Dell Inspiron 7500 User Manual

Dell™Inspiron™7500SystemReference Information in this document is subject to change without notice. ©1999–2000 Dell Computer Corporation. All rig

Back to Contents Page ComponentLocations(BackView):Dell™Inspiron™7500

Using Windows NT to Conserve Battery Power To access the Power Management Control window (see Figure 2) and set the power management features in Wind

Experimenting With Power Conservation In general, the lower the value you set for each time-out option, the longer your battery's charge lasts.

Back to Contents Page ProcessorBoardRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending This procedure assumes that you have removed the heat exch

Back to Contents Page RemovingtheMemoryModule:Dell™Inspiron™7500  

Back to Contents Page RemovingtheMemoryModuleCover:Dell™Inspiron™7500

Back to Contents Page RemovingandReplacingParts:Dell™Inspiron™7500 NOTICE: Only a certified service technician should perform the procedures for

1. Determine the power state of the computer. If the system is on, go to step 2. If you are unsure whether the system is on, shut down and restart th

6. Remove PC Cards (see Figure 4). To remove PC Cards from the top connector, press the top eject button. When the button slides out, press it again

8. Remove the memory module and video card covers (see Figure 6). Slide each cover as far as it will go in the direction of the arrow, and then rem

11. If present, remove the device from the media bay (see Figure 9). Unlock the latch lock by flipping it toward the back of the computer. Slide the

Back to Contents Page Base Assembly Component Removal:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Base Assembly ****New artwork pending Base Assembly Component Removal The

l Dental pick l Small scribe or nylon flat blade l Nut drivers (5 mm and 5.5 mm) Screw Identification and Tightening Be careful not to scratch th

 Exploded View of 15-Inch XGA Display Assembly Figure 11. 15-Inch XGA Display Components 1 Hard-disk drive 2 Battery 3 Combo module4 Thermal shiel

Exploded View of 15-Inch SXGA+ Display Assembly Figure 12. 15-Inch SXGA+ Display Components 1 LCD panel 2 CCFL cable 3 Carrier tray 4 Back cover 5 H

Exploded View of 15.4-Inch SXGA Display Assembly Figure 13. 15.4-Inch SXGA Display Components 1 LCD panel 2 CCFL cable 3 Carrier tray 4 Display loc

Hard-Disk Drive Disassembly The hard-disk drive (see Figure 14) resides in a carrier that mounts in the hard-disk drive compartment in the bottom of

To remove the hard-disk drive from the carrier, perform the following steps: 1. Remove the hard-disk drive assembly. See step 7 of Precautionary Mea

3. Remove the bracket. 4. Remove the two 3-mm screws from the side of the plastic carrier. 5. Remove the two 3-mm screws from the bottom of the pla

Keyboard Removal Figure 17. Keyboard Components  To remove the keyboard (see Figure 17), perform the following steps: 1. Turn the computer over a

Some of the computer’s interface connectors are ZIF connectors. These connectors are not removable; they must be released (see Figure 18) to disconne

This procedure assumes that you have removed the keyboard. To remove the thermal shield, perform the following steps: 1. Remove the right hinge cover

Back to Contents Page BatteryChargeGauge:Dell™Inspiron™7500  

1. Remove the two 5-mm screws securing the heat exchanger. 2. Disconnect the fan cable from the connector labeled JP17 on the system board. 3. Remov

This procedure assumes that you have removed the keyboard, thermal shield, and right hinge cover. To remove the 15-inch LCD panel (see Figure 22), pe

This procedure assumes that you have removed the keyboard, thermal shield, and right hinge cover. To remove the 15.4-inch LCD panel (see Figure 23),

Palmrest Assembly Removal Figure 25. Palmrest Assembly Components 1 Display latch 2 Touch pad 3 Touch pad bracket4 Right speaker 5 Hard-disk drive

 This procedure assumes that you have removed the keyboard, thermal shield, and display assembly. To remove the palmrest assembly (see Figures 24 an

This wire harness also contains wiring for the touch pad and the touch pad buttons. 10. Disconnect the LED cable from connector JP10 on the system b

This procedure assumes that you have removed the palmrest assembly from the base assembly and that you have removed the hard-disk drive heat shield.

 This procedure assumes that you have removed the palmrest assembly from the base assembly. To remove the hard-disk drive heat shield (see Figure 29

3. Remove the left speaker cover, speaker, and speaker cable. 4. Remove the speaker wire harness. 5. Remove the two 4-mm screws securing the right s

To remove the DC-DC board (see Figure 32), gently pull the DC-DC board off of connectors JP11 and JP16 on the system board. Do not rock the board to

Back to Contents Page RemovingandInstallingaBattery:Dell™Inspiron™7500 

4. Remove the 10-mm screw and 20-mm screw from the left hinge saddle and remove the saddle. 5. Disconnect the LED cable from connector J6 on the syst

PC Card Cage Removal Figure 36. PC Card Cage Components  This procedure assumes that you have removed the system board from the plastic case. To r

This procedure assumes that you have removed the system board from the plastic case and have removed the PC Card cage from the system board. To remove

This procedure assumes that you have removed the keyboard and thermal shield. The following procedure applies to all LCD displays (15-inch XGA, 15-in

This procedure assumes that you have removed the display assembly from the computer base. To remove the front bezel (see Figure 40), perform the follo

Back to Contents Page 1 DC-DC board 2 Heat exchanger/fan 3 Right hinge saddle extension 4 Processor board 5 Right hinge saddle 6 RJ-11 card 7 System

Back to Contents Page Removing the Hard-DiskDrive:Dell™Inspiron™7500  

Back to Contents Page RJ-11CardRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending To remove the RJ-11 card, follow these steps: 1. Remove the 4

Back to Contents Page RemovingDevicesFromtheMediaBay:Dell™Inspiron™7500 

Back to Contents Page ScrewIdentificationandTightening:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Where applicable, information about screw lengths is provided in illus

Back to Contents Page FrontBezelRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 This procedure assumes that you have removed the display assembly from the computer b

Back to Contents Page SecurityCableSlot:Dell™Inspiron™7500

Back to Contents Page SetupProgram:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Using the Setup Program Your computer retains system configuration information in the nonvol

Table 1: PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility Main Menu System Devices Menu See Figure 2 and Table 2 for an explanation of the options and settings on the System

Security Menu See Figure 3 and Table 3 for an explanation of the options and settings for the Security menu. Figure 3. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility Secu

Power Menu See Figure 4 and Table 4 for an explanation of the options and settings for the Power menu. Figure 4. PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility Power Menu

See Figure 5 and Table 5 for an explanation of the options and settings for the Boot menu. To select the boot device, press the up- or down-arrow key;

Back to Contents Page Load Last Saved ValuesDiscards the settings you have made and restores the settings you previously saved. Press <Enter> wh

Back to Contents Page SpeakerRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 This procedure assumes that you have removed the palmrest assembly from the base assembly

Back to Contents Page TechnicalSpecifications:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Microprocessor Chip Set and Bus PC Card MicroprocessorPhysicalChip Set and Bus

Memory Connectors Audio Video *The video controller supports 32-bit color; the LCD is limited to an 18-bit (262,144 color) display. Physical 15-I

Back to Contents Page UsingtheComputer:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Storage Devices Removing and Installing a Device in the Media Bay The media bay holds

15-Inch Display (SXGA+) 15.4-Inch Display (SXGA) Keyboard Touch Pad Type active-matrix color (XGA)Dimensions (viewable image area):Height 59 mm (2.3

Battery AC Adapter Environmental Power:Supply voltage 5 V ± 10%Supply current 4 mA (maximum operating current)Type lithium ion Dimensions: Height 23

Regulatory Back to Contents Page Temperature:Operating 5°to35°C(41°to95°F)Storage -20°to50°C(-4°to122°F)Relative humidity 10% to 90% (nonc

Back to Contents Page StatusDisplay:Dell™Inspiron™7500 on top of computer, above keyboard: on front of computer, beneath display latch:

Back to Contents Page StatusDisplay:Dell™Inspiron™7500 These status lights are above the keyboard: These status lights are on the front of the co

Back to Contents Page StorageDevices:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Removing and Installing a Device in the Media Bay The media bay holds a second battery, a

Back to Contents Page SystemCodesandMessages:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Overview Your application programs, the operating system, and the computer its

System Beep Codes When errors occur during the boot routine that cannot be reported on the integrated display or on an external monitor (if attached

Back to Contents Page TouchPadAssemblyRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 This procedure assumes that you have removed the palmrest assembly from the ba

Back to Contents Page TouchPad:Dell™Inspiron™7500  

To install a hard-disk drive, perform the following steps. 1. Save any open files. 2. Shut down the computer and remove any installed batteries (see

Back to Contents Page TouchPad:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Using the Touch Pad The PS/2-compatible touch pad detects the position of your finger over a to

Back to Contents Page ThermalShieldandInternalModemRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 The thermal shield serves as a heat shield for the system board,

8. Unlatch the display assembly and lift the assembly off the computer base. Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page Video:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Text Modes Graphics Modes Text ModesGraphics ModesResolutionColor Depth Maximum Refresh Rate (Hz)36

Back to Contents Page Display icon, and then click the Settings tab. Click the Advanced button to reset the refresh rate. You may need to adjust the v

Back to Contents Page ZIFConnectors:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Some of the computer’s interface connectors are ZIF connectors. These connectors are not r

There may be some resistance as the drive connects to its interface connector at the back of the bay. 7. Tighten the screws you loosened in step 3.

To deactivate the embedded keypad, press <Num Lock>. The Num Lock indicator is no longer illuminated. When the embedded keypad is activated, th

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 se

Back to Contents Page 13.3-InchLCDBracketsandCarrierTrayRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 This procedure assumes that you have removed the front be

l One Type I card and one Type II card (using either connector) l Two Type I cards or two Type II cards l A single Type III card (using the bottom c

Back to Contents Page NOTE: When the external monitor and built-in display are used simultaneously, the refresh rate is always 60 hertz (Hz).

Back to Contents Page Conventions:Dell™Inspiron™7500 The following subsections describe notational conventions used in this document. Notes, Notic

Back to Contents Page DC-DCBoardRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 To remove the DC-DC board, gently pull the DC-DC board off of connectors JP11 and JP1

Back to Contents Page DisplayAssemblyandDisplayAssemblyComponentRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Display Assembly Removal This procedure assumes t

Back to Contents Page Documentation:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Printed Documentation To save PDF files (files with an extension of .pdf) to your hard-disk

Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page Drivers:Dell™Inspiron™7500    Reinstalling Utilities and Drivers for Windows 98Reinstalling Utilities and Drivers for Win

Back to Contents Page Utilities and Drivers for Microsoft®Windows®98:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Overview This section explains how to install/reinstall D

The audio driver allows you to customize the sound features of your computer. To install the audio driver, perform the following steps: 1. Save and cl

Back to Contents Page 13.3-InchLCDPanelRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500  This procedure assumes that you have removed the front bezel. Follow these

If you are using a Japanese-language version of Windows 98, type x:\win98\touchpad\japanese\setup.exe, where x is the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive letter.

Creating the Save-to-Disk Suspend File After you have installed a new hard-disk drive or rebuilt a hard-disk drive that had corrupted software, use

Back to Contents Page Utilities and Drivers for Microsoft®Windows NT®: Dell™Inspiron™7500 Overview This section explains how to install/reinstall d

1. Save and close any open files, and exit any open application programs. 2. Insert the System Software CD into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. 3. Doub

5. Double-click Setup. 6. In the Welcome window, click Next. 7. In the Important Information window, click Next. Another Important Information win

displays the license agreement. 6. Read the agreement and click Accept. 7. Click the button in the Softex PC Card Controller Setup window to accept

4. Right-click and hold 7500help and drag it to the Windows®desktop. 5. Release the right mouse button. 6. Left-click Copy Here. 7. Double-click t

Back to Contents Page UsinganExternalMonitor:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Use the 15-pin video connector to attach an external monitor to the computer. If

Exploded View of 13.3-InchDisplayAssembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500

Exploded View of 14.1-InchDisplayAssembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500

14.1-InchLCDPanel,Brackets,andCarrierTrayRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 This procedure assumes that you have removed the front bezel. Follow th

Back to Contents Page Exploded View of 15-InchSXGA+DisplayAssembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending

Back to Contents Page Exploded View of 15-InchXGADisplayAssembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page Exploded View of 15.4-InchSXGADisplayAssembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending

Back to Contents Page ExplodedViewofBaseAssembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page ExplodedViewofComputer:Dell™Inspiron™7500

Back to Contents Page ExplodedViewofPalmrestAssembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page UsinganExternalKeyboard,Keypad,orMouse:Dell™Inspiron™7500 You can connect a keyboard with a standard connector to the P

Back to Contents Page ComponentLocations(FrontView):Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending 

Back to Contents Page GeneralDisassembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500 General disassembly procedures assume that following components have been removed: l

Back to Contents Page Graphics:Dell™Inspiron™ 7500 Back to Contents Page Status Display Component Locations (Front View)Component Locations (Back V

Back to Contents Page 15-inchLCDPanelRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 To remove the 15-inch LCD panel, perform the following steps: 1. Turn the comp

Back to Contents Page Hard-DiskDriveDisassembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500 The hard-disk drive resides in a carrier that mounts in the hard-disk drive c

Back to Contents Page Hard-DiskDriveHeatShieldRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500  This procedure assumes that you have removed the palmrest assembly

Back to Contents Page HeatExchanger/FanRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending To remove the heat exchanger/fan, follow these steps:

Back to Contents Page HingeSaddleRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending This procedure assumes that you have removed the PC Card heat

Back to Contents Page I/OConnectors:Dell™Inspiron™7500

Back to Contents Page I/O:Dell™Inspiron™7500 I/O Connectors Infrared Port The infrared port is IrDA 1.1-compliant. An infrared data stream is trans

Serial Connector Use the 9-pin serial connector to attach a serial device to the computer. The serial port passes data in serial format (1 bit at a ti

Monitor Connector Use the 15-pin monitor connector to attach an external monitor to the replicator. If the image does not appear on the monitor immedi

TV-Out S-Video Connector If the television has an S-video cable, plug it directly into the system at the S-video TV-out connector. If the television

Back to Contents Page IRBoardRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 This procedure assumes that you have removed the palmrest assembly from the base assembl

Back to Contents Page ACAdapter:Dell™Inspiron™7500  

Back to Contents Page 30°ConeofInfraredLight:Dell™Inspiron™7500  

Back to Contents Page Jumpers,Switches,Controls,andIndicators:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Jumpers There are no jumpers on this system. Switches There

Battery Charge Gauge The battery charge gauge on the rear of the main and secondary batteries has 5 charge-level indicator lights that indicate how m

Back to Contents Page KeyboardRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending To remove the keyboard, follow these steps: 1. Turn the compute

Back to Contents Page EmbeddedNumericKeypad:Dell™Inspiron™7500 

Back to Contents Page LatchAssemblyRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 To remove the latch assembly, follow these steps: 1. Disconnect the LED cable fro

LVDSBoardRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500  To remove the LVDS board, follow these steps: 1. Remove the 4-mm screw securing the LVDS board. 2. Gentl

Back to Contents Page SystemBoardRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending This procedure assumes that you have removed the PC Card hea

Back to Contents Page Memory:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Memory Installation Guidelines l The system can accommodate up to 512 MB of SDRAM. l The system co

To install memory module(s), perform the following steps. CAUTION: Before working inside your computer, read “Protecting Against Electrostatic Dischar

Back to Contents Page AudioJacks:Dell™Inspiron™7500  

8. Replace the memory module cover. 9. Reinstall any batteries you removed in step 3. 10. Reconnect your computer and peripherals to electrical out

Conventional Memory Map Back to Contents Page LocationDescription10FFF0–Extended memory100000–10FFEFHigh memory area0F0000–0FFFFFSystem BIOS0E0000–0EF

Back to Contents Page ComboModuleDisassembly:Dell™Inspiron™7500 The combo module contains either a CD-ROM drive, a DVD-ROM drive on top of a disk

When reassembling the diskette drive, be sure that the bottom of the metal shielding carrier sits inside the groove at the front of the plastic carrie

Back to Contents Page TechNotes:Dell™Inspiron™7500 VideoI/OMemoryPower Sources Storage DevicesTouch PadAudio Devices PC CardsUsing th

Back to Contents Page UsingtheEmbeddedNumericKeypad:Dell™Inspiron™7500 As you work, you may want to use the embedded numeric keypad to enter nu

Back to Contents Page TechnicalOverview:Dell™Inspiron™7500 Video Table 1. Text Mode Table 2. Graphics Modes VideoMemoryControls and Indicators

Memory Memory Installation Guidelines l The system can accommodate up to 512 megabytes (MB) of synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). l

Removing and Installing Memory Modules Memory modules for your computer are available in 32-, 64-, 128-, 192-, and 256-MB sizes. To install memory mod

7. Install the new memory module(s) according to the following steps: a. Align the notch in the edge connector with the slot in the center of the me

Back to Contents Page AudioDevices:Dell™Inspiron™7500 You can connect speakers, a microphone, headphones, and record/playback devices such as ca

Controls and Indicators Figure 3. Component Locations (Front View) SegmentAddress RangeUse000000h–003FFh Interrupt vector table00400h–004FFh BIOS dat

Figure 4. Component Locations (Back View) Three status lights (see Figure 5) are located in the indicator panel directly above the keyboard: l Num

¡ Blinking green light when the battery is charging. ¡ No light when the battery is discharging or if the battery is not installed. ¡ Solid amber l

Back to Contents Page PalmrestAssemblyandPalmrestAssemblyComponentRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 To remove the internal modem card, follow these

palmrest assembly snaps into place. Start at the front to align those tabs first. Make sure that all the tabs are aligned. Palmrest Assembly Component

Back to Contents Page PasswordsandSecurity:Dell™Inspiron™7500 About Passwords When you receive the computer, the password features are disabled

Back to Contents Page PCCardCageRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending This procedure assumes that you have removed the system boar

Back to Contents Page PCCards:Dell™Inspiron™7500 PC Card Slots The computer has 2 slots into which up to (2) 3.3- or 5-V PC Cards that adhere to t

system. You can also double-click the PC Card icon on the Windows 98 desktop. Back to Contents Page

Back to Contents Page PCCardSlots:Dell™Inspiron™7500

Back to Contents Page AudioCardandAudioThermalShieldRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 ****New artwork pending This procedure assumes that you have

Back to Contents Page PCCardHeatSinkRemoval:Dell™Inspiron™7500 To remove the PC Card heat sink, follow these steps: 1. Remove the (2) 4-mm scr

Back to Contents Page PortsandConnectors:Dell™Inspiron™7500 I/O Connectors Figure 1. Input/Output (I/O) Connectors Infrared Port The infrared p

Modem Port The Modem Port option appears only if your computer has an integrated modem. This option allows you to map the address of the port to avoi

Table 2. Serial Connector Pin Assignments Parallel Connector Use the 25-hole parallel connector (see Figure 5) to attach a parallel device to the com

Monitor Connector Use the 15-pin monitor connector (see Figure 6) to attach an external monitor to the replicator. If the image does not appear on the

Table 5. PS/2 Connector Pin Assignments TV-Out S-Video Connector If the television has an S-video cable, plug it directly into the system at the TV-

Back to Contents Page PowerSources:Dell™Inspiron™7500 AC Adapter The AC adapter kit (see Figure 1) includes the AC adapter and an AC power cable.

2. Shut down the computer. 3. Close the display and turn the computer over. 4. Remove the main battery (see Figure 2). Press the latch lock toward

1. Connect the computer to the AC adapter. 2. Install the main battery and/or a second battery in the computer. The battery starts charging immediat

Back to Contents Page PowerConservation:Dell™Inspiron™7500 How to Conserve Battery Power l You automatically conserve battery power each time you