Dell XPS 730 Quick Reference Manual Download

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Dell™ XPS™ 730/730X

Quick Reference Guide

Model DCDO

book.book Page 1 Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 PM

Summary of Contents for XPS 730

Page 1: ...w w w d e l l c o m s u p p o r t d e l l c o m Dell XPS 730 730X Quick Reference Guide Model DCDO ...

Page 2: ...d in this text Dell the DELL logo XPS DellConnect and YOURS IS HERE are trademarks of Dell Inc Intel and Core are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U S and other countries Microsoft Windows Windows Vista and the Windows Vista start button logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries Blu...

Page 3: ... O Connectors 14 Setting up the Computer 17 Installing Your Computer in an Enclosure 18 Connecting to a Network 20 3 System Configuration 21 Network Configuration XPS 730 Only 21 Network Advanced Features 21 Graphics Configuration 22 Multiple Displays 22 NVIDIA SLI and ATI Crossfire Technologies 23 4 Optimizing Performance 25 System Setup Based Performance Tuning 25 ...

Page 4: ... Tune Up 34 Dell PC Checkup 35 Dell Network Assistant 35 DellConnect 36 Dell Technical Update Service 36 Diagnostic Indicators 36 Power Button LED States 36 Beep Codes 37 Solving Problems 38 Troubleshooting Software and Hardware Problems 38 Drive Problems 39 Memory Problems 40 Power Problems 41 Restoring the Operating System 42 Using Microsoft Windows System Restore 42 Using Dell PC Restore and De...

Page 5: ...8 Using the Drivers and Utilities Media 50 Recommended Driver Installation Order 51 6 Configuring the BIOS 53 System Setup 53 Entering System Setup 53 System Setup Screens 54 System Setup Options 55 Boot Sequence 62 Option Settings 62 A Appendix 65 Specifications 65 Macrovision Product Notice 71 Contacting Dell 72 Index 73 ...

Page 6: ...6 Contents ...

Page 7: ...s and Utilities media is a CD or DVD that may have shipped with your computer A diagnostic program for your computer Drivers for your computer NOTE Drivers and documentation updates can be found at support dell com Desktop System Software DSS Readme files NOTE Readme files may be included on your media to provide last minute updates about technical changes to your computer or advanced technical re...

Page 8: ...dows License is located on your computer Provides your operating system product key Product safety and warranty information is available as a hardcopy with your computer For additional regulatory and safety information see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at the following location www dell com regulatory_compliance Warranty information Terms and Conditions U S only Safety instructions Regulatory...

Page 9: ...Setting up Your Computer 9 Setting up Your Computer Front and Back View of the Computer Front View 6 2 8 3 4 9 5 7 1 10 ...

Page 10: ... floppy drive Media Card Reader and hard drive carriers are not interchangeable 5 front panel LEDs 4 Multi colored LEDs provide illumination for the front of the computer 6 optical drive tray eject buttons 4 Use to eject the drive tray of an optical drive NOTE The optical drive tray eject button is not a handle The self tending doors open automatically when the eject button is pressed and the driv...

Page 11: ...n a device such as your CD player is operating 10 computer stand Attach the computer stand to provide stability to the system WARNING The computer stand should be installed and feet extended at all times to ensure maximum system stability Failure to install the stand could result in the computer tipping over potentially resulting in bodily injury or damage to the computer ...

Page 12: ...r musical input into a sound or telephony program 3 headphone connector Use the headphone connector to attach headphones NOTE Plugging headphones into this connection may disable rear audio output ports 4 USB 2 0 connectors 2 Use the front USB connectors for devices that you connect occasionally such as flash memory keys cameras or bootable USB devices It is recommended that you use the back USB c...

Page 13: ... LED Indicates power availability for the power supply Green light Indicates power availability for the power supply No light Indicates no power available for the power supply or the power supply is not working 3 BIST switch Use to test the power supply 4 back panel LEDs Multi colored LEDs provide illumination for the card slots on the back of the computer 1 5 6 4 7 2 3 ...

Page 14: ...e a USB mouse plug it into a USB connector keyboard connector Plug a standard PS 2 keyboard into the purple keyboard connector If you have a USB keyboard plug it into a USB connector RCA S PDIF connector Use the RCA S PDIF connector to transmit digital audio without going through an analog audio conversion process optical S PDIF connector Use the optical S PDIF connector to transmit digital audio ...

Page 15: ... sound setup line in connector Use the blue line in connector to attach a record playback device such as a cassette player CD player or VCR On computers with a sound card use the connector on the card line out headphone connector Use the green line out connector to attach headphones and speakers with integrated amplifiers On computers with a sound card use the connector on the card microphone conn...

Page 16: ...low light when the computer is transmitting or receiving network data A high volume of network traffic may make this LED appear to be in a steady on state 2 link integrity LED Green A good connection exists between a 10 Mbps network and the computer Orange A good connection exists between a 100 Mbps network and the computer Yellow A good connection exists between a 1000 Mbps 1 Gbps network and the...

Page 17: ...omputer Your computer ships with the computer stand already installed With the computer sitting in an upright position carefully lift the rear of the computer and extend the stabilizing feet fully The extended feet ensure maximum system stability ...

Page 18: ...m s ambient temperature needs to be a consideration when installing your computer in an enclosure For example if the ambient room temperature is at 25 C 77 F depending on your computer s specifications you only have 5 to 10 C 9 to 18 F temperature margin before you reach your computer s maximum operating temperature For details about your computer s specifications see Specifications on page 65 Lea...

Page 19: ...at least 5 1 centimeters 2 inches of clearance from the back of the computer to the wall to permit airflow required for proper ventilation Do not install your computer in an enclosure that does not allow airflow Restricting the airflow impacts your computer s performance possibly causing it to overheat ...

Page 20: ... indicates that the network cable is securely attached NOTE Your computer is configured with two integrated network adapter connections These connections support advanced configuration options See Network Advanced Features on page 21 If you have an expansion network adapter PCI PCIe plug your network cable into that adapter NOTE It is recommended that you use Category 5 wiring and connectors for y...

Page 21: ... you modify your network traffic NVIDIA FirstPacket and TCP IP acceleration You can access these tools via the NVIDIA Control Panel located in the Windows Control Panel NVIDIA FirstPacket NVIDIA FirstPacket lets you manage the traffic on your system allowing you to more effectively manage and improve the performance of networked games and other applications that are sensitive to network delay late...

Page 22: ... your personal needs This includes enabling multiple monitors NVIDIA SLI or ATI Crossfire technologies and other advanced features Multiple Displays Depending on the video solution you purchased you may be able to enable support for two or more displays The process of enabling multiple display support involves attaching the additional displays and configuring the video driver software or control p...

Page 23: ...d information about the benefits of using these technologies can be found on the NVIDIA and ATI web sites respectively If you selected a multi card configuration at point of purchase your computer includes all of the required hardware to enable NVIDIA SLI or ATI Crossfire technology If you are upgrading from a single card configuration to a dual card configuration you will need to purchase the app...

Page 24: ... and the latest available driver revision Enabling ATI Crossfire technology is done via the ATI Catalyst Control Center applet found in the Windows Control Panel After opening the applet select the Crossfire option Click the Enable Crossfire option to enable Crossfire NOTE Crossfire configurations only support a single display When enabling Crossfire technology any additional displays will be disa...

Page 25: ...nt damage Advanced users who are interested in manually tuning the computer may do so via the computer s System Setup or by advanced configuration software CAUTION Dell Technical Support verifies the full functionality of the computer at the factory configured settings Dell does not provide technical support for any hardware or software issues arising from operating the system beyond the factory c...

Page 26: ...o accept an End User License Agreement Device Settings When launched the application detects installed ESA compatible devices such as CPUs video cards memory system board and chassis components Selecting a component in the Device Settings interface displays the available settings and options for that component Advanced users can manually tune these options to tailor and customize their computer s ...

Page 27: ...tion allows you to monitor track and log performance characteristics of compatible components inside your computer The data can be used to track the computer s performance over time as well as evaluate the effectiveness of a change made to system configuration When launched the application detects installed ESA compatible devices such as CPUs video cards memory system board and chassis components ...

Page 28: ...28 Optimizing Performance ...

Page 29: ...can run Dell Diagnostics from your hard drive or from the Drivers and Utilities media Starting Dell Diagnostics From Your Hard Drive 1 Turn on or restart your computer 2 When the DELL logo appears press F12 immediately NOTE Keyboard failure may result when a key is held down for extended periods of time To avoid possible keyboard failure press and release F12 in even intervals to open the Boot Dev...

Page 30: ...lities Media 1 Turn on or restart your computer 2 Press the eject button on the front of the optical drive to open the drive tray 3 Place the Drivers and Utilities media in the center of the drive tray then press the eject button or gently push on the tray to close it 4 Restart the computer 5 When the DELL logo appears press F12 immediately NOTE Keyboard failure may result when a key on the keyboa...

Page 31: ...complete close the test window to return to the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu 12 Remove the Drivers and Utilities media then close the Main Menu window to exit Dell Diagnostics and restart the computer Dell Diagnostics Main Menu The following tests can be run from the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu Option Function Express Test Performs a quick test of system devices The test typically takes 10 to 20 minu...

Page 32: ...t a memory issue run the MP Memory Test using the following instructions 1 Turn on or restart your computer 2 When the DELL logo appears press F12 immediately Tab Function Results Displays the results of the test and any error conditions encountered Errors Displays error conditions encountered error codes and the problem description Help Describes the test and any requirements for running the test...

Page 33: ...g features Self help tools such as Dell Support 3 Dell PC Tune Up Dell PC Checkup and Network Assistant DellConnect for remote real time technical support Dell support contact information including e mail and online chat addresses as well as telephone numbers Resources specific to your computer are available under the Drivers Downloads Upgrades and System Information sections The top of the Dell S...

Page 34: ...con in the notification area of your Windows desktop NOTE The icon functions vary depending on whether you click double click or right click the icon OR Click the Start button All Programs Dell Support 3 Dell Support Settings Ensure that the Show icon on the taskbar option is checked NOTE If Dell Support 3 is not available from the Start menu go to support dell com and download the software Dell P...

Page 35: ...d fixes for common configuration concerns It is recommended that you run PC Checkup on a regular basis or before contacting Dell for assistance The application creates a detailed report that Dell technicians can use to resolve your computer issue quickly Dell Network Assistant Designed specifically for users of Dell computers the Dell Network Assistant helps simplify the setup monitoring troublesh...

Page 36: ...From Dell Technical Support DellConnect Phone and follow the instructions Dell Technical Update Service The Dell Technical Update service provides proactive e mail notification of software and hardware updates for your computer The service is free and can be customized for content format and how frequently you receive notifications To enroll for the Dell Technical Update service go to support dell...

Page 37: ...ical outlet is working by testing it with another device such as a lamp Ensure that the main power cable and front panel cable are securely connected to the system board see the Service Manual at support dell com NOTE All front panel and back panel LEDs will turn off during sleep states Beep Codes Your computer may emit a series of beeps during start up The series of beeps is called a beep code an...

Page 38: ...the Search field and click the arrow to start the search Code repetitive short beeps Description 1 BIOS ROM checksum in progress or failure Possible motherboard failure 2 No memory detected 3 Possible motherboard failure Chipset error Time of day clock test failure Gate A20 failure Super I O chip failure Keyboard controller test failure 4 RAM Read Write failure Possible memory failure 5 RTC power ...

Page 39: ...er Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer s instructions REPLACE THE BATTERY If you have to repeatedly reset time and date information after turning on the computer or if an incorrect time or date displays during start up replace the battery see the Service Manual at support dell com If replacing the battery does not solve the problem contact Dell Drive Problems ENSURE THAT MICROSOFT...

Page 40: ...ick Continue otherwise contact your administrator to continue the desired action 4 Follow the instructions on the screen Memory Problems IF YOU EXPERIENCE MEMORY PROBLEMS Reseat the memory modules see the Service Manual at support dell com to ensure that your computer is successfully communicating with the memory Ensure that you are following the memory installation guidelines see the Service Manu...

Page 41: ...the Service Manual at support dell com Remove and then reinstall any expansion cards including graphics cards see the Service Manual at support dell com TEST THE POWER SUPPLY USING THE BUILT IN SELF TEST BIST The power supply includes a built in self test to diagnose power supply issues The test may be performed with the following steps 1 Remove all external peripherals 2 Ensure the system is plug...

Page 42: ... all data on the hard drive and remove any programs installed after you received the computer Use Dell PC Restore or Dell Factory Image Restore only if System Restore did not resolve your operating system problem Using Microsoft Windows System Restore The Windows operating systems provide a System Restore option which allows you to return your computer to an earlier operating state without affecti...

Page 43: ...Account Control window may appear If you are an administrator on the computer click Continue otherwise contact your administrator to continue the desired action 3 Click Next and follow the remaining prompts on the screen 4 In the event that System Restore did not resolve the issue you may undo the last system restore Undoing the Last System Restore CAUTION Before you undo the last system restore s...

Page 44: ...ing state it was in when you purchased the computer Any programs or files added since you received your computer including data files are permanently deleted from the hard drive Data files include documents spreadsheets e mail messages digital photos music files and so on If possible back up all data before using PC Restore or Factory Image Restore Windows XP Dell PC Restore Using PC Restore 1 Tur...

Page 45: ...ct a keyboard layout and click Next 4 To access the recovery options log on as a local user with administrator level permissions 5 Click Dell Factory Image Restore NOTE Depending upon your configuration you may need to select Dell Factory Tools then Dell Factory Image Restore The Dell Factory Image Restore welcome screen appears 6 Click Next The Confirm Data Deletion screen appears CAUTION If you ...

Page 46: ...ou ordered your computer or whether you requested the media the Dell Drivers and Utilities media and Operating System media may not ship with your computer Reinstalling your Operating System from media will also require the user to reinstall all software and applications including any productivity applications Microsoft Office e mail applications graphics and audio applications media player softwa...

Page 47: ...hey may include a PC Restore partition 2 7 to 4 75 GB or a MediaDirect 1 2 GB partition for portable computers 5 In the Windows XP Setup partition screen choose a partition to install the Operating System You may also choose to remove a partition or create a new partition for the installation 6 The Windows XP Setup screen appears with Format the partition using the NTFS file system highlighted pre...

Page 48: ...at is it box if applicable 14 Click to select one of the items below for The phone system at this location uses box Tone dialing if your phone service uses tone dialing Pulse dialing if your phone service uses pulse dialing 15 Click Next The Date and Time Settings screen appears 16 Verify that the correct Date Time and Time Zone appear and click Next The Networking Settings screen appears after se...

Page 49: ... click Install Now 7 Review the terms and click I accept the license terms to proceed 8 On the Which type of installation do you want window click Custom advanced 9 On the Where do you want to install Windows window click Drive options advanced 10 Click Disk 0 Partition 1 and then click Delete 11 On the If you delete this partition all data stored on it will be permanently deleted window click OK ...

Page 50: ... and Utilities media 2 When the Drivers and Utilities installation program starts you may be prompted to install the software If so follow the prompts on the screen 3 In the Welcome Dell System Owner screen click Next NOTE The Drivers and Utilities media displays drivers only for hardware that came installed in your computer If you installed additional hardware the drivers for the new hardware mig...

Page 51: ...exact drivers to load contact Technical Support When installing the drivers and utilities for your hardware it is recommended that you install them in the following order 1 Critical Drivers a Desktop System Software may be located under the Utilities section b Chipset Drivers 2 Core Component Drivers a Video Card Driver b NIC Modem c Audio Card Drivers 3 Peripheral Drivers Install these drivers as...

Page 52: ...52 Troubleshooting ...

Page 53: ...ce CAUTION Do not change the settings in System Setup unless you are an expert computer user Certain changes can cause your computer to work incorrectly Entering System Setup 1 Turn on or restart your computer 2 When the DELL logo appears press F2 immediately NOTE Keyboard failure may result when a key on the keyboard is held down for extended periods of time To avoid possible keyboard failure pre...

Page 54: ...ration of your computer including installed hardware power conservation and security features Scroll up and down the list with the up and down arrow keys As an option is highlighted the Options Field displays the option s current and available settings Options Field Appears on the right side of Options List and contains information about each option in the Options List In this field you can view i...

Page 55: ...system time System Info Displays the system model name BIOS Info Display the BIOS revision Service Tag Displays the system Service Tag Express Service Code Displays the Express Service Code Asset Tag Displays the asset tag Memory Installed Displays the total memory size Memory Available Displays the memory available in the system Memory Speed Displays the memory speed Memory Channel Mode Displays ...

Page 56: ... reduced when the CPU is idle This is triggered by the operating system executing the halt instruction Enabled Disabled Execute Disable Bit When disabled forces the XD feature flag to always return 0 Enabled Disabled Virtualization When enabled a virtual machine monitor VMM can utilize the additional hardware capabilities provided by Vanderpool Technology Enabled Disabled SpeedStep If enabled the ...

Page 57: ... Disabled Drive A Specifies the capacity and physical size of a diskette drive USB Controller Enables the USB controller Enabled Disabled USB Keyboard Support Enables the USB keyboard support Enabled Disabled USB Mouse Support Enables the USB mouse support Enabled Disabled HD Audio Enables the HD audio setting Enabled Disabled Onboard LAN Controller Enables the onboard LAN controller setting Enabl...

Page 58: ...e S M A R T setting Enabled Disabled Serial ATA Controller Enables the SATA controller Setting All enabled Disabled SATA 0 SATA 1 RAID Config Enables RAID configuration Enabled Disabled PATA Channel 0 Master Enables auto detection of the drive size and head on this channel PATA Channel 0 Slave Enables auto detection of the drive size and head on this channel SATA 1 6 Enables auto detection of the ...

Page 59: ...ory ratio to Auto 1 1 5 4 3 2 or Sync Mode FSB QDR MHz Allows you to adjust the CPU FSB frequency The FSB QDR that displays in the Actual column reflects the actual frequency that will take effect on reboot Enter a value between 400 and 2600 MEM DDR MHz Allows you to adjust the memory frequency The MEM DDR that displays in the Actual column reflects the actual frequency that will take effect on re...

Page 60: ...ce SPP nForce MCP Allows you to set the core voltage level for nForce MCP nForce MCP Aux Allows you to set the auxiliary voltage level for nForce MCP GTLVREF Lane 1 Allows you to add extra voltage to the CPU GTLVREF Lane 1 voltage level Security Supervisor Password Is Specifies whether a supervisor password has been assigned User Password Is Specifies whether a user password has been assigned Set ...

Page 61: ...Up Notifies the computer to turn on when a user tries to access the computer through the LAN Wake Up By Ring Notifies the computer to turn on when an incoming call is detected on the modem Auto Power On Enables you to set an alarm to turn on the computer automatically Boot Hard Disk Boot Priority Sets the hard drive boot priority The items displayed are dynamically updated according to the hard dr...

Page 62: ...rt 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 ensure that your device is bootable check the device documentation NOTE An error message is generated only after the computer attempts to boot from every device in the boot...

Page 63: ...ce that is to be used for the current boot only and then press Enter For example if you are booting to a USB memory key highlight USB Flash Device and press Enter NOTE To boot to a USB device the device must be bootable To make sure that your device is bootable check the device documentation Changing Boot Sequence for Future Boots 1 Enter System Setup see Entering System Setup on page 53 2 Use the...

Page 64: ...64 Configuring the BIOS ...

Page 65: ...d Performance quad core Intel Core2 Extreme Extreme performance quad core Intel Core i7 Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition Cache at least 4 MB at least 8 MB Memory Dell XPS 730 Dell XPS 730X Type 800 MHz and faster DDR3 unbuffered SDRAM SLI memory 1066 MHz and faster DDR3 unbuffered SDRAM XMP memory Memory connectors four three Memory capacities 512 MB 1 GB and 2 GB DDR3 1 GB 2 GB and 4 GB XMP 1 GB and...

Page 66: ...ell XPS 730X Type dual PCIe x16 Generation 2 single PCIe x16 Generation 1 dual PCIe x16 Generation 2 single PCIe x16 Generation 2 Audio Type HDA 7 1 channel Realtek 888 codec HDA 7 1 channel Realtek 888 codec Expansion Bus Dell XPS 730 Dell XPS 730X Bus type PCI Express x1 and x16 PCI 32 bit PCI Express x1 and x16 PCI 32 bit PCI Connector two one Connector size 124 pins 124 pins Connector data wid...

Page 67: ...64 pins Connector data width maximum 16 PCI Express lanes 16 PCI Express lanes Bus throughput x16 slot bidirectional speed 80 Gbps x16 slot bidirectional speed 80 Gbps PCI Express x16 Generation 1 Connector one x16 N A Connector size 164 pins Connector data width maximum 16 PCI Express lanes Bus throughput x16 slot bidirectional speed 40 Gbps Expansion Bus Dell XPS 730 Dell XPS 730X ...

Page 68: ...ell XPS 730 Dell XPS 730X External connectors IEEE 1394a front and back panel 6 pin serial connectors front and back panel 6 pin serial connectors Network adapter two RJ45 connectors two RJ45 connectors PS 2 keyboard and mouse two 6 pin mini DIN two 6 pin mini DIN USB two front panel six back panel and four internal USB 2 0 compliant connectors two front panel six back spanel and four internal USB...

Page 69: ... LED white light Blinking white in sleep state solid white for power on state Hard drive access LED white Link integrity LED on integrated network adapter Green A good connection exists between a 10 Mbps network and the computer Orange A good connection exists between a 100 Mbps network and the computer Yellow A good connection exists between a 1000 Mbps 1 Gbps network and the computer Off no ligh...

Page 70: ... electrical outlet power strip or other receptacle should not exceed 80 percent of the branch circuit rating Wattage 1 kW Voltage see the safety instructions that shipped with your computer wide ranging power supply 90 V to 265 V at 50 60 Hz Optional UPS Output rating must be 1 5kW or higher Backup battery 3 V CR2032 lithium coin cell Physical Height Without stand 55 5 cm 21 9 inches With stand 57...

Page 71: ...n Corporation Reverse engineering or disassembly is prohibited 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 20 inches sec 50 8...

Page 72: ...ough the support number listed and your call will be routed appropriately For support by phone use the phone number and codes provided in the following table If you need assistance in determining which codes to use contact a local or an international operator The contact information provided was deemed correct at the time that this document went to print and is subject to change Support Type Area ...

Page 73: ...ompatibilities 38 connectors headphone 12 15 IEEE 12 14 keyboard 14 line in 15 line out 15 mouse 14 network adapter 16 power 13 sound 15 USB 12 16 contacting Dell 72 D Dell contacting 71 72 Dell Network Assistant 35 Dell Support 3 34 Dell Technology Guide 8 DellConnect 36 diagnostics beep codes 37 documentation Dell Technology Guide 8 Service Manual 7 E End User License Agreement 8 ergonomics info...

Page 74: ...tor 14 M memory problems 40 mouse connector 14 N network connector 16 NVIDIA ESA 26 NVIDIA FirstPacket 21 NVIDIA Performance 26 O operating system reinstalling 7 Operating System CD 7 P phone numbers 72 power button 10 connector 13 problems 41 power light conditions 41 problems beep codes 37 conflicts 38 hard drive 40 memory 40 power 41 power light conditions 41 processor type 65 ...

Page 75: ...nd lights 69 drives 68 environmental 71 expansion bus 66 memory 65 physical 70 power 70 processor 65 technical 65 video 66 support contacting Dell 71 72 System Setup 25 53 system setup 53 entering 53 options 55 screens 54 T TCP IP acceleration 22 telephone numbers 72 troubleshooting conflicts 38 Hardware Troubleshooter 38 U USB booting to devices 62 connector 16 connectors 12 W warranty informatio...

Page 76: ...76 Index ...

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