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Removing and Replacing Parts: Dell Dimension XPS Txxx and Txxxr Systems Reference
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Removing and Replacing Parts: Dell Dimension XPS Txxx and Txxxr
Systems Reference
Overview Precautionary
Measures Recommended Tools Cover and Support Beam Bezel
Drive Cage 3.5-Inch
Front-Panel Insert 5.25-Inch Front-Panel Insert
Upper 3.5-Inch Drive Lower 3.5-Inch Drive 3.5-Inch Diskette Drive 5.25-Inch Drive Primary
Hard-Disk Drive Secondary Hard-Disk Drive
Power Supply Chassis Cooling-Fan Assembly Card Guide Assembly Control
Panel Board Expansion Cards DIMMs SECC2
Package and Heat Sink Assembly Battery System Board
Unless otherwise noted, each of the following procedures assumes:
removed the
computer cover.
You can replace or reinstall a part by performing the removal procedure in reverse
order.
Before you remove or replace parts in the system, read the following caution for your
personal safety and to prevent damage to the system from ESD.
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CAUTION FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY
AND PROTECTION OF THE EQUIPMENT: Before you start to work on the
system, perform the following steps in the sequence listed:
Turn off your computer and all
devices.
Ground yourself by touching an
unpainted metal surface at the back of the computer before touching anything inside your
computer.
While you work, periodically
touch an unpainted metal surface on the computer to dissipate any static electricity that
might harm internal components.
Disconnect
any devices connected to the computer, including the monitor, from their electrical
outlets to reduce the potential for personal injury or shock. Also, disconnect any
telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer.
Disconnect
the power cable to your computer, and then press the power
button to ground the system board.
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After you remove or replace parts in the system, observe the following notice to
prevent damage to the system.
NOTICE: Make sure all other system cables are connected
before connecting the computer to its electrical outlet.
- Small flat-blade screwdriver
- Wide flat-blade screwdriver
- #1 and #2 Phillips-head screwdrivers
- 1/4-inch nut driver
- Tweezers or long-nose pliers
- Wrist grounding strap

| 1 |
Cover-mounting thumbscrew |
| 2 |
Chassis foot |
| 3 |
Cover release latches (2) |
To remove the computer cover and support beam from a desktop or mini tower system,
perform the following steps:
- If you are working on a mini tower system, lay the computer on its right side with the
chassis foot off the edge of the work surface to allow the computer to lay flat as shown
in the illustration above.
- Loosen the cover-mounting thumbscrew that secures the cover to the back of the computer.
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NOTE: The thumbscrew is captive and stays in the
cover when loosened. |
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CAUTION: To prevent cuts,
keep your hands clear of the metal edges on the chassis and fan guard as you slide the
cover back. |
- Face the front of the chassis. Use your thumbs to press in both cover release latches
while pushing the cover backward. Move the cover back about an inch, and then lift it
straight up off the chassis. If necessary, use both hands and work one side at a time.
- Pull up the front end of the support beam until the front end snaps free from its
fastener. Lift the front of the beam until the hinged tabs on the back end of the beam
clear their slots as shown below.

| 1 |
Lock tab |
| 2 |
Fastener |
| 3 |
Support beam |
| 4 |
Slots (2) |
| 5 |
Hinged tabs (2) |
To replace the computer cover and support beam on a desktop or mini tower chassis,
perform the following steps:
- Slip the beams hinged tabs into their slots and lower the beam. Then place the
lock tab into its fastener, and press down on the front end of the beam until it snaps
into position.
- Position the cover on the chassis approximately one inch back. Slide the cover forward
until it locks into place.
- Tighten the cover-mounting thumbscrew on the back of the chassis.

To remove the bezel, perform the following
steps:
- With the cover removed, press in the tabs along the top and side of the bezel.
- Swing the bezel away from the chassis, disengage the hooks, and carefully pull the bezel
away from the chassis.

| 1 |
Drive cage |
| 2 |
Screw |
| 3 |
Drive-cage slots (6) |
| 4 |
Tabs (6) |
To remove the drive cage, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- Note the location and orientation of all cables attached to the
drives in the drive cage, then disconnect the cables.
- Remove the screw that secures the drive cage to the chassis.
- Slide the drive cage forward approximately 1/2-inch, then lift it up
(to the side for the desktop chassis) and away from the chassis.
The side of the chassis contains three detents that secure the drive cage to the side of
the chassis. The drive cage may be slightly difficult to slide forward until it detaches
from these detents.

To remove a 3.5-inch insert, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- From the back of the bezel, as shown for the mini tower chassis, press the release tab
to the side, rotate the insert toward you, and remove it from the bezel.
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NOTE: For mini tower computers, you must remove the
upper insert to remove the lower insert. |

| 1 |
Tabs (2) |
| 2 |
Front-panel insert |
| 3 |
Retaining hook |
The insert for the lower 5.25-inch bay is mounted to the drive cage. Press in the two
tabs on the right side, and rotate the insert toward you until the retaining hook
disengages from the drive cage.
Reinstall the insert by fitting the hook into the slot on the left side of the drive
cage, rotating the insert into place, and snapping the tabs on the right side of the
insert into the slots in the drive cage.

| 1 |
Drive-bracket mounting screw |
| 2 |
Drive assembly screws (3) |
| 3 |
Drive bracket |
To remove the upper 3.5-inch drive, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- Remove the drive cage.
- Remove the 6/32 x 1/4-inch screw securing the drive bracket to the drive cage, and then
remove the bracket as shown.
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NOTES: The three screws that secure the drive to the
bracket and the left side of the drive cage have 3-millimeter (mm) threads. Be sure to use
the correct 3 x 5-mm screws when you secure the replacement drive to the bracket and the
drive cage. Also note which 6/32 x 1/4-inch screw was
used to secure the drive bracket to the drive cage in step 3, and use the same screw when
you reinstall the bracket with its attached drive. |
When you replace a drive, be sure to set the jumpers on the replacement drive to match
the jumpers on the drive you removed. For additional information about jumper settings on
enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) drives, see EIDE Subsystem.
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NOTE: This drive bay is used only in mini tower systems. |

| 1 |
Drive-mounting screws (3) |
To remove the lower 3.5-inch drive, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- Remove the drive cage.
- Remove the three drive-mounting screws, one from the bottom and two from the left side.
- Slide the drive out of the drive cage.
When you replace a drive, set the jumpers on the replacement drive to match the jumpers
on the drive you removed. For additional information about jumper settings on EIDE drives,
see EIDE Subsystem.
To insert the bottom drive back into the bay, you must slide the drive over the two
small grooves on the bottom of the bay.

To remove the 3.5-inch diskette drive, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- Disconnect the power and interface cables from the back of the diskette drive.
- Press the two drive-release tabs, and slide the drive out of the drive bay.
Before you install the new drive, transfer the drive-release tabs to the replacement
diskette drive.

| 1 |
Drive-mounting screws (3) |
To remove the 5.25-inch drive, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- Remove the drive cage.
- Remove the three drive-mounting screws, and slide the drive out of the drive bay.
When you replace a drive, set the jumpers on the replacement drive to match the jumpers
on the drive you removed. For additional information about jumper settings on EIDE drives,
see EIDE Subsystem.

| 1 |
Primary hard-disk drive |
| 2 |
Card guide assembly |
| 3 |
Drive-assembly mounting screws (2) |
To remove the primary hard-disk drive, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- Remove the two drive-assembly mounting screws.
- Lift the primary hard-disk drive out of the card guide assembly.
- Disconnect the DC power and interface cables from the back of the drive.
To reinstall the primary hard-disk drive, place the drive's circuit board toward the
front of the chassis.
When you replace a hard-disk drive, set the jumpers on the replacement drive to match
the jumpers on the drive you removed. For additional information about jumper settings on
EIDE drives, see EIDE Subsystem.

| 1 |
Secondary hard-disk drive assembly |
| 2 |
Card guide assembly |
| 3 |
Drive-assembly mounting screws (2) |
To remove the secondary hard-disk drive, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- Disconnect the DC power and interface cables from the back of the drive.
- Remove the two drive-assembly mounting screws.
- Slide the hard-disk drive assembly toward the back of the chassis and lift it out.
- Remove the drive from the drive bracket by removing the screw securing the drive to the
bracket, and rotating the drive out of the bracket.

| 1 |
Screw |
| 2 |
Drive bracket |
| 3 |
Tabs (2) |
| 4 |
Secondary hard-disk drive |
When you replace a hard-disk drive, set the jumpers on the replacement drive to match
the jumpers on the drive you removed. For additional information about jumper settings on
EIDE drives, see EIDE Subsystem.
As you insert the replacement hard-disk drive into the drive bracket, make sure that
the two bracket tabs fit into the mounting holes on the side of the drive.
When you reinstall the hard-disk drive assembly, make sure that the rails on the
assembly slide into the grooves of the card guide assembly.

| 1 |
Power-supply mounting screws (2) |
| 2 |
Power supply |
To remove the power supply, perform the following steps:
- Disconnect the AC power cable from the power supply.
- Disconnect the DC power cables from the POWER and 3.3 connectors on the system board.
- Disconnect the DC power cables from all the drives.
- Remove the two power-supply mounting screws from the back of the chassis.
- Lift the power supply out of the chassis.

| 1 |
Chassis cooling-fan assembly |
| 2 |
J7M1 connector |
| 3 |
Release buttons |
To remove the chassis cooling-fan assembly, perform the following steps:
- Disconnect the chassis cooling-fan cable from the
J7M1 connector on the system
board.
- While you push the fan assembly upward, press the two release buttons on the back of the
chassis and lift the fan assembly out of the chassis.

| 1 |
Card guide assembly |
| 2 |
Mounting tabs (4) |
| 3 |
J8H1 connector |
| 4 |
Tab |
To remove the card guide assembly, perform the following steps:
- Disconnect any cables connected to full-length expansion cards, and
remove these expansion cards.
- Remove the 3.5-inch diskette
drive.
- Remove the primary hard-disk
drive.
- Remove the secondary hard-disk
drive if one is present.
- Disconnect the control panel cable from the
J8H1 connector on the system
board.
- Press the four mounting tabs that secure the card guide assembly to the front panel, and
press on the tab at the back of the card guide assembly.
- Lift the card guide assembly, including the control panel cable, out of the chassis.

| 1 |
Control panel board |
| 2 |
Mounting tab |
| 3 |
Card guide assembly |
To remove the control panel board, perform the following steps:
- Remove the bezel.
- Remove the card guide assembly.
- Press the mounting tab to release the control panel board from the card guide assembly,
and remove the control panel board.

| 1 |
Retaining screw |
| 2 |
Expansion card |
| 3 |
Card guide assembly |
| 4 |
Expansion card connector |
| 5 |
Card-edge connector |
| 6 |
Card-mounting bracket |
To remove an expansion card, perform the following steps:
- Disconnect any cables from the expansion card.
- Remove the retaining screw from the card-mounting bracket.
- Grasp the expansion card by its corners, and carefully pull it out of its expansion-card
connector.

To remove a dual in-line memory module (DIMM), press down and out on the securing clips
at each end of the socket. The DIMM should pop up allowing you to lift it out of the
socket.

| 1 |
Cutout |
| 2 |
Securing tabs (2) |
| 3 |
Crossbars in central groove of socket (2) |
To install a DIMM, perform the following steps:
- Orient the DIMM so that the cutouts on its edge connector align with the crossbars in
the central groove of the socket.
- Insert the DIMM straight down into the socket, making sure that it fits into the
vertical guides at each end of the socket.
- Press firmly until the DIMM snaps into place.
NOTICE: Do not press near the middle of the DIMM. Doing so
may break the module.

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NOTE: Your system only
supports 100-megahertz (MHz) DIMMs. To support error checking and correction (ECC), all
installed DIMMs must be ECC-capable. Note that ECC DIMMs have an odd number of memory
chips on the module and non-ECC DIMMs have an even number of chips. |
If you have inserted the DIMM correctly, the securing tabs at each end of the socket
snap into the cutouts at each end of the DIMM.

| 1 |
Shroud |
| 2 |
SECC2 package |
| 3 |
Heat sink |
| 4 |
Guide bracket assembly |
| 5 |
Guide-bracket assembly latch |
| 6 |
Fan assembly |
| 7 |
Fan shroud tabs (2) |
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CAUTION:
The single-edge contact cartridge 2 (SECC2) package and heat sink can get extremely hot
during system operation. Be sure that the assembly has had sufficient time to cool before
you touch it. |
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CAUTION: When handling
the SECC2 package and heat sink assembly, take care to avoid sharp edges on the heat sink. |
To reseat the SECC2 package and heat sink assembly, perform the following steps:
- Remove the computer cover
and support beam.
- Remove the fan shroud by pressing its two tabs and gently
lifting the shroud until it clears the fan and guide bracket assemblies. Set the fan
shroud aside.
- Gently pull out the guide-bracket assembly latch, grasp the
SECC2 package firmly, and pull straight up to remove it from the guide bracket assembly.
You must use up to 15 pounds of force to disengage the SECC2 package from the connector.
Do not rock the package while removing it.
- Slide the SECC2 package into the guide bracket assembly,
with the heat sink toward the front of the computer, and firmly seat the SECC2 package.
You must use up to 25 pounds of force to seat the SECC2 package. Do not rock the package
while inserting it into the connector.
- Place the fan shroud over the fan assembly and the guide
bracket assembly. Then gently press down the shroud until the two fan shroud tabs snap
into the two slots on top of the fan assembly.
- Replace the computer cover and support beam, and reconnect
the system to an electrical outlet.
- Insert a diskette copy of the Dell Diagnostics into the
diskette drive and restart the system. Run the System Set test group in
the Dell Diagnostics.
If the tests do not complete successfully, refer to Chapter 7, "Getting Help,"
in the Dell Dimension XPS Txxx and Txxxr Systems Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.

| 1 |
Battery |
| 2 |
Battery socket (BT7C1) |
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CAUTION: There is a danger of the
new battery exploding if it is incorrectly installed. Replace the battery only with the
same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Discard used batteries according
to the manufacturer's instructions. |
To remove the 3-volt (V), CR2032 coin-cell battery, perform the following steps:
- If possible, enter the
system setup program, and print
(by pressing the <Print Screen> key) or copy the system configuration information
from the system setup screens.
- Remove the computer cover and
support beam.
- Pry the battery out of its socket (BT7C1) with your fingers or with a blunt,
nonconductive object such as a plastic screwdriver.
To replace the battery, perform the following steps:
- Install the new battery with the "+" side facing up.
- Start the
system setup program, and
reset the System
Date and System Time settings.
- Compare the system configuration settings and restore any system configuration
information that was lost when you replaced the battery.

| 1 |
3.5-inch diskette drive |
| 2 |
Secondary hard-disk drive bracket |
| 3 |
System board |
| 4 |
I/O gasket |
- If possible, enter the
system setup
program and print the system setup screens by pressing the <Print Screen> key
before you turn off the computer because you will have to restore the configuration
information after the system board is replaced.
- Disconnect any cables attached to the
input/output (I/O) panel on the back of the
computer.
- Disconnect any cables connected to expansion cards, and
remove these expansion cards.
- Disconnect all internal cables from the
system board.
- Remove the SECC2
package and heat sink assembly.
- Using a #2 Phillips-head screwdriver, loosen the four captive nuts securing the guide
bracket assembly for the SECC2 package to the system board.
- Remove the assembly from the four threaded posts as shown in the following figure.
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NOTE: The four nuts are captive and are retained in the assembly when loosened.
The screws are mounted on the system board. |

| 1 |
Captive nuts (4) |
| 2 |
Threaded posts (4) |
| 3 |
Key |
| 4 |
Guide bracket assembly |
- Remove the system-board mounting screw from the back of the computer, as shown in the
following figure.

| 1 |
System board-mounting bracket |
| 2 |
Mounting screw |
- Lift the system board from the three plastic standoffs that secure the system board to
the chassis.
- Carefully lift the system board out from the I/O gasket (see
System Board), and remove the board from the computer.
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NOTE: You may need to slide the board toward the front of the computer to clear the
hooked standoffs before you can lift the board from the computer. |
- Remove the mounting bracket from the back of the system board as shown in the following
figure.

| 1 |
System board-mounting bracket |
| 2 |
System board |
Before you install a replacement system board, perform the following steps:
- Install the guide bracket assembly for the SECC2 package. (The assembly is keyed for
correct insertion.)
- Install the SECC2 package and heat sink assembly.
- Transfer the DIMMs to the new system board.
When you install a replacement system board, angle the back of the board downward and
carefully align the connectors on the back edge of the board with the cutouts in the I/O
gasket (see System Board). When
properly aligned, the board connectors slide into the I/O gasket as you lower the board
into position in the chassis and reseat it on the three plastic standoffs. Replace the
system-board mounting screw.
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NOTE: The system-board mounting screw pulls the board
against the I/O gasket to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) leakage. |
After you install the replacement system board, replace the expansion cards that you
removed from the old system board.
When you reconnect the cables to a system board with integrated sound, connect the
CD-ROM drive audio cable to the connector nearest the back edge of the system board.
The middle audio connector may be used with a modem.
To configure the system after you install a replacement board, perform the
following steps:
- Install the jumper plug on pins 2 and 3 of
configuration jumper J8A1 to select
Maintenance mode.
- Replace the cover and support beam, and boot the system.
The computer automatically starts the system
setup program, adds the Maintenance option to the menu bar, and
displays the Maintenance screen.
- Select Clear All Passwords and press <Enter> twice.
- Press <F10> to exit the system setup program and save any changes you made.
- Turn off the system, remove the computer cover and support beam, and replace the jumper
plug on pins 1 and 2 of
configuration jumper J8A1 to select Normal
mode.
- Replace the cover and support beam and boot the system.
- Reenter the system setup program and reset the system configuration information.
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