Dell Inspiron 5000* Unofficial FAQ

*and other Compal N30 series machines

(There are NO other models hosted here, so you need not try to find any others here. Instead, try Bay Wolf's site.)

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This document was last updated on Sep. 20, 2013 at 01:52:21 EDT.
This page (http://Kropf.net/i5000/) was served at:
Apr. 20, 2024 at 05:21:27 GMT
Apr. 20, 2024 at 01:21:27 EDT

Introduction

• Welcome
• Warning
• Revision history
• Feedback

General

• Who manufactures this machine?
• What are the various models?
• Who supplies this machine?
• What are the various screen resolutions available?
• What hardware is used in this machine?
• How can I hard-reset my machine without removing the battery?
• What ports/features does the machine have?
• What ports/features does the Port Replicator have?
• What ports/features does the Advanced Port replicator have?
• Why does my TV output or projector fade in and out when playing DVD's?
• What is the latest BIOS?
• How do I flash my BIOS?
• How do I get into the BIOS settings?
• Why does my cursor jump across the screen when I type?
• Why does the touchpad not switch off when using my USB mouse?
• Is my hard drive supposed to make a noised when turned upside down?
• How do I make sure my processor is firmly socketed?
• Why does my machine boot up with a blank screen?
• How do I make my machine load silently?

Dell specific

• What are the differences between the 5000 and 5000e?
• Where can I get a 5000e?
• Battery recall information
• Where can I get new/additional manuals? including "Removing and Replacing Parts" instruction
• How do I run Dell Diagnostics?
• Where can I go for more help?

Windows

Audio

• Does this machine support 3D sound technology?
• Why does my volume change suddenly in Windows 2000 and Windows ME?
• How do I choose between line-in and microphone recording?
• How can I stop sound stuttering with my Xircom RealPort card installed under Windows 2000?
• Why can't I hear my PC-Card (PCMCIA) modem dialling a remote system?
• How do I enable the SPDIF output on my port replicator?

Display

• Why do I have four/two "Default Monitors" in Windows Device Manager?
• How do I set-up my monitors correctly?
• Where can I get an ICM colour matching definition for my LCD?
• How can I set my external monitor to above 60Hz in Windows?
• How can I make my desktop span two displays in Windows 2000?
• What about hardware accelerated 3D graphics?
• How can I tweak my graphics settings?
• How can I make my LCD turn off when I close the lid?

DVD

• How can I play DVD's from other regions?
• How can I improve DVD playback?
• How do I adjust WinDVD's advanced settings?
• Why do I get a coloured square instead of my DVD when playing to a TV?
• How do I output digital audio via the SPDIF connector?

Miscellaneous

• How can I make Windows 2000 support IrComm like 95/98/ME?
• How can I get my external mouse scroll-wheel to function?
• How do I hibernate under Windows 2000?
• Why does my hard-drive keep accessing?
• Why does Windows 9x lock-up after using Windows 2000 on a dual-boot system?
• Why do I loose the network connection on my Xircom?

Drivers/operating systems

• Windows 95/98/ME
• Windows NT
• Windows 2000
• Windows XP
• BeOS
• FreeBSD
• GNU/Linux
• OpenStep
• QNX RTP
• What other drivers are available?

Hardware upgrades

• How do I upgrade my onboard video from 8mb to 16mb?
• What memory modules are supported?
• What hard drives are supported?
• Can I add a second hard drive into the DVD/CD bay?
• What is the unmarked trap-door underneath my laptop for?
• Can I add a DVD/CD-RW drive?
• Can I upgrade my processor?

Software upgrades

• WinDVD (Intervideo)

Software compatibility

• Asherons Call (Microsoft)
• EverQuest (Sony)
• Madden 2001
• No One Lives Forever (Fox)
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein MP Test
• Tribes (Dynamix/Sierra)
• Unreal Tournament

Performance tips

• 3D graphics
• DVD/CD
• Sound

Benchmarks

• SiSoft Sandra

Utilities

• Disk
• Power
• Video

Spare parts

    Supply

• United Kingdom
• United States

    Dell part codes

• AC power adapter
• Battery
• Cables
• Documentation & Software (English)
• Enclosure/Chassis, Screws, Rubber Feet
• Floppy bay
• Hard drive carrier
• Hard drives
• Internal boards
• LCD
• Media bay
• Memory
• Port replication
• Carrying Case

Introduction

Welcome

This document was originally created and maintained through year 2002 by Damien Guard and was adopted in 2003 by Brett Kropf. Damien's FAQ is archived at http://damieng.com/reference/faq/5000e.

I, Brett Kropf, first acquired an Inspiron 5000 from a customer who had spilt water over the keyboard and damaged the system board, but didn't want to pay the nearly $1,000 estimated by Dell to repair it. I eventually purchased a working system board from a credible eBay seller, and was soon impressed with the 15" LCD and other popular features.

I have since purchased an Inspiron 5000e for myself and a few more Inspiron 5000(e) computers for friends and family members. My family is using the FreeBSD Release 5.2 UNIX operating system on both Inspiron 5000 and 5000e models. I use an Inspiron 5000e (with the excellent resolution 1600x1200 LCD) as my own FreeBSD UNIX workstation which I use to administer a 'server farm' of multiple SCO UnixWare7 servers via XFree86 'X' windows. The 1600x1200 UGA display is sharper than my (now retired) 21" ViewSonic PT813 Trinitron monitor at 1280x1024 resolution! I regularly have five or six 1600x1200 virtual desktops, each usually populated with more than 10 X windows for equipment monitors, browser windows, and scrolling logs. I moved my noisy monitoring server (which doubled as my workstation) to the back room, and my office is now nearly silent as I sit at 'command central' with my I5Ke!

Damien's FAQ helped me to quickly become familiar with the Inspiron 5000 series, and I consider it an honor to continue maintenance of his original excellent work. I hope you also find it helpful.

Warning/Disclaimer

I do not work for Dell and certainly do not represent Dell in any way. Neither I nor Dell will take responsibility for the application or misapplication of these instructions and their consequences to your software, hardware, data, configuration or warranty.

Use at your own risk. If you are uncomfortable with this, then you are not the intended audience.

Revision history

Feedback

Submit your comments, corrections, and/or suggestions by clicking here.

General

Who manufactures this machine?

Compal is the company that manufactures the N30 series and supplies it to other retailers for re-branding and as such it is available under many guises from a multitude of suppliers. See Who supplies this machine? for a list of them.

What are the various models?

There have been three major revisions to the N30 range. They are:

The Dell Inspiron 5000 used the N30W model and the Inspiron 5000e the N38W2 model. Dell has never offered a N38W3 model.

Most machines currently on the market are based around the N38W2 model, with some now offering the N38W3. The original N30W is no longer available.

Most items in this FAQ apply to all these models.

Who supplies this machine?

Each model listed contains some basic details on the features and options that retailer has chosen to offer with the machine.

The various models and options are as follows:

N30W

N38W2

N38W3

What are the various screen resolutions available?

The LCD screen resolutions available are:

* The POST code is the letter(s) displayed at the end of the line which starts with "Inspiron 5000" during the initial system power-up. If the large Dell logo appears, press ESCape to view the power-up messages.
** The physical size is measured from inside corner of the display bezel diagonally to the opposite inside corner. i.e. the corners of the visible LCD display.

Bear in mind that unlike CRT displays LCD is not capable of resolutions other than it's own. To compensate for this the ATI Rage graphics chip will attempt to scale your desired video mode to the LCD.

There are three ways in which it could achieve this (some of which you may have seen on other laptops):

• Display the image at native resolution with a large black border around it (pointless)
• Scale the image and repeat some/all pixels to make it fit the screen (blocky)
• Scale the image and use smoothing to minimize the blocking (best)

The ATI Rage Mobility takes the third option and is considered the best way of doing it. This does, however, introduce a slight blurring effect that some people may find annoying. It is advised that when choosing a laptop try other peoples to find a screen resolution you find both comfortable and clear before ordering your machine with your preferred resolution.

If you find your native resolution is too high and you don't like the soft image that changing resolution gives then you could try (under Windows) to go into Control Panel > Display > Appearance and try choosing larger fonts and icons.

What hardware is used in this machine?

You might want to check out the N38W3 service manual for more information.

How can I hard-reset my machine without removing the battery?

Hold down the power-off button for a good 5-10 seconds. Failing that try gently pushing a stylus or straightened paper-clip into the small hole on the right-hand side of your laptop, just forward of the PC-Card slots.

What ports/features does the machine have?

The back of the machine reveals the following ports/features:

• PS/2 9-pin socket (either additional keyboard or mouse)
• USB 4-pin socket (any USB device)
• Dell docking station (240 pin Dell connector)
• VGA 15-pin high-density D (external monitor)
• Infrared IrDA 4Mb
• S-Video 7-pin socket (S-Video output or composite with supplied cable)
• Parallel port 25-pin socket (Parallel printers, transfer cables, ZIP drives etc.)
• Serial port 9-pin plug (Serial printers, transfer cables etc.)
• Fan to keep your processor cool

The left of the machine:

• 3.5" floppy drive (not a port)
• 3.5mm stereo jack (Audio input)
• 3.5mm stereo jack (Microphone input)
• 3.5mm stereo jack (Headphones output)
• MiniPCI output (Phone, network or blanking-plate depending on MiniPCI card installed)
• Left speaker
• Left display release catch
• Volume up/down controls

The front of the machine:

• Primary battery slot
• Primary bay (DVD-ROM, CD-RW, Second battery or blanking plate)
• Hard drive removable bay

The right of the machine:

• Air intake for processor
• Custom 3-pin power connector
• Two PC-Card (PCMCIA) card slots
• Hard-reset pin (hit with a paper clip if all else fails)
• Right speaker
• Right display release catch
• Kensington Notebook MicroSaver security slot

Underneath the machine:

• Memory bay
• MiniPCI bay

Below the LCD, and on top of LCD:

• On indicator
• Power indicator
• Disk activity indicator

At the top of the keyboard:

• Standby/resume/reset button
• Built-in microphone
• Number lock indicator
• Caps lock indicator
• Scroll lock indicator
• LCD close detector

What ports/features does the basic Port Replicator have?

• Two USB 4-pin sockets (any USB devices)
• PS/2 9-pin socket (Keyboard)
• PS/2 9-pin socket (Mouse)
• Parallel port 25-pin socket (Parallel printers, transfer cables, ZIP drives etc.)
• Serial port 9-pin plug (Serial printers, transfer cables etc.)
• VGA 15-pin high-density D (external monitor)
• S-video 7-pin socket (S-video output)
• 3.5mm stereo jack (Speaker output)
• 3.5mm stereo jack (Microphone input)
• 3.5mm stereo jack (Line input)
• SP/DIF RCA/Phono connector (Digital audio output)

What ports/features does the Advanced Port replicator have?

The advanced port replicator provides the exact same functionality as the Port Replicator but adds:

• Integrated MiniPCI 10/100 Ethernet network adaptor with RJ-45 connector
• Power button

Why does my TV output or projector fade in and out when playing DVD's?

Some DVD's feature licensed Macrovision tags to inform the playback hardware to activate Macrovision analogue copy protection designed to prevent unauthorized copying of DVD's to video tapes. This can cause the picture to jump, flicker or fade in and out on the following

• Large percentage of domestic video recorders
• Large percentage of projectors
• Small percentage of televisions

The solutions are

• If you are experiencing television display problems and it is routed via your video recorder then connect your 5000e directly to your TV's inputs instead
• Obtain a device that is connected between your 5000e and your video input that removes Macrovision (these devices are illegal in the USA under the DMCA)

What is the latest BIOS?

See the following question How do I flash my BIOS? for details on flashing your system.

Dell

Inspiron 5000

The latest English BIOS is A08 and was released 1 May 2001. It is available from http://support.dell.com/us/en/filelib/download/index.asp?fileid=R27591&format=29510/p>

Inspiron 5000e

The latest English BIOS is A06 and was released 1 May 2001. It is available from http://support.dell.com/us/en/filelib/download/index.asp?fileid=R27593&format=29510/p>

This A06 update indicates "Fixed battery charge and communication issue." however it appears from previous BIOS releases that Dell take the latest BIOS updates from Compal when they need to fix a specific issue and list it as an update to fix that specific issue. There are normally many other changes/fixes that Dell did not necessarily request in the update.

Compal

Unless your machine already has a Compal BIOS it is NOT RECOMMENDED you use these. Owners of branded machines such as Dell may find that doing so causes loss of functionality including the ability to re-flash back to your original branded BIOS. The following images are untested USE AT OWN RISK.

N30W

The latest English BIOS is 1.07a and is available from http://Kropf.net/i5000/30w0107a.zip

N38W2

The latest English BIOS is 1.08a and is available from http://Kropf.net/i5000/32w2108a.zip

N38W3

The latest English BIOS is 1.04a and is available from http://Kropf.net/i5000/38w3104a.zip

How do I flash my BIOS?

It is recommended that:

1. You only flash you BIOS if actually necessary
2. You use the latest BIOS image from your vendor
3. You follow the procedure from your vendor

If however, your vendor is unable to help or you really must do it then follow this procedure. We DO NOT accept any responsibility if your machine goes wrong for any reason.

1. Make a DOS-bootable floppy disk
2. Extract the ROM image from the ZIP files given above and copy it to the disk
3. Extract Phoenix Flash 1.73c to the disk
4. Boot your machine with the floppy disk
5. Type PHLASH and press Return

The process should then begin and upgrade your BIOS.

How do I get into the BIOS settings?

Contrary to the supplied documentation press F2 while the Dell/BIOS start screen is displayed during the power-on cycle.

Why does my cursor jump across the screen while I type?

This is caused by slight vibrations/touches to the touchpad and often appears if you are using a Standard PS/2 Mouse driver instead of the Synaptics TouchPad driver. The TouchPad driver can eliminate these unwanted clicks through the Palm Rest and Touch Sensitivity options.

If you are still experiencing the problem and are sure you are not hitting the actual buttons then you could try un-checking the Tap to click option and use the left button instead of tapping the pad as a permanent measure or for a temporary fix right-click the Touchpad icon in the Task bar and check the Suppress taps option.

Why does the touchpad not switch off when using my USB mouse?

The touchpad's automatic switch-off facility only applies to PS/2 mice and not USB mice. You can get round this by using a USB to PS/2 converter to allow you to plug your USB mouse into the PS/2 port. Not only will this deactivate the touchpad but it will free up your only USB port.

2005.Mar.3: Joseph Gershgorin reports:
You can download the latest generic Synaptics touchpad driver and there's an option to disable the touchpad so it doesn't get in the way while using a USB mouse.

Is my hard drive supposed to make a noised when turned upside down?

It is quite normal for IBM TravelStar drives to make this noise when turned upside down.

2003.Apr.27: It is my understanding for decades that hard drives are designed to operate normally in any position EXCEPT upside down. (While some manufacturers may say upside down is permissible, why take the risk? Besides, why would anyone want to operate an Inspiron Hard Drive upside down? I'm listening.)

How do I make sure my processor is firmly socketed?

Press down firmly on the keys O, P and L. The processor is located directly behind these keys and performing this action should ensure it is firmly in it's socket.

Why does my machine boot up with a blank screen?

The machine occasionally seems to get confused about whether or not a TV is connected to the output and switches off the LCD during the boot process.

To resolve this press Fn + F8 (CRT/LCD) to switch the screen back on.

How do I make my machine load silently?

It can be very annoying having those loud beeps while your machine boots if you are trying to use it somewhere quiet like a library.

General

1. Go into your BIOS and ensure Quiet boot is enabled. (The trade off is that you'll see the retailer's "Splash Screen" instead of the Power up messages unless you press ESCape during the boot process.)

Windows 98

1. Start > Control Panel > PC Card (PCMCIA)
2. Choose the Global settings tab
3. Check that the option Disable PC card sound effects is ticked

Windows 2000

1. Double-click on the sound icon in the system tray
2. Ensure Mute is checked for the PC Speaker slider

Note that this will also mute all modem dialling tones.

Dell specific

What are the differences between the 5000 and the 5000e?

The machines are very similar however the following components are different and the 5000 was offered with small hard drives and less powerful processors.

The Inspiron 5000 was based on the N38W while the 5000e was based on the N38W2 model. For more details see the question What are the various models?.

Where can I get a 5000e?

Dell US stopped selling the 5000e in Q1 2001 and all Dell offices followed suit over a few months. You could purchase the same base machine from an alternative vendor listed in the Who manufactures this machine? question.

Alternatively pick up a Dell model from

• eBay second-hand machines and accessories
• TeamExcess USA, reconditioned machines and accessories
• e-Stock Ireland reconditioned machines and accessories
• Saturn Computers UK, reconditioned machines
• MM Tracking UK, recondition machines and parts
• Refurbished Laptops UK, offering refurbished laptops

Battery recall information

Dell is recalling some batteries shipped with or as accessories for the Inspiron 5000 or 5000e models. More information can be found at http://support.dell.com/I5000battery

The way to identify these faulty batteries which apparently have a small chance of exploding/catching fire is to check the blue sticker on the edge of the battery. If the last letter on the top row is P then:

• If the first two numeric digits on the top row are 99 then your battery is affected
• If the first two numeric digits on the top row are 00 and the following two numeric digits are 51 or less then your battery is affected

If in doubt, check the Dell site which shows how to identify your battery graphically and also has the phone numbers for your country as well as an online form version. There are reports that completing the online form promises a 2-for-1 replacement so that you'll get twice as many batteries back.

Where can I get new/additional manuals?

If you wish to order printed documentation use the spare part codes to obtain items from your local Dell spares department. Most online documentation is also available from http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/pblan/ including "Removing and Replacing Parts" instruction.

Where can I go for more help?

Official

Web sites

• http://delltalk.us.dell.com/

Unofficial

Web sites

• http://www.eaglecomputing.com/faqs.htm

Newsgroups

• news:comp.sys.laptops
• news:alt.sys.pc-clone.dell

How do I run Dell Diagnostics?

The Dell Diagnostics CD should boot automatically however sometimes it appears to have problems. If this is so, try the following:

1. Ensure your BIOS is set to boot from CD-ROM before anything else
2. Put the Dell Inspiron 5000e System Software CD in your CD/DVD drive
3. Boot your machine
4. Wait for the command prompt to appear
5. Type MSCDEX /D:MSCD000 /L:Z and press Enter
6. Type Z: [Enter] and press Enter
7. Type CD \DIAGS and press Enter
8. Type DELLDIAG and press Enter

Windows

Audio

Does this machine support 3D sound technology?

Supported

• Sensaura 3D
• DirectSound 3D
• Dolby Digital Headphones (WinDVD)
• Dolby Digital 5.1 (WinDVD + Port Replicator)

Unsupported

• Aureal A3D
• Creative EAX

Why does my volume change suddenly in Windows 2000 and Windows ME?

Using the volume controls on the left side of the laptop, the Fn Page Up/Page Down volume controls or the Fn End Mute keys will only affect the current application. Switching to another application will cause the sound to revert to a higher level. According to Dell this is because Microsoft changed the way this works from Windows 9x to 2000/ME.

This may be corrected in a later BIOS but until then use the Windows Volume control.

How do I choose between line-in and microphone recording?

1. Look to see if you have a Speaker icon in the system tray portion of your task bar
2. If it is not use Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Multimedia and checking the box to "Show volume control on the task-bar"
3. Double click on the Speaker icon in the system tray
4. Choose Options > Properties from the menu
5. Choose Recording then press OK
6. Check the Select box for your source between CD, Line, Mic and Mixer

How can I stop sound stuttering with my Xircom RealPort card installed under Windows 2000?

The Xircom RealPort drivers supplied on the CD seem to cause a conflict with the sound chip even when neither networking or modem functionality is being used. To rectify this download the latest drivers from the Xircom web site.

Why can't I hear my PC-Card (PCMCIA) modem dialing a remote system?

There are two settings which can prevent the (useful when traveling) audible dialing feature

1. In Settings > Control Panel > Phone and Modem Options choose your PC-Card modem from the Modem tab then press Properties and ensure Speaker volume is set to On
2. On the taskbar's system tray double-click the Volume speaker-icon and ensure that the PC Speaker is not set to Mute and that the slider control is not set too low

How do I enable the SPDIF output on my port replicator?

The SPDIF output should be automatically installed and available while docked however if you want Windows to output all audio to the SPDIF port then follow these instructions.

Windows 98

1. Ensure you have the latest audio drivers supplied by Dell installed
2. Boot into Windows 98 while attached to the docking station
3. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > System
4. Choose the Device Manager tab
5. Expand the Sound, video and game controllers branch
6. Choose the Maestro Wave/WaveTable Synthesis item
7. Press the right-mouse button and choose Properties
8. Choose the Audio Settings tab
9. Ensure the checkbox labelled SPDIF Enable is ticked

Windows ME

1. Start RegEdit
2. Find the key SPDIFEnable
3. Double-click the key
4. Change the value from 00 to 01 and click OK

Windows 2000

1. Ensure you have the latest audio drivers supplied by Dell installed
2. Boot into Windows 2000 while attached to the docking station
3. Double click the Volume icon in your system tray
4. Press the Advanced button under Volume Control
5. Ensure the checkbox labelled Enable SPDIF is ticked

If you do not have an Advanced button available under the Volume Control slider then add a key named Enable SPDIF of DWORD type with the value of 1 to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000\ and reboot as required.

Alternatively download a registry file to do this.

2004.Jan.25: The Advanced option did not appear until I changed a SPDIFEnable Reg_BINARY from 00 to 01 (0000 01). The "Advance Controls for Volume Control" has two sections: "Tone Controls" (which are inactive), and "Other Controls" (which has a checkbox "1 Enable SPDIF")

Windows XP

1. Start RegEdit
2. Find the branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000\
3. Double-click on the key SPDIFEnable
4. Change the value from 00 to 01 and click OK

Alternatively download a registry file to do this.

Display

Why do I have four/two "Default Monitors" in Windows Device Manager?

You should see two Default Monitors in Windows 9x/ME and four in Windows 2000. This is quite normal because the 5000e supports several displays however you can make things easier to understand and configure by following the procedure in the question How do I set-up my monitors correctly?

How do I set-up my monitors correctly?

Windows 2000

When you first use your laptop you may notice there are four "Default Monitor" entries in Device Manager. This is because the laptop has several outputs available and is not pre-configured to identify which display each is. Without configuring them correctly you will be restricted to 60Hz and find it difficult to find which display is which. Follow this procedure to set them correctly:

1. Go into Device Manager
2. Select the last "Default Monitor", right-click and choose "Properties"
3. Select the "Driver" tab then "Update Driver" button
4. Press "Next" then choose "Display a list of the known drivers..."
5. Press "Next" then "Show all hardware of this device class"
6. If you have the UXGA 1600x1200 display choose "Generic" - "Digital Flat Panel (1600x1200)"
   If you have the SXGA 1400x1050 display choose "IBM" - "IBM ThinkPad (1400x1050)"
7. Press "Next" then "Finish"
8. Repeat procedure for the first "Default Monitor" setting to the brand/model of your external display

I have yet to identify which is the TV output of the remaining two "Default Monitor" entries. The other is believed to be an unused "Flat Panel Display" option that was to be present on the Port Replicator.

Windows 98

When you first use your laptop your laptop you may notice that there are two "Default Monitor" entries in Device Manager. This is because the laptop has two outputs available and is not pre-configured to identify which display each is. Without configuring them correctly you will be restricted to 60Hz and find it difficult to find which display is which. Follow this procedure to set them correctly:

1. Go into Device Manager
2. Select the first "Default Monitor" and press "Properties"
3. Select the "Driver" tab then "Update Driver..." button
4. Press "Next" then choose "Display a list of all the drivers in a specific location..."
5. Press "Next" then choose "Show all hardware"
6. Choose "Generic" - "Laptop Display Panel (1024x768)"
7. Press "Next" then "Finish"
8. Repeat procedure for remaining "Default Monitor" setting to the brand/model of your external display

Notes

• Auto-detection under Windows 98 with an external monitor plugged in will result in both displays being set to that of your external monitor
• Although there is an apparent maximum refresh rate of 85Hz for external monitors I have had an external one running at 90Hz in 1024x768 mode using the "Optimal" setting in the advanced display properties refresh rate option (90Hz was not manually selectable)

Where can I get an ICM colour matching definition for my LCD?

Dell does not provide Windows ICM colour matching definitions or indeed any specific drivers/inf files for the 5000e LCD's although they do provide them for their LCD desktop displays.

UXGA 1600x1200 display

IBM manufactured - likely to be the same on used on IBM ThinkPad range. Driver/inf/ICM for ThinkPad available from:

• Windows 2000 ftp://ftp.pc.ibm.com/pub/pccbbs/mobiles/w2ksfdiw.exe
• Windows 98 ftp://ftp.pc.ibm.com/pub/pccbbs/mobiles/w98sfdiw.exe

Please be aware that these packages contain other drivers in addition to the LCD that are designed for the IBM ThinkPad only and these should not be installed.

How can I set my external monitor to above 60Hz in Windows?

First you need to correctly setup your monitors, see the question How do I set-up my monitors correctly?

Once you have done this:

• Display Properties, Settings tab
• Advanced button
• Monitor tab
• Choose the Refresh Frequency you desire (up to 85Hz)

The ATI Rage Mobility M3 chipset only supports up to 85Hz refresh. This will be used for the external monitor's and will not affect TV or LCD refresh rates which are fixed.

How can I make my desktop span two displays in Windows 2000?

This functionality is not available under Windows 2000 with this model of the ATI Rage Mobility. If you require this functionality you will need to use Windows 98/ME. Now that the ATI M3 and M4 chipsets share the same Windows 2000 driver it is possible a future driver update may add this support (but this has not been announced by ATI or Dell).

The default Mobility 128 drivers supplied with Windows XP still do not support this feature.

What about hardware accelerated 3D graphics?

The ATI Rage Mobility M3 chipset runs on the AGP bus at 2x speed and working in conjunction with the drivers includes hardware-accelerated support for

• OpenGL (Full ICD)
• Direct3D (including AGP texturing)

under Windows 2000, 9x and ME. It does not support Glide although you could possibly use a Glide wrapper for more simple games and applications.

How can I tweak my graphics settings?

Windows 2000

Many graphics cards allow tweaking of graphics settings however the ATI display panel does not display many details other than the gamma correction and monitor selection. There are however some hidden pages that allow tweaking although many of them do not actually apply to Rage Mobility M3 chipset used.

You will need to use RegEdit to enable these additional property pages in the Advanced section of the Display properties. Add a DWORD key to the branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ATI Technologies\Desktop\0000 and assign the value of 1 to this key.

Alternatively download a registry file to do this.

OpenGL
Most of these settings seem to apply to the M3

The OpenGL key gives the following settings

• Convert 32 bit textures to 16 bit
• Enable KTX buffer region extension
• Enable page flipping
• Force 16-bit ZBuffer
• Disable dithering when alpha blending
• Wait for vertical sync
• Sub pixel precision 2, 4
• Level of detail fuzzy, sharp

Direct 3D
None of these settings seem to apply to the M3

The D3D key gives the following settings

• Wait for vertical sync
• Enable anti-aliasing
• Use palette based textures
• Table fog support (6.31.61-T01 driver only)
• Supported Z-buffer bit depths 16, 16;24, 16;24;32

Rotation
These settings work with the M3 correctly with some limitations

The Rotation key gives the following settings

• Standard Landscape (0')
• Rotate 90' Right
• Rotate 180'
• Rotate 90' Left

The Standard Landscape and Rotate 180' options work perfectly and immediately. The other two options work if you set the rotation, apply and close the Display Properties and then re-enter display properties and re-apply your desired resolution.

Other
There are two other display tabs with settings but none appear to have an affect on the M3 chipset. They are KC1 and Maxx.

Windows 9x/ME

The standard installation of the Windows 9x/ME drivers automatically allows the configuration of the OpenGL and Direct 3D options. The rotation option does not work under this operating system at all.

How can I make my LCD turn off when I close the lid?

First ensure you have the latest display drivers and BIOS for your machine, if that does not help then try the following steps.

Please note that you should not store your machine in a bag in anything but Power off or Hibernate modes as the machine will overheat and continue to drain the battery.

Windows 2000

1. Go to the Start menu > Settings > Control panel > Power options
2. Choose the Advanced tab
3. In the When I close the lid of my portable computer combo box choose
   • Standby to turn off the LCD and enter power-saving mode
   • Hibernate to save the machine state to disk and turn off the power
   • Power off to shut down the machine

Windows 98/ME

1. Go to the Start menu > Settings > Control panel > Power options
2. Choose the Advanced tab
3. In the When I close the lid of my portable computer combo box choose
   • None screen will switch off but the system will otherwise remain on

DVD

How can I play DVD's from other regions?

There are three levels of region protection in place. These are

Drive firmware

• Also known as RPC2
• Obtain "on-the-fly" or drive firmware patch for your drive
• Go into Device Manager and determine the make & model of your drive
• Head to http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_all.php to see if a firmware patch is available
• I have patched both my 5000e's - first machine had an LG drive while my newer one has a Toshiba SD C2404 (you need to use Windows 98 Device Manager to determine the firmware version as patches only work with specific versions)

Operating system (Windows)

• More information can be found at http://www.inmatrix.com/files/dvdgenie_download.html
• Windows XP may still show the Region tab on an RPC1 drive after installation. No known permanent solution.

Playback software

• Region Killer is a clever piece of software for Windows 98/ME that intercepts calls to the DVD drive from your playback software such as WinDVD and performs the necessary regional bypassing.
  You can obtain it from http://www.elby.de/RegionKiller/english/.
• Software patch such as DVD Genie is required, see http://www.inmatrix.com/files/dvdgenie_download.html

How can I improve DVD playback?

A few suggestions are

• Try upgrading WinDVD to the latest version
• If your machine has a Celeron processor you can try lowering the quality settings using WinDVD Expert
• If you are suffering from jumpy sound try upgrading your Xircom drivers
• Close down all other applications and unnecessary background tasks (such as on-access virus scanners)
• Ensure there are no application that may be running when the system is not in use such as Seti, Defrag...
• If on battery power, consider using the SpeedStep Switching utility to use "Maximum Performance" at the expense of battery life
• Set your DVD-ROM drive to Ultra DMA as detailed in the DVD-ROM performance tip

How do I adjust WinDVD's advanced settings?

You can download WinDVD Expert from InterVideo's site at http://www.intervideo.com/ or DVD Genie from http://www.inmatrix.com/files/dvdgenie_download.html

These will give you options to adjust (defaults shown in italics)

• De-Interlace mode between Auto, TV & Movie
• NVIDIA mode between Off, TNT or GeForce Motion Compensation
• Quality settings from Best Quality up to Fast Decoding
• Dolby Audio Mode between Dynamic Range or Low Volume Boost
• Hardware Motion Compensation between On or Off
• Closed Caption transparency levels
• Audio Output between 2 Channel or SP/DIF
• DirectShow Navigation On or Off
• Low Frequency Effects On or Off
• Quality Display Interface On or Off
• On-Screen Display On or Off

Some of these options may not apply to the version of WinDVD or affect 5000e's playback of a DVD. The SP/DIF and NVIDIA modes appear to have no effect.

Why do I get a coloured square instead of my DVD when playing to a TV?

This problem occurs because the video overlay function of Windows used to display DVD's only applies to the primary display device. To resolve this

1. Right-click on the desktop and choose Properties
2. Select the Settings tab
3. Press the Advanced button
4. Select the Displays tab
5. Ensure the device you with to watch the DVD on is set to Primary

Note that you can only watch DVD on one screen at a time due to the implementation of Macrovision protection within the ATI Rage Mobility M3 chipset.

How do I output digital audio via the SPDIF connector?

By setting up WinDVD to output to the SPDIF connector you can obtain full Dolby Digital and DTS bit-streams for external decoding and amplification.

Windows 98/ME/XP

1. Ensure you have followed the instructions in How do I enable the SPDIF output on my port replicator?
2. Ensure you have upgraded WinDVD to the latest version in WinDVD (Intervideo) software upgrade
3. Start WinDVD
4. Insert a DVD and press Play
5. Right-mouse button and choose Properties
6. Choose the Audio tab
7. Select the Enable S/PDIF output option
8. Press OK

DVD's seem to suffer from sound drop out when passing through DTS under Windows XP. (Gladiator R2 on Sony STR-DB925, works fine using this equipment with Arcam DV88 DVD player)

Windows 2000

Applications are not permitted to directly access the SPDIF port under Windows 2000. This is explained on the WinDVD site at http://www.intervideo.com/

Windows XP does not have this restriction.

Miscellaneous

How can I make Windows 2000 support IrComm like 95/98/ME?

IrComm is a bridge to enable serial COM port applications to use IrDA ports that was available under Windows 98. This functionality was not made available under Windows 2000 as detailed in Microsoft Knowledgebase article Q252795 - Windows 2000 Does Not Support Mapping Virtual COM Ports to Infrared Ports and further detailed on IrTran-P, IrLPT, and IrDA Networking Support under Windows 2000

There are however, two third party drivers that will give this functionality despite Microsoft's claims it would not be possible.

Extended Systems

"IrComm for Windows 2000" available from Extended Systems. It is available for download at the nominal price of 17 USD.

Tested and worked perfectly on my 5000e with a Nokia 7110.

Jan Kiszka

"IrComm2K" available from http://www.gatrobe.uni-hannover.de/~jan/IrCOMM2k/English/index.html. The driver is free and is available to download in English, German and source-code versions.

How can I get my external mouse scroll-wheel to function?

This appears to be a problem in the Touchpad drivers available from Dell's support site. Download the latest version from the Synaptic site detailed in the Drivers section of this FAQ.

How do I hibernate under Windows 2000?

To enable the functionality you must:

• Start menu > Settings > Control Panel > Power Options
• Click the Hibernate tab
• Check the Enable hibernate support option

You can then use this option from the Shutdown menu or assign it to one of the following events:

• Close the lid
• Power button
• Sleep button (Fn Esc - Suspend)

These events can be also set in the Power Options under the Advanced tab.

You can also set the system to automatically hibernate after a specified amount of inactivity in the Power Schemes tab.

Why does my hard-drive keep accessing?

There are a couple of reasons this could happen and hard-drive access doesn't help with battery life.

• Page file access if your computer is using more memory than it has physically available
  Solution: Upgrade your systems memory or run less applications simultaneously
• File access if your computer has background applications processing or accessing files
  Solution: Run less background applications. You can see them in Task Manager under Windows 2000.

You can identify which files are being accessed to help identify the source of these problems using a freeware program called FileMon available at http://www.sysinternals.com.

Why does Windows 9x lock-up after using Windows 2000 on a dual-boot system?

The Windows 2000 drivers leave the ATI video card in a state for which the Windows 9x drivers are not expecting. The solution to this is to shut-down from Windows 2000 and then power back on to select Windows 98 from the boot loader. This will reset the video card completely allowing Windows 9x to load.

Why do I loose the network connection on my Xircom?

There appears to be a problem under Windows 2000 with the latest Xircom drivers (3.12) that causes the network to periodically disappear for a short while at a time. Xircom are aware of the problem and have issued a hot-fix for RealPort and RealPort2 devices that are susceptible to the problem. The hot-fix can be found at http://www.xircom.com/support/dl/hotfixes/0,1591,0-0-1_Z0-0-1_20-381,00.html

Drivers/operating systems

Windows 95/98/ME

Dell official drivers

Other newer drivers

Use these drivers at your own risk.

Windows 2000

Dell official drivers

Other newer drivers

Use these drivers at your own risk. Those with "Tested OK" are working on the FAQ maintainers system on a daily basis.

Windows NT 4

Support

FlexNote support Windows NT 4.0 on their models.

Drivers

Dell does not support Windows NT on this machine and NT has no built-in PC-Card, USB or Power Management capabilities. If you are determined you could take a look at these files (and let me know how it goes).

Third party software is available to fill some of the gaps in NT's notebook support. Check out:

• PowerProfiler ( http://www.systemsoft.com/l-2/l-3/products-powerprofiler.htm) for power management
• CardWizard-Plus ( http://www.systemsoft.com/l-2/l-3/products-cardwizardplus.htm) for PC-Card support
• ShutDown ( http://www.systemsoft.com/l-2/l-3/products-shutdown.htm) to power off on shutdown

Windows XP

Windows XP includes built-in drivers for all devices within the 5000e however some drivers have less functionality than normally provided by manufacturer-supplied drivers.

Dell official drivers

Other drivers

Notes

DVD

• WinDVD requires a free update - this can be found at http://www.intervideo.com/products/custom/ms/windowsxp/upgrade.jsp and requires your Dell provided copy of WinDVD to be installed and the CD to be available during the update. This update will take WinDVD to version 2.8 and retain the Dolby Headphone and SPDIF support (see How do I output digital audio via the SPDIF connector?)

Power

• Hibernate option is hidden - Go into Start > Turn off computer then press shift to make the Standby icon change to Hibernate
• No Intel SpeedStep control

Sound (ESS Maestro 2E)

• Volume up/down/mute keyboard and side-button controls disabled
• Newer driver available using Windows Update

GNU/Linux

Drivers

Dell does not provide drivers for Linux on their systems however a number of third parties have put some drivers together.

Note that the older N38W2/5000e BIOS's has some slight Linux compatibilities issues regarding power management (APM). Upgrade to the latest bios.

For more information try the following links that contain information on 5000e's and Linux compatibility:

• http://empl.home.cern.ch/empl/inspiron.html
• http://ibgwww.colorado.edu/~lessem/5000e/
• http://minos.phy.bnl.gov/~bviren/inspiron/ (Debian)
• http://www.astro.umd.edu/~teuben/linux/laptop/dell5000.html (Inspiron 5000)
• http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/~lsarang/linux/laptops/dell_i5000e.html (Mandrake)
• http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~steveh/inspiron/ (Inspiron's)

Or try the following Linux on laptops links:

• http://www.linux-laptop.net/

Other tips

• You can bypass the LG DVD region protection with rpcmgr tool
• OpenGL 3D works nicely with DRI enabled XFree86 4.0

BeOS

Drivers

Dell does not provide drivers for BeOS and some features may not be supported. The following table lists major areas of compatibility in BeOS r5.

QNX RTP

Drivers

Dell does not provide drivers for QNX RTP. The following table lists major areas of compatibility in QNX RTP:

FreeBSD

Currently, the best information and tips we know of for installing FreeBSD on this laptop is at http://www.catwhisker.org/~david/FreeBSD/laptop.html.

2004.Mar.21: Brett will be adding current information regarding running FreeBSD as we're now running FreeBSD version 5.2 on both I5000e's and I5000's and working through the ACPI and APM issues.

OpenStep

An excellent page with details on getting OpenStep 4.2 up and running on the close-cousin 5000 machine can be found at http://www.unm.edu/~haibach/inspiron/.

What other drivers are available?

Drivers

A selection of drivers that are likely to work with your Inspiron 5000e under other applications and operating systems are listed here. Use at your own risk.

If you are trying to determine compatibility with another OS then it is interesting to note that the IBM A20p uses the same chipset and video controller as the N38W2/5000e and N38W3. The touchpad is the same as that on Compaq notebooks.

Hardware upgrades

How do I upgrade my onboard video from 8MB to 16MB?

The official line is that the "onboard" ATI graphics can not be upgraded. The "upgrade to 16mb" is a build-to-order option only.

However, the "Removing and Replacing Parts" manual clearly shows how the video daughter board can be changed. Dell's spares section on their web site occasionally lists reconditioned video card modules. This may not work - attempt at your own risk.

2004.Mar.21: Brett has tried replacing a I5000 Video Card (7937U - 8MB Rage Mobility P) with a I5000e Video Card (89JVW - 8MB RAGE Mobility 128-M). There was no visible display on the LCD until replacing the 7937U. So it appears that the Inspiron 5000 is limited to the 8MB Rage Mobility P video card.

What memory modules are supported?

The machine has a trapdoor on the underneath of the system located towards the rear underneath the PC-card slots. There are two slots available for memory, one or both may have been filled depending on the build-to-order options you selected.

The memory modules are "144-pin PC100 SoDIMM CAS2/CL2 non-parity" and any combination of the two can be used up to a maximum of 512MB. Compatible third-party memory modules are:

Beware of attempting to use 256 MB modules that only have 8 chips! Some have complained that 8 chip versions will NOT work in various notebook computers including Inspirons. The Dell/Micron and PNY modules that I've seen work both have 16 memory chips on the 256 MB module.

What hard drives are supported?

The machines uses IDE 2.5" hard drives mounted in a proprietary plastic/metal carrier with a small adaptor to convert from the drives native pin-connector to an edge connector to allow for the plugging/unplugging of the drive (see below). The following table shows the drives Dell are known to be supplying (subject to change), the actual drive manufacturer and part number as well as Dell US pricing. The final column shows the price you can obtain just the drive without enclosure from for comparison.

If you order a bare drive then you will need a drive carrier unit. Two potential suppliers are:

• PowerNotebooks list the Hard Drive Bracket for 30 USD
• WinBook list the Z Series Hard Drive Rail Kit for 9.99 USD
• eBay - Search for: Inspiron 5000* drive caddy

Can I add a second hard drive into the DVD/CD bay?

This N38W series was not designed with a secondary hard drive capability and as such no drive carrier or connector converter is available.

What is the unmarked trap-door underneath my laptop for?

This is for MiniPCI cards and yours may contain:

1. Nothing
2. Modem
3. Modem + Network

Although installation of the card is through a trap-door many device manufacturers only sell these cards to the laptop manufacturers directly or as build-to-order options. Intel and Xircom produce MiniPCI cards but these are OEM only.

The enclosure allows you to install a modem card without opening the machine as it provides a 2-wire connection inside the trapdoor which is connecter to the centre two pins to the external modem connector on the left of the machine. To remove this blank plate push an straightened paper-clip into the hole - it will pop right out.

Can I add a DVD/CD-RW drive?

While Dell never offered this peripheral many other manufacturers do offer it as an option with their laptops. Some of them are quite happy to sell DVD/CD-RW combo drives to Dell owners.

(The original FAQ maintainer wrote:
Known suppliers with current prices are:
    WinBook sells the Z Series DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive for $349 USD
However, I do not see any such listing as of 2003.6.9.)

As of June 2003, such drives (in addition to Dell CD-RW drives) are available via eBay (Search for: Inspiron 5000* RW DVD)
The faceplate of the CD-RW drives I have purchased look nearly identical to the standard I5000* drives, however, the CD-RW DVD drive I purchased has a smaller faceplate, and is labeled as a Dell #16VRU CD-ROM 32X. The system detects it as a Teac DW-224E. My guess is that the seller has modified a regular Dell CD-ROM device with the CD-RW DVD drive. Mine came with 2 CDs: 1) Roxio Easy CD Creator 5.1 Basic, and CyberLink PowerDVD XP.

Also try the sections Who manufactures this machine? or Spare parts suppliers for alternatives.

Can I upgrade my processor?

See the What are the various models? to identify the maximum processor speed your model supports.

If you wish to upgrade the processor in your machine to a faster one that is classed as compatible within our table then you should upgrade your BIOS to the latest version and attempt to obtain a replacement processor daughterboard. You may be able to replace the processor on the board itself however we have NO reports of this working successfully.

If you were looking to upgrade your N38W2/5000e to 900MHz/1GHz then it's a no go. While the N38W2/5000e model is capable of supporting up to 1GHz, Intel have never manufactured a MMC format processor in this speed. Current 800MHz/900MHz/1GHz processors use the uPGA-2 format that is supported in the N38W3 model motherboard.

Software upgrades

WinDVD (Intervideo)

A complete guide on upgrading a Dell supplied copy of WinDVD to the latest version while still keeping Dolby Headphone support is available from Ralph Buschmann at http://home.t-online.de/home/ralf.buschmann/windvdup.htm

Alternative you could try the 2.8 update listed in the Windows XP drivers section

Software compatibility

Asherons Call (Microsoft)

Windows 98/2000/XP

Occasional minor redraw problems under Windows 98, works fine on 2000 and XP in hardware-accelerated mode.

EverQuest (Sony)

Windows 2000

Occasional minor redraw problems on landscape.

Madden 2001

Windows ME

Requires registry change HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ATI TECHNOLOGIES\0000\00\ddhal\SysMemBits from "0" to "1"

No One Lives Forever (Fox)

Windows 2000

+ Works well in OpenGL and Direct3D modes
- Fails to load after splash screen unless you use Task Manager to kill the Synaptics SynTPEnh.exe process before launching the game

Return to Castle Wolfenstein MP Test

Windows 9x/ME

+ Plays great using latest Dell official drivers

Windows XP

- Requires OpenGL
+ Works well once latest IBM-supplied Windows-2000 Rage 128 drivers installed

Tribes (Dynamix/Sierra)

Windows 2000

+ Works in OpenGL hardware accelerated mode
- Occasional distracting texture palette corruption
- Distracting pause when playing sampled sounds (turn off voices in Tribes sound options)

Unreal Tournament

Windows 2000

+ Work well in OpenGL hardware accelerated mode
+ Works in Direct3D mode (appears to be slower than OpenGL)

Performance tips

Dell or other OEM specific/pre-installs may already have some of these already applied. A clean install of Windows has none of these optimizations by default.

3D graphics

Windows 2000

Enable Pentium III optimizations by using RegEdit to add the string key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ATI Technologies\Driver\ddhal\EnableKatmai and set it to 1. Alternatively download a registry file to do this.

DVD/CD

Windows 2000

In Device Manager, expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers and then right mouse button on Secondary IDE Channel and choose Properties. On the Advanced tab change the Transfer Mode for Device 0 from PIO Only to DMA if available apply, and restart your computer. (Tested with Toshiba SD C2404)

Windows 95/98

Click the Softex icon in the taskbar, choose the Storage Devices tab, expand the CD/DVD branch and click on your device. An Enable DMA checkbox in the lower left corner should become available and should be checked.

Sound

Windows 95/98/ME/2000

Start > Run > DXDiag then select the Sound tab and move the Hardware Sound Acceleration level to Full

Benchmarks

SiSoft Sandra

This software provides low-level system information and benchmarking tools. It is available from http://www.sisoftware.demon.co.uk/sandra

• SiSoft Sandra Professional 001
• Windows 2000 Server (SP2)
• 16 MB Video (1600x1200 32-bit)
• 850 MHz Pentium III (Full speed, mains powered)
• 512 MB RAM (100MHz, CL3)
• 32 GB Drive (NTFS)

Utilities

This section contains details on a handful of useful utilities to make your 5000e just that little bit more enjoyable.

Disk

Power

Video

Spare parts

WARNING: This section is under development and will no doubt contain inaccuracies and many omissions at this time. Use entirely at your own risk.

Supply

United Kingdom

• Service Source have a limited selection of Dell-branded parts (use the part codes below)
• Compal UK are happy to supply generic non-Dell branded parts - contact Peter Yang

United States

• Bizcom Electronics are the US support center for Compal and can supply spare parts
• Dell 1.800.456.3355
• eBay (may pay higher than Dell's prices)
• Fox Micro International - EOL Spare Parts 1.972.690.1590 (508 N Bowser Rd, Richardson, TX 75081)
• Merrill Technologies 1.800.585.6341 (ask for Wes or Mike)
• SupplyNet 1.800.826.0279 (AC Adapters and Cables)
• Team Excess sell some accessories and parts

Dell part codes

Many components are common to both the Inspiron 5000 and 5000e, however some items listed in this section may be specific to one of the two models. Note that reconditioned (and/or used parts being sold on eBay, etc.) are sometimes more expensive than new parts - check before you buy.

I was told on May 2, 2003 that minimum shipping and handling is $10.00 for second day shipping, and $16.00 for next day delivery.

(I placed an order on Friday, May 2, 2003 at 2:30 PM EDT and choose 2nd day shipping. The parts totaled $60.85, and was charged $21.00 for shipping and handling. On Tuesday, May 6th, the order was invoiced. The package weighed less than one pound, and was shipped via Airborne Express from Austin, TX. The package arrived in Kingston, NY on Wednesday, May 7, and was missing one of the 7 line items. On May 9th, I called Dell Customer Service, and was told with 'no-hassle', that the missing item should arrive in 7 - 10 days. It arrived via Airborne Express on May 14.)

Parts from Dell may be Reconditioned/Refurbished unless stated otherwise.
(An appended date is the date last verified in Year.Month.Date format)

AC power adapter

• 1045D US power cord 6 foot ($4.95)
• 7238U AC adapter + US power cord (New $39, Ref $24.95)
• 9364U AC adapter

Battery

• 083KV 5400mAH Li-Ion Battery ($109.00 2003.5.2)
• 2127U 4800mAH Li-Ion Battery
• 311KD 59W Li-Ion Battery (New $129)
• 4127U 52W Li-Ion Battery (Ref $84.95)
• 5G045 59W 5400mAH Li-Ion Battery Recall Replacement

Cables

• 11NYK Cable, Coaxial, TV-Out, I5000 ($4.95 2003.5.30)
• 44CTV Cable, S-Video Cable Adapter
• 89550 Network Adapter Cable ("dongle" for 3CCFE575CT-D PC Card - 3COM #:3C-PC-TX-CBL) ($9.95 2003.5.2)
• 9823E Cable, Coaxial, TV Out, I7000 ($4.95 2003.5.30)

Documentation & Software (English)

• 18PYW0 Dell Inspiron 5000: Start Here
• 1945T Dell Inspiron Systems: Setup Guide
• 2798U Dell Inspiron 5000 System Software (Device Drivers, Diagnostics and Utilities, Online Documentation)
• 35JMY Dell Inspiron 5000: Port Replicator User's Guide
• 3959U Dell Inspiron 5000: Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
• 5138U Dell Inspiron 5000: Setup video VHS PAL
• 5959U Dell Inspiron: Getting Started
• 70HKU Removing and Replacing Parts: Dell Inspiron 5000 Series
• 91XWT Dell Inspiron 5000e System: Solutions Guide

Enclosure/chassis

• 0169U Screw Floppy Drive Bezel Mitsumi for i5000 ($0.05)
• 0384D Memory Door Screw ($0.10 2003.5.2)
• 040KU 14" LCD bezel ($4.95)
• 057HW 15" LCD Bezel & Inverter Screw SCR;M2.5X6;FPH;MSCR;SST (2003.7.8)
• 179NU Bottom plastic chassis ($24.95 2003.5.2)
• 1828U 15" top cover with hinges & latches - Samsung (FA30W01W000 2003.6.13) ($29.95)
• 1917U Mini-PCI door ($4.95)
• 21XPD 15" XGA Back Cover to LCD Screw SCR;M2X3.5;PH;MSCR;BLO (?maybe UXGA also?) ($0.10)
• 25DNC 15" top cover with hinges & latches - Hitachi (FA30W01X000 2003.6.13)
                "Assembly,Cover,Liquid Crystal Display,15.0,HIT,I500" ($34.95 2006.2.17)
• 2917U Memory door ($4.95 2003.5.2)
• 30DMU 14" top screw cover ($4.95)
• 348GC 14" top cover with latches ($24.95)
• 36DEP 15" top cover with hinges & latches - Toshiba - new style (FA31W213000) (CVR ASSY;LCD;15.0U;I5000E 2003.7.7)
• 3717U Palm-rest assembly ($39.95)
• 3776U Hinge Cover Bezel (31WFC31W02G000 2003.6.13) ($4.95 2003.5.2)
• 3817U Hinge block assembly with Fan (EC31W02H000 2003.7.26) (ASSY,HNG,BLCK,NBK,I5000 $24.95)
• 4428U Strip cover screw ($0.05)
• 4828U 15" LCD bezel ($4.95)
• 49XRR? 15" I5000e top cover with hinges & latches - Toshiba newer style
• 51GNX? 15" LCD bezel
• _____? 15" LCD bezel I5000e (FA31W2160000 2003.7.26)
• 5828U Black Mylar Screw Cover for Display CVR;BK;SCR;MYLAR;LCD ($0.05 2003.5.2)
• 59EFH 15.0+ SXGA+ Back Cover to LCD Screw
• 6428U Screw for speakers/floppy bezel/touchpad bracket ($0.05)
• 6817U Foot, Rubber, Bottom, Back, 3.34mm ($0.10 2003.5.2)
• 71XTM 15" SXGA+ top cover with hinges & latches - IBM
                "Assembly,Cover,Liqud Crystal Display,15.0+,I5000" ($29.95 2006.2.17)
• _^?^_ 15" top cover with hinges & latches - IBM 1TSX93C (FA30W01N000 2003.6.13 - dpn:?)
• 7817U Foot, Rubber, Bottom, Front, 3.85mm ($0.10 2003.5.2)
• 79XWE 15" I5000e LCD Bezel (FA31W214000) (BZL;PLSTC;LCD;15.0U;NBK;I5000E 2003.7.7)
• 84900 Screw for i/o port connectors ($4.95)
• 85123 Screw for docking connector ($4.95)
• 8676U Keyboard 87-key ($19.95 2003.5.2)
• 8817U Foot, Rubber, Bottom, Long-Oval, Strike zone ($0.65 2003.5.2)
• 9428U Screw bottom latch assembly ($0)
• 9817U Foot, Rubber, Bottom, Round, 3.0mm ($0.10 2003.5.2)

Floppy bay

• 0012P 1.44 MB 3.5" floppy drive (New $79)
• 0169U Floppy drive bezel screw ($0.05)
• 1138U 1.44 MB 3.5" floppy drive

Hard drive carrier ("caddy")

• 0598U Front bezel
• 2189U Drive carrier ($4.95 2003.5.2)
• 2528U Drive carrier screw ($0.05)
• 6227U Edge connector

Hard drives

• 00UMR 10 GB hard drive + carrier (New $299)
• 0930Y 12 GB hard drive Hitachi DK23AA-12 4200 rpm
• 0P108 40 GB hard drive IBM IC25N040ATCS04 4200 rpm
• 1074T 12 GB hard drive Fujitsu MHK2120AT 4200 rpm
• 1737U 18 GB hard drive (Ref $279)
• 25FRP 32 GB hard drive (New $649)
• 30UFH 20 GB hard drive (New $499, Ref $429)
• 31YMK 10 GB hard drive IBM DJSA-210 4200 rpm
• 3637U 12 GB hard drive + carrier (New $379)
• 3C224 32 GB hard drive IBM DJSA-232 5400 rpm
• 47XFD 6 GB hard drive + carrier (New $219)
• 5074T 6 GB hard drive IBM DARA-206000 4200 rpm
• 596YK 20 GB hard drive + carrier (New $429)
• 615TW 20 GB hard drive IBM DJSA-220 4200 rpm
• 73DGY 6 GB hard drive (New $249)
• 87RVD 10 GB hard drive Fujitsu MHM2100AT 4200 rpm
• 880JX 30 GB hard drive (Ref $699)
• 98VMV 10 GB hard drive (New $299, Ref $279)

Internal boards

• 4717U Main System Board ("motherboard")
                "Printed Wiring Assembly,PlanarMotherboard,Notebook,I5000" ($779.00 2006.2.17)
• 53JUH Thermal cooling assembly without fan (with Rage 128 video)
• 6158U Mini PCI modem 56K ($29.95 2003.5.30)
• 65DNC Main System Board ("motherboard")
                "Service Kit,Printed Wiring Assy,Motherboard,I5000" ($799.00 2006.2.17)
• 66DJD Video Graphics Adapter, 16 MB, ATI, M3, I5000e Rage Mobility 128-M (exposed proc., 4* 2MB HY57V161610D RAM chips) ($119.00 2003.5.30)
• 6937U Video Graphics Adapter, 4MB - 5000 only ($74.95)
• 6F553 3Com 3CN3AC1556B Mini PCI 10/100LAN 56K Modem Combo Card - (Appears NOT compatibile and conversion appears not possible as the RJ-11 Jack is only two wire and plugs directly into the System Board. Please email me if you have any differing information regarding using this combo card in an Inspiron 5000(e) and/or know the model number for the Ethernet/Modem connection and cable that would be required to use this in an Inspiron 5000(e) or sister machine.) Same request if anyone has success in using a Wireless LAN MiniPCI Card. http://search.ebay.com/DELL-miniPCI-Wireless
• 7089U IrDA infrared board ($19.95)
• 7898U Thermal cooling assembly without fan ($19.95)
• 7937U Video Graphics Adapter, 8MB - 5000 only (heat sink covers proc., 4 exposed M32L1632512A 512k*32 SGRAM chips) ($89.95)
• 89JVW Video Graphics Adapter, 8 MB, ATI, M3, I5000e RAGE Mobility 128-M (exposed proc., no RAM chips) (CRD,GRPHC,VGA,8M,ATI,M3,I5000E $94.95 2003.5.30)
• 969PG Main System Board I5000E ("motherboard")

Note: Inspiron 5000e Video Graphic Adapters do NOT appear compatible with Inspiron 5000 models.

Display

Cables:

• _____ 14.1" XGA (GT 14.1) LCD Cable, LG (N30W LF-485 Rev:2A - dpn:?) Used with Philips LP141XA
• _____ 15" ? (?) LCD Cable, Samsung (N30W LF-48A)
• _____ 15" SXGA+ (VT 15.0+) LCD Cable, IBM (N30W LF-48C Rev:1.0 IBM 930 Pucka) Used with 202HD (2003.9.16)
• _____ 15" ? (?) LCD Cable, ? (N31W2 LF-48J)
• 07NGN 14.1" Cable, "Cable,Assembly,Flexible Printed Circuit,Liquid CrystalDisplay,14.1,+80V,I5000" ($19.95 2006.2.17)
• 132FP 15" UXGA (U 15.0U) LCD Cable, Toshiba (N31W2 LF-48K Rev:1.0) ($24.95 2006.2.27)
• 23KDY 15" SXGA+ (VT 15.0+) LCD Cable, Samsung (N30W LF-48G Rev:2A)
                "Cable,Assembly,PFC,LCD,SEC+ +80V,I5000" ($19.95 2006.2.17)
• 24VVD 15" Cable, ?
• 38XCE 15" XGA (LT 15.0) LCD Cable, Hitachi (N30W LF-48I Rev:1.0) ($24.95 2003.5.2)
• 9089U 15" XGA (LT 15.0) LCD Cable, Samsung ($24.95 2003.5.2)

Inverters:

• 80WEJ 14.1" Inverter - for XGA, SXGA ($19.95 2003.5.30)
• 3828U 15" Inverter - for XGA, SXGA+, UXGA (INVRTR,LCD,15.0,NBK,I5000 2003.7.16)

LCD Panels: (some may be Service Kits)

• 1600V 14.1" XGA (GT 14.1) LCD, LG-Philips LP141XA ?Discontinued?
• 202HD 15" SXGA+ (VT 15.0+) LCD, IBM (2003.9.16)
• 27XNG 15" XGA (LT 15.0) LCD, Hitachi TX38D87VC1CAA (2003.7.7) (Incl. in 23VFU)
• 396NF 15" UXGA (U 15.0U) LCD, Toshiba LTM15C162 (LCD,TFT,UXGA,15.0,TSHBA 2003.7.7) (Incl. in 53VKG)
• 4889T 15" SXGA+ LCD, IBM (ITSX93C or ITSX93E) (n/a 2006.2.17)
• 49NDP 14.1" SXGA (X 14.1+) LCD, Samsung LTN141P1-L01 (n/a 2006.2.17) (Incl. in 75MKH)
• 7149C 14.1" XGA (GT 14.1) LCD, LG-Philips LP141X2 (Incl. in 974VJ)
• 78RGT (n/a 2006.2.17)
• 9738U?? 15" SXGA+ (VT 15.0+) LCD, ?
• 99HYD 15" SXGA+ (VT 15.0+) LCD, Samsung LTN150P1-L01
                "Liquid Crystal Display,Thin Film Transistor,SXGA+,15.0, Samsung" ($919.00 2006.2.18)

"LCD panels in Dell products contain mercury, please dispose of properly. Please contact Dell Financial Services' Asset Recovery Services group for EPA compliant disposal options at < US_DFS_AssetRecovery @ dell.com > (remove spaces). Minimum quantities may apply."

(Display "Service Kit"s include the LCD panel, Cable, and Inverter)

• 23VFU 15" XGA (LT 15.0) Service Kit, Hitachi ($999.00 2003.5.2)
• 37CJR 15" SXGA+ (VT 15.0+) Service Kit, IBM ($859 2003.5.30)
• 53VKG 15" UXGA (U 15.0U) Service Kit, Toshiba (SVC;LCD;15.0 UXGA;TSHBA;I5000E $1,069.00 2003.5.2)
• 75MKH 14.1" SXGA (X 14.1+) Service Kit, Samsung ($869 2003.5.30)
• 80JCY 15" XGA (LT 15.0) Service Kit, Samsung ($879.00 2003.5.2)
• 963YT 15" SXGA+ (VT 15.0+) Service Kit, Samsung ($979.00 2003.5.2)
• 974VJ 14.1" XGA (GT 14.1) Service Kit, LG ($1,139 2003.5.30)

Media bay

• 153YN DVD-ROM 8x Toshiba SD-C2402 (New $179, Ref $209)
• 339CT Empty TravelLite weight saver for lighter travel weight (Dell no longer lists 2003.5.2 - Kropf has many available)
• 4038U DVD-ROM 6x drive ($219)
• 44NMH CD-ROM 32x drive ($99.95)
• 5928U CD-ROM 24x drive
• 6338U 100MB Iomega Zip drive (Ref $179, New $139)
• 855RN CD-RW 20x4x4x Matshita UJDA310
• 8928U CD-ROM 24x drive ($94.95)
• 89YUF DVD-ROM 8x ($279)
• 93UVN CD-RW 8x drive (New $379)
• 986KT CD-RW 20x4x4x drive (New $329, Ref $309)

Memory

• 1937U 32MB PC100 SDRAM (New $100)
• 2937U 64MB PC100 SDRAM (New $199)
• 3937U 128MB PC100 SDRAM (New $379)
• 5937U 256MB PC100 SDRAM (New $749)

Port replication

• 0068U Pass Through Port Replicator ($189 2003.5.30)
• 6858U Advanced Port Replicator ($299 2003.5.30)
  (The Advanced Port Replicator includes a 10/100 Network Interface Card with RJ45 socket, and power switch)

Carrying Case

• 2509T Nylon Notebook Carrying Case, I7500
• 3509T Leather Notebook Carrying Case, I7500

© Copyright 2003-2024 Brett Kropf. All rights reserved.
Based on http://damieng.com/reference/faq/5000e, a previous FAQ Copyright © 2001-2002 Damien Guard.

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