- When the computer is in the suspended state, pushing the power button
and releasing it brings the computer out of the suspended state.
If the system does not turn off when you press the power button, the
system may be hung. Press and hold the power button until the system turns off completely
(this process may take several seconds). Alternatively, press the reset button to reset
the system and reboot. If the system is hung and both buttons fail to function properly,
unplug the AC power cable from the computer, wait for it to completely stop running, plug
in the AC power cable, and if it the system does not restart, press the power button to
restart the system.
The power indicator on the front of the computer has a
light-emitting diode (LED) that illuminates in two different colors and blinks or remains
solid to indicate several different states. See "Diagnostic LEDs" for a description of each of
these states.
The reset button allows you to reboot (restart) your system without
having to turn the power off and then on again. Rebooting the system in this manner
reduces stress on system components. However, be sure that you have saved and closed all
open files and application programs (if possible) to avoid losing any data. Then perform
an orderly shutdown of the operating system (see your operating system documentation for
instructions).
The hard-disk drive access indicator lights up when a hard-disk
drive or CD-ROM drive is reading data from or writing data to the drive.
On the back of the chassis, slide the upper half of the padlock ring to the left. Then press the
cover release button to remove the computer cover.
An integrated chassis intrusion alarm displays the status of the
system chassis intrusion monitor. If the chassis has been opened, the setting changes to Detected
and the following message appears during the boot sequence at system start-up:
Alert! Cover was previously removed.
Use System Setup to reset the alarm so that
future intrusions are detected.
On the back of the computer are a security cable slot and padlock
ring (see Figure 3) for
attaching commercially available antitheft devices. Security cables for personal computers
usually include a segment of galvanized cable with an attached locking device and key. To
prevent unauthorized removal of your computer, loop the cable around an immovable object,
insert the locking device into the security cable slot on the back of your computer, and
lock the device with the key provided. Complete instructions for installing this kind of
antitheft device are usually included with the device.
|
NOTE: Antitheft devices are of differing designs.
Before purchasing such a device, make sure it works with the cable slot on your computer. |
Figure
3. Security Cable Slot and Padlock Ring
 |
| 1 |
Security cable slot |
| 2 |
Padlock ring |
|
NOTICE: The password features provide a basic level of
security for the data on your system. However, 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.
Your Dell system is shipped to you without the system password
feature enabled. If system security is a concern, operate your system only with system
password protection.
You can assign a system password, as described in "Assigning a System Password", whenever you use System Setup. After a system password is assigned, only those who
know the password have full use of the system.
When System Password is set to Enabled,
the computer system prompts you for the system password just after the system boots. See
"Using Your System Password to Secure
Your System" for more information.
To change an existing system password, you must know the password
(see "Deleting or Changing an Existing System
Password"). If you assign and later forget a system password, you must remove the
computer cover to change a jumper setting that disables the system password feature (see
"Disabling a Forgotten Password").
Note that you erase the setup password at the same time.
NOTICE: If you leave your system 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-disk drive.
Before you can assign a system password, you must enter System Setup
and check the System Password option.
When a system password is assigned, the setting shown in System
Password is Enabled. When the system password feature is
disabled by a jumper setting on the system board, the setting shown is Disabled.
You cannot change or enter a new system password if either of these options is
displayed.
When no system password is assigned and the password jumper on the
system board is in the enabled position (its default setting), the option shown for the System
Password option is Not Enabled. Only when System
Password is set to Not Enabled can you assign a
system password, using the following procedure:
- Verify that Password Status is set to Unlocked.
For instructions on changing the setting for Password Status,
see "Password Status."
- Highlight System Password, and then
press the left- or right-arrow key.
The option heading
changes to Enter Password, followed by an empty
32-character field in square brackets.
- Type your new system password.
You can use up to 32 characters in your password.
As you press each character key (or the spacebar for a blank space),
a placeholder appears in the field. The password assignment operation recognizes keys by
their location on the keyboard, without distinguishing between lowercase and uppercase
characters. For example, if you have an M in your password, the system recognizes
either M or m as correct.
Certain key combinations are not valid. If you enter one of these
combinations, the speaker emits a beep.
To erase a character when entering your password, press
<Backspace> or the left-arrow key.
|
NOTE: To escape from the field without assigning a
system password, press <Tab> or the <Shift><Tab> combination to move to
another field, or press <Esc> at any time before completing step 5. |
- 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. Your
system password is now set; you can exit System Setup and begin using your system. Note,
however, that password protection does not take effect until you reboot the system by
pressing the reset button or by turning the system off and then on again.
Whenever you either turn on your system or press the reset button,
or when you reboot the system by pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Del> key
combination, the following prompt appears on the screen when 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 Password Status is set to Locked,
the following prompt appears:
Type the password and press <Enter>.
After you type the correct system password and press <Enter>,
your system boots and you can use the keyboard and/or mouse to operate your system as
usual.
If you enter a wrong or incomplete system password, the following
message appears on the screen:
** Incorrect password. **
Enter password:
If you again enter an incorrect or incomplete system password, the
same message appears on the screen.
The third and subsequent times you enter an incorrect or incomplete
system password, the system displays the following message:
** Incorrect password. **
Number of unsuccessful password attempts: 3
System halted! Must power down.
The number of unsuccessful attempts made to enter the correct system
password can alert you to an unauthorized person attempting to use your system.
Even after your system is turned off and on, the previous message is
displayed each time an incorrect or incomplete system password is entered.
|
NOTE: You can use Password Status
in conjunction with System Password and Setup
Password to further protect your system from unauthorized changes. |
To delete or change an existing system password, perform the
following steps:
- Enter System Setup by pressing <F2>,
and verify that Password Status
is set to Unlocked.
- Reboot your system to force it to prompt you for a system password.
- When prompted, type the system password.
- Press <Ctrl><Enter> to disable the existing system
password, instead of pressing <Enter> to continue with the normal operation of your
system.
- Confirm that Not Enabled is displayed for the System
Password option of System Setup.
If Not Enabled appears in the System
Password option, the system password has been deleted. If you want to assign a
new password, continue to step 6. If Not Enabled is not displayed for the
System Password option, press <Alt><B> to reboot the system,
and then repeat steps 3 through 5.
- To assign a new password, follow the procedure in "Assigning a System Password."
Your Dell system is shipped to you without the setup password
feature enabled. Since your system is also shipped with the DMI agent enabled and active
(allowing system settings to be changed remotely), Dell strongly recommends that you
enable and use the setup password feature to prevent unauthorized changes to system
settings.
You can assign a setup password, as described in "Assigning a Setup Password," whenever you use
System Setup. After you assign a setup password, only those who know the password have
full use of System Setup. See "Operating
Your System With A Setup Password Enabled" for more information.
To changing an
existing setup password, you must know the setup password. If you assign and later
forget a setup password, you need to remove the computer cover to change a jumper setting
that disables the setup password feature (see "Disabling a Forgotten Password"). Note that
you erase the system password at the same time.
You can assign a setup password only if Setup Password
is set to Not Enabled. To assign a setup password, highlight Setup
Password and press the left- or right-arrow key. The system prompts you to enter
and verify the password. If a character is illegal for password use, the system emits a
beep.
|
NOTES: The setup password can be the same as the
system password. 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. |
After you verify the password, the Setup Password
setting changes to Enabled. The next time you enter System
Setup, the system prompts you for the setup password.
A change to Setup Password becomes effective
immediately (rebooting the system is not required).
If Setup Password is set to Enabled,
you must enter the correct setup password before you can modify any System Setup options.
When you start System Setup, the System Setup screen appears with Setup
Password highlighted, prompting you to type the password.
If you do not enter the correct password, the system lets you view,
but not modify, the System Setup screen.
|
NOTE: You can use Password Status in
conjunction with Setup Password to protect the system
password from unauthorized changes. |
To delete or change an existing setup password, perform the
following steps:
- Enter System Setup.
- Highlight Setup Password and press the left- or
right-arrow key to delete the existing setup password.
The setting changes to Not Enabled.
- If you want to assign a new setup password, perform the steps in
"Assigning a Setup Password."
If you forget your system or setup password, you cannot operate your
system or change settings in System Setup until you remove the computer cover, change the
password jumper setting to disable the passwords, and erase the existing passwords.
To disable a forgotten password, perform the following steps.
- Remove the computer cover according to the instructions in "Removing and Replacing the Computer Cover."
- Remove the jumper plug from the PSWD jumper to disable the password
feature.
Refer to "System
Board Jumpers" for jumper information and to Figure 4 in "Inside Your
Computer" for the location of the password jumper (labeled "PSWD") on the
system board.
- Replace the computer cover.
- Reconnect your computer and peripherals to an electrical outlet, and
then turn them on.
Booting your system with the PSWD jumper plug removed erases the
existing password(s).
- Enter System Setup, and verify that the
password is disabled. Proceed to step 6 if you want to assign a new password.
|
NOTE: Before you assign a new system
and/or setup password, you must replace the PSWD jumper plug. |
- Remove the computer cover according to the instructions in
"Removing and Replacing the Computer Cover."
- Replace the PSWD jumper plug.
- Replace the computer cover, and then reconnect the computer and
peripherals to an electrical outlet and turn them on.
Booting your system with the PSWD jumper installed reenables the
password feature. When you enter System Setup, both password options appear as Not
Enabled, meaning that the password feature is enabled but that no password has
been assigned.
- Assign a new system and/or setup password.
To assign a new system password, see "Assigning a System Password." To assign a
new setup password, see "Assigning a Setup
Password."
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