Compaq GX5000T User Manual

Compaq X Gaming PC

Warranty and Support Guide

 1 Year Parts and Labor  1 Year Te chni cal Te lepho ne Su ppor t  24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week

IMPORTANT NOTE

Product failure or issues that arise from altering the hardware configuration or component performance, such as overclocking, is not covered under warranty. If you experience a problem with your new Compaq X, DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPUTER TO YOUR RETAILER. We have specialists available to help you with your technical support questions as they arise via the Web or phone (see inside).

Before contacting Total Care Support and Services, it’s important to have the following information handy. Please take a moment to write down your product information for future reference.

Product Name: ___________________________________________________________________

Model Number: __________________________________________________________________

Serial Number: ___________________________________________________________________

Purchase Date: ___________________________________________________________________

Don’t Forget to Register!

Click “Register with Compaq” on your desktop or go to: http://register.hp.com

NOTE: You can view your PC product number,

model number, and serial number by pressing the Ctrl, Alt, and S keys on the keyboard at the same time.

Registration is quick, easy and offers:

E-mail updates containing notifications about product

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enhancements, the most recent support alerts, and driver updates specific to the product(s) you own.

The HP Newsgram, our monthly online magazine packed

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full of product news, support tips, project ideas, and much more. Visit us at

http://subscription.support.hp.com

Total Care Support Process

HP offers a wide variety of service and support options that are available around the clock for customers with products that are either in or out of warranty. If you have a question or a problem arises, for the fastest service we suggest that you seek assistance from HP Total Care in the following manner.

1 Use the Help and Support Center feature installed

on your product and refer to your product documentation for specific instructions and troubleshooting information.

2 Visit our Customer Care Web site at

http://www.hp.com/support

Online service and support is available to all customers for the life of their Compaq products. It is always available and is your fastest source for up-to-date product information and expert assistance that includes:

• Fast access to qualified online support specialists.

• Software and driver updates for your product.

• Valuable product and troubleshooting information for

common problems.

• Proactive product updates, support alerts, and

newsgrams are available when you register your product.

3 Contact Total Care by phone 24 hours a day,

seven days a week, at (U.S. only) 1-(800)-652-6672 (1-800-OK Compaq). Support is available in both English and Spanish (U.S. only). When you call, please have your product model number, serial number, and date of purchase available. Telephone support is free during your limited warranty period.

When should I contact online service and support?

For many common problems and requests, HP’s online service and support is your fastest link to up-to-date product information and expert assistance. Visit http://www.hp.com/support to:

Download current software and drivers for your product.

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Learn how to protect your PC from security threats such

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as viruses. Diagnose performance issues with your PC.

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Find user manuals and documentation for your product.

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When should I contact Total Care phone service and support?

When your problem cannot be solved through online service and support, qualified support specialists are available 24 hours a day via 1-(800)-652-6672 (1-800-OK Compaq) to provide expert assistance. Call us when:

You either do not have Internet access, or cannot connect

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to the Internet to visit http://www.hp.com/support Your product Help and Support Center does not identify

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or help solve your problem. There is obvious damage or a mechanical breakdown

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with your product rendering it inoperable.

Out-of-Warranty Support Options

Online service and support

Online service and support is available at http://www.hp.com/support for the life of the product. It is always open and is your fastest source for up-to-date product information and expert assistance.

Total Care Phone Support

Even after your warranty has ended, HP can still provide you with service and support options.

For Visa and MasterCard holders in the United States

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and Canada, please call 1-(800)-652-6672 (1-800-OK Compaq). The fee is U.S. $40* per call, charged to your Visa or MasterCard.

*Prices are subject to change without notice and may vary based on your product.

For more information please visit US Only

http://www.hp.com/home/ownerservices or call: 1-(866)-234-1377 or for products sold in Canada only visit http://www.hp.ca/ownerservices or call: 1-(877)-231-4351 (Canada only)

*Prices are subject to change without notice and may vary based on your product.

Protect Your Investment

Recycle — HP/Compaq Planet

Obtaining a Warranty Upgrade

HP offers an Extended Service Plan that provides you the same Carry-In coverage offered on your standard warranty for an additional one or two years of coverage. Service coverage begins on product purchase date and you must purchase the pack within the first year after product purchase. The hardware service offering will be determined based on the outcome of system self-test programs run by the customer through the initial call to HP Total Care.

Partners

HP is sensitive to the environment and has a program, Planet Partners, to make it simple for us to reclaim your old product for recycling. HP will help you recycle your old equipment even if it is not an HP product; we take back all makes and models. Visit our Web site to find out how easy it is to recycle: http://www.hp.com/recycle

Recovering From Software Problems

The PC uses the operating system and installed software programs during normal operation. If your PC works improperly or stops because of the software, you may be able to repair it.

The Software Repair Wizard (select models only) is an icon on the desktop or in the Help and Support Center icon PC Tune Up and Repair. To start the wizard, click the icon or click Start, choose All Programs,

PC Help & Tools, and then click Software Repair Wizard.

Click the Software Repair Wizard icon to repair software problems with programs, printers, or peripherals that stop working, or to resolve erratic PC behavior. Repair options include using the Compaq Application Recovery or Compaq System Recovery programs.

You need recovery discs (CDs or DVDs) for some repairs that use the Compaq Application Recovery program or the Compaq System Recovery program. The PC does not include recovery discs in the accessory box, but you can make your own. The PC includes a blank DVD in the accessory box, which you can use for making a system recovery DVD if you have a DVD Writer drive. See “Creating Recovery CDs/DVDs.”

WARNING: It is strongly recommended you create your recovery discs before you need them.

Also in the accessory box is the Compaq Recovery Tools CD. This CD contains utilities that allow you to make changes to your hard disk drive, including removing the recovery partition. See “Using the Recovery Tools CD.”

There are several methods to fix your PC, including using the System Recovery program. Try these methods in the order listed here, or refer to the table that follows the list.

Restart When you restart the computer, the PC starts

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over using the operating system and software in its memory. This is the simplest repair for your PC; just click

Start, choose Turn Off C omp uter , and then click Restart.

Turn Off Compute r When you turn off the computer

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and then turn it on again, you force the PC to copy the operating system into its memory and to clear some tracking information. This may eliminate some problems that can remain after performing a Restart. To turn off the computer just click Start, choose Turn Off Computer, and then click Turn Of f.

Software Rollback This Microsoft Windows XP

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feature is part of the Windows Installer program used with the Add or Remove Programs utility in the Control Panel. It can revert to the previous version of a software program if an installation fails when you are installing a new version of the program. For more information, type Rollback into the Search box in Help and Support.

System Restore This Microsoft Windows XP feature

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allows you to bring your computer configuration back to a previous time when a current software problem may not have existed. The feature does this by creating a “restore point” where it records the PC settings at that time and date. The installation of some software automatically sets a restore point for you, but it is recommended to manually set restore points, especially before installing or downloading additional software. When using Add Programs from the Add or Remove Programs feature under the computer Control Panel, the operating system automatically creates a restore point before it adds the software. If you experience a problem that you think may be due to software on your computer, use System Restore to return the PC to a previous restore point. For more information, type System Restore into the Search box in Help and Support.

Application and Driver Recovery If the problem

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with the PC seems to be with only one program or one driver, it may be that the application program or the driver program is damaged. You can reinstall individual factory-installed application programs and driver programs by using the Compaq Application Recovery program (select models only); see “Application Recovery.”

System Recovery Use the Compaq System Recovery

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program as a last resort to reinstall the software. Perform System Recovery using the hard disk drive partition first; see “System Recovery.” If necessary, next perform System Recovery using the recovery discs and choose Standard Recovery; see “System Recovery Using Recovery Discs.” Finally, if necessary, perform System Recovery using the recovery discs and choose full System Recovery.

Before using the Compaq System Recovery program or the Compaq Application Recovery program, use System Restore.

NOTE: Your PC hard disk drive contains the System

Recovery image in a partition area of the disk drive. The PC does not include recovery discs in the accessory box, but you can make your own recovery CDs or DVDs: see “Creating Recovery CDs/DVDs.”

When your PC stops working correctly, the Restart, Turn Off Computer, and Software Rollback methods (described above) may resolve the problem. After you have tried these three methods, if needed, try the remaining actions, using the table that follows as a quick reference.

For the specific PC problem, try the method listed as #1 then #2, and then #3.

Microsoft

Problem/Status

You installed a new application or device driver

An application does not work 1 2 3 A device driver does not work 1 2 PC stops responding or does not work 1 2 3 You replaced the hard disk drive or

removed the partition

System Restore

Application Recovery program

System Recovery from the hard disk partition

System Recovery from the recovery CDs/DVDs

Using Recovery CDs/DVDs

1 You can recover (bring back) the operating system and programs that were included on your hard disk drive just as

they were when you bought the computer.

NOTE: A hard disk drive is a disk inside the computer that stores the operating system, programs, and data.

2 You recover the operating system and programs directly from your hard disk drive, where a copy was placed for your

convenience. We call this part of your hard disk drive the “recovery partition.”

The recovery partition takes up some space on your hard disk drive.

3 You can copy the information of this recovery partition onto CDs or DVDs. 4 Then, if you would like to make extra space available on your hard disk drive, you can delete the recovery partition using

a special software tool (the Compaq Recovery Tools CD).

5 Do not delete your hard disk drive partition unless you have made the system recovery CDs or DVDs.

The recovery discs can be used only with the specified PC model. The discs are licensed for use only with your PC. The recovery CDs/DVDs can install the operating system and software on your PC hard disk drive if the software becomes corrupted or is accidentally erased.

Using Recovery CD-DVD Creator

Make recovery CDs or DVDs for your PC by using the Compaq Recovery CD-DVD Creator program before you experience any problem.

The recovery discs set is a complete image of the original PC hard disk drive contents and is matched to your PC model number. The discs set contains the operating system, drivers, and application software that were originally installed on the PC at the factory.

You can use this program to make only one set of recovery CDs or DVDs for your PC. The recovery discs you create can be used only on your PC.

There are several advantages in using DVDs instead of CDs when creating your recovery discs set:

With a faster data transfer rate, a set of DVD recovery

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discs will have your PC running much sooner than a CD set will.

A set of DVDs will probably take you less time to create

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than a set of CDs. A DVD has more capacity than a CD, so there are fewer

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discs to record and store.

To use this program, your PC must have a CD-RW drive, DVD Writer drive, or other drive that can write to the CDs or DVDs. If necessary, purchase a Windows XP-compatible drive from your local PC or electronics store.

The PC includes a blank DVD in the accessory box, which you can use for making a system recovery DVD if you have a DVD Writer drive.

The number of CDs/DVDs in the recovery set depends on your PC model. The program tells you the number of blank discs needed to make the set. The process takes some time, including up to 15 minutes per disc to verify that the information written on the disc is correct.

You can quit the process at any time. The next time you run the program, it begins where you left off.

To run the Recovery CD-DVD Creator program:

1 Close any open programs. To close programs, click X in

the upper-right corner of each window.

2 Click Start on the taskbar. 3 Choose All Programs. 4 Choose PC Help & Tools. 5 Click Compaq Recovery CD-DVD Creator.

The creator window appears.

6 Follow the onscreen instructions. Label each disc as you

make it.

Store the System Recovery discs in a safe place.

Using the Recovery Tools CD

Your PC includes the Recovery Tools CD in the accessory box. You can use it to:

Read instructions to use each utility on the Recovery

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Tools CD. Start the System Recovery program from the recovery

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partition. Remove the System Recovery partition from your PC hard

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disk drive to increase space for data. Create a new data partition on your PC hard disk drive.

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Start the Microsoft Recovery Console (a utility from

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Microsoft that can perform operating system diagnostics and repairs).

To Start the Recovery Tools CD:

1 Click Start on the taskbar. 2 Choose All Programs. 3 Choose PC Help & Tools. 4 Click Compaq Recovery Tools CD. The tools window

appears.

5 Follow the onscreen instructions.

Store the Recovery Tools CD in a safe place.

System Restore

WARNING: Try System Restore before using the Compaq System Recovery program.

If software on your hard drive accidentally gets erased or damaged, first use the Microsoft System Restore feature in Windows XP to restore the PC system and program settings.

System Restore returns the PC settings to a selected restore point without affecting user programs or document files. For more information, type System Restore into the Search box in Help and Support.

To Start System Restore:

1 Close all open programs. 2 Click the Start button. 3 Choose All Programs. 4 Choose Accessories. 5 Choose System Tools. 6 Click System Restore.

Follow the onscreen instructions.

Application Recovery

NOTE: Not all PC models include the Application

Recovery program. Perform steps 3 through 5 of the following procedure. If Compaq Application Recovery appears in the folder, your PC includes the program.

If an individual factory-installed application or driver accidentally gets erased or damaged, you can reinstall the software using the Compaq Application Recovery program (select models).

NOTE: Do not use the Application Recovery program to

reinstall software programs that came on CDs or DVDs included in the PC box. Reinstall these programs directly from the CDs or DVDs.

To Start Application Recovery:

1 Close all applications and folders. 2 Uninstall the existing (damaged) application. 3 Click Start on the taskbar. 4 Choose All Programs. 5 Choose PC Help & Tools. 6 Click Compaq Application Recovery, and then

click Yes.

7 Click Application Installation or

Driver Installation, and then click Next.

8 Select the driver or application program to install, and

then click Install.

9 Follow the onscreen instructions.

10 Repeat steps 7 through 9 to install other drivers or

applications.

11 When you have finished recovering applications or

drivers, close the Application Recovery program. Then click Start, click Turn Off Computer, and click

Restart to restart the PC.

WARNING: Do not skip this last step! You must restart the PC when you are finished recovering applications or drivers.

System Recovery

When you’ve tried other methods of repairing your system software (like System Restore or Application Recovery), you may want to use the Compaq System Recovery program as a last resort to reinstall the software.

When necessary, you can reinstall the operating system and the application software that was originally installed on the PC at the factory by using the System Recovery program.

WARNING: The Compaq System Recovery program will delete any data or programs that you installed after purchase. Be sure to back up any data that you want to keep onto a removable disc.

The System Recovery program uses a special recovery partition on the hard disk drive that stores an image of the

original software.

NOTE: The System Recovery image is in a partition area

of the hard disk drive and takes up part of the total drive space. This disk space is not usually available for your use.

In the unlikely event that you replace the hard disk drive, or somehow damage the data in the special recovery partition on the hard disk drive, use recovery discs to reinstall the operating system and software on the hard disk drive. See ”System Recovery Using Recovery Discs.”

Make your own recovery discs (CDs or DVDs) before you need them; see “Creating Recovery CDs/DVDs.”

Starting System Recovery if the PC Is Responding

1 Turn off the PC. Disconnect all peripheral devices from

the PC except the monitor, the keyboard, and the mouse. Turn on the PC.

2 Click Start on the taskbar, choose All Programs,

choose PC Help & Tools, and then click Compaq

System Recovery.

3 Wait until the System Recovery window appears asking

Do you really want to start System Recovery?

4 Click Yes to continue with the recovery process. If you

created recovery discs, you may be directed to insert recovery disc #1. If the recovery disc is a DVD be sure to put the disc in a DVD drive.

5 The PC starts the recovery; wait for the onscreen

instructions to display, and then follow those instructions.

6 Complete the PC startup, finish the registration process,

and wait until you see the desktop. Then, turn off the PC, reconnect all peripheral devices, and then turn on the PC.

Starting System Recovery if the PC Is Not Responding

1 Turn off the PC. If necessary, press and hold the On

button until the PC turns off.

2 Disconnect all peripheral devices from the PC except the

monitor, the keyboard, and the mouse.

3 Press the On button to turn on the PC. 4 During the startup, do the following to enter the System

Recovery program: When the black screen with the Compaq logo appears,

press the F10 key on the keyboard. (You have only a few seconds to press the F10 key before the normal startup process continues.)

5 The PC starts the recovery; wait for the onscreen

instructions to display, and then follow those instructions.

6 Complete the PC startup, finish the registration process,

and wait until you see the desktop. Then, turn off the PC, reconnect all peripheral devices, and turn on the PC.

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