Alienware Area-51 m5550 User manual

Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference

Notice

The information in this user’s manual is subject to change without notice.

THE MANUFACTURER OR RESELLER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS

CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL AND SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL

DAMAGES WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE PERFORMANCE OR USE OF THIS MANUAL.

The information in this user’s manual is protected by copyright laws. No part of

this manual may be photocopied or reproduced in any form without prior written

authorization from the copyright owners.

Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. DOS,

Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP/Vista are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of

their respective owners/companies.

The software described in this manual is delivered under a license agreement. The

software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

This product incorporates copyright protection technology that is protected by

U.S. patents and other intellectual property rights. Use of this copyright protection

technology must be authorized by Macrovision, and is intended for home and other

limited viewing uses only unless otherwise authorized by Macrovision. Reverse

engineering or disassembly is prohibited.

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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

Symbols and Conventions

Protecting Your Computer - Avoid Abusive Handling and Adverse

Environments

Chapter Summaries

1. GETTING TO KNOW THE BASICS

Performance Features (10)

System at a Glance (12)

Top View (12)

Front and Rear Views (15)

Side Views (17)

Bottom View (20)

AC Adapter (23)

LED Status Indicators (24)

Keyboard Features (25)

Function (Quick) Keys (25)

Windows Keys (26)

Embedded Numeric Keypad (26)

Touch Pad (27)

Graphics Subsystem (28)

Adjusting the Display Brightness (28)

Extending the Life of the TFT Display Panel (28)

Opening and Closing the Display Panel (28)

Audio Subsystem (29)

Adjusting the Volume in Windows (29)

Voice Recording (29)

Modem and Modem Setting (29)

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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference

2. BIOS SETUP AND SECURITY

Entering the BIOS Setup Screen (33)

Leaving the BIOS Setup Screen (33)

BIOS Action Keys (33)

Modifying the BIOS Settings (34)

Main Setup (34)

Boot Setup (34)

Security Setup (36)

Power Setup (37)

Exit Setup (37)

3. BATTERY POWER & POWER MANAGEMENT

The Battery Pack (39)

Lithium-Ion Battery Technology (39)

Battery Low-Power Warning (39)

Installing and Removing the Battery Pack (41)

Charging the Battery and Charging Time (42)

Checking the Battery Level (42)

Prolonging the Battery’s Life and Usage Cycles (43)

Using Windows Power Options (44)

Windows’ Power Schemes (44)

Suspend Modes (46)

Power Button Action (47)

Low Battery Warning (48)

Power Menu Quick Access (49)

Windows’ Power Plans (50)

Suspend Modes (52)

Power Button Action (53)

Low Battery Warning (54)

Power Menu Quick Access (55)

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4. UPGRADING YOUR COMPUTER

Upgrading the Hard Disk Drive (57)

Upgrading the System Memory (60)

Installing a memory module (DIMM) into the system (61)

Adding a Mini-PCI Type Wireless LAN Card (Optional Device) (63)

Installing a Mini PCI Card to the System (64)

5. TROUBLESHOOTING

First Step (67)

Audio Problems (68)

Hard Disk Problems (69)

Optical Drive Problems (71)

Display Problems (72)

Keyboard and Mouse Problems (73)

CMOS Battery Problems (74)

Memory Problems (74)

Modem Problems (75)

Network Adapter / Ethernet Problems (76)

PC Card / PCMCIA Problems (77)

Performance Problems (78)

Firewire (IEEE1394) and USB2.0 Problems (79)

APPENDIX A Product Speciﬁcation (80)

APPENDIX B Agency Regulatory Notices (85)

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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference

Preface

Using This Manual

This User’s Manual contains general information about the hardware and software

setup, troubleshooting, and technical speciﬁcations of the notebook computer.

Symbols and Conventions

The following conventions and symbols are used in this manual:

• When keys are to be pressed at the same time, a plus (+) symbol is used. For

instance, Fn+F7 means holding Fn and F7 keys at the same time.

• When a series of clicking actions is needed in the Windows O/S, [ ] and >

symbols are used. For instance, [Start > Settings > Control Panel >

Display] means clicking the Start icon ﬁrst, then the Settings, then

the Control Panel, then the Display icon.

• When you need to make a selection with the touch pad (or mouse), you will

be asked to ’select’, ‘click’, ‘double-click’, or ‘right-click’ the item.

Note: Text in this format and symbol indicates speciﬁc instructions, commentary,

sidelights, or any additional information or notes that you should be aware of.

Warning: Text in this format and symbol indicates that failure to comply with the given

instructions or information could result in damage to your computer or could cause

bodily harm or loss of life.

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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference

Protecting Your Computer - Avoid Abusive Handling and Adverse

Environments

Following the advice below will help ensure that you get the most out of your investment.

Your computer will serve you well if you take good care of it.

• Do not expose the computer to direct sunlight or place it near sources of heat.

• Do not subject it to temperatures below 0oC (32oF) or above 35oC (95oF).

• Do not expose the computer to magnetic ﬁelds.

• Do not expose the computer to moisture or rain.

• Do not spill water or liquid on the computer.

• Do not subject the computer to adverse shock and vibration.

• Do not expose the computer to dust and dirt.

• Do not place objects on top of the computer to avoid damaging the computer.

• Do not place the computer on rocky surfaces.

Here are some ways of taking care of your AC adapter.

• Do not connect the adapter to any devices other than your computer.

• Do not let water get into the adapter.

• Do not block the ventilation airway of the adapter.

• Keep the adapter in a cool and ventilated place.

• Do not step on the power cord or place heavy objects on top of it.

• Carefully tuck away the power cord and any cables away from

pedestrian trafﬁc.

• When unplugging the power cord, do not pull on the cord itself. Instead pull

on the plug.

• Keep the adapter away from children.

• The total ampere ratings of the equipment plugged in should not exceed the

ampere rating of the cord if you are using an extension cord.

• The total current rating of all equipment plugged into a single wall outlet

should not exceed the fuse rating.

• Do not connect the other AC adapter to your notebook. This notebook

exclusively uses the AC adapter: Liteon PA-1900-05 (90W), Liteon PA-1900-

06 (90W), Lishin LSE0202D2090 (90W), Lishin LSE0202C2090(90W)

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When cleaning the computer, observe these steps:

1. Power off the computer and remove the battery pack.

2. Disconnect the AC adapter.

3. Use a soft cloth dampened with water. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners.

Contact your dealer or see your service technician if any of the

following occurs:

• Computer has been dropped or the body has been damaged.

• Liquid has been spilled into the computer.

• The computer does not operate normally.

Cleaning the Ventilation Grills:

It is suggested that you clean the ventilation grills regularly to maintain optimal

thermal regulation of the notebook. To do this, you may use a soft brush or a

vacuum cleaner (with appropriate head adapter) to remove the dust buildup on the

ventilation grills.

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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference

Chapter Summaries

The following is a summary of the available chapters and appendices in this manual.

Chapter 1: Getting to Know the Basics

In this chapter, you will learn the basic operations and features of your computer. It

gives you a general understanding of the components of your computer.

Chapter 2: BIOS Setup / Security

In this chapter, you will learn how to change various ﬁrmware settings and what the

settings mean. Also, you will learn how to take advantage of the built-in security

feature provided by the BIOS.

Chapter 3: Battery Power & Power Management

In this chapter, you will learn the fundamentals of power management and how to use

them to achieve longer battery life.

Chapter 4: Upgrading Your Computer

In this chapter, you will learn how to upgrade the system memory and the hard disk

drive, and how to install wireless mini PCI card.

Chapter 5: Trouble-Shooting

In this chapter, you will learn how to solve common hardware and software problems.

Appendix A: Product Speciﬁcation

In this section, you will ﬁnd a list of the computer’s system speciﬁcations.

Appendix B: Agency Regulatory Notices

In this section, you will ﬁnd the general electro-magnetic and safety regulatory

information.

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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference

CHAPTER ONE

GETTING TO KNOW THE BASICS

This chapter introduces the features and components of the computer.

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Performance Features

High Performance Processor with Calistoga Chipset

The notebook PC is equipped with a powerful Mobile Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

Together with the latest Calistoga chipset and technologies, the system offers

advanced PC performance.

Advanced Graphic Engine

The PCI-Express high-end graphics engine offers excellent graphics performance

for the most demanding professionals or gamers. The advanced graphics chip also

incorporates a hardware-based motion-compensation engine, which gives you smooth

MPEG video playback. DirectX 9 graphics capability also adds realism to PC games.

LCD Display

The computer is equipped with a non-wide (16:10) 15.4” TFT display panel for the best

cinematic viewing experience.

Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive Support (on certain models)

The serial ATA bus offers higher data throughput than the traditional parallel ATA bus.

This gives you optimal hard drive performance.

ExpressCard Technology

ExpressCard is the next-generation of the PC Card standard. The bus interface is based

on the two standards: PCI Express for high-performance I/O and USB2.0 for a variety

of devices.

Expandability

The system offers an upgradeable hard disk drive and 2 DDR SDRAM sockets for

expansion, allowing the user to easily increase the storage and system capacities as

the need arises.

Built-in Multiple Card Reader

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