HP OB500 Service Manual

31 Oct 2001

This file contains the most up-to-date information on the following topics:

Sources of Information about the HP notebook computer and Windows
Precautions
Swapping Batteries in Standby Mode
Fixing Display Settings when Docking
Using Wireless LAN
Using HP Presentation Ready
Playing DVD Movies
Switching Displays
Running in MS-DOS Mode

Windows 98

Using the Floppy Drive with a USB Cable
Swapping Plug-In Modules
Using the Infrared Port
Using an ATA-Type PC Card while Docked
Docking and Undocking with a LAN Connection
Using a Non-HP USB Floppy Drive

Windows 2000

Running the Tour of Windows 2000
Setting the Display after Docking
Changing the Refresh Rate for an External Monitor
Booting from a Network
Reinstalling HP One-Touch

Windows XP

Using an External Keyboard
Using Wireless LAN Connections
Using an Internet Proxy Server

Windows NT 4.0

Wireless LAN and Infrared Not Supported
Restoring Operation under Windows NT
Setting Up the Internal LAN Adapter
Using PC Cards
Installing VirusScan and Card Executive
Matching the Keyboard and Driver
Using Media Player
Using VirusScan without a Floppy Drive
Installing Mediamatics DVD Player Software
Dr. Watson Errors during Software Installation

Best Practices for Using Your HP Notebook Computer

Physical Care
General Use

Sources of Information

* The printed Startup Guide introduces the notebook computer and shows you the basics. It also contains

troubleshooting information.

* The online Reference Guide shows how to set up the operating system, install and connect accessories,

and maintain and upgrade the computer (Start, Programs, HP Library).

* The Microsoft Windows manual, shipped with your computer, contains information about using the

standard features of your Windows operating system.

* For updates to the BIOS and other technical documentation, connect to our website at

http://www.hp.com/go/support.

Precautions

This section describes certain situations that could cause serious loss of data.

Do not remove a data storage PC Card while it is actively reading or writing. This could cause its data to
become corrupted.

Certain applications, such as Intuit's Quicken, keep their working files open, and they update the files as you
make changes. For such applications, you should open only files that reside on the hard drive, not on a
removable disk. An open file on a removable disk (such as a floppy disk or PC Card) is susceptible to
corruption in certain situations.

Before suspending, docking, or undocking your computer, always save your data and close any applications
you have open, especially applications that are not power aware, audio and video applications, and
applications using PC Cards and I/O devices such as a CD-ROM drive.

Swapping Batteries in Standby Mode

Normally, you can swap the main battery while the computer is in Standby mode. An internal backup
battery provides power during the time you're changing the battery. However, you should not swap the
battery in Standby mode in certain situations:

Certain power settings can increase power use during Standby. If you have changed settings that increase
Standby power use, you should shut down your computer or plug in the AC adapter before swapping
batteries. Otherwise, unsaved data could be lost if power runs out.

For example, the built-in LAN adapter has a power setting in Windows 2000 that allows the LAN adapter to
turn on the computer from Standby mode. This option increases Standby power use, so you should not swap
the main battery in Standby mode.

Fixing Display Settings when Docking

When you dock the computer to an expansion base, Windows automatically recognizes the new devices
connected to the system. However, the display settings may not change automatically to your docked
configuration. You may notice this if you have an external monitor with different resolution than the built-in
display. To switch to your docked display settings, press the blue sleep button to suspend, then again to
resume. Or shut down and restart the computer.

Using Wireless LAN

Here are some suggestions about setting the wireless LAN configuration:

* To set up an AdHoc connection between computers, all connecting computers should select one channel

that is not the same as or adjacent to a channel used by a nearby access point, and use an SSID that is not
used by a nearby access point.

* To set up encryption, you may have to enter the encryption key manually. If you know the key or are

creating the key, use the same key on all wireless products in the group.

If you know only the alphanumeric passphrase, run the key-conversion program to determine the correct
encryption key to use. Click Start, Programs, HP Wireless LAN, Encryption Key Converter. If the
passphrase was created for a Lucent/Agere-based wireless product, select that conversion option to find
the correct key. For other wireless products, use the other conversion option to find the key. You should
use that key for all products in the group. As an example, the HP F2135 and F2136 accessories are
Lucent/Agere-based products.

* When you connect to a wireless network via an access point, your computer should be able to use

network resources. If, when you log on, your computer cannot connect to network resources, your
computer may not have been assigned an IP address. To check your IP address, click Start, Run and type
winipcfg (for Windows 98) or ipconfig (for Windows 2000). If the subnet mask for your wireless
connection is 255.255.000.000, the network server did not assign an IP address to your computer, and
you may have to release and renew your network IP address--see the readme file mentioned below. If this
does not fix the problem, the access point may need to be rebooted.

* If you want to change the SSID to a different value to connect to a different access point, or if you want

to change from Infrastructure mode to AdHoc mode, you may first have to release and renew your
network IP address--see the readme file mentioned below.

If you are using Windows XP, see the Windows XP section farther below for additional information about
wireless LAN.

If you have trouble setting up or using a wireless LAN connection, see the information about wireless LAN
in c:\hp\Drivers\Wireless\Readme.txt.

Using HP Presentation Ready

If you use HP Presentation Ready with an external monitor, you should check whether it is a Plug-and-Play
device. If it is not Plug-and-Play, you should determine the video settings you intend to use, then go to
Control Panel Display and set up a monitor that supports those video settings. Otherwise, the computer may
not be able to activate the video settings you specify in Presentation Ready.

Playing DVD Movies

* The DVD player must be set to the region code used by DVD movies in your region of the world in order

to play movies. When you insert a DVD movie, the software detects the region code and asks you to set
your code. If you make a mistake, you can change the code only four times--then it is permanently locked
in the drive. Note: If you lock your DVD drive on a region code you do not want, the drive replacement is
not covered under your warranty, and you will be responsible for replacement or repair charges.

* When playing DVD movies on battery power, you should make sure your processor runs at optimum

speed for movies. In Windows 98 or 2000, set the SpeedStep setting to Max Performance. In Windows
XP, use Power Options in Control Panel to select the Portable/Laptop power scheme.