Gateway SOLO 5350 User Manual

Contents

1 Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Left Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Right Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Keyboard area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Identifying your model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Connecting the AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Starting your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Waking up your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Turning off your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Switching user accounts in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

System key combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Using the EZ Pad touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Using the touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Connecting the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Connecting to an Ethernet network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Broadband Internet connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Installing a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

3Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

HelpSpot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

HelpSpot Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Gateway Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

4 Windows Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

About the Windows environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Using the desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Using the Start menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Identifying Window items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

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Working with files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Viewing drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Creating folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Copying and moving files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Deleting files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Browsing for files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Searching for files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Using the Windows XP or Windows 2000 Search utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Using the Windows 98 Find utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Working with documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Creating a new document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Saving a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Opening a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Printing a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

5 Using the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Learning about the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Setting up an Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Accessing your Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Using the World Wide Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Connecting to a Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Downloading files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Using e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Sending e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Checking your e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

6 Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Using diskettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Using the CD/DVD drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Inserting a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Adjusting the volume in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Adjusting the volume in Windows 2000 and Windows 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Listening to CDs in Windows XP and Windows 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

Listening to CDs in Windows 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Recording and playing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Playing audio and video files with the Windows Media Player . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Playing a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Using MusicMatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Playing CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Creating music files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Editing track information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Building a music library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

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Listening to Internet radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Using advanced features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Viewing the display on a television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

7 Sending and Receiving Faxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Setting up your cover page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Sending a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Faxing from programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Receiving and viewing a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

8 Managing Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Monitoring the battery charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Recalibrating the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Changing batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Installing a second battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Extending battery life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Conserving battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Using alternate power sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Changing power modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Changing power settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Changing the power scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Changing alarm options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Changing advanced power management settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Using Hibernate mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Changing SpeedStep settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

9 Travel Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Radio frequency wireless connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

10 Customizing Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Adjusting the screen and desktop settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Adjusting the color depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Adjusting the screen resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Applying a color scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Changing the desktop background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Selecting a screen saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Changing the touchpad settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

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11 Upgrading Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Adding PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Changing bay modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Preventing static electricity discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

Installing memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Replacing the main hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

12 Using the Port Replicator and Docking Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Checking out the port replicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Connecting to the port replicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

Checking out the docking station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Connecting to the docking station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Installing a PCI card in the docking station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167

13 Networking Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

The benefits of using a network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

Sharing a single Internet connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

Sharing drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Sharing peripheral devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

Streaming audio and video files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

Playing multi-player games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

Example network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174

Selecting a network connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

Wired connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

Wireless Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

Assessing your connection needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

Comparing data transfer speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179

Using a wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Using wireless Ethernet in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182

Using wireless Ethernet in Windows 2000 and Windows 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . .205

Purchasing additional network equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216

HPNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216

Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

Wireless Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218

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For more information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

14 Moving from Your Old Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Transferring software and hardware from your old computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Using the Windows XP Files and Settings Transfer Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Transferring files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Transferring Internet settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Reinstalling your old printer or scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Reinstalling your old programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

15 Maintaining Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Caring for your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Creating an emergency startup diskette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Protecting your computer from viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Managing hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Checking hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Using Disk Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Checking the hard drive for errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Defragmenting the hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Backing up files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Using the Scheduled Task Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Cleaning your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Cleaning the exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Cleaning the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Cleaning the screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Cleaning the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

16 Restoring Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Reinstalling device drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Reinstalling device drivers in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Updating device drivers in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Reinstalling Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Reinstalling Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Reinstalling programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

17 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Software support tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

CD/DVD drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Device installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

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Diskette drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

Error-checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261

File management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262

Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262

Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

LCD panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271

PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272

ScanDisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

Touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Telephone support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276

Before calling Gateway Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276

Telephone numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277

Tutoring and training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278

Self-help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278

Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279

A Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

vi

Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350

Tips & Tricks To access the contents of this guide while you are traveling,

download an electronic copy from
www.gateway.com/support/manlib/.

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Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350

Front

Speaker

Release
latch

Hot-swap
indicator

Power
indicator

Speaker

Battery
charge
indicator

Component Icon Description

Speakers Provide audio output. Speakers are disabled while

headphones are connected.

Release latch Open the notebook cover by sliding the release latch to the

right.

Hot-swap indicator Indicates when it is safe to remove the bay module.

■

LED off - bay module is installed and functional, or the
module is uninstalled and it is safe to remove it. The LED
is normally off.

■

LED flashing green - the notebook is preparing the bay
module for swapping.

■

LED orange - the notebook has encountered an error

with the bay module.
For more information, see “Changing bay modules” on
page 142.

Power indicator Lights up when the notebook is turned on and shows

notebook power status:

■

Steady green light indicates that power is on and the

notebook is in operation.

■

Flashing green light indicates that the notebook is in

Standby mode.

■

Flashing green light accompanied by beeping indicates

the battery charge is low.

■

No light indicates that the notebook is off.

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Component Icon Description

Battery charge indicator Indicates the battery status:

■

Green light indicates that the battery is fully charged and
AC power is connected.

■

Orange light indicates that the battery is charging.

■

Red light indicates that the battery is low.

■

No light indicates that the system is running on the
battery because the AC adapter is either not connected
or is not providing power.

Front

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Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350

Left Side

Ethernet
jack

Ventilation fan
(do not block)

Line in jack

Speaker jack

Microphone jack

Modem jack

PC Card slots

PC Card
eject buttons

Component Icon Description

Ethernet jack Plug an Ethernet 10/100 network cable into this jack. For more

information, see “Connecting to an Ethernet network” on page 32.

Ventilation fan Helps cool system components. Do not block.

Line in jack Plug an external audio input source (such as a stereo) into this jack

so that you can record sound on your notebook or play sound
through the notebook speakers.

Speaker jack Plug external speakers or headphones into this jack.

Microphone jack Plug a microphone into this jack. While the external microphone is

connected, the built-in microphone is disabled.

Modem jack Plug a modem cable into this jack. For more information, see

“Connecting the modem” on page 31.

PC Card slots Insert Type I, II, or III PC Cards into these slots. For more

information, see “Adding PC Cards” on page 140.

PC Card eject
buttons

4

Press one of the eject buttons to remove a PC Card from a PC Card
slot. For more information, see “Adding PC Cards” on page 140.

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Right Side

Module bay Eject button

Component Description

Module bay Use this bay for a second battery, or a CD, CD-RW, DVD, diskette, LS-120, or

second hard drive. For more information, see “Changing bay modules” on
page 142.

Eject button Press the eject button to open the module tray.

Right Side

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Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350

Back

PS/2
port

Kensington
lock slot

Parallel
port

TV out
jack

Docking
port

Monitor
port

USB
ports

Power
connector

Serial
port

Component Icon Description

Kensington™ lock slot Secure your computer to an object by connecting a

Kensington cable lock to this slot.

PS/2 port Plug a PS/2

keyboard or mouse) into this port.

Important! You will not be able to use your touchpad
while a mouse is plugged into this port.

Parallel port Plug a parallel device (such as a printer) into this port.

TV out jack Plug one end of a standard RCA cable into this jack and

the other end of the cable into the jack on a TV or VCR
so that you can view your computer screen on a TV.
For more information, see “Viewing the display on a
television” on page 96.

®

(Personal System/2) device (such as a

Docking port Connect an optional port replicator or docking station

to this port.

Warning! Power is passed through this connection.
This docking connection is UL certified for use only with
Solo 5350 docking station devices.

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Component Icon Description

Monitor port Plug an external (VGA) monitor into this port.

USB ports Plug USB (Universal Serial Bus) devices (such as a

USB Iomega™ Zip™ drive, scanner, or camera) into
these port.

Serial port Plug a serial device (such as a digital camera) into this

port.

Power connector Plug the AC power adapter cable into this connector.

Back

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Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350

Bottom

Module
bay

Module
bay
latch

Battery
latch

Main
battery

Battery
meter

Hard
drive

Memory
bay

System
label

Component Icon Description

Module bay Use this bay for a second battery, or a CD, CD-RW, DVD,

diskette, LS-120, or second hard drive. For more information,
see “Changing bay modules” on page 142.

Module bay latch Slide to release the module.

Battery latch Slide to release the battery.

Main battery bay Insert the main battery into this bay. For more information,

see “Changing batteries” on page 109.

Battery meter Press the white button to get the main battery charge level.

For more information, see “Monitoring the battery charge” on
page 106.

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Component Icon Description

Hard drive The hard drive is stored here. For more information, see

“Replacing the main hard drive” on page 150.

Memory bay Install as many as two SO-DIMM memory modules into the

slots in this bay. For more information, see “Installing
memory” on page 146.

System label Includes the product model number and serial number. For

more information, see “Identifying your model” on page 12.

Bottom

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Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350

Keyboard area

Power button

Status
indicators

Keyboard

Microphone

Touchpad

Component Description

Power button Press to turn the power on or off. For more information on configuring

the power button mode, see “Changing power settings” on page 114.

Status indicators See “Status indicators” on page 23 for more information.

Keyboard See “Using the keyboard” on page 24 for more information.

Microphone Record audio through this microphone. The built-in microphone is

disabled while an external microphone is connected.

Touchpad See “Using the EZ Pad touchpad” on page 28 for more information.

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Warning Radio frequency wireless communication can interfere

with equipment on commercial aircraft. Current aviation
regulations require wireless devices to be turned off while
traveling in an airplane. IEEE 802.11b (also known as
wireless Ethernet or WiFi) communication devices are
examples of devices that provide wireless communication.

Important If your system came equipped with an internal radio

frequency wireless device, see “Safety, Regulatory, and
Legal Information” on page 281 for general wireless
regulatory and safety guidelines. To find out if your system
has an internal wireless device, check the label (see
“Identifying your model” on page 12).

Keyboard area

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Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350

Identifying your model

The label on the bottom of your computer contains information that
identifies your notebook model. Gateway Technical Support will need this
information if you call for assistance.

Important The label shown below is for informational purposes only.

Label information varies by model.

Gateway model
number

Gateway serial
number

Gateway part
number

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Accessories

Gateway offers accessories that can help you make the most of using your
notebook.

Batteries and automobile/airplane power adapters

If you run your notebook on battery power for extended periods, you may
want to buy an additional battery so that you can swap batteries when
necessary.

With an automobile/airplane power adapter, you can save battery power by
plugging your notebook into an automobile cigarette lighter or an airplane
in-flight power receptacle.

Carrying cases

Gateway has large-capacity carrying cases if you need additional space for
accessories or supplies.

Docking stations and port replicators

Although you can attach external devices directly to your notebook, a docking
station or port replicator lets you make all of those connections at once. When
you travel with your notebook, you merely disconnect from the docking
station or port replicator instead of unplugging all the external devices.

Accessories

A docking station or port replicator also provides additional ports and other
expansion features not included with your notebook.

External devices

You can attach external devices such as a keyboard, mouse, printer, or monitor
to your notebook, docking station, or port replicator.

Memory

Large programs, such as multimedia games or graphics programs, use a lot of
memory. If your programs are running more slowly than you think they
should, try adding more memory.

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Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 5350

Printers

You can attach many types of printers to your computer. The most common
types are inkjet and laser printers, which print in color or black and white.

Inkjet printers and cartridges are relatively inexpensive, but usually they are
slower than laser printers. Using an inkjet color printer, you can print pictures,
banners, and greeting cards, as well as documents.

Laser printers and cartridges are more expensive, but usually they print much
faster than inkjet printers. Laser printers are better than inkjet printers when
you are printing large documents.

14

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Getting Started

This chapter provides basic information about your Gateway notebook. Read
this chapter to find out:

■ How to connect the AC power adapter

■ How to start and turn off your notebook

■ How to use the keyboard

■ How to use the EZ Pad™ touchpad

■ How to connect the modem

■ How to connect to an Ethernet network

■ How to install peripheral devices

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

Connecting the AC adapter

You can run your notebook using an AC adapter or the notebook battery. The
battery was shipped to you partially charged. You should use the AC adapter
right away to fully charge the battery. Allow 24 hours for the battery to fully
charge.

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 24 hours, the
battery may need to be recalibrated. For more information,
see “Recalibrating the battery” on page 108.

To connect the AC adapter:

1 Connect the power cord to the AC adapter.

16

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 or the notebook may be
damaged.

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Connecting the AC adapter

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

3 Plug the power cord into a wall outlet.

The battery charge indicator turns on. If the battery charge indicator does
not turn on, disconnect the adapter from your notebook and repeat
Step 2.

4 When you finish using your notebook for the first time, turn the

notebook off and leave the notebook connected to AC power for at least
24 hours.

5 If the battery meters do not show a full charge after 24 hours, contact

Gateway Technical Support at www.gateway.com/support/contact.

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.

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

Protecting from power source problems

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

Warning High voltages can enter your computer through both the

power cord and the modem connection. Protect your
computer by using a surge protector. If you have a
telephone modem, use a surge protector that has a
modem jack. If you have a cable modem, use a surge
protector that has an antenna/cable TV jack. During an
electrical storm, unplug both the surge protector and the
modem.

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Starting your notebook

A

To start the notebook:

1 Open your notebook by sliding the latch on the front of your notebook

to the right and lifting the LCD panel.

2 Press the power button located above the keyboard.

Power button

Starting your notebook

1

The power button is preset to On/Off mode. However, you can also set
it to function in Standby/Resume mode. For instructions on changing
the power button mode, see “Changing power settings” on page 114.

3 If you are starting your computer for the first time, follow the on-screen

instructions to set up your computer.

Waking up your notebook

When you have not used your notebook for several minutes, it enters a
power-saving mode called Standby. While in Standby, the power indicator
flashes.

If your notebook is in Standby mode, “wake” it up by pressing the power
button. For more information on changing power-saving settings, see
“Managing Power” on page 105.

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

Turning off your notebook

To turn off your notebook:

■ In Windows XP, click Start, then click Turn Off Computer, then click Tur n

Off

.

- OR -

In Windows 2000 or Windows 98, click
the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select

If for some reason you cannot use the Turn Off Computer or Shut Down
option in Windows to shut down your notebook, press and hold the
power button for about five seconds, then release.

Start, then select Shut Down. In

Shut Down, then click OK.

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Switching user accounts in Windows XP

Switching user accounts in
Windows XP

When you first turn on your notebook, you have the option to add different
user accounts. These user accounts can be customized for each person that
uses the notebook. You can add, delete, or modify existing user accounts. You
can also switch (change) user accounts without turning off your notebook.

Help and

Support

For more information about adding, deleting, and
modifying your user accounts, click Start, then select Help
and Support.

To add, delete, or modify user accounts in Windows XP:

1 Click Start, select Control Panel, then double-click User Accounts. The User

Accounts window opens.

2 Follow the on-screen prompts to add, delete, or modify a user account.

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21

Chapter 2: Getting Started

To switch user accounts in Windows XP:

1 Click Start, then select Log Off. The Log Off Windows dialog box opens.

2 Click Switch User to switch between your user accounts. The Windows

logon screen opens.

3 Select the user account that you want to activate. When you switch

between users, any programs that were running for the previous user
continue to run.

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Status indicators

A

Status indicators

1

Hard drive

Optical disc
drive

Diskette drive

Pad lock

Caps lock

Scroll lock

Indicator Icon Description

Hard drive Turns on when the hard drive is in use.

Optical disc drive Turns on when the CD/DVD drive or LS-120 drive is in use.

Diskette drive Turns on when the standard 1.44 MB diskette drive is in

use.

Caps Lock Turns on when Caps Lock is activated.

Pad Lock Turns on when the embedded numeric keypad is

1

Scroll Lock Turns on when Scroll Lock is activated.

activated.

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

Using the keyboard

Your notebook features a keyboard that has the same functionality as a
desktop computer keyboard. Many of the keys have been assigned alternate
functions. The alternate function is printed on the key in green text.

You can attach an external keyboard to the notebook using a USB or PS/2 port.
You do not need to shut down the notebook to connect a keyboard.

Function keys/System keys

F

N key Application

Windows
key

Numeric
keypad

Volume keys/Navigation keys

key

Arrow keys/
Brightness
controls

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Keys

Keys Icon Description

Function keys Press these keys labeled F1 to F12 to perform

actions in programs. For example, pressing F1 may
open help.

Each program uses different function keys for
different purposes. Refer to the program
documentation to find out more about the function
key actions.

System keys Press these green-colored keys in combination with

N key to perform specific actions.

the F

Volume keys Press these green-colored keys in combination with

the F

N key to increase or decrease the volume or

mute the sound.

Navigation keys Press these keys to move the cursor to the

beginning of a line, to the end of a line, up the page,
down the page, to the beginning of a document, or
to the end of a document.

Using the keyboard

N key Press the FN key in combination with a

F

green-colored system key (such as S

TATUS) to perform a specific action.

or S

Windows key Press to open the Windows Start menu. This key

can also be used in combination with other keys to
open utilities like F (Search utility), R (Run utility),
and E (Explorer utility).

Numeric keypad Use these keys to type numbers when the numeric

keypad is turned on. Press
the numeric keypad.

Application key Press for quick access to shortcut menus and help

assistants in Windows.

Arrow keys Press these keys to move the cursor up, down, right,

or left.

Brightness controls Press these green-colored keys in combination with

the F

N key to control the screen brightness.

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FN+PAD LOCK to turn on

TANDBY, PAUSE,

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

System key combinations

When you press an FN key and a system key at the same time, the notebook
performs the action identified by the green text or icon on the key.

L

Press FN and this
function key...

To...

Display the power status box in the upper left corner of your
screen. The box shows the battery charge level, the BIOS version,
and whether the AC adapter is being used. Press the key
combination again to close this box.

Toggle the notebook screen between the LCD, an external
monitor, or both displays at the same time. A monitor must be
plugged into the monitor port on the notebook, port replicator, or
docking station.

Enter Standby mode. Press the power button to leave Standby
mode.

Turn on wireless Ethernet. Press this key combination again to turn
off wireless Ethernet.

26

Turn on Pad Lock so you can use the numeric keypad. Press this
key combination again to turn off Pad Lock. The Pad Lock status
indicator appears while this function is turned on.

Pause the text scrolling in a DOS screen. The Scroll Lock status
indicator appears when this function is turned on. Press the key
combination again to continue scrolling. (This function is only
available in some programs.)

Pause execution of a DOS program. (This function is only available
in some programs.)

Stop the currently running DOS program. (This function is only
available in some programs.)

Increase the brightness of the display.

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Using the keyboard

Press FN and this
function key...

To...

Decrease the brightness of the display.

Mute the sound. Press the key combination again to restore the
sound.

Increase volume.

Decrease volume.

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

Using the EZ Pad touchpad

The EZ Pad™ touchpad consists of a touchpad, a rocker switch, and two
buttons.

Touchpad

Left
touchpad
button

When you move your finger on the touchpad, the pointer (arrow) on the screen
moves in the same direction.

Rocker
switch

Right
touchpad
button

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You can use the EZ-Pad left and right buttons below the touchpad to select
objects.

You can assign a function to the rocker switch between the touchpad buttons
on the Solo 5350. This function can be to scroll up or down, maximize or
minimize the active window, or open and close the Start menu. For more
information about programming the rocker switch, see “Changing the
touchpad settings” on page 137.

Using the touchpad

To... Do this...

Using the EZ Pad touchpad

Move the pointer
on the screen.

Select an object
on the screen.

Start a program
or open a file or
folder.

Access a
shortcut menu or
find more
information
about an object
on the screen.

Move your finger around on the
touchpad. If you run out of space
and need to move the pointer
farther, lift your finger, move it to
the middle of the touchpad, then
continue moving your finger.

Position the pointer over the
object. Press the left button
below the touchpad once. This
action is called clicking.

Position the pointer over the
object. Press the left button
below the touchpad twice in
rapid succession. This action is
called double-clicking.

Position the pointer over the
object. Quickly press and
release the right button once.
This action is called
right-clicking.

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

To... Do this...

Move an object
on the screen.

Position the pointer over the
object. Press the left button and
hold it down, then use the
touchpad to move (drag) the
object to the appropriate part of
the screen. Release the button
to drop the object where you
want it.

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Connecting the modem

If your notebook has a modem jack, the notebook has a built-in 56K modem.

To connect the modem:

1 Insert one end of the modem cable into the modem jack on the left

side of the notebook.

Connecting the modem

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

modem will not work with digital or PBX telephone lines.

3 Start your notebook, then start your communications software.

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

Connecting to an Ethernet network

If your notebook has a network jack, the notebook can connect to an Ethernet
10/100 network.

To connect to a network:

1 Insert one end of the network cable into the network jack on the

left side of the notebook.

2 Insert the other end of the network cable into a network wall jack. Ask

your network administrator to help you select the correct network jack.

Your notebook is now physically connected to the network. Your network
administrator can help you log on to your network.

Broadband Internet connections

You can use your computer’s Ethernet jack for more than just networking.
Many broadband Internet connections, such as cable modems and DSL
modems, connect to your computer’s Ethernet jack. For more information,
see “Using the Internet” on page 63 and “Networking Your Notebook” on
page 171.

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Installing a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device

Installing a printer, scanner, or other
peripheral device

Your computer has one or more of the following ports: Universal Serial Bus
(USB), serial, and parallel. These ports are used for connecting peripheral
devices such as printers, scanners, and digital cameras to your computer. For
more information about port locations, see “Checking Out Your Gateway Solo
5350” on page 1.

USB ports support plug-and-play and hot swapping, which means that your
computer will usually recognize such a device whenever you plug it into the
appropriate port. When you use a USB device for the first time, your computer
will prompt you to install any software the device needs. After doing this,
you can disconnect and reconnect the device at any time.

Parallel and serial port devices are not plug-and-play. Refer to the device
documentation for detailed information and installation instructions.

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Chapter 2: Getting Started

34

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Getting Help

This chapter tells you about additional information resources available to help
you use your computer, including:

■ HelpSpot

■

Online help

■ Gateway Web site

Tips & Tricks To access the contents of this guide while you are traveling,

™

download an electronic copy from
www.gateway.com/support/manlib/.

3

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Chapter 3: Getting Help

HelpSpot

Your computer may include HelpSpot, an easily accessible collection of Help
information, troubleshooters, instructional videos, and automated support.
Use HelpSpot to answer questions about Windows and to help you quickly
discover and use the many features of your Gateway computer.

To start HelpSpot:

■ Click Start, then select Help and Support. HelpSpot opens.

36

If this is the first time you have started HelpSpot on your computer, you
may experience a brief wait while HelpSpot builds the help database, then
HelpSpot will display an introductory video.

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You can find help information by clicking a link, performing a search, or
browsing the index. To learn about using your Gateway computer, your
mouse, and other topics, click the

Getting Started link on the HelpSpot main

page.

HelpSpot

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Chapter 3: Getting Help

HelpSpot Videos

HelpSpot contains several short videos to help introduce you to new concepts
or show you how to perform various tasks.

To play a HelpSpot video:

■ To watch a video in HelpSpot, click Video Tutorials on the HelpSpot home

page, then click a video title. The video plays.

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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. Most online
help information can be accessed by selecting a topic from a
by clicking a

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.

Help button.

Online help

Help menu or

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Chapter 3: Getting Help

Gateway Web site

Gateway provides a variety of information on its Web site to help you use
your computer.

40

Visit the Gateway Web site at www.gateway.com for:

■ Technical documentation and product manuals

■ Technical tips and support, including online chat services

■ Hardware drivers

■ Order status

■ Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

For more information about connecting to the Internet, see “Using the
Internet” on page 63.

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Windows Basics

Read this chapter to get basic information on how to:

■ Work on the Windows desktop

■ Manage files and folders

■ Work wi t h d ocument s

■ Use shortcuts

Help and

Support

4

For more information on Windows, click Start, then select
Help and Support or Help.

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

About the Windows environment

After your computer 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 the example shown below, depending on
how your computer is set up.

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Using the desktop

The desktop contains the taskbar, the Start button, and the Recycle Bin icon.

Desktop elements Description

The taskbar is the bar at the bottom of the screen
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.

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 (selecting) an item on the menu that
opens.

Using the desktop

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 computer. For instructions on how
to use the Recycle Bin, see “Deleting files and
folders” on page 50.

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

Using the Start menu

You can start programs, open files, customize your system, get help, search
for files and folders, and more using the Start menu.

To use the Start menu:

1 Click the Start button on the lower left of the Windows desktop. The Start

menu opens showing you the first level of menu items.

2 To see all programs and files in the Start menu, click All Programs.

When you move the mouse pointer over any menu item that has an
arrow next to it, another menu, or submenu, opens and reveals related
files, programs, or commands.

3 Click a file or program to open it.

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Identifying Window items

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 double-clicking the
window.

Local Disk (C:) icon in the My Computer

Identifying Window items

Title bar

Menu bar

Close

Maximize

Minimize

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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 on the taskbar
opens the window again.

Clicking the maximize button expands the
active window to fit the entire screen.
Clicking the maximize button again
restores the window to its former size.

Clicking the close button closes the active
window or program.

Selecting an item on the menu bar starts
an action such as Print or Save.

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Working with files and folders

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

Drives are like file cabinets because they hold files and folders. A computer
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/DVD drive.

To view the drives on your computer:

■ In Windows XP, click Start, then select My Computer from the Start menu.

- OR -

In Windows 2000 or Windows 98, double-click the
the desktop.

Drives

My Computer icon on

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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

Creating folders

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 computer. In fact, all information on a computer is stored
in files.

Folders

Files

Show the contents of this drive.

To create a folder:

1 In Windows XP, click Start, then select My Computer from the Start menu.

48

- OR -

In Windows 2000 or Windows 98, double-click the
the desktop.

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My Computer icon on

Working with files and folders

2 Double-click the drive or folder, for example the Local Disk (C:), where you

want to put the new folder.

The drive or folder window opens. If you do not see the contents of the
drive or folder, click

Show the contents of this drive.

3 Select File, then New, then Folder. The new folder is created.
4 Type a name for the folder, then press ENTER. The new folder name

appears by the folder icon.

Copying and moving files and folders

The skills you need to copy and move files are called copying, cutting, and
pasting.

When you copy and paste a file or folder, you place a copy of the file or folder
on the Windows clipboard, which stores it. Then, when you decide what folder
you want the copy to go in (the destination folder), you paste it there.

When you cut and paste a file or folder, you remove the file or folder from
its location and place the file or folder on the Windows clipboard. When you
decide where you want the file or folder to go, you paste it there.

Important The clipboard stores whatever you cut or copy until you cut

or copy again. Then the clipboard contains the new
information only. Therefore, you can paste copies of a file
or folder into more than one place, but as soon as you copy
or cut a different file or folder, the original file or folder is
deleted from the clipboard.

To copy a file or folder to another folder:

1 Right-click (press the right mouse button) the file or folder that you want

to copy. A pop-up menu opens on the desktop.

2 Select Copy from the pop-up menu.
3 Open the destination folder.

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

4 With the pointer inside the destination folder, right-click.
5 Select Paste. A copy of the file or folder appears in the new location.

To move a file or folder to another folder:

1 Right-click (press the right mouse button) the file or folder that you want

to move. A pop-up menu opens on the desktop.

2 Select Cut from the pop-up menu.
3 Open the destination folder.
4 With the pointer inside the destination folder, right-click.
5 Select Paste. The file or folder you moved appears in its new location and

is removed from its old location.

Deleting files and folders

When you throw away paper files and folders, you take them from the file
cabinet and put them in a trash can. Eventually the trash can is emptied.

In Windows, you throw away files and folders by first moving them to
Windows trash can, called the Recycle Bin, where they remain until you decide
to empty the bin.

You can recover any file in the Recycle Bin as long as the bin has not been
emptied.

To delete files or folders:

1 In My Computer or Windows Explorer, select the files or folders that you

want to delete. For instructions on how to select multiple files and folders,
see “Shortcuts” on page 62.

2 Select File, then Delete. Windows moves the files and folders to the

Recycle Bin.

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Working with files and folders

To recover files or folders from the Recycle Bin:

1 Double-click the Recycle Bin icon. The Recycle Bin window opens and

lists the files and folders you have thrown away since you last emptied it.

2 Select the files or folders that you want to restore. For instructions on

how to select multiple files and folders, see “Shortcuts” on page 62.

3 Select File, then Restore. Windows returns the deleted files or folders to

their original locations.

To empty the Recycle Bin:

Caution Emptying the Recycle Bin permanently erases any files or

folders in the bin. These files cannot be restored.

1 Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop. The Recycle Bin window

opens.

2 Select File, then Empty Recycle Bin. Windows asks you if you are sure that

you want to empty the bin.

3 Click Ye s. Windows permanently deletes all files in the Recycle Bin.

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

Browsing for files and folders

A file or folder that you need is rarely right on top of your Windows desktop.
It is usually on a drive inside a folder that may be inside yet another folder,
and so on.

Windows drives, folders, and files are organized in the same way as a real file
cabinet in that they may have many levels (usually many more levels than
a file cabinet, in fact). So you usually will have to search through levels of
folders to find the file or folder that you need. This is called browsing.

To browse for a file:

1 In Windows XP, click Start, then select My Computer.

- OR -

In Windows 2000 or Windows 98, double-click the
the desktop.

My Computer icon on

2 Double-click the drive or folder that you think contains the file or folder

that you want to find.

3 Continue double-clicking folders and their subfolders until you find the

file or folder you want. (If you do not see the contents of a folder, click

Show the contents of this folder.)

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Searching for files

If you are looking for a particular file or folder or a set of files or folders that
have characteristics in common, but you do not remember where they are
stored on your hard drive, you can use the Search utility in Windows XP or
Windows 2000, or the Find utility in Windows 98 to search by:

■ Name or part of a name

■ Creation date

■ Modification date

■ File type

■ Text contained in the file

■ Time period in which it was created or modified

You can also combine search criteria to refine searches.

Files and folders found using these utilities can be opened, copied, cut,
renamed, or deleted directly from the list in the results window.

Searching for files

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

Using the Windows XP or Windows 2000
Search utility

To find files and folders using the Search utility:

1 In Windows XP, click Start, then select Search. The search window opens.

Click

All files and folders.

- OR -

In Windows 2000, click
The search window opens.

Start, then select Search, then For Files or Folders.

2 If you want to search by file or folder name, type in all or part of the

file or folder name in the name box in the left pane of the window.

■ If you type all of the name, Search will list all files and folders of

that name.

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■ If you type part of the name, Search will list all of the file and folder

names containing the letters you typed.

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Searching for files

3 Click Search or Search Now. When the search is completed, Windows lists

the files and folders whose names contain the text that you searched for.

4 Open a file, folder, or program by double-clicking the name in the list.

Using advanced search options

Search can find files meeting more criteria than file name. You can narrow
your search by selecting the search options that you want. You can search by
the:

■ Date the file was created or modified.

■ Size of the file.

■ Type of file, such as a program or a text document.

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

Using the Windows 98 Find utility

To find files and folders using the Find utility:

1 Click Start, then select Find, then Files or Folders. The Find: All Files dialog

box opens.

2 If you want to search by file or folder name, click the Name & Location

tab, then type in all or part of the file or folder name in the
box.

Named text

56

■ If you type all of the name, Find will list all files and folders of

that name.

■ If you type part of the name, Find will list all of the file and folder

names containing the letters you typed.

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Searching for files

3 Click Find Now. When the search is completed, Windows lists the files

and folders whose names contain the text that you searched for.

4 Open a file, folder, or program by double-clicking the name in the list.

Using advanced search options

You can find files meeting more criteria than file name. You can narrow your
search by clicking the
you want:

■ Date searches for files that were created or modified on a specific date or

during a specific period.

■ Size searches for files of a specific size.

■ Typ e searches for files of a specific type, such as a program or a text

document.

Date or Advanced tabs and selecting the options that

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

Working with documents

Documents are commonly word processing files, spreadsheet files, or other
similar files. The basic methods of creating, saving, opening, and printing a
document apply to most of these types of files.

The following examples illustrate the concepts for creating, saving, opening,
and printing a document in Microsoft
Microsoft Word, similar procedures apply to other programs such as Microsoft
Excel, Microsoft Works, and Microsoft Publisher.

For more information about using a program, select

Creating a new document

Help and

Support

To create a new document:

1 Click Start, then select All Programs, then Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word

starts and a blank document opens.

2 Select File, then select New. The New Document pane opens.

For more information on creating a document, click Start,
then select Help and Support or Help.

®

Word. Though these examples use

Help on the menu bar.

New
Document
pane

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Working with documents

3 Click General Templates. The Templates dialog box opens.

4 Click a tab for the type of document you want to create, select a

document template style, then click

OK. The document template opens.

5 Begin composing your document. Use the menus and toolbar buttons at

the top of the window to format the document.

Saving a document

After you create a document, you need to save it if you want to use it later.

Help and

Support

To save a document in Microsoft Word:

1 Select File, then Save. The Save As dialog box opens.
2 Select the folder in which you plan to save the file from the Save in list.

For more information on saving a document, click Start,
then select Help and Support or Help.

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

3 Type the new file name.

File

folder

File

name

4 Click Save.

Opening a document

To view, revise, or print an existing document, you need to open it. Open
the document in the program it was created in.

Help and

Support

To open a document in Microsoft Word:

1 Click Start, then select All Programs, then Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word

starts and a blank document opens.

2 Select File, then Open.

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For more information on opening a document, click Start,
then select Help and Support or Help.

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Working with documents

3 Find the folder you want to open in the Look in list.

File

folder

File

name

4 Double-click the document file name. The document opens.

Printing a document

To print a document, you must have a printer connected to your computer
or have access to a network printer. For more information about installing or
using your printer, refer to the printer documentation.

Help and

Support

To print a document in Microsoft Word:

1 Make sure that the printer is turned on and loaded with paper.
2 Start Microsoft Word and open a document.
3 Select File, then Print. The Print dialog box opens.
4 Select the print options, then click OK. The document prints.

For more information on printing a document, click Start,
then select Help and Support or Help.

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Chapter 4: Windows Basics

Shortcuts

The following table shows a few shortcuts that you can use in Windows and
almost all programs that run in Windows. For more information on Windows
shortcuts, see your Windows or program documentation.

To... Do this...

Copy a file, folder, text, or graphic Select the item, then press CTRL + C.

Cut a file, folder, text, or graphic Select the item, then press C

Paste a file, folder, text, or graphic Click inside the folder or window where you want to paste

the object, then press C

Select multiple items in a list or in a
window

Select multiple adjacent items in a list
or window

Permanently delete a file or folder Click the file or folder, then press S

Rename a file or folder Select the file or folder, press F2, type the new name,

Close the active window or program Press A

Switch to a different file, folder, or
running program

Click the first item, press and hold down the C
then click each of the remaining items.

Click the first item in the list, press and hold down the

HIFT key, then click the last item in the list.

S

is permanently deleted. The file or folder is not stored
in the Recycle Bin.

then press E

Press A

NTER.

LT + F4.

LT + TAB.

TRL + X.

TRL + V.

TRL key,

HIFT + DELETE. The file

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Using the Internet

This chapter provides information about the Internet and the World Wide
Web, and tells you how to set up the America Online
you can send and receive e-mail and access other Internet resources.

5

®

Internet service so that

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Chapter 5: Using the Internet

Learning about the Internet

The Internet is a worldwide network of computers linked together to provide
information to people everywhere. The two most popular services on the
Internet are e-mail and the World Wide Web. You can access this network by
connecting your computer to a telephone, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), or
cable line and signing up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Internet Servers

store information so other
computers can access it
from the Internet.

Your c o m pu ter
connects to the
Internet through
an ISP.

ISP Servers
let you connect to
the Internet and
access your e-mail
messages.

If you want to access the Internet you need:

■ A modem – a device that connects your computer, using a telephone,

DSL, or cable line, to other computers or servers.

■ An Internet Service Provider – a company that provides access to the

Internet through an ISP server. When you connect to an ISP, the ISP server
lets you access the Internet and your e-mail messages.

■ A Web browser – a program that displays information from the World

Wide Web.

■ An e-mail program – a program that lets you create, send, and receive

e-mail messages over the Internet.

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Setting up an Internet account

Setting up an Internet account

Before you can view the information on the World Wide Web, you need to
set up an Internet account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). If you have
chosen America Online as an ISP, follow these instructions to set up and
connect to your account. To establish a different ISP service, or to transfer an
existing account to this computer, contact the ISP directly.

If you set up an account with America Online, an Internet e-mail address is
created for you. After completing the setup you are ready to access the
Internet.

Help and

Support

For more information on setting up an Internet account,
click Start, then select Help and Support or Help.

To set up an Internet account with America Online:

1 Select Start, then select All Programs, then America Online.
2 Follow the on-screen instructions. After setting up your account, you can

connect to the Internet and access your e-mail services.

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Chapter 5: Using the Internet

Accessing your Internet account

Help and

Support

For more information on accessing your Internet account,
click Start, then select Help and Support or Help.

To connect to your America Online Internet account:

1 Select Start, then select All Programs, then America Online.
2 Complete the member name and password information, then click

Connect. The computer dials the Internet account telephone number.

If you are using a service other than America Online, check with your ISP for
the correct procedure for connecting.

After connecting, the Web browser window opens. For information about the
Web and the Web browser, see “Using the World Wide Web” on page 67.

To disconnect from your America Online Internet account:

■ Click X in the top right corner of the America Online program. Your

computer disconnects from the Internet.

Important Make sure that your computer disconnects correctly from

your Internet account. If you do not have an “unlimited
hours” ISP account, you may have to pay for the time that
you are connected, even if you are not at the computer.

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If you are using a service other than America Online, check with your ISP for
the correct procedure for disconnecting.

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Using the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a multimedia window to the Internet that gives you
access to millions of information sources.

Information on the Web comes to you on We b pages, which are electronic
documents that you view using a Web page display program called a browser.
You can use any of the commercially available Web browsers, like Microsoft
Internet Explorer, which comes installed on your new computer.

Web pages can contain text, animations, music, and other multimedia
features.

A group of related We b pages is called a Web s ite . You can access Web sites to
shop, track investments, read the news, download programs, and much more.

You can explore a Web site or visit other Web sites by clicking areas on the
Web page called links, or hyperlinks. A link may be colored or underlined text,
a picture, or an animated image. You can identify a link by moving the mouse
pointer over it. If the pointer changes to a hand, the item is a link.

Using the World Wide Web

To learn more about using the Web browser features, select
bar.

Web

page

Link

Linked Web page

Help in the menu

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Chapter 5: Using the Internet

Connecting to a Web site

After you set up an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as
America Online, you can access the many information sources on the World
Wide Web.

Help and

Support

For more information on connecting to a Web site, click
Start, then select Help and Support or Help.

To connect to a Web site:

1 Connect to your Internet account. After the computer connects, a default

opening page or welcome screen opens.

2 To go to a different Web site, type the address (called a URL for “Universal

Resource Locator”) in the browser address bar (for example
www.gateway.com) then click

- OR -

On the current Web page, click a link to a Web site.

The Web browser locates the server computer on the Internet, downloads
(transfers) data to your computer, and displays the page on the site that
you requested.

GO on the browser address bar.

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Sometimes Web pages display slowly. The speed that a Web page displays on
your screen depends on the complexity of the Web page and other Internet
conditions. Additionally, the speed of your connection will determine how
fast Web pages display.

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Downloading files

Downloading is the process of transferring files from a computer on the
Internet to your computer.

To protect your computer against viruses, make sure that you scan the files
you download. For more information, see “Protecting your computer from
viruses” on page 231.

Using the World Wide Web

Help and

Support

For more information on downloading files, click Start, then
select Help and Support or Help.

To download files or programs from a Web site:

1 Connect to your Internet account.
2 In the address bar, type the address of the Web site that contains the file

or program you want to download, then click
bar.

- OR -

Click a link on a Web page to navigate to the Web site containing the
file that you want to download.

GO on the browser address

3 Create or locate the folder where you want to store the file on your

computer.

4 Click the link on the Web page for the file that you want to download.
5 Follow the on-screen instructions for saving the file in the folder that

you created.

A copy of the file is downloaded to your computer. The time that it takes
to transfer the file to your computer depends on file size and Internet
conditions.

6 Open the folder that you created.
7 Install or view the downloaded file by double-clicking it. If applicable,

follow the instructions provided on the Web site to run or install the
program.

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Chapter 5: Using the Internet

Using e-mail

E-mail (electronic mail) lets you send messages to anyone who has an Internet
connection and e-mail address. E-mail is usually a free service of your Internet
account.

The Internet never closes, so you can send e-mail messages at any time. Your
e-mail messages arrive at most e-mail addresses in minutes.

An e-mail address consists of a user name, the @ symbol, and the Internet
domain name of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) or company that “hosts”
that user. Your e-mail address is assigned when you sign up for an account
with an ISP. For example, a person with an account with America Online
might have an e-mail address that is similar to this one:

[e-mail]

User name Internet domain name

Sending e-mail

Help and

Support

To send e-mail using America Online:

1 Connect to your America Online account.
2 Click Write.
3 Type the e-mail address of the recipient you want to send e-mail to in

the

Send To box.

4 Type the subject of your e-mail in the Subject box.

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For more information on sending e-mail, click Start, then
select Help and Support or Help.

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5 Type the e-mail message.
6 When finished, click Send Now. Your e-mail is sent over the Internet to

the e-mail address you specified.

Checking your e-mail

Using e-mail

Help and

Support

For more information on checking your e-mail, click Start,
then select Help and Support or Help.

To check your e-mail using America Online:

1 Connect to your America Online account.
2 Click Read.

For more information about managing and organizing your e-mail messages,
see the online help in your e-mail program.

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Chapter 5: Using the Internet

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Using Multimedia

This chapter provides information on using the multimedia capabilities of
your notebook. Read this chapter to learn how to:

■ Use the diskette drive

■ Use the CD/DVD drive

■ Play CDs and DVDs

■ Record and play audio files

■ Use Media Player

■ Use MusicMatch

■ View the display on a television

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Using diskettes

The diskette drive uses 3.5-inch diskettes (sometimes called floppy disks).
Diskettes are useful for storing files or transferring files to another computer.
If the diskette drive is not installed on your notebook, see “Changing bay
modules” on page 142.

Warning Do not expose diskettes to water or magnetic fields.

Exposure could damage the data on the diskette.

To use a diskette:

1 Insert the diskette into the diskette drive with the label facing up.
2 To access a file on the diskette in Windows XP, click Start, then select My

3 To remove the diskette, make sure the drive activity indicator or diskette

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Activity

indicator

Computer

- OR -

To access a file on the diskette in Windows 2000 or Windows 98,
double-click the

drive indicator (see “Status indicators” on page 23) is off, then press the
diskette eject button.

, then the drive letter, then double-click the file.

My Computer icon, the drive letter, then the file.

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Diskette
slot

Eject
button

Using the CD/DVD drive

You can use your computer to enjoy a wide variety of multimedia features,
such as making recordings, listening to audio CDs, and watching DVD movies.
If the CD/DVD drive is not installed on your notebook, see “Changing bay
modules” on page 142.

Inserting a CD or DVD

Using the CD/DVD drive

Eject buttonActivity

indicator

Manual
eject hole

To insert a CD or DVD:

1 Press the eject button on the CD/DVD drive. After the disc tray opens

slightly, pull the tray completely open.

2 Place the disc in the tray with the label facing up, then press down

carefully on the disc until it snaps into place.

Important When you place a single-sided disc in the tray, make sure

that the label side is facing up. If the disc has two playable
sides, place the disc so that the name of the side you want
to play is facing up.

3 Push the tray in until it is closed.

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Adjusting the volume in Windows XP

You can use the volume controls to adjust the overall volume and the volume
of specific sound devices in your computer.

Help and

Support

For more information on adjusting volume, click Start, then
select Help and Support.

To adjust the overall volume level using hardware controls:

■ On the keyboard, press the volume system key combination FN+ or

F

N+ to change the volume, or press the mute system key combination

F

N+ to turn off all sound.

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Adjusting the volume in Windows XP

To adjust the overall volume level from Windows:

1 Click Start, then select Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.
2 Select Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.
3 Select Adjust the system volume. The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties

dialog box opens.

4 On the Volume tab, drag the Device Volume slider to change the volume

or click to select the

Mute check box, then click OK.

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

To adjust specific volume levels:

1 Click Start, then select Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.
2 Select Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.
3 Select Adjust the system volume. The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties

dialog box opens.

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4 On the Volume tab, click Advanced in the Device volume area. The Master

Volume dialog box opens.

If the device you want to adjust does not appear in the Master Volume
dialog box, select
to adjust, then click

Options, Properties, select the audio device you want

OK.

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Adjusting the volume in Windows XP

5 Drag the volume level and balance sliders for the device you want to

adjust, then close the window. For more information about the volume
controls, select Help in the Master Volume dialog box.

6 Click X in the top right corner of the Master Volume dialog box.

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Adjusting the volume in
Windows 2000 and Windows 98

You can use the volume controls to adjust the overall volume and the volume
of specific sound devices in your computer.

To adjust overall volume level:

■ On the keyboard, press the volume system key combination FN+ or

F

N+ to change the volume, or press the mute system key combination

F

N+ to turn off all sound.

- OR -

Click the speaker icon on the taskbar, then drag the slider to change the
volume or click to select the

Mute check box.

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Adjusting the volume in Windows 2000 and Windows 98

To adjust specific volume levels:

1 Double-click the speaker icon on the taskbar. The Volume Control dialog

box opens.

If the device you want to adjust does not appear in the Volume Control
dialog box, select
to adjust, then click

Options, Properties, select the audio device you want

OK.

2 Drag the volume level and balance sliders for the device you want to

adjust, then close the window. For more information about the volume
controls, select

Help in the Volume Control dialog box.

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Listening to CDs in Windows XP and
Windows 2000

Use the Windows Media Player to listen to CDs in Windows XP and
Windows 2000. For more information about using the Windows Media Player,
select

Help.

To play a CD:

1 Insert a CD into the CD/DVD drive.
2 If a message asks you to chose a CD player, select Windows Media Player.

The Windows Media Player opens.

3 When the media player opens, click (play).

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Play

Stop

Previous

Next

If you do not hear audio or you want to change the volume, see “Adjusting
the volume in Windows XP” on page 76

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Volume

Mute

Listening to CDs in Windows 98

Listening to CDs in Windows 98

Use the Windows CD Player to play an audio CD.

To play a CD:

■ Insert a CD into the CD/DVD drive. The CD Player opens and the CD

plays.

If the CD Player does not open automatically when you insert the CD,
open it from the Start menu by clicking

Accessories, Entertainment, then CD Player. When the CD Player opens,

click (play).

Play

Start, then selecting Programs,

Pause

Stop

Rewind

Previous

If you do not hear audio or you want to change the volume, see
“Adjusting the volume in Windows 2000 and Windows 98” on page 80.

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Next

Skip
Forward

Eject
CD

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Recording and playing audio

Use the instructions below to make an audio recording by speaking into the
microphone. Your Solo notebook has a built-in microphone, however you can
also plug an external microphone into the available microphone jack. See
“Left Side” on page 4 for the location of the jack.

Help and

Support

For more information on recording and playing audio, click
Start, then select Help and Support or Help.

To make an audio recording:

1 Click Start, then select All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, then

Sound Recorder. The Sound Recorder opens.

Rewind Fast

Forward

Play Stop Record

84

2 Click (record), then speak into the microphone.
3 When you finish recording, click (stop).
4 Select File, then Save As. The Save As dialog box opens.
5 Name the recording, specify the path, then click Save. The recording is

saved.

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Recording and playing audio

To play an audio recording in Sound Recorder:

1 Open the Sound Recorder.
2 Select File, then Open. The Open dialog box opens.
3 Select the file you want to play back, then click Open.
4 Play the file by clicking (play), then stop playing the file by clicking

(stop).

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Playing audio and video files with the
Windows Media Player

The Windows Media Player can play several types of audio and video files,
including WAV, MIDI, MP3, AU, AVI, and MPEG formats. For more
information about using the Windows Media Player, select

To play a file using the Windows Media Player:

1 In Windows XP, click Start, then select All Programs, then

Windows Media Player.

- OR -

Help.

In Windows 2000 or Windows 98, click

Accessories, Entertainment, then Windows Media Player.

The Windows Media Player opens.

Play

Stop

Start, then select Programs,

Video file
information

Video
screen

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2 Select File, then Open. The Open dialog box opens.

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3 Select the file you want to play, then click Open.
4 Play the file by clicking (play), then stop playing the file by clicking

(stop).

Playing a DVD

A Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is similar to a standard CD but has greater data
capacity. Because of this increased capacity, full-length movies, several albums
of music, or several gigabytes of data can fit on a single disc. If your computer
has a DVD drive, you can play DVDs with the DVD Player program. For more
information about playing DVDs, select
the CD/DVD drive is not installed on your notebook, see “Changing bay
modules” on page 142.

To play a DVD:

1 Make sure that the speakers are turned on or headphones are plugged in

and that the volume is turned up.

2 Turn off your system screen saver and standby timers.

Recording and playing audio

Help in the DVD player program. If

3 Click Start, then select All Programs, DVD Player, then DVD Player. The

DVD Player video screen and control panel open.

4 Insert a DVD into the DVD drive, then click (play). The DVD plays.
5 To control the DVD or adjust the volume, use the controls in the

DVD player. For more information on using the DVD player, see its
online help.

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Using MusicMatch

Using MusicMatch™, you can:

■ Play music CDs

■ Create MP3 music files from your music CDs

■ Use your music files to build a music library

■ Enter music track information

■ Listen to Internet Radio

For more information on using MusicMatch, see its online Help.

Playing CDs

You can use the MusicMatch program to play music CDs.

To play a music CD in Windows XP:

1 Insert the music CD into the CD/DVD drive on your computer. The first

time you insert a CD, the Audio CD dialog box opens.

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Using MusicMatch

2 Click Play Audio CD using mmjb, select Always do the selected action, then

click

OK. MusicMatch opens, the CD begins playing, and the names of

the music tracks appear in the playlist area.

The next time you insert an audio CD, MusicMatch plays the CD
automatically.

To play a music CD in Windows 2000 and Windows 98:

1 Double-click the musicmatch JUKEBOX icon on your desktop. MusicMatch

opens.

2 Insert the music CD into the CD/DVD drive on your computer, then click

the

CD tab. The names of the music tracks appear in the playlist area.

3 Click (play).

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Creating music files

Using MusicMatch, you can copy the tracks from a music CD to your
computer’s hard drive as MP3 files.

Here are some terms that you need to know before you get started:

■ Bit rate is the number of bits required to store one second of music.

CD quality is 128 kilobits per second. A high bit rate gives you better
sound quality but the file size is also larger. For information about
changing the sound quality settings, see the online help in MusicMatch.

■ MP3 (MPEG Layer 3) is a standard for digitally compressing high-fidelity

music into compact files without noticeably sacrificing quality. MP3 files
end in the file extension .mp3.

■ Ripping is the process of copying a music track from a music CD and

storing it on your computer’s hard drive.

To create (rip) MP3 files:

1 Open MusicMatch by clicking Start, then selecting All Programs,

MusicMatch, then MusicMatch Jukebox.

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2 Insert a CD into the CD/DVD drive, then click (record). The Recorder

window opens.

3 In the Recorder window, select the tracks you want to record, then

click (
computer’s hard drive.

REC.). The tracks that you selected are copied as MP3 files to your

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Editing track information

After you add a CD track as an MP3 file to your music library, you can edit
the track’s information.

To edit track information:

1 In MusicMatch, click My Library. The library window opens.
2 In the library window, right-click the file, then select Edit Track Tag(s). The

Edit Track Tag dialog box opens.

Using MusicMatch

3 Enter information such as track title, lead artist, album, and genre.
4 Click OK. The new track information is displayed in the MusicMatch

playlist, music library, and recorder.

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Building a music library

Use MusicMatch to build a music library. You can organize your music tracks
by categories, find a track quickly by using the sort features, and add
information to a music file.

You can add music tracks to your music library by:

■ Creating MP3 files – When you create MP3 files from the tracks on your

music CD, MusicMatch automatically adds these files to your music
library.

■ Dragging and Dropping – Drag and drop files from Windows Explorer

or your desktop to the music library.

■ Downloading files from the Internet – When you are connected to the

Internet, MP3 files that you download are automatically added to your
music library.

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Changing the music library display settings

To change the music library display settings:

1 In MusicMatch, select Options, then Settings. The Settings window opens.
2 Click the Music Library tab.

Using MusicMatch

3 Select the categories that you want to display in the columns, then

click

OK.

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Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

Listening to Internet radio

Use the Radio feature in MusicMatch to listen to Internet Radio stations.

To listen to an Internet radio station:

1 Connect to the Internet, then in MusicMatch, click Radio Stations.

The Radio window opens.

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