Gateway LX6200, LX6810 Quick Reference Guide
REFERENCEGUIDE
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Contents
Chapter 1: About This Reference . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Accessing your online User Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Gateway contact information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2: Checking Out Your Computer. . . . . 5
Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Digital media manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Media control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Multimedia panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 3: Setting Up and Getting Started . . 13
Working safely and comfortably . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Reducing eye strain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Setting up your computer desk and chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Sitting at your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain . .16
Preparing power connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Connecting to a broadband modem or network . . . . . . . . . .17
Connecting a dial-up modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Starting your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Waking up your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Turning off your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Restarting (rebooting) your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Opening the hideaway port panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using optical drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Loading an optical disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Identifying optical drive types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
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Contents
Playing discs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Creating discs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Using the digital media manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Memory card types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using the Copy button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Adjusting the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Configuring the audio jacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Installing a printer, scanner, or other device . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 4: Advanced Hardware Setup . . . . . . 35
Setting up multiple monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Using a removable hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Setting up RAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
About RAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
RAID 0 for performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
RAID 1 for security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
RAID 5 and 10 for both performance and security . . . . 38
Preparing your computer for RAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Configuring RAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Getting help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 5: Upgrading Your Computer. . . . . . . 43
Preventing static electricity discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Opening the case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Removing the left side panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Removing the right side panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Removing the front bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Closing the case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Replacing the front bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Replacing the side panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Adding or replacing memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Adding or replacing an optical disc drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Adding or replacing a hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Adding or replacing an internal hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Adding a removable hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Replacing the power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
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Adding or replacing an expansion card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Chapter 6: Maintaining Your Computer . . . . . 63
Setting up a maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Caring for your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Cleaning your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Cleaning the exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Cleaning the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Cleaning the monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Cleaning the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Cleaning optical discs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Updating Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Using BigFix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Managing hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Checking hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Deleting unnecessary files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Checking the hard drive for errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Defragmenting the hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Backing up files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Backing up files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Scheduling maintenance tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Moving from your old computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Transferring files and settings automatically . . . . . . . . . .78
Transferring files and settings manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Try these steps first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Internet and networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Modem (cable or DSL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Modem (dial-up) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Optical discs 91
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Contents
Memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Expansion cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Checking for device problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Recovering your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Creating recovery discs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers . . . . . . . 104
Returning to a previous system condition . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Returning your system to its factory condition . . . . . . 106
Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Before calling Gateway Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Calling Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Appendix A: Legal Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
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CHAPTER1
About This Reference
• About this guide
• Accessing your online User Guide
• Gateway contact information
• Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity
• For more information
1
CHAPTER 1: About This Reference
About this guide
This guide includes information and maintenance instructions
that are specific to your model of Gateway computer. Some
illustrations in this guide may look different than your
computer because hardware options and port locations may
vary. For all other computer information, see your online User
Guide.
For more information
For more information about your computer, visit Gateway’s
Support page at www.gateway.com
on your computer’s label. The Support page also has links to
additional Gateway documentation and detailed specifications.
or the Web address shown
Accessing your online User
Guide
In addition to this guide, your User Guide has been included on
your hard drive. Your User Guide is an in-depth, easy-to-read
manual that includes information on the following topics:
• Using and customizing Windows and other software
• Controlling audio and video settings
• Using the Internet
• Protecting your files
• Playing and recording media
• Networking
To access your User Guide:
• Click (Start), All Programs, then click Gateway
Documentation.
2
www.gateway.com
Gateway contact information
See your setup poster for Customer Care contact information.
The label on the back of your computer contains information
that identifies your computer model and serial number.
Customer Care will need this information if you call for
assistance.
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 DVD, you will need to enter these numbers to
activate Windows.
3
CHAPTER 1: About This Reference
4
• Front
• Back
CHAPTER2
Checking Out Your
Computer
5
Front
Media navigation interface
Optical disc drive
CHAPTER 2: Checking Out Your Computer
Digital media manager
USB ports
Optical disc drive
(optional)
Multimedia panel
Removable hard drive
carriers
Optical drive eject
buttons
Power button/
power indicator
Backup button
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Component Description
Media navigation
Press these buttons to control media playback.
interface
Optical disc drive Use this drive to listen to audio CDs, install games and
programs, watch DVDs, and store large files onto recordable
discs. For more information about your drive, see
“Identifying optical drive types” on page 26.
Multimedia panel Connect multimedia devices to these ports and jacks.
(available ports may vary)
■
R (red) RCA jack—Connect the RCA cable for the right
channel of two-channel (stereo) audio to this jack.
■
L (white) RCA jack—Connect the RCA cable for the left
channel of two-channel (stereo) audio to this jack.
■
V (yellow) RCA jack—Connect an RCA cable for analog
video to this jack.
■
USB ports—Connect USB devices to these ports.
■
IEEE 1394 (FireWire) port—Connect an IEEE 1394 device to
this port.
■
Microphone jack—Connect an external microphone to
this jack.
■
Headphone jack—Connect headphones or external
speakers to this jack.
Removable hard
drive carriers
Install a new hard drive to one of these carriers, then back
up important files to the hard drives for removable storage.
For more information, see “Adding a removable hard drive”
on page 55 and “Backing up files” on page 76.
Digital media
manager
Insert a memory card from a digital camera, MP3 player,
PDA, cellular telephone, or other devices into the digital
media manager (memory card reader). For more
information, see “Using the digital media manager” on
page 29.
USB ports Plug USB (Universal Serial Bus) devices (such as a USB
external drive, printer, scanner, camera, keyboard, or
mouse) into these ports. For more information, see
“Installing a printer, scanner, or other device” on page 34.
Optical drive eject
Press these buttons to open the optical drive disc tray.
buttons
Power
button/power
indicator
Press this button to turn the power on or off. You can also
configure the power button to operate in Standby/Resume
mode or Hibernate mode. The power indicator lights when
the computer is turned on.
Backup button Press this button to launch the Backup Status and
Configuration program.
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CHAPTER 2: Checking Out Your Computer
Digital media manager
Memory card reader USB portsCopy button
Media control panel
Home button
Stop button
Navigation buttons Play/Pause button
Select buttonBack button Mute button Volume control buttons
Rewind/Skip back button
Multimedia panel
Right-channel stereo RCA jack Headphone jack
Left-channel stereo RCA jack Analog video
RCA jack
FireWire jack
Microphone jackIEEE 1394/
Fast forward/Skip
forward button
8
Back
Power connector
Voltage switch
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Important
Your computer’s hardware options and port locations may vary from this
illustration.
Case cover Phillips screw
PS/2 keyboard port
HDMI port
Integrated monitor
(VGA) port
USB ports
Surround left/right jack
S/PDIF output jack
Microphone jack
Headphone/
Front speaker jack
Modem jack (optional)
PS/2 mouse port
IEEE 1394/FireWire port
Ethernet (network) jack
Center/Subwoofer jack
Audio in/side speaker jack
Add-in video card (optional)
Expansion slot cover
thumbscrew
Side panel Phillips screw
Telephone jack (optional)
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CHAPTER 2: Checking Out Your Computer
Component Icon Description
Power connector Plug the power cord into this connector.
Voltage switch Make sure this switch is set to the proper
local voltage.
PS/2 keyboard port Plug a PS/2 keyboard into this port.
Integrated monitor
(VGA) port
Connect a VGA monitor to this port if the
optional add-in video card is not installed.
HDMI port Connect an HDMI video device to this port.
USB ports Plug USB (Universal Serial Bus) devices (such
as a USB printer, scanner, camera, keyboard,
or mouse) into these ports. For more
information, see “Installing a printer,
scanner, or other device” on page 34.
Surround left/right
jack (black)
Plug your rear right and left speakers into
this jack . Thi s jack is disab led when an au dio
expansion card is installed.
For more information, see “Configuring the
audio jacks” on page 33.
S/PDIF output jack Plug an optical cable from an amplifier or
entertainment system into this jack for
digital sound.
Microphone jack
(pink)
Plug a microphone into this jack. This jack is
disabled when an audio expansion card is
installed.
Headphone/analog
speakers jack (green)
-ORFront speakers jack
This jack is user configurable for one of the
following:
■
Headphone: Plug headphones or
amplified speakers into this jack
(Default).
■
Stereo out: Plug your front left and right
speakers into this jack.
This jack is disabled when an audio
expansion card is installed. For more
information, see “Configuring the audio
jacks” on page 33.
Modem jack
(optional)
Case cover Phillips
screws
10
Plug a modem cable into this jack. For more
information, see “Connecting a dial-up
modem” on page 17.
Remove these screws to remove the left side
panel.
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Component Icon Description
PS/2 mouse port Plug a PS/2 mouse into this port.
IEEE 1394/FireWire
port
Plug IEEE 1394 (also known as Firewire
devices (such as a digital camcorder) into
this 6-pin IEEE 1394 port. For more
information, see “Installing a printer,
scanner, or other device” on page 34.
®
)
Ethernet (network)
jack
Plug an Ethernet network cable or a device
(such as a DSL or cable modem for a
broadband Internet connection) into this
jack. For more information, see “Learning
about the Internet” in your online User
Guide and “Connecting to a broadband
modem or network” on page 17.
Center/subwoofer
jack (orange)
Plug your center speaker and subwoofer
into this jack. This jack is disabled when an
audio expansion card is installed.
For more information, see “Configuring the
audio jacks” on page 33.
Audio in (Line in) jack
(blue)
-ORSide speaker jack
This jack is user configurable for one of the
following:
■
Stereo in: Plug an external audio input
source (such as a stereo) into this jack so
you can record sound on your computer
(Default).
■
Stereo out: Plug your side left and right
speakers into this jack.
This jack is disabled when an audio
expansion card is installed. For more
information, see “Configuring the audio
jacks” on page 33.
Video card Plug a monitor into a port on this card. If the
card is a high-performance video card, the
expansion slot opening above the card may
be occupied by the card’s ventilation fan.
Expansion slot cover
thumbscrew
Tel e phon e jack
(optional)
Remove this screw and open the expansion
slot cover to unlock the expansion cards.
Plug the cord from your telephone into this
jack.
Cable lock slot Attach a cable lock to this slot, then attach
the cable to a solid object like a desk or table
to prevent your computer from being
stolen.
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CHAPTER 2: Checking Out Your Computer
12
CHAPTER3
Setting Up and Getting
Started
• Working safely and comfortably
• Preparing power connections
• Connecting to a broadband modem or
network
• Connecting a dial-up modem
• Starting your computer
• Turning off your computer
• Restarting (rebooting) your computer
• Opening the hideaway port panels
• Using the keyboard
• Using the mouse
• Using optical drives
• Using the digital media manager
• Adjusting the volume
• Configuring the audio jacks
• Installing a printer, scanner, or other device
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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started
Working safely and comfortably
Before using your computer, follow these general guidelines
for setting up a safe and comfortable work area and avoiding
discomfort and strain:
• Keep hands and arms parallel to the floor.
• Adjust the monitor so the screen is perpendicular to your
line of sight, and the top of the screen is no higher than
eye level.
• Place your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest.
• Keep ventilation openings clear of obstructions.
Hands and arms are
parallel to the floor
Top of screen is not
higher than eye level
Screen is perpendicular to
your line of sight
14
Feet are flat on the floor
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Reducing eye strain
Sunlight or bright indoor lighting should not reflect on the
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.
• Use soft, indirect lighting in your work area. Do not use
your computer in a dark room.
• Set paper holders at the same height and distance as the
monitor.
• Avoid focusing your eyes on your computer screen for
long periods of time. Every 10 or 15 minutes, look around
the room, 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 touchpad. If the desk is not
adjustable or is too tall, consider using an adjustable
chair to control your arm’s height above the keyboard.
• 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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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started
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.
Preparing power connections
Protecting from power source problems
Warning
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/cableTV 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.
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Connecting to a broadband modem or network
Important
Your computer has a built-in Ethernet (network) jack. For information
about setting up a wired or wireless Ethernet network, see your online User
Guide.
You can connect your computer to a broadband (cable or DSL)
modem or to a wired Ethernet network.
To connect to a broadband 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.
Connecting a dial-up modem
Warning
To reduce the risk of fire, use only No. 26 AWG or larger
telecommunications line cord.
Your computer may have a 56K modem that you can use with
a standard telephone line to connect to the Internet or to fax
documents.
To connect the modem:
1 Insert one end of the modem cable into the modem
jack on the modem at 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 If you want, connect a telephone to the PHONE jack on
the modem at the back of your computer.
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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started
Starting your computer
To start your computer:
1 Connect the power, network, mouse, and keyboard
cables to your computer according to the setup poster.
2 Press the power button on the front of your computer.
If your computer does not turn on, check the power
cable connections.
Important
Your computer has a built-in, variable-speed fan. In addition, your
computer uses a powerful processor which produces heat and has its
own cooling fan. Both the system fan and processor fan can run at
different speeds at times to ensure correct 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.
Power button
18
3 If you are starting your computer for the first time,
follow the on-screen instructions to select the language
and time zone and to create your first user account.
4 Attach and turn on any USB or audio peripheral devices,
such as printers, scanners, and speakers. See the
documentation that came with each device for its setup
instructions.
5 To open your computer’s Start menu, click (Start).
From that menu, you can run programs and search for
files. For more information on using your computer’s
menus, see “Using Windows” and “Customizing
Windows” in your online User Guide.
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Waking up your computer
Tip
For more information about changing the power button mode, see the
“Customizing” chapter in your online User Gu ide.
When you have not used your computer for several minutes,
it may enter a power-saving mode called Sleep. While in Sleep
mode, the power indicator on the power button flashes.
If your computer is in Sleep mode, move the mouse, press a
key on the keyboard, or press the power button to “wake” it
up. If the computer remains in Sleep mode, press the power
button.
Turning off your computer
Warning
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 Shut Down option in Windows to
turn off your computer, press and hold the power button for about five seconds,
then release it.
Putting your computer into Sleep mode is the easiest way to
power down your computer. Although it does not turn your
computer completely off, it does turn off or slow down most
system operations to save power, and saves your desktop
layout so the next time you restore power, the programs are
laid out just as you left them. Waking your computer from a
Sleep state is much faster than turning on your computer after
it has been turned completely off.
To put your computer to sleep:
1 Click (Start), then click (power). The computer
saves your session and partially shuts down to save
power.
2 To “wake” your computer, press a key on the keyboard
or press the power button. If the computer remains in
Sleep mode, press the power button.
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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started
To turn off your computer:
1 Click (Start), click the arrow next to the lock icon, then
click Shut Down.
2 To completely disconnect all power (such as for servicing
internal components), also disconnect the power cord.
The computer turns off.
Restarting (rebooting) your computer
If your computer does not respond to keyboard or mouse
input, you may need to restart (reboot) your computer.
To restart yo ur compu te r:
1 Click (Start), click the arrow next to the lock icon, then
click Restart. Your computer turns off, then turns on
again.
20
2 If your computer does not turn off, press and hold the
power button until the computer turns off (about five
seconds), then press it again to turn the computer back
on.
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Opening the hideaway port panels
In addition to the many ports and jacks on the back, your
computer also has ports contained within panels that can be
retracted into the case. The retractable panels are the memory
card reader and the multimedia panel.
To open the hideaway port panels:
1 Press the front edge (marked with finger grip lines) of
the panel firmly against the case until it clicks, then
release the panel.
2 To close the panels, press them back into the case until
they click into place.
Using the keyboard
The keyboard has several different types of keys and buttons.
Your keyboard also has status indicators that show which
keyboard feature is active.
Media playback
controls
Function keys Audio playback keys
Status indicators
Windows key Application
Windows key
key
Navigation keys Numeric keypad
21
CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started
Feature Icon Description
Function keys Press these keys to start program actions. Each
Audio playback
keys
Windows key Press this key to open the Windows Start menu.
Fn key Press this key in combination with keys that have
Application key Press this key to access shortcut menus and help
Navigation keys Press these keys to move the cursor and to copy,
Numeric keypad Press these keys to type numbers when the
program uses different function keys for different
purposes. See the program documentation to
find out more about the function key actions.
Press these keys to play your audio files and to
adjust the volume.
This key can also be used in combination with
other keys to open utilities like F (Find/Search),
R (Run), and E (Computer).
alternate functions defined, such as the F9-F12
keys.
assistants in Windows.
cut, and paste objects.
numeric keypad (NUM LOCK) is turned on.
22
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Using the mouse
Scroll wheel
Left button
The mouse is a device that controls the pointer movement on
the screen. This illustration shows the standard mouse.
As you move the mouse, the pointer (arrow) on the screen
moves in the same direction.
Right button
You can use the left and right buttons on the mouse to select
objects on the screen.
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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started
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...
Move the pointer
on the screen
Select an object
on the screen
Start a program
or open a file or
folder
Access a
shortcut menu
or find more
information
about an object
on the screen.
Move an object
on the screen.
Move the mouse around. If you
reach the edge of your mouse
pad and need to move the
mouse farther, lift the mouse
and place it 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.
This is called clicking.
Position the pointer over the
object. Quickly press and
release the left mouse button
twice. This is called
double-clicking.
Position the pointer over the
object. Quickly press and
release the right mouse button
once. This 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 screen.
Release the button to drop the
object where you want it. This is
called clicking and dragging.
24
For more information about how to adjust the double-click
speed, pointer speed, right-hand or left-hand configuration,
and other mouse settings, see the “Customizing” chapter in
your online User Guide. For instructions on how to clean the
mouse, see “Cleaning the mouse” on page 67.
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