Dell Inspiron 1521 Owner's Manual

Also see for Inspiron 1521: Service manual Quick setup Setting Up Your Computer Setting Up Your Computer Setting Up Your Computer

Contents

Dell Inspiron 1521 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 9 page image

Back to Contents PageAppendixDell™ Inspiron™ 1521 Owner's ManualUsing the System Setup ProgramCleaning Your ComputerDell Technical Support Policy (U.S. Only)FCC Notice (U.S. Only)Macrovision Product NoticeUsing the System Setup ProgramYou can use system setup as follows:l To set or change user-selectable features such as your computer passwordl To verify information about the computer's current configuration such as the amount of system memoryAfter you set up the computer, run system setup to familiarize yourself with your system configuration information and optional settings. You may want towrite down the information for future reference.The system setup screens display the current setup information and settings for your computer, such as:l System configurationl Boot orderl Boot (start-up) configurationl Basic device configuration settingsl System security and hard drive password settingsViewing the System Setup Screen1. Turn on (or restart) your computer.2. When the DELL logo appears, press immediately.If you wait too long and the Microsoft Windows logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop, then shut down your computer andtry again.System Setup ScreenOn each screen, the system setup options are listed at the left. To the right of each option is the setting or value for that option. You can change settings thatappear as white type on the screen. Options or values that you cannot change (because they are determined by the computer) appear less bright.The upper-right corner of the screen displays help information for the currently highlighted option; the lower-right corner displays information about thecomputer. System setup key functions are listed across the bottom of the screen.Commonly Used OptionsCertain options require that you reboot the computer for new settings to take effect.Changing the Boot SequenceThe boot sequence, or boot order, tells the computer where to look to find the software needed to start the operating system. You can control the bootsequence and enable/disable devices using the Boot Order page of the system setup program.NOTE: Your operating system may automatically configure most of the options available in system setup, thus overriding options that you set throughsystem setup. An exception is the External Hot Key option, which you can disable or enable only through system setup. For more information onconfiguring features for your operating system, see Windows Help and Support (click Start , and then click Help and Support).NOTE: Unless you are an expert computer user or are directed to do so by Dell technical support, do not change the system setup settings. Certainchanges might make your computer work incorrectly.NOTE: For information about a specific item on a system setup screen, highlight the item and see the Help area on the screen.