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58 Removing and Installing Parts
Before Working Inside Your Computer
Use the following safety guidelines to help protect your computer from potential damage and to
help ensure your own personal safety.
CAUTION: Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions located
in the Product Information Guide.
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 processor
by its edges, not by its pins.
NOTICE: 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.
NOTICE: When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on its strain-relief loop, not on the cable
itself. Some cables have a connector with locking tabs; if you are disconnecting this type of cable, press
in the locking tabs before you disconnect the cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly
aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before you connect a cable, ensure that both
connectors are correctly oriented and aligned.
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the computer, perform the following steps before you begin working inside
the computer.
1
Turn off your computer (see page 57).
NOTICE: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from your computer and then unplug it
from the network port or device.
2
Disconnect any telephone or telecommunication lines from the computer.
3
Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets, and then
press the power button to ground the system board.
CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet
before removing the cover.
4
Remove the computer cover (see page 62).
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.