Gateway MP6954, MX6450 Owner's Manual
USER GUIDE
PLATINUM EDITION
Contents
Chapter 1: Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Thank you for purchasing our notebook! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Gateway Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Using Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Help and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Searching for a topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Getting help in Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
BigFix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 2: Using Windows XP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
About the Windows desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Using the Start menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Adding icons to the desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Identifying window items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Using Windows XP Tablet PC 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Using Tablet PC extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Working with files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Viewing drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Creating folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Copying and moving files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Deleting files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Browsing for files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Searching for files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Using the Windows Search utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Working with documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Creating a new document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Saving a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Opening a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Printing a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Chapter 3: Recovering Your System . . . . . . . . . . 33
System recovery options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
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Drivers and applications recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Creating drivers and applications recovery discs . . . . . .35
Copying drivers and applications recovery files to a network
38
Creating discs from recovery files on a network . . . . . . .40
Recovering your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Recovering specific files and software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Recovering your system using Microsoft System Restore 43
Recovering your system from the hard drive . . . . . . . . . .46
Chapter 4: Using the Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Learning about the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Setting up an Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Accessing your Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Using the World Wide Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Connecting to a Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Downloading files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Using e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Sending e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Checking your e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Chapter 5: Protecting your notebook . . . . . . . . 57
Hardware security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Kensington lock slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
CompuTrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Data security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Computrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Notebook startup and hard drive password . . . . . . . . . . .60
Windows XP user accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Protecting your notebook from viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Using McAfee SecurityCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Using Windows XP Security Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Security updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Windows Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
BigFix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Traveling securely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
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Chapter 6: Connecting Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Installing a printer, scanner, digital camera, or other peripheral
device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Viewing the display on a projector or monitor . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Viewing the display on a television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Modifying television settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Connecting a video camera to your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Using an optional port replicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Chapter 7: Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Adjusting the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Playing music and movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Playing WAV audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Playing audio and video files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Playing CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Creating audio files and music libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Creating music files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Building a music library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Editing track information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Creating and editing videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Editing videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Transferring your video to your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Editing your video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Saving your video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating music CDs and video DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating a music CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating a video DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Creating and copying data CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Creating a data CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Copying a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Advanced multimedia software features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Windows Media Player advanced features . . . . . . . . . . . 113
CyberLink Power2Go advanced features . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter 8: Managing Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Monitoring the battery charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
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Extending battery life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Conserving battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Using alternate power sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Changing power modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Changing notebook power settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Changing the power scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Changing alarm options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Changing advanced settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Activating and using Hibernate mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Chapter 9: Wireless Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Wireless networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Buying wireless equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Setting up your wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Making sure your broadband connection works . . . . 130
Setting up your access point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Setting up your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Testing your network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Sharing resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Sharing drives and printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Using the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Viewing shared drives and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Mapping a network drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Opening files across the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Copying files across the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Printing files across the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Connecting to hotspots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Adding devices to your network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Adding a desktop computer to your network . . . . . . . 140
Adding a printer to your network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Chapter 10: Sending and Receiving Faxes . . . 141
Installing and configuring Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Installing Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Configuring Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Sending a simple fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Setting up your cover page template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
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Faxing from programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Faxing a scanned document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Receiving and viewing a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Canceling a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Automatically retry sending a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Automatically canceling a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Chapter 11: Customizing Your notebook . . . . 153
Adjusting the screen and desktop settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Adjusting the color depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Adjusting the screen resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Changing the colors on your Windows desktop . . . . . 157
Changing the desktop background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Selecting a screen saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Using an extended desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Changing the mouse, touchpad, or pointing device settings
162
Changing mouse settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Changing touchpad or pointing device settings . . . . . 164
Adjusting tablet and pen settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Programming the buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Adjusting the Tablet PC Input Panel Settings . . . . . . . . 167
Adding and modifying user accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Modifying security settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Chapter 12: Maintaining Your Notebook . . . . 171
Caring for your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Cleaning your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Protecting your notebook from viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Updating Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Using BigFix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Managing hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Checking hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Deleting unnecessary files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Checking the hard drive for errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Defragmenting the hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Backing up files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
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Scheduling maintenance tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Moving from Your Old Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard . . . . . . . . 182
Transferring files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Transferring Internet settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Installing your old printer or scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Installing your old programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Chapter 13: Traveling with Your Notebook. . 189
Packing your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Traveling by air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Dial-up modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Radio frequency wireless connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Additional tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Chapter 14: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
CD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Device installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Diskette drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
DVD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
File management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Modem (cable or DSL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
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Modem (dial-up) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Networks (wired) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Networks (wireless) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Pen (tablet PC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Pointing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Touchpad or optional pointing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Telephone support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Before calling Gateway Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Telephone numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Self-help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Appendix A: Safety and Legal Information . 233
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
vii
Contents www.gateway.com
viii
CHAPTER 1
Getting Help
• Gateway Web site
• Help and Support
•BigFix
•Online help
1
CHAPTER 1: Getting Help
Thank you for purchasing our notebook!
You have made an excellent decision choosing
Gateway. We are sure that you will be pleased
with the outstanding quality, reliability, and
performance of your new notebook. Each and
every Gateway notebook uses the latest
technology and passes through the most
stringent quality control tests to ensure that you
are provided with the best product possible.
Your new Gateway notebook is designed to
provide an exceptional balance of performance
and portability. Your notebook uses the latest
chipset and mobile processor technologies to
manage the processor speed and power
consumption for a greater battery life
experience. This design provides you with
maximum performance when plugged into AC
power balanced with optimized battery life
when on battery power.
Please read this manual carefully to familiarize
yourself with our range of services and support.
We have highlighted some basic care and safety
information to help you keep your notebook in
good operating condition.
Gateway stands behind our value proposition to
our customers — to provide best-of-class service
and support in addition to high-quality,
brand-name components at affordable prices. If
you ever have a problem, our knowledgeable,
dedicated customer service department will
provide you with fast, considerate service.
We sincerely hope that you will receive the
utmost satisfaction and enjoyment from your
new Gateway notebook for years to come.
Thank you again, from all of us at Gateway.
2
Gateway Web site
Gateway's online support is available 24 hours
per day, 7 days per week and provides the most
current drivers, product specifications, tutorials,
and personalized information about your
notebook. Visit the Gateway Support Web site at
support.gateway.com
Gateway Web site
.
Using Support
The Support site is divided into seven major
areas:
■ Support Home
■ Product Support
■ Downloads
■ Customer Service
■ Upgrade Center
■ Resources
■ Contact Us
3
CHAPTER 1: Getting Help
Support Home
Click Support Home, then click Notebooks. To
view support documents for your notebook,
type your serial number in the Serial Number
box, then click Submit.
Click the arrow button to open the Select Your
Computer Product box, then click Notebook
Computers to access product documentation,
specifications, and guides for all Gateway
notebooks.
Product Support
Click Product Support to view a list of all the
products that Gateway supports.
Downloads
Click Downloads to get the latest software
updates for BIOS and driver upgrades. By
entering your serial number you get drivers
specific to your notebook. Click Browse All
Downloads to walk through a step-by-step
wizard to locate your drivers.
Customer Service
Click Customer Service to view information
about your account and general information
about warranties and special offers.
Upgrade Center
Click Upgrade Center to view and purchase
upgrades for your notebook.
Resources
Click Resources to access utilities to help you
manage your notebook.
4
Contact Us
Click Contact Us to access links to customer care
with a live technician, including chat and e-mail.
Click Call Us to get a list of Gateway telephone
numbers for both sales and support. For more
information, see “Telephone support” on
page 229.
Help and Support
Your notebook includes Help and Support, an
easily accessible collection of help information,
troubleshooters, and automated support. Use
Help and Support to answer questions about
Windows and to help you quickly discover and
use the many features of your Gateway
notebook.
To start Help and Support:
■ Click Start, then click Help and Support.
Help and Support opens.
Help and Support
You can find help information by clicking a link,
performing a search, or browsing the index.
5
CHAPTER 1: Getting Help
Searching for a topic
To search for a topic in Help and Support, type
a word or phrase (keyword) in the Search box
located at the top of any Help and Support
screen, then click the arrow button.
For each search, you receive the following search
result types:
■ Suggested Topics - These topics are
located in Help and Support and are
relevant to your search topic.
■ Full-text Search Matches - These topics are
located in Help and Support and contain
the words you entered in the Search box.
■ Microsoft Knowledge Base - These topics
are located on the Microsoft Web site and
contain the words you entered in the
Search box. You must be connected to the
Internet to search for and access these
topics.
To view a list of your search results, click the
results header for the type of results you want to
view.
To view a topic, click the topic name in the
Search Results list.
Getting help in Media Center
If your notebook has Windows XP Media Center
Edition, you can access online help or refer to the
printed Windows XP Media Center Edition Guide.
6
BigFix
To access Media Center help:
1 In the Media Center window, move the
mouse to activate the Media Center tool
bar. The tool bar appears at the top of the
window.
2 Click the Help icon in the tool bar.
BigFix
Your notebook may include BigFix. BigFix
monitors your notebook for problems and
conflicts. It automatically gathers information
about the latest bugs, security alerts, and
updates from BigFix sites on the Internet.
Whenever BigFix detects a problem, it alerts you
by flashing the blue taskbar icon. To fix the
problem, click on that icon to open BigFix.
To start BigFix:
■ Click Start, All Programs, Accessories,
System Tools, then click BigFix.
7
CHAPTER 1: Getting Help
Online help
Many programs provide information online so
you can research a topic or learn how to perform
a task while you are using the program. You can
access most online help information by selecting
a topic from a Help menu or by clicking a Help
button.
You can search for information by viewing the
help contents, checking the index, searching for
a topic or keyword, or browsing through the
online help.
To learn more about using BigFix:
■ From the BigFix program, click Help, then
click Tu tori al.
8
CHAPTER 2
Using Windows XP
• About the Windows desktop
• Identifying window items
• Using Windows XP Tablet PC 2005
• Working with files and folders
• Searching for files
•Working with documents
•Shortcuts
9
CHAPTER 2: Using Windows XP
About the Windows desktop
Help and
For more information
Search box, then click
Support
about the Windows
desktop, click Start,
then click Help and
Support. Type the
keywo rd Windows
desktop in the
the arrow.
After your notebook starts, the first screen you
see is the Windows desktop. The desktop is like
the top of a real desk. Think of the desktop as
your personalized work space where you open
programs and perform other tasks.
Your desktop may be different from this
example, depending on how your notebook is
set up.
The desktop contains the taskbar, the Start
button, and the Recycle Bin icon.
10
Desktop
elements
Description
The taskbar is the bar at the
bottom of the notebook display
containing the Start button on the
left and a clock on the right. Other
buttons on the taskbar represent
programs that are running.
Click a program’s button on the
taskbar to open the program’s
window.
About the Windows desktop
Desktop
elements
Description
The Start button provides access to
programs, files, help for Windows
and other programs, and
computer tools and utilities.
Click the Start button, then open a
file or program by clicking an item
on the menu that opens.
The Recycle Bin is where files,
folders, and programs that you
discarded are stored. You must
empty the Recycle Bin to
permanently delete them from
your notebook. For instructions on
how to use the Recycle Bin, see
“Deleting files and folders” on
page 23.
The Windows Security Center icon
may appear on the taskbar near
the clock. The icon changes
appearance to notify you when the
security settings on your notebook
are set below the recommended
value or when updates are
available. Double-click this icon to
open the Windows Security Center.
For more information, see
“Modifying security settings” on
page 169.
Using the Start menu
Help and
For more information
Start, then click Help
and Support. Type the
Search box, then click
Support
about the Windows
Start menu, click
keywo rd Windows
Start menu in the
the arrow.
You can start programs, open files, customize
your system, get help, search for files and folders,
and more using the Start menu.
1 Click the Start button on the lower left of
To use the Start menu:
the Windows desktop. The Start menu
opens showing you the first level of menu
items.
11
CHAPTER 2: Using Windows XP
2 Click All Programs to see all programs and
files in the Start menu. When you move the
mouse pointer over any menu item that
has an arrow next to it, another menu,
called a submenu, opens and reveals
related files, programs, or commands.
3 Click a file or program to open it.
Adding icons to the desktop
Help and
For more information
click Start, then click
desktop icons in the
Search box, then click
Support
about desktop icons,
Help and Support.
Type the keyword
the arrow.
You may want to add an icon (shortcut) to the
desktop for a program that you use frequently.
To add icons to the desktop:
1 Click Start, then click All Programs.
2 Right-click (press the right mouse or
touchpad button) the program that you
want to add to the desktop.
3 Click Send To, then click Desktop (create
shortcut). A shortcut icon for that program
appears on the desktop.
12
Identifying window items
Identifying window items
Help and
For more information
about windows, click
Start, then click Help
and Support. Type the
keyword window in
the Search box, then
Menu bar
Support
click the arrow.
Title bar
When you double-click the icon for a drive,
folder, file, or program, a window opens on the
desktop. This example shows the Local Disk (C:)
window, which opens after you double-click the
Local Disk (C:) icon in the My Computer window.
Close
Maximize
Minimize
Every program window looks a little different
because each has its own menus, icons, and
controls. Most windows include these items:
Window item Description
The title bar is the horizontal bar at
the top of a window that shows the
window title.
Clicking the minimize button
reduces the active window to a
button on the taskbar. Clicking the
program button in the taskbar
opens the window again.
Clicking the maximize button
expands the active window to fit
the entire notebook display.
Clicking the maximize button again
restores the window to its former
size.
13
CHAPTER 2: Using Windows XP
Window item Description
Clicking the close button closes the
active window or program.
Clicking an item on the menu bar
starts an action such as Print or
Save.
Using Windows XP T ablet PC 2005
Your notebook may have Windows XP Tablet PC
2005 installed. The Microsoft Windows XP
Tablet PC 2005 operating system is a fully
functioning version of Windows XP Professional
with added pen-based computing features:
■ Tablet a nd Pe n S ett ing s — set properties for
the pen, tablet buttons, and display screen
■ Tablet PC Input Panel (TIP) — use its writing
pad, soft keyboard, and voice recognition
for entering data
■ Windows® Journal — hand-write
documents, then turn them into text or
image files
■ Sticky Notes — make a quick note with your
pen or voice and drop it into another
program
■ Document annotation — insert
handwritten notes into Word documents
and other programs
■ Enhanced speech and voice recognition —
say what you are thinking, and your tablet
will understand
■ Inkball — practice and master pen input
with this game of strategy
■ MicroSoft OneNote — capture, organize,
and reuse your notes on notebook
computers, desktop computers, or tablet
PCs.
14
The What’s New in Windows XP link in the Help
and Support Center and the Windows XP Start
Here booklet that shipped with your tablet PC
can help you learn more about using Windows
XP Tablet PC 2005.
Using Tablet PC extensions
Calibration
The first time you use your tablet PC, you should
calibrate your pen for both portrait and
landscape orientations. Calibration ensures the
accuracy of the pen and adjusts the screen’s
performance for different users.
If the on-screen pointer does not seem to line up
with the tip of the pen—for example, because
someone else has used your tablet PC and
adjusted it for their own use—recalibrate it to
your tapping patterns.
Recalibrate if you write with the opposite hand
from the previous user—right-handed writer to
left-handed writer.
Using Windows XP Tablet PC 2005
To open the calibration program:
■ Double-tap or double-click (Ta bl et
and Pen Settings) in the taskbar. Tap or
click Properties, then tap or click
Calibrate. Follow the on-screen
instructions.
Gestures
A gesture is a shape you draw with your
tablet PC pen to send a command to your
tablet PC Input Panel. You can also use gestures
to control the insertion point in the active
program. When you use these gestures, you get
the same result as pressing the corresponding
key on a standard keyboard.
15
CHAPTER 2: Using Windows XP
■ Open the Tablet Input Panel by waving the
pen back and forth over the screen.
■ Backspace by drawing a right-to-left line
on the display surface.
■ In most text input programs, you can erase
text by scratching it out. Windows
interprets a scratchout as a delete
command.
■ To erase, draw a short, wide “Z.”
16
■ You will find more information about
gestures and gesture symbols, as well as
handwriting tips, in the TIP help. For more
information, see “Tablet Input Panel (TIP)”
on page 17.
Pen button
The pen button serves the same function as the
right button on a mouse. Press it and tap
(button-tap) to open right-click menus when
they are available.
Using Windows XP Tablet PC 2005
Tips
■ Hold the pen the same way you hold a
writing pen, and steady your writing hand
by resting it on the display surface.
■ Line up the pointer before you tap, in cases
where the pointer and pen point are out of
alignment. The screen reads the position of
the pointer, not the tap.
■ Store the pen in the tablet PC’s pen holder.
Store extra pens in a drawer to avoid
prolonged pressure on the pen tip.
■ The pen has internal electronics, so keep it
dry and avoid contact with liquids.
Tablet Input Panel (TIP)
Tap th e Keyboard icon near the Start button
to open the Tablet Input Panel (TIP). Use the TIP
to enter data by hand, soft keyboard, or voice
into a word processing program or a text-entry
form.
■ Access the TIP keyboard and writing pad
by tapping or clicking the tabs near the
bottom of the window.
Tools and Options
Help
■ To set up speech options, tap or click the
Tools and Options icon , then tap or
click Speech.
17
CHAPTER 2: Using Windows XP
TIP tips
■ Open a program for your input (for
example, a word processing program or a
Web form) before using the writing pad or
soft keyboard.
■ To adjust writing pad and keyboard
settings, tap or click the Tool s an d Op tion s
icon , then tap or click Options.
18
■ For security and accuracy when entering
masked text (such as passwords), use your
tablet PC Input Panel’s soft keyboard
instead of the writing pad.
Working with files and folders
Using speech recognition
The tablet PC is designed to accept and interpret
the human voice, both for dictation (speech
recognition) and for keyboard-equivalent voice
commands.
■ Set up speech recognition through your
tablet PC Input Panel’s To ol s menu.
■ Learn more about voice commands in the
Accessibility section of the Help and
Support Center.
■ Use the built-in microphone or an external
microphone.
■ To modify the speech recognition function,
see “Adjusting the Tablet PC Input Panel
Settings” on page 167.
Working with files and folders
You can organize your files and programs to suit
your preferences much like you would store
information in a file cabinet. You can store these
files in folders and copy, move, and delete the
information just as you would reorganize and
throw away information in a file cabinet.
Viewing drives
Help and
For more information
about files and folders,
click Start, then click
Type the ke ywor d files
Search box, then click
Support
Help and Support.
and folders in the
the arrow.
Drives are like file cabinets because they hold
files and folders. A notebook almost always has
more than one drive. Each drive has a letter,
usually Local Disk (C:) for the hard drive and 3½
Floppy (A:) for the diskette drive. You may also
have more drives such as a CD or DVD drive.
19
CHAPTER 2: Using Windows XP
To view the drives on your notebook:
■ Click Start, then click My Computer on the
Start menu.
Hard
drives
Diskette
drive
Creating folders
Help and
For more information
Start, then click Help
and Support. Type the
files and folders in
the Search box, then
Support
about creating files
and folders, click
keywo rd creating
click the arrow.
Disc
drive
To see the files and folders on a drive:
■ Double-click the drive icon. If you do not
see the contents of a drive after you
double-click its icon, click Show the
contents of this drive.
Folders are much like the folders in a file cabinet.
They can contain files and other folders.
Files are much like paper documents—letters,
spreadsheets, and pictures—that you keep on
your notebook. In fact, all information on a
notebook is stored in files.
20
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