Dell Inspiron 3800 User Manual

Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference Information in this document is subject to change without notice. ©1999–2000 Dell Computer Corporation. All r

4. Click OK to save the settings and close the window. You can also click the touch pad icon on the taskbar and click Touch Pad Properties to open th

PC Cards are generally marked with a symbol, such as a triangle or an arrow, to indicate which end should be inserted into the slot. The cards are key

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the PC Card icon to open the PC Card (PCMCIA) Properties

display supports, the settings adjust automatically to the closest possible setting. If You Have Display Problems If your computer is receiving power,

Back to Contents Page Conventions:Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference Notes, Notices, and Cautions Throughout this guide, blocks of text may be acc

Back to Contents Page TechnicalOverview:Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference System Features This section describes the major hardware and softwa

 Hardware Features l An Intel®mobile microprocessor incorporating the latest processor technology. l An internal, Level 1 (L1) cache consisting of

ExpressCharge™technologychargesasinglelithium-ion battery in approximately 1 hour (when the computer is off or in save-to-disk suspend [S2D] mode

Available Options and Upgrades l APRs l Additional batteries l External keyboards and a numeric keypad l External monitors l External pointing dev

*Pan mode may be turned on for the 1280 x 1024 (SXGA), 1400 x 1050 (SXGA Plus), and 1600 x 1200 (ultra graphics array [UGA]) computer displays. In pan

Back to Contents Page UsingtheComputer:Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference Storage Devices Using the Media Bay Your computer comes with a disket

IRQ Line Assignments Problems can arise if two devices attempt to use the same interrupt request (IRQ) line. To avoid this type of conflict, check th

Table 5 provides a map of the upper memory area. Some of these addresses are dedicated to various system devices, such as the system/video basic input

Back to Contents Page 0388-038BAudio controller038B-03BBVideo graphics array (VGA)03C0-03DFVGA03E0-03E1PC Card controller03E8-03EFFast IR03F0-03F7Disk

Back to Contents Page Passwords and Security: Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference About Passwords A primary password prevents unauthorized access to

Using a Hard-Disk Drive Password The hard-disk drive password helps protect the data on your hard-disk drive from unauthorized access. You can also as

Asset Tag Utility Dell has installed the Asset Tag utility on your computer. The Asset Tag utility allows you to enter an asset tag number that you o

Table 1 lists the command-line options you can use with the Asset Tag utility. To use one of these options, open an MS-DOS®prompt, type asset and a s

Back to Contents Page Ports and Connectors: Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference About the I/O Connectors You can connect external devices to the inp

TV-Out S-Video Connector You can connect a television with an S-video connector to your computer. Figure 2 shows the location of the TV-out S-video co

 Using an External Monitor When an external monitor is connected to the computer, the video image automatically appears on the external monitor'

g. If you want the computer to activate save-to-disk suspend mode when you close the display while the computer is turned on, set the Display Close op

When you attach a PS/2 mouse to the computer, the DualPoint integrated pointing device is automatically disabled. If you disconnect the mouse, you mus

Infrared Port The computer’s infrared (IR) port is compatible with Infrared Data Association (IrDA) 1.1 (Fast IR) and 1.0 (Slow IR) standards. An infr

Back to Contents Page Power Sources: Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference AC Adapter Using the AC Adapter The AC adapter converts AC power to the D

The lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride technology used in your computer’s battery is significantly less hazardous to the environment than the lithi

Figure 2. Installing a Battery 1. Save your work and close all open files and application programs. 2. If the computer is docked, undock it. 3. If

Installing a Second Battery With Softex Docking Services or BayManager Software If your computer is not running Windows 98 with Softex BayManager or W

Percentage of Charge When you press the battery test button, the number of indicators that light up shows an estimate of the remaining battery charge:

If you have set the computer to enter S2D mode after a certain amount of time with no I/O activity, the computer enters S2D mode before the final low-

l If, after you insert the battery into the computer, the computer's battery status indicator (see Figure 5) flashes amber for 4 seconds when you

Back to Contents Page Power Conservation: Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference Experimenting With Power Conservation In general, the lower the value

When data is being accessed from the diskette drive in the media bay, the drive access indicator blinks. Setting Up a Second Hard-Disk Drive The first

Closing the Display One way to conserve power on the computer is to close the display when the computer is not in use. When you close the display and

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the Power Management Properties icon. 3. Set the power manage

Resume from the S2D mode by pressing the power button. If you connect or remove devices while the computer is in S2D mode, the computer automatically

Creating the S2D Partition The mks2d.exe file creates the S2D partition the computer uses to store the data that is saved when you put the computer in

Back to Contents Page must create an S2D partition.

Back to Contents Page Removing and Replacing Parts: Dell™Inspiron™3800 System Reference NOTICE: Damage due to servicing not authorized by Dell is n

Recommended Tools Most of the procedures in this document require the use of one or more of the following tools: l # 1 magnetized Phillips-head scr

second battery (if installed) before you service the computer. 8. Remove the main battery assembly from the battery bay: a. Slide the battery bay la

Figure 4. Disconnecting an Interface Cable NOTICE: The ZIF connectors are fragile. To avoid damage, do not apply too much pressure to the movable par

The following sections provide instructions for removing and replacing field-replaceable parts and assemblies. Hard-Disk Drive Assembly Figure 6. Ha

To play a CD, press the eject button on the face of the CD-ROM, CD-RW, or DVD-ROM drive or press <Fn><F10>. When the tray slides out, plac

The drive is on the left side of the computer. 2. Slide the drive bezel up and pull the drive out of the computer. Media Bay Devices You can instal

To remove a memory module, perform the following steps. NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, remove the power cable, the battery, and the secon

2. Remove the seven 10-mm screws, labeled with a "circle K," that secure the keyboard to the computer (see Figure 9). 3. Turn the computer

8. Disconnect the keyboard cable from the connector on the system board. The keyboard cable is the wide, flexible cable. 9. Carefully disconnect the

To remove the microprocessor module, perform the following steps. NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, the power cable, battery, and second bat

6. Tighten the three captive screws on the corners of the shield to secure the microprocessor module and shield. Display Assembly Figure 13. Displa

 To remove the display assembly bezel, perform the following steps. NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, remove the power cable, the battery

14.1-Inch Display LCD Panel Removing the 14.1-Inch Display LCD Panel To remove the 14.1-inch display LCD panel, perform the following steps. NOTICE

Removing the 12.1-Inch Display LCD Panel To remove the 12.1-inch display LCD panel, perform the following steps. NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system

Figure 15). 2. Remove the cable out from under the plastic strain-relief retainer located on the bottom of the display-assembly hinge cover. 3. Remo

See "Utilities and Drivers for Microsoft Windows 98," "Utilities and Drivers for Microsoft Windows NT®," and "Utilities and

3. Place the inverter in the cover top. 4. Reinstall the three 3-mm screws that secure the inverter to the top cover. 5. Connect the LCD flex cable

The palmrest assembly consists of the touch pad and the palmrest. To remove the palmrest assembly, perform the following steps. NOTICE: The reserve ba

9. Carefully remove the palmrest assembly from the bottom case assembly (see Figure 19). Reserve Battery To remove the reserve battery, perform the

To remove the bay latch assemblies, perform the following steps: 1. Remove the main battery. 2. Remove the device from the media bay. 3. Remove the

3. Remove the display assembly. 4. Remove the palmrest assembly. 5. Remove the 10-mm screw and washer securing the modem assembly. Figure 22. Modem

Figure 23. System Board Assembly 10. Lift the system board assembly out of the bottom case assembly. Be sure to transfer the memory module(s) to the

Back to Contents Page Last revised 10/2/03 8. Remove the system board assembly. 9. Disconnect the exhaust-fan power cable from the connector on the s

Back to Contents Page System Setup Program:Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference Overview Each time you turn on your computer, it compares the instal

screens is organized in five boxed areas: l Title The box at the top of all screens lists the page number, system name, and version number of the bas

Page 4 Options Back to Contents Page

Power Conservation Key Combinations Use the key combinations in Table 3 to activate or turn off the computer's power conservation features. Tab

Back to Contents Page TechnicalSpecifications:Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference MicroprocessorDisplayChip Set and BusKeyboardPC CardsBatteriesMe

ArchitectureSDRAMMemory module socketstwoMemory module capacities and type32-, 64-, 128-, 192-, and 256-MB 3.3-V SDRAM modulesMinimum RAM32-MB memory

Video controllerATI Mobility M1Video memory8.0 MBDisplay Typeactive-matrix color (TFT)Maximum resolution12.1-inch display 800 x 600 pixels14.1-inch d

Charge 0°to40°C(32°to104°F)Storage –20°to60°C(–4°to140°F)AC Adapter Input voltage90to135VACand164to264VACInput current (maximum)1.

Back to Contents Page Operating 152.4cm/sec(60.0inches/sec) (equal to a half-sine pulse width of 2 ms)Storage 203.2 cm/sec (80 inches/sec) (equ

Back to Contents Page SystemErrorMessages:Dell™Inspiron™3800SystemReference Your application programs, operating system, and the computer itsel

Gate A20 failureAn installed memory module may be loose.Reseat the memory modules and, if necessary, replace them.General failureThe operating system

Back to Contents Page installed, properly seated, and partitioned as a boot device.No boot sector on hard-disk driveThe operating system may be corrup

Back to Contents Page Utilities and Drivers for Microsoft® Windows® 2000:Dell™Inspiron™3800 System Reference Overview All of your computer’s driver

5. Follow the instructions on the screen. 6. After the files are copied to your hard-disk drive, remove the System Software CD from the CD-ROM drive,

Use the key combinations in Table 5 to adjust the computer's speaker volume and to enable and disable the speakers. Table 5. Speaker Key Combin

Installing the Touch Pad Drivers Touch pad drivers and associated utilities allow you to use and customize the integrated touch pad or external mouse.

Installing the System Help The Dell Inspiron system Help is available on the System Software CD. You can also access it from Dell’s support Web site (

Back to Contents Page Utilities and Drivers for Microsoft® Windows® 98:Dell™Inspiron™3800 System Reference Overview All of your computer’s drivers

For more information on copying files, see the documentation that came with the operating system. After you copy the utilities to your hard-disk drive

Installing the Docking Drivers (Optional) If you have an APR, you must install the Dock QuickInstall program to install docking drivers. Installing D

Then go to step 2. For setup instructions, see the Dell Inspiron Systems Setup Guide that came with the computer. If you have completed the operating

2. Click the Start button, and then click Run. 3. In the Run dialog box, type x:\setup.exe, where x is the DVD-ROM drive letter. The DVD-ROM drive le

BayManager, perform the following steps: 1. If the computer is docked, undock it. For instructions, see your Advanced Port Replicator User's Gui

Back to Contents Page Utilities and Drivers for Microsoft® Windows NT®: Dell™Inspiron™3800 System Reference Overview All of your computer’s drivers

1. Insert the System Software CD into the CD-ROM drive. 2. Copy each of the following utilities on the System Software CD to the c:\dell directory on

Figure 5. PS/2 Touch Pad  To best use the touch pad, use the following techniques: l To move the cursor, lightly slide your finger over the smooth

4. Type x:\winnt4\audio\setup, where x is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, and click OK or press <Enter>. 5. Follow the instructions on t

3. Click the Start button, and then click Run. The Run dialog box appears. 4. Type x:\winnt4\docking\setup, where x is the drive letter of your CD-RO

1. Save your work in all open application programs, because you will need to restart your computer at the end of this procedure to complete the instal

To download the system Help from http://support.dell.com, see "Online Documentation" for instructions. Back to Contents Page