Dell™ Inspiron™ 1520 Owner’s Manual Model PP22L www.dell.com | support.dell.com Notes, Notices, and Cautions NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. ____________________ Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2007 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, Inspiron, Wi-Fi Catcher, and Dell MediaDirect are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel is a registered trademark and Core is a trademark of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; Blu-ray Disc is a trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association; Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under license. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own. Model PP22L October 2007 P/N UX862 Rev. A03 Contents Finding Information . 15 1 About Your Computer . 21 Determining Your Computer’s Configuration . 21 Front View . 22 Left Side View . 27 Right Side View . 29 Back View . 30 Bottom View . 32 2 Setting Up Your Computer . 35 Connecting to the Internet . 35 Setting Up Your Internet Connection . 36 Transferring Information to a New Computer . 37 Windows Easy Transfer . 37 Setting Up a Printer . 37 Printer Cable . 38 Connecting a USB Printer . 38 Contents 3 Power Protection Devices . 39 Surge Protectors . 39 Line Conditioners . 40 Uninterruptible Power Supplies . 40 3 Using the Display . 41 Adjusting Brightness . 41 Using a Projector . 41 Making Images and Text Look Bigger or Sharper . 41 ® ® Microsoft Windows XP . 42 ® Windows Vista . 42 Using Both a Monitor and Your Computer Display . 43 Microsoft Windows XP . 43 Windows Vista . 44 Setting Display Resolution and Refresh Rate . 44 Microsoft Windows XP . 45 Windows Vista . 45 4 Using the Keyboard and Touchpad . 47 Numeric Keypad . 47 Key Combinations . 48 System Functions . 48 Display Functions . 48 Battery . 48 Power Management . 48 ® ® Microsoft Windows Logo Key Functions . 49 Dell™ QuickSet Key Combinations . 49 Adjusting Keyboard Settings . 49 4 Contents Touch Pad . 50 Customizing the Touch Pad . 51 5 Using a Battery . 53 Battery Performance . 53 Checking the Battery Charge . 54 Dell QuickSet Battery Meter . 54 ® ® Microsoft Windows Battery Meter . 55 Charge Gauge . 55 Low-Battery Warning . 56 Conserving Battery Power . 56 Power Management Modes . 56 Standby and Sleep Mode . 56 Hibernate Mode . 57 Configuring Power Management Settings . 58 Accessing Power Options Properties . 58 Charging the Battery . 58 Replacing the Battery . 59 Storing a Battery . 60 6 Using Multimedia . 61 Playing Media . 61 Playing Media Using Dell Travel Remote (Optional) . 63 Contents 5 Copying CD, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) Media . 64 How to Copy a CD, DVD, or BD . 64 Using Blank CD, DVD, and BD Media . 65 Helpful Tips . 66 Adjusting the Volume . 67 Adjusting the Picture . 68 Using Dell MediaDirect™ . 68 Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device . 69 S-Video and Standard Audio . 71 S-Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio . 73 Composite Video and Standard Audio . 75 Composite Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio . 77 Component Video and Standard Audio . 79 Component Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio . 81 Enabling the Display Settings for a TV . 84 7 Using ExpressCards . 87 ExpressCard Blanks . 87 Installing an ExpressCard . 88 Removing an ExpressCard or Blank . 89 8 Using the Memory Card Reader . 91 Memory Card Blanks . 91 Installing a Memory Card . 91 Removing a Memory Card or Blank . 92 6 Contents 9 Setting Up and Using Networks . 93 Connecting a Network or Broadband Modem Cable . 93 Setting Up a Network . 94 Windows XP . 94 Windows Vista . 94 Wireless Local Area Network . 94 What You Need to Establish a WLAN Connection . 94 Checking Your Wireless Network Card . 95 Setting Up a New WLAN Using a Wireless Router and a Broadband Modem . 96 Connecting to a WLAN . 97 Mobile Broadband (or Wireless Wide Area Network) . 99 What You Need to Establish a Mobile Broadband Network Connection . 100 Checking Your Dell Mobile Broadband Card . 100 Connecting to a Mobile Broadband Network . 101 Enabling/Disabling the Dell Mobile Broadband Card . 102 Dell Wi-Fi Catcher™ Network Locator . 102 10 Securing Your Computer . 103 Security Cable Lock . 103 Passwords . 104 If Your Computer Is Lost or Stolen . 105 Contents 7 11 Troubleshooting . 107 Dell Technical Update Service . 107 Dell Diagnostics . 107 Dell Support Center . 111 Dell Support 3 . 112 Dell PC Tune-Up . 113 Dell PC CheckUp . 113 Dell Network Assistant . 113 DellConnect . 114 Drive Problems . 114 Optical drive problems . 115 Hard drive problems . 116 E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems . 117 Error Messages . 119 ExpressCard Problems . 124 IEEE 1394 Device Problems . 124 Keyboard Problems . 125 External Keyboard problems . 125 Unexpected characters . 126 Lockups and Software Problems . 127 The computer does not start . 127 The computer stops responding . 127 A program stops responding or crashes repeatedly . 127 A program is designed for an earlier ® ® Microsoft Windows operating system . 127 A solid blue screen appears . 128 8 Contents Dell MediaDirect problems . 128 Other software problems . 129 Memory Problems . 130 Network Problems . 131 Mobile Broadband (Wireless Wide Area Network [WWAN]) . 131 Power Problems . 132 Printer Problems . 133 Scanner Problems . 134 Sound and Speaker Problems . 135 No sound from integrated speakers . 135 No sound from external speakers . 135 No sound from headphones . 136 Touch Pad or Mouse Problems . 136 Video and Display Problems . 137 If the display is blank . 137 If the display is difficult to read . 138 If only part of the display is readable . 139 Drivers . 139 What Is a Driver? . 139 Identifying Drivers . 140 Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities . 140 Troubleshooting Software and Hardware ® ® Problems in the Microsoft Windows XP and ® Microsoft Windows Vista Operating Systems . 143 Restoring Your Operating System . 144 Using Microsoft Windows System Restore . 145 Contents 9 Starting System Restore . 145 Using Dell™ PC Restore and Dell Factory Image Restore . 147 Using the Operating System Media . 150 12 Adding and Replacing Parts . 153 Before You Begin . 153 Recommended Tools . 153 Turning Off Your Computer . 154 Before Working Inside Your Computer . 154 Hard Drive . 156 Removing the Hard Drive . 157 Replacing the Hard Drive . 158 Returning a Hard Drive to Dell . 158 Optical Drive . 159 Removing the Optical Drive . 159 Replacing the Optical Drive . 160 Hinge Cover . ..