Gateway M500 User Manual
Gateway M500 Notebook
user'sguide
Customizing
Troubleshooting
Contents
1Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Connecting and starting your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Care and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Taking care of your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Taking care of your AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Taking care of your battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cleaning and servicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2 Getting Familiar with Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
LCD panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Special keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Keyboard ergonomics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Touchpad basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Multi-function buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Optical drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Connectivity options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Ethernet and LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Fax/data modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Wireless communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Fast infrared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
AV control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Securing your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Security slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
i
3 Managing Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Using the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Using the battery for the first time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Installing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Removing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Checking the charge level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Optimizing battery life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Battery-low warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Power management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
4 Using Peripheral Devices and Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
External monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Using simultaneous display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
S-Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
External keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
External pointing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Audio devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
PC Card slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
USB devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
IEEE 1394 devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Miscellaneous options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Additional AC adapters and batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Key component upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Memory upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Hard drive upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
5 Moving with Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Disconnecting from peripheral devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Moving around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Preparing your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
What to bring to short meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
What to bring to long meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Taking the notebook home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Preparing your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
What to bring with you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Special considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
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Setting up a home office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Traveling with your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Preparing your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
What to bring with you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Special considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Traveling internationally with your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Preparing your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
What to bring with you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Special considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
6 Using Installed Programs and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
System software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Launch Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
BIOS Setup utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Setting a password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
7 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Frequently-asked questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Telephone support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Before calling Gateway Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Telephone numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Tutoring and training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Self-help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
A Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Data storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Display and video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Keyboard and pointing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
I/O ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Weight and dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
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B Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
iv
Getting Started
Read this chapter to learn how to:
■ Connect and start your notebook
■ Care for your notebook
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Chapter 1: Getting Started
Connecting and starting your notebook
To connect and start your notebook:
1 Turn your notebook over so the bottom is facing up.
2 Insert the battery at an angle (1), press gently on the battery (2) until it
clicks into place. Then slide the battery lock latch into the locked
position 3).
Important When using a battery for the first time, fully recharge the
battery, then disconnect the adapter to use up the battery
charge before recharging again. Perform this action twice
to condition the battery.
2
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Connecting and starting y our notebook
3 Connect one end of the AC adapter to the power connector on the back
of your notebook and the other end to a correctly grounded electrical
outlet.
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3
Chapter 1: Getting Started
4 Slide the cover release latch to the left (1) to open the LCD panel (2). Press
the power button (3) to turn on the power. The POST (power-on self-test)
routine executes and Windows begins loading.
Important T o turn off y our notebook, we recommend that y ou use the
Windows Turn Off option to shut down your notebook. If
you are unab le to shut down y our notebook normally, press
and hold the power button for more t han four s econd s to
turn off your notebook. If you tur n off your notebook and
want to turn it on again, wait at least two seconds before
turning it on.
4
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Care and maintenance
T aking care of y our notebook
■ Do not expose your notebook to direct sunlight. Do not place it near
sources of heat, such as a radiator.
■ Do not expose your notebook to temperatures below 32ºF (0ºC) or above
122ºF (50ºC).
■ Do not subject your notebook to magnetic fields.
■ Do not expose your notebook to rain or moisture.
■ Do not spill water or any liquid on your notebook.
■ Do not subject your notebook to heavy shock and vibration.
■ Do not expose your notebook to dust and dirt.
■ Never place objects on top of your notebook.
■ Never place your notebook on uneven surfaces.
Care and maintenance
T akin g care of your A C adapter
■ Do not connect the adapter to any other device.
■ Do not step on the power cord or place heavy objects on top of it. Carefully
route the power cord and any cables away from all potential traffic.
■ When unplugging the power cord, do not pull on the cord itself. Instead,
pull on the plug.
■ The total ampere ratings of the equipment plugged into an extension cord
should not exceed the ampere rating of the cord.
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Chapter 1: Getting Started
T aking care of y our battery
■ Use only batteries of the same kind as replacements. Turn off your
notebook before removing or replacing batteries.
■ Do not tamper with batteries. Keep them away from children.
■ Dispose of used batteries according to local regulations. Recycle if at all
possible.
Cleaning and servicing
To clean your notebook:
1 Turn off your notebook, then remove the battery.
2 Disconnect the AC adapter.
3 Use a soft cloth moistened with water. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners.
Contact Gateway if any of the following occurs:
■ Your notebook has been dropped or the case has been damaged.
■ Liquid has been spilled into your notebook.
■ Power cords or plugs are damaged.
6
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Getting Familiar
with Your
Notebook
Read this chapter to learn about:
■ Components, ports, and jacks
■ Features of your notebook
2
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
Top
# Item Icon Description
1 LCD panel Displays notebook output.
2 Status indicators LEDs (light-emitting diodes) that turn on and
off to show the status of you r notebook and its
functions and components.
3 AV control panel Control buttons for playing audio/video media.
4 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which
functions like a mouse.
5 Palm rest Comfortable support area for your ha nds when
you use your notebook.
8
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# Item Icon Description
6 Speakers Output sound.
Top
7 Touchpad buttons
(left and right)
8 Keyboard Inputs data into your notebook.
9 Multi-function buttons Buttons for ope ning frequently use d programs.
10 Power button Turns on your notebook power.
11 Microphone Inputs sounds and voices into your notebook.
The left and right buttons function like the left
and right mouse butto ns.
See “Multi-function buttons” on page 29 for
more details.
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
Front
# Item Description
1 Battery bay Insert the battery into this bay.
2 Eject button Press to eject the CD or DVD.
3 DVD/CD-RW drive
indicator
4 DVD/CD-RW drive Inser t CDs or DVDs into th is drive.
5 IR sensor Sends and receives data for an IR (infrared)
6 Subwoofer The subwoofer is located in this bay.
7 Cover release latch Slide the release latch to the left to open your
This LED lights up when the DVD/CD-RW drive is
in use.
device, such as an IR p rinter.
notebook.
10
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Left
# Item Icon Description
1 Hard drive bay The hard drive is located in this bay.
2 PC Card slot Inser t one Type II 16-bit PC Card or 32-bit
CardBus PC Card into this slot.
3 PC Card eject butto n Press to remove the PC Card from the PC card
slot.
4 SD memory card slot Insert an SD (Secured Digital) memory card
into this s lot.
Left
5 Kensington™ lock slot Secure your notebook to an object by
connecting a K ensing ton cabl e lock t o this slot.
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
Right
# Item Icon Description
1 USB ports Plug USB (Universal Serial Bus ) devices (such
2 Ventilation fan Helps cool internal components. Do not block
as a USB Iom ega™ Zip™ drive, pr inter,
scanner, camera, keyboard, or mouse) into
these ports.
or insert objects into these slots.
12
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Back
# Item Icon Description
1 Power connector Plug the AC adapter cable into this connector.
2 External monitor port Plug an external VGA monitor into this port.
3 S-Video jack Plug an S-Video device (such as a television)
into this jack.
4 Modem jack Plug a modem cable into this jack.
5 Network jack Plug a 10/100 Ethernet network cab le into thi s
jack.
Back
6 Microphone jack Plug a microphone into this jack.
7 Line-in jack Plug an audio device (such as a stereo) into
this jack.
8 Headphone jack Plug amplified speakers or headphones into
this jack. The built-in speakers are turned off
when speakers or headphones are plugged
into this jack.
9 USB port Plug a USB (Universal Serial Bus) device
(such as a USB Iomega™ Zip™ driv e, printer ,
scanner, camera, keyboard, or mouse) into
this port.
10 Parallel port Plug a parallel device (such as a printer) into
this port.
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
# Item Icon Description
11 IEEE 1394 port (4-pin) Plug an IEEE 1394® (also known as FireWire®
12 IEEE 1394 port (6-pin) Plug an IEEE 1394 (also kno wn as FireWire or
®
or iLink
camera) into this 4-pin IEEE 1394 port.
iLink) device (such as a digital video camera)
into this 6-pin IEEE 1394 port.
) device (such as a digital video
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Bottom
# Item Icon Description
1 Battery lock latch Slide to unlock the battery.
Bottom
2 Battery release latch Slide to remove the battery.
3 Battery bay Insert the battery into this bay.
4 Hard drive bay The hard drive is located in this bay.
5 Hard drive protector Protects the hard driv e from acci dental bu mps
and vibrations.
6 Memory bay The memory modules are located in this bay.
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
Features
This notebook was designed with the user in mind. Here are just a few of its
many features:
Performance
■ Mobile Intel® Pentium™ 4 Processor - M with Enhanced Intel®
SpeedStep™ technology
■ 512K on-die L2 cache
■ 15.2” 15:10 SXGA (1280x854) widescreen TFT LCD panel
■ nVidia® GeForce4 Go™ high-performance graphics chipset with 32MB
frame buffer
■ Onboard memory upgradeable to 1024 MB with 2 DDR-266 SoDIMM
■ High-capacity, Enhanced-IDE hard drive
■ Lithium-Ion battery
■ Power management system
■ Dual-display capability
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■ Simultaneous LCD and CRT display
■ LCD panel supports resolution up to 1280x854
■ VGA monitor supports resolution up to 2048x1536
■ Embedded TV encoder supports resolution up to 1024x768
Multimedia
■ AV control panel
■ Playback MP3 through SD, HDD, or Audio CD with system off
■ Audio Codec support stereo 18-bit ADC/20-bit DAC
■ AC’97 2.2 compliant stereo audio
■ Headphone jack
■ Enhanced audio system with 2 speakers and a subwoofer
■ Built-in microphone
■ Slot-loading DVD/CD-RW drive
■ S-Video output jack
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Connectivity
■ High-speed fax/data software modem
■ Onboard PCI 10/100 Mbps LAN support
■ Fast infrared wireless communication
■ 3 USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports (2.0)
■ 2 IEEE 1394 ports (one unpowered 4-pin port and one powered 6-pin port)
■ 802.11b wireless LAN
Human-centric design and er gonomics
■ Sleek, smooth, and stylish design
■ Full-sized keyboard
■ Ergonomically-centered touchpad pointing device
■ Multi-function buttons
Expansion
■ Upgradeable memory
Features
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
LCD panel
The graphics display offers excellent viewing, display quality, and
desktop-performance graphics. Your notebook supports a widescreen Thin-Film
Transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD) displaying up to 16.7 million colors
at 1280 × 854 Super eXtended Graphics Array (SXGA) resolution.
Simultaneous displa y
Your notebook’s crisp display and multimedia capabilities are great for giving
presentations. If you prefer, you can also connect an external monitor when
giving presentations. This notebook supports simultaneous LCD and CRT
display. Simultaneous display allows you to control the presentation from your
notebook and at the same time face your audience. You can also connect other
output display devices such as LCD projection panels for large-audience
presentations.
Power mana gement
The power management system incorporates an “automatic LCD dim” feature
that automatically dims the LCD when your notebook is powered by a battery
to conserve battery power. See “Managing Power” on page 45 for more
information on power management features.
Opening and closing the LCD panel
To open the display, slide the cover release latch to the left and lift up the LCD
panel, then tilt it to a comfortable viewing position. See “Connecting and
starting your notebook” on page 2. Your notebook employs a microswitch that
turns off the LCD panel (enters Standby mode) to conserve power when you
close the LCD panel, and turns it back on when you open the LCD panel.
Important If an external monitor is connected, your notebook turns
off the LCD panel (but does not enter Standb y mode) when
you close the LCD panel.
To close the LCD panel, fold it down gently until the cover release latch clicks
into place.
Warning T o avoid damaging the LCD panel, do not slam it when you
close it. Also, do not place any object o n top of your
notebook when the LCD panel is closed.
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Status indicators
Your notebook has seven easy-to-read status indicators (LEDs) under the LCD
panel.
Status indicators
The Power and Standby indicators are visible even when you close the LCD
panel so you can see the status of your notebook while the cover is closed.
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
# Item Icon Description
1 Wireless
communication
2 Power Lights when your notebook is on.
3 Standby Blinks when notebook enters Hibernation
4 Media activity Lights when the hard drive or DVD/CD-RW
5 Battery charge Lights when the battery is being charged.
6 Caps Lock Lights when Caps Lock is activated.
7Num lock
FN+F11)
(
Lights when the W ireless LA N capabili ties are
enabled.
Blinks when a batter y-low co ndition oc curs.
mode.
drive is acti ve.
Lights when Numeric Lock is activated.
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Keyboard
The keyboard has full-sized keys with an embedded keypad, separate cursor
keys, two Windows keys, and twelve function keys.
Special keys
Lock keys
The keyboard has three lock keys which you can toggle on and off.
Keyboard
Lock Description
Caps Lock When Caps Lock is on, all alphabetic characters typed
are in uppercase.
Num Lock
FN+F11)
(
Scroll Lock
(Fn+F12)
When Num Lock is on, the embedded keypad is in
numeric mode. The keys function as a calculator
(complete with the arithmetic operators +, -, *, and /). U se
this mode wh en you need t o do a lot of numeric d ata
entry. A better solution would be to connect an external
keyboard. See “External keyboard” on page 56.
When Scroll Lock is on, the screen moves one line up
or down when yo u pre ss ↑ or ↓ respec tively. Scroll L ock
does not work with some programs.
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
Embedded numer ic keypad
The embedded numeric keypad functions like a desktop numeric keypad. It is
indicated by small characters located on the upper-right corner of the key caps.
To simplify the keyboard legend, cursor-control key symbols are not printed
on the keys
Desired Access Num Lock On Num Lock Off
Number keys on
embedded keypad
Cursor-control keys
on embedded keypad
Main keyboa rd key s Hold
Important If an external ke yboa rd is connecte d to yo ur notebook , the
Num Lock feature automatically shifts from the internal
keyboard to the external keyboard.
T ype numbers in a normal
manner.
SHIFT while using
Hold
cursor-control keys.
FN while typin g
letters on the embedded
keypad.
Hold FN while
using
cursor-control
keys.
Type the letters in
a normal manner.
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Windows keys
The keyboard has two keys that perform Windows-specific functions.
Key Description
Keyboard
Windows logo
key
Applicat ion key Opens the p rogram’s context menu (s ame as a
Start button. Combinations with th is k e y perform special
functions. Below are a few examples:
+ TAB (Activates next taskbar button)
á
+ E (Opens My Computer)
á
+ F (Finds a file)
á
+ M (Minimizes All)
á
SHIFT +
+ R (Displays Run dialog box)
á
right-click).
+ M (Undoes Minimize All)
á
Hotkeys
Your notebook employs hotkeys or key combinations to access most of your
notebook’s controls like screen contrast and brightness and the BIOS Setup
utility.
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Chapter 2: Getting Familiar wi th Your Notebook
Hot Key Function Icon Description
N+F1
F
FN+F2
FN+F3
FN+F4
FN+F5
Hotkey help Displays a list o f the hotkeys an d
their functions.
Standby Puts your notebook in
StandbyStand by mode, which
can be defined through the
advanced section of the Power
Management Properties in the
Windows Cont rol Panel.
Display toggle Switches display output between
the LCD panel, an external
monitor (if connected), or bot h the
LCD panel and external monitor.
Screen blank T u rns the LCD panel b acklight o ff
to save power. Press any key to
return.
Speaker on/off Turns the speakers on and off
(mutes the sound).
FN+ ↑ Brightness up Increases the screen brightness.
FN+ ↓ Brightness
down
Decreases the scree n brightness.
Activating hotkeys
When activating hotkeys, press and hold the FN key before pressing the other
key in the hotkey combination.
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