Gateway SOLO 3150 User Manual

Contents
Checking out your documentation.........................................................	iii
Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Notebook ........................................	1
Keyboard and LCD panel .................................................................	2
Top panel buttons and indicators......................................................	4
Rear panel..........................................................................................	5
Right side...........................................................................................	6
Left side .............................................................................................	7
Bottom ..............................................................................................	8
Chapter 2: Getting Started .................................................................	11
Getting your system running.................................................................	12
Installing the battery pack ..............................................................	12
Connecting the AC power..............................................................	13
Turning on the power.....................................................................	14
Chapter 3: Using Your Notebook .....................................................	17
Using your Solo 3150............................................................................	18
Using the keyboard.........................................................................	18
Using key combinations.................................................................	19
Using the LCD................................................................................	22
Using the EZ Point .........................................................................	23
Connecting the modem cable.........................................................	26
Connecting the network .................................................................	27
Using the audio...............................................................................	27
Using 3.5" diskettes........................................................................	30
Using CDs and DVDs....................................................................	30
Using the USB port ........................................................................	33
Removing and replacing the hard disk drive ................................	33
Using PC Cards ..............................................................................	35
Using the IR port ............................................................................	36

i

Chapter 4: Getting Online ...................................................................	37
Using the Internet...................................................................................	38
E-mail..............................................................................................	39
World Wide Web............................................................................	39
Using Microsoft Fax..............................................................................	41
Setting up Microsoft Fax ................................................................	41
Sending and receiving faxes...........................................................	43
Manually answering with your modem.........................................	44
Locating the COM port address .....................................................	45
Chapter 5: Managing Power Usage ................................................	47
Managing battery power........................................................................	48
Charging the battery pack...............................................................	48
Using the battery.............................................................................	50
Monitoring the battery status..........................................................	51
Changing the power button setting ................................................	51
Using the Suspend and Standby modes .........................................	52
Maximizing battery life .........................................................................	55
Chapter 6: Using the Port Replicator ..............................................	57
Port replicator components....................................................................	58
Ports.................................................................................................	59
Attaching to the replicator ..............................................................	60
Separating from the replicator........................................................	61
Setting up the video out port ..........................................................	63
Appendix A: Accessories ....................................................................	65
Accessories.............................................................................................	66
Appendix B: Using the BIOS Setup Program .............................	67
About the BIOS Setup utility.................................................................	68
Appendix C: Contacting Gateway ...................................................	71
Contacting Gateway...............................................................................	72
Regulatory Compliance Statements ..............................................	74
Index ...........................................................................................................	79

ii Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Checking out your documentation

In addition to this User Guide, we’ve also provided other documentation to help you get the most from your Solo 3150. Please refer to the following printed and online documentation for additional resources:

Printed manuals

♦Maintaining and Troubleshooting Your Gateway Solo Notebook contains information about managing system resources, preserving your system performance, reinstalling your operating system and drivers, and general troubleshooting tips.

♦The Windows manual provides information about using the operating system, learning about advanced features, networking, getting help, and more.

♦The Internet and gateway.net provides an overview of the Internet and tells you how to set up an Internet account on gateway.netSM.

♦Specifications for the Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook gives detailed information about your computer’s technical specifications.

Online documentation

Electronic manuals on your hard drive give you access to this documentation when you are traveling or when the printed manuals are not accessible. To access the online documentation click Start, select Online Documentation, then select the manual you want to review.

Gateway Web site (http://www.gateway.com)

If you have a subscription to an Internet service provider, you can tap into some of the latest help and other information on our Web site. We provide notebook support help, technical documents, tech tips, frequently asked questions (FAQs), glossary, software library with BIOS updates, and other resources that can help you make the most of using your notebook.

iii

iv Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Checking Out

Your Notebook

Keyboard and LCD panel ................................	2
Top panel buttons and indicators .....................	4
Rear panel .........................................................	5
Right side ..........................................................	6
Left side.............................................................	7
Bottom ..............................................................	8

Keyboard and LCD panel

A

B

C D C

2 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Component	Description
A. 12.1" TFT Color	Provides sharp, crisp resolution with backlit
LCD (Liquid	anti-glare screen.
Crystal Display)
B. Keyboard	Provides full functionality of a desktop com-
	puter keyboard. Many keys have been
	assigned alternate functions.
C. Speakers	Provides high-quality sound reproduction for
	software, audio CDs, and DVDs.
D. EZ Point™	Controls the cursor movement on the screen.

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Notebook 3

Top panel buttons and indicators

A

B

C D E F G H

Component	Icon Description
A. Power or				Can be set to either turn the system on and
Suspend/				off or suspend and resume. Pressing the
Standby button				button for five seconds restarts the system.
B. Display off				Turns off the LCD display. Activated
button				automatically when you close the notebook
				lid.
C. Hard drive				Lights when the computer accesses the hard
activity indicator				drive.
D. DVD or CD				Displays when the computer accesses the
indicator				DVD or CD (Compact Disc) drive.
E. Caps lock				Lights when Caps Lock is enabled.
indicator
F. Pad lock				Lights when Pad Lock is enabled.
indicator
G. Scroll lock				Lights when Scroll Lock is enabled.
indicator
H. Microphone				Records sounds when the system is
				recording.

4 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Rear panel

A B C D E F G H

Port	Icon Description
A. LAN										Provides an Ethernet 10/100 connection to a
										network.
B. Fast IR										Sends infrared signals between the notebook
(Infrared) port										and a remote device that uses infrared (for
										example, a printer or other peripheral).
C. Speaker out/										Connect external speakers or headphones to
Headphone jack										this port. Supports small unamplified speak-
										ers. (1/8 inch/3.5 mm jack.)
D. Modem jack										Plug a phone line into this jack to connect the
										notebook’s on-board modem to an analog
										phone system.
E. PS/2 port										Connect an external keyboard, mouse,
										numeric keypad, or other device to this port.
F. VGA port										Connect a VGA (Video Graphics Adapter)
										monitor cable to this port.
G. Parallel port										Connect a parallel device such as a printer to
(LPT1)										this port.
H. Serial port										Connect a serial device such as a serial
										mouse to this port.

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Notebook 5

Right side

A

B

C

D

E

F

Component	Icon Description
A. DVD or			Reads data and audio CDs (and DVDs if you
CD-ROM drive			have a DVD drive).
B. Eject button			Ejects the DVD or CD tray from the drive.
			This button works only when the power is on.
C. Manual eject			Provides manual eject capability to remove a
button			DVD or CD if power is unavailable. Insert a
			straightened paper clip or other stiff wire and
			push to open the DVD or CD tray.
D. PC Card slot			Accepts one Type I or Type II PC Card.
E. Volume wheel			Adjusts speaker volume. Other port volume
			levels are controlled by multimedia software.
F. PC Card eject			Push to release the eject button, then push
button			again to eject the PC Card. Push a third time
			to retract the button into the chassis.

6 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Left side

A B C D E

Component	Icon Description
A. Kensington lock							Attach a Kensington lock into this slot. A
slot							Kensington lock is an optional cable lock for
							portable computers.
B. Air outlet port							Outlet for air intake to cool components.
C. Power connector							Connect the AC power adapter to this port.
D. USB port							Plug Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices into
							this port.
E. Hard disk drive							Hard disk drive storage bay. The hard drive
							can be removed only by first removing the
							mounting screw on the bottom of the note-
							book, then sliding the drive out.

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Notebook 7

Bottom

C A

B

D

8 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Component	Icon Description
A. Battery pack	Slide battery pack into bay for battery power
	and battery charging.
B. Battery release	Slide the latch to release the battery pack
latch	from the battery pack bay.
C. Hard disk drive	The hard drive can be removed only by first
	removing the two mounting screws, then slid-
	ing the drive out.
D. Replicator port	Connect the port replicator to this port.
E. Memory bay	Open the memory bay cover to install or
	remove RAM memory modules.

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Notebook 9

10 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Getting Started

Getting your system running.................................	12
Installing the battery pack ..............................	12
Connecting the AC power..............................	13
Turning on the power .....................................	14

Getting your system running

To get the computer started, you’ll need to install the battery pack, connect to AC power, open the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel, and turn on the power.

Installing the battery pack

Your notebook is shipped to you with the battery partially charged. When you first get started, you may want to use the AC adapter to fully charge the battery and provide a constant supply of power while you are checking out some of your notebook’s features.

If your battery is not installed, you need to install the battery pack and charge it. The battery charges whenever your notebook is connected to AC power.

The notebook can run on a fully charged battery for about 2.5 to 3 hours, but battery life varies depending on configuration, power management settings, and features used. Click the battery gauge icon in the taskbar to track the available battery power.

Battery life is affected by how much you use the system components such as the hard drive, CD/DVD drive, LCD display, and other components. Other factors such as the power management settings also affect battery life. See Chapter 5, “Managing Power Usage” for more information about power management and monitoring the battery status.

To install the battery pack

1.Turn the notebook over so the battery bay is facing up.

2.Insert the front end of the battery into the battery bay, then press the battery down until it securely latches.

12 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Connecting the AC power

Your AC adapter comes in two parts, the power cord and the AC power adapter.

To connect the AC adapter

1. Connect the power cord to the AC power adapter.

2.Plug the AC power adapter into the notebook power connector on the left side of the notebook.

Warning!

Replace the power cord if it becomes damaged. The replacement cord must be of the same type and voltage rating as the original cord.

Warning!

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

Chapter 2: Getting Started 13

Important!

The power button is preset to On/Off mode. You can set it to function either in On/Off or Standby/Resume mode using the BIOS setup program. See “About the BIOS Setup utility” on page 68 for more information about accessing the BIOS Power menu settings to change the Power button mode.

Important!

This system ships with the “Auto dim with battery” feature enabled. Auto dim cuts LCD power 50% when your notebook is operating on battery power. See “About the BIOS Setup utility” on page 68 for information about the Power menu options.

3. Plug the power cord into an electrical outlet.

Turning on the power

You can turn on the power after the battery is installed and the AC power adapter is plugged in.

To start up the computer

1.Release the LCD panel by sliding the latch to the right, then adjust the LCD panel for the proper viewing angle by tilting it.

2.Press the power button. Windows® starts.

3.Change display brightness for suitable viewing by pressing

FN+− or FN+↓.

4.If you are starting the computer for the first time, complete the Windows setup by following the on-screen instructions. (You can disregard the Printer Setup dialog boxes.)

14 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

5.When the Certificate of Authenticity dialog box opens, type in the Product ID number located on the Certificate of Authenticity on the cover of the Windows manual.

For more information about how to use Windows, see your Microsoft Windows manual.

Important!

The software for your computer has been installed at the factory. Use your software CDs or diskettes only when re-installing a program or if a program prompts you to use it.

Chapter 2: Getting Started 15

16 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Using Your
Notebook
Using your Solo 3150............................................	18
Using the keyboard.........................................	18
Using key combinations.................................	19
Using the LCD................................................	22
Using the EZ Point .........................................	23
Connecting the modem cable.........................	26
Connecting the network .................................	27
Using the audio...............................................	27
Using 3.5" diskettes........................................	30
Using CDs and DVDs....................................	30
Using the USB port ........................................	33
Removing and replacing the hard disk drive. 33
Using PC Cards ..............................................	35
Using the IR port ............................................	36

Using your Solo 3150

This chapter covers using the components on your computer. Spend some time getting familiar with the versatility built into your Solo notebook.

Using the keyboard

Your notebook features a keyboard that has the full functionality of a desktop computer keyboard. Many of the keys have been assigned alternate functions, including shortcut keys, function keys for specific system operations, and pad lock keys for the numeric keypad.

C A

B

Key	Action

A.Fn (function) Combination keys

Press FN key plus one of the Fn Combination keys (blue) to perform a specific function. For example, FN+F2 shows the Pop-up status display.

B. Fn (function)	Press FN key plus another Fn Combination key (such
keys	as F2, F3, F4, etc.) to perform a specific function.
C. Numeric keypad	Press FN+F9 to activate the numeric keypad.

18 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Using key combinations

For normal key functions:

♦Press the key to get numerals, punctuation marks, and lower case letters.

♦Press the key together with the SHIFT key to get symbols and standard upper case letters.

Special keys

The following keys help you use shortcuts when working with some software:

Key	Description
	Use this key to display the Windows Start menu. Press-
	ing CTRL+ESC also displays the Start menu.

Use this key to provide quick access to shortcut menus and help assistants in Windows. In many cases, this key functions like a right mouse click.

Chapter 3: Using Your Notebook 19

Function keys

Press the FN key together with one of the following keys (with blue letters) to get these “on-the-fly” functions:

Key Description

Combination

+

Displays the power status in the upper left corner of the Windows 95 and Windows 98 desktop. Press the key combination again to make the display disappear. See “Pop-up status display” on page 51.

Toggles between the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), external monitor, both displays at the same time, or TV display (NTSC or PAL format) as the active display. See “Using the LCD” on page 22.

Places the system in Standby mode. See “Using the Suspend and Standby modes” on page 52 for more information about the Standby mode.

Makes temporary changes to the power management (PM) mode settings by toggling the setting options:

• PM ON enables power management

•PM DC enables power management when the notebook is using battery power only.

•PM OFF disables power management.

The selected option is not saved when the system is turned off. The power management settings selected in the BIOS setup take effect when the system is restarted.

Enables the Pad Lock function so you can use the numeric keypad.

The Pad Lock icon stays lit while this function is enabled. Press the keys again to clear the display.

In some programs you can scroll through large volumes

		of text.
		The Scroll Lock icon			stays lit as long as this function
		is enabled.

20 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

Key Description

Combination

+

In some programs this key combination pauses the display when text is scrolling very quickly. Press any key to continue the text flow.

In some programs this key combination breaks text scrolling in a DOS screen.

Prints the screen if a printer is connected to your notebook (DOS only). In Windows, this key copies a picture of the screen to the clipboard. You can then paste the picture into another program display or print it.

SysRq (System Request) is reserved for certain applications such as in some DOS programs.

In some programs this key combination will send you to the starting point of your document.

In some programs this key combination sends you to the end point of your document.

Increases LCD brightness and displays the brightness meter for the Popup Status Display reflecting the changes. Use the FN+F2 key combination to make the display disappear.

Decreases LCD brightness and displays the brightness meter for the Popup Status Display reflecting the changes. Use the FN+F2 key combination to make the display disappear.

Chapter 3: Using Your Notebook 21

Pad lock keys

Press FN+F9 (PAD LOCK) keys to activate the keypad. The keypad section of the keyboard will function like a numeric keypad. Press FN+F9 to put the keyboard back into standard mode.

Using the LCD

Your notebook features a built-in, backlit, color LCD. The LCD uses Thin-Film Transistor (TFT) technology that provides sharp resolution and brilliant colors. The notebook’s display supports a maximum resolution of 800 × 600 and a maximum color depth of 24-bit color.

In addition to using your LCD panel for display, you can also attach an external monitor for presentations and other multimedia purposes.

Setting up an external computer monitor

You can connect an external computer monitor to your notebook through the VGA (Video Graphics Adapter) port on the back of your notebook. If you are using an optional port replicator, you can also connect an external computer monitor to the replicator’s VGA port.

22 Using Your Gateway Solo 3150 Notebook

To connect the computer to an external monitor

1.Connect one end of a VGA cable to the VGA port on the back of the notebook, and the other end to the video connector on the monitor.

2.Press FN+F3 to change the active display from LCD only, to LCD and monitor, or monitor only. Continue changing the display options until you get the desired display.

Depending upon the external monitor you are using, you may have to lower the video resolution to 640 x 480. Refer to your monitor manual to find out its display resolution capabilities.

To change the display resolution for an external monitor

1.Right-click the Monitor icon in the taskbar tray.

2.Select the desired resolution. The screen resolution changes.

If the Monitor icon does not appear on the taskbar and you want to have it display there, right-click on the desktop, select Properties, click the Settings tab, then check the Show settings icon on taskbar checkbox. The Monitor icon appears in the taskbar tray.

Using the EZ Point

Your system includes the EZ Point™ stickpoint pointing device. Like a mouse, this pointing device controls the cursor movements on the display.

Chapter 3: Using Your Notebook 23