Contents Before Working Inside Your Computer...... 10 ....................10 Before You Begin .................... 10 Safety Instructions ..................12 Recommended Tools After Working Inside Your Computer......13 Removing the Base Panel..........14 ......................14 Procedure Replacing the Base Panel..........17 ......................17 Procedure Removing the Memory Module(s)........
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Removing the Hard Drive..........27 ..................... 27 Prerequisites ......................27 Procedure Replacing the Hard Drive..........31 ......................31 Procedure ....................31 Post-requisites Removing the Palm Rest..........32 .....................32 Prerequisites ......................33 Procedure Replacing the Palm Rest..........39 ......................39 Procedure ....................39 Post-requisites Removing the Touchpad..........40 .....................40 Prerequisites ......................40...
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Removing the Power-Button Board......48 .....................48 Prerequisites ......................49 Procedure Replacing the Power-Button Board......51 ......................51 Procedure ....................51 Post-requisites Removing the Status-Light Board.......52 .....................52 Prerequisites ......................53 Procedure Replacing the Status-Light Board....... 55 ......................55 Procedure ....................55 Post-requisites Removing the Display Assembly........56 .....................56 Prerequisites ......................56 Procedure...
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Removing the Heat-Sink Assembly......68 .....................68 Prerequisites ......................69 Procedure Replacing the Heat-Sink Assembly......71 ......................71 Procedure ....................71 Post-requisites Removing the Wireless Card...........72 ..................... 72 Prerequisites ......................72 Procedure Replacing the Wireless Card........... 74 ......................74 Procedure ....................74 Post-requisites Removing the Coin-Cell Battery........
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Removing the Battery............81 ......................81 Prerequisites ......................81 Procedure Replacing the Battery............83 ......................83 Procedure ....................83 Post-requisites Removing the Speakers........... 84 .....................84 Prerequisites ......................84 Procedure Replacing the Speakers............86 ......................86 Procedure ....................86 Post-requisites Removing the Computer Base........87 ..................... 87 Prerequisites ......................
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Removing the Display Panel...........95 .....................95 Prerequisites ......................95 Procedure Replacing the Display Panel........... 98 ......................98 Procedure ....................98 Post-requisites Removing the Camera............99 .....................99 Prerequisites ......................99 Procedure Replacing the Camera............102 ......................102 Procedure ....................102 Post-requisites Removing the Display Hinges........103 ....................103 Prerequisites ......................
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System Setup.................111 ......................111 Overview ..................111 Entering System Setup ................111 System Setup Options ....................115 Boot Sequence ....................116 Boot Options ......... 116 Changing Boot Sequence for the Current Boot ..........117 Changing Boot Sequence for Future Boots Flashing the BIOS..............118 Getting Help and Contacting Alienware....
Use the following safety guidelines to protect your computer from potential damage and ensure your personal safety. WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
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WARNING: Disconnect all power sources before opening the computer cover or panels. After you finish working inside the computer, replace all covers, panels, and screws before connecting to the power source. CAUTION: To avoid damaging the computer, make sure that the work surface is flat and clean.
After Working Inside Your Computer CAUTION: Leaving stray or loose screws inside your computer may severely damage your computer. Replace all screws and make sure that no stray screws remain inside your computer. Connect any external devices, peripherals, and cables you removed before working on your computer.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Close the display and turn the computer over. Loosen the captive screws that secure the base panel to the computer...
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Using a plastic scribe, gently release the tabs that secure the base panel to the computer base. computer base captive screws (2) base panel plastic scribe...
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Disconnect the battery cable from the battery-cable connector. battery cable battery-cable connector Turn the computer over. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds to ground the system board.
After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Connect the battery cable to the battery-cable connector. Align the tabs on the base panel with the slots on the computer base and snap the base panel into place.
Before Working Inside Your Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Procedure Using your fingertips, carefully spread apart the securing clips on each end...
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Slide and remove the memory module from the memory-module slot. securing clips (2) memory modules (2) memory-module slot...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Align the notch on the memory module with the tab on the memory- module slot.
Slide the memory module firmly into the slot at an angle and press the memory module down until it clicks into place. NOTE: If you do not hear the click, remove the memory module and reinstall it. securing clips (2) notch memory module memory-module slot...
After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Solid-state drives are fragile. Exercise care when handling the hard drive. CAUTION: To avoid data loss, do not remove the solid-state drive while the computer is in sleep or on state.
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Using the pull tab, pivot the solid-state drive bracket and peel off the bracket from the tabs on the computer base. pull tab solid-state drive bracket screws (4) adhesive tape tabs (4) Using the pull tab, disconnect the solid-state drive cable from the system board.
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Remove the screws that secure the solid-state drive assembly to the computer base. pull tab solid-state drive cable solid-state drive assembly screws (2) Lift the solid-state drive assembly off the computer base. Remove the screw that secures the solid-state drive to the solid-state drive assembly.
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Slide and lift the solid-state drive off the solid-state drive assembly. solid-state drive slots (2) solid-state drive solid-state drive assembly screw...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Solid-state drives are fragile. Exercise care when handling the hard drive. Procedure Slide the solid-state drive into the slot on the solid-state drive assembly.
After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Hard drives are fragile. Exercise care when handling the hard drive. CAUTION: To avoid data loss, do not remove the hard drive while the computer is in sleep or on state.
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Lift the hard-drive assembly off the computer base. pull tab hard-drive cable hard-drive assembly screws (4) Remove the screws that secure the hard-drive bracket to the hard drive.
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Lift the hard drive off the hard-drive bracket. hard-drive bracket screws (4) hard drive...
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Disconnect the interposer from the hard drive. interposer hard drive...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Hard drives are fragile. Exercise care when handling the hard drive. Procedure Connect the interposer to the hard drive.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
Procedure Lift the latches and disconnect the keyboard and keyboard-backlight cables from the system board. keyboard-backlight cable keyboard cable...
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Remove the screws that secure the palm-rest assembly to the computer base. screws (14) computer base...
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Lift the computer base slightly and push the release tabs on the palm-rest assembly until it pops out. release tabs Turn the computer over and open the display as far as possible. Using a plastic scribe, pry up along the edges of the palm-rest assembly.
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Gently lift the palm-rest assembly and turn it over. palm-rest assembly Lift the connector latch and disconnect the power-button board cable from the system board.
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Lift the palm-rest assembly off the computer base. palm-rest assembly connector latch power-button board cable Remove the keyboard. 10 Remove the power-button board. Remove the status-light board.
Before Working Inside Your Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Replace the touchpad. Replace the status-light board. Replace the power-button board.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
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Lift the touchpad off the palm-rest assembly. screws (4) touchpad cable touchpad...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Align the screw holes on the touchpad with the screw holes on the palm- rest assembly.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
Procedure Lift the connector latches and disconnect the touchpad cable and the status-light cable from the power-button board. connector latches (2) touchpad cable status-light cable Peel the touchpad cable and status-light cable off the keyboard bracket.
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Remove the screws that secure the keyboard bracket to the palm-rest assembly. keyboard bracket screws (12) Lift the keyboard bracket off the palm-rest assembly. Remove the screws that secure the keyboard to the palm-rest assembly.
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Slide and lift the keyboard, along with the cables, off the palm-rest assembly. tabs (3) keyboard screws (2)
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Align the screw holes on the keyboard with the screw holes on the palm- rest assembly.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
Procedure Lift the connector latch and disconnect the power-button board cable from the power-button board. connector latch power-button board cable...
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Remove the screw that secures the power-button board to the palm-rest assembly. power-button board screw Lift the power-button board off the palm-rest assembly.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Slide the power-button board cable into the power-button board connector and press down the latch to secure the cable.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
Procedure Lift the connector latch and disconnect the status-light board cable from the status-light board. status-light board status-light board cable...
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Remove the screw that secures the status-light board to the palm-rest assembly. screw status-light board Lift the status-light board off the palm-rest assembly.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Slide the status-light board cable into the status-light board connector and press down the latch to secure the cable.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
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Slide and lift the hinge caps off the display hinges. screws (2) hinge caps (2) Close the display and turn the computer over. Peel off the adhesive tape from the wireless card. Remove the screw that secures the wireless-card bracket to the wireless card.
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Disconnect the antenna cables from the wireless card. adhesive tape screw wireless-card bracket antenna cables Turn the computer over and open the display. Peel off the adhesive tapes that secure the antenna cables to the system board. NOTE: Make note of the cable routing before removing any cable from its routing guide.
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13 Disconnect the logo-board cable from the system board and remove it from the routing guides on the display hinges. display cable connector latch adhesive tapes (2) antenna cables (2) connector logo-board cable...
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14 Remove the screws that secure the display assembly to the computer base. display assembly screws (4) display hinges (2) 15 Lift the display assembly off the computer base.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Align the screw holes on the display hinges with the screw holes on the computer base.
12 Turn the computer over and open the display. 13 Align the screw holes on the hinge caps with the screw holes on the display hinges. 14 Replace the screws that secure the hinge caps to the display hinges. Post-requisites Follow the procedure from step 5 to step 9 in “Replacing the palm rest”.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
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Disconnect the speaker cable from the system board. power-adapter port bracket screws (2) speaker cable...
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Remove the screws that secure the system board to the computer base. system board screws (3) Slide and lift the system-board assembly. Turn the system-board assembly over.
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Disconnect the power-adapter port cable and remove the power-adapter port from the system board. power-adapter port cable system-board connector...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Connect the power-adapter port cable to the system board. Turn the system board over.
After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. WARNING: The heat sink may become hot during normal operation. Allow sufficient time for the heat sink to cool before you touch it.
Procedure Disconnect the fan cables from the connectors on the system board. connectors (2) fan cables(2) Turn the system board over.
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Remove the screws that secure the heat-sink assembly to the system board. heat-sink assembly screws (7) Lift the heat-sink assembly off the system board.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Incorrect alignment of the heat sink can cause damage to the system board and processor. Procedure Align the screw holes on the heat-sink assembly with the screw holes on the system board.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Slide the wireless card into the wireless-card slot on the system board. Post-requisites Follow the procedure from step 2 to step 7 in “Replacing the...
After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. CAUTION: Removing the coin-cell battery resets the BIOS settings to default. It is recommended that you note the BIOS settings before removing the coin-cell battery.
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Peel the coin-cell battery off the system board. coin-cell battery cable coin-cell battery...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Adhere the coin-cell battery to the system board. Connect the coin-cell battery cable to the connector on the system board.
After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. NOTE: Your computer’s Service Tag is stored in the system board. You must enter the Service Tag in the BIOS setup program after you replace the system board.
After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. NOTE: Your computer’s Service Tag is stored in the system board. You must enter the Service Tag in the BIOS setup program after you replace the system board.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
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Lift the battery off the computer base. speaker cable battery screws (2)
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Align the screw holes on the battery with the screw holes on the computer base.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
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Lift the speakers, along with its cable, off the computer base. tabs speaker cable speakers (2) alignment posts (4) computer base...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Using the alignment posts on the computer base, place the speakers on the computer base.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites Remove the base panel. Follow the procedure from step 1 to step 5 in “Removing the solid-state drive”.
Computer. After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure Place the computer base on a flat surface. Post-requisites Replace the speakers.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
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Carefully lift the display bezel and turn it over. display bezel Lift the connector latches and disconnect the display-board cables from the logo board.
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Disconnect the logo-board cable from the logo board. logo board display-board cables (3) logo-board cable...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
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Gently lift the display panel and turn it over. screws (4) display panel display back-cover...
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Lift the connector latch and disconnect the display cable from the display panel. display panel connector latch display cable...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
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Disconnect the camera cable from the camera module. camera cable connector camera module...
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Using a plastic scribe, pry the camera module off the display back-cover. plastic scribe camera module...
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
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Lift the display hinges off the display back-cover. screws (8) display hinges (2)
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Prerequisites NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
After working inside your computer, follow the instructions After Working Inside Your Computer. For more safety best practices, see the Regulatory Compliance home page at dell.com/regulatory_compliance. Procedure NOTE: This chapter is applicable only if you have purchased a laptop with non-touchscreen display.
Entering System Setup Turn on (or restart) your computer. During POST, when the DELL logo is displayed, watch for the F2 prompt to appear and then press F2 immediately. NOTE: The F2 prompt indicates that the keyboard has initialized. This prompt can appear very quickly, so you must watch for it, and then press F2.
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Main System Time Displays the current time in hh:mm:ss format. System Date Displays the current date in mm/dd/ yyyy format. BIOS Version Displays the BIOS version. Product Name Displays the model number of your computer. Service Tag Displays the service tag of your computer.
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Advanced Intel(R) SpeedStep Technology Allows you to enable or disable Intel (R) Speedstep Technology. NOTE: If enabled, the processor clock speed and core voltage are adjusted dynamically based on the processor load. Default: Enabled Virtualization Allows you to enable or disable the Intel Virtualization technology.
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Advanced SATA Operation Allows you to configure the operating mode of the integrated SATA hard drive controller. Default: AHCI Adapter Warnings Allows you to choose if the computer should display warning messages when you use AC adapters that are not supported by your computer. Default: Enabled Function Key Behavior Allows you to set function key or...
Security HDD password Status Displays if the HDD password is clear or set. Default: Not set Service Tag Displays the service tag of the computer when the service tag is present. Displays a field to input the service tag manually when the service tag is absent.
• Current Boot Sequence — change the boot sequence for the current boot, for example, to boot from the optical drive to run Dell Diagnostics from the Drivers and Utilities disc or to reinstall your operating system using an external media. The previous boot sequence is restored at the next boot.
On the Boot Options, select the device you want to boot from and press Enter. For example, if you are booting to a USB hard drive, highlight USB Hard Disk and press Enter. Changing Boot Sequence for Future Boots Enter system setup. "Entering System Setup".
You may need to flash (update) the BIOS when an update is available or when you replace the system board. To flash the BIOS: Turn on the computer. Go to dell.com/support. If you have your computer's Service Tag, type your computer's Service Tag and click Submit.
NOTE: If you do not have an active internet connection, you can find contact information on your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog. NOTE: If you are in the United States, call 1-800-ALIENWARE for help on...