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Well, let me see if i can get you through this. I have a dimension 2400 so i think they are probably very similar. Opening your computer case is the first step, then we can look inside and find out what you are dealing with. Now, providing the cases are roughly the same, you will want to look on the back, left side of your case. (the door panel is always on the left side of the case. That is, left side when you are looking at the case head on.) There should be a knob that you pull up, releasing the locking hinge, and you can slide the side panel off. If that's not how yours works, just look for a small knob or button in that region. There will either be that, or some screws on the very side of the case to let you open the door. But i just checked the dell website and its the same style case. Very easy to open.

Now that we've done that, we need to look inside to establish how it is connected to the motherboard. I dont know how much you know about this so ill go as basic as possible. The mother board is the large flat "board' inside of the case. It has all of the connectors for things such as your printer and your internet connection on it. The way your sound card works, is it literally plugged into the motherboard via a certain kind of slot. Once you know what slot your dealing with, you're good to go. Now, make sure you dont touch any of the parts inside unless you ground yourself. When dealing with electrical parts such as computer components, it is necessary to ground yourself to avoid ESD, or electro static discharge. This occurs when you have a static electric build up from something like scuffing your feet on a carpet, then touching an electrical component. The static electricity transfers from you to the part. You'll only notice a small zap to your finger, but ESD may short the component. Meaning it'll break it. To ground yourself, merely place both hands on the metallic non painted interior of your computer case for about 2 or 3 seconds. After you do that, dont move your feet or anything. This process removes any static you might be carrying.

Alright now to the point. Find the card that is attached to all of your speaker components, this will be your audio card. It will be in one of 3 kinds of slots. PCI, PCI-E, or another which i cannot recall the name of. PCI are about 4 inches long, and are always colored white. They are rectangular also. PCI-E are almost always either black or blue, and a little longer than PCI. Their rectangular shape is also slightly rounded at the top. The third will be black and very long. Probably twice that of a PCI. I can safely say you probably arent dealing with these as they are an old slot, not used anymore. Yes there is a difference between PCI and PCI-E. Just make sure you buy a card that is labeled for the slot that you have and you'll be fine.

Here is a very good website to order from:

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?...

If you need anymore help just send up another post and i'll clarify anything you need. Enjoy the new sound card.

You will need to find a card that is compatible with your computer. Then just follow the instruction that come with the card for the uninstall and install. I have also provided a good site with step by step instructions for further help.

Have fun. Learning how to repair your computer can be intimidating the first couple of times. After that it is alot of fun.

Hi!

To take out the old sound card:

-Make sure the computer is unplugged

-If you have one, put on an anti-static wrist band

*If not, ground yourself by touching the metal on the back of the computer

-Take out the screws on the back of the computer so you can slide off the case

-Use a NON-magnetic screwdriver to take out the screws holding in the sound card.

-If you have one, put the sound card in an anti-static bag for transporting.

*If not, an envelope will be fine

Good Luck!

Are you sure that it is the card and not just the driver? I think you should download the driver for your card and install it again before you start spending money on new hardware.

On a Mac, shift/control/3 takes a picture of the screen. If you press shift/control/4, you can click and drag over the area you want; the picture is taken when you release the mouse button.