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Dell™ Dimension™ C521 Service Manual

 

Before You Begin 

 

About Your Computer 

 

Technical Overview 

 

Removing the Computer Cover 

 

Specifications 

 

Troubleshooting 

 

System Setup 

 

Removing and Installing Parts 

 

Replacing the Computer Cover 

 

Notes, Notices, and Cautions 

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. 

© 2006 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc.

 

is strictly forbidden. 

Trademarks used in this text: 

Dell

, the 

DELL

 logo, and 

Dimension 

are trademarks of Dell Inc.; 

AMD

, 

AMD Athlon

, and combinations thereof, 

Sempron

, and 

Cool 'n' Quiet

 are 

trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc; 

Microsoft

 and 

Windows

 are registered trademarks of Microsoft 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 Inc. disclaims any 
proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own. 

September 2006 Rev. A00

 

NOTE: 

A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. 

NOTICE: 

A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. 

 

CAUTION: 

A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. 

Summary of Contents for Dimension C521

Page 1: ...Inc AMD AMD Athlon and combinations thereof Sempron and Cool n Quiet are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices Inc Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft 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 Inc disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade name...

Page 2: ...s 8 LAN activity light This light indicates that a LAN Local Area Network connection is established 9 diagnostic lights 4 Use the lights to help you troubleshoot a computer problem based on the diagnostic code For more information see Diagnostic Lights 10 USB 2 0 connectors 2 Use the front USB connectors for devices that you connect occasionally such as joysticks or cameras or for bootable USB dev...

Page 3: ...x1 l SLOT3 PCI 1 link integrity light l Green A good connection exists between a 10 Mbps network and the computer l Orange A good connection exists between a 100 Mbps network and the computer l Off The computer is not detecting a physical connection to the network 2 network adapter connector NOTICE Do not plug a telephone cable into the network connector Use the network adapter connector to attach...

Page 4: ...d card use the connector on the card 8 center subwoofer LFE connector Use the orange center subwoofer connector to attach a center speaker or a single subwoofer On computers with a sound card use the connector on the card NOTE The LFE Low Frequency Effects Audio channel found in digital surround sound audio schemes carries only low frequency information of 80 Hz and below The LFE channel drives a ...

Page 5: ...urn off when you shut down your operating system press and hold the power button for 4 seconds Before Working Inside Your Computer Use the following safety guidelines to help protect your computer from potential damage and to help ensure your own personal safety 1 Follow the steps in Turning Off Your Computer NOTICE To avoid losing data save and close any open files and exit any open programs befo...

Page 6: ... cable first unplug the cable from your computer and then unplug it from the network port or device CAUTION To guard against electrical shock always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before opening the cover 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 periodica...

Page 7: ...cated along the bottom edge of the computer b Using the hinge tabs as leverage rotate the cover downward to close it c Press the cover down until it snaps into place d Ensure that the cover is seated correctly before moving the computer 4 Connect your computer and devices to electrical outlets and then turn them on Back to Contents Page CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this sectio...

Page 8: ...n this section follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide CAUTION To guard against electrical shock always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before opening the cover 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 unpainte...

Page 9: ...nector DIMM1 l A pair of matched memory modules installed in connectors DIMM1 and DIMM2 l A pair of matched memory modules installed in connectors DIMM1 and DIMM2 and another matched pair installed in connectors DIMM3 and DIMM4 l If you install mixed pairs of DDR2 533 MHz PC2 4300 and DDR2 667 MHz PC2 5400 memory the modules function at the slower installed speed Be sure to populate the memory mod...

Page 10: ... modules from Dell If possible do not pair an original memory module with a new memory module Otherwise your computer may not start properly CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this section follow the safety instructions located in the Product Information Guide NOTICE To prevent static damage to components inside your computer discharge static electricity from your body before you to...

Page 11: ...cing an expansion card see Removing an Expansion Card If you are replacing a card with a different type of card remove the current driver for the card from the operating system CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this section follow the safety instructions located in the Product Information Guide NOTICE To prevent static damage to components inside your computer discharge static elec...

Page 12: ...the card for information on configuring the card making internal connections or otherwise customizing it for your computer 6 Place the card in the connector and press down firmly Ensure that the card is fully seated in the slot 7 Before you close the card retention door ensure that l The tops of all cards and filler brackets are flush with the alignment bar l The notch in the top of the card or fi...

Page 13: ...rd s connectors Do not connect the network cable to the integrated network connector on the back panel of the computer 13 Install any drivers required for the card as described in the card documentation Removing an Expansion Card 1 Follow the procedures in Before You Begin 2 Gently push the release tab on the card retention door from the inside to pivot the door open Because the door is captive it...

Page 14: ...al audio devices to the audio connectors on the back panel of the computer See Back Panel I O Connectors 12 If you removed an add in network connector a Enter system setup select Integrated NIC from the Onboard Devices group and then change the setting to On See System Setup Options b Connect the network cable to the integrated connector on the back panel of the computer Drives Your computer suppo...

Page 15: ...a cable to the back of the drive and to the system board Drive Interface Connectors Power Cable Connector Connecting and Disconnecting Drive Cables When removing a SATA data cable grasp the colored pull tab and pull until the connector detaches When connecting a SATA data cable hold the cable by the black connector at each end 1 DVD drive 2 optional floppy drive or media card reader 3 hard drive 1...

Page 16: ...nstallation 3 If you are installing a new drive a Press the two snaps on the top of the drive panel insert and rotate the insert toward the front of the computer Remove it from the computer CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this section follow the safety instructions located in the Product Information Guide CAUTION To guard against electrical shock always unplug your computer from ...

Page 17: ...cedures in Before You Begin 2 Remove the CD DVD drive see Removing a CD DVD Drive and carefully set it aside 3 Pull up on the drive release latch and slide the floppy drive towards the back of the computer Then lift up to remove the drive from the computer NOTICE To connect a network cable first plug the cable into the network port or device and then plug it into the computer CAUTION Before you be...

Page 18: ...sting drive 5 Insert the four shoulder screws into the sides of the new floppy drive and tighten them 6 Attach the power and data cables to the floppy drive 7 Locate the correct guidance slot for the drive slot 2 and align the shoulder screws with the screw guides 1 drive release latch 2 floppy drive NOTICE To connect a network cable first plug the cable into the network port or device and then pl...

Page 19: ...nd slide the Media Card Reader towards the back of the computer Then lift up to remove it from the computer 1 floppy drive 2 slot verification number NOTICE To connect a network cable first plug the cable into the network port or device and then plug it into the computer CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this section follow the safety instructions located in the Product Information...

Page 20: ...existing Media Card Reader 5 Insert four shoulder screws into the sides of the Media Card Reader and tighten them 6 Locate the correct guidance slot for the Media Card Reader slot 2 and align the shoulder screws with the screw guides 1 Media Card Reader 2 drive release latch NOTICE To connect a network cable first plug the cable into the network port or device and then plug it into the computer CA...

Page 21: ...out of the computer and disconnect the power and data cables from the drive 1 Media Card Reader 2 slot verification number NOTICE To connect a network cable first plug the cable into the network port or device and then plug it into the computer CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this section follow the safety instructions located in the Product Information Guide CAUTION To guard aga...

Page 22: ...o securing tabs with the mounting holes in the hard drive and then rotating the drive down snapping it onto the bracket 5 Connect the power and data cables to the drive 6 Locate the correct guidance slot for the drive slot 1 and align the release tabs with the alignment guides 1 securing clips 2 2 hard drive NOTICE To avoid damage to the drive do not set it on a hard surface Instead set the drive ...

Page 23: ...attery Replacing the Battery A coin cell battery maintains computer configuration date and time information The battery can last several years If you have to repeatedly reset time and date information after turning on the computer replace the battery 1 hard drive 2 slot verification number NOTICE To prevent damaging the hard drive gently slide the drive into the drive bay Excessive force could dam...

Page 24: ...for battery disposal information Processor Removing the Processor 1 Follow the procedures in Before You Begin 2 Loosen the captive screw on each side of the heat sink assembly 3 Rotate the heat sink assembly upward and remove the assembly from the computer Lay the heat sink assembly down on its top with the thermal grease facing upward 1 battery 2 battery release lever 3 battery socket NOTICE To c...

Page 25: ...processor 2 release lever 3 socket NOTICE Be careful not to bend any of the pins when you remove the processor from the socket Bending the pins can permanently damage the processor NOTICE After removing the processor be careful not to get any thermal grease on the processor pins Thermal grease on the pins can permanently damage the processor NOTICE Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal su...

Page 26: ...ink assembly back onto the heat sink assembly bracket b Rotate the heat sink assembly down towards the computer base and ensure that the two captive screws are properly aligned with the holes in the system board c Tighten the two captive screws NOTE You must position the processor correctly in the socket to avoid permanent damage to the processor and the computer when you turn on the computer 1 pi...

Page 27: ...Remove the two screws that attach the power supply to the back of the computer chassis 4 Press the release button located on the floor of the computer chassis 1 heat sink assembly 2 heat sink assembly bracket 3 captive screws 2 NOTICE To connect a network cable first plug the cable into the network port or device and then plug it into the computer CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in ...

Page 28: ...ng the Processor 4 Slide the heat sink assembly forward and backwards to break the thermal grease seal 5 Rotate the heat sink assembly upward 1 release button 2 power supply 3 screws 2 4 AC power connector CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this section follow the safety instructions in your Product Information Guide CAUTION To guard against electrical shock always unplug your compu...

Page 29: ...assembly down towards the computer base and ensure that the two captive screws are properly aligned with the holes in the system board 6 Tighten the two captive screws to secure the heat sink assembly to the system board 7 Replace the computer cover See Replacing the Computer Cover 8 Connect your computer and devices to electrical outlets and turn them on Fan Assembly Removing the Fan Assembly 1 F...

Page 30: ...vices to electrical outlets and turn them on System Board Removing the System Board 1 Follow the procedures in Before You Begin 2 Remove the computer cover See Removing the Computer Cover 3 Remove any components that restrict access to the system board CD DVD drive s floppy drive hard drive power supply 4 Remove any expansion cards that are installed See Removing an Expansion Card CAUTION The heat...

Page 31: ...n the system board into the chassis and slide it toward the back of the computer 2 Using the eight screws secure the system board to the chassis 3 Replace the fan assembly See Installing the Fan Assembly 4 Replace the processor See Installing the Processor 5 Replace the memory modules See Installing Memory Ensure that you install the memory modules in the same connectors as noted in step 5 of Remo...

Page 32: ......

Page 33: ...GeForce 6150LE DMA channels eight Interrupt levels 24 BIOS chip NVRAM 4 Mb NIC integrated network interface Capable of 10 100 communication Video Type nVidia integrated video DirectX 9 0c Shader Model 3 0 Graphics Processing Unit or PCI Express x16 graphics card Audio Type Sigma Tel 9227 CODEC 7 1 Channel Audio Controllers Drives two SATA controllers supporting two devices Expansion Bus Bus type P...

Page 34: ...s Floppy drive 34 pin connector Fan 5 pin connector PCI 2 3 124 pin connector PCIe x1 36 pin connector PCIe x16 164 pin connector Internal USB 10 pin connector supports two USB ports Speaker 6 pin connector Memory modules four 240 pin connectors Power 12V 4 pin connector Power 24 pin connector Battery 2 pin socket Controls and Lights Power control push button Power light green light Blinking green...

Page 35: ...s Depth 35 3 cm 13 9 inches Weight 10 4 kg 23 lb Environmental Temperature Operating 10 to 35 C 50 to 95 F Storage 40 to 65 C 40 to 149 F Relative humidity 20 to 80 noncondensing Maximum vibration Operating 0 25 G at 3 to 200 Hz at 0 5 octave min Storage 0 5 G at 3 to 200 Hz at 1 octave min Maximum shock Operating bottom half sine pulse with a change in velocity of 50 8 cm sec 20 inches sec Storag...

Page 36: ...r Information on the screen is divided into four areas the menu at the top the main window the Item Help field on the right and key functions listed on the bottom NOTICE Unless you are an expert computer user do not change the settings for this program Certain changes can make your computer work incorrectly NOTE The F2 prompt indicates that the keyboard has initialized This prompt can appear very ...

Page 37: ...e SATA connectors on the system board and lists the capacities for the hard drives SATA Operation Off default The field configures the operating mode of the integrated hard drive controller l RAID Off No RAID support l RAID On SATA is configured for RAID on every boot SMART Reporting Off default This setting determines whether integrated drive errors are reported or not during system startup Onboa...

Page 38: ...alid System password to modify the system password No Execute On default Enables or disables Execute Disable memory protection technology Power Management AC Recovery Off default Determines how the system responds when AC power is re applied after a power loss Off commands the system to stay off when the power is re applied You must press the front panel power button before the system turns on On ...

Page 39: ...all available boot devices 5 Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate device for the current boot only Changing Boot Sequence for Future Boots Load Defaults Restores system setup options to their factory defaults Event Log Allows you to view the Event Log Entries are marked R for Read and U for Unread Mark All Entries Read puts an R to the left of all the entries Clear Log clears the Event Log...

Page 40: ...pears on your computer shut down the computer See Turning Off Your Computer 6 Turn off the monitor and disconnect it from the electrical outlet 7 Disconnect the computer power cable from the electrical outlet then press the power button to ground the system board 8 Remove the computer cover See Replacing the Computer Cover 9 Locate the 2 pin password jumper PSWD on the system board and attach the ...

Page 41: ...com 3 Click Download Now to download the file 4 If the Export Compliance Disclaimer window appears click Yes I Accept the Agreement The FIle Download window appears 5 Click Save this program to disk and then click OK The Save In window appears 6 Click the down arrow to view the Save In menu select Desktop and then click Save The file downloads to your desktop 7 Click Close when the Download Comple...

Page 42: ... Board Components CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this section follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide CAUTION To guard against electrical shock always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before opening the cover 1 drives bay CD DVD floppy media card reader and hard drive 2 power supply 3 system board 4 card slots 5 heat sink assembly 6 front I...

Page 43: ...connectors SATA0 SATA1 7 front panel connector FRONTPANEL 8 CMOS reset RTCRST 9 battery socket BT1 10 internal USB USB1 11 PCI Express x16 connector SLOT1 12 PCI Express x1 connector SLOT2 13 PCI connector SLOT3 14 password jumper PSWD 15 floppy drive connector FLOPPY1 Jumper Setting Description PSWD Password features are enabled default setting Password features are disabled RTCRST The real time ...

Page 44: ...er Signal name 18 AWG Wire 1 3 3 VDC Orange 2 3 3 VDC Orange 3 GND Black 4 VCC 5 V Red 5 GND Black 6 VCC 5 V Red 7 GND Black 8 PS_PWRGOOD Gray 9 P5AUX Purple 10 V_12P0_DIG White 11 V_12P0_DIG White 12 3 3 V Orange 13 3 3 V Orange 14 12 V Blue 15 GND Black 16 PWR_PS_ON Green 17 GND Black 18 GND Black 19 GND Black 20 NC N C 21 VCC 5V Red 22 VCC 5V Red ...

Page 45: ...ad of 18 AWG wire Pin Number Signal Name 18 AWG Wire 1 COM Black 2 COM Black 3 12 VDC Yellow 4 12 VDC Yellow Pin Number Signal name 18 AWG Wire 1 12VDC Yellow 2 COM Black 3 COM Black 4 5 VDC Red Pin Number Signal Name 22 AWG Wire 1 5 VCD Red 2 COM Black 3 COM Black 4 12 VDC Yellow Pin Number Signal name 18 AWG Wire 1 3 3 VDC Orange 2 COM Black ...

Page 46: ...Back to Contents Page 3 5 VDC Red 4 COM Black 5 12 VDC Yellow ...

Page 47: ...ed Micro Devices Inc Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft 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 Inc disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own September 2006 Rev A00 Back to Contents Page NOTE A NOTE indicates impor...

Page 48: ...Dell For information about contacting Dell see your Owner s Manual 3 If you run a test from the Custom Test or Symptom Tree option click the applicable tab described in the following table for more information CAUTION Before you begin any of the procedures in this section follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide NOTICE The Dell Diagnostics works only on Dell computers Option...

Page 49: ...gnostic Lights for more information If this does not resolve your problem contact Dell For information about contacting Dell see your Owner s Manual Blinking Amber A possible power supply failure has occurred The system has not received a Power Good signal from the power supply Plug the computer into a working electrical outlet Hard Drive Activity Light Problem Description Suggested Resolution Sol...

Page 50: ...or placement requirements exist see Memory l Verify that the memory modules that you are installing are compatible with your computer see Memory l If the problem persists contact Dell For information about contacting Dell see your Owner s Manual A possible expansion card failure has occurred 1 Determine whether a conflict exists by removing a card and restarting the computer see Cards 2 If the pro...

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