Dell Vostro 2521 Owner's Manual Regulatory Model: P27F Regulatory Type: P27F001
Notes, Cautions, and Warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. © 2012 Dell Inc.
Contents Notes, Cautions, and Warnings...................................................................................................2 1 Working on Your Computer.......................................................................................................5 Before Working Inside Your Computer.....................................................................................................................5 Turning Off Your Computer...............................................................
Removing the Speakers..........................................................................................................................................24 Installing the Speakers...........................................................................................................................................25 Removing the Display Assembly.............................................................................................................................
Working on Your Computer 1 Before Working Inside Your Computer Use the following safety guidelines to help protect your computer from potential damage and to help to ensure your personal safety. Unless otherwise noted, each procedure included in this document assumes that the following conditions exist: • You have performed the steps in Working on Your Computer. • You have read the safety information that shipped with your computer.
. Close the display and turn the computer upside-down on a flat work surface. NOTE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the main battery before you service the computer. 7. Remove the main battery. 8. Turn the computer top-side up. 9. Open the display. 10. Press the power button to ground the system board. CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before opening the display.
After Working Inside Your Computer After you complete any replacement procedure, ensure you connect any external devices, cards, and cables before turning on your computer. CAUTION: To avoid damage to the computer, use only the battery designed for this particular Dell computer. Do not use batteries designed for other Dell computers. 1. Connect any external devices, such as a port replicator, battery slice, or media base, and replace any cards, such as an ExpressCard. 2.
Removing and Installing Components 2 This section provides detailed information on how to remove or install the components from your computer. Recommended Tools The procedures in this document may require the following tools: • Small flat-blade screwdriver • Phillips screwdriver • Small plastic scribe Removing the Secure Digital (SD) Card 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Press in on the SD memory card to release it from the computer.
Installing the Battery 1. Slide the battery into its slot until it clicks into place. 2. Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Access Panel 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove the battery. 3. Loosen the captive screws that secure the access panel and remove it from the computer. Installing the Access Panel 1. Slide the access panel into its slot. 2. Tighten the screws to secure the access panel to the computer.
3. Install the battery. 4. Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Memory Module 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove: a) battery b) access panel 3. Pry the securing clips away from the memory module until it pops up. Remove the memory module from its socket on the system board. Installing the Memory Module 1. Insert the memory module into the memory socket and press until it clicks into place. 2.
4. Slide the hard drive in the direction shown and lift the tab to remove it from the computer. 5. Remove the screw that secures the hard-drive caddy to the hard drive and remove it.
Installing the Hard-Drive Assembly 1. Align the hard drive on the hard-drive bracket and snap it into place. 2. Tighten the screws to secure the hard drive to the hard-drive bracket. 3. Slide the hard-drive assembly in its slot in the computer. 4. Replace the screws to secure the hard-drive assembly to the computer. 5. Install: a) memory module b) access panel c) battery 6. Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Optical-Drive Assembly 1.
5. Remove the optical-drive bracket from the optical-drive assembly. 6. Pry the optical-drive bezel and remove it from the optical-drive assembly. Installing the Optical-Drive Assembly 1. Place the optical-drive bezel on the optical drive and snap it in place. 2. Place the optical-drive bracket in to the optical drive. 3. Tighten the screws to secure the bracket to the optical-drive assembly. 4. Slide the optical-drive assembly into the drive bay in the computer. 5.
5. Disconnect the keyboard cable from the connector on the system board and lift the keyboard off the palmrest assembly. Installing the Keyboard 1. Connect the keyboard cable to the connector on the system board. 2. Slide the keyboard in its place on the computer and snap it into place. 3. Install the battery. 4. Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer.
Removing the Wireless Mini-Card 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove: a) b) c) d) e) 3. battery access panel memory module optical-drive assembly keyboard Disconnect the antennae from the card, remove the screw and remove the wireless mini-card from its slot on the system board. Installing the Wireless Mini-Card 1. Connect the antenna cables to their respective connectors marked on the wireless mini-card. 2.
4. Flip the computer and disconnect the touchpad cable and power-button cables from the system board. 5. Remove the screws that secure the palmrest to the system board. Lift and release the tabs on palmrest from the slots on the computer. and lift the palmrest from the computer.
Installing the Palmrest 1. Align and press the plamrest on the computer until it snap into place at all sides. 2. Connect the touchpad cable and the power-button cables to the system board. 3. Tighten the screws to secure the palmrest to the system board. 4. Flip the computer and tighten the screws to secure the palmrest to the computer. 5. Install: a) b) c) d) e) 6. keyboard optical-drive assembly memory module access panel battery Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer.
Installing the Input/Output (I/O) Board 1. Place the I/O board in its slot and snap it in place. 2. Tighten the screw to secure the I/O board to the computer. 3. Connect the I/O cable to the system board. 4. Install: a) b) c) d) e) f) 5. palmrest keyboard optical-drive assembly memory module access panel battery Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the System Board 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2.
c) I/O board cable 6. Remove the screw that secures the system board to the computer. 7. Lift the system board from the computer. Installing the System Board 1. Align the system board in its place on the computer. 2. Tighten the screw to secure the system board to the computer. 3. Connect the following cable to the connectors on the system board: a) DC-In port cable b) speaker cable c) I/O board cable 4. Connect the display cable to the system board. 5.
6. Install: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) 7. wireless mini-card palmrest keyboard optical-drive assembly SD card hard-drive assembly memory module access panel battery Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Coin-Cell Battery 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) battery access panel memory module hard-drive assembly optical-drive assembly keyboard palmrest wireless mini-card system board 3.
3. Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Heatsink 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) battery access panel memory module hard-drive assembly optical-drive assembly keyboard palmrest wireless mini-card system board 3. Flip the system board and place it on a flat surface. 4. Remove the screws that secure the heatsink to the system board. Lift the heatsink from the system board.
Removing the System Fan 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) battery access panel memory module hard-drive assembly optical-drive assembly keyboard palmrest wireless mini-card system board 3. Disconnect the system-fan cable. 4. Remove the screw that secures the system fan to the system board. 5. Lift the system fan from the computer. Installing the System Fan 1. Align the system fan in its place on the system board. 2.
i) 5. battery Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Speakers 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) battery access panel memory module hard-drive assembly optical-drive assembly keyboard plamrest wireless mini-card system board 3. Peel the tape that secures the LED silicon tubes to the computer. 4. Lift and remove the LED silicon tubes from the computer. 5.
Installing the Speakers 1. Place the speaker assembly in its slot and route the cables through the channels. 2. Replace the LED silicon tubes to the computer. 3. Affix the tape that secures the LED silicon tubes to the computer. 4. Install: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) 5. system board wireless mini-card palmrest keyboard optical-drive assembly hard-drive assembly memory module access panel battery Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Display Assembly 1.
4. Move the LVDS and camera cable aside and remove the screws that secure the display assembly to the computer and lift the display assembly off the computer. Installing the Display Assembly 1. Place the display assembly on the computer. 2. Tighten the screws to secure the LVDS and camera assembly to the computer. 3. Connect the wireless mini-card antennae to the connectors on the wireless mini-card. 4. Connect the display and power port cables to the system board. 5.
c) d) e) f) g) h) memory module hard-drive assembly optical-drive assembly keyboard palmrest display assembly 3. Press the hinge cover on the side. Lift and remove it from the computer. 4. Pry the edges of the display bezel. Remove the display bezel from the computer. Installing the Display Bezel 1. Align the display bezel in place and snap it in place. 2. Align the hinge covers on display assembly and snap it in place. 3.
e) f) g) h) 4. hard-drive assembly memory module access panel battery Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Display Hinges 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove: a) battery b) access panel c) memory module d) hard-drive assembly e) optical-drive assembly f) keyboard g) plamrest h) display assembly i) display bezel 3. Remove the screws that secure the display hinges to the display panel. 4.
f) g) h) i) 4. hard-drive assembly memory module access panel battery Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Display Panel 1. Follow the procedures in Before Working Inside Your Computer. 2. Remove: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) battery access panel memory module hard-drive assembly optical-drive assembly keyboard plamrest display assembly display bezel 3. Remove the screws that secure the display panel to the computer. Lift the display panel and flip it. 4.
Installing the Display Panel 1. Connect the display cable to display panel. 2. Affix the tape to secure the display cable. 3. Place the display panel on the computer. 4. Tighten the screws to secure the display panel to the computer. 5. Install: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) 6. display bezel display assembly palmrest keyboard optical-drive assembly hard-drive assembly memory module access panel battery Follow the procedures in After Working Inside Your Computer. Removing the Camera Module 1.
3. Remove the screw, peel the tape and disconnect the camera cable from the connector and remove the camera module from the display assembly. Installing the Camera Module 1. Connect the camera cable to the connector on the camera module. 2. Align the camera module in its position on the computer. 3. Tighten the screw to secure the camera module to the computer. 4. Affix the tape to the camera module. 5. Install: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) 6.
System Setup 3 System Setup enables you to manage your computer hardware and specify BIOS‐level options.
Keys Navigation Allows you to select a value in the selected field (if applicable) or follow the link in the field. Spacebar Expands or collapses a drop‐down list, if applicable. Moves to the next focus area. NOTE: For the standard graphics browser only. Moves to the previous page till you view the main screen. Pressing in the main screen displays a message that prompts you to save any unsaved changes and restarts the system. Displays the System Setup help file.
Option Description L3 Cache Displays the processor L3 cache size. Fixed HDD Displays the model number and capacity of the hard drive. SATA ODD Displays the model number and capacity of the optical drive. AC Adapter Type Displays the type of the AC adapter. Total Memory Displays the memory installed on the computer. System Memory Speed Displays the memory speed. The Advanced tab allows you to set various functions that affect the performance of the computer.
Option Description Miscellaneous Devices These fields let you enable or disable various on-board devices. External USB Ports Enables or disables external Default: Enabled USB ports. Microphone Enables or disables microphone. Camera Enables or disables camera. Default: Enabled Internal Bluetooth Enables or disables internal Default: Enabled bluetooth. Internal WLAN Enables or disables WLAN. Default: Enabled Media Card Reader Enables or disables media card reader.
Table 5. Boot Options Option Description Secure Boot Allows you to boot securely. (Default: Disabled) Load Legacy Option ROM Allows you to load legacy option. (Default: Disabled) Boot List Option Allows you to view the boot options. Add Boot Option Allows you to add a boot option. Delete a Boot Option Allows you to delete a boot option. View Boot Option Properties Allows you to view the properties of the boot option.
Password Type Description System password Password that you must enter to log on to your system. Setup password Password that you must enter to access and make changes to the BIOS settings of your computer. CAUTION: The password features provide a basic level of security for the data on your computer. CAUTION: Anyone can access the data stored on your computer if is not locked and left unattended. NOTE: Your computer is shipped with the system and setup password feature disabled.
1. In the System BIOS or System Setup screen, select System Security and press . The System Security screen is displayed. 2. In the System Security screen, verify that Password Status is Unlocked. 3. Select System Password, alter or delete the existing system password and press or . 4. Select Setup Password, alter or delete the existing setup password and press or . NOTE: If you change the System and/or Setup password, re-enter the new password when promoted.
Diagnostics 4 If you experience a problem with your computer, run the ePSA diagnostics before contacting Dell for technical assistance. The purpose of running diagnostics is to test your computer's hardware without requiring additional equipment or risking data loss. If you are unable to fix the problem yourself, service and support personnel can use the diagnostics results to help you solve the problem.
• Light off — Battery in full charge mode with AC adapter present. • White light on — Battery in charge mode with AC adapter present.
5 Troubleshooting Enhanced Pre-Boot System Assessment (ePSA) Diagnostics The ePSA diagnostics (also known as system diagnostics) performs a complete check of your hardware. The ePSA is embedded with the BIOS and is launched by the BIOS internally.
Turns on when wireless networking is enabled. If the computer is connected to an electrical outlet, the battery light operates as follows: Table 7. Battery Status Lights Alternately blinking amber light and blue light An unauthenticated or unsupported non-Dell AC adapter is attached to your laptop. Alternately blinking amber light with steady blue light Temporary battery failure with AC adapter present. Constantly blinking amber light Fatal battery failure with AC adapter present.
Code Cause and Troubleshooting Steps Memory failure 5 Real-time clock power fail CMOS battery failure 6 Video BIOS test failure Video card failure 7 CPU - cache test failure Processor failure 8 Display Display failure LED Error Codes Diagnostic LED codes are communicated via the Power Button LED. The Power Button LED blinks the corresponding LED codes for the corresponding fault condition.
Technical Specifications 6 NOTE: Offerings may vary by region. For more information regarding the configuration of your computer, click Start (Start icon) → Help and Support, and then select the option to view information about your computer. Table 9. System Information Feature Description Chipset Intel HM76 DRAM bus width 64 bits and 128 bits Flash EPROM 6 MB Table 10.
Feature Description Stereo conversion 24-bit (analog to digital and digital to analog) Interface Intel HDA bus Speakers 2x2W Volume controls program menu and keyboard media-control keys Table 13. Video Feature Description Video type LVDS Video Controller: UMA Intel HD Graphics 3000/4000 (shared memory) Discrete AMD Radeon HD 7670M (1 GB DDR3) Data bus 128 bits External display support HDMI Table 14. Camera Feature Description Camera Resolution 0.
Feature Description NOTE: The powered USB 3.0 connector also supports Microsoft Kernel Debugging. Media card reader one 8-in-1 slot Table 17. Display Feature Description Type 15.6 inches HD Dimensions: Height 344.23 mm (13.55 inches) Width 193.54 (7.61 inches) Diagonal 396.24 mm (15.60 inches) Active area (X/Y) 344.23 x 193.54 mm (13.55 inches x 7.
Feature Description Height 12.50 mm (0.49 inch) Width 66.00 mm (2.60 inches) Depth 291.70 mm (11.48 inches) Weight 0.30 kg (0.66 lb) Life span Voltage 600 discharge/charge cycle • • 14.80 VDC (4 cells) 11.10 VDC (6 cells) Temperature range: Operating 0 °C to 35 °C (32 °F to 95 °F) Non-Operating –40 °C to 65 °C (–40 °F to 149 °F) Coin-cell battery 3 V CR2032 lithium ion Table 21.
Table 23. Environmental Feature Description Temperature: Operating 0 °C to 35 °C (32 °F to 95 °F) Storage –40 °C to 65 °C (–40 °F to 149 °F) Relative humidity (maximum): Operating 10 % to 90 % (non-condensing) Storage 10 % to 95 % (non-condensing) Altitude (maximum): Operating –15.2 m to 3048 m (–50 to 10,000 ft) 0° to 35°C Non-Operating –15.2 m to 10,668 m (–50 ft to 35,000 ft) Airborne contaminant level G1 as defined by ISA-S71.
Contacting Dell 7 NOTE: If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact information on your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog. Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. Availability varies by country and product, and some services may not be available in your area. To contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer service issues: 1. Visit www.dell.com/support. 2. Select your support category. 3.
