Acer 240P, 250P User Manual

TravelMate 240P/250P series

User’s guide

TravelMate 240P/250P series User’s guide Original Issue: June 2003

Changes may be made periodically to the information in this publication without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes. Such changes will be incorporated in new editions of this manual or supplementary documents and publications. This company makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Record the model number, serial number, purchase date, and place of purchase information in the space provided below. The serial number and model number are recorded on the label affixed to your computer. All correspondence concerning your unit should include the serial number, model number, and purchase information.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.

TravelMate 240P/250P series Notebook computer

Model Number : __________________________________

Serial Number: ___________________________________

Purchase Date: ___________________________________

Place of Purchase: ________________________________

Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Incorporated. Other company's product names or trademarks are used herein for identification purposes only and belong to their respective companies.

iii

First things first

We would like to thank you for making the TravelMate series of notebook computers your choice for your mobile computing needs. We hope you will be happy with your TravelMate as much as we enjoyed making it for you.

You r g ui de s

To help you use your TravelMate, we have designed a set of guides:

First off, the Just for Starters... poster helps you get started with setting up your computer.

This User’s guide introduces you to the many ways your computer can help you be more productive. This guide provides clear and concise information about the computer, so read it thoroughly.

If you ever need to print out a copy, this User’s guide is also available in PDF (Portable Document Format). Follow these steps:

1 Click on Start, Programs, TravelMate. 2 Click on TravelMate User’s guide.

Note: Viewing the file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader

installed. If Adobe Acrobat Reader is not installed on your computer, clicking on TravelMate User’s guide will run the Acrobat Reader setup program first. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. For instructions on how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader, access the Help menu.

English

Basic care and tips for using your computer

English

Turning your computer on and off

To turn on the computer, simply press and release the power switch below the LCD screen beside the Launch keys. See “Front view” on page 3 for the location of the power switch.

To turn the power off, do any of the following:

• Use the Windows shutdown command Click on Start, Turn Off Computer; then click on Tu r n Off.

• Use the power switch

Note: You can also use the power switch to perform power

management functions. See “Power management” on page 30.

• Use the customized functions for power management You can also shut down the computer by closing the display cover,

or by pressing the sleep hot key (Fn-F4). See “Power management” on page 30.

Note: If you cannot power off the computer normally, press and hold the power switch for more than four seconds to shut down the computer. If you turn off the computer and want to turn it on again, wait at least two seconds before powering up.

Taking care of your computer

Your computer will serve you well if you take care of it.

• Do not attempt to use the “TIPS” as show in the following:

• Do not fold the “TIPS” in the position as shown:

• Do not expose the computer to direct sunlight. Do not place it

near sources of heat, such as a radiator.

• Do not expose the computer to temperatures below 0ºC (32ºF) or above 50ºC (122ºF).

• Do not subject the computer to magnetic fields.

• Do not expose the computer to rain or moisture.

• Do not spill water or any liquid on the computer.

• Do not subject the computer to heavy shock and vibration.

• Do not expose the computer to dust and dirt.

• Never place objects on top of the computer to avoid damaging the

computer.

• Do not slam the computer display when you close it.

• Never place the computer on uneven surfaces.

Taking care of your AC adapter

Here are some ways to take care of your AC adapter:

• Do not connect the adapter to any other device.

• Do not step on the power cord or place heavy objects on top of it.

Carefully route the power cord and any cables away from personal traffic.

• When unplugging the power cord, do not pull on the cord itself but pull on the plug.

• The total ampere ratings of the equipment plugged in should not exceed the ampere rating of the cord if you are using an extension cord. Also, the total current rating of all equipment plugged into a single wall outlet should not exceed the fuse rating.

Taking care of your battery pack

Here are some ways to take care of your battery pack:

• Use only batteries of the same kind as replacements. Turn the power off before removing or replacing batteries.

• Do not tamper with batteries. Keep them away from children.

• Dispose of used batteries according to local regulations. Recycle if

at all possible.

English

Cleaning and servicing

When cleaning the computer, follow these steps:

1 Power off the computer and remove the battery pack. 2 Disconnect the AC adapter. 3 Use a soft cloth moistened with water. Do not use liquid or

aerosol cleaners.

If any of the following occurs:

English

• The computer has been dropped or the body has been damaged.

• Liquid has been spilled into the product.

• The computer does not operate normally.

Please refer to "Troubleshooting my computer" on page 61.

First things first iii

Your guides iii Basic care and tips for using your computer iv

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 1

A TravelMate tour 3

Front view 3 Left view 4 Right view 5 Rear view 6

Bottom view 7 Features 9 Indicators 11

Understanding the icons 12 Using the keyboard 13

Special keys 13 Touchpad 20

Touchpad basics 20 Storage 22

Hard disk 22

Optical drive 22

Floppy drive 24 Audio 25

Adjusting the volume 25 Power management 26 Moving around with your TravelMate 27

Disconnecting from the desktop 27

Moving around 27

Taking the computer home 28

Traveling with the computer 30

Traveling internationally with the computer 30 Securing your computer 32

Using a computer security lock 32

2 Customizing my computer 35

Expanding through options 37

Connectivity options 37

Upgrade options 41 Using system utilities 44

Notebook Manager 44

Launch Manager 44

BIOS Utility 45

English

Contentsviii

3 Troubleshooting my computer 59

Frequently-asked questions 61 Error messages 65 Requesting service 69

International Traveler’s Warranty (ITW) 69 Before you call 69

Appendix A Specifications 71

Appendix B Notices 77

Index 85

1 Getting to know your

TravelMate

Your TravelMate computer combines highperformance, versatility, power management features and multimedia capabilities with a unique style and ergonomic design. Work with unmatched productivity and reliability with your new power computing partner.

A TravelMate tour

After setting up your computer as illustrated in the Just for Starters... poster, let us show you around your new TravelMate

computer.

Front view

English

# Item Description

1 Display screen Also called LCD (liquid-crystal display),

displays computer output.

1 Getting to know your TravelMate4

# Item Description

English

2 Status indicators LEDs (light-emitting diodes) that turn on

3 Launch Keys Buttons for launching frequently used

4 Power switch Turns on the computer power.

5 Palmrest Comfortable support area for your hands

6 Click buttons (left,

center and right)

7 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which

8 Keyboard Inputs data into your computer.

9 Ventilation Slot Enables the computer to stay cool, even

and off to show the status of the computer, its functions and components.

programs. See“Launch Keys” on page 23 for more details.

when you use the computer.

The left and right buttons function like the left and right mouse buttons; the center button serves as a 4-way scroll button.

functions like a computer mouse.

after prolonged use.

Left view

# Item Description

1 PC Card slot Connects to two Type II 16-bit PC Card

or 32-bit CardBus PC Card.

# Item Description

2 Eject button Ejects the PC Card from the slot.

3 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or

DVDs depending on the optical drive type.

4 Infrared port Interfaces with infrared devices (e.g.,

5 LED indicator Lights up when the optical drive is

6 Emergency eject button Ejects the optical drive tray when the

7 Eject button Ejects the optical drive tray from the

8 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output.

9 Tablet Input Panel Support

(TIPS)

infrared printer, IR-aware computer).

active.

computer is turned off. See page 64 for more details.

drive.

A folding support to facilitate writing on the screen.

Right view

English

# Item Description

1 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output.

Floppy activity

indicator

LED (light-emitting diode) that turns on and off when the floppy is active.

English

1 Getting to know your TravelMate6

# Item Description

Floppy drive Internal diskette drive; accepts 3.5-inch

diskettes.

Floppy disk eject

button

5 Security keylock Connects to a Kensington-compatible

6 Tablet Input Panel

Support (TIPS)

Push this button to eject the floppy disk.

computer security lock.

A folding support to facilitate writing on the screen.

Rear view

# Item Description

1 Power jack Connects to an AC adapter.

2 Parallel port Connects to a parallel device (e.g., parallel

printer).

3 External display

port

4 USB 2.0 ports (4) Connect to Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0

Connects to a display device (e.g., external monitor, LCD projector) and displays up to 16M colors at 1024x768 resolution.

devices (e.g., USB mouse, USB camera).

# Item Description

5 Network jack Connects to an Ethernet 10/100-based

6 Modem jack Connects to a phone line.

7 Speaker/Line-out

Headphone jack

8 Line-in/Mic-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices (e.g., audio CD

network.

Connects to audio line-out devices (e.g., speakers, headphones).

player, stereo walkman).

English

1 Getting to know your TravelMate8

Bottom view

# Item Description

1 Battery bay Houses the computer's battery pack.

2 Battery release

latch

Memory

compartment

Unlatches the battery to remove the battery pack.

Houses the computer's main memory.

Using your computer in tablet mode

Your computer is designed for convenience, ergonomic use, and portability. Running the Windows XP Tablet PC edition operating system, your TravelMate utilizes an EMR stylus for pen-based input. Software developed specifically for the computer allows for both handwriting recognition converted to application text, or handwriting captured as rich digital ink for manipulation, editing, and formatting. “Tablet Input Panel Support” (TIPS) located on the back of the display screen is a folding support to facilitate writing on the screen under Windows XP Tablet edition.

Writing in the tablet mode

To write in the table mode, follow the steps below: 1 Turn the latch to the right (a) and open the display screen in the

direction as shown in the illustration below (b).

English

1 Getting to know your TravelMate10

2 Push the display screen in the direction as shown in the illustration

below until the "TIPS" stands firmly.

3 Adjust "TIPS" to the angle where you desire.

(Suggested angle :125~150 degrees)

4 Begin to write in the tablet mode.

5 When you finish writing in the tablet mode, close the display

screen and store “TIPS” back to the “TIPS” slot in the illustration below.

English

1 Getting to know your TravelMate12

Warning: “TIPS” is not a handle ! Do NOT use the "TIPS" to lift the computer !

Do NOT store"TIPS" to rear side !

Av oi d “ TI PS” p la ci ng pr es su re on re ar ca bl es !

Features

Below is a brief summary of the computer’s many features:

Performance

• Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 processor with 512 KB L2 cache or Intel® Celeron® processor with 128 KB L2 cache

• CD, DVD, DVD/CD-RW combo or DVD Rewritable drive

• Built-in floppy drive

• High-capacity Enhanced-IDE hard disk

• High-capacity battery pack

• Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI) power

management system

Display

• 14.1” Thin-Film Transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD) supporting pen-based input, with 16M color at 1024x768 XGA (eXtended Graphics Array) resolution

• 3D capabilities

• Simultaneous LCD and CRT display support

• Supports other output display devices such as LCD projection

panels for large-audience presentations

• "Automatic LCD dim" feature that automatically decides the best settings for your display and conserves power

• Dual display capability

English

Multimedia

• 16-bit high-fidelity AC’97 stereo audio with 3D sound and wavetable synthesizer

• Built-in dual speakers

• High-speed CD, DVD, DVD/CD-RW combo or DVD Rewritable drive

Connectivity

• High-speed fax/data modem port

• Ethernet/Fast Ethernet port

English

1 Getting to know your TravelMate14

• USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 ports

• 802.11a+g/802.11b wireless LAN option

• Bluetooth option

Human-centric design and ergonomics

• All-in-one design (CD, DVD or combo drive, floppy drive, and hard disk)

• Sleek, smooth and stylish design

• Full-sized keyboard

• Ergonomically-centered touchpad pointing device

Expansion

• Two Type II CardBus PC Card slots

• Upgradeable memory

Indicators

The computer has six easy-to-read status icons below the display screen.

The Power and Sleep status icons are visible even when you close the display cover so you can see the status of the computer while the cover is closed.

Icon Function Description

English

Power Lights when the computer is on.

Sleep Lights when the computer enters Standby mode

and blinks when it enters into or resumes from hibernation mode.

Media Activity Lights when the floppy drive, hard disk or

Battery Charge Lights when the battery is being charged.

Caps Lock Lights when Caps Lock is activated.

Num Lock Lights when Num Lock is activated.

optical drive is active.

English

1 Getting to know your TravelMate16

Indicators in Cover

When the cover of your computer is closed, 2 easy-to-read icons are shown, indicating which state or feature is enabled or disabled.

Icon Description

Lights up when the computer is on.

Lights when the computer enters Standby mode and blinks when it enters into or resumes from hibernation mode.

Using the keyboard

The keyboard has full-sized keys and an embedded keypad, separate cursor keys, two Windows keys and twelve function keys.

Special keys

Lock keys

The keyboard has three lock keys which you can toggle on and off.

Lock key Description

Caps Lock When Caps Lock is on, all alphabetic characters typed are in

uppercase.

English

Num Lock (Fn-F11)

Scroll Lock (Fn-F12)

When Num Lock is on, the embedded keypad is in numeric mode. The keys function as a calculator (complete with the arithmetic operators +, -, *, and /). Use this mode when you need to do a lot of numeric data entry. A better solution would be to connect an external keypad.

When Scroll Lock is on, the screen moves one line up or down when you press the up or down arrow keys respectively. Scroll Lock does not work with some applications.

English

1 Getting to know your TravelMate18

Embedded numeric keypad

The embedded numeric keypad functions like a desktop numeric keypad. It is indicated by small characters located on the upper right corner of the keycaps. To simplify the keyboard legend, cursor-control key symbols are not printed on the keys.

Desired access Num lock on Num lock off

Number keys on embedded keypad

Cursor-control keys on embedded keypad

Main keyboard keys Hold Fn while typing letters

Note: If an external keyboard or keypad is connected to the computer, the Num Lock feature automatically shifts from the internal keyboard to the external keyboard or keypad.

Type numbers in a normal manner.

Hold Shift while using cursor-control keys.

on embedded keypad.

Hold Fn while using cursor-control keys.

Type the letters in a normal manner.

Windows keys

The keyboard has two keys that perform Windows-specific functions.

Key Description

Windows logo key Start button. Combinations with this key perform

shortcut functions. Below are a few examples:

+ Tab (Activates next taskbar button)

+ E (Explores My Computer)

+ F (Finds Document)

English

+ M (Minimizes All)

Shift + + M (Undoes Minimize All)

+ R (Displays the Run... dialog box)

Application key Opens a context menu (same as a right-click).

English

1 Getting to know your TravelMate20

Hot keys

The computer employs hot keys or key combinations to access most of the computer’s controls like screen brightness, volume output and the BIOS Utility.

To activate hot keys, press and hold the Fn key before pressing the other key in the hot key combination.

Hot key Icon Function Description

Fn-F1 Hot Key Help Displays help on hot keys.

Fn-F2 Setup Accesses the computer’s

configuration utility.

Fn-F3 Power

Management Scheme Toggle

Fn-F4 Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep

Switches the power management scheme used by the computer (function available if supported by operating system).

mode.

Hot key Icon Function Description

Fn-F5 Display Toggle Switches display output

between the display screen, external monitor (if connected) and both the display screen and external monitor.

Fn-F6 Screen Blank Turns the display screen

backlight off to save power. Press any key to return.

Fn-F7 Touchpad Toggle Turns the internal touchpad

on and off.

Fn-F8 Speaker Toggle Turns the speakers on and off.

Fn-↑ Volume up Increases the sound volume.

Fn-↓ Volume down Decreases the sound volume.

Fn-→ Brightness up Increases the screen

brightness.

English

Fn-

←

Fn-PgUp Home Functions as the “Home” key.

Fn-PgDn End Functions as the “End” key.

Alt GrEuro

Brightness down Decreases the screen

brightness.

Euro Types the Euro symbol.

+ 66 hidden pages