Gateway ML3108, ML3109, ML3706, MT3410, MT3700 Quick Reference Guide

...
4 (1)

NOTEBOOK

REFERENCEGUIDE

®

Contents

Chapter 1: About This Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . 1

About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Accessing your online User Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Gateway contact information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Gateway model and serial number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 For more information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 2: Checking Out Your Notebook . . . . . 5

Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Keyboard area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 3: Setting Up and Getting Started . . 13

Working safely and comfortably . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Reducing eye strain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Setting up your computer desk and chair . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Sitting at your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain . 15

Connecting the AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Connecting the dial-up modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Connecting to a broadband modem or network . . . . . . . . 19 Starting your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Waking up your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Turning off your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Restarting (rebooting) your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Using the status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Key types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 System key combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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Contents

Using the EZ Pad touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Adjusting brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Adjusting the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Turning your wireless radio on or off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 IEEE 802.11 wireless network radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Chapter 4: Using Drives and Accessories. . . . . 35

Using the CD or DVD drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Identifying drive types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Using a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Using the memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Memory card types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Inserting a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Using a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Removing a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Adding and removing an Express Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Installing a printer or other peripheral device . . . . . . . . . . 41 Connecting a USB device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Viewing the display on a projector or monitor . . . . . . . . . . 42 Adjusting the display properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Using the projector or monitor for a presentation . . . . 44 Ordering accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Chapter 5: Managing Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Monitoring the battery charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Changing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Recalibrating the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Getting the most from your battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Maximizing battery performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Conserving battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Using alternate power sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Changing power modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Changing notebook power settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Changing the power plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Changing advanced settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

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Chapter 6: Traveling with Your Notebook

. . . 57

Packing your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . 58

Traveling by air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 58

Dial-up modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 58

Radio frequency wireless connections . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 59

Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 59

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 60

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 61

Additional tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 61

Chapter 7: Maintaining Your Notebook . . . . . 63

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

. . . . 64

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

. . . . 65

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

. . . . 65

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

. . . . 66

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

. . . . 66

Maintaining the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 66

Storing batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 67

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

. . . . 68

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

. . . . 68

Recovering pre-installed software and drivers . . .

. . . . 69

Using Microsoft System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 75

Recovering your system to its factory condition

. . . . . 78

Recovering your system using the Windows DVD

. . . . 79

Chapter 8: Upgrading Your Notebook. . . . .

. . 81

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

. . . . 82

Adding or replacing memory modules . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 83

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

. . . . 86

Chapter 9: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . 89

Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 90

First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 90

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 91

Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 91

Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 91

CD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . 91

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Contents

Diskette drive (external) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 DVD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Express cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 File management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Modem (cable or DSL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Modem (dial-up) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Networks (wired) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Networks (wireless) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Pointing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Touchpad or pointing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Telephone support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Before calling Gateway Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Appendix A: Legal Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

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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 notebook. For all other notebook information, see your online User Guide.

Accessing your online User Guide

In addition to this guide, your online 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:

Help and technical support

Using and customizing Windows and other software

Using the Internet

Protecting your files

Playing and recording media

Networking

To access your online User Guide:

Click (Start), All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

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Gateway contact information

Important

The labels shown in this section are for informational purposes only. Label information varies by model, features ordered, and location.

Gateway model and serial number

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

Online Support:

Tech Support Phone:

Hours:

Model:

S/No:

Microsoft Certificate of

Authenticity

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

For more information

For more information about your notebook, visit Gateway’s Support page at www.gateway.com or the Web address shown on your notebook’s label. The Support page also has links to additional Gateway documentation and detailed specifications.

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CHAPTER 1: About This Reference

4

CHAPTER2

Checking Out Your Notebook

Front

Left

Right

Back

Bottom

Keyboard area

5

CHAPTER 2: Checking Out Your Notebook

Front

LCD panel release latch

Speaker

Microphone Headphone Power Battery

Speaker

 

jack jack

indicator charge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

indicator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Component

Icon

Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LCD panel release

Press to open the LCD panel.

 

latch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speakers

 

 

 

 

Provide audio output when headphones or

 

 

 

 

 

amplified speakers are not plugged in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microphone jack

 

 

 

Plug a microphone into this jack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headphone jack

Plugamplifiedspeakers orheadphones into this

 

 

 

 

 

jack. The built-in speakers are turned off when

 

 

 

 

 

speakers or headphones are plugged into this

 

 

 

 

 

jack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Power indicator

 

 

LED on - Notebook is on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LED blinking - Notebook is in Sleep or Hybrid

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleep mode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LED off - Notebook is off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery charge indicator

LED blue - Battery is fully charged.

LED purple - Battery is charging.

LED blinking red - Battery charge is very low.

LED solid red - Battery is malfunctioning. Important: This LED only lights up when your notebook is connected to AC power or the battery charge is very low.

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Left

 

Ventilation fan

USB ports

Express Card

Memory card

 

 

 

slot

reader

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Component

Icon

Description

 

 

 

 

 

Ventilation fan

 

Helps cool internal components.

 

 

Warning: Do not work with the notebook

 

 

resting on your lap. If the air vents are blocked,

 

 

the notebook may become hot enough to harm

 

 

your skin.

 

 

 

 

 

Caution: Do not block or insert objects into

 

 

these slots. If these slots are blocked, your

 

 

notebookmayoverheatresultinginunexpected

 

 

shutdown or permanent damage to the

 

 

notebook.

 

 

 

 

Caution: Provide adequate space around your

 

 

notebook so air vents are not obstructed. Do

 

 

not use the notebook on a bed, sofa, rug, or

 

 

other similar surface.

 

 

USB ports

 

Plug USB devices (such as a diskette drive, flash

 

 

drive, printer, scanner, camera, keyboard, or

 

 

 

 

mouse) into these ports.

 

 

 

 

Express Card slot

 

Insert one Type 54 Express Card into this slot.

 

 

For more information, see “Adding and

 

 

removing an Express Card” on page 40.

Memory card

 

Insert a memory card from a digital camera,

reader

 

MP3 player, PDA, or cellular telephone into the

 

 

memory card reader. For more information, see

 

 

“Using the memory card reader” on page 38.

 

 

The memory card reader supports Memory

 

 

Stick®, Memory Stick Pro®, Mini Secure

 

 

Digital®, MultiMediaCard™,

 

 

 

RS-MultiMediaCard™, and Secure Digital™

 

 

cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

CHAPTER 2: Checking Out Your Notebook

Right

CD or DVD drive

Ethernet

Modem Monitor port

 

jack

jack

Component

Icon

Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CD or DVD drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insert CDs or DVDs into this drive. For more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

information, see “Using the CD or DVD drive” on

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

page 36. To determine the type of drive in your

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

notebook, examinethedrivetray’splasticcover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and compare the logo to those listed in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Identifying drive types” on page 36.

Ethernet jack

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plug an Ethernet network cable into this jack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other end of the cable can be plugged into

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a cable modem, DSL modem, or an Ethernet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

network jack. For more information, see

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Connecting to a broadband modem or

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

network” on page 19.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modem jack

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plug a dial-up modem cable into this jack. For

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

more information, see “Connecting the dial-up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

modem” on page 18.

Monitor port

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plug an analog VGA monitor or projector into

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this port. For more information, see “Viewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the display on a projector or monitor” on

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

page 42.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Back

Power connector

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kensington lock slot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Component

Icon

Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Power connector

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plug the AC adapter cable into this connector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kensington™

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secure your notebook to an object by

lock slot

 

 

 

 

 

 

connecting a Kensington cable lock to this slot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

CHAPTER 2: Checking Out Your Notebook

Bottom

Hard drive bay

Memory bay

Customer care/

 

 

 

 

 

 

system label

 

 

 

 

 

Battery latch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery lock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Component

Icon

 

Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery lock

 

 

 

 

 

Slide to unlock the battery. For more information, see

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Changing the battery” on page 49.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customer

 

 

 

 

 

Includes the Customer Care contact information. For

Care label

 

 

 

 

 

more information, see “Gateway contact information”

 

 

 

 

 

 

on page 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memory bay

 

 

 

 

 

Install a memory module into this bay. For more

 

 

 

 

 

 

information, see “Adding or replacing memory

 

 

 

 

 

 

modules” on page 83.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard drive

 

 

 

 

 

The hard drive is located in this bay. For more

bay

 

 

 

 

 

information, see “Replacing the hard drive kit” on

 

 

 

 

 

 

page 86.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery latch

 

 

 

 

 

Slide to release the battery. For more information, see

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Changing the battery” on page 49.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery

 

 

 

 

 

Provides power when the notebook is not plugged

 

 

 

 

 

 

into AC power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Keyboard area

Power button

Keyboard

 

 

Touchpad Status indicators

 

 

 

Component

Icon

Description

 

 

 

Keyboard

 

Provides all the features of a full-sized, computer

 

 

keyboard. For more information, see “Using the

 

 

keyboard” on page 25.

Power button

 

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

 

 

configure the power button for Sleep/Resume mode.

 

 

For more informationon configuring the power button

 

 

mode, see “Changing advanced settings” on page 55.

 

 

 

Status

 

Inform you when a drive is in use or when a button

indicators

 

has been pressed that affects how the keyboard is

 

 

used. For more information, see “Using the status

 

 

indicators” on page 23.

Touchpad

 

Provides all the functionality of a mouse. For more

 

 

information, see “Using the EZ Pad touchpad” on

 

 

page 29.

 

 

 

11

CHAPTER 2: Checking Out Your Notebook

12

CHAPTER3

Setting Up and Getting Started

Working safely and comfortably

Connecting the AC adapter

Connecting the dial-up modem

Connecting to a broadband modem or network

Starting your notebook

Turning off your notebook

Restarting (rebooting) your notebook

Using the status indicators

Using the keyboard

Using the EZ Pad touchpad

Adjusting brightness

Adjusting the volume

Turning your wireless radio on or off

13

CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started

Working safely and comfortably

Before using your notebook, 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 screen so it is perpendicular to your line of sight.

Place your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest.

Although notebooks are sometimes called “laptops,” do not use your notebook while it rests on your unprotected lap. Notebook operating temperatures can become quite high, increasing the risk of burns to your legs. Instead, use a laptop desk to protect your legs.

Do not use the notebook on any soft, conforming surface, such as your lap, a blanket, carpet, or a sofa. Soft surfaces can block your notebook’s ventilation openings, leading to overheating, permanent damage to your notebook, and fire danger. Instead, place your notebook on a rigid, hard surface, and make sure that you keep the ventilation openings on the sides clear.

Warning

Do not use your notebook on a soft surface, such as your lap, a blanket, carpet, or a sofa. You must keep your notebook’s ventilation openings clear of obstructions, or your notebook may overheat, increasing the risk of fire and personal injury.

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 screen 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 notebook in a dark room.

Avoid focusing your eyes on your screen for long periods of time. Every 10 or 15 minutes, look around the room, and try to focus on distant objects.

Where feasible, keep your head vertical while looking at the screen. If you use an external keyboard, raise the notebook so the top of its screen is no higher than eye level.

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Setting up your computer desk and chair

When you are setting up your computer desk and chair, make sure that the desk isthe 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.

Sitting at your notebook

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 elbowsform 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.

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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started

Connecting the AC adapter

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

Warning

Do not attempt to disassemble the AC adapter. The AC adapter has no user-replaceable or user-serviceable parts inside. The AC adapter has dangerous voltages that can cause serious injury or death. Contact Gateway about returning defective AC adapters.

Caution

Make sure that you use the AC adapter that came with your notebook or one of the same type purchased from Gateway. Replace the power cord if it becomes damaged. The replacement cord must be of the same type and voltage rating as the original cord or your notebook may be damaged.

Important

If the battery is not fully charged before you use your notebook on battery power for the first time, the battery life may be much shorter than you expect. If the battery life seems short even after being charged for three hours, the battery may need to be recalibrated. For information on recalibrating the battery, see “Recalibrating the battery” on page 50.

To connect the AC adapter:

1 Connect the power cord to the AC adapter.

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

3Plug the power cord into a wall outlet. The battery charge indicator turns on (see “Front” on page 6 for the location of the battery charge indicator). If the battery charge indicator does not turn on, complete the following steps until it turns on:

aUnplug the adapter from your notebook, then plug it back in.

bPress FN+F1 to toggle the status lights on and off.

4When you finish using your notebook for the first time, turn off your notebook and leave your notebook connected to AC power until the battery charge indicator turns blue.

Important

If the battery charge indicator does not turn blue after three hours, contact Gateway Customer Care at the location shown on the Customer Care label. For more information, see “Gateway contact information” on page 3.

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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started

Protecting from power source problems

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

Warning

High voltages can enter your notebook through both the power cord and the modem connection. To protect your notebook and avoid electrical shock, use 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.

Connecting the dial-up modem

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

Warning

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

To connect the modem:

1Insert one end of the modem cable into the modem jack on your notebook.

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

Important

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

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Connecting to a broadband modem or network

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

To connect to a cable or DSL modem or to a wired

Ethernet network:

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

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

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Gateway ML3108, ML3109, ML3706, MT3410, MT3700 Quick Reference Guide

CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started

Starting your notebook

Warning

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

Caution

Provide adequate space around your notebook so air vents are not obstructed. Do not use the notebook on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface.

To start your notebook:

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

2Press the power button located above the keyboard.

Power button

Tip

For more information about changing the power button mode, see “Changing advanced settings” on page 55.

3If you are starting your notebook for the first time, follow the on-screen instructions to select the language and time zone and to create your first user account.

4Attach and turn on any peripheral devices, such as printers, scanners, and speakers.

Tip

For more information about connecting peripheral devices, see “Installing a printer or other peripheral device” on page 41.

Tip

See the documentation that came with each device for its setup instructions.

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5To open the main menu, click (Start). From that menu, you can run programs and search for files. For more information on using Windows, see “Using Windows” and “Customizing Windows” in your online

User Guide.

Waking up your notebook

When you have not used your notebook for several minutes or if you close the LCD panel without turning off your notebook, it may enter a power-saving mode called Sleep. While in Sleep mode, the power indicator flashes. If your notebook is in Sleep mode, press the power button to “wake” it up.

Tip

For more information about Sleep mode, see “Changing power modes” on page 52.

Turning off your notebook

Putting your notebook into Sleep mode is the easiest way to power down your notebook. Although it does not turn your notebook completely off, it turns off or slows down most system operations to save power. Sleep mode saves your desktop layout so the next time you restore power, the programs are laid out just as you left them. Waking your notebook from a Sleep state is much faster than turning on your notebook after it has been turned completely off.

Hibernate mode is an alternative to Sleep mode. In Hibernate mode, your notebook is turned completely off. When you wake your notebook from Hibernate mode, however, the programs that were running when your notebook entered Hibernate mode are running just as you left them.

To put your notebook to sleep:

Click (Start), then click (power). The notebook saves your session and partially shuts down to save power.

-OR-

Press FN+F3.

Tip

You can change the Sleep mode from the standard Sleep mode (default) to Hybrid Sleep. For more information about Sleep mode, see “Changing power modes” on page 52.

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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started

To put your notebook into hibernation:

Click (Start), click the arrow next to the lock icon, then click Hibernate. The notebook saves your session and shuts down to save power.

To turn off your notebook:

Click (Start), click the arrow next to the lock icon, then click Shut Down. The notebook turns off.

Important

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

Restarting (rebooting) your notebook

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

To close unresponsive programs on your notebook:

1Press CTRL+ALT+DEL.

2Click Start Task Manager. The Windows Task Manager dialog box opens.

3Click the program that is not responding.

4Click End Task.

5Click X in the top-right corner of the Windows Task Manager dialog box.

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To restart your notebook:

Click (Start), click the arrow next to the lock icon, then click Restart. The notebook turns off, then turns on again.

Important

If your notebook does not turn off immediately, complete the following steps until the notebook turns off:

1.Press and hold the power button for about five seconds, then release

it.

2.Unplug the power cord and remove the battery for more than 10 seconds.

Using the status indicators

Important

Status indicators vary by model and features ordered.

Important

If none of the indicators are on, you may need to press FN+F1 to toggle the status indicators on.

Status indicators for select models

Status indicators inform you when a drive is being used or when a button has been pressed that affects how the keyboard is used. The status indicators are located below the touchpad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless network

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scroll

 

lock

 

 

Caps lock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Num

 

lock

 

 

 

 

 

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CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started

Indicator

Icon

Description

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless

 

 

LED on - Wireless IEEE 802.11 radio is

 

 

network

 

 

 

turned on.

 

 

 

(optional)

 

 

LED off - Wireless IEEE 802.11 radio is

 

 

 

 

turned off.

Caps lock

 

 

LED on - Caps lock is turned on.

 

 

A

LED off - Caps lock is turned off.

 

 

 

 

 

Num lock

 

 

LED on - Numeric keypad is turned on.

 

 

 

 

1

LED off - Numeric keypad is turned off.

 

 

 

 

 

Scroll lock

 

 

LED on - Scroll lock is turned on.

 

 

 

LED off - Scroll lock is turned off.

 

 

 

 

 

Hard drive

 

 

LED blinking - Hard drive is being

 

 

 

 

 

 

accessed.

 

 

 

LED off - Hard drive is not being

 

 

 

 

accessed.

 

 

 

 

 

Status indicators for select models

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless network

 

 

 

Hard drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caps

lock

 

Disc drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lock

 

 

 

 

 

 

Num

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indicator

Icon

Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless

 

 

 

 

LED on - Wireless IEEE 802.11 radio is

 

 

 

 

network

 

 

 

 

 

turned on.

 

 

 

 

 

(optional)

 

 

 

 

LED off - Wireless IEEE 802.11 radio is

 

 

 

 

 

 

turned off.

Caps lock

 

 

 

 

LED on - Caps lock is turned on.

 

 

 

A

LED off - Caps lock is turned off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Num lock

 

 

 

 

LED on - Numeric keypad is turned on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

LED off - Numeric keypad is turned off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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