Contents
1 About Your Notebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecting the AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Starting your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Waking up your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Turning off your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
System status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Power and battery indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Adjusting the keyboard angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Function keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Multi-function buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using the EZ Pad touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3 Windows Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
About the Windows environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Desktop components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Window components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using the Start menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Working with files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
About drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
About folders and files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Copying and moving files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Deleting files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Browsing for files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Searching for files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Using the Windows Me Search utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using the Windows 98 Find utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4 Customizing Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Adjusting the screen and desktop settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
i
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deals on Factory Service Manuals:
Adjusting the color depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Adjusting the screen area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Changing the font size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Applying a color scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Changing the desktop background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Selecting a screen saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Customizing the multi-function buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
5 Working with Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Creating a new document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Saving a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Opening a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Printing a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
6 Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Using diskettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Using the CD/DVD drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Inserting a CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Adjusting the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Playing CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Listening to music CDs in Windows Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Listening to music CDs in Windows 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Playing a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Recording and playing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Using the Media Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Using MusicMatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Playing CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Creating music files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Building a music library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Changing the music library display settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Editing track information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Listening to Internet Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Using composite video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Using MGI VideoWave III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Changing the audio source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
7 Using the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Learning about the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Setting up an Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Accessing your Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Using the World Wide Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Connecting to a Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
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Downloading files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Using e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Sending e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Checking your e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
8 Sending and Receiving Faxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Creating a cover page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Sending a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Receiving a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
9 Managing Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Maintaining battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Checking battery status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Conserving battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Changing batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Installing a second battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Charging batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Recalibrating the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Changing power settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Changing settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Disabling the backlight dimmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Changing SpeedStep settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
10 Upgrading Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Installing a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Connecting the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Adding PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Changing bay modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Preventing static electricity discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Installing memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Replacing the main hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
11 Travel Tips and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Travel tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
12 Using the Solo Port Replicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
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Left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Attaching to the replicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Using composite video or S-Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
13 Using the Solo Docking Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
Left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
Docking your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
Adjusting audio settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Using composite video or S-Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Installing a PCI card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
14 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
For more information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
HelpSpot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
QuickANSWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Gateway Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
Before calling for technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
Technical support resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
A Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
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About Your Notebook
This chapter provides basic information about your Gateway notebook. Read
this chapter to find out where components and connections are located.
1
1
Front
A
B
Component Icon Description
A Speakers Provide sound output.
B Lock switch for
CD/DVD player
control buttons
C CD/DVD player
control buttons
C
Slide the switch to lock or unlock the CD/DVD
player control buttons.
Control the CD/DVD player software when
playing an audio CD or a DVD. Icons from top
to bottom: Rewind, Play/Pause, Stop, Forward.
2 About Your Notebook
Left side
A
Component Icon Description
A Kensington™ lock slot Secure your notebook to an object by
B CD/DVD drive bay Use this bay for a DVD, CD, CD-R, or CD-RW
C Modular bay Use this bay for a 3.5-inch diskette drive,
B
connecting a Kensington cable lock to this
slot.
drive.
LS-120 SuperDisk drive, second hard drive,
or second battery.
C
Left side 3
Right side
B
A
Component Icon Description
C
D
E
F
G
H
A Speaker Out/
Headphone
connection
B External audio
connection (Line
In)
C External
microphone
connection
D Modem connection
(optional)
E USB connections Plug a USB device (such as a USB scanner)
F IEEE1394 serial
connection
(optional)
G PC Card eject
buttons
H PC Card slots Insert Type I, II, and III PC Cards into these
Plug external speakers or headphones into
this connection.
Connect an external audio source (such as a
stereo) to this connection so you can record
sound on your notebook or play sound
through the notebook speakers.
Plug a microphone into this connection. While
the external microphone is connected, the
built-in microphone is disabled.
Plug a modem cable into this connection.
into this connection.
Plug an IEEE1394-equipped device into this
connection.
Press one of the eject buttons to remove a
PC Card from a PC Card slot.
slots.
4 About Your Notebook
Back
Flip each back panel door down to view the connections. The icons
identifying the connections are located on the inside of the panel doors.
A
Component Icon Description
A PS/2 device
B Parallel device
C Serial device
D Docking
E Composite Video
F Composite Video In
B
connection
connection
connection
connection
Out (TV Out)
connection
(TV In) connection
(optional)
C
D
Plug a PS/2 device (such as a keyboard or
mouse) into this connection.
Plug a parallel device (such as a printer) into
this connection.
Plug a serial device (such as a digital camera)
into this connection.
Connect the optional port replicator or
docking station to this connection.
Warning! Power passes through this
connection. This docking connection is UL
certified for use only with Solo 9300 docking
station devices.
Plug a standard RCA cable into this
connection and the Video In connection on a
TV or VCR so you can view your notebook
screen on a TV.
Plug a standard RCA cable into this
connection and the Video Out connection on
a TV, VCR, or camcorder so you can record
video or capture an image on your notebook.
E
F
G
H
I
G VGA (Monitor)
connection
Plug an external monitor into this connection.
Back 5
Component Icon Description
H S/PDIF digital
audio output
connection
(optional)
I Power connection Plug the AC power adapter into this
Plug a standard RCA cable into this
connection and the connection on a digital
audio device.
connection.
6 About Your Notebook
Bottom
A
B
A
I
H
G
F
C
D
E
Bottom 7
Component Icon Description
A Elevating feet Extend these feet to tilt the
notebook forward and to provide
a more natural typing position.
B Memory bay Install up to two SO-DIMM
memory modules in the slots
held within this bay.
C Main battery bay Insert the main battery into this
bay.
D Battery release latch Slide to release the battery.
E Modular bay Insert either a diskette drive,
LS-120 SuperDisk drive, second
hard drive, or second battery into
this bay.
F Modular bay release latch Slide to release the module.
G System identification label Find the product model number
and serial number on this label.
For more information on the
label, see “Identifying your
model” in the Maintaining and
Troubleshooting guide.
H CD/DVD drive bay Insert either a DVD, CD, CD-R, or
I Release latch for CD/DVD
disc drive bay
8 About Your Notebook
CD-RW drive into this bay.
Slide to release the drive.
Getting Started
This chapter provides basic information about your Gateway notebook. Read
this chapter to find out:
■ How to connect the AC power adapter
■ How to start and turn off your notebook
■ What the status indicator lights and icons mean
■ How to use the keyboard and touchpad
2
9
Connecting the AC adapter
You can run your notebook using an AC adapter or the notebook battery. The
battery was shipped to you partially charged. You should use the AC adapter
right away to fully charge the battery.
Important If the battery is not fully charged before you use your
notebook on battery power for the first time, the battery life
may be much shorter than you expect. If the battery life
seems short even after being charged for 24 hours, the
battery may need to be recalibrated. For information on
recalibrating the battery, see “Recalibrating the battery” on
page 99.
To connect the AC adapter:
1 Connect the power cord to the AC adapter, then plug it in to a wall power
outlet.
Warning Replace the power cord if it becomes damaged. The
10 Getting Started
replacement cord must be of the same type and voltage
rating as the original cord or the notebook may be
damaged.
2 Connect the adapter to your notebook’s power connector.
The battery charging indicator light turns on. If the battery charging
indicator light does not turn on, disconnect the adapter from your
notebook and repeat Step 2.
Battery charging indicator
You can use the notebook while the adapter is connected to AC power.
3 When you finish using your notebook, turn the notebook off and leave
the notebook connected to AC power for at least 24 hours. The battery
charge meters may not show a charge for several hours. For the location
of the battery meters, see “Checking battery status” on page 94.
Connecting the AC adapter 11
4 If the battery meters do not show a full charge after 24 hours, recalibrate
the battery. For information on recalibrating the battery, see
“Recalibrating the battery” on page 99.
Warning Do not attempt to disassemble the AC adapter. The
AC adapter has no user-replaceable or user-serviceable
parts inside. The AC adapter has dangerous voltages that
can cause serious injury or death. Contact Gateway about
returning defective AC adapters.
Protecting from power source problems
During a power surge, the voltage level of electricity coming into your
notebook can increase to far above normal levels and cause data loss or system
damage. Protect your notebook and peripherals by connecting them to a surge
protector, which will absorb voltage surges and prevent them from reaching
your notebook.
Warning High voltages can enter your notebook through the power
cable and the telephone line that is connected to the
modem. Protect your notebook by using a surge protector
with a telephone connection. During an electrical storm,
unplug both the surge protector and the telephone line.
12 Getting Started
Starting your notebook
To start the notebook:
1 Open your notebook by sliding the latch on the front of your notebook
to the right and lifting the LCD panel.
2 Press the power button located above the keyboard.
Power button
The power button is preset to On/Off mode. However, you can also set
it to function in Standby/Resume mode. For instructions on changing
the power button mode, see “To change advanced power management
settings:” on page 103.
3 To adjust the viewing angle of the display, tilt the display panel forward
or backward.
4 To control display brightness, press the F
or down arrow key.
This notebook is shipped with the backlight dimmer feature enabled. The
dimmer cuts display power 50% when your notebook is operating on
battery power. To learn how to disable this feature, see “Disabling the
backlight dimmer” on page 105.
5 If you are starting your notebook for the first time, follow the on-screen
instructions to set up your notebook.
N key together with the up arrow
Starting your notebook 13
Waking up your notebook
When you have not used your notebook for several minutes, it will go into
a power-saving mode called Standby. While in Standby, the notebook screen
darkens and the power indicator light changes to orange. When you are ready
to use your notebook, “wake” it up by pressing a button or key on the
keyboard. For more information on changing power-saving settings, see
“Changing power settings” on page 100.
14 Getting Started
Turning off your notebook
To turn off your notebook:
1 Click Start, then select Shut Down. The Shut Down Windows dialog box
opens.
2 Select
3 Click
Important If for some reason you cannot use the Shut Down option
Shut Down.
OK. Windows shuts down and turns off your notebook.
in Windows to turn off your notebook, press and hold the
power button for about five seconds.
Turning off your notebook 15
System status indicators
A
A
C
E
B
D
F
This light turns on... When...
A The notebook is accessing the hard drive.
B The notebook is accessing the CD/ DVD drive
or LS-120 SuperDisk drive.
C The notebook is accessing the diskette drive.
D Caps Lock is enabled.
E Pad Lock is enabled.
1
F Scroll Lock is enabled.
16 Getting Started
Power and battery indicators
Component Icon Description
A Battery LED Indicates the battery status mode:
■
Green light indicates that the battery is fully charged.
■
Yellow light indicates that the battery is charging.
■
Red light indicates that the battery is malfunctioning.
■
No light indicates that the system is running on the
battery.
B Power LED Indicates the power status mode:
■
Steady green light indicates that power is on and the
notebook is in operation.
■
Flashing green light indicates that the notebook is in
standby mode.
■
Yellow light indicates that the notebook is in a power
saving mode.
■
No light indicates that the notebook is off.
C
A
B
D
C Reset switch Insert a paper clip to press the switch and reset the
notebook when you need to shut down your system and
you cannot use the operating system shut down
procedure. Use this method only if you have first tried
pressing C
TRL+ALT+DEL or holding down the power
button for 4-5 seconds.
D Power
button
Press to turn the power on or off. You can also configure
the button to operate in Standby/Resume mode or
Hibernate mode. For more information on configuring
the power button mode, see “To change advanced
power management settings:” on page 103.
Power and battery indicators 17
Using the keyboard
Your notebook features a keyboard that has the same functionality as a
desktop computer keyboard. Many of the keys have been assigned alternate
functions, including shortcut keys for Windows, function keys for system
operations, and a Pad Lock key that enables the embedded numeric keypad.
Adjusting the keyboard angle
The two elevating feet under your notebook give the notebook a comfortable
angle for typing.
To extend the elevating feet:
1 Close the LCD panel and turn your notebook over.
2 Slide each foot toward the side of the notebook until the foot opens.
3 Turn the notebook over. The keyboard is now angled toward you.
4 To close the feet, press them down until they click into place.
18 Getting Started
Function keys
A
A FN keys
B Numeric keypad
C Function keys
B
C
Using the keyboard 19
Function key combinations
By pressing an FN key and a Function key, the notebook performs the action
identified by the green text on the key.
Press F
N and this Function
key...
To...
Display the power status box in the upper left corner of your
screen. The menu shows the battery charge level, the BIOS
version, and whether the AC power adapter is being used.
Press the key combination again to close this box.
Toggle the notebook screen between the LCD, an external
monitor, both displays at the same time, or TV display (NTSC
or PAL format).
Enable Standby mode on your notebook. Press the power
button to exit Standby mode.
Enable Pad Lock so you can use the numeric keypad. Press
this key combination again to disable Pad Lock. The Pad Lock
status indicator appears while this function is enabled.
Pause the text scrolling in a DOS screen. (This function is only
available in some programs.) The Scroll Lock status indicator
appears when this function is enabled. Press the key
combination again to continue scrolling.
20 Getting Started
Pause text scrolling. Press any key to continue scrolling. (This
function is only available in some programs.)
Stop the currently running DOS program. (This function is only
available in some programs.)
Increase the brightness of the display.
Decrease the brightness of the display.
Multi-function buttons
A
Component Icon Description
A Volume control
buttons
B E-mail button Opens your e-mail program.
C Web browser
button
D Help button Opens an online help file.
E Shortcut button Opens a program you assign to this key. For
Left button decreases volume.
Middle button increases volume.
Right button mutes sound. Press again to hear
sound.
Opens your Web browser.
information on customizing the multi-function
buttons, see “Customizing the multi-function
buttons” on page 54.
B
C
D
E
Multi-function buttons 21
Using the EZ Pad touchpad
The EZ Pad™ consists of a touchpad and two buttons.
A
A EZ Pad™ buttons (mouse buttons)
B EZ Pad touchpad
When you move your finger on the touchpad, the pointer (arrow) on the screen
moves in the same direction. You can use the EZ-Pad left and right buttons
below the touchpad to select objects.
Important The touchpad is disabled when an external mouse is
connected.
B
22 Getting Started
To... Do this...
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
on your touchpad and need to
move the pointer farther, lift your
finger, move it to the middle of
the touchpad, then continue
moving your finger.
Position the pointer over the
object. Quickly tap your finger on
the touchpad once. This action is
called clicking.
Position the pointer over the
object. Quickly tap your finger on
the touchpad twice. This action
is called double-clicking.
Access a shortcut
menu or find
more information
about an object
on the screen.
Position the pointer over the
object. Quickly press and
release the right button once.
This action is called
right-clicking.
Using the EZ Pad touchpad 23
To... Do this...
Move an object
on the screen.
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 screen. Release the button.
24 Getting Started
Windows Basics
Read this chapter to get basic information on how to:
■ Work on the Windows desktop
■ Work with document and program windows
■ Manage files and folders
■ Use shortcuts
For more detailed information about Windows, see your Microsoft Windows
documentation and online help.
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