Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
1. GETTING TO KNOW THE BASICS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
2. BIOS SETUP AND SECURITY
3. BATTERY POWER & POWER MANAGEMENT
4. UPGRADING YOUR COMPUTER
5. TROUBLESHOOTING
APPENDIX A Product Specification APPENDIX B Agency Regulatory Notices
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Preface
Using This Manual
Symbols and Conventions
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 5 Trouble-Shooting
Chapter 2 BIOS Setup / Security
Chapter 3 Battery Power & Power Management
Appendix A Product Specification
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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Advanced Graphic Engine
Performance Features
High Performance Processor with Calistoga Chipset
LCD Display
Ethernet Port
Firewire IEEE1394 / 1394a and USB2.0 Ports
Wireless LAN
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
2. LCD Display
System At A Glance
Top View 1. LCD Latch
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
9. Power / Suspend Button
6. Touch Pad Disable / Enable Button
8. LED Status Indicator
3. Keyboard
12. Internet Explorer Quick Key
10. Silent Mode Button
11. Outlook Express Quick Key
13. Windows Media Player Quick Key
4. Battery Pack
1. Wireless On/Off Switch
2. Power Jack DC-in
Front and Rear View
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
5. Ventilation Grill
6. Kensington Lock Key Hole
2. Stereo Headphone / SPDIF-out Jack
1. Audio Volume Dial
Side Views
3. Microphone Jack
6. DVI-I Port
10. Firewire / IEEE1394 / 1394a Port
5. USB2.0 Port
7. TV S-Video Port
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12. ExpressCard Slot
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2. Hard Disk Drive Cover
1. Battery Pack and Battery Latch
Bottom View
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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
3. System Device Cover
4. Ventilation Grill
2. Adapter
1. DC-out Connector
AC 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
2. Application Menu Key
Windows Keys
1. Start Key
Embedded Numeric Keypad
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Tips on Using the Touch Pad
Touch Pad
Extending the Life of the TFT Display Device
Adjusting the Display Brightness
Graphics Subsystem
Opening and Closing the Display Panel
Connecting the Modem
Adjusting the Volume Manually
Adjusting the Audio Volume in Windows
Audio Subsystem
To change the modem setting, do the following
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
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CHAPTER TWO BIOS SETUP AND SECURITY FEATURE
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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
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
BIOS Action Keys
Entering the BIOS Setup Screen
Leaving the BIOS Setup Screen
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Main Setup
Modifying the BIOS Settings
Boot Setup
Boot Settings Configuration
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
the 1st drive BIOS attempts
Boot Agent is selected, the
Boot Settings Configuration
Security Setup
Using Password Protection
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Power Setup
Exit Setup
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CHAPTER THREE BATTERY POWER & POWER MANAGEMENT
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Battery Low-Power Warning 1. Low Battery Warning
The Battery Pack
Lithium-Ion Battery
2. Very Low Battery Warning
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Note Press Fn+F3 to turn off the battery warning beep
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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Installing and Removing the Battery Pack
To Remove the Battery Pack
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Checking the Battery Level
To Install the Battery Pack
Charging the Battery and Charging Time
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
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
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Hibernate Suspend
Suspend Mode
Standby Suspend
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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Standby Suspend
Suspend Mode
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Hibernate Suspend
Power Button Action
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
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
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CHAPTER FOUR UPGRADING YOUR COMPUTER
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Upgrading the Hard Disk Drive
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
To replace the hard disk drive, do the following
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Upgrading the Hard Disk Drive
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
10. Put the HDD cover back and re-attach 2 Screw A’s
Upgrading the System Memory
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Installing a memory module DIMM into the system
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
the contact edge is driven into the receiving socket
Adding a Mini-PCI Type Wireless LAN Card Optional Device
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Installing a Mini PCI Card into the System
To install a new Mini PCI card, do the following
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
4. Replace the System Device Cover and 9 Screw D’s
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CHAPTER FIVE TROUBLESHOOTING
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Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Before taking further actions, consider the following suggestions
Sound cannot be recorded
Audio Problems
No speaker output
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
The hard drive is making abnormal whining noises
Hard Disk Problems
The hard disk drive does not work or is not recognizable
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 drive does not read any disks
Optical Drive Problems
The optical drive does not work
The disk cannot be ejected
The screen is difficult to read
Display Problems
The display panel is blank when the system is turned on
The screen flickers
The built-in touch pad performs erratically
Keyboard and Mouse Problems
The characters on the screen repeat when I type
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
PC Cards do not function
PC Card / PCMCIA Problems
Windows crashes or freezes when you remove the PC card
The PC card cannot be recognized
The program appears to have stopped or runs very slowly
Performance Problems
The computer becomes hot
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
The IEEE1394 port does not work
Firewire IEEE1394 and USB2.0 Problems
The USB device does not work
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APPENDIX A PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
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Display
Processor and Core Logic
System Memory
Audio
LAN / Ethernet
Firewire IEEE1394a
Modem
Storage
Keyboard & Touch pad
Ports and Connectors
Battery Pack / AC Adapter
Express Card New Card & Multiple Card Reader
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
BIOS
Physical Specification
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APPENDIX B AGENCY REGULATORY NOTICES
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Connections to Peripheral Devices
Federal Communications Commission Notice
Modifications
Declaration of Conformity
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
European Notice
Canadian Notice
Japan
Power Cord Requirement
U.S. and Canada
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
Other Countries
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference
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
Cabling Restriction for Networks
Connecting to the Network
Ethernet
Alienware Area-51 m5550 Technical Reference