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, 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. The standard 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 supersede previous operating system-absent alerting technologies.
Your computer supports the following ASF alerts and remote capabilities:
For more information about Dell's ASF implementation, see the ASF User's Guide and the ASF Administrator's Guide, which are available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
IT Assistant configures, manages, and monitors computers and other devices on a corporate network. IT Assistant manages assets, configurations, events (alerts), and security for computers equipped with industry-standard management software. It supports instrumentation that conforms to SNMP, DMI, and CIM industry standards.
Dell OpenManage Client instrumentation, which is based on DMI and CIM, is available for your computer. For information on IT Assistant, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant User's Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation is software that enables remote management programs such as IT Assistant to do the following:
Access information about your computer, such as how many processors it has and what operating system it is running
Monitor the status of your computer, such as listening for thermal alerts from temperature probes or hard-drive failure alerts from storage devices
Change the state of your computer, such as updating its BIOS or shutting it down remotely
A managed system is one that has Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation set up on a network that uses IT Assistant. 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 removed, 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 removed, 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.
Attach a commercially available antitheft device to the security cable slot on the back of the cable cover (see "Cable Cover").
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.
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 speaker 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.
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 step 3 through step 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 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).
NOTICE: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground yourself by
touching an unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the
computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to
dissipate any static electricity that could harm internal components.
Remove the jumper plug labeled "PSWD" from the jumper.
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the
steps in "CAUTION: Safety Instructions."
Remove the computer cover.
NOTICE: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground yourself by
touching an unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the
computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to
dissipate any static electricity that could harm internal components.
Replace the PSWD jumper plug.
Replace 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
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 through the Start menu and try again.
NOTE: To ensure an orderly computer shutdown, see 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 popup 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 — (Available only for the future boot process) As the computer boots, it prompts the user to press <Ctrl><Alt><b>. Pressing this key combination causes a menu to display 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 memory device 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 device and adds the USB flash 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 through the Start menu and try again.
Turn on or restart your computer.
When <F12> = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the
screen, press <F12> to access the boot menu.
If you wait too long and the Windows logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop. Then shut down your computer through the Start menu and try again.
NOTE: To ensure an orderly computer shutdown, consult the documentation
that came with your operating system.
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.
Diskette Drive A — The type of floppy
drive installed in the module bay. The two options are 3.5 Inch, 1.44 MB (default) and Not Installed.
This field is automatically updated if a floppy drive is detected during
startup and the diskette interface is set to Auto.
Primary Drive and Secondary Drive — The settings are Auto (use this setting for all IDE devices from Dell) and Off.
Primary Drive identifies drives attached to the primary IDE interface connector (labeled "IDE1") on the system board.
Secondary Drive identifies drives installed in the module bay.
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.
IDE Drive UDMA — The settings are UDMA On (default) or Off.
This field enables/disables DMA transfers for the internal IDE hard-disk interface (UDMA). This feature can be used to improve data throughput when booting or resuming the operating system.
Memory Information — Indicates amount of installed memory, computer memory speed, video memory, size of the display cache, and channel mode (dual or single).
CPU Information
CPU Speed — The 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 — Thespeed of the microprocessor's system bus.
Processor ID — Themanufacturer's identification code(s) for the installed microprocessor.
Clock Speed — The core speed at which the microprocessor(s) operates.
Cache Size — The size of the microprocessor's L2 cache.
Hyper-Threading — Enables or disables Hyper-Threading technology for
systems that support Hyper-Threading. The default setting is Disabled.
Integrated Devices (LegacySelect Options) — Configures the following devices integrated with the system board:
Sound — Thesettings are On (default)or Off.
Network Interface Controller — The settings are On (default), Off, or Onw/ PXE.
See "Boot Sequence" for more information.
Mouse Port — Thesettings are On (default) or Off.
USB Emulation — The settings are On (default), Off,
and No Boot.
USB emulation allows USB devices to work with operating systems that do not have direct USB support.
NOTE: This is effective when the USB Controller is set to On.
On — USB emulation continues when control is passed to the operating system.
Off — USB emulation ends when control is passed to the operating system.
No BOOT — USB emulation continues, but USB boot devices are disabled.
USB Controller — Thesettings are On (default)or
Off.
NOTE: USB devices will not be detected and
supported in the operating system if the USB Controller is set to Off.
Serial Port 1 — Thesettings are Auto (default), COM1, COM3 and Off.
Auto automatically configures a connector to a particular designation (COM1 or COM3 for Serial Port 1).
Parallel Port — Thesettings are Mode, I/O Address, and DMA Channel.
Mode settings are PS/2 (default), 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.The settings are DMA 1, DMA 3, or Off.
Module Bay — The settings are On (default), Off, FDD only, and IDE only.
On — Floppy Disk Drive (FDD) and IDE compatible devices function in bay.
Off — No devices function in bay (used for security).
FDD only —
Floppy Disk Drive only functions in bay.
IDE only — IDE compatible devices only function in bay.
Diskette Interface — The settings are Auto (default), Read Only, and Off.
Auto turns on the
floppy drive controller.
Read Only prevents the computer's integrated floppy drive controller from writing to floppy drives and activates Auto.
Off turns off the floppy drive controller.
PC Speaker — The settings are On (default) and Off.
Onboard Video Buffer — Determines how much system memory is allocated to video. The settings are 1 MB (default) and 8 MB.
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.
NOTICE: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground yourself by
touching an unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the
computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to
dissipate any static electricity that could harm internal components.
To change a jumper setting, pull the plug off its pin(s) and carefully fit it down onto the pin(s) indicated.
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.
Your computer can be set to use less power when you are not working. You control the power usage through the operating system installed on your computer and certain option settings in system setup. These periods of reduced power are called "sleep states:"
Standby–In this sleep state, power is reduced or turned off for most components, including the cooling fans. However, system memory remains active.
This state is not supported by Windows NT 4.0.
NOTE: All components installed in the computer must support this feature
and have the appropriate drivers loaded to enter standby. For more
information, see the manufacturer's documentation for each component.
Hibernate–This sleep state reduces power consumption to a minimum by writing all data in system memory to a hard drive and then removing system power. Waking up from this state restarts the computer, and the memory contents are restored. Operation then resumes where the computer left off when it entered the hibernation state.
This state is not supported by Windows NT 4.0.
NOTE: All components installed in the computer must support this feature
and have the appropriate drivers loaded to enter hibernation. For more
information, see the manufacturer's documentation for each component.
Shutdown–This sleep state removes all power from the computer except a small auxiliary amount. As long as the computer remains connected to an electrical outlet, it can be automatically or remotely started. For example, the Auto Power On option in system setup allows the computer to automatically start at a specified time. Also, your network administrator can remotely start your computer using a power management event such as Remote Wake Up.
The following table lists the sleep states and the methods you can use to wake the computer from each state.
Hyper-Threading is an Intel® technology that can enhance overall computer 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 Microsoft® Windows® XP SP1 or later operating system because Windows XP is optimized to take advantage of Hyper-Threading technology. While many programs can benefit from Hyper-Threading, 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 about using Hyper-Threading with your software.
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.
(default)
jumpered 
unjumpered