Gateway 8510GH, 8550GB, 8515GZ User Manual

Download

Gateway Notebook

User Guide

1Getting Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Gateway Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Using Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Help and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Searching for a topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

BigFix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Using Your Computer guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2 Checking Out Your Gateway Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Keyboard area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Identifying your model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Gateway model and serial number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Finding your specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

3Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Installing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Connecting the AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Connecting the dial-up modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Connecting to a cable or DSL modem or to an Ethernet ne twork . . . . . . 24

Starting your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Waking up your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Turning off your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Restarting (rebooting) your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Key types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

System key combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Using the EZ Pad touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Using the touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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Adjusting the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Turning your wireless radio on or off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

4 Using Drives and Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Using the DVD drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Identifying drive types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Inserting a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Playing a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Playing a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Creating CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Using the memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Memory card types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Inserting a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Using a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Removing a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Adding and removing a PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Viewing the display on a projector or monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Viewing the display on a television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Modifying television settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Connecting a video camera to your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

5 Managing Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Monitoring the battery charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Recalibrating the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Changing batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Extending battery life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Conserving battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Using alternate power sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Changing power modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

6 Upgrading Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Preventing static electricity discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Adding or replacing memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Replacing the hard drive kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

7 Using the Optional Port Replicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Connecting to the port replicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Attaching to the port replicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

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Disconnecting from the port replicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Securing your port replicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

8 Maintaining Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Caring for your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Cleaning your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Cleaning the exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Cleaning the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Cleaning the notebook screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Cleaning CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Protecting your notebook from viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Updating Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Restoring your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Microsoft System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Reinstalling programs and drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Restoring your notebook to the original configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

9 Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

CD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Device installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

DVD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

File management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Modem (dial-up) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

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iii

Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Telephone support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Before calling Gateway Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Telephone numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Self-help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

A Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

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Chapter 1

Getting Help

• Using the Gatewa y We b site

• Using Help and Support

•Using BigFix

• Using Your Co mputer guide

• Using online help

Chapter 1: Getting Help

Thank y ou for purchasing our notebook!

Y ou have made an excellent decision choosing Gateway. We are sure that you will be pleased with the outstanding quality, reliability, and performance of your new notebook. Each and every Gateway notebook uses the latest technology and passes through the m ost strin gent qual ity control tests to ensure that you are provided with the best product possible.

Your new Gateway notebook is designed to provide an exceptional balance of performance and portability. Your notebook uses the latest chipset and mobile processor technologies to manage the processor speed and power consumption for a greater battery life experience. This design provides you with maximum performance when plugged into AC power balanced with optimized battery life when on battery power.

Please read this manual carefully to familiarize yourself with our range of services and support. We have highlighted some basic care and safety information to help you keep your notebook in good operating condition.

Gateway stands behind our value propo sition to our customers — to provide best-of-class service and support in addition to high-quality, brand-name components at affordable prices. If you ever have a problem, our knowledgeable, dedicated customer service department will provide you with fast, considerate service.

We sincerely hope that you will receive the utmost satisfaction and enjoyment from your new Gateway notebook for years to come.

Thank you again, from all of us at Gateway.

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Gateway Web site

Gatewa y W eb site

Gateway's online support is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and provides the most current drivers, product specifications, tutorials, and personalized information about your notebook. Visit the Gateway Support Web site at support.gateway.com

Using Support

The Support site is divided into seven major areas:

■ Support Home

■ Product Support

■ Downloads

■ Customer Ser vice

■ Upgrade Center

■ Resources

■ Contact Us

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Chapter 1: Getting Help

Support Home

Click Su pport Home, then click Computers. T o view support documents for your notebook, type your serial number in the click

Submit.

Serial Number box, then

Click the arrow button to open the click

Notebook Computers to access product documentation,

specifications, and guides for all Gateway notebooks.

Select Y our Compute r Product box, then

Product Support

Click Product Support to view a list of all the products that Gateway supports.

Downloads

Click Downloads to ge t the lat est softw are upda tes for BI OS and dr iver upgrades. By entering your serial number you get drivers specific to your notebook. Click wizard to locate your drive rs.

Browse All Downloads to walk through a step-by-step

Customer Service

Click Customer Service to view information about your account and general information about warranties and special offers.

Upgrade Cent er

Click Upgrade Center to view and purchase upgrades for your notebook.

Resources

Click Resources to access utilities to help you manage your notebook.

Contact Us

Click Contact Us to access links to customer care with a live technician, including chat and e-mail. Click numbers for both sales and support. For more information, see

“Telephone support” on page 114.

Call Us to get a list of Gateway telephone

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Help and Support

Your notebook includes Help and Support , an easily accessible collection of help information, troubleshooters, and aut omated supp ort. Use He lp and Support to answer questions about W indows and to help you quickly discover and use the many features of your Gateway notebook.

To start Help and Support:

■ Click Start, then click Help and Support. Help and Support opens.

You can find help information by clicking a link, performing a search, or browsing the index.

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Chapter 1: Getting Help

Searching for a topic

To search for a topic in Help and Support, type a word or phrase (keyword) in the

Search box located at the top of any Help and Support screen, then

click the arrow button. For each search, you receive the following search result types:

■ Suggested Topics - These topics are located in Help and Support and

are relevant to your search to pic.

■ Full-text Search Matches - These topics are located in Help and

Support and contain the words you entered in the

■ Microsoft Knowledge Base - These topics are located on the Microsoft

We b site and contain the words you entered in the must be connected to the Internet to search for and access these topics.

To view a list of your search results, click the results header for the type of results you want to view.

Search box.

Search box. You

To view a topic, clic k the top ic name in the

Search Result s list.

BigFix

Your notebook may include BigFix. BigFix monitors your notebook for problems and conflicts. It automatically gathers information about the latest bugs, security alerts, and updates from BigFix sites on the Internet. Whenever BigFix detects a problem, it alerts you by flashing the blue taskbar icon. To fix the problem, click on that icon to open BigFix.

To start BigFix:

■ Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then cli c k BigFix.

To learn more about using BigFix:

■ From the BigFix program, click Help, then click Tutorial.

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Using Your Computer gu ide

Using Your Comput er guide

In addition to this guide, the Using Y our Comp uter guide has been included on your hard drive. The Using Your Computer guide includes information on using Windows, using the Internet, sending a fax, and changing power-saving settings as well as other topics.

To acces s the Using Your Computer guide:

■ Click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Online help

Many programs provide information online so you can research a topic or learn how to perform a task while you are using the program. You can access most online help information by selecting a topic from a menu or by clicking a

Help button.

Help

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Chapter 1: Getting Help

You can search for information by viewing the help contents, checking the index, searching for a topic or keyword, or browsing through the online help.

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Chapter 2

Checking Out Your Gateway Notebook

• Identifying f eatures

• Locating your notebook’ s model an d serial number

• Locating the Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity

• Locating the specifications f or yo ur notebook

• Purchasing accessories

Chapter 2: Checking Ou t Your Gateway Notebook

Front

Speaker

Microphone

Headphone jack

jack

Memory card reader

Battery

charge

indicator

LCD panel r elease la tch

Speaker

Power indicator

Component Icon Description

Speakers Provide audio output when headphones or amplified speak ers

are not plugged in.

Microphone jack

Headphone jack

Memory card reader

Battery charge indicator

Plug a microphone into this jack.

Plug ampli fied spea kers or headp hones int o this jack . The built-in speakers are turned off when speakers or headphones are plugged into this jack.

Insert a memory card from a digital camera, MP3 play e r, PDA, or cellular telephone into the memory card reader. For more information, see “Using the memory card reader” on page 43. The memory card reader supports Memory Stick Stick Pro

■

, MultiMediaCard™, and Secure Digital™.

LED blue - battery is fully charged. LED purple - battery is charging. LED blinking red - battery charge is very low. LED solid red - battery is malfunctioning.

, Memory

Power indicator

LCD panel release latch

■

LED on - notebook is on.

■

LED blinking - notebook is in Standby mode.

■

LED off - notebook is off.

Open the LCD panel by sliding the release latch.

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Left

USB ports

Kensington lock slot

S-Video out jack

Component Icon Description

Ventilation fan

Left

IEEE 1394 port PC Card slot

Kensington™ lock slot

USB ports Plug USB devices (such as a diskette drive, flash drive,

S-Video out jack

Ventilation fan Helps cool internal components.

Secure your notebook to an object by connecting a Kensington cable lock to this slot.

printer, scann er, camera, keyboard, or mouse) int o these ports.

Plug an S-Video device, such as a television, into this jack. For more inf ormation, see “Vie wing the displa y on a television”

on page 49.

Warning: Do not work for long periods with the notebook resting on your lap. If the air vents are blocked, the notebook may become hot enough to harm your skin.

Caution: Do not block or inse rt ob jects int o these sl ots. If these slots are b locked, y our notebook ma y ove rheat resulting in unexpected shutdown or permanent damage to the notebook.

Caution: Provide adequate space around your notebook so air vents are not obstr ucted. Do not use t he noteb ook on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface.

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Chapter 2: Checking Ou t Your Gateway Notebook

Component Icon Description

IEEE 1394 por t Plug an IEEE 1394 (also known as Firewire® or i.Link®)

device (s uch as a dig ital camc order) into th is 4-pin I EEE 1394 port.

PC Card slot Insert one T ype II PC Card into this slot. F or more information,

see “Adding and removing a PC Card” on page 44.

Right

DVD d ri v e

USB ports

Component Icon Description

DVD/CD-RW or multi-format DV D ± R W d r iv e

USB por ts Plug USB devices ( such as a d iskette dr ive, flash dr ive,

Insert CDs or DVDs into this drive. For more information, see “Using the DVD drive” on page 40. This drive may be a combination DVD/CD-R W or multi-format D VD±RW drive . T o determine the type of d rive in the no tebook, e xamine th e drive tray’s plastic cover and compare the logo to those listed in “Identifying drive types” on page 40.

printer, scanner, camera, keyboard, or mouse) into these ports.

www.gateway.com

Back

Ethernet jack

Modem jack

Monitor port

Power connector

Component Icon Description

Ethernet jack Plug a 10/100/1000 Eth ernet netw ork cable into this ja ck. The

other end of the cable can be plugged into a cable modem, DSL modem, or an Ethernet network jack. For more information, see “Connecti ng to a cable or DSL mo dem or t o

an Ethernet network” on page 24.

Modem jack Plug a modem cable into this jack. For more information, see

“Connecting the dial-up modem” on page 23.

Monitor port Plug an analog VGA monitor or projector into this port. For

more information, see “Viewing the display on a projector or

monitor” on page47.

Power connector

Plug the AC adapter cable into this connector.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 2: Checking Ou t Your Gateway Notebook

Bottom

attery loc

Battery

latch

System

label Hard

drive

bay

Docking port

Battery

Component Icon Description

Docking port Connect the port replicator to this port.

Warning: Power is passed through this port. This docking conn ect ion is c ertified to UL 1950 for use only with port replicators designed for your Gateway notebook.

Battery Provides pow er wh en the notebook is not plugg ed into

AC power.

Memory bay

Battery lock Slide to unlock the battery. For more information, see

“Changing batteries” on page 54.

Memory bay Install a memory module into this bay. For more

information, see “Adding or replacing memory” on

page 65.

Hard drive bay The hard drive is located in this bay. For more

information, see “Replacing the hard drive kit” on

page 68.

www.gateway.com

Keyboard area

Component Icon Description

System label Includes the product model number. For more

information, see “Identifying your model” on page 16.

Battery latch Slide to release the battery. For more information, see

“Changing batteries” on page 54.

Ke yboard area

Power button

Keyboard

Touchpad

Status indicators

Component Icon Description

Power button Press to turn the power on or off. You can also configure the

power button for Standby/Resume mode. For more information on configuring the power button mode, see “Changing Power-Saving Settings” in which has been included on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

www.gateway.com

Using Your Computer

Chapter 2: Checking Ou t Your Gateway Notebook

Component Icon Description

Keyboard Provides all the features of a full-sized computer keyboard. For

more information, see “Using the keyboard” on page 29.

T ouchp ad Provides all the f unctionality of a m ouse. F or more inf ormation,

see “Using the EZ Pad touchpad” on page34.

Status indicators

Inform you when a drive is in use or when a button has been pressed that affects how the keyboard is used. For more information, see “Status indicators” on page 28.

Identifying your model

Important The label s shown in t his sectio n are for infor mationa l

purposes only. Label information v aries by model, f eatures ordered, and location.

Gatewa y model and serial number

The label on the bottom of your notebook contains information that identifies your notebook model and its features. Gateway Customer Care will need this information if you call for assistance.

Online Support: support.gateway.com

Tech Support Phone: Hours: Model:

S/No:

www.gateway.com

Finding your specif ications

Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity

The Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity label found on the bottom of your notebook includes the product key code for your operating system.

Finding y our specifications

For more information about your notebook, such as memory size, memory type, and hard drive size, visit Gateway’s Support site at

support.gateway.com

Gateway documentation and detailed specifications. For more information, see “Gateway Web site” on page 3.

. The Support site also has links to additional

Accessories

T o order accessories, visit the Accessory Store at accessories.gateway.com.

Batteries

If you run your notebook on battery power for extended periods, you may want to buy an additional battery so you can swap batteries when necessary. See “Changing batteries” on page 58 for m ore information about using an additional battery.

Carrying cases

Gateway has large-capacity c arrying cases if you need ad ditional space for accessories or supplies.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 2: Checking Ou t Your Gateway Notebook

Memory

Large programs, such as multimedia games or graphic s programs, use a lot of memory . If your programs are running more slowly than you think they should, try adding more memory. See “Adding or replacing

memory” on page 65 for more information.

Port replicators

Although you can attach devices directly to your notebook, a port replicator lets you make all of those connections at one time. When you travel with your notebook, you merely disconnect from the port replicator instead of unplugging all the devices.

A port replicator also provides addition al ports and other expansion features not included with your notebook. See “Using the Optional Port

Replicator” on page 73 for more information about using a port replicator

with your notebook.

Printers

You can attach almost any type of printer to your notebo ok. The most common types are inkjet and laser printers, which print in color or black and white.

Inkjet printers and cartridges are relatively inexpensive, but they are slower than laser printers. Using an inkjet color printer, you can print pictures, banners, and greeting cards, as well as documents.

Laser printers and cartridges are more expensive, but they print much faster than inkjet printers. Laser printers are better than inkjet printers when you are printing large documents.

USB flash drive

Use a USB flash drive for storing files or transferring files to another computer.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 3

Getting Started

• Installing the battery

• Connecting the AC adapter

• Connecting the dial- up modem

• Connecting to a cable or DSL modem or to an Ethernet network

• Turning your notebook on and off

• Using the status indicators

• Using the keyboard and the EZ Pad touchpad

• Adjusting the v olume

• Connecting to a wireless network

Chapter 3: Getting St arted

Installing the battery

To install the battery:

1 Close the LCD panel. 2 Turn your notebook over so the bottom is facing up. 3 Hold the battery label-side down and slide it into the open battery

slot until the battery clicks into place.

4 Slide the battery lock to the locked position.

Connecting the A Cadapter

You can run your notebook using an AC adapter or your notebook’s battery . The battery was shipped to you partially charged. You should use the AC adapter right away to fully charge the battery. Allow three hours for the battery to fully charge.

Important If the battery is not fully charged before you use your

notebook on battery pow er f or the first time , the ba ttery life may be much shorter than you expect. If the battery life seems short even after being charged for three hours, the battery may need to be recalibrated. For information on recalibrating the ba ttery , see “Recalibrati ng the battery” on

page 57.

www.gateway.com

Connecting the AC a dapter

To connect the AC adapter:

1 Connect the power cord to the AC adapter.

Caution Make sure that you us e the AC adapter tha t came with your

notebook or one of the same type purchased from Gateway.

Replace the power cord if it becomes damaged. The replacement cord must be of the same type and voltage rating as the original cord or your notebook may be damaged.

2 Connect the AC adapter to your notebook’s power connector.

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Chapter 3: Getting St arted

3 Plug the power cord into a wall outlet. The battery charge indicator

turns on (see “Front” on page 10 for the location of the battery charge indicator). If the battery charge indicator does not turn on, unplug the adapter from your notebook, then plug it back in.

4 When you finish using your notebook for the first time, turn off your

notebook and leave your notebook connected to AC power until the battery charge indicator turns blue.

Warning Do not attempt to disassemble the AC adapter. The

AC adapter has no user-replaceable or user-serviceable parts inside. The ACadapter has dangerous v olta ges th at can cause serious inju ry or death. Contact Gate wa y abo ut returning defective AC adapters.

Important If the battery charge indicator does not turn blue after

three hours, contact Gateway Customer Care at

support.gateway.com

Protecting from pow er source pr oblems

During a power surge, the voltage level of electricity coming into your notebook can increase to levels far above normal levels and cause data loss or system damage. Protect your n ot ebook and peripheral devices by connecting them to a surge prote ctor, which absorbs voltage surges and prevents them from reaching your notebook.

Warning High voltages can enter your notebook through both the

power cord and the modem connection. To protect your notebook and av oid electrical shoc k, use a surge pro tector. If you hav e a telephon e modem, use a s urge protector th at has a modem jack . If you hav e a cable m odem, use a surge protector that has an antenna/cable TV jack. During an electrical storm, unplug both the surge protector and the modem.

www.gateway.com

Connecting the dial -up modem

Connecting the dial-up modem

Your notebook has a built-in 56K modem that you can use to connect to a standard telephon e line.

Warning To reduce the risk of fire, use only No. 26 AWG or larger

telecommunications line cord.

To connect the modem:

1 Insert one end of the modem cable into the modem jack on the

back of your notebook.

2 Insert the other end of the modem cable into a telephone wall jack.

The modem will not work with digital or PBX telephone lines.

3 Start your notebook, then start your communications program.

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Chapter 3: Getting St arted

Connecting to a cable or DSL modem or to an Ethernet network

Your notebook has a network jack that you can use to connect to a cable or DSL modem or to an Ethernet network.

To connect to a c able or DSL modem or to an Ethernet network:

1 Insert one end of the network cable into the network ja ck on

the back of your notebook.

2 Insert the other end of the network cable into a cable modem, DSL

modem, or Ethernet network jack.

3 Start your notebook.

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Starting your notebook

To start your notebook:

1 Slide the latch on the front of your notebook, then lift the LCD

panel.

2 Press the power button located above the keyboard.

The power button is preset to On/Off mode. However, you can also set it to function in Standby/Resume mode.

Tips & Tricks For more information about changing the power button

mode, see “Changing Power-Saving Settings” in

Your Computer

drive. To access t his guide , click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation .

which has been included on your hard

Using

3 If you are starting your notebook for the first time, follow the

on-screen instructions to set up your notebook.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 3: Getting St arted

Warning Do not work for long periods with the notebook resting on

your lap. If the air vents are blocked, the notebook may become hot enough to harm your skin.

Caution Provide adequate sp ace around your notebook so air vents

are not obstructed. Do not use the notebook on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface.

W aking up your noteboo k

When you have not used your notebook for several minutes or if you close the LCD panel without turning off your notebook, it may enter a power-saving mode called Standby. While in Standby , the power indicator flashes.

If your notebook is in Standby mode, press the power button to “wake” it up.

Tips & Tricks For more information about changing the power button

mode, see “Changing Power-Saving Settings” in

Your Computer

drive. To access t his guide , click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation .

which has been included on your hard

Using

T urning off your notebook

To turn off your notebook:

1 Click Start, then click T urn Off Computer. The Turn Off Computer dialog

box opens.

2 Click Tur n O f f. Windows shuts down and turns off your notebook.

Important If for some reason you cannot use the Turn Off Computer

option in Windows to t urn off your noteboo k, press and hold the power button for about five seconds, then release it.

www.gateway.com

Restarting (rebooting ) your notebook

Restarting (rebooting) your notebook

If your notebook does not respond to keyboard, touchpad, or mouse input, you may have to close programs that are no t responding. If closing unresponsive programs does not restore your notebook to normal operation, you may have to restart (reboot) your notebook.

To close unresponsive programs and restart y our notebook:

1 Press CTRL+ALT+DEL. The Windows Security dialog box opens. 2 Click Task Manager. The Windows Task Manager dialog box opens. 3 Click the program that is not responding. 4 Click End Task. 5 Click X in the top-right corner of the Windows Task Manager dialog

box.

6 If your notebook does not respond, turn it off, wait ten seconds, then

turn it on again.

Important If your notebook does not turn off immediately, complete

the following steps until the notebook turns off: 1 Press and hold the p ower b utton f or about fi ve seconds,

then release it.

2 Unplug the powe r cord an d remo ve the batte ry for more

than 10 seconds.

As a part of the regular startup process, a program to check the disk status runs automatically. When the checks are finished, Windows starts.

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Chapter 3: Getting St arted

Status indicato rs

Status indicators inform you when a drive is being used or when a button has been pressed that affects how the keyboard is used.

Power

Caps lock

Num lockWireless network

Indicator Icon Description

Power

Wireless network (optional)

Caps lock

Num lock

Hard drive

■

LED on - Notebook is turned on.

■

LED off - Notebook is turned off or in standby mode.

■

LED on - Wir eless radi o is tur ned on.

■

LED off - Wi reless radi o is tur ned off.

■

LED on - Caps lo ck is tur ned on.

■

LED off - Ca ps lock is tur ned off.

■

LED on - Numeric keypad is turned on.

■

LED off - Numeric keypad is turned off.

■

LED blinking - The drive is in use.

■

LED off - The drive is no t in use.

Hard drive

www.gateway.com

Using the keyboard

Using the ke yboard

Your notebook features a full-size keyboard that functions the same as a desktop computer keyboard. Many of the keys have been assigned alternate functions, including shortcut keys for Windows, function keys for specific system operations, and the Num Lock keys for the numeric keypad.

Function keys/ Sy stem keys

Navigation keys

Numeric keypad

FN key Wind ows key

Tips & Tricks You can attach an external keyboard to the

Application key

notebook or port replicator using a USB port. You do not need to shut down the notebo ok to conne ct a USB keyboard.

www.gateway.com

Arrow keys

Chapter 3: Getting St arted

Key types

The keyboard has several different types of keys. Some keys perform specific actions when pressed alone and other actions when pressed in combination with another key.

Key type Icon Description

Function keys Press these keys labeled F1 to F12 to perform actions

in programs. For example, pressing Each program uses different function keys for different

purposes. See the program documentation to find out more about the function key actions.

F1 may open help.

System keys Press these colored keys in c ombination with the

to perform specific actions. For more information, see

“System key combinations” on page31.

Navigation keys Press these keys to move the cursor to the beg inning

of a line, to t he end of a line , up the page , down the page , to the beginning of a document, or to the end of a document.

Numeric keypad Use these keys to type numbers when the numeric

keypad is turned on. Press numeric keypad.

Arrow keys Press these keys to move the cursor up, down, right, or

left.

Application key Press this key for quick access to shortcut menus and

help assist ants in Wi ndows.

Windows key Press this key to open the Windows Start menu. This

key can also be used in combination with other keys to open utilities like

F (Search utilit y), R (Run utility), and

NUM LOCK to turn on the

FN key

E (Explorer utility).

FN key Press the FN key in combination with a colored system

key to perform a specific action.

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Using the keyboard

System k ey combinations

When you press the FN key and a system key at the same time, your notebook performs the action identified by the text or icon on the key.

Press and hold F

N, then

press this system key...

To...

Tur n the op tional wir eless net work on o r off. For more information, see the printed network guide that came with your notebook.

Warning: R adio fr equenc y wireles s comm uni catio n can interfere with equip ment on com mercial aircra ft. Current aviation regulations require wireless devices to be turned off while traveling in an airplane. 802.11g (also known as wireless Ethernet or Wifi) co mmuni cation devices are examples of devices that provide wireless communication.

Enter Stand by mode. Press t he power button t o leave Standby mode. For more infor mation, see “Changing Power-Saving Settings” in has been included on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Togg le the not ebook disp lay in the following order :

■

The LCD

■

An external monitor or projector (a monitor or proje ctor must be plugged into the monitor port on your notebook)

■

Both displays at the same time For more infor mation, see “Viewing the display on a

projector or monitor” on page 47.

Using Your Computer

which

Display the power status box in the upper-left corner of

your displa y. The box sho ws the battery charge l ev el, the BIOS version, and whether the optiona l wireless netwo rk is being used. Press the k ey combination again to close this box.

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Chapter 3: Getting St arted

Press and hold FN, then press this system key...

To...

Increase the LCD panel brightness above the normal brightest setting. Use this feature in bright lighting situatio ns, such as ou tside in bright sunlight.

Press a se cond time to decr ease the brig htness b elow the normal lowest brightness setting. Use this feature in dim lighting situations.

Press a third time to return the display to the normal brightness setting.

Important: Using this feature will affect battery performance.

Play or Pause the CD or DVD.

Stop playing the CD or DVD.

Skip back one CD song or DVD track.

Skip ahead one CD song or DVD track.

Increase the brightness of the display.

Decrease the brightness of the display.

Mute the sound. Press the key combination again to restore the sound. For more information, see “Adjusting

the volume” on page 37.

www.gateway.com

Using the keyboard

Press and hold FN, then press this system key...

To...

Increase volume. For more infor mation, see “Adjusting

the volume” on page 37.

Decrease volume. For more information, see “Adjusting

the volume” on page 37.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 3: Getting St arted

Using the EZPa d touchpad

The EZ Pad™ consists of a touchpad, two buttons, and a scroll zone.

Touchpad

Scroll zone

Left button

When you move your finger on the touchpad, the pointer (arrow) on the screen moves in the same direction. You can use the scroll zone to scroll through documents. Use of the scroll zone may vary from program to program.

Y ou can use the EZ -Pad left and right buttons below the touchpad to select objects.

Right button

www.gateway.com

Tips & Tricks For instructions on how to adjust the double-click speed,

pointer speed, right-hand or left-hand configuration, and other touchpad settings, see “Changing the mouse or touchpad settings” in been included on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Using the touchpad

To... Do this...

Using the EZ Pad to uchpad

Using Your Computer

which has

Move the pointer on the screen.

Select an object on the screen.

Start a program or open a file or folder.

Move your finger around on the touchpad. If you run out of space and need to move the pointer farther, lift your finger , move i t to the middle of the touchpad, then continue moving your finger.

Position the pointer over the object. Quickly press and release th e left button once. This action is called

clicking

Position the pointer over the object. Press the left button twice in ra pid succession. T his action is called

double-clicking

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Chapter 3: Getting St arted

To... Do this...

Access a shortcut menu or find more information about an object on the screen.

Move an object on the screen.

Tips & Tricks You received you r notebo ok w ith the EZ Pad touchpad set

Position the pointer over the object. Quickly press and release th e right button once. This action is called

right-clicking

Position the pointer over the object. Press the left button and hold it down, then use the touchpad to move (drag) the object to the appropriate part of the scre en. Release the button to drop the object where you want it.

to only accept clicking by using the touchpad buttons. You can change this feature to allow tapping on the touchpad to simulate clicking the left button. For more information, see “Changing the mouse or touchpad settings” in

Your Computer

drive. To access t his guide , click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation .

which has been included on your hard

Using

www.gateway.com

Adjusting the volume

Adjusting the v olume

You can use the volume control to adjust the overall volume your notebook.

To adjust the overall volume level using hardware controls:

■ If you are using external speakers, turn the knob on the front of the

speakers.

-ORUse the mute and volume control buttons on the keyboard. For more

information, see “System key combinations” on page 31.

Tips & Tricks For instructions on how to adjust the volume in Windows,

see “Adjusting the Volume” in has been included on your hard d rive. To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Using Your Computer

which

www.gateway.com

Chapter 3: Getting St arted

T urning yo ur wireless radio on or off

Warning Radio frequency wireless communication can interfere

with equipment on commercial aircraft. Current aviation regulations require wire les s devices to be turned off while travel ing in an airplane. IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b , and IEEE 802.11g communication devices are examples of devices that provide wireless communication.

Warning In environments where the risk of interference to other

devices or services is harmful or perceived as harmful, the option to use a wireless device may be restricted or eliminated. Airports, hospitals, and oxygen or flammable gas laden atmospheres are limited examples where use of wireless devices may be restricted or eliminated. When in environments where you are uncertain of the sanction to use wireless devices, ask the applicable authority for authorization prior to use or turning on the wireless dev ice.

Your Gateway notebook may have wireless networking built-in.

To turn the wireless radio on or off:

■ Press FN + F2. The wireless status indicator turns on or off. For the

location of the wireless status indicator, see “Status indicators” on

page 28.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 4

Using Drives and Ports

• Using DVD drives

• Using the media card reader

•Using a PC Card

• Viewing the dis play on a moni tor or projector

• Connecting a video camer a to your notebook

Chapter 4: Using Drives and P orts

Using the D VD drive

Y ou can use your notebook to enjoy a wide variety of multimedia features.

Important Some music CDs have copy protection software. You may

not be able to play these CDs on your notebook.

Identifying drive types

Your Ga teway notebook may contain one of the follo wing drive types. Look on the front of the drive for one or more of t he following logos:

If your drive has this logo... This is your drive type... Use your drive for...

ROM/R/RW

Combination DVD/CD-RW drive

Multi-format DVD

±RW/CD-RW drive

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, playing DVDs, accessing data, and recording music and data to recordable CDs. You cannot use this drive to create DVDs.

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, playing DVDs, accessing data, recording music and data to CD-R or CD-RW discs, and recording video and data to DVD-R, DVD + R , DV D - R W, o r DVD + R W d i s c s.

www.gateway.com

Inserting a CD or DVD

[

Using the DVD drive

Eject button

Manual eject hole

To insert a CD or DVD:

1 Press the eject button on the DVD drive. After the tray opens slightly ,

pull the disc tray completely open.

2 Place the disc in the tray with the label facing up, then press down

carefully on the disc until it snaps into place.

Important When you place a single-sided disc in the tray, make sure

that the label s id e is facing up. If the disc has two p layable sides, place the disc so the name of the side you want to play is facing up.

3 Push the tray in until it is closed.

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Chapter 4: Using Drives and P orts

Playing a CD

Use a music program or Windows Media Player on your n otebook to:

■ Play music CDs

■ Create MP3 and WMA music files from your music CDs

■ Edit music track information

■ Use your music files to build a music library

Tips & Tricks For more information about playing CDs, see “Using

Windows Media Player” in been included on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Using Your Computer

Playing a DVD

A Digital V ersa tile Disc (DVD) is similar to a standard CD but has greater data capacity. Because of this increased capa city, full-length movies, several albums of music, or several gigabytes of data can fit on a single disc. You can play DVDs with a DVD program or Windows Media Player.

which has

Tips & Tricks For more information about playing DVDs, see “Using

Windows Media Player” and “Using CyberLink PowerD VD” in

Using Your Computer

hard drive. T o access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

which has been included on your

Creating CDs and DVDs

You ca n use a CD and DVD burning pr ogram, Windows XP, Windows Media Player, or Windows Movie Maker to copy or create data CDs and DVDs, create music CDs, create v ideo DVDs, and more.

Tips & Tricks For more infor mation about creating CDs and DVDs, see

“Using Windows Med ia Player”, “Usi ng Nero Express”, and

“Editing videos” in included on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gatewa y Documentation.

www.gateway.com

Using Yo ur Comp uter

which has been

Using the memory card r eader

Using the memory card reader

You can use memor y cards to transfer pictures from a digital camera to your notebook. You can also use the memory card reader to transfer data between your notebook and a device that uses memory cards, such as a PDA, MP3 player, or cellular telephone.

Memory card types

The memory card reader supports Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Pro®, MultiMediaCard™, and Secure Digital™.

Inserting a memory card

To insert a memor y card:

■ Insert the memory card into the memory card slot with the label

facing up and the arrow on the label pointing towards th e notebook.

Using a memory card

To access a file on a memory card:

1 Click Start, then click My Computer. 2 Double-click the drive letter (for example, the E: drive), then

double-click the file name.

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Chapter 4: Using Drives and P orts

Removing a memory card

Important Do not use the remove hardware icon in the taskbar

to remove the memory card. If you use the remove hardware icon, your notebook may not recognize your memory card reader until you restart your notebook.

To remove a memor y card:

1 Push the memory card into the notebook. The memory card pops

out slightly.

2 Pull the memory card out of the notebook. 3 Insert the protector into the memory card slot.

Adding and remo ving a PCCard

Your notebook has a PC Card slot (also known as a PCMCIA card slot). This slot accepts one Type II card. You do not need to restart your notebook when changing most cards because yo ur notebook supports hot-swapping. Hot-swapping means that you can insert a PC Card while your notebook is running. If your PC Card does not work after hot-swapping, see the PC Card manufacturer’ s documentation for further information.

www.gateway.com

Adding and removi ng a PC Card

To insert a PC Card:

■ Push the card firmly into the PC Card slot label-side up until the

outer edge of the card is flush with the side of your notebook.

To remove a PC Card:

1 Click the remove hardware icon in the taskbar, the PC Card

name, then click

-ORTurn off your notebook.

Important If the remove hardware icon does not appear on the

Stop.

taskbar, click the show hidden icons button.

2 Release the eject button by pressing the PC Card eject button once.

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Chapter 4: Using Drives and P orts

3 Eject the PC Card by pressing the eject button again.

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Viewing the display on a projector or monitor

You can use your notebook for giving presentations by connecting an external monitor or projector to your monitor (VGA) port. Y our notebook supports simultaneous LCD and external display. Simultaneous display lets you control the presentation from your notebook and at the same time face your audience.

To use a pr ojector or external monitor:

1 Turn off your notebook. 2 Plug the projector or monitor cable into the VGA port on your

notebook. For the location of the VGA port, see “Right” o n page 12.

3 Turn on your notebook. 4 Plug the projector’s or monitor’ s power cord into an AC power source

and turn it on. Windows recogni z es the new hardware and searches for its driver. You may need to install the driver from the disc supplied by the manufacturer or download the driver from the manufacturer’s Web site.

5 After the driver is installed, right-click any empty space on the

desktop, then click opens.

Properties. The Display Properties dialog box

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Chapter 4: Using Drives and P orts

6 Click the Settings tab.

7 Right-click the second monitor icon (labeled 2), then click Attached. 8 Click Apply. 9 Adjust properties such as Scre en Resolu tion or Color Quality if

necessary.

10 Click OK.

Important Press FN+F4 to s witch betw een view ing the dis play o n the

LCD panel and viewing the display on the projector or monitor.

Important If an external monitor or projector is connected and you

close the LCD panel, your notebook may turn off the LCD panel, but will not enter Standby mode.

www.gateway.com

Viewing the display on a television

The S-Video out jack on your notebook or port replicator lets you view your notebook display on a televisio n screen using a standard S -Video cable.

Important To turn on external video by defa ult, connec t the tele vis ion

(or other external video device) before starting your notebook.

Important Audio is not t ra nsmitted throug h the S-Video out j ac k. Us e

the built-in speakers or a set of headphones or external powered speakers, or connect your notebook to a stereo system using the headphone jack to hear sound while playing a DVD. DVD playback to a VCR will be scra mble d by copyright pro tection so ftware.

To view your notebook display on a television:

1 With your notebook off, connect one end of a standard S-Video cable

to the S-Video out jack on your notebook or optional port replicator. For the location of the S-Video out jack on your notebook see “Back”

on page 13. Fo r the location of the S-Video out jack on your port

replicator, see “Back” on page 98.

2 Connect the other end of the cable to the Video in jack on your

television or VCR.

3 Turn on the television or VCR. 4 Start your notebook. 5 Click Start, then click Control P anel. The Contr ol Panel window opens.

If your Control Panel is in Category View, click

Themes

Appearance and

6 Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box

opens.

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Chapter 4: Using Drives and P orts

7 Click the Settings tab.

8 Click Advanced. The Multiple Monitors and ATI Mobility Radeon X700

Properties dialog box opens.

www.gateway.com

9 Click the Displays tab.

Viewing the display on a television

Enable TV TV

10 Click the Enable TV button if it is not already enabled, then click

Apply.

Important If the Enable TV and TV buttons are grayed out, your

notebook has not detected the television. Make sure that the television is turned on and connected correctly.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 4: Using Drives and P orts

Modifying television settings

To modify television settings:

1 On the Multiple Monitors and ATI Mobility Radeon X700 Properties

dialog box Displays tab, click

TV.

2 Click Apply.

Important If you are tra veling in ternationally, you may need to change

the video standard. For example, many televisions in Asia use PAL instead of NTSC.

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Connecting a video cam era to your notebook

Connecting a video camera to your notebook

Your notebook has a 4-pin IEEE 1394 port (also known as a Firewire® or

i.Link

To connect y our video camera to your notebook:

port) for connecting dev ices such as a video camera.

1 Connect one end of the IEEE 1394 cable to your video camera. For

the location of the IEEE 1394 port, see “Left” on page 11.

Important For more infor mation about using the IEEE 1394 port on

your video camera, see your camera’s documentation.

2 Connect the other end of the cable to the IEEE 1394 port on

the side of your notebook.

Tips & Tricks For more infor mation about editing video, see “Editing

videos” in on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Using Your Computer

www.gateway.com

which has been included

Chapter 4: Using Drives and P orts

www.gateway.com

Chapter 5

Managing Power

• Checking an d recharging the batt ery

• Recalibrating th e battery

• Changing batteries

• Extending the lif e of the battery

Chapter 5: Managing Power

Monitoring the battery charge

Closely monitor the battery charge. When the batter y charge gets low, change the battery or connect to AC power immediately to prevent losing any unsaved work. To monitor the battery charge:

■ Double-click the power cord icon or battery icon in the

taskbar. The Powe r Meter dialog box opens.

Important If the power cord or battery icon does not appear on the

taskbar , click the sho w hidden icon s button. If the icon still does not appear, make sure that Always show icon on the taskbar is checked on the Advance tab in the

Power Options Properties

For more infor mation, see “Changing advanced settings” in

Using Your Computer

hard drive. T o access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

dialog box.

which has been included on your

■ Look at the battery charge indicator (see “Front” on p age 10):

■ LED blue - battery is fully charged.

■ LED purple - battery is charging.

■ LED blinking red - battery charge is very low.

■ LED solid red - battery is malfunctioning.

■ Wait for a Low Battery warning message to appear.

If your battery charge indicator displays what looks like an inaccurate charge, you may need to recalibrate the battery. For more information, see “Recalibrating the battery” on page 57.

www.gateway.com

Recharging the battery

The battery recharges while it is installed and your notebook is connected to AC power. While the battery recharges, the battery charge indicator turns on and the power cord icon in the taskbar has a lightning bolt .

Important If the power cord or battery icon does not appear on the

taskbar , click the sho w hidden icon s button. If the icon still does not appear, make sure that Always show icon on the taskbar is checked on the Advance tab in the

Power Options Properties

For more infor mation, see “Changing notebook power settings” in on your hard drive. To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Using Your Computer

dialog box.

which has been included

Recalibrating the ba ttery

If your notebook unexpectedly goes into Standby mode while you are using it but the battery charge is not low, you may need to recalibrate your battery. You should also recalibrate the battery periodically to maintain the accuracy of the battery gauge.

To recalibrate the batter y:

1 Connect the AC adapter, then turn on your notebook. 2 As soon as your notebook starts and you see a startup screen, press

F2. The BIOS Setup utility opens.

3 Open the Advanced menu. 4 Highlight Battery Auto Learning, then select Enabled by pressing the

spacebar.

5 Open the Exit menu, then highlight Exit Saving Changes and press

NTER.

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Chapter 5: Managing Power

6 Select Yes, then press ENTER.

The battery recalibration process begins and a screen opens showing you the progress. The entire process will take several hours.

Important Do not interrupt the battery recalibration process. If

recalibration is interrupt ed, you must start the process o ver again.

When the recalibration has finished, the message “Press [Esc] key to exit” appears.

7 Press ESC. The battery charge indicator now displays an accurate

battery charge. If the battery charge indicator does not show an accurate charge, contact Gateway Customer Care.

Changing batter ies

If your notebook is connected to AC power, you can change the battery while your notebook is turned on. If your notebook is not plugged into an AC outlet, you must turn your notebook off while changing the battery.

Warning Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.

Replace only with a battery specifically manufactured for your Gate wa y noteb ook. Disca rd used ba tteries acco rding to local hazardous material regulations.

The battery used in this device may present a fire or chemical burn hazard if mishandled. Do not disassemble, heat above 212°F (100°C), or incinerate. Dispose of used battery promptly. Keep away from children.

www.gateway.com

Changing batteries

To change the batter y:

1 Disconnect your notebook from the optional port replicator (see

“Disconnecting from the port rep licator” on page 78).

2 If your notebook is on and is connected to AC power, go to Step 3.

-ORIf your notebook is on and is not plugged into an AC outlet, save

your work and turn off your notebook.

3 Close the LCD panel. 4 Turn your notebook over so the bottom is facing up. 5 Slide the battery lock to the unlocked position.

6 Slide the battery release latch, then slide the battery out of the

notebook.

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Chapter 5: Managing Power

7 Slide a recharged battery into the notebook until it snaps into place.

8 Slide the battery lock to the locked position. 9 Turn your notebook over.

10 Open the LCD panel and press the power button.

Extending battery life

Conserving battery pow er

To conserve power while using the battery to power your notebook:

■ Dim the display as low as is comfortable.

■ Remove PC Cards when you do not need them. Many PC Cards use

a small amount of power while inserted, even if they a re not being used.

■ Modify the power management settings for maximum power

savings.

Tips & Tricks For more infor mation about using power management

settings, se e “Changi ng Power-Saving Setti ngs” in

Your Computer

drive. To access t his guide , click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation .

www.gateway.com

which has been included on your hard

Using

Extending battery lif e

■ Close the LCD panel to turn off the display while you are not using

your notebook. The display stays off until you open the panel again.

■ Use Hibernate mode for maximum power savings while your

notebook is not in use.

Tips & Tricks For more infor mation about using Hibernate mode, see

“Changing notebook power settings” in

Computer

access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

■ Use the DVD drive only when necessar y. This drive uses a large

which has been included on your hard drive. To

Using Your

amount of power.

■ Recharge the battery often, take an extra battery, and fully recharge

the batteries before traveling. For more information, see “Recharging

the battery” on page 57 and “Changing batteries” on page 58.

Tips & Tricks For more information about traveling with your notebook,

see “T r av eling with y our notebook” i n which has been inc luded on your h ard drive . To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

Using Your Computer

Using alternate po wer sources

To extend battery life, use alternate power sources whenever possible.

■ If traveling internationally , ta ke electrical adapters. Save the battery

for times when you cannot use a power adapter . If you plan on taking your AC power adapter, also take a single-plug surge protector.

■ If you will have access to an EmPower™ in-flight power receptacle,

an automobile power outlet, or an automobile cigarette lighter, use a power inverter. Save the battery for times when you cannot use a power adapter.

■ To find AC power outlets in airports, look for them next to support

pillars, in large areas such as boarding gates, and under banks of telephones.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 5: Managing Power

Changing power modes

You can use the following power modes to lengthen the life of your notebook’s battery:

■ Standby - while your notebook is in Standby, it switches to a low

power state where devices, such as the display and drives, turn off.

■ Hibernate - (also called save to disk) writes all current memory (RAM)

information to the hard drive, then turns your notebook c ompletely off. The next time you turn on your notebook, it reads the memory information from the hard drive and opens the p rograms and documents that were open when you activated Hibernate mode.

Using power saving modes

Always save your work before using Standby mode. In Standby mode, your notebook reduces or turns off the power to most devices except memory. However, the information in memory is not saved to the hard drive. If power is interrupted, the information is lost.

When in Hibernate mode, your notebook saves all memory information to the hard drive, then turns the power completely off.

If your notebook is... ...and you want to... ...then

On Enter Standby mode Press FN+F3. On Enter Hibernate

mode (must be activated)

In Standby or Hibernate mode

Exit Standby or Hibernate mode

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Click Start, then click Turn Off Computer. Press and hold

SHIFT, then click Hibernate.

Press the powe r button.

Chapter 6

Upgrading Your Notebook

• Adding and repl acing memory

• Replacing the ha rd drive

Chapter 6: Upgrading You r Notebook

Pre venting static electricity discharge

Important Before installing memory or replacing the hard drive, you

should read and u nderstand the inf ormatio n in this section.

The components inside your notebook are extremely sensitive to static electricity, also known as electrostatic discharge (ESD).

Warning To avoid exposure to dangerous electrical voltages and

moving parts, turn off y our noteboo k and unpl ug the po wer cord, modem cab le, an d network c able bef ore open ing the case.

Warning To prevent risk of electr ic shock, do not i nser t any obj ect

into the vent holes of the notebook.

Before installing memory or replacing the hard drive, follow these guidelines:

■ Avoid static-causing surfaces such as carpeted floors, plastic, and

packing foam .

■ Remove components from their antistatic bags only when you are

ready to use them. Do not lay components on the outside of antistatic bags because only the inside of the bags provide electrostatic protection.

■ Always hold components by their edges. Avoid touching the edge

connectors. Never slide components over any surface.

■ We ar a grounding wrist strap (available at most electronics stores)

and attach it to a bare metal part of your workbench or other grounded connection.

■ Touch a bare metal surface on yo ur workbench or other grounded

object.

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Adding or replacing m emory

Adding or replacing memory

Your notebook uses memory modules called SO-DIMMs (Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Modules). The modules are available in various capacities and any module c an be placed in th e slot. Use only memory modules designed for your Gateway notebook for upgrading your memory.

Memory bay

To add or replac e memory modules:

1 Follow the guidelines under “Preventing static electricity discharge”

on page 64.

2 Turn off your notebook. 3 Disconne ct the AC adapter, mode m cable, a nd netwo rk cable. 4 Disconnect all peripheral devices and remove any PC cards. 5 Disconnect your notebook from the optional port replicator (see

“Disconnecting from the port rep licator” on page 78).

6 Turn your notebook over so the bottom is facing up. 7 Remove the battery (see “Changing batteries” on page 58).

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Chapter 6: Upgrading You r Notebook

8 Loosen the seven memory bay cover screws (these screws cannot be

removed), then remove the memory bay cover.

9 If you are removing a modu le, gently press outward on the clip at

each end of the memory module until the module tilts upward.

www.gateway.com

Adding or replacing m emory

10 Pull the memory module out of the slot.

11 Hold the new or replacement module at a 30-degree angle and press

it into the empty memory slot. This module is keyed so it can only be inserted in one direction. If the module does not fit, make sure that the notch in the module lines up with the tab in the memory bay.

Important Use only me mory mo dules des igned for your

Gateway notebook.

12 Gently push the module down until it clicks in place. 13 Replace the memory bay cover, then tighten the cover screws. 14 Insert the battery, then turn your notebook over. 15 Reconnect the optional port replicator. 16 Connect the power adapter, modem cable, and network cable, then

turn on your notebook.

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Chapter 6: Upgrading You r Notebook

Replacing the hard drive kit

If you would like more hard drive capacity, you can replace your original drive with a higher -capacity drive.

Hard drive

To replace the hard drive kit:

1 Back up any data you want to transfer to the new hard drive. For

more information, see “Backing up files” in Using Your Comp uter which has been included on your hard drive. To access this guide, click

Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

2 Follow the guidelines under “Preventing static electricity discharge”

on page 64.

3 Turn off your notebook. 4 Disconne ct the AC adapte r, modem cable, and netw ork cable . 5 Disconnect all peripheral devices and remove any PC cards. 6 Disconnect your notebook from the optional port replicator (see

“Disconnecting from the port rep licator” on page 78).

7 Turn your notebook over so the bottom is facing up.

www.gateway.com

Replacing the hard drive kit

8 Remove the battery (see “Changing batteries” on page 58). 9 Loosen the hard drive bay cover screw (this screw cannot be

removed), then remove the hard drive bay cover.

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Chapter 6: Upgrading You r Notebook

10 Pull the old hard drive kit away from the hard drive connector, then

lift the hard drive kit out of your notebook.

11 If your new hard drive already includes the hard drive kit bracket,

go to Step 16.

-ORIf you need to move the hard drive kit bracket from your old hard

drive to your new hard drive, go to Step 12.

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Replacing the hard drive kit

12 Remove the screws that secure the hard drive to the hard drive kit

bracket.

Screws

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Chapter 6: Upgrading You r Notebook

13 Remove the bracket from the old drive.

14 Insert the new drive label side up onto the kit bracket so the screw

holes line up.

15 Replace the screws that secure the kit bracket to the drive. 16 Slide the new hard drive kit into your notebook. 17 Replace the hard drive bay cover, then tighten the cover screw. 18 Insert the battery, then turn your notebook over. 19 Reconnect the optional port replicator. 20 Connect the power adapter, modem cable, and network cable, then

turn on your notebook.

21 For instructions on installing Windows, your drivers, and your

applications, see the instructions in the restore booklet that came with your notebook.

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Chapter 7

Using the Optional Port Replicator

• Identifying f eatures

• Connecting and disconnecti ng the port replicator

• Securing the port replicator with a locking cable

Chapter 7: Using the Opti onal Port Replicator

Front

Docking release l atc h

Power button

Kensington lock ring

Docking port

Component Icon Description

Power button Press to turn the power on or off.

Docking release latch Press the release latch to release the notebook. Kensington™

lock ring

Docking port Connect the notebook to this port.

Secure your port replicator and notebook to an object by running a Kensington cable through this ring and locking it to the slot on the notebook. For more information, s ee “Securing you r port replicator”

on page 79.

Warning: Power is passed through this port. This docking connection is certified to UL 1950 for use only with notebooks designed for your Gatewa y port replicator.

www.gateway.com

Back

S-Video out jack

Modem jack

Ethernet jack

USB ports

Monitor port

Parallel

port

IEEE 1394 port

Serial port

USB ports

Headphone jack

Line in jack Power

connector

Component Icon Description

S-Video out jack Plug a standard S-Video de vice, such as a tele vision, into

this jack. For more information, see “Viewing th e d is play

on a television” on page 49.

IEEE 1394 port Plug an IEEE 1394 (also known as Firewire

device (such as a digital camcorder) into this 4-pin IEEE 1394 port.

Headphone jack Plug amplified speakers or headphones into this jack.

The built-in speakers are turned off when speakers or headphones are plugged into this jack.

Modem jack Plug a modem cable into this jack. For more information,

see “Connec ting the d ial-up m odem” on p age 23.

or i.Link®)

Ethernet jack Plug a 10/100/1000 Ethernet netw ork cable into this jac k.

The other end of the cable can be plugged into a cable modem, DSL modem, or an Ethernet network jack. For more information, see “Connecting to a cable or DSL

modem or to an Ethernet network” on page 24.

USB p o rts Plug USB devices (suc h as a di s kett e drive, flash drive,

printer, scanner , camera, k eyboard , or mouse) into thes e ports.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 7: Using the Opti onal Port Replicator

Component Icon Description

Monitor port Plug an analog VGA monitor or projector into this port.

Parallel port Plug a parallel device (such as a printer) into this port.

Serial port Plug a serial device (such as a digital camera) into this

port.

Line in jack Plug an external audio input source (such as a stereo)

to this jack so you can record sound on your notebook or play sound through the notebook speakers.

Powe r connector Plug the AC adapter cable into this connector.

Connecting to the port replicator

Y ou can attach your notebook to the port replicator while your notebook is off, on, or in Standby mode.

Attaching to the port replicator

To attach your notebook to the port replicator:

1 Connect external devices to the ports on the port replicator.

www.gateway.com

Connecting to the port rep licator

2 Rest the front edge of the notebook on your desktop, then a lign the

mark on the left hinge cover with the corresponding mark on the port replicator.

3 Press down on the notebook until it snaps into place.

Caution Press down on the ou tsi de edg es of th e no tebook. Do not

press in the middle or you may damage the LCD screen.

Important The notebook may detect additional devices and add

drivers after being attached to the port replicator. This process must be completed for components to work correctly. Follow any on-screen instr uctions, if ne cessar y.

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Chapter 7: Using the Opti onal Port Replicator

Disconnecting from the port replicator

You can separate your notebook from the port replicator while your notebook is off or on (not in Standby or Hibernate mode).

To separate your notebook from the port replicator:

1 If your notebook is off, go to Step 2.

-ORIf your notebook is on, click

Undock Computer menu i tem ap pea rs in the Start menu only while the notebook is docked.

Start, then click Undock Computer. The

2 Press down on the docking release latch. The notebook will spring

up slightly.

3 Lift the notebook off of the port replicator.

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Securing your port rep licator

Securing your port replicator

You can secure your notebook and port replicator to an object by using the security ring located on the left side of the port replicator and the Kensington lock slot located on the left side of your not ebook.

To secur e your notebook and port replicator:

1 Open the security ring on the port replicator. 2 Attach your notebook to the port replicator. 3 Secure one end of the Kensingt on cable to a solid object, then run

the other end of the cable through the security ring and lock it into the slot provided on the left side of your notebook.

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Chapter 7: Using the Opti onal Port Replicator

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Chapter 8

Maintaining Your Notebook

• Caring for your notebook

• Cleaning you r notebook

• Protecting your notebook from viruses

• Updating Windows

• Restoring your system

Chapter 8: Maintaining Your Notebook

Caring for y our notebook

To extend the life of your notebook:

■ Be careful not to bump or drop your notebook, and do not put an y

objects on top of it. The case, although strong, is not made to support extra weight.

■ When transporting your notebook, we recommend that you put it

in a carrying ca se.

■ Keep your notebook away from magnetic fields. Magnetic fields can

erase data on hard drives.

■ Never turn off your notebook when the drive indicator is on because

data on the hard drive could be lost or corru pted.

■ Avoid subjecting your notebook to extreme temperature changes.

The case (and LCD panel) can become brittle and easy to break in cold temperatures and can melt or warp in high temperatures. Damage due to either extreme is not covered by your warranty. As a genera l rule, yo ur noteb ook is saf est at temp erature s that are comfortable for you.

■ Keep all liquids away from your notebook. When spilled onto

computer components, almost any liquid can result in expensive repairs that are not covered under your warranty.

■ Avoid dusty or dirty work environments. Dust and dirt can clog the

internal mechanisms and can lead to permanent damage to the notebook.

■ Do not block the ventilation fan slots. If these slots are blocked, your

notebook may overheat resulting in unexpe cted shutdown or permanent damage to the notebook.

■ When storing your notebook for an extended period of time, unplug

AC power and remove the battery after discharging it partway.

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Cleaning your notebook

Keeping your notebook clean and the vents free from dust helps keep your notebook performing at its best. You may want to gather these items and put together a notebook cleaning kit:

■ A soft, lint-free cloth

■ An aerosol can of air that has a narrow, straw-like extension

■ Cotton sw abs

■ A DVD drive cleaning kit

Cleaning the exterior

Warning When you shut down your notebook, the power turns off,

but some electrical current still flows through your notebook. To avoid possible injury from electrical shock, unplug the power cord, modem cable, and network cable from the wall outlets.

Always turn off your notebook and other peripherals before cleaning any components. Also, remove the battery befor e cleaning a ny components.

Use a damp, lint-free cloth to clean your notebook and other parts of your system. Do not use household abrasive or solvent cleaners because they can damage the finish on components.

Your notebook is cooled by air circulated through the vents on the case, so keep the vents free of dust. With your notebook turned off and unplugged, brush the dust away from the vents with a damp cloth. Be careful not to drip any water into the vents. Do not attempt to clean dust from the inside of your notebook.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 8: Maintaining Your Notebook

Cleaning the keyboard

You should clean the keybo ard occasionally by using an aerosol can of air with a narrow, straw-like extension to remove dust and lint trapped under the keys.

If you spill liquid on the keyboard, turn off your notebook and turn the notebook upside down. Let the liquid drain, then let the keyboard dry before trying to use it again. If the keyboard does not work after it dries, you may need to replace it.

Cleaning the notebook screen

Use a soft cloth and water to clean the LCD screen. Squirt a little water on the cloth (never directly on the screen), and wipe the screen with the cloth.

Caution A notebook LCD screen is made of specially coated glass

and can be scratched or damaged by abrasive or ammonia-based glass cleaners.

Cleaning CDs or DVDs

Wipe from the center to the edge, not around in a cir cle, using a product made especially for th e purpose.

www.gateway.com

Protecting your notebo ok from viruses

Protecting your notebook from viruses

A virus is a program that attaches itself to a file on a computer, then spreads from one computer to another . V iruses can damage data or cause your notebook to malfunction. Some viruses go undetected for a period of time because they are activated on a certain date.

Protect your notebook from a virus by:

■ Registerin g y ou r cop y of N o rto n

to the virus definition update service. Y ou rec eived a free limited time subscription to the Norton Internet Security service when you purchased your notebook.

■ Using the Norton Internet Security program to check files and

programs that are attached to e-mail messages or down loa ded from the Internet.

■ Checking all programs for viruses before installing them.

■ Disabling macros on suspicious Microsoft Word and Excel files.

These programs will warn you if a document that you are opening contains a macro th at might have a virus.

Internet Security and subscribing

■ Periodically updating the Norton Internet Security program to

protect against the late st viruses.

■ Making sure the Windows Security Center is configured to provide

you with the highest level of protection.

Tips & Tricks For more informa tion about modifyin g securit y settings,

Using Your Computer

Help and

Support

see “Modifying Security Se ttin gs ” in which has been inc luded on your h ard drive . To access this guide, click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

For more information about protecting your notebook against viruses, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword viruses in the Search box

, then click the arrow.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 8: Maintaining Your Notebook

To scan for viruses:

1 Click Start, All Programs, Norton Internet Security, then click Norton

Internet Security

. Norton Internet Security opens.

2 Click Nor ton AntiVirus.

www.gateway.com

Protecting your notebo ok from viruses

3 Click Scan for Viruses.

4 Click the type of scan you want to make in the Scan for Viruses area.

To remove a v irus:

1 If Norton Internet Security finds a virus, follow all on-screen

instructions to remove the virus.

2 Turn off your notebook and leave it off for at least 30 seconds. 3 Turn on your notebook and rescan for the virus.

To update Norton Internet Security:

Important You received a free limit ed time subsc ription to th e Norton

Internet Security service when you purchased your notebook. To update Norton Internet Security after the free subscription period, you must extend your subscription.

1 Make sure that you are connected to the Internet. 2 Click Start, All Programs, Norton Internet Security, then click Norton

Internet Security

. Norton Internet Security opens.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 8: Maintaining Your Notebook

3 Click LiveUpdate. The LiveUpdate wizard opens. 4 Follow the on-screen instructions to update your Norton Internet

Security program with the latest virus protection files.

5 When the program has finished, click Finish.

Updating Windo ws

Windows Update is th e online extension of W indows that helps you k eep your notebook up-to-date. Use Windows Update to choose updates for your notebook’s operating system, software, and hardware. New content is added to the site regularly, so you can always get the most recent updates and fixes to protect your notebook and keep it running smoothly . Windows Update scans your notebook and provides you with a tailored selection of updates that apply only to the software and hardware on your notebook.

To run Windows Update:

1 Connect to the Internet. 2 Click Start, All Programs, then click Windows Update. 3 Follow the on-screen instructions.

Help and

Support

For more information about Windows Update in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword Windows Update in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.

www.gateway.com

Restoring your system

Restoring your sy stem

Microsoft System Restore

If your notebook is not working correctly after you install a program or change a setting in the Control Panel, you may need to use Microsoft System Restore to restore the notebook to an earlier configuration.

To run Micros oft System Restore:

1 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System T ools , then click System

Restore

2 Follow the on-screen instructions.

Help and

Support

For more infor mation about System Restore, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword System Restore in the HelpS pot Search box

, then click the arrow.

Reinstalling programs and drivers

If a program or device on your notebook is not workin g correctly, you may need to reinstall your program or driver.

To reinstall your program or driver:

1 Click Start, All Programs, System Recovery, then click Application &

Driver Recovery

2 Follow the on-screen instructions.

www.gateway.com

Chapter 8: Maintaining Your Notebook

Restoring your notebook to the original configuration

If Windows does not start or if the two previous procedures do not correct the problem, you may need to restore your notebook to the original configuration.

To restore y our notebook to the original configuration:

1 Turn on your notebook, then press F11. 2 Follow the on-screen instructions.

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Chapter 9

Troubleshooting

• Troubleshooti ng typical hardw are and software prob lems

• Getting telephone sup port

• Using automated troublesho oting systems

Chapter 9: Troubleshooti ng

Safety guidelines

While troubleshooting your notebook, follow these safety guidelines:

■ Never remove the memory bay or hard drive bay cover while your

notebook is turned on, while the battery is installed, and while the modem cable, network cable, and AC power adapter are connected to your notebook.

■ Make sure that you are correctly grounded before accessing internal

components. For more information about preventing damage from static electricity, see “Preventing static electricity discharge” on

page 64.

■ After you complete any maintenance tasks where you remove the

memory bay or hard d rive bay cove r, make sure that you replace the cover, reinstall any screws, then replace the battery before you start your notebook.

Warning Do not try to troublesho ot your pro blem if power c ords or

plugs are damaged, if your notebook was dropped, or if the case was damaged. Instead, unplug your notebook and contact a qualified computer technician.

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First steps

If you have problems with your notebook, try these things first:

■ Make sure that the AC power adapter is connected to your notebook

and an AC outlet and that the AC outlet is supplying power.

■ If you use a power strip or surge protector, make sure that it is turned

on.

■ If a peripheral device (such as a keyboard or mouse) does not work,

make sure that all connections are secure.

■ Make sure that your hard drive is not full.

■ If an error message appears on the screen, write down the exact

message. The message may help Gateway Customer Care in diagnosing and fixing the problem.

■ If you added or removed peripheral de vices, review t he installation

procedures you performed and make sure that you followed each instruction.

■ If an error occurs in a program, see the program’s printed

documentation or the online help.

First steps

Help and

Support

For more infor mation about troubleshooting, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword troubleshooting in the Search box

, then click the arrow.

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Chapter 9: Troubleshooti ng

Troubleshooting

Audio

Audio troubleshooting is covered under “So und” on page 111.

Battery

Battery troubleshooting is covered unde r “Power” on page 109.

CD drives

CD drive troubleshooting is covered unde r “DVD drives” on page 96.

Device installation

You have computer problems after adding a new device

Sometimes a new devi ce, such as a PC Card, can cause a system resource (IRQ) conflict. Check IRQ usage to determine if th ere is an IRQ conflict.

To check IRQ usage:

1 Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window

opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click

Performance and Maintenance.

2 Click/Double-click System, click the Hardware tab, then click

Device Manager. The Device M anager window ope ns.

3 Click View, then click Resources by type. Double-click Interrupt

request (IRQ)

displayed.

. All IRQs and their hardware assignments are

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Gateway 8510GH, 8550GB, 8515GZ User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Getting Help

Gateway Web site

Using Support

Support Home

Product Support

Downloads

Customer Service

Upgrade Cent er

Resources

Contact Us

Help and Support

Searching for a topic

BigFix

Using Your Computer gu ide

Online help

Front

Left

Right

Back

Bottom

Keyboard area

Identifying your model

Gatewa y model and serial number

Finding your specif ications

Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity

Accessories

Getting Started

Installing the battery

Protecting from pow er source pr oblems

Connecting the dial -up modem

Connecting to a cable or DSL modem or to an Ethernet network

Starting your notebook

W aking up your noteboo k

T urning off your notebook

Restarting (rebooting ) your notebook

Status indicato rs

Using the keyboard

Key types

System k ey combinations

Using the touchpad

Adjusting the volume

T urning yo ur wireless radio on or off

Using Drives and Ports

Using the D VD drive

Identifying drive types

Inserting a CD or DVD

Playing a CD

Playing a DVD

Creating CDs and DVDs

Using the memory card r eader

Memory card types

Inserting a memory card

Using a memory card

Removing a memory card

Viewing the display on a projector or monitor

Viewing the display on a television

Modifying television settings

Connecting a video cam era to your notebook

Managing Power

Monitoring the battery charge

Recharging the battery

Recalibrating the ba ttery

Changing batter ies

Extending battery life

Conserving battery pow er

Using alternate po wer sources

Changing power modes

Using power saving modes

Upgrading Your Notebook

Pre venting static electricity discharge

Adding or replacing m emory

Replacing the hard drive kit

Using the Optional Port Replicator

Front

Back