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Dell Inspiron 500m Owner's Manual - Page 95

Drivers, What Is a Driver?, Identifying Drivers, Start, Control Panel, Pick a Category - driver windows 7

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Drivers What Is a Driver? A driver is a program that controls a device such as a printer, mouse, or keyboard. All devices require a driver program. A driver acts like a translator between the device and the programs that use the device. Each device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver recognizes. Dell ships your computer to you with required drivers already installed-no further installation or configuration is needed. NOTICE: The Drivers and Utilities CD may contain drivers for operating systems that are not on your computer. Ensure that you are installing software appropriate for your operating system. Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with your Microsoft® Windows® operating system. You may need to install drivers if you: • Upgrade your operating system. • Reinstall your operating system. • Connect or install a new device. Identifying Drivers If you experience a problem with any device, identify whether the driver is the source of your problem and, if necessary, update the driver. 1 Click the Start button and click Control Panel. 2 Under Pick a Category, click Performance and Maintenance. 3 Click System. 4 In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab. 5 Click Device Manager. 6 Scroll down the list to see if any device has an exclamation point (a yellow circle with a [!]) on the device icon. If an exclamation point is next to the device name, you may need to reinstall the driver or install a new driver. Solv ing Proble m s 95

Section	Page
Contents	3
1 A Tour of Your Computer	3
2 Setting Up Your Computer	3
3 Using Batteries and Module Bay Devices	4
4 Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad	5
5 Using CDs, DVDs, and Other Multimedia	5
6 Setting Up a Home and Office Network	6
7 Solving Problems	6
8 Adding and Replacing Parts	8
9 Appendix	8
Index 161	9
CAUTION: Safety Instructions	11
General	11
Power	12
Battery	13
Air Travel	14
EMC Instructions	14
When Using Your Computer	15
Ergonomic Computing Habits	16
When Working Inside Your Computer	16
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge	17
Battery Disposal	17
A Tour of Your Computer	19
Front View	20
Left Side View	23
Right Side View	25
Back View	26
Bottom View	30
Setting Up Your Computer	33
Connecting to the Internet	34
Setting Up Your Internet Connection	34
Modem and Internet Connection Problems	35
E-Mail Problems	36
Transferring Information to a New Computer	36
Setting Up a Printer	38
Printer Cable	38
Connecting a Parallel Printer	38
Connecting a USB Printer	39
Printer Problems	40
Setting Up the Docking Device to Connect to a Network	41
Power Protection Devices	41
Surge Protectors	41
Line Conditioners	42
Uninterruptible Power Supplies	42
Turning Off Your Computer	42
Using Batteries and Module Bay Devices	43
Using a Battery	44
Battery Performance	44
Checking the Battery Charge	45
Charging the Battery	47
Removing a Battery	47
Installing a Battery	48
Removing and Installing a Reserve Battery	49
Storing a Battery	50
Power Problems	50
About the Module Bay	51
Checking the Charge on the Second Battery	51
Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Turned Off	52
If the Device Screw Is Not Installed	53
If the Device Screw Is Installed	54
Removing and Installing Devices While the Computer Is Running	55
If the Device Screw Is Not Installed	56
If the Device Screw Is Installed	57
Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad	59
Numeric Keypad	60
Keyboard Shortcuts	61
System Functions	61
Battery	61
CD or DVD Tray	61
Display Functions	61
Radios (Including Wireless Networking and the Bluetooth™ Card)	61
Power Management	62
Speaker Functions	62
Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions	62
Customizing the Touch Pad	64
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems	64
External Keyboard Problems	64
Unexpected Characters	65
Using CDs, DVDs, and Other Multimedia	67
Using CDs and DVDs	68
CD and DVD Problems	68
If you cannot play a CD or DVD	68
If you cannot eject the CD, CD-RW, or DVD drive tray	68
If you hear an unfamiliar scraping or grinding sound	69
If the CD-RW drive stops writing	69
Sound and Speaker Problems	69
If you have a problem with integrated speakers	69
If you have a problem with external speakers	69
Copying CDs	70
Using Easy CD Creator Basic	71
Using Blank CD-R Discs or Blank CD-RW Discs	71
Helpful Tips	71
How to Copy a CD	72
Connecting a Television to the Computer	73
S-Video Connection	74
Composite Video Connection	76
Enabling the Display Settings for a Television	78
Setting Up a Home and Office Network	79
Connecting to a Network Adapter	80
Network Setup Wizard	81
Network Problems	81
Solving Problems	83
Finding Solutions	84
Accessing Help	86
Error Messages	86
Video and Display Problems	87
If the display is blank	87
If the display is difficult to read	88
If only part of the display is readable	89
Scanner Problems	89
Drive Problems	90
If you cannot save a file to a floppy drive	90
If you have problems with a hard drive	91
PC Card Problems	91
General Program Problems	92
A program crashes	92
A program stops responding	92
Error messages appear	92
If Your Computer Gets Wet	93
If You Drop or Damage Your Computer	94
Resolving Other Technical Problems	94
Drivers	95
What Is a Driver?	95
Identifying Drivers	95
Reinstalling Drivers and Utilities	96
Manually Reinstalling Drivers for Windows XP	97
Using System Restore	98
Creating a Restore Point	98
Restoring the Computer to an Earlier Operating State	98
Undoing the Last System Restore	99
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities	99
Reinstalling Microsoft® Windows® XP	100
Before You Reinstall	100
Reinstalling Windows XP	101
Reinstalling Drivers and Software	103
Adding and Replacing Parts	105
Adding Memory	106
Adding a Mini PCI Card	108
Replacing the Hard Drive	111
Appendix	115
Specifications	116
Standard Settings	122
Viewing the System Setup Screens	123
System Setup Screens	123
Commonly Used Options	124
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S.Only)	126
Definition of \	127
Definition of \	127
Contacting Dell	127
Regulatory Notices	145
NOM Information (Mexico Only)	146
Limited Warranties and Return Policy	147
Limited Warranty for the U.S.	147
\	150
Limited Warranty Terms for Canada	151
\	155
Dell Software and Peripherals (Canada Only)	155
One-Year End-User Manufacturer Guarantee (Latin America and the Caribbean Only)	156
Intel® Warranty Statement for Pentium® and Celeron® Processors Only (U.S. and Canada Only)	158