Parallel Port Connector - Dell Inspiron 3800 System Reference Manual

Ports and Connectors: Dell Inspiron 3800 System Reference
Plug the three-prong connector on one end of the monitor's power cable into a
grounded power strip or some other grounded power source. If the cable is not
permanently attached to the monitor, connect it to the monitor also.
You can also connect an external monitor to the APR.
NOTE: If you are using the Microsoft® Windows® 98 operating
system, you can use an external monitor as an extension of your
display. For more information, see the Windows 98
documentation or
Using an External Monitor
When an external monitor is connected to the computer, the video image automatically appears
on the external monitor's screen when you boot your computer.
To toggle the video image between the display, an external monitor, or both simultaneously,
press <Fn><F8> on the keyboard. Press <Scroll Lock><F8> on an external keyboard if the
External Hot Key option is enabled in the System Setup program.
If the external monitor is turned off when you boot your computer, the computer still sends the
video image to the external monitor. In this case, you will not see an image on either the
computer's display or the external monitor. To see an image, turn on the external monitor or
switch the video image to the computer's display by pressing <Fn><F8> on the keyboard or
<Scroll Lock><F8> on an external keyboard if the External Hot Key option is enabled in the
System Setup program.

Parallel Port Connector

Use the 25-hole parallel port connector to attach a parallel device to the computer. The parallel
port connector is used primarily for printers. You can also connect the diskette drive to the
parallel port connector.
The parallel port sends and receives data in parallel format, where 8 data bits (one byte) are
sent simultaneously over 8 separate lines. The port can be configured as a unidirectional
(output-only) port for devices such as a printer or as a bidirectional port for devices such as a
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"Extended Desktop Mode."