Finding Information and AssistanceDell™ OptiPlex™ GX240 Systems User's Guide
Finding Information and Assistance
The following table lists the resources that Dell provides as support tools. Additional resources may be shipped with your computer system.
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Resources |
Contents |
Using the Resource |
|---|---|---|
| Dell OptiPlex ResourceCD
| See the main menu on the ResourceCD that was shipped with your computer. Use the pull-down menu to make selections appropriate for your computer. You can perform the following tasks:
NOTE: User documentation and drivers are already installed on your computer when shipped from Dell. You can use this CD to access documentation, reinstall drivers, or run diagnostics tools. You must boot your computer from this CD to run the diagnostics, which may require changing your computer's boot sequence. For more information on using the ResourceCD, see "Using the Dell OptiPlex ResourceCD." |
| Setup and Quick Reference Guide
| See the Setup and Quick Reference Guide for information on the following:
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| Service and Registration Labels—located on the front or side of your Dell™ computer.
| The Express Service Code and Service Tag Number are unique identifiers for your Dell computer. You may need the Product Key (or Product ID) number to complete the operating system setup. |
| Operating System CD | To reinstall your operating system, use the Operating System CD that was shipped with your computer. NOTE: The operating system CD may not include all the latest drivers for your computer. If you reinstall your operating system, use the ResourceCD to reinstall drivers for the devices shipped with your computer. For more information about reinstalling your operating system, see the operating system installation documentation that was shipped with your computer. |
| Operating system installation guide | See the operating system installation guide for information on reinstalling and configuring your operating system. Click the Start button and select Help or Help and Support, depending on your operating system, to obtain more information on your operating system. |
| User's guides for your computer and devices | Depending on your operating system, double-click the User's Guides icon on your desktop or click the Start button and then select Help and Support to access the electronic documentation stored on your hard drive. Obtain information on the following:
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| Dell Support website
| Go to Dell Support website at support.dell.com and complete the one-time registration.
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| Dell Premier Support website
| Go to premiersupport.dell.com: The Dell Premier Support website is customized for corporate, government, and education customers. This site may not be available in all regions. |
The following figures show the controls, lights, and features located on the front panel of the small form-factor, small desktop, and small mini-tower computers.
1 | USB connectors (2) |
2 | headphone connector |
3 | hard drive access lights |
4 | power button |
5 | power light |
1 | front panel door |
2 | power button |
3 | power light |
4 | hard drive access light |
5 | floppy drive access light |
1 | removable drive panel |
2 | floppy drive access light |
3 | removable drive panel |
4 | hard drive access light |
5 | power button |
6 | power light |
7 | front panel door |
Open the front panel door to access two Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors and one headphone connector. This door is removable; if you remove it or accidentally knock it off its hinges, it snaps back in place.
1 | USB connectors (2) |
2 | headphone connector |
3 | breakaway hinges (2) |
1 | breakaway hinges (2) |
2 | USB connectors (2) |
3 | headphone connector |
Used to connect computer speakers, headphones, or other audio output devices. This connector is amplified to support headphones.
The power button controls the computer's AC input power.
The Microsoft® Windows® 98 Second Edition (SE), Windows 2000, and Windows XP operating systems let you configure the function of the power button through the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) feature, as shown in the following table.
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NOTICE: To turn off your computer, perform an orderly computer shutdown using the operating system menu when possible. |
Power Button Functions for Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, and Windows XP with ACPI
Power Button Functions for Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, and Windows XP with ACPI Disabled
Power Button Functions for Microsoft Windows NT®
If the computer does not turn off when you press the power button, the computer may be hung. Press and hold the power button until the computer turns off completely (this process may take several seconds). If the computer is hung and the power button fails to function properly, unplug the AC power cable from the computer, wait for it to completely stop running, and plug in the AC power cable. If the computer does not restart, press the power button to restart the computer.
The power light illuminates in two colors and blinks or remains solid to indicate different states (normal and nonnormal). The following are normal lights:
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NOTE: Your computer can resume from the S3 state (suspend to RAM) in several ways. Pressing the power button always works. Remote Wake Up also creates an S3 wake event if enabled in system setup and in your operating system. Personal System/2 (PS/2) wake events also vary depending on your operating system, but PS/2 mice always wake the computer from S3 with both movement and click. Certain USB devices also wake the computer from S3, and the action required varies by device. Check your device documentation for details. |
See "Diagnostic Lights" for a description of nonnormal indications.
The floppy drive access light lights when the drive is reading data from, or writing data to, a floppy disk. Wait until this light turns off before you remove the floppy from the drive.
The hard drive access light lights when the computer is reading data from, or writing data to, the drive.
1 | half-height PCI expansion-card slot |
2 | AC adapter |
3 | AC voltage switch |
1 | PCI slots (2) |
2 | AC adapter |
1 | AC adapter |
2 | AC voltage switch |
3 | AGP slot |
4 | PCI slots (4) |
I/O Panel—Small Form-Factor, Desktop, and Mini-Tower Computers
1 | parallel connector | 8 | serial connector (2) |
2 | keyboard connector | 9 | diagnostic lights |
3 | mouse connector | 10 | USB connectors (2) |
4 | link integrity light | 11 | audio line-out connector |
5 | network adapter | 12 | audio line-in connector |
6 | activity light | 13 | microphone connector |
7 | serial connector (1) |
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When you connect external devices to your computer's back panel, follow these guidelines:
For example, you must connect most devices to a particular input/output (I/O) connector to operate properly. Also, external devices like a mouse or printer usually require you to load device drivers into computer memory before they will work.
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NOTICE: When you disconnect external devices from the back of the computer, wait 10 to 20 seconds after turning off the computer before you disconnect any devices to avoid possible damage to the system board. |
This is used to connect printers. Default designation is LPT1.
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NOTE: The integrated parallel connector is automatically disabled if the computer detects an installed expansion card containing a parallel connector configured to the same address as specified in "Additional System Setup Options." |
Turn off the computer and any attached devices before connecting a mouse to the computer. If your computer uses Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0, Dell installed the necessary mouse drivers on your hard drive.
These are used to attach USB-compliant devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, and computer speakers to your computer.
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NOTE: USB mice only wakes the computer from the S1 (standby) and S3 (suspend to RAM) states with a click. |
The network adapter, which includes a Remote Wake Up feature, has the following lights:
The network adapter connector attaches an unshielded twisted pair (UTP) Ethernet cable to your computer. Press one end of the UTP cable to an RJ45 jack wall plate or to an RJ45 port on a UTP concentrator or hub, depending on your network configuration, and press the other end of the UTP cable into the network adapter connector until the cable snaps securely into place.
Dell recommends the use of Category 5 wiring and connectors for our customers' networks.
This jack is used to attach record/playback devices such as cassette players, CD players, and VCRs. Connect the line-out cable from any of these devices to the line-in jack.
This jack is used to attach computer speakers. This jack is amplified, so speakers with integrated amplifiers are not required. Connect the audio cable from the speakers to this jack.
This jack is used to attach a standard personal computer microphone. Connect the audio cable from the microphone to the microphone jack.
This connector is used to attach a video graphics array (VGA)-compatible monitor to your computer.
Default port designations: COM1 for port 1 and COM2 for port 2. You can reassign the serial connector's designation if you add an expansion card containing a serial connector using this designation.
If you set the computer's serial connectors to Auto in system setup and add an expansion card containing a serial connector configured to a specific designation, the computer automatically maps (assigns) the integrated ports to the appropriate COM setting as necessary.
Before you add a card with a serial connector, check the documentation that accompanied your software to make sure that the software can be mapped to the new COM port designation.
Attach the keyboard cable to the 6-pin connector on the back panel.
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NOTE: User service access points are colorcoded green. |
1 | hard drive | 7 | system board |
2 | 3.5-inch floppy drive | 8 | power supply |
3 | CD/DVD drive | 9 | AC power connector |
4 | cover release buttons (2) | 10 | I/O ports and connectors |
5 | internal speaker | 11 | padlock ring |
6 | chassis intrusion switch | 12 | heat sink and blower assembly |
1 | cover release buttons (2) | 8 | AC power connector |
2 | hard drive | 9 | padlock ring |
3 | internal speaker | 10 | I/O ports and connectors |
4 | chassis intrusion switch | 11 | heat sink and blower assembly |
5 | expansion-card cage | 12 | system board |
6 | power supply | 13 | 3.5-inch floppy drive |
7 | expansion-card slots | 14 | CD/DVD drive |
1 | cover release buttons (2) | 8 | AC power connector |
2 | hard drive | 9 | padlock ring |
3 | internal speaker | 10 | microprocessor and airflow shroud |
4 | chassis intrusion switch | 11 | power supply |
5 | system board | 12 | 3.5-inch floppy drive |
6 | expansion-card slots | 13 | CD/DVD drive |
7 | I/O ports and connectors |
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Hard drive | Blue |
Floppy drive | Black |
CD/DVD drive | Orange |
USB | Gray |
ATA or IDE | Green |
Control panel | Yellow |
CD audio | Blue |
Computer audio | Black |
The following figure shows the principal connectors and components on the system board.
1 | floppy drive | 16 | audio line-out connector |
2 | internal speaker | 17 | 12-volt microprocessor power connector |
3 | EIDE2 connector | 18 | network (upper) and USB connectors (2) (lower) |
4 | front panel connector | 19 | keyboard (lower) and mouse (upper) connectors |
5 | EIDE1 connector | 20 | diagnostic lights |
6 | suspend-to-RAM light | 21 | serial 2 connector |
7 | PCI riser (small mini-tower computer only) | 22 | parallel connector |
8 | standby power light | 23 | serial 1 connector |
9 | AGP connector | 24 | microprocessor and heat sink |
10 | PCI connectors | 25 | memory module (DIMM) connectors |
11 | CD audio connector | 26 | fan connector |
12 | telephony connector (TAPI) | 27 | main power connector |
13 | front audio connector | 28 | battery |
14 | microphone connector | 29 | RTC reset jumper |
15 | audio line-in connector | 30 | password jumper |
