Apple Macintosh PowerBook 150 User Manual



PowerBook

Getting Started

Setup and important health-related information for the PowerBook 150 computer

K Apple Computer, Inc.

The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the “keyboard” Apple logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Apple is not responsible for printing or clerical errors.

Apple, the Apple logo, AppleShare, AppleTalk, LaserWriter, LocalTalk, Macintosh, PowerBook, and StyleWriter are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

AppleColor, Disk First Aid, Finder, and Macintosh PC Exchange are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

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trademark, and VideoWorks is a trademark, of Macromedia, Inc. (formerly MacroMind, Inc.). MacDraw and MacWrite are registered trademarks, and Claris Resolve is a trademark, of

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Con tents

Communications regulation information vii

Preface Cor rec tio ns to th e

1Setting Up Your PowerBook 1

Step 1 Plug in the power adapter 1 Step 2 Open the display 3 Step 3 Turn on the computer 4 What to do next 6 Backing up your hard disk 6 Restoring the information on your hard disk 11 Turning your computer off 13 Putting your computer to sleep 14 Restarting your computer when it’s already on 15

2Learning to Use Your Computer 17

Part 1 Starting the Macintosh Basics tour 18

Part 2 Practicing your new skills 22 Answers to the review questions 26 Practice session 28

Macintosh Reference

book ix

Clues on your screen 36

iii

3Basic Skills 39

Working with icons 40 Working with windows 42 Working with documents 44 Working with disks 46 Organizing your desktop 47 Working with pull-down menus 48 Keyboard shortcuts in the Finder and in directory dialog boxes 48

4Health, Safety, and Maintenance Tips 49

Important care and safety instructions 49 Caring for batteries 51 Health-related information about computer use 52

5The Control Strip 57

What is the Control Strip? 57 How does the Control Strip differ from control panels? 58 Closing, opening, and resizing the Control Strip 58 Hiding the Control Strip 59 Moving the Control Strip 60 Rearranging the modules in the Control Strip 60 Usi n g the Control Strip 60

6Power Management 67

Power sources 67 Responding to low-power messages 67 Recharging the battery 69 Removing or replacing the battery 72 Disposing of dead batteries 73 Replacing the backup battery 74 Reconditioning the battery 74 Maximizing work time 75

Contents

7Customizing and Traveling With Your PowerBook 83

Customizing your PowerBook 83 Traveling with the PowerBook 91 Storing the PowerBook 92 Service and support 92

8Connecting Other Equipment to Your PowerBook 93

Connecting a printer 93 Connecting an external modem 94 Connecting SCSI devices 96

9Tips and Troubleshooting 101

The PowerBook 102 Power 104 The screen 106 The trackball 107 Memory 108 SCSI devices 108 Disk drives and disks 109 Modems 112 Printers 112 Networks 114 Application programs 115

Appe n dix A Using the PowerBook File As sist ant 117

What is file synchronization? 117 Star ting the PowerBook File Assistant 118 Linking files or folders for synchronization 118 Synchronizing linked folders or files 123 Tur ning off the alert messages 125 Setting up completely automatic synchronization 126

Contents

Appendix B Exchanging Files With DOS or Windows 127

Macintosh PC Exchange at a glance 127 Using DOS-format disks on your Macintosh 128 Opening DOS documents on your Macintosh 131 Assigning Macintosh programs to DOS documents 132 Saving documents onto a DOS-format disk 141

Index 145

Contents

Communications regulation information

FCC statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device in accordance with the specifications in Part 15 of FCC rules. See instructions if interference to radio or television reception is suspected.

Radio and television interference

The equipment described in this manual generates, uses, and can radiate radio-frequency energy. If it is not installed and used properly—that is, in strict accordance with Apple’s instructions—it may cause interference with radio and television reception.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device in accordance with the specifications in Part 15 of FCC rules. These specifications are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.

You can determine whether your computer system is causing interference by turning it off. If the interference stops, it was probably caused by the computer or one of the peripheral devices.

If your computer system does cause interference to radio or television reception, try to correct the interference by using one or more of the following measures:

m Turn the television or radio antenna until the interference stops. m Move the computer to one side or the other of the television or radio. m Move the computer farther away from the television or radio. m Plug the computer into an outlet that is on a different circuit from the television or radio.

(That is, make certain the computer and the television or radio are on circuits controlled by different circuit breakers or fuses.)

If necessary, consult an Apple-authorized service provider or Apple. See the service and support information that came with your Apple product. Or, consult an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions. You may find the following booklet helpful: Interference Handbook (stock number 004-000-00493-1). This booklet, prepared by the Federal Communications Commission, is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

IMPORTANT

could void the FCC Certification and negate your authority to operate the product. This product was tested for FCC compliance under conditions that included the use of Apple

peripheral devices and Apple shielded cables and connectors between system components. It is important that you use Apple peripheral devices and shielded cables and connectors between system components to reduce the possibility of causing interference to radios, television sets, and other electronic devices. You can obtain Apple peripheral devices and the proper shielded cables and connectors through an Apple-authorized dealer. For non-Apple peripheral devices, contact the manufacturer or dealer for assistance.

Changes or modifications to this product not authorized by Apple Computer, Inc.,

Communications Regulation Information

vii

DOC statement

DOC Class B Compliance This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the interference-causing equipment standard entitled “Digital Apparatus,” ICES-003 of the Department of Communications.

Observation des normes—Classe B Cet appareil numérique respecte les limites de bruits radioélectriques applicables aux appareils numériques de Classe B prescrites dans la norme sur le matériel brouilleur: “Appareils Numériques”, NMB-003 édictée par le ministre des Communications.

VCCI statement

viii

Communications Regulation Information

Correcti ons to the

This Getting Started manual provides instructions for setting up your PowerBook 150, learning basic Macintosh software skills, and using the many special features of your computer. In addition to this manual, your computer came with a Macintosh Reference book that provides instructions for performing many tasks that are common to all Macintosh and PowerBook computers.

Please note the following corrections in the Macintosh Reference book. You may want to mark these corrections on the appropriate pages of that manual for future reference.

The

Disk Tools

The Macintosh Reference book mentions a floppy disk called Disk Tools in several places. You did not receive this disk with your PowerBook 150. Instead, you received a disk called Utilities . Whenever you are instructed to use th e Disk Tools disk, you should substitute the Utilities disk, which includes much the same software as Disk Tools.

and

Macintosh Ref erence

Uti lities

floppy disks

Book

References to the Disk Tools disk appear on pages 10, 19, 20, and 21 of the Macintosh Reference.

The Apple HD SC Setup and Internal HD Format utilities

The Apple HD SC Setup utility program that comes with many Macintosh and PowerBook computers is not designed for use with the internal hard disk of the PowerBook 150. Instead, your Utilities disk includes a utility program called Internal HD Format, which was designed to work specifically with the hard disk in your PowerBook 150 computer.

If you ever need to initialize your internal hard disk, refer to “Disk Drives and Disks” in Chapter 9 of this Getting Started book for instr uctions on using the Internal HD Format utility. Please disregard the instructions in “Initializing a Hard Disk” on pages 10–11 of the Macintosh Reference book.

You cannot use the Internal HD Format program to test a hard disk. Therefore, please disregard the instructions in “Testing a Hard Disk” on page 21 of the Macintosh Reference book.

Using a RAM disk

The instructions for setting up and using a RAM disk on pages 71–72 of the Macintosh Reference book are slightly incorrect for the PowerBook 150. Please refer instead to the instructions on pages 85–87 of this Getting Started book.

Corrections to the

Using the C hooser to select a printer

The PowerBook 150 has only a printer port, not an external modem port. On page 76 of the Macintosh Reference book, please disregard the instruction to select a port; your printer port will be selected automatically when you open the Chooser.

Macintosh Reference

Book

Follow the steps in this chapter to set up

your PowerBook, back up the contents

of your hard disk, and learn about turning your computer on and off.

Setting Up Your PowerBook

To set up your PowerBook for the first time, you need the power adapter that came with your PowerBook.

Step 1 Plug in t he power adapter

When you plug in the power adapter, the computer’s battery recharges. You should plug in the power adapter now in case the battery has drained during shipping and storage.

WARNING

computer. Adapters for other electronic devices (including other portable computers) may look similar, but they may damage your computer.

Use only a PowerBook power adapter with your PowerBook

m Plug th e power adapter into a standard electrical outlet or power strip.

Power adapter port

Then plug the power adapter cable into the power adapter port (marked with the icon ¯) on the back panel of the computer.

Chapter 1

Step 2 Open the display

m Slide the latch to the right and lift up the display.

m Position the display at a comfortable viewing angle. You can adjust the

angle of the display at any time.

Setting Up Your PowerBook

Step 3 Turn on the computer

Power On button

m Press the Power On button located on the back of the computer to turn on

the co mputer. The Power On button is marked with this icon: P

You hear a tone when you turn on the computer. It takes the computer a moment to start up.

When you see something like this on your screen, the computer is ready to use:

Chapter 1

Note: Your screen should look very similar to this picture, but it might not look exactly the same.

Problems turning on your c omputer?

Contrast control

Brightness control

The computer made a sound, but you can’t see anything on the screen.

Adjust the brightness control (marked with the icon ¤) and the contrast control (O) until an image appears and the screen is easy to read.

Nothing happened when you pressed the Power On button.

Make sure the power adapter is connected to both the computer and a power source. If the power adapter is plugged into a power strip, make sure the power strip is plugged in and turned on. Try pressing the Power On button again.

If these suggestions don’t solve the problem, see Chapter 9, “Troubleshooting,” for further help.

Setting Up Your PowerBook

What to do next

New Macintosh users:

If you have never used a Macintosh computer before, turn to Chapter 2 now to learn how to use your PowerBook. After you have completed Chapters 2 and 3, come back to this chapter for instructions on backing up your computer’s hard disk, turning the PowerBook off, and putting the PowerBook to sleep.

New PowerBook users:

new to the PowerBook, continue with this chapter. Then skim the rest of this book for information about your new PowerBook.

Experienced PowerBook users:

on backing up your computer’s hard disk. Then skim the rest of this book for information about your new PowerBook.

IMPORTANT

safety information in Chapter 4 before beginning your own work.

Backing up your hard disk

This section describes how to protect the software on your computer’s hard disk.

Why ba ck up?

Your computer’s hard disk comes with valuable information stored on it, including the system software (which operates the computer) and some application programs. You should make a copy of the information on your hard disk for safekeeping, using the PowerBook 150 Backup program supplied on your hard disk. (The extra copy is called a backup, and the process of making the copy is called backing up.)

If you have used other Macintosh computers but are

Read the rest of this chapter for instructions

No matter what your level of experience, be sure to read the

You should also make a copy of your System Folder. Then if the System Folder on the hard disk becomes damaged, you can quickly restore it from your backup copy.

To restore information to your hard disk, use the PowerBook 150 Restore program that came with your computer. See “Restoring the Information on Your Hard Disk” later in this chapter.

Chapter 1

What you need

High-density disks

have two holes...

...and they have

this symbol.

Just as you need paper to make copies of important documents, you need floppy disks to copy the information on your hard disk. You can probably buy the floppy disks at the same place you bought your computer.

Floppy disks come in a variety of sizes and capacities. The ones you need for backing up your hard disk are called high-density 3.5-inch disks. You can recognize the disks by the way they look:

Even though these disks have a hard plastic casing, they are called “floppy disks” because the disk inside the casing is floppy.

Depending on exactly what was installed on your computer at the factory, the information on your hard disk will fill more than 20 high-density disks. Disks usually come in boxes of 10, so you should have three boxes of disks before starting to follow the backup instructions in this chapter.

If you don’t have enough disks, you can skip this section for the moment. But the sooner you make the backup copy, the better. Buy the disks as soon as possible, then return to this section and follow the instructions.

For more information on using floppy disks, see “Using Disks” in the Macintosh Reference book.

Setting Up Your PowerBook

Making the copy

To start the PowerBook 150 Backup program, follow these instructions:

1 Turn on your computer. 2 Open the PowerBook 150 Backup program by double-clicking its icon.

After a moment, the PowerBook 150 Backup program opens.

Chapter 1

3Make sure your disks are high-density floppy disks. Then click the Continue button.

A message appears, telling you how many floppy disks you will need to make your backup copy and about how long it will take.

The number of disks and the copying time will vary depending on the contents of your computer’s hard disk.

4Click the appropriate choice, as follows:

m First click the Copy System Folder button, then continue with the

instructions in this section.

m When you have finished copying the System Folder, click the Copy all

Files button and again follow the instructions in this section.

m If you start copying and find that you don’t have enough floppy disks for

your choice, click Quit. Skip the rest of this section for now, and continue with “Turning Your Computer Off” later in this chapter. Buy floppy disks as soon as you can, then follow the instructions in this section to back up all of your hard disk.

Make sure you have enough time and floppy disks to complete the copying. If you stop the copying before it’s finished, you’ll have to start over again from the beginning.

Setting Up Your PowerBook

5Insert a high-density floppy disk into the disk drive.

Insert metal end first, label side up.

Do not use the Utilities floppy disk that came with your computer.

6 Follow the instructions on the screen until a message tells you that you’re finished.

Insert a new disk whenever the screen messages tells you to. As you fill each disk, make a note of the name displayed on the screen. The name will disappear as soon as the disk is ejected. Then immediately label the disk so that you know what its contents are later.

7 Follow steps 3–6 again, but this time click the Copy all Files button. 8When you’re finished, be sure the floppy disks are properly labeled and locked, then

store them in a safe, cool place.

As time goes by, you will store more information on your computer. You should back up your hard disk at least once a month. (You may want to recycle your backup disks so that you don’t need to buy a new set every time you back up.)

Chapter 1

Restoring the information on your h a rd disk

If information on your hard disk is damaged or lost, you can restore it if you have a backup copy of the information. Your PowerBook comes with a program called PowerBook 150 Backup, which you can use to back up the information on your hard disk. Then if you need to, you can use the program called PowerBook 150 Restore, also included with your computer, to put the copied information back on your hard disk.

You can also use PowerBook 150 Backup to make a copy of your System Folder (the folder that contains the software the computer uses to operate). If your computer does not start up anymore, replacing the System Folder may solve the problem. You can use PowerBook 150 Restore to replace the damaged System Folder on your hard disk.

For instructions on using PowerBook 150 Backup, see “Backing Up Your Hard Disk” earlier in this chapter.

IMPORTANT

If at any time during restoring you see a message reporting that the hard disk is damaged or unreadable, see “Using Disks” in the Macintosh Reference book.

To use PowerBook 150 Restore to restore information to your hard disk, you need the Utilities floppy disk that came with your computer and the floppy disks that you used to back up your hard disk. Follow these steps:

1Make sure the computer is off. 2 Insert the 3If necessary, open the Utilities icon by double-clicking it. 4 Open the PowerBook 150 Restore program by double-clicking its icon.

Utilities

disk into the floppy disk drive, then turn on the computer.

Setting Up Your PowerBook

In a moment you’ll see this screen:

5Click the Continue button. 6Insert your first backup disk.

Restoring begins and proceeds automatically.

7 Respond to any messages you see on the screen.

If PowerBook 150 Restore finds an item on your hard disk that is newer than an item with the same name on the floppy disk, it asks whether you want the older version of the item to replace the newer version. Click your choice. If you think the item on the hard disk may be damaged, you should replace it.

8Insert the next disk in your stack of backup disks and repeat step 7.

Continue inserting disks until you have gone through all the disks in the stack. Make sure you insert disks in the correct order.

The PowerBook 150 Restore program lets you know when you are finished. Return your backup disks to a safe, cool place for storage.

9 Restart your computer, then check to be sure that everything is back on your hard disk.

If the computer still doesn’t start up or your hard disk still doesn’t work properly, see “Using Disks” in the Macintosh Reference book. If you are able to repair the disk, then try again to restore the information on your hard disk.

Chapter 1

Restoring your System Folder

If your computer doesn’t start up anymore, replacing the System Folder may solve the problem. If you used PowerBook 150 Backup to make a backup copy of your System Folder, you can use PowerBook 150 Restore to replace the damaged System Folder on your hard disk with the copy on your backup disks.

To restore the System Folder to the hard disk, follow the instructions in this section, using the floppy disks that contain a backup copy of your System Folder.

Turning your computer off

When the PowerBook is off, the computer is not using any power or doing any work. You should always turn the computer off before attaching other equipment to it or replacing its battery. Also turn it off to conserve power when you won’t be using it for several hours.

To tu r n the computer off:

If the computer is on, choose Shut Down from the Special menu.

If the computer is in sleep, wake it by pressing any key on the keyboard (except Caps Lock), and then choose Shut Down from the Special menu.

Setting Up Your PowerBook

Putting your computer to sleep

When the PowerBook is in sleep, it has a darkened screen and appears to be off, though it is still drawing battery power at a low level. The computer is on, but almost completely inactive.

To put your PowerBook to sleep:

Choose Sleep from the Special menu.

Automatic s leep

If you don’t use the computer for several minutes, it goes to sleep automatically. This conserves battery power.

To wake th e computer, press any key on the keyboard (except Caps Lock). In a few seconds, the screen will go back to the way it looked before the computer went to sleep.

For more information on sleep and automatic sleep, see Chapter 6.

Chapter 1

Restarting your computer when it’s already on

You need to restart your computer—turn it off and back on again immediately—when you want to make certain changes to your control panels, use a newly installed system software file, or start up the computer from a different disk.

To restart your computer:

Choose Restart from the Special menu.

When you choose Restart, the computer prompts you to save your work, closes all open programs, and restarts itself.

Choosing Restart does not affect any RAM disk you created or its contents.

If you can’t choose Restart

You may occasionally see a “system error” message on the screen (indicating a temporary software problem). If this happens, you need to restart the computer. In most cases, the error message is accompanied by a Restart button. Use the trackball to click the Restart button.

For additional suggestions if you can’t restart using either of these methods, see Chapter 9, “Troubleshooting.”

Setting Up Your PowerBook

Trackball

Speaker

Contrast control

Brightness control

Floppy disk drive

Elevation feet

Power adapter port

Modem port (optional)

SCSI port (HDI-30)

[

Printer port

Power On button

Reset switch

Go through the exercises in

this chapter to learn how

to use your computer.

Learning to Use Your Computer

Your computer comes with a tutorial that teaches you the basics. The tutorial is divided into two parts:

Part 1

If you’ve never used a Macintosh computer before, you should complete both parts of the tutorial.

If you’re an experienced Macintosh user, you may want to look over the rest of this book to learn about special features of this computer. Then, as you work with your Macintosh, consult the Macintosh Reference book for answers to questions about the system software that came with your computer.

IMPORTANT

finishing the tutorial, please see “Turning Your Computer Off” in Chapter 1.

You start the Macintosh Basics tour on your computer. The tour

presents the basic skills you need to master.

Part 2

After you complete the Macintosh Basics tour, you return to this

chapter to practice what you learned. You also learn some additional skills.

If you need to turn off your computer at any point before

Part 1 Starting the

Your Macintosh Basics tour is on the hard disk that’s inside your computer. To take the tour, follow the steps in this section.

Make sure your computer is turned on. If the screen is dark, try adjusting the screen (see “Problems Turni ng On Your Computer?” in Chapter 1) until you see words and small pictures on your screen.

Macintosh Basics

tour

1Roll the trackball to move the arrow pointer (

Place your index finger on the trackball and your thumb on the lower trackball button. Don’t press either button yet.

Roll the trackball, watching the arrow on the screen. Notice that the arrow moves in the same direction as you roll the trackball.

You may need to roll the trackball around for a few seconds to “break in” the mechanism so it works smoothly.

) around on the screen.

Chapter 2

2Roll the trackball so that the tip of the arrow is on the picture labeled “Macintosh HD.”

Make sure the tip of the arrow is over the picture, not over the words “Macintosh HD.”

Note: Your screen should look similar to the one below, but may not look exactly the same.

Move the arrow so that it is on top of this picture.

3 Being careful not to roll the trackball, press the button twice in quick succession. (This is

called “double-clicking.”)

Now your screen should look like the illustration following step 4. The items in that illustration may not exactly match those on your screen. The only item you need right now is the Macintosh Basics folder.

If the screen doesn’t look right, try steps 2 and 3 again, paying special attention to the following:

m Make sure the tip of the arrow is touching the picture, not the words

beneath it.

m Be sure to press the trackball button twice. m Press twice quickly and be careful not to roll the trackball while you press.

Learning to Use Your Computer

4Roll the trackball to place the tip of the arrow on the picture of the folder labeled

“Macintosh Basics.”

Move the arrow

so that it is on

top of this picture.

5 Being careful not to roll the trackball, press the button twice in quick succession.

You may see other items on the screen. Your screen should look similar, but may not look exactly the same.

Now your screen should look like the following illustration:

Chapter 2

+ 134 hidden pages