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Using the Computer: Dell Inspiron 7500
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Using the Computer: Dell Inspiron
7500
Storage
Devices
Removing
and Installing a Device in the Media Bay
The media bay holds a second battery,
a combination CD-ROM drive/diskette drive, a combination DVD-ROM drive/diskette
drive, a combination DVD-ROM drive/LS-120 diskette drive, or an optional hard-disk
drive.
 |
NOTE:
All devices are removed and installed the same way. |
To remove a device from the media
bay, perform the following steps:
- Save any open files.
- Shut down the computer.
- Remove the currently installed
device from the media bay.
Close the display and turn the computer over. Push the latch
lock to the unlocked position (see Figure 1), and slide the latch release
in the direction of the arrow. Keep holding the latch release with one hand
while pulling the device out of the media bay with the other.
Figure 1. Removing Devices From the Media Bay
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1
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Latch release
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2
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Combo module or secondary
battery
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| 3 |
Latch
lock (unlocked position) |
- Install the new device
in the media bay.
Insert the device into the media bay and push the latch lock
back into the locked position. The label on the device will be facing away
from you when the computer is turned over.
- Reboot the system.
Hard-Disk
Drive
 |
NOTE:
The computer's BIOS may not support hard-disk drives obtained from vendors
other than Dell. Dell does not guarantee compatibility or provide support
for hard-disk drives obtained from other sources. |
To install a hard-disk drive, perform
the following steps.
| NOTICE: To prevent data
loss, shut down your computer before removing or installing your hard-disk
drive. Do not remove the hard-disk drive if the computer is in suspend mode
or save-to-disk mode or if the hard-disk drive access indicator is lit.
|
- Save any open files.
- Shut down the computer and remove
any installed batteries (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Removing a Battery
From the Media Bay
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1
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Latch lock (unlocked position)
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2
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Battery
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3
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Latch release
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| NOTICE: When the hard-disk
drive is not in the computer, protect the drive from exposure to static
electricity by storing it in protective packaging. |
- Remove the currently
installed hard-disk drive (see Figure 3).
Turn the computer over, and loosen the two captive screws securing
the hard-disk drive cover. The screws are held captive in the lip of the carrier.
A spring causes the front edge of the cover to pop up. If the front edge of
the cover does not pop up, pull on one of the screws to lift the front edge.
Figure
3. Removing the Hard-Disk Drive
| 1 |
Hard-disk
drive |
| 2 |
Hinge |
| 3 |
Captive
screws (2) |
- Push the hard-disk drive forward
until it stops, and then pull it up.
- Remove the new drive from its
packaging.
Save the original packaging to use when storing or shipping the hard-disk
drive.
| NOTICE: While sliding
the drive in, do not force it into place. |
- Slide the new drive
into place.
There may be some resistance as the drive connects to its interface
connector at the back of the bay.
- Tighten the screws you
loosened in step 3.
- Test the drive by running the
Hard-Disk Drives (Non-SCSI) test group in the Dell Diagnostics.
For information on running the diagnostics, see "Running
the Dell Diagnostics" in Chapter 3 of the Dell Inspiron 7500 Reference
and Troubleshooting Guide.
Audio
Devices
You can connect speakers, a microphone,
headphones, and record/playback devices such as cassette players, CD players,
and VCRs to the audio connectors on the computer (see Figure 4). The connectors
are located directly under the PC Card slot. Dell recommends using amplified
speakers for the best sound.
Figure 4. Audio connectors

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1
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Line-in jack
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2
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Microphone jack
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3
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Line-out jack
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4
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Volume control dial
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Connect headphones or speakers to
the line-out jack on the left of the audio connectors. Connect a microphone
to the microphone jack in the middle. Connect record/playback devices such as
cassette players, CD players, and VCRs to the line-in jack on the right.
See your Microsoft®
Windows® 98 documentation for the location of sound application programs
such as mixers and volume control.
You can control
the sound coming from the external speakers and the computer's integrated speakers
with the volume control dial. You can also use the keyboard to adjust the volumes.
Press
to lower the volume. Press
to increase the volume. Press
to enable or disable both the integrated and external speakers.
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NOTE: If no sound
comes from the speakers, make sure that the sound is not disabled. Press
and check the volume control dial.
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See Utilities
and Drivers for Microsoft Windows 98 and Utilities
and Drivers for Microsoft Windows NT® for information about reinstalling
the audio drivers. The drivers are located on the Dell Inspiron 7500 System
Software CD.
Embedded
Numeric Keypad
As you work, you may want to use
the embedded numeric keypad (see Figure 5) to enter numbers into a spreadsheet
or financial program. The embedded numeric keypad shares some of the keys on
the computer's keyboard. The embedded keypad numbers and symbols are marked
on the right of the keypad keys in blue.
Figure 5. Embedded Numeric Keypad

To activate the embedded numeric
keypad, press <Num Lock>. The Number Lock indicator lights up.
To deactivate the embedded keypad,
press <Num Lock>. The Num Lock indicator is no longer illuminated.
When the embedded keypad is activated,
the key combinations in Table 1 temporarily disable specific keypad keys.
Table 1. Activated Keypad Functions
|
When Keypad Is Activated
(Number Lock Indicator ON)
|
Function |
| <Fn><key> |
Enables the lowercase
letter or primary function of that specific key |
| <Fn><Shift><key> |
Enables the uppercase
letter or shift function of that specific key |
To use the embedded arrow keys, ensure
that <Num Lock> is off. Press and hold <Fn> and the corresponding
key displayed in Table 2.
Table 2. Deactivated Keypad Functions
| When
Keypad Is Deactivated |
Function
|
| <Fn><j> |
Performs
the same function as pressing <End> |
| <Fn><7>
|
Performs
the same function as pressing <Home> |
| <Fn><k> |
Performs
the same function as pressing the down-arrow key |
| <Fn><8> |
Performs
the same function as pressing the up-arrow key |
| <Fn><u>
|
Performs
the same function as pressing the left-arrow key |
| <Fn><o> |
Performs
the same function as pressing the right-arrow key |
| <Fn><.>
|
Performs
the same function as pressing <Delete> |
|
NOTE: The embedded
numeric keypad is automatically disabled if an external keyboard or keypad
is connected to the computer. |
External
Keyboard, Keypad, or Mouse
You can connect a keyboard with a
standard connector to the Personal System/2 (PS/2) connector on the computer
by using an adapter available from Dell. You can use the integrated keyboard
even when an external keyboard is attached to the computer. You can also connect
a Universal Serial Bus (USB) keyboard to the computer's USB connector.
Attach a PS/2
mouse to the PS/2-compatible connector on the computer (see Figure 6) or a USB-compatible
mouse to the USB connector. If you attach a USB mouse to the computer, you do
not need to reboot the computer in order to use the mouse. The touch pad device
drivers that Dell installed on your hard-disk drive work with a PS/2 mouse,
serial mouse, or USB mouse from Dell.
Figure 6. Attaching a PS/2 Mouse
If you did not
receive your mouse from Dell, you may need to install device drivers separately
to use the mouse. This software is usually included with mouse installation
kits.
|
NOTE: If you
are using a PS/2 mouse that is not Microsoft-compatible 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. |
Touch Pad
The PS/2-compatible touch pad detects
the position of your finger over a touch-sensitive area and provides the computer
full mouse functionality. The touch pad's two buttons correspond to the left
and right buttons on a standard 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. 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 twice.
To customize touch pad and cursor
features, perform the following steps:
- Click the Start
button, point to Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
The Control Panel window appears.
- Double-click the Mouse
icon.
- Select the Touch Pad
tab.
- Make your selections. Click the
Help button if you need more information.
Dell has already installed the touch
pad drivers for you.
|
NOTE: Keep your
fingers away from the touch pad while the computer is booting or loading
the operating system. If you touch the touch pad at either time, the cursor
will not move until you remove your finger from the touch pad surface. |
Installing the Touch Pad/Mouse
Driver
See Utilities
and Drivers for Microsoft Windows 98 and Utilities
and Drivers for Microsoft Windows NT for information about reinstalling
touch pad/mouse drivers.
PC Cards
The computer has two slots (see Figure
7) into which up to two 3.3- or 5-volt (V) PC Cards that comply with the Personal
Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard and Japanese
Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA) Release 4.2 can be installed.
Both PC Card slots support CardBUS technology. In addition, a zoomed video (ZV)
port is available from the lower slot (slot 0). If you ordered an Moving Pictures
Experts Group (MPEG)-2 decoder PC Card from Dell, install it in the lower PC
slot for high-performance graphics.
Figure 7. PC Card Slots

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1
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Top eject button
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|
2
|
PC card
|
The computer supports two Type I,
two Type II, or one Type III PC Card, including such memory devices as static
random-access memory (SRAM) cards that emulate diskettes, RAM cards, one-time
programmable (OTP) ROM cards, and Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) cards
that emulate integrated drive electronics (IDE) hard-disk drives. Also supported
are input/output (I/O) cards such as modem communication cards, local area network
(LAN) cards, wireless LAN cards, small computer system interface (SCSI) cards,
and sound cards. You can also use extended PC Cards in the computer.
 |
NOTE:
A PC Card is not a boot device. |
Installing a PC Card
| NOTICE: Take extra
precautions if you use extended PC Cards in the computer. Extended cards
are longer versions of standard PC Cards. They fit into, and operate correctly
with, the computer. However, they extend beyond the edge of the computer
when installed. If something strikes the exposed end of an installed card,
the card or the system board can be damaged. |
|
|
| NOTICE: Because of
space considerations, you may have trouble using two PC Cards in the computer
if one of them is an extended card. Always install an extended card in the
top PC Card connector. Always remove an extended PC Card before you pack
the computer for traveling. |
The PC Card slot has two PC Card
connectors and can hold up to two cards in one of the following configurations:
- A single Type I or Type II card
(using either the top or bottom PC Card connector)
- One Type I card and one Type II
card (using either connector)
- Two Type I cards or two Type II
cards
- A single Type III card (using
the bottom connector)
The type of card
refers to its thickness, not its functionality. Because a Type III card is thicker
than Type I and Type II cards, it takes up the entire PC Card slot, although
it uses only one PC Card connector.
PC Cards are generally marked (with
a triangle or an arrow) to indicate which end should be inserted into the slot.
The cards are keyed to prevent incorrect insertion. If card orientation is not clear, see the documentation that came with
the card.
You can install a PC Card
while the computer is running. The PC Card is automatically detected.
To install a PC Card, hold the card with its orientation symbol pointing into
the slot and the top side of the card facing up. Insert the card into the slot,
and press in firmly until the card is completely seated in the internal PC Card
connector. If there is too much resistance when inserting the card, do not force
the card. Check the card's orientation, and try again.
When a PC Card is being used, the
PC Card access indicator appears in the status display panel. The
computer recognizes most I/O cards and automatically loads the appropriate device
driver. If you have older modem communications software that cannot use interrupt
request (IRQ)8 or higher, you must disable the serial port or infrared port
to use the software.
Removing a PC Card
To remove a PC card from the top
connector, press the top eject button twice (identified by an arrow pointing
up). To remove a PC card from the bottom connector, press the bottom eject button
twice (identified by an arrow pointing down). If you are removing a Type III
card, press the bottom eject button twice.
The first time you press an eject
button, the eject button itself pops out. The second time you press the eject
button, the PC Card is released and extends slightly from the slot. Grasp the
end of the card, and pull it completely from the slot.
See Utilities
and Drivers for Microsoft Windows 98 and Utilities
and Drivers for Microsoft Windows NT for information on installing utilities
and drivers.
Configuring a PC Card
If you are using the Microsoft Windows
98 operating system, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and then click Control Panel. Double-click the PC Card to open
the PC Card Properties window. For more information, check
the documentation that came with your operating system.
You can also double-click the PC
Card icon on the Windows 98 desktop.
External
Monitor
Use the 15-pin video connector to
attach an external monitor to the computer. If you reconfigure your hardware,
you may need pin number and signal information for the monitor connector. To
connect an external monitor, perform the following steps.
- Turn off the external monitor.
| NOTICE: Do not place
the external monitor directly on top of your portable computer, even if
it is closed. Doing so can crack the computer case, the display, or both.
|
Set the monitor on a monitor
stand, desktop, or other level surface near the computer.
- Connect the external monitor's
video cable to the computer.
Plug the monitor cable connector into the matching video connector
at the back of the computer. If the cable is not permanently attached to the
monitor, connect it to the monitor also. Tighten all the screws on the video
cable connector(s) to eliminate radio frequency interference (RFI).
- Connect your external monitor
to a grounded AC power source.
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.
The video image can be displayed
on an external monitor, on the computer's display, or on both simultaneously.
To toggle between the three display modes, press <Fn><F8>.
If the external monitor is turned
off when you boot the computer, and if the Video Display Device
category is set to CRT Mode in the Main menu
of the Setup program, the computer sends the video image to the external monitor.
In this case, you do not see an image on either the computer's display or on
the external monitor. To resolve this situation, turn on the external monitor
or press <Fn><F8> to switch the video image to the computer's display.
Whether you are using an appropriately
equipped multifrequency monitor only or an external monitor and the built-in
display simultaneously, you can display up to 256 colors at a noninterlaced
resolution of 1400 x 1050 pixels at a 32-bit color depth.
|
NOTE: When the
external monitor and built-in display are used simultaneously, the refresh
rate is always 60 hertz (Hz). |
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