HP Compaq Presario CQ42-320CA Notebook Essentials

Notebook Essentials

For more information about HP products and services, see the HP Web site at
http://www.hp.com.

© Copyright 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

Windows and Windows Vista are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only
warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements
accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as
constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial
errors or omissions contained herein.

Part number: 598235-001

User Guides

HP is committed to reducing the environmental impact of our products. As part of this effort,
we provide user guides and learning centers on your computer hard drive in Help and
Support. Additional support and updates to the user guides are available on the Web.

Windows Users

Looking for more user guides? They are on your computer. Click: Start > Help
and Support > User Guides

Linux Users

Looking for more user guides? You can find them on the
came with your computer.

Subscription Services for Business Notebook

Keep this product up to date with the latest drivers, patches, and notifications.
Sign up now at

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User Guides

disc that

End User License Agreement (EULA)

BY INSTALLING, COPYING, DOWNLOADING, OR OTHERWISE USING ANY
SOFTWARE PRODUCT PRE-INSTALLED ON THIS PC, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND
BY THE TERMS OF THE HP EULA. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THESE LICENSE
TERMS, YOUR SOLE REMEDY IS TO RETURN THE ENTIRE UNUSED PRODUCT
(HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE) WITHIN 14 DAYS FOR A REFUND SUBJECT TO
THE REFUND POLICY OF YOUR PLACE OF PURCHASE. For any further information
or for requesting a full refund of the PC, please contact your local point of sale (the seller).

Contacting Customer Support

If the information provided in your User Guide or Learning Center does not address your
questions, you can contact HP Customer Support at:

www.hp.com/go/contactHP

Here you can:

■ Chat online with an HP technician.

When technical support chat is not available in a particular language, it is

✎

available in English.

■ E-mail HP Customer Support.

■ Find HP Customer Support worldwide telephone numbers.

■ Locate an HP service center.

Serial Number Label Information

The serial number label, located on the bottom of the computer, provides important
information that you may need when contacting technical support.

1

Product name 4 Warranty period

2 Serial number 5 Model description (select models)

3 Product number

Warranty Information

You may find the expressly provided HP Limited Warranty applicable to your product in the
start menu on your PC and/or in the CD/DVD provided in the box. Some countries/regions
may provide a printed HP Limited Warranty in the box. In countries/regions where the
warranty is not provided in printed format, you may request a printed copy from
www.hp.com/go/orderdocuments or write to:

North America:

Hewlett Packard, MS POD, 11311 Chinden Blvd, Boise, ID 83714, USA

Europe, Middle East, Africa:

Hewlett-Packard, POD, Via G. Di Vittorio, 9, 20063, Cernusco s/Naviglio (MI), Italy

Asia Pacific:

Hewlett-Packard, POD, P.O. Box 200, Alexandra Post Office, Singapore 911507

Please include your product number, warranty period (found on your serial number label),
name and postal address.

Chapter 1: Getting started

Windows 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

TouchPad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Connecting to the Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Finding Help and Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Finding the user guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Identifying installed software and hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 2: Windows desktop

Identifying the Windows desktop features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 3: What's next?

Creating recovery discs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Protecting the computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Protecting your computer from viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Protecting your system files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Protecting the computer from power surges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Connecting to the Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Choosing the type of Internet access available. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Choosing an ISP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Connecting to an existing wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Setting up a wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 1: Purchase high-speed Internet service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 2: Purchase and install a wireless router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 3: Configure the computer to connect to the wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Connecting to a wired network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Installing additional hardware and software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Installing hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Locating and installing software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Updating the software installed on the computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Turning off the computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Contents

Chapter 4: Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Quick troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The computer is unable to start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The computer screen is blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Software is functioning abnormally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The computer is on but is not responding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The computer is unusually warm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Notebook Essentials iii

Contents

An external device is not working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The wireless network connection is not working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Appendix A: Backup and recovery

Creating recovery discs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Backing up your information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Using Windows Backup and Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Using system restore points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Performing a recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Recovering using the recovery discs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Recovering using the partition on the hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Appendix B: Specifications

Operating environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Input power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Appendix C: Routine care

Cleaning the display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Cleaning the TouchPad and keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Traveling and shipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Index

iv Notebook Essentials

After you set up and register your computer, there are important next steps to take before you
begin using your computer. First, read this chapter completely, because it explains what to do
and where to find additional information. For example, this guide provides specific
instructions for connecting to wired and wireless networks. You will also find practical
information to help you protect, maintain, and back up the computer. Then, read the specific
chapters for additional information.

For help in identifying specific components of the computer, refer to the user guide. Click
Start, click Help and Support, and then click User Guides, or refer to the User Guides disc

included with some models.

Windows 7

Your computer includes the Microsoft® Windows® 7 operating system. Windows 7 has
several new program and feature enhancements, such as:

■

Faster startup

■

Updated Wi-Fi network controls

■

Customizable taskbar

■

Fewer pop-ups and notifications

■

Support for more multimedia formats

TouchPad

To move the pointer, slide your finger across the TouchPad surface in the direction you want
the pointer to go. Use the TouchPad’s lower left and right buttons like the corresponding
buttons on an external mouse. To scroll up and down using the TouchPad vertical scroll zone,
slide your finger up or down along the right side of the TouchPad. The TouchPad also
supports a variety of other TouchPad gestures.

Chapter 1: Getting started

For additional information about using the TouchPad and TouchPad gestures, refer to

✎

the Notebook PC User Guide in Help and Support, or refer to the User Guides disc

included with some models.

Connecting to the Internet

After you set up your computer, you can connect to a wireless or wired network so that you
can connect to the Internet and send and receive e-mail. Refer to Chapter 3, “What’s next?”
for more information.

Notebook Essentials 1

Chapter 1: Getting started

Protecting your computer from viruses

After you have connected to the Internet, manage your computer’s defenses with Norton
Internet Security. HP also recommends that you always update the antivirus software.
Antivirus software helps protect your computer from damage caused by viruses. Refer to
Chapter 3, “What’s next?” for more information.

Finding Help and Support

Help and Support is preinstalled on the computer. Access to Help and Support does not

✎

require an Internet connection.

You can access Help and Support by clicking Start, and then clicking Help and Support.
In addition to providing information about the Windows® operating system, Help and
Support includes these topics:

■

Information about the computer, such as how to locate the model and serial number,

installed software, hardware components, and specifications

■

How to help safeguard the computer

■

How to get the best performance from the battery

■

How to set up a wireless network

Finding the user guides

User guides and regulatory and safety information are provided on the computer and are
available through Help and Support.

»

To access the user guides in Help and Support, click Start, click Help and Support,

and then click User Guides.

User guides for select models may also be provided on a User Guides disc.

✎

Identifying installed software and hardware

To see a list of the software that is preinstalled on the computer, follow these steps:

»

Click Start, and then click All Programs.

Click the name of a program if you want to open it.

✎

For details about using software included with the computer, refer to the software

✎

manufacturer’s instructions, which may be provided with the software, on disc, in the

software Help, or on the manufacturer’s Web site.

2 Notebook Essentials

Chapter 1: Getting started

To see a list of hardware installed in the computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Computer, and then click System properties.

2. In the left pane, click Device Manager.

You can also use Device Manager to add hardware or modify device configurations.

Windows® includes the User Account Control feature to improve the security of the

✎

computer. You may be prompted for your permission or password for tasks such as

installing software, running utilities, or changing Windows settings. Refer to Help and

Support for more information.

Notebook Essentials 3

Chapter 2: Windows desktop

Identifying the Windows desktop features

The Windows desktop is where you start when you turn on your computer. It includes the
notification area at the far right of the taskbar, icon shortcuts that are used to start programs,
and the Start menu.

The desktop of your computer may look slightly different from the illustration in this

✎

section.

Icon Name Description

Norton Internet Security Displays the status of Norton Internet Security

antivirus software.

Synaptics Pointing Devices Opens the Mouse Properties window.

Intel® Graphics Media
Accelerator Driver for Mobile

HP Wireless Assistant
(select models only)

Notebook Essentials 5

Opens the Intel Graphics window.

Displays the status of your wireless device.

(Continued)

Chapter 2: Windows desktop

Icon Name Description

HP Connection Manager
(select models only)

Battery Meter Displays the current power status and opens

Network status Displays the status of your network connection.

Wireless network status Displays the status of your wireless network

Volume Control Opens the Volume Control window.

CAUTION: Software downloaded from the Internet may contain viruses. Refer to

Ä

Chapter 3, “What’s next?” for more information.

Displays the status of HP Connection Manager
and opens the HP Connection Manager
window.

the Battery Meter window.

connection and opens the Wireless Network
Connection window.

6 Notebook Essentials