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About Your Small Mini-Tower Computer

Dell™ OptiPlex™ GX280 Systems User's Guide

  Front View

  Back View

  Inside Your Computer

  System Board Components

  Front-Panel Door and Hinge Arms

Front View

1	CD/DVD-drive eject button	Press to eject a CD or DVD from the drive.
2	hard-drive activity light	The hard drive light is on when the computer reads data from or writes data to the hard drive. The light might also be on when a device such as your CD player is operating.
3	front-panel door	Open the door to use the front panel connectors. NOTE: The front door is removable; if you remove it or accidentally knock it off its hinges, it snaps back in place. For instructions on how to reattach the door, see "Front-Panel Door and Hinge Arms."
4	front air vents	The front air vents help cool the inside of your computer.
5	headphone connector	Use the headphone connector to attach headphones and most kinds of speakers.
6	USB 2.0 connectors (2)	Use the front USB connectors for devices that you connect occasionally, such as joysticks or cameras, or for bootable USB devices (see "System Setup" for more information on booting to a USB device). It is recommended that you use the back USB connectors for devices that typically remain connected, such as printers and keyboards.
7	power button	Press to turn on the computer. NOTICE: To avoid losing data, do not turn off the computer by pressing the power button for 6 seconds or longer. Instead, perform an operating system shutdown. NOTICE: If your operating system has ACPI enabled, when you press the power button the computer will perform an operating system shutdown.
8	power light	The power light illuminates and blinks or remains solid to indicate different states: No light — The computer is turned off (S4, S5, or mechanical OFF) Steady green — The computer is in a normal operating state Blinking green — The computer is in a power-saving state (S1 or S3) Blinking or solid amber — See "Power Problems" To exit from a power-saving state, press the power button or use the keyboard or the mouse if it is configured as a wake device in the Windows Device Manager. For more information about sleep states and exiting from a power-saving state, see "Power Management." See "Diagnostic Lights" for a description of light codes that can help you troubleshoot problems with your computer.
9	floppy-drive activity light	The floppy drive light is on when the computer reads data from or writes data to the floppy drive. Wait until this light turns off before you remove the floppy disk from the drive.
10	floppy-drive eject button	Press to eject a floppy disk from the floppy drive.

Back View

1	power connector	Insert the power cable.
2	voltage selection switch (may not be available on all computers)	Your computer is equipped with either an auto-sensing voltage selector or a manual voltage selection switch. Computers with an auto-sensing voltage selector do not have a voltage selection switch on the back panel and can automatically detect the correct operating voltage. To help avoid damaging a computer with a manual voltage selection switch, set the switch for the voltage that most closely matches the AC power available in your location. NOTICE: The voltage selection switch must be set to the 115-V position even though the AC power available in Japan is 100 V. Also, ensure that your monitor and attached devices are electrically rated to operate with the AC power available in your location.
3	back panel connectors	Plug serial, USB, and other devices into the appropriate connector.
4	card slots	Access connectors for any installed PCI and PCI Express cards.

1	serial connector	Connect a serial device, such as a handheld device, to the serial port. The default designations are COM1 for serial connector 1 and COM2 for serial connector 2. For more information, see "System Setup Options."
2	link integrity light	Green — A good connection exists between a 10-Mbps network and the computer. Orange — A good connection exists between a 100-Mbps network and the computer. Yellow — A good connection exists between a 1-Gbps (or 1000-Mbps) network and the computer. Off — The computer is not detecting a physical connection to the network.
3	network adapter connector	To attach your computer to a network or broadband device, connect one end of a network cable to either a network jack or your network or broadband device. Connect the other end of the network cable to the network adapter connector on the back panel of your computer. A click indicates that the network cable has been securely attached. NOTE: Do not plug a telephone cable into the network connector. On computers with a network connector card, use the connector on the card. It is recommended that you use Category 5 wiring and connectors for your network. If you must use Category 3 wiring, force the network speed to 10 Mbps to ensure reliable operation.
4	network activity light	Flashes a yellow light when the computer is transmitting or receiving network data. A high volume of network traffic may make this light appear to be in a steady "on" state.
5	line-in connector	Use the blue line-in connector (available on computers with integrated sound) to attach a record/playback device such as a cassette player, CD player, or VCR. On computers with a sound card, use the connector on the card.
6	line-out connector	Use the green line-out connector (available on computers with integrated sound) to attach headphones and most speakers with integrated amplifiers. On computers with a sound card, use the connector on the card.
7	microphone connector	Use the pink microphone connector (available on computers with integrated sound) to attach a personal computer microphone for voice or musical input into a sound or telephony program. On computers with a sound card, the microphone connector is on the card.
8	USB 2.0 connectors (6)	Use the back USB connectors for devices that typically remain connected, such as printers and keyboards. It is recommended that you use the front USB connectors for devices that you connect occasionally, such as joysticks or cameras, or for bootable USB devices.
9	diagnostic lights	Use the lights to help you troubleshoot a computer problem based on the diagnostic code. For more information, see "Diagnostic Lights."
10	video connector	Plug the cable from your VGA-compatible monitor into the blue connector. NOTE: If you purchased an optional graphics card, this connector will be covered by a cap. Connect your monitor to the connector on the graphics card. Do not remove the cap. NOTE: If you are using a graphics card that supports dual monitors, use the y-cable that came with your computer.
11	parallel connector	Connect a parallel device, such as a printer, to the parallel connector. If you have a USB printer, plug it into a USB connector. NOTE: The integrated parallel connector is automatically disabled if the computer detects an installed card containing a parallel connector configured to the same address. For more information, see "System Setup Options."

Inside Your Computer

CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions located in the Product Information Guide.

CAUTION: To avoid electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before opening the cover.

NOTICE: Be careful when opening the computer cover to ensure that you do not accidentally disconnect cables from the system board.

1	hard drive	6	heat sink and blower assembly
2	internal speaker	7	power supply
3	chassis intrusion switch	8	floppy drive
4	system board	9	CD/DVD drive
5	padlock ring

System Board Components

NOTE: Your computer may or may not have the "SATA1" or "SATA3" connectors.

Front-Panel Door and Hinge Arms

To prevent damage to your computer, the front-panel door is designed to "break away" if it is lifted up too far. If the front-panel door is open and it is pushed inward too hard, the hinge arms may also break away (the hinge arms are loose when they are detached).

Reattaching the Hinge Arms

CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions located in the Product Information Guide.

1. Follow the procedures in "Before You Begin."
   
   
2. Disconnect the computer power cable from the electrical outlet.
   
   
3. Remove the front-panel door by gently snapping it off the two hinge arms.
   
   
4. Remove the front-panel insert above the door bay area by pulling the bottom of the insert with your fingers.
   
   

1	front-panel insert
2	use fingers to pull here

5. Lift both hinge arms to the horizontal position.
   
   
6. Use the two view slots to align the pivot bar with the two pivot-bar slots.
   
   

1	pivot-bar slots (2)
2	pivot bar
3	hinge arms (2) in horizontal position
4	view slots (2)

NOTICE: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface, such as the metal at the back of the computer. While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface to dissipate any static electricity that could harm internal components.

7. Pull the arms toward you until they snap into position.
   
   

If the hinge arms do not snap back into position on the first attempt, slightly reposition the arms and try again.

8. After the hinge arms snap into position, lower and raise the arms two or three times to properly seat them.
   
   
9. Reattach the front-panel insert.
   
   
10. Reconnect the computer power cable to the electrical outlet.
    
    
11. Reattach the front door.
    
    

Reattaching the Front Door

CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions located in the Product Information Guide.

1. Follow the procedures in "Before You Begin."
   
   
2. Disconnect the computer power cable from the electrical outlet.
   
   
3. Lower the hinge arms to the vertical position.
   
   
4. Align the two clips on the inside of the front door with the two hinge arms.
   
   
5. Press inward on the front door until it clips to both hinge arms.
   
   

1	hinge arms (2) in vertical position
2	front-panel door
3	front-door clips (2)

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