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# Before You Begin

Dell™ Inspiron™ 1100 and 5100 Service Manual

Preparing to Work Inside the Computer

Recommended Tools

Computer Orientation

Screw Identification

## Preparing to Work Inside the Computer

| CAUTION: Only a certified service technician should perform repairs on your computer. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions in the Owner's Manual that came with the computer.

| CAUTION: To prevent static damage to components inside your computer, discharge static electricity from your body before you touch any of your computer's electronic components. You can do so by touching an unpainted metal surface.

| CAUTION: Handle components and cards with care. Do not touch the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a component such as a microprocessor by its edges, not by its pins.

| NOTICE: To avoid damaging the computer, perform the following steps before you begin working inside the computer.

1. Ensure that the work surface is flat and clean to prevent scratching the computer cover.
2. Save any work in progress and exit all open programs.
3. Turn off the computer and all attached devices.

| NOTE: Ensure that the computer is off and not in a power management mode. If you cannot shut down the computer using the computer operating system, press and hold the power button for 4 seconds.

1. Disconnect the computer from the electrical outlet.
2. Close the display and turn the computer upside down on a flat work surface.

| NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the main battery before you service the computer.

1. Slide and hold the battery-bay latch release on the bottom of the computer, and then remove the battery from the bay.

1 | battery
2 | battery-bay latch release

1. To avoid possible damage to the system board, wait 10 to 20 seconds and then disconnect any attached devices.
2. Disconnect all other external cables from the computer.
3. Remove any installed PC Cards from the PC Card slot.

## Recommended Tools

The procedures in this manual require the following tools:

- #1 Phillips screwdriver
- ¼-inch flat-blade screwdriver
- Small plastic scribe
- Hex nut driver
- Flash BIOS update program CD

## Computer Orientation

1 | back
2 | right
3 | front
4 | left

## Screw Identification

When you are removing and replacing components, photocopy "Screw Identification" as a tool to lay out and keep track of the screws. The placemat provides the number of screws and their sizes.

Hard Drive Door: (2 each) | Modem to System Board: (2 each) | Optical Drive: (1 each)
Keyboard to Computer Base: (4 each) | Display Assembly to Back Panel: (2 each) | Hinge Bracket to Computer Base: (4 each)
Display Bezel: (5 each) Screw Covers (5 each) | Display Panel: (8 each) | Display Latch: (2 each)
EMI Shield: (1 each) | Top of Palm Rest to Computer Base: (2 each) | Palm Rest to Base Plastics: (12 each)
Video Card to System Board: (2 each) | Palm Rest to Battery Bay: (1 each) | System Board to Base Plastics: (3 each, hard drive cage) (2 each, optical drive cage)
Battery Bay Shield to System Board: (2 each) | Left Antenna to Hard Drive and Optical Drive Cages (Inspiron™ 5100 Only): (2 each)

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