LegacySelect technology control offers legacy-full, legacy-reduced, or legacy-free solutions based on common platforms, hard-drive images, and help desk procedures. Control is provided to the administrator through system setup, Dell OpenManage™ IT Assistant, or Dell™ custom factory integration.
LegacySelect allows administrators to electronically activate or deactivate connectors and media devices that include serial and USB connectors, a parallel connector, a floppy drive, PCI slots, and a PS/2 mouse. Connectors and media devices that are deactivated make resources available. You must restart the computer to effect the changes.
Manageability
Dell OpenManage IT Assistant
IT Assistant configures, manages, and monitors computers and other devices on a corporate network. IT Assistant manages assets, configurations, events (alerts), and security for computers equipped with industry-standard management software. It supports instrumentation that conforms to SNMP, DMI, and CIM industry standards.
Dell OpenManage Client instrumentation, which is based on DMI and CIM, is available for your computer. For information on IT Assistant, see the Dell OpenManage IT Assistant User's Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation
Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation is software that enables remote management programs such as IT Assistant to do the following:
Access information about your computer, such as how many processors it has and what operating system it is running
Monitor the status of your computer, such as listening for thermal alerts from temperature probes or hard-drive failure alerts from storage devices
Change the state of your computer, such as updating its BIOS or shutting it down remotely
For information about Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation, see the Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation User's Guide available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
Security
Security Cable Slot
Attach a commercially available antitheft device to the security cable slot on the back of the computer.
NOTE: Before you purchase an antitheft device, make sure that it works with the security cable
slot on your computer.
Antitheft devices usually include a segment of metal-stranded cable with an attached locking device and key. Dell recommends that you use a Kensington lock. The documentation that comes with the device contains instructions for installing it.
Password Protection
NOTICE: Although passwords provide security for the data on your computer, they are not
foolproof. If your data requires more security, it is your responsibility to obtain and use
additional forms of protection, such as data encryption programs.
System Password
NOTICE: If you leave your computer running and unattended without having a system
password assigned, or if you leave your computer unlocked so that someone can disable the
password by changing a jumper setting, anyone can access the data stored on your hard drive.
Option Settings
You cannot change or enter a new system password if either of the following two options is displayed:
Enabled — A system password is assigned.
Disabled — The system password is disabled by a jumper setting on the system board.
You can only assign a system password when the following option is displayed:
Not Enabled — No system password is assigned and the password jumper on the system board is in the enabled position (the default).
Assigning a System Password
To escape from the field without assigning a system password, press <Tab> or the <Shift><Tab> key combination to move to another field, or press <Esc> at any time before you complete step 5.
Highlight SystemPassword, and then press the left- or right-arrow key.
The option heading changes to EnterPassword, followed by an empty 32-character field in square brackets.
Type your new system password.
You can use up to 32 characters. To erase a character when entering your password, press <Backspace> or the left-arrow key. The password is not case sensitive.
Certain key combinations are not valid. If you enter one of these combinations, the speaker emits a beep.
As you press each character key (or the spacebar for a blank space), a placeholder appears in the field.
Press <Enter>.
If the new system password is less than 32 characters, the whole field fills with placeholders. Then the option heading changes to Verify Password, followed by another empty 32-character field in square brackets.
To confirm your password, type it a second time and press <Enter>.
The password setting changes to Enabled.
Exit system setup.
Password protection takes effect when you restart the computer.
Typing Your System Password
When you start or restart your computer, one of the following prompts appears on the screen.
If Password Status is set to Unlocked:
Type in the password and
- press <ENTER> to leave password security enabled.
- press <CTRL><ENTER> to disable password security.
Enter password:
If PasswordStatus is set to Locked:
Type the password and press <Enter>.
If you have assigned a setup password, the computer accepts your setup password as an alternate system password.
If you type a wrong or incomplete system password, the following message appears on the screen:
** Incorrect password. **
If you again type an incorrect or incomplete system password, the same message appears on the screen. The third and subsequent times you type an incorrect or incomplete system password, the computer displays the following message:
** Incorrect password. **
Number of unsuccessful password attempts: 3
System halted! Must power down.
Even after your computer is turned off and on, the previous message is displayed each time you type an incorrect or incomplete system password.
NOTE: You can use Password Status in conjunction with System Password and Setup Password
to further protect your computer from unauthorized changes.
Press <Ctrl><Enter> to disable the existing system password.
Confirm that Not Enabled is displayed for the System Password option.
If Not Enabled is displayed, the system password is deleted. If Not Enabled is not displayed, press <Alt><b> to restart the computer, and then repeat step 3 through step 5.
Enabled — Does not allow assignment of setup passwords; users must enter a setup password to make changes to system setup
Not Enabled — Allows assignment of setup passwords; password feature is enabled but no password is assigned
Assigning a Setup Password
The setup password can be the same as the system password.
NOTE: If the two passwords are different, the setup password can be used as an alternate
system password. However, the system password cannot be used in place of the setup password.
Enter system setup and verify that Setup Password is set to Not Enabled.
Highlight Setup Password and press the left- or right-arrow key.
The computer prompts you to type and verify the password. If a character is not permitted, the computer emits a beep.
Type and then verify the password.
After you verify the password, the Setup Password setting changes to Enabled. The next time you enter system setup, the computer prompts you for the setup password.
Exit system setup.
A change to Setup Password becomes effective immediately (no need to restart the computer).
Operating Your Computer With a Setup Password Enabled
When you enter system setup, the Setup Password option is highlighted, prompting you to type the password.
If you do not type the correct password, the computer lets you view, but not modify, system setup options.
NOTE: You can use Password Status in conjunction with Setup Password to protect the system
password from unauthorized changes.
Deleting or Changing an Existing Setup Password
To change an existing setup password, you must know the setup password.
NOTICE: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground yourself by touching an
unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the computer. While you work,
periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to dissipate any static electricity that could harm
internal components.
Remove the jumper from the connector labeled "CLEAR PASSWORD."
NOTICE: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground yourself by touching an
unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the computer. While you work,
periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to dissipate any static electricity that could harm
internal components.
Replace the CLEAR PASSWORD jumper plug.
Replace the computer cover and reconnect the computer and devices to electrical
outlets and turn them on.
This reenables the password feature. When you enter system setup, both password options appear as Not Enabled—the password feature is enabled but no password is assigned.
Assign a new system and/or setup password.
System Setup
Use system setup settings as follows:
To set user-selectable options such as date and time or system password
To read the current amount of memory or set the type of hard drive installed
Print the system setup screens (by pressing <Print Screen>) or record the information for future reference.
Before you use system setup, you must know the kind of floppy drive(s) and hard drive(s) installed in your computer. To confirm this information, see the Manufacturing Test Report that came with your computer, or find this information in the online Dell Accessories folder.
Entering System Setup
Turn on or restart your computer.
When Press<F2> to Enter Setup appears in the upper-right corner of the screen,
press <F2> 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 through the Start menu and try again.
NOTE: To ensure an orderly computer shutdown, see the documentation that came with your
operating system.
System Setup Screens
System setup screens display current configuration information for your computer. Information on the screen is organized into four areas:
Title — The box at the top of all screens that lists the computer name.
Computer data — Two boxes below the title box that display your computer processor, L2 cache, service tag, and the version number of the BIOS.
Options — A scrollable box listing options that define the configuration of your computer, including installed hardware, power conservation, and security features.
Fields to the right of the option titles contain settings or values. The fields that you can change appear bright on the screen. The fields that you cannot change (because they are set by the computer) appear less bright. When <Enter> appears to the right of an option title, press <Enter> to access a popup menu of additional options.
Key functions — A line of boxes across the bottom of all screens that lists keys and their functions within system setup.
System Setup Navigation Keys
Keys
Action
Moves to the next field.
Moves to the previous field.
Cycles through the options in a field. In many fields, you can also type the appropriate value.
Scrolls through help information.
Enters the selected field's popup options menu.
spacebar or
In the selected field's popup options menu, cycles through the options in a field.
Exits system setup without restarting the computer and returns the computer to the boot routine.
Exits system setup and restarts the computer, implementing any changes you have made.
Resets the selected option to the default.
Restores all system settings to the default configuration.
Boot Sequence
This feature allows users to change the sequence of devices from which the computer boots.
Option Settings
Normal — (Available only for the current boot process) The computer attempts to boot from the sequence of devices specified in system setup.
Diskette Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the floppy drive. If the floppy disk in the drive is not bootable, or if no floppy disk is in the drive, the computer generates an error message.
Hard Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the primary hard drive. If no operating system is on the drive, the computer generates an error message.
CD Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the CD drive. If no CD is in the drive, or if the CD has no operating system, the computer generates an error message.
PXE — (Available only for the future boot process) As the computer boots, it prompts the user to press <Ctrl><Alt><b>. Pressing this key combination causes a menu to display that allows you to select a method for booting from a network server. If a boot routine is not available from the network server, the system attempts to boot from the next device in the boot sequence list.
USB Flash Device — Insert the memory device into a USB port and restart the computer. When F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press <F12>. The BIOS detects the device and adds the USB flash option to the boot menu.
NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To make sure your device is
bootable, check the device documentation.
Changing Boot Sequence for the Current Boot
You can use this feature, for example, to tell the computer to boot from the CD drive so you can run the Dell Diagnostics, but specify that the computer boots from the hard drive when the diagnostic tests are complete.
Turn on or restart your computer.
When F2 = Setup, F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the
screen, press <F12>.
If you wait too long and the Windows logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Windows desktop. Then shut down your computer through the Start menu and try again.
NOTE: To ensure an orderly computer shutdown, consult the documentation that came with
your operating system.
The Boot Device Menu appears, listing all available boot devices. Each device has a number next to it. At the bottom of the menu, enter the number of the device that is to be used for the current boot only.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the Boot Sequence menu option and press <Enter>
to access the popup menu.
NOTE: Write down your current boot sequence in case you want to restore it.
Press the up- and down-arrow keys to move through the list of devices.
Press the spacebar to enable or disable a device (enabled devices have a checkmark).
Press the plus (+) or minus (–) keys to move a selected device up or down the list.
System Setup Options
NOTE: Depending on your computer and installed devices, all of the items listed in the section
may or may not appear.
Drive Configuration
Diskette Drive A — Identifies the floppy drive attached to the DSKT connector on the system board. With the standard cabling configuration, Diskette Drive A (the boot floppy drive) is the 3.5-inch floppy drive installed in the bottom drive bay. The two options are 3.5 Inch, 1.44 MB and Not Installed.
Tape drives are not reflected in the Diskette Drive A option. For example, if a single floppy drive and a tape drive are attached to the floppy drive interface cable, set Diskette Drive A to 3.5 Inch, 1.44 MB.
Primary Drive 0 — Identifies the IDE hard drive attached to the IDE1 connector on the system board.
Primary Drive 1 — Identifies the IDE device attached to the IDE2 connector on the system board.
Secondary Drive 0 — Identifies the device that is cabled with the drive on the IDE1 data cable.
Secondary Drive 1 — Identifies the device that is cabled with the device on the IDE2 data cable.
IDE Drive UDMA — Sets the mode for all installed hard drives.
NOTE: You must have an IDE device connected to the primary IDE interface if
you have an IDE device connected to the secondary IDE interface.
Hard-Disk Drive Sequence — If you insert a boot device and reboot, this option will appear in your system setup menu.
System BIOS boot device
USB Device
NOTE: To boot from a USB memory device, select the USB device and move it
to make it the first device in the list.
Boot Sequence — See "Boot Sequence" for more information on this option.
Memory Information — Indicates amount of installed memory, computer memory speed, amount of video memory, and size of the display cache.
CPU Information
CPU Speed — The processor speed at which the computer boots.
Press the left- or right-arrow key to toggle the CPU Speed option between the resident microprocessor's rated speed (the default) and a lower-compatibility speed. A change to this option takes effect immediately (no restart is necessary).
To toggle between the rated processor speed and the compatibility speed while the computer is running in real mode, press <Ctrl><Alt><\>. (For keyboards that do not use American English, press <Ctrl><Alt><#>.)
Bus Speed — Thespeed of the microprocessor's system bus.
Processor ID — Themanufacturer's identification code(s) for the installed microprocessor.
Clock Speed — The core speed at which the microprocessor(s) operates.
Cache Size — The size of the microprocessor's L2 cache.
Integrated Devices (Legacy Select Options) — Configures the following devices integrated with the system board:
Sound —The settings are On (default) or Off.
Network Interface Controller —The settings are On (default), Off, or On w/ PXE.
Mouse Port — The settings are On (default) or Off.
USB Emulation —The settings are On (default) and Off.
USB Controller — The settings are On (default) or Off.
PCI Slots — The settings are Enabled (default) and Disabled.
Parallel Port — The settings are Mode, I/O Address, and DMA
Channel.
Mode settings are PS/2 (default), EPP, ECP, AT, or Off. Set the Mode option according to the type of device connected to the parallel connector. To determine the correct mode to use, see the documentation that came with the device.
I/O Address settings are 378h (default), 278h, or 3BCh. The settings are not available when Mode is set to Off.
NOTE: You cannot set the parallel connector to 3BCh if Mode is set to EPP.
DMA Channel appears only when Mode is set to ECP. Settings are DMA 1, DMA 3, or Off.
Diskette Interface — The settings are Auto (default), Read Only, and Off.
Auto turns off the integrated floppy drive controller when necessary to accommodate a controller card installed in an expansion slot.
Read Only prevents the computer's integrated floppy drive controller from writing to floppy drives and activates Auto.
PC Speaker — The settings are On (default) and
Off.
Primary Video Controller — The settings are Auto (default) and Onboard.
Onboard Video Buffer — The settings are
1 MB (default) and 8 MB.
AC Power Recovery — Determines what happens when AC power is restored to the computer.
Off (default) — The computer remains off when AC power is restored.
On — The computer starts when AC power is restored.
Last — The computer returns to the AC power state existing at the time that AC power was lost
Low Power Mode — The settings are Enabled and
Disabled.
System Security — See "Security" for more information.
Keyboard NumLock — The settings are On and Off (does not apply to 84-key keyboards).
On (default) — activates the rightmost bank of keys so they provide the mathematical and numeric functions shown at the top of each key.
Off — activates the rightmost bank of keys so they provide cursor-control functions shown by the label on the bottom of each key.
Auto Power On — Sets time and days of week to automatically turn on the computer. Choices are every day or every Monday through Friday.
Time is kept in a 24-hour format (hours:minutes). Change the start-up time by pressing the right- or left-arrow keys to increase or decrease the numbers or type numbers in both the date and time fields.
Disabled is the default.
This feature does not work if you turn off your computer using a power strip or surge protector.
Fastboot
On (default) — Your computer boots in 10 seconds or less, skipping certain configurations and tests.
Off — Your computer does not skip certain configurations and tests during the boot process.
Hard Drive Acoustics Mode
The acoustics mode field may contain the following options:
Quiet (default) — The hard drive operates in its quietest setting.
Performance — The hard drive operates at its maximum speed.
NOTE: Switching to Performance mode may cause the drive to be noisier, but its
performance is not affected.
Bypass — Your computer does not test or change the current acoustics mode setting.
Suggested — The hard drive operates at the level suggested by the hard-drive manufacturer.
NOTE: Changing the acoustics setting does not alter your hard-drive image.
Asset Tag — Displays the customer-programmable asset tag number for the computer if an asset tag number is assigned.
Booting to a USB Device
NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To ensure that your device is
bootable, check the device documentation.
Memory Key
Insert the memory key into a USB port and restart the computer.
When F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press
<F12>.
The BIOS detects the device and adds the USB flash option to the boot menu.
From the boot menu, select the number that appears next to the USB device.
The computer boots to the USB device.
Floppy Drive
Disable the integrated floppy controller by entering system setup, going to integrated
devices, and setting the diskette interface to Off.
Make sure that under Drive Configuration, Diskette Drive A is set to 3.5 inch, 1.44
MB.
Connect the USB floppy drive, insert a bootable diskette, and reboot the system.
Jumper Settings
NOTICE: Ensure that your computer is turned off and unplugged before you change the jumper
settings. Otherwise, damage to your computer or unpredictable results can occur.
NOTICE: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground yourself by touching an
unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the computer. While you work,
periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to dissipate any static electricity that could harm
internal components.
To change a jumper setting, pull the plug off its pin(s) and carefully fit it down onto the pin(s) indicated.
Jumper
Setting
Description
CLEAR PASSWORD
(default)
Password features are enabled.
Password features are disabled.
CLEAR CMOS
Real-time clock reset.
jumpered
unjumpered
Power Button
NOTICE: To turn off your computer, perform an orderly computer shutdown when possible.
You can use the ACPI feature to configure the function of Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.
Power Button Functions With ACPI Enabled
Action
Results
Computer Turned On and ACPI Enabled
Computer in Standby Mode
Computer Turned Off
Press power button
Computer goes into standby mode or turns off (depending on the operating system setup)
Computer turns on
Boots and computer turns on
Hold power button for 6 seconds
Computer turns off
Computer turns off
Boots and computer turns on
NOTE: Pressing or holding the power button to shut down the computer may
result in data loss. Use the power button to shut down the computer only if the
operating system is not responding.
Power Button Functions With ACPI Disabled
Action
Results
Computer Turned On and ACPI Disabled
Computer in Suspend Mode
Computer Turned Off
Press power button
Computer turns off immediately
Computer turns off immediately
Boots and computer turns on
Hold power button for 6 seconds
Computer turns off
Computer turns off immediately
Boots and computer turns on
NOTE: Pressing or holding the power button to shut down the computer may
result in data loss. Use the power button to shut down the computer only if the
operating system is not responding.
Power Management
Your computer can be set to use less power when you are not working. You control the power usage through the operating system installed on your computer and certain option settings in system setup. These periods of reduced power are called "sleep states":
Standby—In this sleep state, power is reduced or turned off for most components, including the cooling fans. However, system memory remains active.
NOTE: All components installed in the computer must support this feature and have the
appropriate drivers loaded to enter standby. For more information, see the manufacturer's
documentation for each component.
Hibernate—This sleep state reduces power consumption to a minimum by writing all data in system memory to a hard drive and then removing system power. Waking up from this state restarts the computer, and the memory contents are restored. Operation then resumes where the computer left off when it entered the hibernation state.
NOTE: All components installed in the computer must support this feature and have the
appropriate drivers loaded to enter hibernation. For more information, see the manufacturer's
documentation for each component.
Shutdown—This sleep state removes all power from the computer except a small auxiliary amount. As long as the computer remains connected to an electrical outlet, it can be automatically or remotely started. For example, the
Auto Power On option in system setup allows the computer to automatically start at a specified time. Also, your network administrator can remotely start your computer using a power management event such as Remote Wake Up.
The following table lists the sleep states and the methods you can use to wake the computer from each state.
Sleep State
Wake-Up Methods (Windows 2000 and XP)
Standby
Press the power button
Auto power on
Move or click the mouse
Type on the keyboard
USB device activity
Power management event
Hibernate
Press the power button
Auto power on
Power management event
Shutdown
Press the power button
Auto power on
Power management event
NOTE: For more information on power management, see your operating system documentation.
(default)
jumpered 
unjumpered