Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
PREFACE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. GETTING TO KNOW THE BASICS
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
2. BIOS SETUP AND SECURITY
3. BATTERY POWER & POWER MANAGEMENT
APPENDIX A Product Specification APPENDIX B Agency Regulatory Notices
5. TROUBLESHOOTING
4. UPGRADING YOUR COMPUTER
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Symbols and Conventions
Using This Manual
Preface
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Your computer will serve you well if you take good care of it
Here are some ways of taking care of your AC adapter
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
When cleaning the computer, observe these steps
Cleaning the Ventilation Grills
Chapter 3 Battery Power & Power Management
Chapter 2 BIOS Setup / Security
Chapter 5 Trouble-Shooting
Appendix A Product Specification
This chapter introduces the features and components of the computer
CHAPTER ONE GETTING TO KNOW THE BASICS
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
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High Performance Processor with Calistoga Chipset
Performance Features
Advanced Graphic Engine
LCD Display
Wireless LAN
Firewire IEEE1394 / 1394a and USB2.0 Ports
Ethernet Port
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Top View 1. LCD Latch
System At A Glance
2. LCD Display
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
8. LED Status Indicator
6. Touch Pad Disable / Enable Button
9. Power / Suspend Button
3. Keyboard
11. Outlook Express Quick Key
10. Silent Mode Button
12. Internet Explorer Quick Key
13. Windows Media Player Quick Key
2. Power Jack DC-in
1. Wireless On/Off Switch
4. Battery Pack
Front and Rear View
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
5. Ventilation Grill
6. Kensington Lock Key Hole
Side Views
1. Audio Volume Dial
2. Stereo Headphone / SPDIF-out Jack
3. Microphone Jack
5. USB2.0 Port
10. Firewire / IEEE1394 / 1394a Port
6. DVI-I Port
7. TV S-Video Port
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
12. ExpressCard Slot
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Bottom View
1. Battery Pack and Battery Latch
2. Hard Disk Drive Cover
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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
3. System Device Cover
4. Ventilation Grill
AC Adapter
1. DC-out Connector
2. Adapter
3. AC Plug
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
LED Status Indicator
System & Power Status Indicators
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Keyboard Features
Function Keys Quick Keys
1. Start Key
Windows Keys
2. Application Menu Key
Embedded Numeric Keypad
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Tips on Using the Touch Pad
Touch Pad
Graphics Subsystem
Adjusting the Display Brightness
Extending the Life of the TFT Display Device
Opening and Closing the Display Panel
Adjusting the Audio Volume in Windows
Adjusting the Volume Manually
Connecting the Modem
Audio Subsystem
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
To change the modem setting, do the following
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
CHAPTER TWO BIOS SETUP AND SECURITY FEATURE
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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
The Setup Utility is a hardware configuration program built into your computer’s BIOS Basic Input/Output System. It runs and maintains a variety of hardware functions. It is a menu-driven software, which allows you to easily configure and change the settings
Leaving the BIOS Setup Screen
Entering the BIOS Setup Screen
BIOS Action Keys
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Boot Setup
Modifying the BIOS Settings
Main Setup
Boot Settings Configuration
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
the 1st drive BIOS attempts
Boot Agent is selected, the
Using Password Protection
Security Setup
Boot Settings Configuration
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Power Setup
Exit Setup
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
CHAPTER THREE BATTERY POWER & POWER MANAGEMENT
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Lithium-Ion Battery
The Battery Pack
Battery Low-Power Warning 1. Low Battery Warning
2. Very Low Battery Warning
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Note Press Fn+F3 to turn off the battery warning beep
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To Remove the Battery Pack
Installing and Removing the Battery Pack
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
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Charging the Battery and Charging Time
To Install the Battery Pack
Checking the Battery Level
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Prolonging the Battery’s Life and Usage Cycles
There are things you can do to prolong the use of the battery
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Using Windows Power Options
Windows’ Power Schemes
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
In this dialog box, you can manually set the LCD and hard drive’s time-out values in the Plugged In column and in the Running On Batteries column. Lower time-out values will save more battery power
Standby Suspend
Suspend Mode
Hibernate Suspend
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Power Button Action
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Low Battery Warning
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Power Menu Quick Access
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Windows’ Power Plans
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Suspend Mode
Standby Suspend
Hibernate Suspend
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Power Button Action
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Low Battery Warning
Click the “Change plan settings” underneath the currently active Power Plan in the Power Options Properties box. Next, click on “Change advance power settings” and go the the battery section and expand it to change the battery notifications and alarms
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Power Menu Quick Access
Instead of making specific selections in the Power Options Properties box, you can quickly and easily specify which pre-set power saving function you desire by clicking on the Battery icon at the lower right-hand corner of the task bar. If you do not see a battery or AC-in icon, go to Power Options Properties box and click on the Advanced tab. Check off ``Always show icon on the task bar``. Select “Power Saver” if you want the system to enter Suspend Mode more often. Or, select “High Performance” if your notebook PC is plugged into an AC power source
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
CHAPTER FOUR UPGRADING YOUR COMPUTER
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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Upgrading the Hard Disk Drive
To replace the hard disk drive, do the following
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Upgrading the Hard Disk Drive
10. Put the HDD cover back and re-attach 2 Screw A’s
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Upgrading the System Memory
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Installing a memory module DIMM into the system
the contact edge is driven into the receiving socket
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Adding a Mini-PCI Type Wireless LAN Card Optional Device
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Installing a Mini PCI Card into the System
To install a new Mini PCI card, do the following
4. Replace the System Device Cover and 9 Screw D’s
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
CHAPTER FIVE TROUBLESHOOTING
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Before taking further actions, consider the following suggestions
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
No speaker output
Audio Problems
Sound cannot be recorded
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
The hard disk drive does not work or is not recognizable
Hard Disk Problems
The hard drive is making abnormal whining noises
The hard disk drive has reached its capacity
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
The hard disk takes longer to read a file
The files are corrupted
The optical drive does not work
Optical Drive Problems
The drive does not read any disks
The disk cannot be ejected
The display panel is blank when the system is turned on
Display Problems
The screen is difficult to read
The screen flickers
The characters on the screen repeat when I type
Keyboard and Mouse Problems
The built-in touch pad performs erratically
The built-in keyboard accepts no input
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
CMOS Battery Problem
Memory Problems
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Modem Problems The built-in modem does not respond
Connection difficulties
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Network Adapter / Ethernet Problems
The Ethernet adapter does not work
Windows crashes or freezes when you remove the PC card
PC Card / PCMCIA Problems
PC Cards do not function
The PC card cannot be recognized
The computer becomes hot
Performance Problems
The program appears to have stopped or runs very slowly
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
The USB device does not work
Firewire IEEE1394 and USB2.0 Problems
The IEEE1394 port does not work
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
APPENDIX A PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
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System Memory
Processor and Core Logic
Display
Audio
Modem
Firewire IEEE1394a
LAN / Ethernet
Storage
Battery Pack / AC Adapter
Ports and Connectors
Keyboard & Touch pad
Express Card New Card & Multiple Card Reader
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
BIOS
Physical Specification
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
APPENDIX B AGENCY REGULATORY NOTICES
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Modifications
Federal Communications Commission Notice
Connections to Peripheral Devices
Declaration of Conformity
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
European Notice
Canadian Notice
U.S. and Canada
Power Cord Requirement
Japan
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Other Countries
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Battery Pack Safety
Telephone Lines Requirement
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Laser Safety
Lithium Battery Warning / Bridge Battery Warning
Ethernet
Connecting to the Network
Cabling Restriction for Networks
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference