Acer ASPIRE 1660 User Manual

Acer Aspire 1660 Series

User’s Guide

Acer Aspire 1660 Series Notebook Computer User's Guide Original Issue: June 2004

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 correspondense 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.

Acer Aspire 1660 Series Notebook Computer

Model Number : _________________________________

Serial Number: ___________________________________

Purchase Date: ___________________________________

Place of Purchase: ________________________________

All trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective companies.

iii

First things first

Yo u r g u i d e s

A set of guides is provided to help you set up and use your Aspire computer:

The

Just for starters

computer.

This

User's Guide

using your computer productively. You are advised to read it thoroughly and keep it handy for future reference.

For more information on Acer’s products, services, and support, please visit the web site: http://

Basic care and tips for using your computer

… poster shows you how to set up your

provides clear and concise information on

www.acer.com.

English

Turning your computer on and off

To turn on your computer, open the lid and press the power button above the keyboard.

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

• Click on the Start button in Windows, and then select Shut Down on the popup menu.

• Push the power button. To use this method, you must first click on the Power Management

icon in Windows Control Panel, and then check that the power button is set to shut down the computer when pressed. See Windows Help and Support for more information.

English

Note: If you are unable to shut down the computer in the usual way, press and hold the power button for more than four seconds. You should then wait at least two seconds before turning the computer on again.

Taking care of your computer

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

• 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 0°C (32°F), or above 50°C (122°F).

• Do not expose 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 or vibration.

• Do not expose the computer to dust or dirt.

• Do not place objects on top of the computer.

• Do not slam the lid shut. Close the computer gently.

• Do not place the computer on unstable or uneven surfaces.

Taking care of your AC adapter

It is important that you look after your AC adapter.

• Do not connect the adapter to any other device.

• Do not step on the power cord or place heavy objects on it. Route the power cord away from areas where people might walk on it or trip over it.

• Do not pull on the power cord when disconnecting from the mains power socket. Grasp and pull the plug instead.

• The total ampere ratings of equipment plugged into a power strip should not exceed the ampere rating for that power strip.

Taking care of your battery pack

It is also important that you look after your computer's battery pack.

• Use the correct battery model for your computer. Do not use other kinds of batteries.

• Turn the power off before removing or replacing the battery.

• Do not tamper with the battery. Keep the battery away from children.

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

Cleaning and servicing

When cleaning your computer, it is important that you follow these steps:

• Turn off the computer and remove the battery.

• Disconnect the AC adapter.

• Clean with a soft cloth moistened with a little water. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners.

Refer to the chapter entitled “Frequently asked questions” on page 63 if any of the following occurs:

• You drop the computer or damage the case.

• You spill liquid on the computer.

• The computer does not operate normally.

English

First things first iii

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

Getting familiar with your computer 1

A tour of your computer 3

Front view 3 Left view 5 Right view 6 Rear view 7

Bottom view 8 Features 9 Indicators 11 Keyboard 12

Lock keys 12

Embedded keypad 13

Windows keys 14

Hot keys 15

The Euro symbol 17 Touchpad 18

Touchpad basics 18 Launch keys 20 Storage 21

Ejecting the optical drive tray 22

Emergency ejection of the optical drive tray 22 Connectivity options 23

Ethernet and LAN 23

Fax/Data modem 24 Audio 25 Securing your computer 26

Security slot 26

English

Contents

Operating on battery power 29

Battery pack 31

Battery pack characteristics 31

Installing and removing the battery pack 32

Charging the battery 33

Checking the battery level 33

Optimizing battery life 33

Battery-low warning 34 Power management 35

English

Peripherals and options 37

External display devices 39 External input devices 39

External keyboard 39 External keypad 39 External pointing device 39 USB devices 40

IEEE 1394 Port 41 Printer 42 Audio devices 42 Expansion devices 43

PC Card 43 Miscellaneous options 44

Battery pack 44

AC adapter 44 Key component upgrades 45

Memory upgrade 45

Hard disk upgrade 46

Moving with your computer 47

Disconnecting from the desktop 49 Moving around 50

Preparing the computer 50

What to bring to short meetings 50

What to bring to long meetings 50 Taking the computer home 51

Preparing the computer 51

What to bring with you 51

Special considerations 51

Setting up a home office 52 Traveling with the computer 52

Preparing the computer 52

What to take with you 52

Special considerations 52 Traveling internationally with your computer 53

Preparing the computer 53

What to take with you 53

Special considerations 53

Software 55

System software 57

Launch Manager 57 BIOS Setup Utility 58 OneButton Recovery (OBR) 59

Multilingual operating system installation 59

Restore without a Recovery CD 59

Setup password and exit 60

Troubleshooting 61

Frequently asked questions 63 Requesting service 66

International Traveler’s Warranty (ITW) 66

Before you call 66

Appendix A Specifications 67

Appendix B Regulation & safety notices 73

Index 87

English

Getting familiar with

your computer

Your Aspire 1660 series notebook computer combines solid performance, versatility, multimedia capabilities and portability with a stylish design. Increase your productivity by working wherever you are.

This chapter provides an in-depth "tour" of your computer's features.

A tour of your computer

After setting up your new Aspire notebook computer, as illustrated in

Just for starters…

the

Front view

poster, take a few minutes to explore the unit.

English

# Item Description

1 Display screen Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) provides

visual output.

2 Status indicators Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that turn

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

# Item Description

Getting familiar with your computer

English

3 Power button Turns the computer on and off.

4 Launch keys Buttons for launching frequently used

programs. See“Launch keys” on page 20 for more details.

5 Palmrest Comfortable support area for your

6 Click buttons &

4-way scroll key

7 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which

8 Keyboard Inputs data into your computer.

9 Ventilation slot Enables the computer to stay cool, even

hands when you use the computer.

The left and right buttons function like the left and right mouse buttons; the 4way scroll key scrolls the contents of a window up, down, left and right.

functions like a computer mouse.

after prolonged use.

Left view

# Item Description

1 PC Card slots Support one Type III or two Type II

CardBus PC Card(s).

2 Eject buttons Ejects the PC Card(s) from the slots.

3 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or

DVDs depending on the optical drive type.

4 IEEE 1394 port Connects to IEEE 1394 devices.

English

5 Infrared port Interfaces with infrared devices

(e.g., infrared printer and IR-aware computer).

6 LED indicator Lights up when the optical drive is

7 Eject button Ejects the optical drive tray from the

8 Emergency eject hole Ejects the optical drive tray when the

9 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output.

active.

drive.

computer is turned off. See page 22 for more details.

English

Getting familiar with your computer

Right view

# Item Description

1 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output.

2 Ventilation slots Enable the computer to stay cool, even

after prolonged use.

3 Security keylock Connects to a Kensington-compatible

computer security lock.

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 Ventilation slots Enable the computer to stay cool, even after

prolonged use.

4 S-video port Connects to a television or display device

with S-video input.

English

5 External display port Connects to a display device (e.g., external

6 Four USB 2.0 ports Connect to Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0

7 Network jack Connects to an Ethernet LAN network.

8 Modem jack Connects to a phone line.

VGA monitor and LCD projector).

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

# Item Description

Getting familiar with your computer

English

9 Speaker/Line-Out/

Headphone jack

10 Line-in/Mic-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices

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

(e.g., audio CD player and stereo walkman).

Bottom view

# Item Description

1 Battery bay Houses the computer's battery pack.

2 Battery release latch Unlatches to remove the battery pack.

3 Memory compartment Houses the computer's main memory.

Features

Performance

• Intel® Pentium® 4 processors 2.80 GHz and above

• 256/512 MB of DDR333 SDRAM, upgradeable to 2048 MB with

dual soDIMM modules

• 40 GB and above high-capacity, Enhanced-IDE hard disk

• Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI) power

management system

Display

• The 15.4” WXGA (1280x800 resolution) TFT LCD panel providing a

large viewing area for maximum efficiency and ease-of-use

• ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9700 with 64 MB DDR video memory

(manufacturing option)

• 3D graphics support

• Simultaneous LCD and CRT display support

• S-video for output to a television or display device that supports

S-video input

• “Automatic LCD dim” feature, automatically selecting the best

setting for the display in order to conserve power

• DualView™ support

English

Multimedia

• High-speed built-in optical drive:

DVD/CD-RW Combo, DVD-Dual, or DVD-Super Multi

• MS DirectSound compatible

• Built-in dual speakers

English

Getting familiar with your computer

Connectivity

• Integrated 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet connection

• Built-in 56Kbps fax/data modem

• Four Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 ports

• One IEEE 1394 port

• IEEE 802.11b/g Wireless LAN (manufacturing option)

• Bluetooth (manufacturing option)

Human-centric design

• Rugged, yet extremely portable design

• Stylish appearance

• Full-size keyboard with four programmable launch keys

• Comfortable palm rest area with well-positioned touchpad

Expansion

• One Type III or two Type II CardBus PC Card slots

• Upgradeable memory modules

Indicators

Your computer provides an array of seven indicators located below the display screen, showing the status of the computer and its

components.

Icon Function Description

Wireless communications

Power Lights when the computer is on.

Indicates status of wireless or Bluetooth (optional) communications. Orange--WLAN; Blue--Bluetooth

English

Sleep Lights when the computer enters Standby

Media activity Lights when the hard disk or optical drive is

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.

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

active.

Key bo ar d

Getting familiar with your computer

English

The keyboard features full-size keys with an embedded keypad, separate cursor control keys, two Windows keys, and twelve function keys (hot 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

Num Lock (Fn+F11)

uppercase.

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.

Scroll Lock (Fn+F12)

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.

Embedded 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

Type numbers using embedded keypad in a normal manner.

Hold Shift while using cursor-control keys.

Hold Fn while using cursor-control keys.

English

Main keyboard keys Hold Fn while typing letters

on embedded keypad.

Type the letters in a normal manner.

English

Getting familiar with your computer

Windows keys

The keyboard features two keys that provide Windows-specific functions.

Key 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 functions:

+ Tab Activates the next Taskbar button. + E Opens the My Computer window. + F1 Opens Help and Support. + F Opens the Find: All Files dialog box.

+ M Minimizes all windows. Shift + + M Undoes the minimize all windows ( + M) action.

+ R Opens the Run dialog box.

Application key This key has the same effect as clicking the right mouse

button; it opens the application's context menu.

Hot keys

Using the Fn key with another key creates a hot key, providing a quick and convenient method for controlling various functions.

To use a hot key, first hold down the Fn key. Next, press the second key in the combination. Finally, release both keys.

Your computer provides the following hot keys:

Hot Key Icon Function Description

Fn-F1 Hot key help Displays help on hot keys.

Fn-F2 Setup Accesses the computer’s

property window.

English

Fn-F3 Power

Management Scheme toggle

Fn-F4 Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep

Fn-F5 Display toggle Switches display output

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

mode.

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

Hot Key Icon Function Description

Getting familiar with your computer

English

Fn-F6 Screen blank Turns the display screen

Fn-F7 Touchpad toggle Turns the internal touchpad

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

Fn-

←

Fn-Pg Up Home Functions as the Home key.

Fn-Pg Dn End Functions as the End key.

Brightness down Decreases the screen

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

on and off.

brightness.

Alt GrEuro

Euro Types the Euro symbol.

The Euro symbol

If your keyboard layout is set to United States-International or United Kingdom or if you have a keyboard with a European layout, you can type the Euro symbol on your keyboard.

Note for US keyboard users: The keyboard layout is set when you first set up Windows. For the Euro symbol to work, the keyboard layout has to be set to United States-International.

To verify the keyboard type: 1 Click on Start, Control Panel. 2 Double-click on Regional and Language Options. 3 Click on the Language tab and click on Details. 4 Verify that the keyboard layout used for "En English (United

States)" is set to United States-International. If not, select and click on ADD; then select United States-

International and click on OK.

5 Click on OK.

To type the Euro symbol: 1 Locate the Euro symbol on your keyboard. 2 Open a text editor or word processor. 3Hold Alt Gr and press the Euro symbol.

English

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

To u c h p a d

Getting familiar with your computer

English

The built-in touchpad is a PS/2- compatible pointing device that senses movement on its surface. The cursor responds to your finger movements on the touchpad. In addition, the two click buttons provide the same functionality as a computer mouse, while the scroll key enables easy 4-way scrolling in documents and web pages.

The touchpad is located in the middle of the palm rest area, providing maximum comfort and efficiency.

Touc hp a d ba si cs

Use the touchpad as follows:

• Slide your finger over the surface of the touchpad to control the movement of the cursor. Tap the touchpad to perform selection and execution functions.

• Press the left (1) and right (3) click buttons to perform selection and execution functions, just as you would use the buttons on a computer mouse.

• Use the scroll key (2) to scroll through long documents and web pages. Press the top of the key to scroll up, bottom to scroll down; left to scroll left, and right to scroll right.

English

Function Left Button

Execute Click twice

quickly.

Select Click once. Tap once.

Drag Click and hold.

Then, slide your finger across the touchpad to drag the cursor over the selection.

Access content menu

Scroll Click and

Right Button

Click once.

4-Way Scroll Key

hold the up/ down/left/ right button.

Tap

Tap twice quickly.

Tap twice quickly. On the second tap, slide your finger across the touchpad to drag the cursor over the selection.

English

Note: Keep your fingers, as well as the surface of the touchpad, clean and dry. The touchpad is sensitive to your finger movements: the lighter your touch, the better the response. Tapping hard will not increase the touchpad's responsiveness.

Launch keys

Getting familiar with your computer

English

Located at the top of the keyboard are six buttons. These buttons are called launch keys. They are designated as mail button, Web browser button, P1, P2, Bluetooth and Wireless buttons. The Wireless and Bluetooth buttons cannot be set by the user. To set the other four

launch keys, run the Acer Launch Manager.

Launch Key Default Application

1 Email Launches your email application.

2 Web browser Launches your Internet browser.

3 P1 User-programmable.

4 P2 User-programmable.

5 Bluetooth

(optional)

6 Wireless

(optional)

Caution: It is important that the Bluetooth and Wireless LAN features are turned off before boarding an airplane.

Enables your Bluetooth.

Enables your 802.11b/g Wireless LAN.

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