| Connectors | Mouse | ||
| Audio | Diskette Drive | ||
| S-Video TV-Out | Connecting an External Monitor | ||
| Keyboard | Using an External Monitor | ||
| Keypad |
Use Figure 1 to locate the connectors on the back of the computer.
| NOTICE: When disconnecting external devices from the back of the computer, wait 5 seconds after turning off the computer before you disconnect a device to avoid possible damage to the system board. |
Figure 1. I/O Connectors

| 1 | Video connector |
| 2 | Parallel connector |
| 3 | Docking connector |
| 4 | USB connector |
| 5 | PS/2 connector |
| 6 | Serial connector |
| 7 | AC power connector |
| 8 | Infrared port |
Use Figure 2 to locate the connectors on the side of the computer.
Figure 2. I/O Connectors on Right Side of Computer

| 1 | Internal modem connector (available only on CPt S-Series) |
| 2 | S-Video connector |
| 3 | Audio jacks (3) |
You can connect audio devices such as speakers, microphones, headphones, and record/playback devices to your computer. The following information tells you how to connect the cables. Figure 3 shows the locations of the audio jacks and the S-Video connector.
Figure 3. Connecting Audio and S-Video Devices

| 1 | Microphone (MIC IN) |
| 2 | Speakers and headphones (line-out/speaker-out) |
| 3 | Record/Playback (line-in/audio-in) |
| 4 | S-Video connector |
| NOTE: The C/Port Family Advanced Port Replicator (APR) also has a headphones/speaker jack. The C/Dock Family Expansion Station has all three jacks. |
If your computer is running the Microsoft® Windows® 95 operating system, you can control the sound on your computer through the Dell Control Center Speaker window, the System Setup program, and key combinations.
You can connect a television with an S-Video connector to your computer. Figure 3 shows the location of the S-Video connector.
To connect the cables, follow these guidelines:
- Connect the Composite TV-Out Adapter cable that came with your computer to your computer's S-Video TV-out connector.
- Connect the other end of the Composite TV-Out Adapter cable to your television's composite video cable.
- Connect the composite video cable to your television's composite video connector.
You can attach a Personal System/2 (PS/2)-compatible external 101- or 102-key keyboard to the computer's mini-Deutsche Industrie Norm (DIN) connector, as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Attaching an External Keyboard

| NOTE: If the computer is in suspend mode or suspend-to-disk mode when you attach an external keyboard, the device is recognized immediately by the computer when it resumes normal operation. |
You can use the computer's keyboard and an external keyboard at the same time. When you attach a keyboard to the computer, the embedded numeric keypad is automatically disabled.
On an external keyboard, the <Scroll Lock> key acts the same way as the <Fn> key on the computers keyboard (if the External Hot Key option is enabled in the System Setup program).
You can also connect an external keyboard to the C/Port Family APR or the C/Dock Family Expansion Station.
You can attach a PS/2-compatible external numeric keypad to the computer's mini-DIN keypad connector.
| NOTE: If the computer is in suspend mode or suspend-to-disk mode when you attach an external keypad, the device is recognized immediately by the computer when it resumes normal operation. |
When you attach a numeric keypad to the computer, the embedded numeric keypad is automatically disabled. The indicators on the integrated keyboard track the operation of an external numeric keypad.
You can also connect an external keypad to the C/Port Family APR or C/Dock Family Expansion Station.
You can attach a PS/2-compatible mouse to the computer's mini-DIN mouse connector, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Connecting an External Mouse

| NOTE: If the computer is in suspend mode or suspend-to-disk mode when you attach an external mouse, the device is recognized immediately by the computer when it resumes normal operation. However, programs that were already running may need to be restarted in order to recognize the mouse. |
When you attach a PS/2 mouse to the computer, the DualPoint integrated pointing device is automatically disabled. If you disconnect the mouse, you must shut down the computer or enter suspend or standby mode and then resume from it before the DualPoint integrated pointing device is operational. If you do not do this, the DualPoint integrated pointing device resumes operation in standard PS/2 mode, which means that many of the configuration features are disabled.
If you are using a PS/2-compatible mouse that is not made by Microsoft and the mouse does not work properly, reboot the computer. If the mouse still does not work, install the drivers from the diskette that came with the mouse and reboot the computer.
You can also connect an external mouse to the C/Port Family APR or the C/Dock Family Expansion Station.
The diskette drive can be used as an external device if you have a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, second hard-disk, or LS-120 drive; battery; or travel module in the modular bay. The external diskette drive letter is A. If there is a diskette drive in the modular bay, the external diskette drive letter is B.
Use the parallel diskette drive cable that came with the computer to connect the drive to the parallel connector on the I/O panel, as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. Using the Diskette Drive As an External Device
| NOTICE: When the diskette drive is not being used externally, remove the parallel diskette drive cable from the parallel connector. |
| NOTICE: Use the parallel diskette drive cable only with the diskette drive. Do not try to connect any other device to the computer with this cable. |
If the Diskette Reconfig option is set to Any Time in the System Setup program, you do not have to turn the computer off when you connect the diskette drive to the parallel connector.
The drive access indicator does not blink when data is being accessed from the diskette drive connected to the parallel connector.
| NOTICE: Protect the diskette drive when it is not in the modular bay. Do not squeeze the drive or place objects on top of it; doing so could damage the drive motor. |
The computer's video connector is used to connect an external monitor to the computer. To attach an external monitor, perform the following steps.
| NOTICE: Do not place the monitor directly on top of your portable computer, even if it is closed. Doing so can crack the computer case, the display, or both. |
Plug the video cable connector into the matching video connector on the back of the computer, as shown in Figure 7. If the video cable is not permanently attached to the monitor, connect it to the monitor also.
Figure 7. Connecting an External Monitor

Be sure to tighten all the screws on the video cable connector(s) to eliminate radio frequency interference (RFI).
Plug the three-prong connector on one end of the monitor's power cable into a grounded power strip or some other grounded power source. If the cable is not permanently attached to the monitor, connect it to the monitor also.
You can also connect an external monitor to the C/Port Family APR or the C/Dock Family Expansion Station.
NOTE: If you are using the Microsoft Windows 98 operating system, you can use an external monitor as an extension of your display. For more information, see the Windows 98 documentation or "Dual-Display Mode."
When an external monitor is connected to the computer, the video image automatically appears on the external monitor's screen when you boot your computer.
To toggle the video image between the display, an external monitor, or both simultaneously, press <Fn><F8> on the keyboard. Press <Scroll Lock><F8> on an external keyboard if the External Hot Key option is enabled in the System Setup program.
If the external monitor is turned off when you boot your computer, the computer still sends the video image to the external monitor. In this case, you will not see an image on either the computer's display or the external monitor. To see an image, turn on the external monitor or switch the video image to the computers display by pressing <Fn><F8> on the keyboard or <Scroll Lock><F8> on an external keyboard if the External Hot Key option is enabled in the System Setup program.