Gateway computer User Manual

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GATEWAY COMPUTER

USERGUIDE

Chapter 1: Getting Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Thank you for purchasing our computer! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Using the Gateway Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Using Help and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Searching for a topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Getting help in Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Using online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 2: Using Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Working safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Reducing eye strain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Setting up your computer desk and chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Setting up your computer and computer accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Sitting at your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Checking the voltage selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Starting your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Waking up your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Turning off your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Restarting (rebooting) your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Premium multimedia keyboard features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Elite multimedia keyboard features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Using the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Adjusting the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Configuring the audio jacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Connecting the dial-up modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Connecting to a cable or DSL modem or to a wired Ethernet network . . . . . . . 18

Installing a printer, scanner, or other device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chapter 3: Using Windows XP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Using the Windows desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Using the Start menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Adding icons to the desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Identifying window items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Working with files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Viewing drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Creating folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Copying and moving files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Deleting files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Searching for files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Using the Windows Search utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Browsing for files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Working with documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Creating a new document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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Saving a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Opening a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Printing a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Chapter 4: Recovering Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

System recovery options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Drivers and applications recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Creating drivers and applications recovery discs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Copying drivers and applications recovery files to a network . . . . . . . . . 36

Creating discs from recovery files on a network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Recovering your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Recovering specific files and software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Recovering your system using Microsoft System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Recovering your system from the hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Chapter 5: Using the Internet and Faxing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Learning about the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Setting up an Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Accessing your Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Using the World Wide Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Connecting to a Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Downloading files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Using e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Sending e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Checking your e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Installing and configuring Microsoft Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Installing Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Configuring Microsoft Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Setting up your cover page template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Sending a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Sending a quick fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Faxing from programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Faxing a scanned document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Automatically retry sending a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Canceling a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Automatically canceling a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Receiving and viewing a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Chapter 6: Protecting Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Hardware security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Kensington lock slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Data security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

About startup and hard drive passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

About Windows XP user accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Protecting your computer from viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Using McAfee SecurityCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

www.gateway.com

Using Windows XP Security Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Security updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Windows Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

BigFix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Chapter 7: Using Drives and Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Using the diskette drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Using the memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Memory card types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Using a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Using the CD or DVD drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Identifying drive types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Inserting a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Playing a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Playing a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Creating CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Creating audio and video files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Copying CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Playing music and movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Playing WAV audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Playing audio and video files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Playing CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Creating audio files and music libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Creating music files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Building a music library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Editing track information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Creating and editing videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Editing videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Transferring your video to your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Editing your video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Saving your video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Creating music CDs and video DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Creating a music CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Creating a video DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Creating and copying data CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Creating a data CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Copying a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Advanced multimedia software features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Windows Media Player advanced features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

CyberLink Power2Go advanced features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Using Windows Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Manually updating the Media Center Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Chapter 8: Networking Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Introduction to Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Using a router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Creating an Ethernet network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

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Installing Ethernet cards and drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Making sure your broadband connection works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Naming the computers and the workgroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Configuring the TCP/IP protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Setting up an Ethernet network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Testing your network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Sharing resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Sharing drives and printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Using the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Viewing shared drives and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Mapping a network drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Opening files across the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Copying files across the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Printing files across the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Adding a printer to your network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Chapter 9: Customizing Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Adjusting the screen and desktop settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Adjusting the color depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Adjusting the screen resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Changing the colors on your Windows desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Changing the desktop background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Selecting a screen saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Using an extended desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Using a second monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Viewing the display on a television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Modifying television settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Changing the mouse settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Adding and modifying user accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Changing power-saving settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Changing the power scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Changing advanced power settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Activating and using Hibernate mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Installing an uninterruptible power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Chapter 10: Maintaining Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Setting up a maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Caring for your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Cleaning your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Updating Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Using BigFix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Managing hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Checking hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Deleting unnecessary files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Checking the hard drive for errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Defragmenting the hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Backing up files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

www.gateway.com

Scheduling maintenance tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Moving from your old computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Transferring files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Transferring Internet settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Installing your old printer or scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Installing your old programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Chapter 11: Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Add-in cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

CD or DVD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Diskette drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

DVD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

File management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Modem (cable or DSL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Modem (dial-up) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Telephone support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Before calling Gateway Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Telephone numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Self-help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Appendix A: Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Contents

CHAPTER 1

• Using the Gateway Web site

• Using Help and Support

• Using online help

Getting Help

CHAPTER 1: Getting Help

Thank you for purchasing our computer!

You 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 computer. Each and every Gateway computer uses the latest technology and passes through the most stringent quality control tests to ensure that you are provided with the best product possible.

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 computer in good operating condition.

Gateway stands behind our value proposition 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 computer for years to come.

Thanks again, from all of us at Gateway.

Using the Gateway Web 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 computer. Visit the Gateway Support Web site at support.gateway.com

www.gateway.com

Using Help and Support

Your computer includes Help and Support, an easily accessible collection of help information,

troubleshooters, and automated support. Use Help and Support to answer questions about

Windows and to help you quickly discover and use the many features of your Gateway computer.

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.

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 topic.

• Full-text Search Matches—These topics are located in Help and Support and contain the

words you entered in the Search box.

• Microsoft Knowledge Base—These topics are located on the Microsoft Web site and contain

the words you entered in the Search box. You 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. To view a topic, click the topic name in the Search Results list.

Getting help in Media Center

If your computer has Windows XP Media Center Edition, you can access online help or refer to the printed Windows XP Media Center Edition Guide.

To access Media Center help:

1 In the Media Center window, move the mouse to activate the Media Center tool bar. The

tool bar appears at the top of the window.

CHAPTER 1: Getting Help

2 Click the Help icon in the tool bar.

Using 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 Help menu or by clicking a Help button.

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.

www.gateway.com

Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity

The Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity label found on the back or side of your computer includes

the product key code for your operating system. If you ever reinstall Windows from the

installation CD or DVD, you will need to enter these numbers to activate Windows.

CHAPTER 1: Getting Help

CHAPTER 2

Using Your Computer

• Working safely

• Setting up your computer and computer accessories

• Starting your computer

• Turning off your computer

• Restarting (rebooting) your computer

• Using the keyboard

• Using the mouse

• Adjusting the volume

• Configuring the audio jacks

• Connecting the dial-up modem

• Connecting to a cable or DSL modem or to a wired

Ethernet network

• Installing a printer, scanner, or other device

Working safely

Before using your computer, read the following recommendations for setting up a safe and comfortable work area and avoiding discomfort and strain.

Hands and arms are

parallel to the floor

CHAPTER 2: Using Your Computer

Top of screen is not higher than eye level

Screen is perpendicular to your line of sight

Feet are flat on the floor

Reducing eye strain

Sunlight or bright indoor lighting should not reflect on the monitor screen or shine directly into your eyes.

• Position the computer desk and monitor so you can avoid glare on your screen and light

shining directly into your eyes. Reduce glare by installing shades or curtains on windows, and by installing a glare screen filter on your monitor.

• Use soft, indirect lighting in your work area. Do not use your computer in a dark room.

• Avoid focusing your eyes on your computer screen for long periods of time. Look away

from your computer occasionally, and try to focus on distant objects.

Setting up your computer desk and chair

When you are setting up your computer desk and chair, make sure that the desk is the appropriate height and the chair helps you maintain good posture.

• Select a flat surface for your computer desk.

• Adjust the height of the computer desk so your hands and arms are positioned parallel to

the floor when you use the keyboard and mouse. If the desk is not adjustable or is too tall, consider using a keyboard drawer.

• Use an adjustable chair that is comfortable, distributes your weight evenly, and keeps your

body relaxed.

• Position your chair so the keyboard is at or slightly below the level of your elbow. This

position lets your shoulders relax while you type.

• Adjust the chair height, adjust the forward tilt of the seat, or use a footrest to distribute

your weight evenly on the chair and relieve pressure on the back of your thighs.

• Adjust the back of the chair so it supports the lower curve of your spine. You can use a

pillow or cushion to provide extra back support.

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Setting up your computer and computer accessories

• Set up the monitor so the top is no higher than eye level, the monitor controls are within

reach, and the screen is tilted to be perpendicular to your line of sight.

• Place your keyboard and mouse at a comfortable distance. You should be able to reach

them without stretching.

• Set paper holders at the same height and distance as the monitor.

Sitting at your computer

• Avoid bending, arching, or angling your wrists. Make sure that they are in a relaxed position

when you type.

• Do not slouch forward or lean far back. Sit with your back straight so your knees, hips,

and elbows form right angles when you work.

• Take breaks to stand and stretch your legs.

• Avoid twisting your torso or neck.

Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain

• Vary your activities to avoid excessive repetition.

• Take breaks to change your position, stretch your muscles, and relieve your eyes.

• Find ways to break up the work day, and schedule a variety of tasks.

Protecting from power source problems

War ning

High voltages can enter your computer through both the power cord and the modem connection. Protect your computer by using a surge protector. If you have a telephone modem, use a surge protector that has a modem jack. If you have a cable modem, use a surge protector that has an antenna/cable TV jack. During an electrical storm, unplug both the surge protector and the modem.

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

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) supplies battery power to your computer during a power failure. Although you cannot run your computer for an extended period of time with a UPS, a UPS lets you run your computer long enough to save your work and shut down your computer normally.

CHAPTER 2: Using Your Computer

Checking the voltage selection

Caution

If you set the voltage selection switch incorrectly, your system will be damaged.

Make sure this switch is set correctly for your location before turning on your computer. In the United States, the utility power is supplied at a nominal 115 volts at 60 Hz. The power

supply should always be set to this when your computer is operating in the United States. In other areas of the world, such as Europe, the utility power is supplied at 230 volts at 50 Hz. If your computer is operating in an environment such as this, the voltage switch should be moved to 230.

A power supply is integrated into your computer to provide power to the system board, add-in cards, and peripheral devices. The voltage selection for your location is typically set at the factory. Use the power selection switch on the back of your computer to set the power supply to 115V or 230V. To verify that your system has the correct setting for your environment, check the voltage selection switch.

To set the voltage selection switch:

• Use a tool such as an opened paper clip to slide the voltage selection switch to the correct

voltage position. For the location of the switch, see your setup poster or hardware reference.

Starting your computer

To start your computer:

1 Connect the cables to your computer according to the setup poster. 2 Turn on your computer.

Important

Your computer has a built-in variable speed fan. In addition, your computer uses a powerf ul processor which produces heat. Both the system fan and processor can run at different speeds at times to ensure proper system cooling. You may notice an increase in the fan noise when the fan is running at high speed and a decrease in the fan noise when it switches to normal speed.

3 If you are starting your computer for the first time, follow the on-screen instructions to

set up your computer.

4 Attach and turn on any peripheral devices, such as printers or scanners, and see the

documentation that came with the device for setup instructions.

Waking up your computer

Tip

For more information about changing the power button mode, see “Changing

power-saving settings” on page 126.

When you have not used your computer for several minutes, it may enter a power-saving mode called Standby. While in Standby, the power indicator flashes.

If your computer is in Standby mode, move the mouse or press the power button to “wake” it up.

www.gateway.com

Turning off your computer

War ning

When you turn off your computer, certain components in the power supply and system board remain energized. In order to remove all electrical power from your computer, unplug the power cord and modem cable from the wall outlets. We recommend disconnecting the power cord and modem cable when your computer will not be used for long periods.

Important

If for some reason you cannot use the Turn Off Computer option in Windows to turn off your computer, press and hold the power button for about five seconds, then release it.

To turn off your computer:

1 Click Start, then click Turn Off Computer. The Turn Off Computer dialog box opens. 2 Click Turn Off. Windows shuts down and turns off your computer.

Restarting (rebooting) your computer

If your computer does not respond to keyboard or mouse input, you may have to close programs that are not responding. If closing unresponsive programs does not restore your computer to normal operation, you may have to restart (reboot) your computer.

To close unresponsive programs and restart your computer:

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

- OR -

If your computer does not respond, turn it off, wait ten seconds, then turn it on again. You are done.

Important

If your computer does not turn off, press and hold the power button for

about five seconds, then release it.

5 Click Start, Shut Down, click the arrow to open the What do you want the computer

to do? list, click Restart, then click OK.

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

CHAPTER 2: Using Your Computer

Using the keyboard

Premium multimedia keyboard features

The keyboard has several different types of keys and buttons. Your keyboard also has status indicators that show which keyboard feature is active.

Function keys

Editing buttons

Internet buttons

Audio playback buttons

Navigation keys

Indicators

Internet buttons

Windows keys Application key Directional keys Numeric keypad

Feature Icon Description

Editing buttons Press these buttons to copy, cut, and paste.

Function keys Press these keys to start program actions. Each program uses different function keys for

Internet buttons Press these buttons to launch your Internet home page, search, or e-mail programs.

Audio playback buttons

Navigation keys Press these keys to move the cursor to the beginning of a line, to the end of a line, up the

Indicators Show if your NUM LOCK, CAPS LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK keys are activated. Press the

Windows keys Press one of these keys to open the Windows Start menu. These keys can also be used in

Application key Press this key to access shortcut menus and help assistants in Windows.

Directional keys Press these keys to move the cursor up, down, right, or left.

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

Press these buttons to play your audio files and to adjust the volume.

page, down the page, to the beginning of a document, or to the end of a document.

corresponding key to activate the function.

combination with other keys to open utilities like F (Search utility), R (Run utility), and E (Explorer

utility).

Numeric keypad Press these keys to type numbers when the numeric keypad (N

UM LOCK) is turned on.

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Elite multimedia keyboard features

The keyboard has several different types of keys and buttons. Your keyboard also has status indicators that show which keyboard feature is active.

Sleep button Internet buttons Audio playback buttons

Function keys

Windows keys

Application key

Navigation keys

Numeric keypad

Feature Icon Description

Sleep button Press this button to activate your computer’s Sleep (power-saving) mode.

Indicators

Function keys Press these keys to start program actions. Each program uses different function keys

Application buttons Press these buttons to launch your Internet home page, search for files, or launch the

Audio playback buttons

Indicators Show if your NUM LOCK, CAPS LOCK, or SCROLL LOC K keys are activated. Press the

Windows keys Press one of these keys to open the Windows Start menu. These keys can also be used

Application key Press this key to access shortcut menus and help assistants in Windows.

Editing buttons Press these buttons to copy, cut, and paste.

Navigation keys Press these keys to move the cursor to the beginning of a line, to the end of a line, up

Numeric keypad Press these keys to type numbers when the numeric keypad (N

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

calculator program.

Press these buttons to play your audio files and to adjust the volume.

corresponding key to activate the function.

in combination with other keys to open utilities like F(Search utility), R (Run utility), and E (Explorer utility).

the page, down the page, to the beginning of a document, or to the end of a document. Press the arrow keys to move the cursor.

UM LOCK) is turned on.

Using the mouse

The mouse is a device that controls the pointer movement on the computer display. This illustration shows the standard mouse.

CHAPTER 2: Using Your Computer

Scroll wheel

Left button

Right button

As you move the mouse, the pointer (arrow) on the display moves in the same direction.

You can use the left and right buttons on the mouse to select objects on the display. You can use the scroll wheel on the mouse to move through a document. This feature is not

available in all programs.

To... Do this...

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Move the pointer on the computer display

Select an object on the computer display

Start a program or open a file or folder

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

Move an object on the computer display.

click

(hold)

click

click,

click, click

click

and drag

click

Move the mouse around on the mouse pad. If you run out of space on your mouse pad and need to move the pointer farther, pick up the mouse, set it down in the middle of the mouse pad, then continue moving the mouse.

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

Position the pointer over the object. Quickly press and release the left mouse button twice. This action is called double-clicking.

Position the pointer over the object. Quickly press and release the right mouse button once. This action is called right-clicking.

Position the pointer over the object. Press the left mouse button and hold it down. Move (drag) the object to the appropriate part of the computer display. Release the button to drop the object where you want it.

For more information about how to adjust the double-click speed, pointer speed, right-hand or left-hand configuration, and other mouse settings, see “Changing the mouse settings” on

page 124. For instructions on how to clean the mouse, see “Cleaning the mouse” on page 131.

Adjusting the volume

Help

For more information about adjusting the volume, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type adjusting volume in the Search box, then press E

You can adjust volume using your speakers’ controls or the Windows volume controls. You can also adjust the volume of specific sound devices in your computer.

To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:

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

-OR-

Use the mute and volume control buttons on the keyboard. For more information, see

“Using the keyboard” on page 12.

NTER.

CHAPTER 2: Using Your Computer

To adjust the overall volume from Windows:

1 Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control Panel

is in Category View, click

Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.

2 Click/Double-click the Adjust the system volume or Sounds and Audio Devices. The Sounds

and Audio Devices Properties dialog box opens.

3 Click the Volume tab.

4 Drag the Device Volume slider to change the volume or click to select the Mute check box,

then click OK.

To adjust device volume levels:

1 Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control Panel

is in Category View, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.

2 Click/Double-click the Adjust the system volume or Sounds and Audio Devices. The Sounds

and Audio Devices Properties dialog box opens.

3 Click the Volume tab.

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4 Click Advanced in the Device volume area.

If the device you want to adjust does not appear in the window, click the check box next to the audio device you want to adjust, then click OK.

5 Drag the volume level and balance sliders for the device you want to adjust. For more

information about the volume controls, click

6 Click X in the top-right corner of the window to close it.

Configuring the audio jacks

If the back of your computer has five audio jacks, they are universal jacks. This means that they can be used for more than one purpose. For example, the blue jack on the computer can be a stereo in jack or a stereo out jack. For more information on how each jack can be used, see your hardware reference. To use the audio jacks for something other than the default audio device, you need to configure the audio jacks.

To configure the audio jacks:

1 Connect your audio device(s) to the computer audio jack(s). 2 Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. 3 Click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices or Sounds and Audio Devices, then click

Advanced under Speaker Settings. The Advanced Audio Properties dialog box opens.

-OR-

If your computer has the Realtek Sound Effect Manager installed, double-click the Sound Effect Manager icon on the taskbar. The Realtek dialog box opens.

4 Configure the audio jacks for your speaker setup.

Options, Properties,

Help in the window.

Connecting the dial-up modem

War ning

To reduce the risk of fire, use only No. 26 AWG or larger telecommunications line cord.

Your computer has a built-in 56K modem that you can use to connect to a standard telephone line.

To connect the modem:

1 Insert one end of the modem cable into the modem jack on the back of your computer. 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 computer, then start your communications program.

CHAPTER 2: Using Your Computer

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

Important

Your computer is equipped with a built-in Ethernet port. For information about setting up a wired or wireless Ethernet network, see “Networking Your Computer” on

page 99.

Your computer has a network jack that you can use to connect to a cable or DSL modem or to a 10/100 wired Ethernet network.

To connect to a cable or DSL modem or to an Ethernet network:

1 Insert one end of the network cable into the network jack on the back of your

computer.

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

Installing a printer, scanner, or other device

Important

Before you install a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device, see the device documentation and installation instructions.

Your computer has one or more of the following ports: IEEE 1394 (also known as Firewire® or

), Universal Serial Bus (USB), serial, and parallel. You use these ports to connect peripheral

i.Link devices such as printers, scanners, and digital cameras to your computer. For more information about port locations, see your hardware reference.

IEEE 1394 and USB ports support plug-and-play and hot-swapping, which means that your computer will usually recognize such a device whenever you plug it into the appropriate port. When you use an IEEE 1394 or USB device for the first time, your computer will prompt you to install any software the device needs. After doing this, you can disconnect and reconnect the device at any time.

Help

For more information about installing peripheral devices, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type installing devices in the Search box, then press E

Parallel and serial port devices are not plug-and-play. See the device documentation for detailed information and installation instructions.

NTER.

CHAPTER 3

Using Windows XP

• Using the Windows desktop

• Working with files and folders

• Searching for files

• Working with documents

• Shortcuts

CHAPTER 3: Using Windows XP

Using the Windows desktop

After your computer starts, the first screen you see is the Windows desktop. The desktop is like the top of a real desk. Think of the desktop as your personalized work space where you open programs and perform other tasks.

Help

For more information about the Windows desktop, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type Windows de sktop in the Search box, then press E

Your desktop may be different from this example, depending on how your computer is set up. The desktop contains the taskbar, the Start button, and the Recycle Bin icon.

NTER.

Desktop elements Description

The taskbar is the bar at the bottom of the computer display containing the Start button on the left and a clock on the right. Other buttons on the taskbar represent programs that are running. Click a program’s button on the taskbar to open the program’s window.

The Start button provides access to programs, files, help for Windows and other programs, and computer tools and utilities. Click the Start button, then open a file or program by clicking an item on the menu that opens.

The Recycle Bin is where files, folders, and programs that you discarded are stored. You must empty the Recycle Bin to permanently delete them from your computer. For instructions on how to use the Recycle Bin, see “Deleting files and folders” on page 25.

The Windows Security Center icon may appear on the taskbar near the clock. The icon changes appearance to notify you when the security settings on your computer are set below the recommended value or when updates are available. Double-click this icon to open the Windows Security Center. For more information, see “Modifying security

settings” on page 65.

Using the Start menu

Help

For more information about the Windows Start menu, click Start, then click Help

and Support. Type Windows Start menu in the Search box, then press E

You can start programs, open files, customize your system, get help, search for files and folders, and more using the Start menu.

To use the Start menu:

1 Click the Start button on the lower left of the Windows desktop. The Start menu opens

showing you the first level of menu items.

2 Click All Programs to see all programs and files in the Start menu. When you move the

mouse pointer over any menu item that has an arrow next to it, another menu, called a submenu, opens and reveals related files, programs, or commands.

3 Click a file or program to open it.

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Adding icons to the desktop

Help

For more information about desktop icons, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Type desktop icons in the Search box, then press E

You may want to add an icon (shortcut) to the desktop for a program that you use frequently.

To add icons to the desktop:

1 Click Start, then click All Programs. 2 Right-click (press the right mouse button) the program that you want to add to the desktop. 3 Click Send To, then click Desktop (create shortcut). A shortcut icon for that program

appears on the desktop.

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Identifying window items

Help

For more information about windows, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type window in the Search box, then press E

When you double-click the icon for a drive, folder, file, or program, a window opens on the desktop. This example shows the Local Disk (C:) window, which opens after you double-click the Local Disk (C:) icon in the My Computer window.

Title bar

Menu bar

CHAPTER 3: Using Windows XP

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Close Maximize

Minimize

Every program window looks a little different because each has its own menus, icons, and controls. Most windows include these items:

Window item Description

The title bar is the horizontal bar at the top of a window that shows the window title.

Clicking the minimize button reduces the active window to a button on the taskbar. Clicking the program button in the taskbar opens the window again.

Clicking the maximize button expands the active window to fit the entire computer display. Clicking the maximize button again restores the window to its former size.

Clicking the close button closes the active window or program.

Clicking an item on the menu bar starts an action such as Print or Save.

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Working with files and folders

You can organize your files and programs to suit your preferences much like you would store information in a file cabinet. You can store these files in folders and copy, move, and delete the information just as you would reorganize and throw away information in a file cabinet.

Viewing drives

Help

For more information about files and folders, click Start, then click Help and

Support. Type files and folders in the Search box, then press E

Drives are like file cabinets because they hold files and folders. A computer almost always has more than one drive. Each drive has a letter, usually Local Disk (C:) for the hard drive and 3½ Floppy (A:) for the diskette drive. You may also have more drives such as a CD or DVD drive.

To view the drives on your computer:

• Click Start, then click My Computer.

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Hard drives

Diskette drive

To see the files and folders on a drive:

Disc drive

• Double-click the drive icon. If you do not see the contents of a drive after you double-click

its icon, click Show the contents of this drive.

Creating folders

Folders are much like the folders in a file cabinet. They can contain files and other folders. Files are much like paper documents—letters, spreadsheets, and pictures—that you keep on your

computer. In fact, all information on a computer is stored in files.

CHAPTER 3: Using Windows XP

Folders

Files

To create a folder:

1 Click Start, then click My Computer on the Start menu. 2 Double-click the drive where you want to put the new folder. Typically, Local Disk (C:) is

your hard drive and 3½ Floppy (A:) is your diskette drive. If you do not see the contents of the drive, click Show the contents of this drive.

3 If you want to create a new folder inside an existing folder, double-click the existing folder.

If you do not see the contents of the drive or folder, click Show the contents of this drive or Show the contents of this folder.

4 Click File, New, then click Folder. The new folder is created. 5 Type a name for the folder, then press ENTER. The new folder name appears by the folder

icon.

For information about renaming folders, see “Shortcuts” on page 32.

Copying and moving files and folders

Important

The clipboard stores whatever you cut or copy until you cut or copy again. Then the clipboard contains the new information only. Therefore, you can paste copies of a file or folder into more than one place, but as soon as you copy or cut a different file or folder, the original file or folder is deleted from the clipboard.

The skills you need to copy and move files are called copying, cutting, and pasting. When you copy and paste a file or folder, you place a copy of the file or folder on the Windows

clipboard, which temporarily stores it. Then, when you decide what folder you want the copy to go in (the destination folder), you paste it there.

When you cut and paste a file or folder, you remove the file or folder from its original location and place the file or folder on the Windows clipboard. When you decide where you want the file or folder to go, you paste it there.

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To copy a file or folder to another folder:

Help

For more information about copying or moving files and folders, click Start,

then click Help and Support. Type copying files and folders or moving files and folders in the Search box, then press E

NTER.

1 Locate the file or folder you want to copy. For more information, see “Viewing drives” on

page 23 and “Searching for files” on page 26.

2 Right-click (press the right mouse button) the file or folder that you want to copy. A pop-up

menu opens on the desktop.

3 Click Copy on the pop-up menu. 4 Open the destination folder. 5 With the pointer inside the destination folder, right-click. 6 Click Paste. A copy of the file or folder appears in the new location.

To move a file or folder to another folder:

1 Locate the file or folder you want to move. For more information, see “Viewing drives” on

page 23 and “Searching for files” on page 26.

2 Right-click (press the right mouse button) the file or folder that you want to move. A pop-up

menu opens on the desktop.

3 Click Cut on the pop-up menu. 4 Open the destination folder. 5 With the pointer inside the destination folder, right-click. 6 Click Paste. The file or folder you moved appears in its new location and is removed from

its old location.

Deleting files and folders

When you throw away paper files and folders, you take them from the file cabinet and put them in a trash can. Eventually the trash can is emptied.

In Windows, you throw away files and folders by first moving them to the Windows trash can, called the Recycle Bin, where they remain until you decide to empty the bin.

You can recover any file in the Recycle Bin as long as the bin has not been emptied.

To delete files or folders:

Help

For more information about deleting files and folders, click Start, then click

Help and Support. Type dele ting files and folders in the Search Help box,

then press E

1 In My Computer or Windows Explorer, click the files or folders that you want to delete.

For instructions on how to select multiple files and folders, see “Shortcuts” on page 32.

If you cannot find the file you want to delete, see “Searching for files” on page 26.

2 Click File, then click Delete. Windows moves the files and folders to the Recycle Bin.

To recover files or folders from the Recycle Bin:

1 Double-click the Recycle Bin icon. The Recycle Bin window opens and lists the files and

folders you have thrown away since you last emptied it.

2 Click the files or folders that you want to restore. For instructions on how to select multiple

files and folders, see “Shortcuts” on page 32.

3 Click File, then click Restore. Windows returns the deleted files or folders to their original

locations.

NTER.

To empty the Recycle Bin:

Caution

Emptying the Recycle Bin permanently erases any files or folders in the bin.

These files cannot be restored.

Help

For more information about emptying the Recycle Bin, click Start, then click

Help and Support. Type emptying the Recycl e Bin in the Search box, then

press E

NTER.

1 Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop. The Recycle Bin window opens. 2 Click File, then click Empty Recycle Bin. Windows asks you if you are sure that you want

to empty the bin.

3 Click Yes. Windows permanently deletes all files in the Recycle Bin.

Searching for files

If you are looking for a particular file or folder or a set of files or folders that have characteristics in common, but you do not remember where they are stored on your hard drive, you can use the Search utility to search by:

• Name or part of a name

• Creation date

• Modification date

• File type

• Text contained in the file

• Time period in which it was created or modified

You can also combine search criteria to refine searches. Files and folders found using this utility can be opened, copied, cut, renamed, or deleted directly

from the list in the results window.

CHAPTER 3: Using Windows XP

Using the Windows Search utility

Help

For more information about searching for files and folders, click Start, then click

Help and Support. Type searching in the Search box, then press E

To find files and folders using the Search utility:

1 Click Start, then click Search. The Search Results window opens. Click All files and folders.

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2 If you want to search by file or folder name, type in all or part of the file or folder name

in the name box in the left pane of the window.

• If you type all of the name, Search will list all files and folders of that name.

• If you type part of the name, Search will list all of the file and folder names containing

the letters you typed.

3 Click Search. When the search is completed, Windows lists the files and folders whose

names contain the text that you searched for.

4 Open a file, folder, or program by double-clicking the name in the list.

Using advanced search options

Search can find files meeting more criteria than file name. You can narrow your search by selecting the search options that you want. You can search by the:

• Date the file was created or modified.

• Size of the file.

• Type of file, such as a program or a text document.

Browsing for files and folders

A file or folder that you need is rarely right on top of your Windows desktop. It is usually on a drive inside a folder that may be inside yet another folder, and so on.

Windows drives, folders, and files are organized in the same way as a real file cabinet in that they may have many levels (usually many more levels than a file cabinet, in fact). So you usually will have to search through levels of folders to find the file or folder that you need. This is called browsing.

To browse for a file:

Help

For more information about browsing for files and folders, click Start, then

click Help and Support. Type files and folders in the Search box, then press E

NTER.

1 Click Start, then click My Computer. The My Computer window opens. 2 Double-click the drive or folder that you think contains the file or folder that you want to

find. If you do not see the contents of a folder, click Show the contents of this drive or Show the contents of this folder.

CHAPTER 3: Using Windows XP

3 Continue double-clicking folders and their subfolders until you find the file or folder you

want.

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Working with documents

Computer documents include word processing files, spreadsheet files, or other similar files. The basic methods of creating, saving, opening, and printing a document apply to most of these types of files.

The following examples show how to create, save, open, and print a document using Microsoft WordPad. Similar procedures apply to other programs such as WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel.

For more information about using a program, click Help on its menu bar.

Creating a new document

To create a new document:

1 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, then click WordPad. Microsoft WordPad starts and

a blank document opens.

2 Begin composing your document. Use the menus and toolbar buttons at the top of the

window to format the document.

Saving a document

Help

For more information about saving documents, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type saving in the Search box, then press E

After you create a document, you need to save it if you want to use it later.

To save a document:

1 Click File, then click Save. The Save As dialog box opens.

CHAPTER 3: Using Windows XP

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Save in list

2 Click the arrow button to open the Save in list, then click the folder where you want to

save the file. If you do not see the folder you want, browse through the folders listed below the Save in list.

3 Type a new file name in the File name box. 4 Click Save.

Opening a document

Help

For more information about opening documents, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type opening files in the Search box, then press E

To view, revise, or print an existing document, first you need to open it. Open the document in the program that it was created in.

To open a document:

1 Start the program. 2 Click File, then click Open.

File name

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3 Click the arrow button to open the Look in list, then click the folder you want to open. If

you do not see the folder you want, browse through the folders listed below the Look in list.

Look in list

4 Double-click the document file name. The document opens.

Printing a document

www.gateway.com

Help

For more information about printing documents, click Start, then click Help and

Support. Type printing in the Search box, then press E

To print a document, you must have a printer connected to your computer or have access to a network printer. For more information about installing or using your printer, see the printer documentation.

To print a document:

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1 Make sure that the printer is turned on and loaded with paper. 2 Start the program and open the document. 3 Click File, then click Print. The Print dialog box opens. 4 Set the print options, then click OK. The document prints.

Shortcuts

CHAPTER 3: Using Windows XP

Help

For more information about keyboard shortcuts, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type Windows keyboard shortcuts in the Search box, then press E

NTER.

The following table shows a few shortcuts that you can use in Windows and almost all programs that run in Windows. For more information about shortcuts, see your Windows or program documentation.

To... Do this...

Copy a file, folder, text, or graphic Click the item, then press CTRL + C. Cut a file, folder, text, or graphic Click the item, then press C

Paste a file, folder, text, or graphic Click inside the folder or window where you want to paste

Select multiple items in a list or window

Select multiple adjacent items in a list or window

Permanently delete a file or folder Click the file or folder, then press SHIFT + DELETE. The file

Rename a file or folder Click the file or folder, press F2, type the new name, then

Close the active window or program

Switch to a different file, folder, or running program

the object, then press CTRL + V. Click the first item, press and hold down the C

then click each of the remaining items.

Click the first item in the list, press and hold down the

SHIFT key, then click the last item in the list.

or folder is permanently deleted. The file or folder is not stored in the Recycle Bin.

press ENTER.

LT + F4.

Press A

Press ALT +TAB.

TRL + X.

TRL key,

CHAPTER 4

Recovering Your System

• System recovery options

• Drivers and applications recovery

• Recovering your system

CHAPTER 4: Recovering Your System

System recovery options

Most computer problems can be solved by following the information in “Troubleshooting” on

page 143 or at support.gateway.com

of the computer’s software (also called recovering or restoring your system). Gateway provides everything you need to recover your system under most conditions. A backup copy of your operating system is provided on a CD or DVD, and a backup copy of your factory-installed drivers and applications is saved on a hidden area of your hard drive.

We recommend that you make a backup of your factory-installed software as soon as you get your new Gateway system.

• “Drivers and applications recovery” on page 34 tells you how to record (burn) the Drivers

and Applications Recovery discs. Using a recovery disc that you have recorded is only one

of several ways you can restore your system to working order. Recovery discs let you recover your device drivers and software that came pre-installed on your computer.

If you are still having problems even after you follow troubleshooting steps, you can use Microsoft System Restore to roll back your system to a previous condition when drivers and programs worked correctly.

• “Recovering your system using Microsoft System Restore” on page 40 describes how to

return your system to a previous working condition.

If you are still experiencing problems, you may need to reinstall specific software, such as a device driver.

• “Recovering specific files and software” on page 39 describes how to install specific,

factory-installed software and device drivers.

Finally, in order to recover your system you may need to reinstall everything, including the operating system, so your computer has its original factory settings.

• “Recovering your system from the hard drive” on page 41 tells how to completely reinstall

the original factory software.

. Problem-solving may also involve re-installing some or all

Drivers and applications recovery

Your computer’s hard drive contains everything you need to completely restore your system, including Windows XP, device drivers, and other programs. You can also restore device drivers or programs by using Drivers and Applications Recovery discs, which you create. You can immediately create the recovery discs (recommended), or you can wait until later.

For more information on creating recovery discs, see “Creating drivers and applications recovery

discs” on page 34.

For more information on using your network to store and create recovery discs, see:

• “Copying drivers and applications recovery files to a network” on page 36

• “Creating discs from recovery files on a network” on page 37

Creating drivers and applications recovery discs

Important

If you are recording to CDs, make sure that they are CD-R and not CD-RW discs. If you are recording to a DVD, make sure that it is a DVD-R or DVD+R disc, not DVD-RW or DVD+RW discs.

You can use drivers and applications recovery discs to restore device drivers or programs. You can create an unlimited number of drivers and applications recovery disc sets. Before you continue, make sure that your computer has a recordable drive. If your computer does not have a recordable drive, see “Copying drivers and applications recovery files to a network” on page 36.

www.gateway.com

To record a set of drivers and applications recovery discs:

1 Make sure that you have blank discs ready. Depending on the type of recordable drive

your computer has, you need either several CD-R discs or one DVD-R or DVD+R disc.

2 Click Start, All Programs, System Recovery, then click Create My Drivers-Applications

CD(s). A message asks you if you want to “Burn ISO” (record recovery discs) or “Create

ISO” (copy the files to a drive).

3 Click Burn ISO. The Recovery CD/DVD Creator dialog box opens.

4 Click Start Creation. A message tells you the number of blank discs that are required for

the recovery disc set.

5 Click the type of recordable disc you want to use. 6 Make sure that you have the appropriate number and type of blank discs, then insert a

blank disc into the recordable drive.

Important

Use a permanent marker to label each disc “Gateway Driver and Application Recovery.” As you remove each disc from the drive, use the marker to label each disc 1 of x, 2 of x, 3 of x, and so on.

CHAPTER 4: Recovering Your System

7 Click OK. The program prepares the recovery files, then records the recovery files to the

blank disc(s).

8 If a message tells you to insert another blank disc, remove the completed disc, then insert

a blank disc.

9 When you see the message “The Recovery ISO Image has been created successfully,”

remove the last disc from the drive, then click OK.

10 Store the discs in a safe place for future use. You are done.

Copying drivers and applications recovery files to a network

You can copy driver and application recovery files to a network location, so you can burn unlimited sets of drivers and applications recovery discs from a different computer that has a recordable drive.

To copy drivers and applications recovery files to a network:

1 Click Start, All Programs, System Recovery, then click Create My Drivers-Applications

CD(s). A message asks you if you want to “Burn ISO” (record recovery discs) or “Create ISO” (copy the files to a drive).

2 Click Create ISO, then find the network location you want to save the driver and application

recovery files to.

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3 Click OK. The program prepares the recovery files, then copies them to the location you

specified.

4 When you see the message “The Recovery ISO Image has been created successfully,” click

OK. You are done.

Tip

Store your recovery (ISO) images in a folder that indicates which computer the files are for. For example, store the files for a Gateway 7200XL in a folder named

GW 7200XL Apps Recovery.

To create discs from the files you just copied, see “Creating discs from recovery files on a network”

on page 37.

Creating discs from recovery files on a network

Before you continue, make sure that your computer has a recordable drive.

To create recovery discs from recovery files stored on a network:

Important

If you are recording to CDs, make sure that they are CD-R and not CD-RW discs. If you are recording to DVDs, make sure that they are DVD-R or DVD+R discs, not DVD-RW or DVD+RW discs.

1 Make sure that you have blank discs ready. If the ISO filenames start with CD, you will

need blank CDs. If the ISO filenames start with DVD, you will need blank DVDs.

Important

Use the correct type of blank disc for the recovery (ISO) file. For example, if the recovery (ISO) file was created for a DVD, make sure you use a blank DVD+R or DVD-R disc.

2 Insert a blank disc into the recordable drive of any networked computer. You need one

blank disc for each recovery (ISO) file.

3 Click Start, then click My Computer.

CHAPTER 4: Recovering Your System

4 Open the network location of the recovery files.

5 Double-click the file for the first disc. Your media burning software opens. 6 Follow the on-screen instructions of your media burning software to complete the burning

of the recovery disc(s).

Important

Use a permanent marker to label each disc “Gateway Drivers and Applications Recovery.” As you remove each disc from the drive, use the marker to label each disc 1 of x, 2 of x, 3 of x, and so on.

7 When the disc is complete, remove that disc and insert another. 8 Repeat steps 5-7 for each recovery file until each file is recorded onto a disc. You are done.

Recovering your system

Important

If your hard drive has failed and you cannot restore the software from the hard drive, contact Gateway Customer Care for help. For a fee, Customer Care may be able to provide a set of recovery discs to restore your computer.

For more help, you can find the Gateway Customer Care contact information on the label located on the front or side of your computer.

If you have problems with your computer and you need to recover your system, you can restore specific drivers and programs from a set of recovery discs, roll back your system to a previous condition when drivers and programs were working correctly, or reinstall everything from the computer’s hard drive.

• To selectively restore device drivers or programs, see “Recovering specific files and

software” on page 39.

- OR -

• To restore your system to a previous condition when software and device drivers were

working correctly, see “Recovering your system using Microsoft System Restore” on

page 40.

- OR -

• To reinstall everything, see “Recovering your system from the hard drive” on page 41.

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Recovering specific files and software

You can perform a partial recovery by recovering specific files, such as device drivers and most pre-installed software. If you need to recover software that did not come pre-installed on your system, you need to follow the software’s own instructions for installation.

You can recover specific files using either the Start menu or a drivers and applications recovery disc that you have created.

To recover specific drivers and software:

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

The Application Recovery program opens.

- OR -

Turn on your computer, then insert the drivers and applications recovery disc #1 (if available) into the CD or DVD drive. The Application Recovery program opens.

2 Click the driver or application you want to install. To select multiple items, press and hold

TRL while clicking each item.

3 Click Next. The items you selected are installed. When the installation is finished, a message

asks you if you want to install more drivers or applications.

4 Click Yes to install more drivers or applications, or click Quit to exit. 5 Store the discs in a safe place for future use. You are done. 6 If your system still has problems, follow the directions in “Recovering your system using

Microsoft System Restore” on page 40.

CHAPTER 4: Recovering Your System

Recovering your system using Microsoft System Restore

Before using Gateway System Recovery, you should try Microsoft System Restore to determine whether you can restore your system to a previous condition.

Every time you install new device drivers or software, and every 24 hours (while your computer is turned on), Microsoft System Restore takes a “snapshot” of your system settings and saves it as a restore point. In most cases of hard-to-resolve software problems, you can return to one of these restore points to get your system running again.

To restore using Microsoft System Restore:

1 Press F1. The Microsoft Windows XP Help and Support Center opens.

2 Click Undo changes to your computer with System Restore. The Welcome to System

Restore dialog box opens.

3 Click Restore my computer to an earlier time, then click Next. The Select a Restore

Point dialog box opens.

4 Click a bold date on the calendar (Step 1 on the screen), then click a restore point in the

list (Step 2 on the screen).

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5 Click Next. The Confirm Restore Point Selection dialog box opens.

6 Make sure that you want to use the restore point you selected, and read all notices on

the screen.

7 Click Next, then follow the on-screen instructions to finish the restoration. If completing

Microsoft System Restore does not solve your problem, restart Gateway System Recovery. See “Recovering your system from the hard drive” on page 41 for instructions.

Recovering your system from the hard drive

To recover from the hard drive:

1 Get the operating system disc that came with your computer and have it ready. 2 If you can still run Windows, click Start, All Programs, System Recovery, System

Recovery, then click Yes. Your computer restarts, then the System Recovery program starts.

- OR -

Turn on or restart your computer, then press F11 while your computer is starting.

3 Insert the Operating System Recovery CD/DVD when prompted. The System Recovery

program starts.

Caution

The Full System Restore option deletes all files on your hard drive except the restore files. Make sure that you back up all personal data files before continuing this process.

CHAPTER 4: Recovering Your System

4 Click a system recovery option:

• Full System Restore (Destructive) reformats the hard drive and restores the system

software as it was when you purchased your computer. This process deletes your data files.

• Full System Restore with Backup (recommended) moves the contents of the hard

drive to the C:\My Backup folder and installs a new copy of Windows XP. This option saves your existing data files, but all programs must be reinstalled and the program settings reconfigured. You need at least 4 GB of hard drive space to use this restore option.

5 Click Next. The System Restore - Format and Recover dialog box opens.

Important

After you restore your system, it will appear with the same files and programs it had when it shipped from the factory. You still need to download Windows updates and antivirus updates to bring your computer’s software up to date.

6 Click Yes . Files are restored to your hard drive. When file recovery has finished, the System

Restore dialog box opens.

7 Click Restart. Your computer restarts, and Windows finishes its setup and installation.

CHAPTER 5

Using the Internet and Faxing

• Learning about the Internet

• Setting up an Internet account

• Using the World Wide Web

• Using e-mail

• Installing and configuring Microsoft Fax

• Sending a fax

• Receiving and viewing a fax

CHAPTER 5: Using the Internet and Faxing

Learning about the Internet

The Internet is a worldwide network of computers linked together to provide information to people everywhere. The two most popular services on the Internet are e-mail and the World Wide Web. You can access this network by connecting your computer to a telephone, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), or cable television line and signing up with an Internet service provider (ISP).

Internet Servers store information so other computers can access it from the Internet.

You r co mpute r connects to the Internet through an ISP.

ISP Servers let you connect to the Internet and access your e-mail messages.

If you want to access the Internet you need:

Important

To determine if you have an Ethernet jack on your computer, see your computer’s hardware reference. If you do not have an Ethernet jack on your computer and would like to purchase an Ethernet card, visit the Accessory Store at accessories.gateway.com

• A modem—a device that connects your computer to other computers or servers using a

telephone, DSL, or cable television line. Your computer may have a built-in dial-up telephone modem. Cable and DSL modems connect to your computer through an Ethernet jack and provide a faster connection speed than a standard telephone modem.

• An Internet service provider—a company that provides access to the Internet through an

ISP server. When you connect to an ISP, the ISP server lets you access the Internet and your e-mail messages. Check your telephone book for a list of Internet service providers available locally.

• A Web browser—a program that displays information from the World Wide Web. Microsoft

Internet Explorer was included with your computer. For more information, see “Using the

World Wide Web” on page 45.

• An e-mail program—a program that lets you create, send, and receive e-mail messages

over the Internet. Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express was included with your computer. For more information, see “Using e-mail” on page 47.

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Setting up an Internet account

Before you can view the information on the World Wide Web, you need to set up an Internet account with an Internet service provider (ISP). To set up an ISP service or to transfer an existing account to this computer, contact the ISP directly.

Dial-up Internet connections are those using a telephone system to connect to the Internet. This may include ordinary analog telephone lines, ISDN connections, and in some cases ADSL over PPP, or other technologies. Because dial-up connections are designed to be temporary connections to the Internet, dial-up charges (with both your telephone company and Internet service provider) often increase the longer you connect to the Internet. To minimize the cost for dial-up Internet users, we suggest that you only connect to the Internet during your e-mail and Web browsing session, then disconnect when you are finished. Your Internet service provider can provide instructions on how to connect to and disconnect from the Internet.

Cable and DSL modems, a connection known as broadband, use your cable television or special telephone lines to connect to your ISP and access the Internet. In many instances, broadband is considered an always-connected service. With this type of service, your cost is the same regardless of the amount of time you use your Internet connection.

Accessing your Internet account

Help

For general information about using Internet accounts, click Start, then click Help

and Support. Type the key word ISP in the Search box, then click the arrow.

The method you use to access your Internet account varies from ISP to ISP. Contact your ISP for the correct procedure.

Using the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a multimedia window to the Internet that gives you access to millions of information sources.

Information on the Web comes to you on Web pages, which are electronic documents that you view using a Web page display program called a browser. You can use any of the commercially available Web browsers, like Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

Web pages can contain text, animations, music, and other multimedia features. A group of related Web pages is called a Web site. You can access Web sites to shop, track investments, read the news, download programs, and much more.

You can explore a Web site or visit other Web sites by clicking areas on a Web page called links or hyperlinks. A link may be colored or underlined text, a picture, or an animated image. You can identify a link by moving the mouse pointer over it. If the pointer changes to a hand, the item is a link.

CHAPTER 5: Using the Internet and Faxing

To learn more about using the Web browser features, click Help in the menu bar.

Link

Web page

Linked Web page

Connecting to a Web site

After you set up an account with an Internet service provider (ISP), you can access the many information sources on the World Wide Web.

To connect to a Web site:

1 Connect to your Internet account. 2 Depending on the method you use to connect to your Internet account, you may need to

start your Web browser. Click Start, then click Internet. Your default Web browser opens showing an opening page or welcome screen.

3 To go to a different Web site, type the address (called a URL for “Universal Resource

Locator”) in the browser address bar (for example www.gateway.com), then click GO

on the browser address bar.

- OR -

On the current Web page, click a link to a Web site.

Help

For more information about connecting to a Web site, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type connecting to Web site in the Search box, then

press E

NTER.

The Web browser locates the server computer on the Internet, downloads (transfers) data to your computer, and displays the page on the site that you requested.

Sometimes Web pages display slowly. The speed that a Web page displays on your screen depends on the complexity of the Web page and other Internet conditions. Additionally, the speed of your connection will determine how fast Web pages display.

Downloading files

download. For more information, see “Protecting your computer from viruses” on page 61.

Downloading is the process of transferring files from a computer on the Internet to your computer.

To download files or programs from a Web site:

1 Connect to your Internet account. 2 In the address bar, type the address of the Web site that contains the file or program you

3 Create or locate the folder where you want to store the file on your computer. For more

4 Click the link on the Web page for the file that you want to download. 5 Follow the on-screen instructions for saving the file in the folder that you want. A copy

6 Open the folder that you created.

www.gateway.com

Caution

To protect your computer against viruses, make sure that you scan the files you

want to download, then click GO

- OR -

Click a link on a Web page to navigate to the Web site containing the file that you want to download.

information, see “Working with files and folders” on page 25.

of the file is downloaded to your computer. The time that it takes to transfer the file to your computer depends on file size and Internet conditions.

on the browser address bar.

7 Install or view the downloaded file by double-clicking it. If applicable, follow the instructions

Using e-mail

E-mail (electronic mail) lets you send messages to anyone who has an Internet connection and e-mail address. E-mail is usually a free service of your Internet account.

The Internet never closes, so you can send e-mail messages at any time. Your e-mail messages arrive at most e-mail addresses in minutes.

An e-mail address consists of a user name, the @ symbol, and the Internet domain name of the Internet service provider (ISP) or company that “hosts” that user. Your e-mail address is assigned when you sign up for an account with an ISP. For example, a person with an account with Hotmail might have an e-mail address that is similar to this one:

Help

For more information about downloading files, click Start, then click Help

and Support. Type downloading files in the Search box, then press E

provided on the Web site to run or install the program.

jdoe@hotmail.com

User name Internet domain name

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Sending e-mail

To send e-mail using Outlook or Outlook Express:

1 Connect to your Internet service provider. 2 Click Start, then click E-Mail. Your default e-mail program opens. 3 Click New. 4 Type the e-mail address of the recipient you want to send e-mail to in the To box. 5 Type the subject of your e-mail in the Subject box. 6 Type the e-mail message.

e-mail. For more information, see the help for your e-mail program.

7 When finished, click Send. Your e-mail is sent over the Internet to the e-mail address you

specified.

Checking your e-mail

Help

For more information about using e-mail, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Type e-mail in the Search box, then press E

CHAPTER 5: Using the Internet and Faxing

Tip

Most e-mail programs let you attach files, such as photographs, to your

NTER.

To check your e-mail using Outlook Express:

1 Connect to your Internet service provider. 2 Click Start, then click E-Mail. Your default e-mail program opens. 3 Click Send/Recv. 4 Double-click the message you want to read.

Tip

To protect your computer from viruses, check any e-mail attachments using McAfee SecurityCenter. For more information, see “Protecting your computer from viruses” on

page 61.

For more information about managing and organizing your e-mail messages, see the online help in your e-mail program.

www.gateway.com

Installing and configuring Microsoft Fax

This chapter describes using Microsoft Fax and your dial-up modem. You cannot send or receive a fax using a cable or DSL modem by following these instructions. Many Internet services exist that let you send or receive faxes using a broadband connection.

Your dial-up modem cable must be installed before you can send and receive faxes. You cannot use your standard telephone modem to connect to the Internet while sending and receiving faxes.

Installing Fax

Microsoft Fax lets you send and receive faxes using your dial-up modem. When Windows was originally installed on your computer, Fax may not have been installed.

To install Fax:

1 Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. Click/Double-click

Add and Remove Programs. The Add or Remove Programs dialog box opens. Click Add/Remove Windows Components. The Windows Components Wizard opens.

2 Click Fax Services, then click Next. 3 Click Finish to exit the Windows Components Wizard. 4 Click Exit to close the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP dialog box.

-OR-

Click Close to close the Add or Remove Programs dialog box.

Configuring Microsoft Fax

Important

The first time you run the Fax Configuration Wizard, you may need to provide

information in the Location Information and the Phone and Modem Options dialog boxes.

Before you send your first fax, you need to set up your user information. Your fax cover sheets and fax headers contain this information, some of which is required by law. The Fax Configuration Wizard opens the first time you try to send a fax.

To configure Microsoft Fax:

1 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, then click Fax Console.

The Fax Configuration Wizard opens.

2 On the Welcome to Fax Configuration Wizard screen, click Next. The Sender Information

screen opens.

CHAPTER 5: Using the Internet and Faxing

3 Type the information about yourself that you want to appear on your fax cover page, then

click Next. The Select Device for Sending or Receiving Faxes screen opens.

4 Click the arrow to open the Please select the fax device list, then click the modem you

are using to send and receive faxes.

5 If you want the modem to automatically answer the telephone in order to receive faxes,

click the Enable Receive check box.

6 Click Next. The Transmitting Subscriber Identification (TSID) screen opens.

Important

Some fax machines cannot use special characters such as hyphens. We

suggest using spaces instead of hyphens in telephone and fax numbers.

7 Type the transmitting fax identifier information. This identifier information is required by

law. You can type as many as 20 characters in the text box. We suggest using eight characters for your identifier name, followed by 12 characters for your telephone number.

8 Click Next. 9 If you set up your computer to receive faxes, type the receiving fax identifier information,

then click Next. This identifier information is required by law and can be the same identifier that you typed in Step 7. The Routing Options screen opens.

10 If you set up your computer to receive faxes, select a folder you want to store received

faxes in and a printer you want to print received faxes on, then click Next. The Configuration Summary screen opens.

11 Click Finish. The fax console opens.

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12 If the Windows Security Alert dialog box opens, click Unblock.

Setting up your cover page template

You can create your own cover page template that you can use in place of the cover page templates that Microsoft Fax provides for you. To create a cover page template, you use the Fax Cover Page Editor. On this template, you insert information fields that automatically import values you enter in both the Send Fax Wizard and the Fax Configuration Wizard when you send your fax.

To set up your fax cover page template:

1 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, then click Fax Cover Page

Editor. The Cover Page-Fax Cover Page Editor opens. If the Cover Page Editor Tips dialog box opens, click OK.

• If you want to include fields that are imported from the Send Fax Wizard or the Fax

Configuration Wizard (such as To or From), add them to the page by using the Insert menu, then move them to the appropriate place on your template. You can also use the Insert menu to include information that is automatically calculated (such as number of pages or date and time sent).

• If you want to include text that always appears on your cover page (such as a

letterhead or address), draw a box using the text box tool, type your text inside of it, then move the box to the appropriate place on your template.

• If you want to include a logo that appears on your cover page, copy it to the Windows

clipboard, then paste it into the Cover Page Editor and move it to the appropriate place on your template.

2 To save your cover page template, click File, then click Save As. The Save As dialog box

opens with your personal cover pages folder already in the Save in list.

3 Type the new cover page template name. 4 Click Save.

Sending a fax

Sending a quick fax

You can use the Send Fax Wizard to send a simple one-page fax to one or more recipients.

To send a simple fax:

1 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, then click Send a Fax.

The Send Fax Wizard opens.

2 On the Welcome to Fax Configuration Wizard screen, click Next. The Recipient Information

screen opens.

3 Type the name and fax number of the recipient of your fax. 4 If you need to use the area code for your recipient, click Use dialing rules to type the

full ten-digit fax number.

5 If you want to send your fax to more than one recipient, click Add and type the name

and fax number of the next recipient.

CHAPTER 5: Using the Internet and Faxing

6 When you have added all your recipients, click Next. The Preparing the Cover Page screen

opens.

7 Click the arrow to open the Cover page template, then click the cover page template

you want to use.

8 Type the subject text in the Subject line area. 9 Type the message text in the Note area, then click Next. The Schedule screen opens.

10 Select when you want to send the fax and a priority for the fax, then click Next. The

Completing the Send Fax Wizard screen opens.

11 Click Finish. 12 If the Windows Security Alert dialog box opens (see page 50), click Unblock.

Faxing from programs

To fax a document directly from most programs:

1 Open your document in the program it was created in. 2 Click File, then click Print. The Print dialog box opens. 3 Click the arrow button to open the Name list, then click the Fax printer. 4 Click Print. The Send Fax Wizard opens. 5 Complete the wizard by following the instructions in “Sending a fax” on page 51.

Faxing a scanned document

To fax a document that you have scanned:

1 Scan the document using the program for your scanner. 2 With the scanned file open, click File, then click Print. The Print dialog box opens. 3 Click the arrow button to open the Name list, then click the Fax printer. 4 Click Print. The Send Fax Wizard opens. 5 Complete the wizard by following the instructions in “Sending a fax” on page 51.

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Automatically retry sending a fax

You can set up Fax so it continues to try sending your fax if the receiving fax machine is busy. Fax is automatically set up to retry three times at ten minute intervals.

To automatically retry sending a fax:

1 Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. 2 If your Control Panel is in Category View, click Printers and Other Hardware. Click View

installed printers or fax printers. The Printers and Faxes window opens.

-OR-

If your Control Panel is in Classic View, double-click the Printers and Faxes icon. The Printers and Faxes window opens.

3 Right-click Fax, then click Properties. The Fax Properties dialog box opens. 4 Click the Devices tab, then click Properties. The Modem dialog box opens. 5 Specify the number of retries and the amount of time between retries. 6 Click OK.

Canceling a fax

You can cancel a fax that you have set up to send at a time in the future.

To cancel a fax that has not been sent:

1 If Fax is not open, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, then

click Fax Console. The Fax Console opens.

2 Click Outbox, then right-click the fax you want to cancel. 3 Click Delete to cancel the fax. 4 Click Yes.

CHAPTER 5: Using the Internet and Faxing

Automatically canceling a fax

If your computer tried to send a fax and failed to connect to a fax machine, you can automatically cancel a failed fax.

To automatically cancel a failed fax:

1 Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. 2 If your Control Panel is in Category View, click Printers and Other Hardware. Click View

installed printers or fax printers. The Printers and Faxes window opens.

-OR-

If your Control Panel is in Classic View, double-click the Printers and Faxes icon. The Printers and Faxes window opens.

3 Right-click Fax, then click Properties. The Fax Properties dialog box opens. 4 Click the Devices tab, then click Properties. The Modem dialog box opens. 5 Click the Cleanup tab. 6 Click to select the Automatically delete failed faxes after check box and specify the

number of days.

7 Click OK.

Receiving and viewing a fax

To receive and view a fax:

1 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, then click Fax Console. The

Fax Console opens. When the Fax Console is open, it detects incoming faxes and stores them in the Inbox.

2 To view a fax, click Inbox, then double-click the fax you want to view. The fax viewer

opens, where you can view and print the fax.

Protecting Your Computer

• Hardware security

• Data security

• Security updates

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6: Protecting Your Computer

Hardware security

Although you may be able to replace your computer with a call to your insurance agent, you cannot replace the information stored on your computer. Take steps to prevent theft of your computer.

Kensington lock slot

The first step in computer security is preventing your computer from being stolen. Attach a cable lock to the Kensington lock slot on the back of your computer, then wrap the

cable lock to a solid object like a desk or table. You can buy a cable lock at most electronics stores and many department stores.

For the location of the Kensington lock slot, see your hardware reference.

Data security

The second step in computer security is keeping your data safe and secure.

About startup and hard drive passwords

Tip

Make sure that you use a password you can remember. The password feature is very secure, and you cannot bypass it. If you forget your password, you will have to return your computer to Gateway so we can reset it.

Use a startup and hard drive password to keep other people from using your computer. You have to enter your password when you turn on your computer or access your files.

These passwords are set in your computer’s BIOS Setup utility. Use a password that you can remember but that would be hard for someone else to guess.

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About Windows XP user accounts

Windows lets you set up a user account for each person who uses your computer. When you set up user accounts, Windows sets up a My Documents folder for each account. You can assign a password to each account so only the account owner can access files in the My Documents folder.

Help

For more information about Windows XP user accounts, click Start, then click Help

and Support. Type user accounts in the Search box, then press E

When you set up a user account, you can also limit the programs that a user can install or run.

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Protecting your computer from viruses

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

Help

For more information about protecting your computer against viruses, click Start,

then click Help and Support. Type viruses in the Search box, then press E

Protect your computer from a virus by:

• Using the McAfee VirusScan program to check files and programs that are attached to

e-mail messages or downloaded 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 that might have a virus.

• Periodically updating the McAfee VirusScan program to protect against the latest viruses.

• Making sure the Windows Security Center is configured to provide you with the highest

level of protection.

For more information about modifying security settings, see “Modifying security settings” on

page 60.

Your new Gateway computer has McAfee SecurityCenter installed. McAfee SecurityCenter includes the following components:

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CHAPTER 6: Protecting Your Computer

• McAfee VirusScan is an anti-virus subscription service. You can use VirusScan to protect

your computer from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and hybrid attacks.

• McAfee Personal Firewall Plus blocks unwanted inbound and outbound Internet traffic to

prevent hacker attacks.

• McAfee Privacy Service protects against online identity theft by blocking the transmission

of personally identifiable information. This service also filters offensive online content (including pop-ups, ads, and web-bugs) and monitors, controls, and logs where children surf.

• McAfee Spamkiller prevents identified spam from reaching your e-mail inbox and protects

you against known Phishing scams.

Using McAfee SecurityCenter

You received your computer with McAfee VirusScan, McAfee Personal Firewall, and McAfee Spamkiller turned on and McAfee Privacy Service turned off. To turn on the Privacy Service as well as keep the other services turned on, you must connect to the Internet and register McAfee SecurityCenter when prompted.

Starting McAfee SecurityCenter

To start McAfee SecurityCenter:

• Click Start, All Programs, McAfee, then click McAfee Security Center. McAfee

SecurityCenter opens.

www.gateway.com

Scanning for and removing viruses

To scan for viruses:

1 Start McAfee SecurityCenter. 2 Click virusscan.

3 Click Scan My Computer for Viruses.

4 Click the location you want to scan, then select your scan options. 5 Click Scan.

To remove a virus:

1 If McAfee SecurityCenter finds a virus, follow all on-screen instructions to remove the virus. 2 Turn off your computer and leave it off for at least 30 seconds. 3 Turn on your computer and rescan for the virus.

CHAPTER 6: Protecting Your Computer

Updating your virus definitions

Important

To update McAfee SecurityCenter after the subscription period expires, you must extend your subscription.

You should update your virus definitions regularly to protect your computer from the latest viruses.

To update your virus definitions:

1 Make sure that you are connected to the Internet. 2 Start McAfee SecurityCenter. 3 Click Update. The McAfee SecurityCenter Updates wizard opens. 4 Click Check Now. 5 If it is time to extend your subscription, an alert appears on your screen. Click Renew my

subscription to extend your subscription and continue updating McAfee SecurityCenter.

Using Windows XP Security Center

Windows Security Center helps protect your computer through:

• a firewall

• automatic Windows updates

• third party virus protection software

• security options in Internet Explorer

Modifying security settings

To modify security settings:

1 Click Start, Control Panel, then double-click Security Center. The Windows Security

Center dialog box opens.

2 Click Internet Options or Windows Firewall. 3 For more information about the Windows Security Center, click Get help about Security

Center.

Security updates

To keep your computer secure, you need to keep Windows XP and your computer’s system software up to date.

Windows Update

If a hacker finds a way to bypass the security features built into Windows XP, Microsoft creates a high-priority Windows update to fix the problem. You should update Windows regularly to keep your computer secure.

www.gateway.com

• Express—Click Express to download high-priority updates. These updates include security

updates.

• Custom—Click Custom to download high-priority, Windows software, and hardware driver

updates. These updates include security updates.

CHAPTER 6: Protecting Your Computer

Windows XP Security Center

Use the Windows XP Security Center to schedule automatic updates. Windows can routinely check for the latest important updates for your computer and install them automatically.

To schedule automatic updates:

1 Click Start, Control Panel, then double-click Security Center.

BigFix

2 Click Automatic Updates. The Automatic Updates dialog box opens.

3 Make your changes to the schedule settings, then click OK.

Your computer may include BigFix. BigFix monitors your computer 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.

CHAPTER 7

Using Drives and Ports

• Using the diskette drive

• Using the memory card reader

• Using the CD or DVD drive

• Playing music and movies

• Creating audio files and music libraries

• Creating and editing videos

• Creating music CDs and video DVDs

• Creating and copying data CDs and DVDs

• Advanced multimedia software features

• Using Windows Media Center

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

Using the diskette drive

The optional diskette drive uses 3.5-inch diskettes (sometimes called floppy disks). Diskettes are useful for storing files or transferring files to another computer. (Your computer’s diskette drive may look different.)

Drive activity light Eject buttonDiskette slot

To use a diskette:

1 Insert the diskette into the diskette drive with the label facing up. 2 To access a file on the diskette, click Start, then click My Computer. Double-click the

diskette drive letter (for example, the A: drive), then double-click the file name.

3 To remove the diskette, make sure that the drive activity light is off, then press the diskette

eject button.

Using the memory card reader

You can use the optional memory card reader to transfer pictures from a digital camera to your computer. You can also use the memory card reader to transfer data between your computer and a device that uses memory cards, such as a PDA, MP3 player, or cellular telephone. (Your computer’s memory card reader may look different.)

Memory card reader slots Activity indicator

Memory card types

The memory card reader supports the following card types:

Card Type Slot Insert

Secure Digital

MultiMediaCard

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™

left Label facing up

SM (SmartMedia™) left Label facing down (gold

Memory Stick

Memory Stick PRO

xD left Label facing up

CompactFlash

IBM Microdrive

Each slot is assigned a different drive letter (for example, the E: and F: drives) so data can be transferred from one memory card type to another.

Using a memory card

Caution

To avoid memory card damage or errors while using a memory card, insert only

one memory card in a slot at a time.

To insert a memory card:

1 Insert the memory card into the memory card slot as indicated in the previous table. 2 To access a file on the memory card, click Start, then click My Computer. Double-click

the drive letter (for example, the E: drive), then double-click the file name.

contact area facing up)

™

left Label facing up

right Label facing up

To remove a memory card:

Caution

Do not remove the memory card or turn off the computer while the memory card reader access indicator is blinking. You could lose data. Also, remove the memory card from the reader before you turn off the computer.

Important

Do not use the remove hardware icon in the taskbar to remove the memory card.

• Wait for the memory card reader access indicator to stop blinking, then pull the memory

card out of the slot.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

Using the CD or DVD drive

You can use your computer to enjoy a wide variety of multimedia features.

Identifying drive types

Your Gateway computer may contain one of the following drive types. Look on the front of the drive for one or more of the following logos:

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

CD drive

CD-RW drive

DVD/CD-RW drive

DVD drive

DVD+RW

DVD R/RW drive

Double layer DVD+RW

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, and accessing data.

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, accessing data, and creating CDs.

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, accessing data, creating CDs, and playing DVDs.

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, playing DVDs, and accessing data.

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, playing DVDs, accessing data, and recording video and data to CDs and DVD+R or DVD+RW discs.

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, playing DVDs, accessing data, and recording video and data to CDs and DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, and DVD-RW discs.

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, playing DVDs, accessing data, and recording video and data to CDs and double layer DVD+R discs. Note: To use the double layer capability of the double layer recordable DVD drive, the blank DVDs you purchase must state Double Layer, Dual Layer, or DL. Using other types of blank media will result in less capacity.

RECORDER

DVD-RAM/-RW Drive

Installing programs, playing audio CDs, playing DVDs, accessing data, and recording video and data to CDs and DVD-RAM, DVD-R, or DVD-RW discs.

Inserting a CD or DVD

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Playing a CD

Activity indicator (location varies)

To insert a CD or DVD:

(location varies)

Eject buttonManual eject hole

1 Press the eject button on the CD or DVD drive.

Important

When you place a single-sided disc in the tray, make sure that the label side is facing up. If the disc has two playable sides, place the disc so the name of the side you want to play is facing up.

2 Place the disc in the tray with the label facing up. 3 Press the eject button to close the tray.

Important

Some music CDs have copy protection software. You may not be able to play these

CDs on your computer.

A standard Compact Disc (CD) holds an entire album of digital songs, and can be played on a CD player or your computer’s CD drive.

Use the music program or Windows Media Player on your computer to:

• Play music CDs

• Create MP3 music files from your music CDs

• Edit music track information

• Use your music files to build a music library

For more information about playing CDs, see “Playing music and movies” on page 68.

Playing a DVD

A Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is similar to a standard CD but has greater data capacity. Because of this increased capacity, full-length movies, several albums of music, or several gigabytes of data can fit on a single disc. DVDs can be played on a DVD player or a DVD drive-equipped computer.

For more information about playing DVDs, see “Playing music and movies” on page 68.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

Creating CDs and DVDs

You can use the CD and DVD burning program on your computer to copy tracks from a music CD to your hard drive, copy or create data CDs and DVDs, create music CDs, create video DVDs, and more. For more information about creating CDs and DVDs, see “Creating music CDs and video

DVDs” on page 77.

Creating audio and video files

You can create audio and music files, either from scratch or from music CDs. You can also create video files from home video. For more information, see “Creating audio files and music libraries”

on page 71, “Creating and editing videos” on page 75, and “Editing videos” on page 75.

Copying CDs and DVDs

You can copy CDs and DVDs to make backups of your data. For more information, see “Creating

and copying data CDs and DVDs” on page 83.

Playing music and movies

Playing WAV audio files

Sound Recorder is a simple Windows program that lets you record and play WAV files. WAV is the most common audio file format used for your Windows system sounds.

To play a WAV audio file in Sound Recorder:

1 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, then click Sound Recorder. The

Sound Recorder opens.

2 Click File, then click Open. The Open dialog box opens. 3 Click the file you want to play, then click Open. 4 Play the file by clicking (play), then stop playing the file by clicking (stop).

Rewind

Fast Forward

Play

Record

Stop

Playing audio and video files

Windows Media Player can play several types of audio and video files, including WAV, MIDI, MP3, AU, AVI, and MPEG formats. For more information about using Windows Media Player, click

To play a file using Windows Media Player:

1 Click Start, All Programs, then click Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player

opens.

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Help.

Video screen

2 Click File, then click Open. The Open dialog box opens. 3 Click the file you want to play, then click Open. 4 Play the file by clicking (play), then stop playing the file by clicking (stop).

Playing CDs or DVDs

Important

Some music CDs have copy protection software. You may not be able to play these

CDs on your computer.

Important

To watch a DVD you must have a DVD drive in your computer. If you do not have a DVD drive and would like to add an internal or external drive, visit the Accessory Store at accessories.gateway.com.

Help

For more information about playing CDs or DVDs, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type playing CDs or playing DVDs in the Search box, then press E

You can play CDs using Windows Media Player, and you can play DVDs using Windows Media Player and CyberLink PowerDVD.

A standard Compact Disc (CD) holds an entire album of digital songs, and can be played on a CD player or your computer’s CD drive.

A Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is similar to a standard CD but has greater data capacity. Because of this increased capacity, full-length movies or several albums of music can fit on a single disc. DVDs can be played on a DVD player or a DVD drive-equipped computer.

StopPlay

Video file information

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CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

Playing a CD or DVD using Windows Media Player

Use Windows Media Player to listen to CDs or watch DVDs. For more information about using Windows Media Player, click Help.

To play a CD or DVD:

1 Make sure that the speakers are turned on or headphones are plugged in and that the

volume is turned up.

2 Insert a CD or DVD into the CD or DVD drive. 3 If a dialog box opens with a list of CD players or DVD players, click Windows Media Player.

Windows Media Player opens.

- OR -

If a dialog box does not open with a list of CD players or DVD players, click Start, All Programs, then click Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player opens.

Play/pause

Stop

Volume

Mute

4 Click (play). If you do not hear sound or you want to change the volume, see “Adjusting

the volume” on page 15.

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Playing a DVD using CyberLink PowerDVD

To play a DVD using CyberLink PowerDVD:

Help

For more information about playing DVDs using CyberLink PowerDVD, click

Start, All Programs, CyberLink PowerDVD, then click PowerDVD Help.

1 Make sure that the speakers are turned on or headphones are plugged in and that the

volume is turned up.

2 Click Start, All Programs, CyberLink PowerDVD, then click PowerDVD. The PowerDVD

video screen and control panel open.

3 Insert a DVD into the DVD drive, then click (play). The DVD plays.

To control the DVD or adjust the volume, use the controls in PowerDVD.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

Creating audio files and music libraries

Creating music files

Help

For more information about making or playing an audio recording, click Start, then

click Help and Support. Type recording audio or playing audio in the Search box, then press E

You can create several types of audio files for your listening enjoyment, including WAV, MP3, and WMA files.

Recording WAV audio files

Sound recorder is a simple Windows program that lets you record and play WAV files. WAV is the most common audio file format used for your Windows system sounds. For information about playing WAV files, see “Playing WAV audio files” on page 68.

1 Plug a microphone into one of the Microphone jacks on your computer. For the location

2 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, then click Sound Recorder. The

NTER.

To record a WAV audio file:

of the Microphone jacks, see your computer’s hardware reference.

Sound Recorder opens.

Rewind

Play

Fast Forward

Record

Stop

3 Click (record), then speak into the microphone. 4 When you finish recording, click (stop). 5 Click File, then click Save As. The Save As dialog box opens. 6 Name the recording, specify the location where you want to save the recording, then click

Save. The recording is saved.

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Creating WMA and MP3 music files

Important

Some music CDs have copy protection software. You cannot copy tracks from these CDs.

Using Windows Media Player, you can copy the tracks from a music CD to your computer’s hard drive as WMA or MP3 files. WMA and MP3 are methods for digitally compressing high-fidelity music into compact files without noticeably sacrificing quality. WMA files end in the file extension

WMA, and MP3 files end in the file extension MP3.

To create WMA or MP3 files:

1 Insert a music CD into your CD or DVD drive. 2 If a dialog box opens with a list of CD players, click Windows Media Player.

Windows Media Player opens.

- OR -

If a dialog box does not open with a list of CD players, click Start, then click Windows Media Player. The Windows Media Player opens.

3 Click Tools, Options, then click the Rip Music tab. 4 Click the arrow to open the Format list, then click either mp3 or Windows Media Audio.

For more information on the differences between the two types of files, click Learn more about MP3 formats.

5 Click File, CDs and Devices, Rip Audio CD, then click the drive that contains the audio CD.

6 Click to clear the check box for any track you do not want to record. 7 Click Rip Music. Windows Media Player records the tracks to your hard drive as WMA files.

A progress bar appears next to each track as it is recorded.

Building a music library

Use Windows Media Player to build a music library. You can organize your music tracks (individual MP3 or WMA audio files) by categories, find a track quickly by sorting, and add information to a music file.

You can add music tracks to your music library by:

• Creating MP3 or WMA files—When you create MP3 or WMA files from the tracks on your

music CD, Windows Media Player automatically adds these files to your music library.

• Dragging and Dropping—Drag and drop files from Windows Explorer or your desktop

to the music library.

Caution

During the download process, WMA and MP3 files may become corrupt. If you are having trouble listening to, or working with, a downloaded file, try downloading the file again.

• Downloading files from the Internet—When you are connected to the Internet, WMA

and MP3 files that you download are automatically added to your music library.

Editing track information

After you add a WMA or MP3 file to your music library, you can edit the track’s information.

To edit track information:

1 Click Start, All Programs, then click Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player

opens.

2 Click the Library tab. 3 Right-click the track you want to edit, then click Advanced Tag Editor. The Advanced Tag

Editor dialog box opens.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

4 Enter track information such as Title, Artist, Album, and Genre. 5 Click OK. The new track information appears in the Windows Media Player library.

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Creating and editing videos

If your home video camera supports it, it can be connected to your computer so that you can download video from the camera as data files. You can also create video from a Web cam attached to your computer. For instructions on how to create video, see your camera’s user guide.

Editing videos

Help

For more informat ion about editing videos, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Type Windows Movie Make r in the Search box, then press E

Windows Movie Maker is a video capture program that lets you capture and edit full-motion video, single images, and audio through the IEEE 1394 port (optional) on your computer. For more information about using Windows Movie Maker, see its online help.

You may have received additional movie editing software with your computer. For more information about using this software, including additional features not available in Windows Movie Maker, see that program’s online help.

Transferring your video to your computer

To transfer your video to your computer:

1 Connect your video camera to your computer by following the camera manufacturer’s

instructions.

2 If a dialog box opens with a list of video editing programs, click Windows Movie Maker.

Windows Movie Maker opens.

- OR -

If a dialog box does not open with a list of video editing programs, click Start, All Programs, then click Windows Movie Maker. Windows Movie Maker opens.

NTER.

Windows Movie Maker recognizes your camera and the Video Capture Wizard opens.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

3 If the wizard does not open, click Capture From Video Device.

4 Complete the screens in the Video Capture Wizard, clicking Next after each one.

Caution

Video files may require a significant amount of free hard drive space depending on your settings. A one hour tape may require more than 10 GB of hard drive space for storage with additional space required for editing.

Editing your video

After your video file is captured on your computer, you can edit it. Some of the edits you can make to your video include:

• Splitting your video into more than one clip or combining two or more clips into one clip

• Trimming unwanted material from the beginning or end of your clip

• Inserting video transitions between clips

• Adding video effects

• Adding narration

• Adding music

• Adding titles and credits

For information about the editing your video, click Help, then click Help Topics in Windows Movie Maker.

Saving your video

After you finish editing your video, you can save it to one of the following places. Under Movie Tasks:

• Click Save to My Computer to save your movie to your hard drive.

• Click Save to CD to save your movie to a recordable CD.

• Click Send in e-mail to send your video as an e-mail attachment.

• Click Send to the Web to post or send your video to your Web site so friends and family

• Click Send to DV Camera to play your video back to your video camera so you can record

When you reach the final screen, Windows Movie Maker rewinds the video tape in your camera and captures it onto your hard drive.

For information about the settings in the Video Capture Wizard, click Learn more about video settings in the wizard, or click Help, then click Help Topics in Windows Movie Maker.

can watch your video on the Web.

it on tape and view it on your television.

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Creating music CDs and video DVDs

Creating a music CD

Important

We recommend that you do not use your computer for other tasks while creating

CDs or DVDs. If you record copyrighted material on a CD or DVD, you need permission from the copyright

owner. Otherwise, you may be violating copyright law and be subject to payment of damages and other remedies. If you are uncertain about your rights, contact your legal advisor.

Creating a music CD using Windows Media Player

To create a music CD using Windows Media Player:

1 Click Start, All Programs, then click Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player

opens.

2 Insert a blank, writable CD into your CD or DVD drive. 3 If a dialog box opens, click Take no action, then click OK. 4 Click the Burn tab. The Select files to burn window opens.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

5 Click Edit Playlist. The Edit Playlist dialog box opens.

6 Click songs in the left column to add them to the playlist. After all the songs are added to

your list, click OK.

7 Click Start Burn.

Creating a music CD using CyberLink Power2Go

To create a music CD:

1 Insert a blank, writable CD into your CD or DVD drive. 2 If a dialog box opens, click Take no action, then click OK. 3 Click Start, All Programs, CyberLink DVD Solution, Power2Go, then click Power2Go.

Power2Go opens along with the Select a Burning Task dialog box.

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4 Click Music Disc in the left column, select CD in the right column, then click OK. The Select

a Burning Task dialog box closes.

5 In the top pane, browse to the folder that contains the files or folders you want to burn

to the CD, then click to select the file or folder. Press and hold the C files.

TRL key to select multiple

6 Drag the files or folders into the bottom pane. 7 After you select all your files, click . The Configuration/Information dialog box opens.

8 If you have one CD burner, click Burn. The Burning dialog box opens and Power2Go burns

the files to the CD.

-OR-

If you have more than one CD burner, select the burner, then click Burn. The Burning dialog box opens and Power2Go burns the files to the CD.

9 When a message tells you that the recording is complete, click OK to start the LabelPrint

program or click Cancel to return to Power2Go.

Creating a video DVD

You can create a video DVD using CyberLink Power2Go. If your operating system is Windows XP Media Center, you can also use Media Center to record a video DVD.

TV programs that have been recorded with Media Center can be recorded to DVD and replayed on another Media Center computer or on a non-Media Center computer that has a DVD player and DVD decoder software (such as PowerDVD) installed. The non-Media Center computer must also have Windows XP with Service Pack (SP) 1 or 2, Windows Media Player 9 or later, and the Windows patch Q810243 Update.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

Creating a video DVD using CyberLink Power2Go

To create a video DVD using Cyberlink Power2Go:

1 Insert a blank, writable DVD into your DVD drive. 2 If a dialog box opens, click Take no action, then click OK.

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3 Click Start, All Programs, CyberLink DVD Solution, Power2Go, then click Power2Go.

Power2Go opens along with the Select a Burning Task dialog box.

4 Click Video/Photo Disc in the left column, select your disc type in the right column, then

click OK. The Select a Burning Task dialog box closes.

5 Click the Add Files button. The Open dialog box opens. 6 Browse to the folder that contains the video files you want to burn to the DVD. Click to

select the file(s). Press and hold the C

TRL key to select multiple files.

7 Click Import. The video files appear in the Video pane. 8 Click the icon next to the Background Image box to select the image that appears behind

your menu.

9 Click the icon next to the Background Music box to select the music that plays while your

menu appears.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

10 Type the title you want to appear on your menu in the Menu Caption Text box. 11 After you set up your DVD, click . The Configuration/Information dialog box opens.

12 Click the Video tab, then select the television and audio format for your DVD. 13 Click the Burner tab. 14 If you have one DVD burner, click Burn. The Burning dialog box opens and Power2Go burns

the files to the DVD.

-OR-

If you have more than one DVD burner, select the burner, then click Burn. The Burning dialog box opens and Power2Go burns the files to the CD or DVD.

15 When a message tells you that the recording is complete, click OK to start the LabelPrint

program or Cancel to return to Power2Go.

Creating a video DVD using Windows Media Center

To create a video DVD using Windows Media Center:

Important

We recommend that you do not use your computer for other tasks while creating CDs or DVDs.

If you record copyrighted material on a CD or DVD, you need permission from the copyright owner. Otherwise, you may be violating copyright law and be subject to payment of damages and other remedies. If you are uncertain about your rights, contact your legal advisor.

1 Insert a blank, writable DVD-R or DVD-RW disc into your recordable DVD drive. 2 Press the Start button on the remote control. Media Center starts.

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3 Click More Programs, then click Create CD/DVD.

4 Click Video DVD, then click OK.

5 Follow the on-screen prompts to finish burning the DVD. For more information, click the

Media Center’s Help icon.

Creating and copying data CDs and DVDs

Creating a data CD or DVD

To create a data CD or DVD:

Important

Some CDs have copy protection software. You cannot create MP3 files from

these CDs and you may not be able to listen to these CDs on your computer.

1 Insert a blank, writable CD or DVD into your CD or DVD drive. 2 If a dialog box opens, click Take no action, then click OK.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

3 Click Start, All Programs, CyberLink DVD Solution, Power2Go, then click Power2Go.

Power2Go opens along with the Select a Burning Task dialog box.

4 Click Data Disc in the left column, select your disc type in the right column, then click OK.

The Select a Burning Task dialog box closes.

5 In the top pane, browse to the folder that contains the files or folders you want to burn

to the CD or DVD, then click to select the file or folder. Press and hold the CTRL key to select multiple files.

6 Drag the files or folders into the bottom pane.

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7 After you select all your files, click . The Configuration/Information dialog box opens.

8 If you have one CD or DVD burner, click Burn. The Burning dialog box opens and Power2Go

burns the files to the CD or DVD.

-OR-

If you have more than one CD or DVD burner, select the burner, then click Burn. The Burning dialog box opens and Power2Go burns the files to the CD or DVD.

9 When a message tells you that the recording is complete, click OK to start the LabelPrint

program or Cancel to return to Power2Go.

Copying a CD or DVD

To copy a disc:

1 Click Start, All Programs, CyberLink DVD Solution, Power2Go, then click Power2Go.

Power2Go opens along with the Select a Burning Task dialog box.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

2 Click Copy disc in the left column, then click OK. The Copy Disc dialog box opens.

3 Insert the music CD, data CD, or data DVD you want to copy into your CD or DVD drive. 4 Click the arrow to open the From list, then click the drive that contains your source disc. 5 Click the arrow to open the To list, then click your recordable CD or DVD drive.

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6 Click Copy. The Burning dialog box opens.

If you are using one drive, Power2Go copies the tracks or files to your hard drive. If you are using two drives, Power2Go copies the tracks from the source disc to the blank, recordable disc.

7 If you are using one drive, a message prompts you to insert a CD or DVD. Remove the

source CD or DVD, insert a blank, writable CD or DVD, then wait for the message box to close. Power2Go copies the files from your hard drive to the writable CD or DVD.

8 When a message tells you that the recording is complete, click OK.

Advanced multimedia software features

Windows Media Player advanced features

You can use Windows Media Player to transfer WMA and MP3 files to your portable music player, to listen to Internet radio, and to watch Internet TV. For more information, see the Windows Media Player online help.

CyberLink Power2Go advanced features

Power2Go includes the following disc utilities:

• Burn Disc Image and Save Disc Image create an exact image of a disc on your hard drive

and then burn that exact image onto a disc.

• Erase Disc erases a rewritable disc.

• Rip Audio copies audio tracks from an audio CD to your hard drive as an MP3, WAV, or

WMA file.

• Audio Converter converts an audio file to a different audio format.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

Using Windows Media Center

If your computer came with Windows Media Center installed and with a Media Center remote control (optional), you can use the remote control to watch TV, videos, and DVDs, to listen to music, and to view photos. (The remote control included with your Media Center may look different.) For detailed setup information, see your Media Center setup poster.

Shortcut buttons

Audio/Video (A/V) control

Numeric keypad/data entry buttons

buttons

Start button

Power button

Transport buttons

Navigation buttons

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Button(s) Functions

Shortcut buttons Give you direct access to Media Center features.

Start button Opens the Media Center’s main menu.

Audio/Video (A/V) control buttons

Numeric keypad/data entry button

Power button Puts the Media Center computer in Standby mode (reduced power).

Transport buttons Let you replay recorded (buffered) TV and radio programs and play the

Navigation buttons

To use the Media Center remote control:

Control volume levels, volume mute, channel selections, and the DVD menu.

Lets you enter numbers and characters from the remote control.

CD and DVD player.

Let you move the cursor around the Guide and menus, make selections, navigate back to the previous screen, change the screen display aspect ratio, and get more information. Press the OK button to make a selection.

1 Press the Start button on the remote control. The Media Center software starts. 2 Use the remote control navigation buttons to select a Media Center menu option, then press

OK.

Manually updating the Media Center Program Guide

Important

Media Center requires Internet access to update the Media Center Program Guide. Make sure that you connect to the Internet before continuing the manual Program Guide update instructions.

You can use the Media Center Guide to view TV program schedules, search for programs by genre, schedule up program recordings, and more. When you first use the Media Center setup wizard, the Program Guide is set up to automatically download program information from your cable or satellite service provider. However, on occasion, you may need to update the Program Guide manually.

To manually update the Media Center Program Guide:

1 Before starting Media Center, make sure that you are connected to the Internet. 2 Press the Start button on the remote control. Media Center starts. 3 Navigate to Settings, then press OK. The Settings menu opens. 4 Navigate to TV, then press OK. 5 Navigate to Guide, then press OK. 6 Navigate to Get guide data, then press OK. The Guide Data dialog box opens. 7 Select Yes, then press OK. Media Center downloads the Program Guide updates.

CHAPTER 7: Using Drives and Ports

CHAPTER 8

Networking Your Computer

• Introduction to Networking

• Creating an Ethernet network

• Testing your network

• Sharing resources

• Using the network

• Adding a printer to your network

CHAPTER 8: Networking Your Computer

Introduction to Networking

An Ethernet network consists of two or more computers connected together through an Ethernet cable. This connection type is commonly used in offices around the world and can be used to build computer networks in the home.

Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, or Gigabit Ethernet

Important

Check local code requirements before installing Ethernet cable or other wiring in your home or office. Your municipality may require you to obtain a permit and hire a licensed installer.

Ethernet is available at three different speeds. Standard Ethernet runs at 10 Mbps, Fast Ethernet runs at 100 Mbps, and Gigabit Ethernet runs at 1000 Mbps. Most home networks are built using Standard or Fast Ethernet components. Business networks are typically built using Fast or Gigabit Ethernet components.

To create an Ethernet network, you or your electrician must install special Ethernet cables in your home or office.

Using a router

The most common way to set up an Ethernet network is Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) using a router. A DHCP network configuration uses a router to automatically assign IP addresses to each computer or network device. For information on setting up a router, see the router’s documentation.

Example router-based Ethernet network

The following is an example of an Ethernet network. The network is made up of a router, a cable or DSL modem, your computers, and cables connecting each of these components. The router is the central control point for the network.

Tip

To add the ability to access a wireless Ethernet network to your wired Ethernet network, connect an access point to the router or use a router that has a built-in access point.

Gateway computer User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Getting Help

Thank you for purchasing our computer!

Using the Gateway Web site

Using Help and Support

To start Help and Support:

Searching for a topic

Getting help in Media Center

To access Media Center help:

Using online help

Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity

Using Your Computer

Working safely

Reducing eye strain

Setting up your computer desk and chair

Setting up your computer and computer accessories

Sitting at your computer

Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain

Protecting from power source problems

Checking the voltage selection

To set the voltage selection switch:

Starting your computer

To start your computer:

Waking up your computer

Turning off your computer

To turn off your computer:

Restarting (rebooting) your computer

To close unresponsive programs and restart your computer:

Using the keyboard

Premium multimedia keyboard features

Elite multimedia keyboard features

Using the mouse

Adjusting the volume

To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:

To adjust the overall volume from Windows:

To adjust device volume levels:

Configuring the audio jacks

To configure the audio jacks:

Connecting the dial-up modem

To connect the modem:

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

To connect to a cable or DSL modem or to an Ethernet network:

Installing a printer, scanner, or other device

Using Windows XP

Using the Windows desktop

Using the Start menu

To use the Start menu:

Adding icons to the desktop

To add icons to the desktop:

Identifying window items

Working with files and folders

Viewing drives

To view the drives on your computer:

To see the files and folders on a drive:

Creating folders

To create a folder:

Copying and moving files and folders

To copy a file or folder to another folder:

To move a file or folder to another folder:

Deleting files and folders

To delete files or folders:

To recover files or folders from the Recycle Bin:

To empty the Recycle Bin:

Searching for files

Using the Windows Search utility

To find files and folders using the Search utility:

Using advanced search options

Browsing for files and folders

To browse for a file:

Working with documents

Creating a new document

To create a new document:

Saving a document

To save a document:

Opening a document

To open a document: