Download Print this page

Dell Latitude L400 User Manual

Hide thumbs Also See for Latitude L400:

Advertisement

Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide
Preface
Introduction
Setup and Operation
Powering Your Computer
Traveling With Your Computer
Intel SpeedStep Options
Installing Drivers and
Utilities   
Customizing Your Computer
Replacing the Hard-Disk Drive
Troubleshooting Your Computer
Technical Specifications
Getting Help
Model PP01S
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2000 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, Latitude, OptiPlex, Dimension, Inspiron, and DellWare are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT,
and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks and SpeedStep is a trademark of Intel Corporation; 3Com is a
registered trademark of 3Com Corporation.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Computer Corporation
disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
Initial Release: 3 November 2000
Rev. A00-01

Advertisement

loading

Summary of Contents for Dell Latitude L400

  • Page 1 3Com Corporation. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
  • Page 2 If the computer is docked to the Dell Latitude L400 Advanced Port Replicator (APR), it obtains power through the APR, which must be connected to an electrical outlet through the AC adapter.
  • Page 3 Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 4 Back to Contents Page Power Management Settings: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Experimenting With Power Conservation Suspend-to-Disk Mode for Windows NT Using Key Combinations Hibernate Mode for Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows Me Closing the Display Power Management Properties for Windows 98 Suspend Mode...
  • Page 5 One way to conserve power on the computer is to close the display when the computer is not in use. When you close the display and an external monitor is not connected, the computer's display shuts off and, depending on how you set the Lid Close option on the Power screen in the system setup program, the computer may enter...
  • Page 6 NOTE: Dell creates an appropriately sized S2D file before shipping the computer to you. Use the Suspend-to-Disk Utility to remove the file, to increase the size of the file, or to add the S2D file if you removed it. For information on creating a S2D file, see "Suspend-to-Disk...
  • Page 7 Power Management Properties for Windows NT Dell provides Softex software compatible with the Power Management Controller, which allows you to suspend and resume your portable computer without affecting your ability to use the Dell Latitude L400 Advanced Port Replicator (APR).
  • Page 8 Dell Latitude L400 computers. Using the Battery The battery is partially charged when you receive it. Dell recommends that you charge your battery to full capacity before using it to power the computer.
  • Page 9 NOTES: If necessary, print these instructions for reference before proceeding. Dell recommends that you turn the computer off before replacing the battery. If you want to replace the battery while the computer is running, you must first connect the computer to an electrical outlet or enter...
  • Page 10 If the battery is fully discharged, it takes a much longer time than usual to recharge it. To purchase a new battery, call Dell or access the Dell World Wide Web site at http://www.dell.com. Dispose of the old battery properly.
  • Page 11 A battery problem may prevent the battery from being charged to its full potential and can lead to unpredictable operation. To obtain a new battery, call Dell or access the Dell World Wide Web site at http://www.dell.com. To avoid installing a defective battery in your computer, first check the battery's charge, indicated by the battery charge indicators on the battery...
  • Page 12 Experiment with power conservation features to achieve the optimum power conservation for your work environment. Battery Auto-Learning Utility The Battery Auto-Learning utility, available through the system setup program, helps maintain battery gauge accuracy on your Latitude L400 computer.   The utility allows the battery to learn its full charge capacity. The computer uses the full charge capacity value to determine the length of time that the battery can operate on a single charge.
  • Page 13 CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives are read-only devices that can play most commercially available 8- or 12-centimeter (cm) sound and video CDs. CD-rewritable (CD-RW) drives can write to and play CD-RWs and can play CDs. Dell has installed the appropriate CD-ROM and CD-RW device drivers on your hard-disk drive. Dell also installed the drivers that will allow a DVD-ROM drive to play most CDs and read data from a DVD.
  • Page 14 CD-I (mode-2 form 1 and form 2) CD-I Ready CD-Bridge Photo CD, CD-recordable (CD-R) (single and multisession) Video CD CD-RW (The 24x CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives can read, but not write to, CD-RWs; only the CD-RW drive can write to this type of disc.) DVD-5 (the DVD-ROM drive supports the DVD-5 format) Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 15 Asia and Other Regions Contact Numbers Americas Contact Numbers Overview When you need to contact Dell, use the telephone numbers, codes, and electronic addresses provided in the following sections. "International Dialing Codes" provides the various codes required to make long-distance and international calls.
  • Page 16: Customer Care

    Brazil   Customer Support, Technical Support toll free: 0800 90 3355   Sales toll free: 0800 90 3366     Web site: http://www.dell.com/br   Canada Automated Order-Status System    toll free: 1-800-433-9014 (North York, Ontario) AutoTech (Automated technical support)   ...
  • Page 17: Switchboard

    Customer Service    toll free: 1-800-624-9897 (Credit Return Authorization Numbers) National Accounts (systems purchased by established Dell national accounts [have your account number handy], medical institutions, or value-added resellers [VARs]): Customer Service and Technical Support (Return    toll free: 1-800-822-8965...
  • Page 18 Support and Customer Preferred Accounts/Corporate Customer Care    0660-8056 Care. Home/Small Business Technical Support 795676-04 Preferred Accounts/Corporate Technical Support   0660-8779 Web site: http://support.euro.dell.com        E-mail: tech_support_germany@dell.com        Belgium (Brussels) Technical Support 481 92 88 Customer Care 481 91 19...
  • Page 19 Fax   0825 004 701    Switchboard   0825 004 700    Switchboard (Alternative) 99 75 40 39    Sales  0825 004 700 Web site: http://support.euro.dell.com        E-mail: web_fr_tech@dell.com       Corporate     Technical Support 0825 004 719 Customer Care   0825 338 339 Fax  ...
  • Page 20 481 91 00 for sales, customer, and Customer Care (Brussels, Belgium) 481 91 19 technical assistance. Switchboard (Brussels, Belgium) 481 91 00 Fax (Brussels, Belgium) 481 92 99 Web site: http://support.euro.dell.com        E-mail: tech_be@dell.com        Netherlands Technical Support 581 8838...
  • Page 21: Relational Customer Care

    Web site: http://support.euro.dell.com          E-mail: web_esp_tech@dell.com       Corporate     Technical Support 902 100 130     Customer Care 902 118 546     Switchboard 722 92 00 91  722 95 83 Web site: http://support.euro.dell.com           E-mail: web_esp_tech@dell.com  ...
  • Page 22: Toll Free: 0800

    556-3801 Home and Small Business Group Sales 556-3344 Preferred Accounts Division Sales 556-3433 Large Corporate Accounts 556-3430 Faxbox Service 556-3490 Switchboard 556-4300 Web site: http://support.jp.dell.com     Korea Technical Support    toll free: 080-200-3800 (Seoul)    Sales toll free: 080-200-3777 Customer Service (Penang, Malaysia)   ...
  • Page 23: Switchboard

    Technical Support 709 7710 (Johannesburg) Customer Care 709 7707 Sales 709 7700 709 0495 Switchboard 709 7700 Web site: http://support.euro.dell.com       E-mail: dell_za_support@dell.com       Southeast Asian/Pacific Customer Technical Support, Customer Service,    60 4 633-4810 and Sales (Penang, Malaysia)
  • Page 24 Back to Contents Page Customizing Your Computer: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Using the System Setup Program Power Management Settings Suspend-to-Disk Utility Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 25 2. Undock the computer if you have it docked. 3. Turn on the computer and press <F2> as soon as you see the Dell logo screen. If you wait too long and the operating system begins to load into memory, let the computer complete the load operation. Then shut down the system and try again.
  • Page 26 For a quick check of your computer, select Quickly Test All Devices. This option runs only the subtests that do not require user interaction and that do not take a long time to run. Dell recommends that you choose this option first to increase the odds of tracing the source of the problem quickly.
  • Page 27 Confirming the System Configuration Information When you boot your computer from the Dell Latitude L400 ResourceCD, the diagnostics checks your system configuration information and displays it in the Device Groups area on the main screen. The following sources supply this configuration information for the diagnostics:...
  • Page 28 Versions Category Versions lists the version numbers of the subtests that are used by the Dell Diagnostics. Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 29 Back to Contents Page Diskette Drive: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Your computer was shipped with a 3.5-inch diskette drive installed in the external media bay. For more information on using and installing devices in the external media bay, see "External Media Bay."  The diskette drive lets you install programs and transfer data using 3.5-inch diskettes.
  • Page 30 Video Drivers and Video Resolution The Dell-installed video drivers work with the operating system to let you customize the video resolution, number of screen colors, and refresh rate of your display.
  • Page 31 16 bpp = 65,536 colors 24 bpp = 16,777,256 colors 32 bpp = 4,294,967,296 colors Multiple-Display Operation Using a Single Controller With a single controller supporting multiple displays (computer display and external monitor), operation  reflects Table 2 with the difference that the  1280 x 1024 resolution will cause both displays to pan at 24, 16, or 8 bpp.  Using 1280 x 1024 Resolution With an External Monitor Under Windows 98 To use the 1280 x 1024 or the 1024 x 768 resolution on an external monitor for a system running the Microsoft® Windows® 98 operating system, set the external monitor to Plug and Play Monitor as described in the following procedure.
  • Page 32 6. Click the ATI Displays tab. 7. Set either the monitor or the display to Primary, and set the other viewing device to Secondary. (The primary viewing device will display the system icons and task bar.) 8. Click Apply. 9. Click Yes to confirm the settings. 10.
  • Page 33 All of your computer's utilities and all drivers for Dell-installed devices are operative when you receive the computer—no further installation or configuration is needed. However, if you ever need to reinstall any of the drivers or utilities, use the Dell Latitude L400 ResourceCD that you received with your computer. Your ResourceCD also contains the Dell Diagnostics and system documentation for your system.
  • Page 34 Turn the computer back on and check for the error message. If the problem persists, reboot the computer and press <F2> as soon as you see either the system information screen or the Dell logo screen to enter the system setup program.
  • Page 35 0251:System CMOS The BIOS has been changed. Reboot the computer. As soon as you see the Dell logo screen, press <F2> to enter the system setup program and reconfigure the system. If checksum bad—default...
  • Page 36 NOTE: To view memory allocations in Windows 98, click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. Click the Device Manager tab, and then double-click Computer. Windows 2000 handles memory allocations automatically. Refer to your Windows 2000 documentation for more information. Table 3.
  • Page 37 0062-0062 ACPI-compliant embedded controller 0064-0064 Keyboard controller 0066-0066 ACPI-compliant embedded controller 0070-007F RTC and NMI enable 0080-009F DMA page registers 00A0-00BF Interrupt controller #2 00C0-00DF DMA controller #2 00F0-00FF Math coprocessor 0170-0177 CD-ROM drive controller 01F0-01F7 Hard-disk drive controller 0376-0376 IDE controller 0378-037F LPT1...
  • Page 38 1). The computer's basic input/output system (BIOS) detects the presence of the external devices when you boot (start) or reboot your computer. You can connect to the Dell Latitude L400 Advanced Port Replicator (APR) through the docking connector on the bottom of the computer.
  • Page 39 A, unless a diskette drive is already installed in the external media bay, in which case the drive connected to the parallel connector is drive To connect the drive to the parallel connector on the I/O panel, use the optional parallel diskette-drive cable (available from Dell), as shown in Figure 2.
  • Page 40 NOTICE: Protect the diskette drive when it is not in the external media bay. Do not squeeze the drive or place objects on top of it; doing so could damage the drive motor. Advanced Port Replicator You can attach your computer to the Dell APR through the docking connector on the bottom of the computer. For information on docking your computer, see the documentation that came with the APR.
  • Page 41 To toggle the video image between the display, an external monitor, or both simultaneously, press <Fn><F8> on the keyboard. Press <Scroll Lock><F8> on an external keyboard if the External Hot-Key option on the Advanced screen in the system setup program is enabled.
  • Page 42 Back to Contents Page Getting Help: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Help Overview Contacting Dell Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 43 World Wide Web The Internet is your most powerful tool for obtaining information about your computer and other Dell products. Through the Internet, you can access most of the services described in this section, including AutoTech, TechFax, order status, technical support, and product information.
  • Page 44 TechFax Service Dell takes full advantage of fax technology to serve you better. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you can call the Dell TechFax line toll- free for all kinds of technical information. Using a touch-tone phone, you can select from a full directory of topics. The technical information you request is sent within minutes to the fax number you designate.
  • Page 45 Returns that are missing any of the preceding requirements will be refused at our receiving dock and returned to you. Before You Call NOTE: Have your Express Service Code ready when you call. The code helps Dell's automated-support telephone system direct your call more efficiently.
  • Page 46 Back to Contents Page  Introduction: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Overview Available Options Features Getting Help  Overview Dell Latitude L400 portable computers are expandable multimedia systems designed around an Intel® Mobile Pentium® III microprocessor that includes Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)  and Intel SpeedStep™ technologies. This section describes the major hardware and software  features of your computer. Figure Figure 2, and Figure 3 show the front/right, back/left, and bottom views of the computer.
  • Page 47 8 Battery charge gauge 9 Battery 10 Hard-disk drive bay  Features Your Dell computer provides the following features: Full multimedia capability through the following standard features: A 12.1-inch extended graphics array (XGA), 1024 X 768 thin film transistor (TFT) active-matrix color display ¡...
  • Page 48: Sales

    The Dell Latitude L400 ResourceCD, which allows you to run the Dell Diagnostics and reinstall, if necessary, the device drivers and utilities that Dell installed on your computer's hard-disk drive.
  • Page 49  Getting Help If at any time you don't understand a procedure described in this guide, or if your computer does not perform as expected, Dell provides a number of tools to help you. For more information on these help tools, see "Getting...
  • Page 50 Back to Contents Page Keyboard: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Embedded Numeric Keypad Speaker Key Combinations Display Key Combinations System Function Key Combinations Power Conservation Key Combinations CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Drive Key Combinations Embedded Numeric Keypad As you work, you may want to use the embedded numeric keypad (see Figure 1) to enter numbers in spreadsheet or financial programs.
  • Page 51 NOTE: The key combinations in Table 3 can be used from an external keyboard by enabling the External Hot-Key option on the Advanced screen in the system setup program, and then pressing <Scroll Lock> instead of <Fn>. Use the key combinations in Table 3 to activate or turn off the computer's power conservation features. Table 3.
  • Page 52 To install a device in the external media bay, perform the following steps: 1. If your computer is running the Dell-installed Microsoft® Windows® 98, Windows NT®, or Windows Me  operating system with Softex BayManager installed: Right-click the Softex icon (the icon looks like an open portable computer) in the Windows system tray on the taskbar.
  • Page 53 1 Fan intake/exhaust vents 2 Air inlet 5. If your computer is running Softex Bay Manager: Click OK at the Softex Bay Manager screen. Click OK at the Device Removal screen (if it appears), and then click OK at the Device Configured screen. If you turned off the computer in step 1: Press the power button to turn the computer back on.
  • Page 54 Back to Contents Page Media Options: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide External Media Bay CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and CD-RW Drives Diskette Drive Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 55 Back to Contents Page PC Cards: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide About PC Cards Removing PC Cards Using a PC Card NIC Configuring PC Cards Installing PC Cards About PC Cards On the right side of the computer is a PC Card slot in which you can install PC Cards that comply with Release 2.01 of the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard and Release 4.2 of the Japanese Electronic Industry Development Association...
  • Page 56 1. If necessary, remove the blank from the PC Card slot. Press the eject button once to pop the button out, press it again to eject the blank partway, and then pull the blank out. 2. Make sure that the eject button is pressed all the way in. Hold the card with its orientation symbol pointing into the slot and the top side of the card facing up.
  • Page 57 If drivers are not available on the hard-disk drive, prompts you to install them by using the device driver diskette that came with the card The operating system automatically detects a PC Card and opens the Add New Hardware menu from the Control Panel. For information, see the PC Card operating system documentation.
  • Page 58 Back to Contents Page Powering Your Computer: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide AC Adapter Power Management Settings Batteries Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 59 Specifications" — reference material about the details of your computer "Getting Help" — help tools Dell provides to assist you if you have a problem with the computer; information on how and when to call Dell for technical assistance.  Warranty and Return Policy Information Dell manufactures its hardware products from parts and components that are new or equivalent to new in accordance with industry-standard practices.
  • Page 60 advanced technical reference material intended for experienced users or technicians.  Notational Conventions The following subsections list notational conventions used in this document. Notes, Notices, and Cautions Throughout this guide, blocks of text may be accompanied by an icon and printed in bold type or in italic type. These blocks are notes, notices, and cautions, and they are used as follows: NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. ...
  • Page 61 Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 62 Back to Contents Page Replacing the Hard-Disk Drive: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Read the following notices carefully before attempting to replace your hard-disk drive: NOTICE: To prevent data loss, turn off your computer before you remove the hard-disk drive. Do not remove the hard-disk drive if...
  • Page 63 Every primary hard-disk drive must be physically formatted, partitioned, and logically formatted before it can be used to store data. Every primary hard-disk drive from Dell is physically formatted before it is sent to you. Use the program(s) provided by your operating system to partition and logically format the hard-disk drive.
  • Page 64 1. Insert the Dell Latitude L400 ResourceCD into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. 2. Turn on or restart the computer. 3. Press <F2> as soon as you see the Dell logo screen to enter the system setup program. If you wait too long and the operating system begins to load into memory, let the computer complete the load operation.
  • Page 65 4. Press <F10> to save the settings and exit the system setup program. Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 66 If you forget any of your passwords, call Dell. For your protection, Dell’s technical support staff will ask you for proof of your identity to make sure that an unauthorized person is not trying to use the computer. Using a Supervisor Password...
  • Page 67 The hard-disk drive password helps protect the data on your hard-disk drive from unauthorized access, even if the drive is moved to another system. NOTE: Hard-disk drives that are not purchased from Dell for use with your computer may not support the hard-disk drive password option.
  • Page 68 Set, view, and modify the computer's asset tag The asset tag, which can be set by you or your company, is optional and is not required or used by Dell. The asset tag can be used in any way desired; typically it is used by a company to differentiate and identify multiple computers that use an internally assigned identifier.
  • Page 69 Entering the System Setup Program To enter the system setup program, turn on the computer and press <F2> as soon as you see either the system information screen or the Dell logo screen, and before the Microsoft Windows logo screen appears.
  • Page 70 The Boot Screen lets you define the order of the devices from which the computer attempts to boot (see Table 1). When you turn on the computer, it attempts to boot from the first option on the list. If no bootable files are present on the first option, the computer tries to boot from the second option, and so on down the list (except where noted in Table 1).
  • Page 71 Back to Contents Page Intel® SpeedStep™ Options: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Using Intel SpeedStep Using the Adjust Properties Option Setting the Advanced Options Using Intel SpeedStep The Intel SpeedStep technology included with your system allows you to set the performance level of the processor whether the computer is running on battery or AC power. You can only use the Intel SpeedStep technology when Microsoft® Windows® operating system is running. You cannot control the processor's speed when running in MS-DOS® mode.
  • Page 72 The Advanced options lets you disable various options. To set Advanced options, perform the following steps: 1. Click the flag icon in the Windows system tray on the taskbar. 2. Click the Adjust Properties option. The Intel SpeedStep window opens. 3.
  • Page 73 Back to Contents Page Technical Specifications: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Chip Set and Bus Integrated Modem PC Cards Keyboard Memory Battery Connectors AC Adapter Audio Physical Video Environmental (Computer) Display Touch Pad Network Interface Controller Chip Set and Bus System microprocessor and chip set Intel® Mobile Pentium® III microprocessor that includes Intel SpeedStep™ technology.
  • Page 74 SVGA connector PS/2 mini-DIN connector Audio microphone-in jack; headphones/speakers jack USB-compliant connector Docking connector for the Dell Latitude L400 Advanced Port Replicator (APR) Modem RJ-11 connector RJ-45 connector Audio Audio type Sound Blaster (software emulation-capable) Audio controller Crystal CS4281 + CS4297A (AC97 CODEC)
  • Page 75 Backlight 3.3 W Controls brightness can be controlled through a key combination Network Interface Controller  Integrated network interface chip 3Com® 3C920 10/100-BASETX PCI bus master Ethernet Integrated Modem DataFax Modem Worldwide 56-Kbps v.90 Lucent 1646 controllerless Data Access Arrangement (DAA) modem. For more information, see the online documentation for the modem.
  • Page 76 Input frequency 50 to 60 Hz Output current 2.64 A (maximum) Rated output voltage 19.0 VDC Height 29 mm (1.14 inches) Width 46.3 mm (1.82 inches) Depth 108 mm (4.25  inches) Weight (with cables) 355 g (0.78 lb) Temperature range: Operating 0° to 40°C (32° to 104°F) Storage –20° to 60°C (–4° to 140°F) Physical Height...
  • Page 77 NOTES:  1 The Dell Latitude L400 computer supports only 100-MHz SDRAM SODIMMs. It does not support EDO memory modules.  2 Battery performance features such as charge time and life span can vary according to the conditions under which the computer and battery are used.
  • Page 78 Back to Contents Page Setup and Operation: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide AC Adapter PC Cards Batteries Touch Pad Display Securing Your Computer Media Options Connecting External Devices Keyboard Back to Contents Page...
  • Page 79 Back to Contents Page Touch Pad: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Using the Touch Pad Customizing the Touch Pad Cleaning the Touch Pad and Display Using the Touch Pad The touch pad (see Figure 1) detects the position of your finger over a touch-sensitive area and provides the computer full mouse functionality. The touch pad’s two buttons correspond to the left and right buttons on a standard mouse.
  • Page 80 If the touch pad or display become smudged from use, it can be cleaned using a soft, clean cloth slightly dampened with water. Always turn off the computer before cleaning the display or touch pad. To clean the touch pad, stroke the cloth gently across the surface of the touch pad. Do not allow water from the cloth to seep between the touch pad and the top cover of the computer.
  • Page 81 If possible, give the name of the investigating officer. The Dell support technician will log your report under the computer’s service tag and flag the computer as missing or stolen. If someone calls Dell for technical assistance and gives your service tag, the computer is identified automatically as missing or stolen. The technician will attempt to get the phone number and address of the caller.
  • Page 82 5. Make sure that there is nothing on the keyboard and palmrest that can damage the display when you close it. Then close the display. 6. Pack all your computing accessories. With an optional Dell carrying case, you can pack the computer and its accessories together. A lightweight portfolio travel case without storage space is also available.
  • Page 83 NOTICE: Carefully handle the hard-disk drive only by its carrier; do not touch the drive itself. The drive comes in a metal carrier for protection and easy installation. The drive is vulnerable to static electricity and scratches when outside the computer because the drive carrier protects only the sides of the drive, leaving the top and bottom of the drive exposed.
  • Page 84 Back to Contents Page Troubleshooting Your Computer: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide Dell Diagnostics Error Messages, IRQs, and Memory Assignments Back to Contents Page...