Acer Aspire CQ60 User Manual

Acer Aspire 1800 Series

User’s Guide

Acer Aspire 1800 Series Notebook Computer User's Guide Original Issue: August 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 herein 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.

Acer Aspire 1800 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 de s

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

The Just for starters… poster shows you how to set up your computer.

This User's Guide provides clear and concise information on using your computer productively. You are advised to read it thoroughly and keep it handy for future reference.

For more information on our products, services, and support, please visit our web site: www.acer.com.

Basic care and tips for using your computer

English

Turning your computer on and off

To turn on your computer, open the lid and press the power button above the keyboard. See “A tour of your computer” on page 3 for the location of the power button.

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 change the Power Management settings in Control Panel. See Windows Help for more information.

Note: If the operating system freezes, or locks up, press and hold

English

the power button for more than four seconds.

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 a power strip or wall outlet. Grasp and pull the plug instead.

• The total ampere rating for all equipment plugged into a power strip should not exceed the ampere rating of the 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 79 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

Turning your computer on and off iii Taking care of your computer iv Taking care of your AC adapter iv Taking care of your battery pack v Cleaning and servicing v

English

Getting familiar with

your computer 1

A tour of your computer 3

Front view 5 Left view 6 Right view 7 Rear view 8

Bottom view 9 Features 10 Display 12 Indicators 13 Keyboard 15

Lock keys 15

Windows keys 16

Function keys 17

Euro key 18 Touchpad 19

Touchpad basics 19

Launch keys 21 Storage 23

Hard disk 23

Optical drive 23

Ejecting the CD or DVD tray 23

Connectivity options 24

Ethernet and LAN 24

Fax/data modem 24 Audio 26 Aspire Media Console 27 Securing your computer 28

Security slot 28

Passwords 28

Contents

Operating on

battery power 29

Battery pack 31

Battery pack characteristics 31

Maximizing battery life 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

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

Key component upgrades 45

Memory upgrade 45

Installing memory 45 Hard disk upgrade 46

Moving with your computer 47

Disconnecting from the desktop 49

Moving around 49 Taking the computer home 50

Setting up a home office 50 Traveling with with computer 51 Traveling internationally with your computer 52

Software 53

System utility 55

Acer eManager 55 Launch Manager 56

Aspire Arcade 57

Instant-on Arcade 57

Features and Benefits 57

Cinema 57 Album 58 Music 58

Windows Arcade 60

Arcade Hot keys 61 Arcade remote controller 62 Finding and playing content 65

Advanced Settings 65

Arcade controls 66

Navigation controls 66 Player controls 66

Cinema 67

DVD settings 67 Album 69 Video 71

Playing a video file 71

Editing a video file 71 Music 72 TV(Optional) 72 Burner 72

Copy - backup your CD/DVD collection 72

Audio - create your own greatest hits CDs 73

Data - store files simply and easily 73

Video - your world in pictures 73

BIOS Setup Utility 75

English

Troubleshooting 77

Frequently asked questions 79

Appendix A Specifications 83

Appendix B Notices 89

Index 103

Getting familiar with

your computer

Your Aspire notebook computer combines solid performance, versatility, multimedia capabilities and portability with 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 the Just for starters… poster, take a few minutes to explore your sytem.

Open view

English

# Item Description

1 Screen Wide screen display provides visual

output.

2 Status Indicators LEDs that turn on and off to show

system statuss.

# Item Description

Getting familiar with your computer

English

3 Launch keys Buttons that can be programmed to

4 Keyboard Full-size keyboard for inputting typed

5 Built-in Microphone For recording audio on the computer

6 Touchpad Touch sensitive pad that functions like a

7 Click buttons and 4-way

scroll key

8 Palm rest Provides a comfortable platform for

9 Power Button Turns the computer on or off.

start frequently used applications.

data.

computer mouse.

Right and left buttons that provide the same functions as the buttons on a computer mouse. The scroll key scrolls the contents of a window up and down, as well as right and left.

your hands when typing on the keyboard.

Front view

# Item Description

1 Stereo Speakers Produce stereo sound

2 InviLink™

Button

3 Bluetooth®

Button

4 Console display Media status display

5 Remote sensor Receive the signal from the remote control

6 Arcade button Multimedia button

7 Stop Press to stop playing the audio track or video file

Enables Wireless LAN connectivity (manufacturing option)

Enables Bluetooth® functionality (manufacturing option)

English

8 Play/Pause Press to start playing the audio track or video file/

Press again to pause

9 Backward Press to skip backward to the previous track or

video file and start playing

10 Forward Press to skip forward to the next track or video

file and start playing

11 Power indicator Lights when the computer is on

12 Battery charge

indicator

13 Media Controls Multimedia Button

14 Latch Locks and releases the lid

Lights orange when the battery is in charging. Lights green when the battery is fully charged

Getting familiar with your computer

Left view

English

# Item Description

USB ports

4 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or DVDs

5 Optical disc read

6 Optical drive eject button Press the eject button to remove a disc

7 Optical drive emergency

8 5 in 1 Card Reader Supports:

Headphone-in jack

Microphone-in jack

indicator

eject hole

USB 2.0 ports

Connects headphones for analog audio output and digital S/PDIF output

Connects an external microphone for audio input

depending on the optical drive type.

Light emitting diode (LED) that indicates when an optical disc is being read.

from the optical drive.

Used to eject an optical disc when the computer is turned off.

• Memory Stick (MS)

• MultiMediaCard (MMC)

• SecureDigital (SD)

• SmartMedia (SM)

•xD

Right view

# Item Description

1 PC card eject button Press the eject button to remove a PC card

from the PC card slot.

2 PC card slot Type II PC card supports PCMCIA or

CardBus.

3 IEEE 1394 port Connects IEEE 1394 devices.

4 USB ports USB 2.0 ports

English

5 Infrared port Interfaces with infrared devices (e.g.

infrared printer, IR-aware computer, etc...)

Getting familiar with your computer

Rear view

English

# Item Description

1 S-video out port Connects to a television or display device

supporting S-video input.

2 Network jack Connects the computer to the 10/100/

1000 Ethernet network.

3 Modem jack Connects the built-in fax/data modem to

4 External display

port

5 Ventilation slot Enables the computer to stay cool, even

6 Kensington lock slot For attaching a security device.

7 DC-in jack Connect the AC power adapter

a phone line.

Connects an external (VGA) monitor.

after prolonged use.

Bottom view

# Item Description

1 Mini-PCI Slot Slot for adding mini-PCI cards

2 Memory compartment Removable cover provides access to the

memory slots for upgrading the computer's memory.

English

Battery release latch

4 Battery pack The computer's removable battery.

5 Hard disk bay Removable cover provides access to the

6 Sub-Woofer Outputs low/mid range audio

Unlatches the battery to remove the

battery pack.

computer's hard drive.

Features

Getting familiar with your computer

English

Performance

• Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 520/530/540/550/560 (2.8 to 3.6 GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB); supporting Intel® Hyper-Threading™ Tec hnology

• Intel® 915P chipset supporting PCI-Express technology

• 2 memory slots supporting 333 MHz DDR, upgradeable to 2GB with dual soDIMM modules, supporting dual-channel DDR memory when 2 memory slots utilized

Note: Dual-channel memory requires symmetrical memory modules using the same density (e.g. 256MB,512MB), bus width (e.g. x8 ,x16) and granule technology (e.g. 256M-bit, 512M-bit)

• 40GB and up Enhanced-IDE hard disk drive

Multimedia

• Built-in DVD Combo,DVD-Dual or DVD Super-Multi drive

• 17.0” TFT Color LCD, 16:10 viewing ratio, 1440x900 (WXGA) panel

• 2.1 channel stereo speaker system with built-in subwoofer

• Audio input and S/PDIF (for digital audio enjoyment) output jacks

Connectivity

• Integrated Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbps) Ethernet connection

• Built-in 56Kbps fax/data modem

• Four universal serial bus (USB 2.0) ports

• One IEEE 1394 port

• InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wireless LAN, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ with WPA support; supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology and Bluetooth® (manufacturing options)

Human-centric design

• Rugged, portable construction

• Stylish appearance

• Standard 103 key desktop keyboard with four programmable launch keys

• Comfortable palm rest area with well-positioned touchpad

Expansion

• PC card slot enables a range of add-on options

• Upgradeable hard disk and memory modules

English

Display

Getting familiar with your computer

English

• The 17.0” display panel provides a large viewing area for maximum efficiency and ease-of-use.

• ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON™ X600 with 64/128MB DDR VGA Memory

• Supports simultaneous display on external LCD or CRT

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

• One LED console display for multimedia status

• DualView

support

Indicators

Your computer provides three indicators located above the keyboard, in addition to two indicators positioned at the front panel. These indicators show the status of the computer and its components.

The three indicators located above the keyboard provide the following

status information:

English

No. Icon Function Description

1 Caps Lock Lights when Caps Lock is activated.

2Num Lock

3 Media activity Lights when the hard disk or optical drive is active.

a. The keypad lock must be turned on to use the embedded numeric keypad.

Lights when Num Lock is activated.

Getting familiar with your computer

In addition, there are two indicators at the front panel. Even when the cover is closed, the state or features can still be seen.

English

No. Icon Function Description

4 Power Lights green when the computer is on and

lights orange when the computer is in standby mode and lights flashing orange when the computer is in hibernation.

5 Battery state Lights green when the battery is fully

charged and lights orange when the battery is in charged and lights flashing orange when the battry power is low.

Keyboard

The keyboard features full-size keys with an embedded keypad, separate cursor control keys, two Windows keys, and 13 function keys.

Lock keys

The computer features three lock keys, each with its own status indicator light.

Lock Key Description

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

uppercase. Toggle on/off by pressing the Caps Lock key on the left side of the keyboard.

English

Num Lock When Num Lock is on, the embedded numeric keypad can be

used. Toggle on/off by pressing the Fn + F11 key combination.

Scroll Lock When Scroll Lock is on, the screen moves up or down one line

at a time when the up and down cursor control keys are pressed.

Note: Scroll Lock doesn't work in all applications. Toggle on and off by pressing the Fn + F12 keys combination.

Getting familiar with your computer

Windows keys

The keyboard features two keys that provide Windows-specific func-

English

tions.

Key Description

Windows key Pressed alone, this key has the same effect as clicking on

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

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 minimize

+ R opens the Run dialog box

button to open an application's context menu.

Function 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:

HotKey Function Description

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

Fn + F2 Setup Accesses the computer’s

configuration utility.

English

Fn + F3 Power

management scheme toggle

Fn + F4 Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep mode.

Fn + F5 Display toggle Switches display output between

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

See “Power management” on page

35.

See

“Power management” on page 35.

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

HotKey Function Description

Getting familiar with your computer

English

Fn + F6 Screen blank Turns the display backlight off to

Fn + F7 Touchpad toggle Turns the internal touchpad on and

Fn + F8 Speaker toggle Turns the speakers on and off.

Fn + ↑ Volume up Increases the speaker volume.

Fn + ↓ Volume down Decreases the speaker volume.

Fn + → Brightness up Increases the screen brightness.

Fn +

←

Brightness down Decreases the screen brightness.

save power. Press any key to return.

off.

Euro key

Your computer supports the new Euro currency character. First, hold down the Alt Gr key, and then press the Euro key.

Touchpad

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. The two click buttons function like mouse buttons. The scroll key enables up and down and side to side scrolling in documents and web pages.

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

To u c h p a d b a s i c s

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.

English

• Press the left (1) and right (3) click buttons 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, and the bottom to scroll down; left to scroll left, and right to scroll right.

Getting familiar with your computer

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 to scroll up/down/left/ right

Tap

Tap twice quickly

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

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.

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