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Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 Owner's Manual - Page 77

If only part of the display is readable, Drivers, What Is a Driver?

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R O T A T E T H E C O M P U T E R T O F A C E A D I F F E R E N T D I R E C T I O N - Eliminate sunlight glare, which can cause poor picture quality. ADJUST THE WINDOWS DISPLAY SETTINGS - 1 Click the Start button and then click Control Panel. 2 Click Appearance and Themes. 3 Click the area you want to change or click the Display icon. 4 Try different settings for Color quality and Screen resolution. S E E " E R R O R M E S S A G E S " - If an error message appears, see page 65. If only part of the display is readable CONNECT AN EXTERNAL MONITOR - 1 Shut down your computer and connect an external monitor to the computer. 2 Turn on the computer and the monitor and adjust the monitor brightness and contrast controls. If the external monitor works, the computer display or video controller may be defective. Contact Dell. See "Contacting Dell" on page 113. 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 any other 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. 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. Solving Problems 77

Section	Page
Owner’s Manual	1
Finding Information	9
A Tour of Your Computer	13
Front View	13
Left Side View	17
Right Side View	19
Back View	20
Bottom View	23
Setting Up Your Computer	25
Connecting to the Internet	25
Setting Up Your Internet Connection	25
Customizable Lights	26
Setting Up a Printer	27
Printer Cable	27
Connecting a USB Printer	27
Power Protection Devices	28
Surge Protectors	28
Line Conditioners	28
Uninterruptible Power Supplies	28
Using a Battery	31
Battery Performance	31
Checking the Battery Charge	32
Dell QuickSet Battery Meter	32
Microsoft Windows Power Meter	32
Charge Gauge	32
Low-Battery Warning	33
Charging the Battery	33
Removing a Battery	33
Installing a Battery	34
Storing a Battery	34
Using CDs, DVDs, and Other Multimedia	35
Using CDs and DVDs	35
Copying CDs and DVDs	35
How to Copy a CD or DVD	35
Using Blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs	36
Helpful Tips	36
Using Dell MediaDirect	37
Connecting Your Computer to a TV or Audio Device	38
S-Video and Standard Audio	39
S-Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio	40
Composite Video and Standard Audio	42
Composite Video and S/PDIF Digital Audio	43
Changing Your Audio Settings	45
Enabling the Display Settings for a TV	45
Using the Keyboard and Touch Pad	47
Numeric Keypad	47
Key Combinations	47
System Functions	47
Battery	48
CD or DVD Tray	48
Display Functions	48
Radios (Including Wireless Networking and Bluetooth® Wireless Technology)	48
Power Management	48
Speaker Functions	49
Microsoft® Windows® Logo Key Functions	49
Touch Pad	50
Customizing the Touch Pad	50
Using PC Cards	51
PC Card Types	51
PC Card Blanks	51
Extended PC Cards	51
Installing a PC Card	51
Removing a PC Card or Blank	52
Setting Up a Home and Office Network	55
Connecting to a Network Adapter	55
Network Setup Wizard	56
Connecting to a Wireless Local Area Network	56
Determining Your Network Type	56
Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft® Windows® XP	57
Solving Problems	59
Dell Diagnostics	59
When to Use the Dell Diagnostics	59
Drive Problems	61
DVD drive problems	62
Hard drive problems	63
E-Mail, Modem, and Internet Problems	63
Error Messages	65
IEEE 1394 Device Problems	66
Keyboard Problems	66
External keyboard problems	67
Unexpected characters	67
Lockups and Software Problems	67
The computer does not start up	68
The computer stops responding	68
A program stops responding	68
A program crashes repeatedly	68
A program is designed for an earlier Windows operating system	68
A solid blue screen appears	69
Other software problems	69
Memory Problems	69
Network Problems	70
PC Card Problems	70
Power Problems	71
Printer Problems	72
Scanner Problems	73
Sound and Speaker Problems	74
No sound from integrated speakers	74
No sound from external speakers	74
No sound from headphones	75
Touch Pad or Mouse Problems	75
Video and Display Problems	75
If the display is blank	76
If the display is difficult to read	76
If only part of the display is readable	77
Drivers	77
What Is a Driver?	77
Identifying Drivers	78
Reinstalling Drivers	78
Restoring Your Operating System	79
Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore	79
Resolving Software and Hardware Incompatibilities	81
Adding and Replacing Parts	83
Before You Begin	83
Recommended Tools	83
Turning Off Your Computer	83
Before Working Inside Your Computer	84
Hard Drive	85
Returning a Hard Drive to Dell	87
Memory	87
Modem	90
Mini PCI Card	91
Hinge Cover	94
Keyboard	95
Coin-Cell Battery	96
Display	97
Optical Drive	99
Internal Card With Bluetooth® Wireless Technology	100
Appendix	103
Specifications	103
Using the System Setup Program	109
Overview	109
Viewing the System Setup Screens	109
System Setup Screen	109
Commonly Used Options	110
Dell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only)	111
Definition of \	111
Definition of \	112
FCC Notices (U.S. Only)	112
Class A	112
Class B	112
FCC Identification Information	113
Macrovision Product Notice	113