Acer TravelMate 240, TravelMate 250 User Guide

TravelMate 240/250 series

User’s guide

Copyright © 2003. Acer Incorporated.
All Rights Reserved.

TravelMate 240/250 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 240/250 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.

Your guides

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

iv

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 Tur n O ff.

• Use the power switch

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

management functions. See “Power management” on page 26.

• 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 26.

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 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 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.

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• 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:

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

• Liquid has been spilled into the product.

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• The computer does not operate normally.
Please refer to "Troubleshooting my computer" on page 57.

English

vii

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 5
Right view 6
Rear view 7

Bottom view 8
Features 9
Indicators 11

Indicators in Cover 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
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

English

2 Customizing my computer 35

Expanding through options 37

Connectivity options 37

Upgrade options 40
Using system utilities 43

Notebook Manager 43

Launch Manager 44

BIOS Utility 45

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3 Troubleshooting my computer 57

Frequently-asked questions 59

English

Requesting service 63

International Traveler’s Warranty (ITW) 63
Before you call 63

Appendix A Specifications 65

Appendix B Notices 71

Index 81

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.

3

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 19
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..

5

Left view

# Item Description

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

or 32-bit CardBus PC Card.

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.,

infrared printer, IR-aware computer).

English

5 LED indicator Lights up when the optical drive is

active.

6 Emergency eject button Ejects the optical drive tray when the

computer is turned off. See page 60
for more details.

7 Eject button Ejects the optical drive tray from the

8 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output.

drive.

Right view

1 Getting to know your TravelMate6

English

# Item Description

1 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output.

2 Floppy activity

indicator

3 Floppy drive Internal diskette drive; accepts 3.5-inch

4 Floppy disk eject

button

5 Security keylock Connects to a Kensington-compatible

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

diskettes.

Push this button to eject the floppy disk.

computer security lock.

7

Rear view

# Item Description

1 Power jack Connects to an AC adapter.

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

3 External display

port

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

printer).

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).

English

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).

1 Getting to know your TravelMate8

Bottom view

English

# Item Description

1 Battery bay Houses the computer's battery pack.

2 Battery release

latch

3Memory

compartment

Unlatches the battery to remove the battery
pack.

Houses the computer's main memory.

9

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 drive or DVD rewritable

• 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” or 15” Thin-Film Transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD)

displaying 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 or DVD rewritable combo drive

1 Getting to know your TravelMate10

Connectivity

• High-speed fax/data modem port

English

• Ethernet/Fast Ethernet port

• 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

11

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.

optical drive is active.

Icon Function Description

1 Getting to know your TravelMate12

English

Num Lock Lights when Num Lock is activated.

Indicators in Cover

When the cover of your computer is closed, 2 easy-to-read icons are
shown, indicationg 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.

13

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.

1 Getting to know your TravelMate14

Embedded numeric keypad

The embedded numeric keypad functions like a desktop numeric

English

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.

15

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)

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+ 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).

1 Getting to know your TravelMate16

Hot keys

The computer employs hot keys or key combinations to access most of

English

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

Fn-F3 Power

Management
Scheme Toggle

Fn-F4 Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep

configuration utility.

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

mode.

17

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.

1 Getting to know your TravelMate18

The Euro symbol

If your keyboard layout is set to United States-International or United

English

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.
3 Hold Alt Gr and press the Euro symbol.

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

19

Launch Keys

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

No. Description Default application

1 Mail Email application

2 Web browser Internet browser application

English

3 P1 User-programmable

4 P2 User-programmable

5 Bluetooth(optional) Starts Bluetooth functionality and

6 Wireless(optional) Opens wireless connectivity and Indicates

Caution: It’s important that Bluetooth and Wireless LAN are
turned off before boarding an airplane.

Indicates that Bluetooth is enabled.

status of wireless communication.

Touchpad

1 Getting to know your TravelMate20

English

The built-in touchpad is a PS/2-compatible pointing device that senses
movement on its surface. This means the cursor responds as you move
your finger on the surface of the touchpad. The central location on
the palmrest provides optimum comfort and support.

Note: When using an external USB or serial mouse, you can press
Fn-F7 to disable the touchpad.

Touchpad basics

The following items teach you how to use the touchpad:

• Move your finger across the touchpad to move the cursor.

• Press the left (#1) and right (#3) buttons located on the edge of the

touchpad to do selection and execution functions. These two