Acer ASPIRE 5560 User Manual

Aspire 5540/5560 Series

Service Guide

Service guide files and updates are available on the ACER/CSD web; for more information, please refer to http://csd.acer.com.tw

PRINTED IN TAIWAN

Revision History

Please refer to the table below for the updates made on Aspire 5540/5560 service guide.

Date	Chapter	Updates
2006/02/17	Chapter 3 and Chapter 6	Add CCD module (camera) information to Chapter 3 and
		Chapter 6 for Aspire 5560 series.
2006/4/1	Chapter 1	Add Radeon X1600 VGA chipset on page 1.
2006/4/6	Chapter 3	Revise CCD module (digital camera) disassembling steps
		to Chapter 3 for Aspire 5560 series.

II

Copyright

Copyright © 2006 by Acer Incorporated. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.

Disclaimer

The information in this guide is subject to change without notice.

Acer Incorporated makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Any Acer Incorporated software described in this manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should the programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not Acer Incorporated, its distributor, or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software.

Acer is a registered trademark of Acer Corporation. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

Pentium and Pentium II/III are trademarks of Intel Corporation.

Other brand and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

III

Conventions

The following conventions are used in this manual:

SCREEN MESSAGES	Denotes actual messages that appear
	on screen.
NOTE	Gives bits and pieces of additional
	information related to the current
	topic.
WARNING	Alerts you to any damage that might
	result from doing or not doing specific
	actions.
CAUTION	Gives precautionary measures to
	avoid possible hardware or software
	problems.
IMPORTANT	Reminds you to do specific actions
	relevant to the accomplishment of
	procedures.

IV

Preface

Before using this information and the product it supports, please read the following general information.

1.This Service Guide provides you with all technical information relating to the BASIC CONFIGURATION decided for Acer's "global" product offering. To better fit local market requirements and enhance product competitiveness, your regional office MAY have decided to extend the functionality of a machine (e.g. add-on card, modem, or extra memory capability). These LOCALIZED FEATURES will NOT be covered in this generic service guide. In such cases, please contact your regional offices or the responsible personnel/channel to provide you with further technical details.

2.Please note WHEN ORDERING FRU PARTS, that you should check the most up-to-date information available on your regional web or channel. If, for whatever reason, a part number change is made, it will not be noted in the printed Service Guide. For ACER-AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS, your Acer office may have a DIFFERENT part number code to those given in the FRU list of this printed Service Guide. You MUST use the list provided by your regional Acer office to order FRU parts for repair and service of customer machines.

V

VI

Chapter 1

System Specifications

Features

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

Platform and memroy

Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technology, featuring:

τIntel® CoreTM Duo processor T2300/T2400/T2500/T2600 (2 MB L2 cache, 1.66/1.83/2/2.16 GHz, 667 MHz FSB) or higher

τIntel® 945GM/945PM Express chipset

Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network connection (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g) Wi-Fi CERTIFIEDTM solution, supporting Acer SignalUpTM wireless technology

Intel® 945GM/945PM+ICH7M

Two DIMM slots support 256/512MB to 2GB (1G memory has not qualified yet) system memory

Display and graphics

14.1” WXGA color TFT LCD, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, supporting simultaneous multi-window viewing on dual display via Acer GridVistaTM

16.7 million colors

Intel® 945GM integrated 3D graphics, featuring Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 and up to 128 MB of VRAM, supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 and dual independent display

Intel® 945PM with ATI MOBILITYTM RADEON X1300/X1400/X1600 with up to 512 MB of HyperMemoryTM (128 MB of dedicated GDDR2 VRAM; up to 384 of shared system memory),

supporting ATI POWERPLAYTM 5.0, Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 and PCI Express® (ATI MOBILITYTM RADEON X1300 for Aspire 5540/X1400/X1600 for Aspire 5560)

DualViewTM support

Simultaneous LCD and CRT display, with LCD panel resolution at 70 Hz refresh rate Up to 2048 x 1536 resolution on ono-interlaced CRT display

MPEG-2/DVD hardware-assisted capability S-Video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) support (for Aspire 5560)

Storage subsystem

60/80/100/120 GB PATA/SATA hard disk drive Optical drive options:

τDVD-Super Multi double-layer τDVD-Dual double layer drive τDVD/CD-RW combo drive

5-in1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick® (MS) Memory Stick PROTM (MS-PRO) and xD-Picture CardTM (xD) (for Aspire 5560)

Input devices

88/89-key Acer FineTouchTM keyboard with 5-degree curve Touchpad with 4-way scroll button

Chapter 1

1

Four easy-launch buttons

Two front-access switches: WLAN LED and Bluetooth® LED-switches (for selected models)

Audio

Intel® High-Definition audio support

Sound Blaster ProTM and MS-Sound compatible

S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakers

Audio system with two built-in speakers

Built-in microphone

Communication

Modem: 56K ITU V.92 modem with PTT approval; wake-on ring ready

LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Fast Ethernet; wake-on-LAN ready (Gigabit for Aspire 5560)

WLAN: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network connection (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g) Wi-Fi® CERTIFIEDTM solution, supporting Acer SignalUpTM wireless technology

WPAN: Bluetooth® 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)

I/O Ports

ExpressCardTM/34 slot (for Aspire 5560) PC Card slot (one Type II)

5-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD) (for Aspire 5560) Three USB 2.0 ports

IEEE 1394 port (for Aspire 5560)

Fast infrared (FIR) port (for Aspire 5560) External display (VGA) port

S-Video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) port (for Aspire 5560) Headphones/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support Microphone-in jack

Line-in jack

Ethernet (RJ-45) port Modem (RJ-11) port DC-in jack for AC adaptor

Environment

Temperature:

τoperating: 5 ° C to 35 ° C

τNon-operating: -20 ° C to 65 °C

Humidity (non-condensing):

τoperating: 20%~80% τNon-operating: 20%~80%

2

Chapter 1

System Block Diagram

SYSTEM DC/DC

Block Diagram

TPS51120

40

PCB P/N

: 55.4A901.XXX

Project code: 91.4A901.001

INPUTS

OUTPUTS

(Discrete)

REVISION

: 05217-1

DCBATOUT

5V_S5

Mobile CPU

3D3V_S5

CLK GEN.

G792

(Hannstar, ACCL)

IDT CV125PA

Yonah 478

19

SYSTEM DC/DC

(ICS 954206) 3

PCB STACKUP

1.83G/2G/2.16G

TPS51124

41

4, 5

TVO

14

TOP

INPUTS

OUTPUTS

HOST BUS

400/533/667MHz

GND

1D05V_S0

LVDS

DCBATOUT

1D8V_S3

DDR2

533/667MHz

14"WSXGA+

S

LCD

13

533 MHz

TPS51100

43

RGB CRT

S

11,12

Calistoga

PCI Express x16

ATI

CRT

14

VCC

1D8V_S3

DDR_VREF_S0

M56 Ver.: B24

M54P / M52P

S

DDR2

533/667MHz

Ver.:A3 :71.945PM.A0U / QK58

M52 Ver.: A12

45,46,47,48,49

APL5332KAC

43

533 MHz

6,7,8,9,10

M54 Ver.: A12

GND

3D3V_S0

2D5V_S0

11,12

VRAM x4

BOTTOM

Line In

DMI I/F

100MHz

128/256M 50,51

PCMCIA I/F

PCMCIA

APL5912-U

43

29

Codec

TI

SLOT

1D8V_S3

1D5V_S0

AZALIA

PCI 7412

PWR SW

Support

29

ALC883

TSP2220A

TypeII

27

MAXIM CHARGER

MIC In

28

CARDBUS

27

MAX8725

42

PCI BUS

1394

1394

INPUTS

OUTPUTS

CardReader

CHG_PWR

INT.MIC

24,25

CONN 26

MS/MS Pro/xD/

18V

4.0A

MMC/SD/SDIO

DCBATOUT

ICH7M

Mini-PCI

6 in 1

26

UP+5V

Line Out

5V

100mA

(SPDIF)

Ver. : B0, 71.ICH7M.A0U / QK65

802.11A/B/G 30

29

OP AMP

KI.80101.017

LAN

CPU DC/DC

G1421B 29

10/100

TXFM

RJ45

BCM5787MKFBG-A1

ISL6262

38,39

BCM4401-E 22

23

23

BCM5789KFBG-C1

INPUTS

OUTPUTS

PCIEx1

BCM4401EKFBG-B0

29

Mini Card*1

802.11A/B/G 26

Giga LAN

DCBATOUT

VCC_CORE_S0

0~1.3V

INT.SPKR

SPI I/F

BCM5789/5787M 35

44A

BIOS

SST25LF080A

MODEM

LPC BUS

34

ATI M54 DC/DC

RJ11

MDC Card

15,16,17,18

SW1 Setting

FAN5234

52

21

SATA

PATA

Low Active

INPUTS

OUTPUTS

PCI Express

SIO

KBC

LPC

PSW_CLR#

1 - 5 ON

DCBATOUT

VGA_CORE_S0

New card

Renesas

NC

2 - 6 ON

USB

NS87381

DEBUG

KBC_MATRIX1

3 - 7 ON

30

RE144B

KBC_MATRIX2

4 - 8 ON

3 PORT

32

31

34

APL5331KAC

43

21

CONN.

1D8V_S0

1D2V_S0

PWR SW

21

Touch

INT.

HDD20

CDROM

MINI USB

FIR32

<Variant Name>

TPS223130

18

Blue-tooth

Pad 33

KB 33

21F, 88, Sec.1, Hsin Tai Wu Rd., Hsichih,

Taipei Hsien 221, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Title

BLOCK DIAGRAM

Size

Document Number

Rev

A3

AG1

-1M

Date:

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Sheet 1

of

53

Chapter 1

3

Board Layout

Top View

1	SW1	Switch	7	BLUE1	Bluetooth Cable Connector
2	LEDB1	LED Board Cable Connector	8	U39	LAN Connector: RTL8100CL
3	KB1	Keyboard Connector	9	RTC1	RTC Battery Connector
4	TPAD1	Touchpad Cable Connector	10	U40	Keyboard Controller: ENE CB-
					1410QF
5	LCD1	LCD Cable Connector	11	SPKR1	Speaker Set Cable Connector
6	LAUNCH1	Launch Board Cable Connector

4

Chapter 1

Bottom View

NOTE: This is engineering sample. The image above may not be exactly the same as the real main board you get.

1	USB2	USB port	13	ODD1	ODD Connector
2	USB3	USB port	14	WIN1	Wireless LAN Card Slotr
3	USB4	USB port	15	DM1	DIMM Slot1
4	LAN1	RJ11+RJ45 (Modem Port+ Ethernet	16	DM3	DIMM Slot2
		Port)
5	MDCW	Modem Cable Connector	17	U44	Keyboard Controller (RE144B)
	1
6	CRT1	External Display Port	18	U49	BIOS ROM
7	MDC	Modem Board Connector	19	U32	Audio Codec (Realtek ACL883)
8	U41	CPU Socket	20	LIN1	Line-in Jack
9	U38	North Bridge ()	21	MIC2	Headphones/Speakers/Line-Out Jack
10	FAN1	System Fan Cable Connector	22	LOUT1	Line-in Jack
11	BAT1	Battery Connector	23	PC1	PC Card Slot
12		South Bridge (ICH7M)	24	HDD1	HDD Connector

Chapter 1

5

Jumper Settings

PIN	Description
Pin1-Pin5 On	Clear Password
Pin2-Pin6 On	NC
Pin3-Pin7 On	KBC_MATRIX1
Pin4-Pin8 On	KBC_MATRIX2

6

Chapter 1

Your Acer Notebook tour

After knowing your computer features, let us show you around your new Aspire computer.

#	Icon	Item	Description
1		Display screen	Also called LCD (liquid-crystal display),
			displays computer output.
2		Status indicators	Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that light up
			to show the status of the computer’s
			functions and components.
3		Keyboard	For entering data into your computer.
4		Touchpad	Touch-sensitive pointing device which
			functions like a computer mouse.
5		Click buttons (left,	The left and right buttons function like the
		center and right)	left and right mouse buttons; the center
			button serves as a 4-way scroll button.
6		Palmrest	Comfortable support area for our hands
			when you use the computer.
7		Microphone	Internal microphone for sound recording.
8		Power button	Turns the computer on and off.
9		Easy-launch Buttons	Buttons for launching frequently used
			programs.
10		Built-in camera	1.3 megapixel web camera for video
			communication (for Aspire 5560)

Chapter 1

7

Closed Front View

#		Icon						Item	Description
1								Bluetooth®	Press to enable/disable Bluetooth function.
								communication button/	Lights to indicate the status of Bluetooth-
								indicator	communications (for selected models).
2								Wireless	Press to enable/disable Wireless function.
								communication button/	Lights to indicate the status of wireless
								indicator	LAN communications (for selected
									models).
3								Infrared port	Interfaces with infrared devices (e.g.,
									infrared printer and IR-aware computer)
									(for Aspire 5560 only).
4								Speakers	Left and right speakers deliver stereo audio
									output.
5								5-in-1 card reader	Accepts MultiMediaCard (MMC), Secure
									Digital (SD), xD-Picture Card, Memory
									Stick and Memory Stick Pro (for Aspire
									5560 only).
									Note: Only one card can operate at any
									given time.
6								Line-in jack	Accepts audio line-in devices (e.g., audio
									CD player, stereo walkman).
7								Microphone-in jack	Accepts input from external microphones.
8								Headphones/	Connects to audio line-out devices (e.g.,
								speakers/line-out jack	speakers, headphones).
								with S/PDIF support
9								Battery indicator	Indicates the computer’s battery status.
10								Power indicator	Indicates the computer’s power status
11								Latch	Locks and release the lid.

8

Chapter 1

Left View

#	Icon						Item	Description
1							Kensington lock slot	Connects to a Kensington-compatible
								computer security lock.
2							Optical drive	Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or
								DVDs. (Some models have slot-in ODD
								module. The picture displays tray-in ODD
								module ).
3							Optical disk access	Lights up when the optical drive is active.
							indicator
4							Optical drive eject	Ejects the optical disk from the drive.
							button
5							Emergency eject hole	Ejects the optical drive tray when the
								computer is turned off.
6							PC Card slot eject	Ejects the PC Card from the slot.
							button
7							Express Card/34 slot	Accepts and ExpressCard/34 module (for
								Aspire 5560)
								Note: ExpressCards are third generation of
								PC cards, hot-swapable and smaller than
								previous PC Cards. Designed for both
								desktop and mobile use, ExpressCards
								use either USB 2.0 or a single lane PCI
								Express technology that provides 500
								Mbytes/sec total throughput. Formerly
								code named "NEWCARD," ExpressCards
								are 5 mm thick like Type II PC Cards, but
								do not use the same 86x54 mm footprint.
								ExpressCards come in 75x54 mm and
								75x34 mm sizes. Express Card/34 slot
								means this notebook accepts 75x34mm
								ExpressCards.
8							PC Card slot	Accepts on Type II PC Card.

Chapter 1

9

Right View

#	Icon	Item	Description
1		Three USB 2.0 ports	Connect to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB
			mouse, USB camera).
2		S-video/TV-out	Connects to a television or display device
		(NTSC/PAL) port	with S-video input (for Aspire 5560).
3		Ventilation slots	Enable the computer to stay cool, even
			after prolong use.
4		Modem (RJ-11) port	Connects to a phone line.
5		Ethernet (RJ-45)	Connects to an Ethernet 10/100/1000-
			based network (1000 Mbps for Aspire
			5560).
6		4-pin IEEE 1394 port	Connects to IEEE 1394 devices (for Aspire
			5560).
			Note: A 4-pin socket is used for laptop. The
			6-pin socket is commonly found on
			desktop. As to 9-pin connector, it is for the
			faster FireWire 800.

Rear Panel

	#	Icon							Item	Description
	1								DC-in jack	Connects to an AC adapter.

10

Chapter 1

#	Icon	Item	Description
		External display	Connects to a display device(e.g.,
		(VGA) port	external monitor, LCD projector).
		Battery	Powers the computer

Bottom Panel

#	Item	Description
1	Battery lock	Locks the battery in position.
2	Cooling fan	Helps keep the computer cool.
		Note: Do not cover or obstruct the opening
		of the fan.
3	Hard disk bay	Houses the computer’s hard disk (secured
		with screws)
4	Memory compartment	Houses the computer’s main memory.
5	Battery release latch	Release the battery for removal.
6	Battery bay	Houses the computer’s battery pack.

Indicators

The computer has four easy-to-read status indicators on the upper-right above the keyboard, and four on the front panel.

Chapter 1

11

The power, battery and wireless communication status indicators are visible even when the LCD display is closed.

	Icon					Function	Description
						Cap lock	Lights when Cap Lock is activated
						Num lock	Lights when Num Lock is activated.
						HDD	Indicates when the hard disc or optical
							drive is active.
						Bluetooth	Indicates the status of Bluetooth
							communication.
						Wireless LAN	Indicates the status of wireless LAN
							communication.
						Battery	Lights up when the battery is being
							charged.
						Power	Lights up when the computer is on.

12

Chapter 1

NOTE: 1. Charging: The light shows amber when the battery is charging. 2. Fully charged: The light shows green when in AC mode.

Easy-Launch Buttons

Located above the keyboard are four buttons. These buttons are called easy-launch buttons. They are: mail Web browser, Empowering Key “ “and one user-programmable button.

Press “ “ to run the Acer Empowering Technology. The mail and Web browser buttons are pre-set to email and Internet programs, but can be reset by users. To set the Web browser, mail and programmable buttons, run the Acer Launch Manager.

Launch key	Default application
P	User-programmable
P	User-programmable
	Acer Empowering Technology (user-programmable)
Web browser	Internet browser (user-programmable)
Mail	Email application (user-programmable)

Touchpad Basics

The following teaches you how to use the touchpad:

Chapter 1

13

Move your finger across the touchpad (2) to move the cursor.

Press the left (1) and right (4) buttons located beneath the touchpad to perform selection and execution functions. These two buttons are similar to the left and right buttons on a mouse. Tapping on the touchpad is the same as clicking the left button.

Use the 4-way scroll (3) button to scroll up or down and move left or right a page. This button mimics your cursor pressing on the right scroll bar of Windows applications.

	Function	Left Button (1)	Right Button	Main touchpad	Center button (3)
			(4)	(2)
	Execute	Click twice		Tap twice (at
		quickly		the same speed
				as double-
				clicking the
				mouse button)
	Select	Click once		Tap once
	Drag	Click and hold,		Tap twice (at
		then use finger		the same speed
		to drag the		as double-
		cursor on the		clicking a
		touchpad		mouse button)
				then hold finger
				to the touchpad
				on the second
				tap to drag the
				cursor.
	Access context		Click once
	menu
	Scroll				Click and hold to move
					up/down/left/right.

NOTE: Keep your fingers dry and clean when using the touchpad. Also keep the touchpad dry and clean. The touchpad is sensitive to finger movements. Hence, the lighter the touch, the better the response. Tapping too hard will not increase the touchpad’s responsiveness.

14

Chapter 1

Using the Keyboard

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

Lock Keys and embedded numeric keypad

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.
Num lock	When Num Lock is on, the embedded keypad is in
<Fn>+<F11>	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.
Scroll lock	When Scroll Lock is on, the screen moves one line up
<Fn>+<F12>	or down when you press the up or down arrow keys
	respectively. Scroll Lock does not work with some
	applications.

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	Type numbers in a normal
keypad	manner.
Cursor-control keys on	Hold <Shift> while using	Hold <Fn> while using
embedded keypad	cursor-control keys.	cursor-control keys.
Main keyboard keys	Hold <Fn> while typing	Type the letters in a normal
	letters on embedded	manner.
	keypad.

Windows Keys

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

Chapter 1

15

Key	Icon	Description
Windows key		Pressed alone, this key has the same effect as
		clicking on the Windows Start button; it launches the
		Start menu. It can also be used with other keys to
		provide a variety of function:

+ <Tab> Activates next taskbar button.

+ <E> Opens the My Computer window

+ <F1> Opens Help and Support.

+ <F> Opens the Find: All Files dialog box.

+ <R> Opens the Run dialog box.

+ M Minimizes all windows.

<Shift>+ + <M> Undoes the minimize all windows action.

		This key has the same effect as clicking the right
	Applicati	mouse button; it opens the application’s context
		menu.
	on key

Hot Keys

The computer employs hotkeys or key combinations to access most of the computer’s controls like sreen brightness, volume output and the BIOS utility.

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

Hot Key	Icon	Function	Description
Fn-F1		Hot key help	Displays help on hot keys.
Fn-F2		Acer eSetting	Launches the Acer eSettings in Acer eManager.
Fn-F3		Acer	Launches the Acer ePowerManagement in Acer
		ePowerManagement	eManager.

16

Chapter 1

Hot Key	Icon	Function	Description
Fn-F4		Sleep	Puts the computer in Sleep mode.
Fn-F5		Display toggle	Switches display output between the display screen,
			external monitor (if connected) and both.
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-w		Volume up	Increases the speaker volume.
Fn-y		Volume down	Decreases the speaker volume.
Fn-x		Brightness up	Increases the screen brightness.
Fn-z		Brightness down	Decreases the screen brightness

Special Key

You can locate the Euro symbol and US dollar sign at the upper-center and/or bottom-right of your keyboard. To type:

The Euro symbol

1.Open a text editor or word processor.

Chapter 1

17

2.Either directly press the < > symbol at the bottom-right of the keyboard, or hold <Alt Gr> and then press the<5> symbol at the upper-center of the keyboard.

The US dollar sign

1.Open a text editor or word processor.

2.Either directly press the <> key at the bottom-right of the keyboard, or hold <Shift> and then press the <4> key at the upper-center of the keyboard.

NOTE: This function varies by the operating system version.

NOTE: Some fonts and software do not support the Euro symbol. Please refer to www.microsoft.com/ typography/faq/faq12.htm for more information.

18

Chapter 1

Acer Empowering Technology

Acer’s innovative Empowering Technology makes it easy for you to access frequently used functions and manage your new Acer notebook. It features the following handy utilities:

Acer eDataSecurity Management protects data with passwords and advanced encryption algorithms. Acer eLock Management limits access to external storage media.

Acer ePerformance Management improves system performance by optimizing disk space, memory and registry settings.

Acer eRecovery Management backs up/recovers data flexibly, reliably and completely. Acer eSettings Management accesses system information and adjusts settings easily. Acer eNet Management hooks up to location-based networks intelligently.

Acer ePower Management extends battery power via versatile usage profiles.

Acer ePresentation Management connects to a projector and adjusts display settings conveniently.

For more information, press the < > key to launch the Empowering Technology menu, then click on the appropriate utility and select the Help function.

Acer eDataSecurity Management

Acer eDataSecurity Management is handy file encryption utility that protexts your files from being accessed by unauthorized persons. It is conveniently integrated with Windows explorer as a shell extension for quick and

Chapter 1

19

easy data encryption/decryption and also supports on-the-fly file encryption for MSN Messager and Microsoft Outlook.

There are two passwords that can be used to encrypt/decrypt a file; the supervisor passowrd and the filespecific password. The supervisor passwork is a “master” password that cna decrypt any file on your system; the file-specific password will be used to encrypt files by default, or you cna choose to enter your own filespecific password when encrypting a file.

NOTE: The password used encrypt a file is the unique key that the system needs to decrypt it. If you lose the password, the supervisor password is the only other key capable of decrypting the file. If you lose both passwords, there will be no way to decrypt your encryped file! Be sure to safeguard all related passwords!

20

Chapter 1

Acer eLock Management

Acer eLock Management is a security utility that allows you to lock up your removable data, optical and floppy drives to ensure that data can’t be stolen while your notebook is unattended.

Removable data devices - includes USB disk drives, USB pen drives, USB flash drives, USB MP3 drives, USB memory card readers, IEEE 1394 disk drives and any other removable disk drives that can be mounted as a file system when plugged into the system.

Optical drive deivces - includes any kind of CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives. Floppy disk drives - 3.5-inch disks only.

To activate Acer eLock Management, a password must be set first. Once set, you may apply lock to any of the three kinds of devices. Lock(s) will immediately be set without any reboot necessary, and will remain locked after rebooting, until unlocked.

If you do not set a password, Acer eLock Management will reset back to the initial status with all locks removed.

NOTE: If you lose your password, there is no method to reset it except by reformatting your notebook or taking your notebook to anAcer Customer Serivce Center. Be sure to remember or write down your password.

Chapter 1

21

Acer ePerformance Management

Acer ePerformance Management is a system optimization tool that boosts the performance of your Acer notebook. It provides you with the following options to enhance overall system performance:

Memory optimization - releases unused memory and check usage. Disk optimization - removes unneeded items and files.

Speed optimization - improves the usability and performance of your Windows XP system.

22

Chapter 1

Acer eRecovery Management

Acer eRecovery Management is a powerful utility that does away with the need for recovery disks provided by the manufacturer. The Acer eRecovery Management utility occupies space in a hidden partition on your system’s HDD. User-created backups are stored on D:\ drive. Acer eRecovery Management provides you with:

Password protection.

Recovery of applications and drivers. Image/data backup:

Back up to HDD (set recovery point).

Back up to CD/DVD. Image/data recovery tools:

Recover from a hidden partition (factory defaults).

Recover from the HDD (most recent user-defined recovery point). Recover from CD/DVD.

Chapter 1

23

NOTE: If your computer did not come with a Recovery CD or System CD, please use Acer eRecovery Management’s “System backup to optical disk” feature to burn a backup image to CD or DVD. To ensure the best results when recovering your system using a CD or Acer eRecovery Management, detach all peripherals (except the external Acer ODD, if your computer has one), including your Acer ezDock.

Acer eSettings Management

Acer eSettings Management allows you to inspect hardware specifications and to monitor the system health status. Furthermore, Acer eSettings Management enables you to optimize your Windows operating system, so your computer runs faster, smoother and better.

Acer eSettings Management also:

Provides a simple graphical user interface for navigating through the program effortlessly. Displays general system status and advanced monitoring for power users.

Logs when a hardware component has been removed or replaced. Permits you to migrate personal settings.

Keeps a history log of all alerts that were previously issued.

24

Chapter 1