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Working on Your Computer
Dell™ OptiPlex™ XE Service Manual—
Desktop
Before Working Inside Your Computer
Use the following safety guidelines to help protect your computer from potential damage and to help to ensure your personal safety. Unless otherwise noted,
each procedure included in this document assumes that the following conditions exist:
l
You have performed the steps in
Working on Your Computer.
l
You have read the safety information that shipped with your computer.
l
A component can be replaced or
—
if purchased separately
—
installed by performing the removal procedure in reverse order.
To avoid damaging your computer, perform the following steps before you begin working inside the computer.
1.
Ensure that your work surface is flat and clean to prevent the computer cover from being scratched.
2.
Turn off your computer (see
Turning Off Your Computer
).
3.
Disconnect all network cables from the computer.
4.
Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.
5.
Press and hold the power button while the system is unplugged to ground the system board.
6.
Remove the computer cover (see
Cover
).
Recommended Tools
The procedures in this document may require the following tools:
l
Small flat-blade screwdriver
l
Phillips screwdriver
l
Small plastic scribe
l
Flash BIOS update program CD
Turning Off Your Computer
1.
Shut down the operating system:
l
In Windows Vista
®
:
Click
Start
,
then click the arrow in the lower-right corner of the
Start
menu as shown below, and then click
Shut Down
.
l
In Windows
®
XP:
Before Working Inside Your Computer
Recommended Tools
Turning Off Your Computer
After Working Inside Your Computer
WARNING:
Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best
practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
CAUTION:
Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting and simple repairs as
authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not
authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
CAUTION:
To avoid electrostatic discharge, ground yourself by using a wrist grounding strap or by periodically touching an unpainted metal
surface, such as a connector on the back of the computer.
CAUTION:
Handle components and cards with care. Do not touch the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by its edges or by its metal
mounting bracket. Hold a component such as a processor by its edges, not by its pins.
CAUTION:
When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on its pull-tab, not on the cable itself. Some cables have connectors with locking
tabs; if you are disconnecting this type of cable, press in on the locking tabs before you disconnect the cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep
them evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before you connect a cable, ensure that both connectors are correctly oriented
and aligned.
NOTE:
The color of your computer and certain components may appear differently than shown in this document.
CAUTION:
To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from your computer and then unplug the cable from the network device.
CAUTION:
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 static electricity, which could harm internal
components.
CAUTION:
To avoid losing data, save and close all open files and exit all open programs before you turn off your computer.
