User Guide

Technical Overview: Dell™ Inspiron™ 3800 System Reference

	System Features		IRQ Line Assignments
	Video		Memory

System Features

Figure 1. Front View of the Computer

Figure 2. Back View of the Computer

Hardware Features

• An Intel® mobile microprocessor incorporating the latest processor technology.

• An internal, Level 1 (L1) cache consisting of 64 kilobytes (KB) of high-speed memory that resides in the processor core. The microprocessor has either a 128-KB or 256-KB (integrated) Level 2 (L2) cache or a 512-KB pipelined-burst static random-access memory (SRAM) (external) L2 cache.

• A minimum of 32 megabytes (MB) of synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) system memory, with support for a maximum of 512 MB.

• A media bay in which you can install a variety of modules, including a diskette drive, CD-ROM drive, CD-RW drive, DVD-ROM drive (on computers running Microsoft® Windows® 98 Second Edition or Windows 2000), Zip drive, SuperDisk LS-120 drive, second battery, or a second hard-disk drive.

NOTES: Your computer was shipped with a diskette drive in the media bay. For information on removing the diskette drive and installing a different device in the bay, see "Using the Media Bay" in Chapter 2 of the Reference and Troubleshooting Guide. Because the Microsoft Windows NT® operating system does not support DVD technology, the DVD-ROM drive is available only on computers that use the Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows 2000 operating system.

• A 64-bit hardware-accelerated ATI Mobility-M video controller with 8 MB of video memory, accelerated graphics port (AGP) 2X, 3D assist, motion compensation, extended desktop, OpenGL support, and a flicker-free TV-out S-video connector.

• An active-matrix extended graphics array (XGA) or super extended graphics array (SXGA) thin-film transistor (TFT) color display.

• ESS Maestro-3I audio controller with hardware wavetable support and 3D surround sound.

• Integrated stereo speakers and microphone.

• Connectors for connecting external speakers, headphones, or an external microphone to the computer.

• A TV-out S-video connector and composite TV-out adapter cable that allows you to connect a television to your computer. You can obtain the latest video drivers on Dell's World Wide Web site at http://www.dell.com/filelib.

• Ultra direct memory access (DMA)/33 data transfer protocol for Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA)/integrated drive electronics (IDE) hard-disk drive interface. Ultra DMA/33 allows data transfer rates of up to 33 MB/second.

• An integrated keyboard that includes two special keys that support the Windows operating systems.

• A Personal System/2 (PS/2)-compatible touch pad that provides full mouse functionality. A set of left and right buttons, located below the touch pad, operate like the left and right buttons on a mouse. You can also perform many pointing functions by tapping the touch pad, which is positioned for both left- and right-handed users. Click-and-drag buttonless functions are also supported.

An optional Dell™ DualPoint™ integrated pointing device is available, which provides a track stick in addition to the PS/2-compatible touch pad. The DualPoint options also includes a second set of left and right buttons, located above the touch pad. The track stick controls the cursor on the display screen and is positioned in the keyboard to allow you to move the cursor while keeping your fingers in a typing position. You can also perform many pointing functions by tapping the track stick. Click-and-drag buttonless functions are also supported.

• Universal Serial Bus (USB) capability, which simplifies connecting peripheral devices such as mice, printers, and computer speakers. The USB port connector on your computer's back panel provides a single connection point for multiple USB-compliant devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, and computer speakers. Also, you can connect and disconnect USB-compliant devices while the computer is running.

NOTES: Microsoft Windows NT does not support USB functions. If you attach a USB device that was not included in your original system configuration, you may need to install a specific driver for that device to obtain its full functionality. Contact the USB device manufacturer for more information.

• A lithium-ion battery or nickel-metal hydride battery in the battery bay, with support for a second battery in the media bay. The Dell ExpressCharge™ technology charges a single lithium-ion battery in approximately 1 hour (when the computer is off or in save-to-disk suspend [S2D] mode).

• An Infrared Data Association (IrDA) 1.1-compliant infrared port that permits you to transfer files without connecting cables.

NOTE: Windows NT does not support IrDA.

• A PC Card slot with connectors for two 3.3-volt (V) or 5-V cards. Both PC Card connectors support CardBus technology. In addition, the lower PC Card connector (slot 0) supports the use of a zoomed video (ZV) port card.

NOTE: Windows NT does not support zoomed video functions.

• One high-performance serial port connector.

• One parallel port connector that can be set to AT, PS/2, or Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) mode.

• One PS/2 keyboard/mouse port connector.

• An integrated 56-kilobits per second (Kbps) v.90 modem with support for telephone hardware worldwide.

• One docking connector for the optional advanced port replicator (APR).

• Two security cable connectors to which you can attach a commercially available security cable to prevent unauthorized removal of the computer.

• Two power conservation modes—standby mode and save-to-disk suspend mode—that help you conserve battery power. If the batteries run out of power, save-to-disk suspend mode prevents data loss by copying all system data to the hard-disk drive and turning off the computer.

• An automatic thermal management system that uses a variable-speed fan and microprocessor speed changes to keep the computer running at the optimum temperature.

CAUTION: Do not allow your portable computer to operate with the base resting directly on exposed skin. With extended operation, heat can potentially build up in the base. Allowing sustained contact with the skin could cause discomfort, or eventually, a burn.

Software Features

• Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows 2000, or Windows NT operating system installed on your hard-disk drive.

• Virus-scanning software.

• A standard set of video drivers provided for supporting video resolutions greater than 640 x 480 pixels.

• Audio utilities for computers with integrated audio capabilities.

• Internal modem software capable of communicating up to a speed of 56K.

• DualPoint integrated pointing device software (for use with the optional Dell integrated pointing device), which allows you to set the default for the type of cursor pointing device that you want to use, as well as sensitivity, motion, and drag-and-drop features of both the touch pad and track stick.

• Optional software DVD decoder driver on computers that use the Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows 2000 operating system.

NOTE: Windows NT does not support the DVD decoder driver.

• Two power conservation modes—standby mode and save-to-disk suspend mode—that help you conserve battery power. If the batteries run out of power, save-to-disk suspend mode prevents data loss by copying all system data to the hard-disk drive and turning off the computer.

• The System Setup program for quickly viewing and changing system configuration information.

• Software support for the optional advanced port replicator (APR).

• Dell Diagnostics for evaluating the computer's components and devices. For information on using the diagnostics, refer to "Running the Dell Diagnostics" in Chapter 3 of the Reference and Troubleshooting Guide.

Customizing Your System Configuration

As the computer environment changes, you may want to use the System Setup program to customize the configuration of your computer. The System Setup program lets you control the hardware and software features of the computer. It also helps you reduce power consumption when the computer is running on battery power.

Available Options and Upgrades

• APRs

• Additional batteries

• External keyboards and a numeric keypad

• External monitors

• External pointing devices

• External speakers, headphones, and microphones

• Printers

• Hard-disk drives

• Second hard-disk drive for the media bay

• DVD-ROM drive modules

• SuperDisk LS-120 drive modules

• AC adapter

• PC Cards

• 32-, 64-, 128-, 192-, and 256-MB memory modules

• Carrying case

Instructions for connecting or installing these options are included in the upgrade kit you receive from Dell.

Video

The Dell-installed video drivers work with the operating system to let you customize the video resolution and number of screen colors on your display.

NOTE: The Dell-installed video drivers are designed to offer the best performance on your computer. Dell recommends that you use only these drivers with your factory-installed operating system.

Table 1 lists the combinations of resolutions and colors that the computer supports.

Table 1. Display Resolution, Colors, and Refresh Rates

*Pan mode may be turned on for the 1280 x 1024 (SXGA), 1400 x 1050 (SXGA Plus), and 1600 x 1200 (ultra graphics array [UGA]) computer displays. In pan mode, the screen resolution is too high to be completely displayed on the computer display. For example, the taskbar that usually appears at the bottom of the desktop may no longer be visible. To view the rest of the screen, use the touch pad or track stick to pan up and down and left and right. 

To display more colors, select a lower resolution. If you select a resolution and color combination that the system does not support, the system automatically selects the next supported combination.

NOTE: Color depth is based on 256 colors for 8-bit, 65,536 colors for 16-bit, 16,842,752 colors for 24-bit, and 4,294,967,296 colors for 32-bit displays.

To find the maximum color depth for various combinations of resolutions without DVD or 3D software, select the primary resolution in the first column in Table 2 and move across the row to the right under the corresponding second resolution.

Table 2. Display Resolution and Color Depth Without DVD and 3D Software Running (in Bits)

IRQ Line Assignments

Problems can arise if two devices attempt to use the same interrupt request (IRQ) line. To avoid this type of conflict, check the documentation for the default IRQ line setting for each installed device. Then consult Table 3 to configure the device for one of the available IRQ lines.

NOTE: Installed devices cannot share the same COM port address. The default address of your computer's serial port is COM1.

To view IRQ line assignments in Windows 98, click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. Select the Device Manager tab, and then double-click Computer.

To view IRQ line assignments in Windows 2000, click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. Select the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager. Click View, and then click Resources by connection. Double-click Interrupt request (IRQ) to view the IRQ assignments.

Table 3. IRQ Line Assignments

Memory

Memory Allocations

Table 4 provides a map of the conventional memory area. When the microprocessor or a program addresses a location within the conventional memory range, it is physically addressing a location in main memory.

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.

To view memory allocations in Windows NT, start the Windows NT Diagnostics in the Administrative Tools (Common) folder.

To view memory allocations in Windows 2000, click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.

Table 4. Conventional Memory Map

Table 5 provides a map of the upper memory area. Some of these addresses are dedicated to various system devices, such as the system/video basic input/output system (BIOS). Others are available for use by expansion cards and/or an expanded memory manager (EMM).

When the microprocessor or a program addresses a location within the upper memory area, it is physically addressing a location within one of these devices.

Table 5. Upper Memory Map

I/O Memory Map

Table 6 provides a map of memory addresses reserved by the system for peripheral I/O devices. Use the information in Table 6 to determine if the memory address of an external peripheral (such as a PC Card) conflicts with a memory address reserved by the computer.

Check the documentation of the external I/O device to determine its memory address. If there is a conflict with a memory address reserved by the computer, change the address of the device.

To view I/O addresses 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.

To view I/O addresses in Windows NT, start the Windows NT Diagnostics in the Administrative Tools (Common) folder.

To view I/O addresses in Windows 2000, click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.

Table 6. I/O Memory Map

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