Nec VERSA 2000 user Manual

PROPRIETARY NOTICE AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER.

The information disclosed in this document, including all designs and
related materials, is the valuable property of NEC Corporation (NEC)
and/or its licensors. NEC and/or its licensors, as appropriate, reserve all
patent, copyright and other proprietary rights to this document, including
all design, manufacturing, reproduction, use and sales rights thereto,
except to the extent said rights are expressly granted to others.

The NEC product(s) discussed in this document are warranted in
accordance with the terms of the Warranty Statement accompanying
each product. However, actual performance of each such product is
dependent upon factors such as system configuration, customer data, and
operator control. Since implementation by customers of each product
may vary, the suitability of specific product configurations and
applications must be determined by the customer and is not warranted by
NEC.

To allow for design and specification improvements, the information in
this document is subject to change at any time, without notice.
Reproduction of this document or portions thereof without prior written
approval of NEC is prohibited.

Versa is a trademark of NEC Corporation
All other product, brand, or trade names used in this publication are trademarks or registered

trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

First Printing — August 1995

Copyright 1995 Copyright 1995

NEC Technologies, Inc. NEC Corporation

1414 Massachusetts Avenue 7-1 Shiba 5-Chome, Minato-Ku

Boxborough, MA 01719 Tokyo 108-01, Japan

All rights reserved All rights reserved

Using This Guide

This Versa™ 2000 Series User’s Guide contains information on using your
notebook computer. Read the following chapters to find out more about the
system.

■ Chapter 1 gives introduces the computer, its features, and how to care for

it.

■ Chapter 2 explains how to use the NEC Versa 2000 hardware.

■ Chapter 3 describes the software that comes with your NEC Versa 2000.

■ Chapter 4 discusses traveling with your NEC Versa 2000.

■ Chapter 5 gives you a checklist to follow if you have problems with the

NEC Versa 2000. Common problems and their solutions are also in­cluded.

■ Chapter 6 provides a list of numbers for NEC customer support services.

Text Setup

■ Appendix A, Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment, contains guide-

lines to help you use your computer productively and safely. This ap­pendix also instructs you on how to set up and use your computer to
reduce your risk of developing nerve, muscle, or tendon disorders.

■ Appendix B provides system specifications and environment recommen-

dations.

To make this guide as easy to use as possible, text is set up in the following
ways.

■ Cautions, notes, and tips have the following format:

!

Cautions indicate situations that can damage the system hardware
or software.

CAUTION:

Using This Guide vii

NOTE

Notes give particularly important information about whatever

is being described.

TIP: Tips give helpful hints about getting the most out o f your
system.

■ Names of keys are printed as they appear on the keyboard, for example,

Ctrl, Alt, or Enter.

■ Text that you have to type or keys that you must press are presented in

bold type. For example, type

RELATED DOCUMENTS

In addition to this guide, a number of other documents ship with your Versa
system, including:

DIR and press Enter.

■ The NEC Versa 2000 Series Quick Setup shows you how to set up your

■

viii Using This Guide

system after you unpack it.

The Versa 2000 Series Quick Reference Guide contains brief descrip­tions of function keys, LEDs, NEC help telephone numbers and trouble­shooting tips. Tuck this card inside the notebook when you take it with
you. The card is designed as a quick, portable reference to frequently­used functions.

Contents

Using This Guide vii

1 Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000

Around the System................................................... 1-1

Front................................................................... 1-1

LCD .............................................................. 1-1

Contrast Control............................................. 1-1

Brightness Control.......................................... 1-2

Switches......................................................... 1-2

LEDs............................................................. 1-3

Keyboard....................................................... 1-4

NEC VersaGlide ............................................ 1-5

Rear.................................................................... 1-6

Left Side ............................................................. 1-7

Right Side........................................................... 1-8

Underside............................................................ 1-8

System Care............................................................. 1-9

Precautions ......................................................... 1-9

Storage Requirements.......................................... 1-10

Routine Cleaning................................................. 1-10

2 Learning to Use the Hardware

Powering Your NEC Versa.................................. 2-1

AC Adapter.................................................... 2-1

Battery Pack .................................................. 2-2

Keyboard............................................................ 2-3

The NEC VersaGlide........................................... 2-4

AutoCentering................................................ 2-5

Personalized Modes........................................ 2-5

Pointer Size, Speed......................................... 2-5

Ergonomics.................................................... 2-5

Options and PCMCIA Expansion............................. 2-5

Contents iii

Hard Disk ........................................................... 2-6

Memory Expansion ............................................. 2-6

External Monitor................................................. 2-8

Printer................................................................. 2-9

Parallel Printers.............................................. 2-10

Serial Devices ................................................ 2-11

External Keyboard .............................................. 2-12

Mouse................................................................. 2-13

Internal Modem................................................... 2-15

PCMCIA ............................................................ 2-16

NEC Versa MediaDock 2000.............................. 2-17

NEC Versa MiniDock 2000................................. 2-17

3 About the Software

Windows Introduction .............................................. 3-1

Windows 95........................................................ 3-1

Windows for Workgroups ................................... 3-2

DOS Introduction..................................................... 3-3

Guide to Online Help................................................ 3-3

NEC Versa 2000 InfoCenter................................ 3-3

Additional Topics................................................ 3-4

Guide to NEC Utilities ............................................. 3-5

Distribution Disk Creator.................................... 3-5

Power Center ...................................................... 3-5

Preference Tools Utility....................................... 3-5

Monitor Assistant................................................ 3-5

Function (Fn) Key Utility .................................... 3-5

NEC Battery Gauge ............................................ 3-6

System Backup ................................................... 3-6

Auto Setup Utility............................................... 3-6

4 Traveling with Your NEC Versa

Power Connections................................................... 4-2

Checklists ................................................................ 4-3

What to Take ...................................................... 4-3

Things to Do....................................................... 4-3

iv Contents

5 Solving Problems

Problem Checklist .................................................... 5-1

Start-Up Problems.................................................... 5-3

POST Error Messages......................................... 5-3

If You Need Assistance ............................................ 5-5

Direct Technical Support..................................... 5-6

Remote Technical Support................................... 5-6

Features......................................................... 5-7

6 Getting Help

A Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment

Making Your Computer Work for You..................... A-1

Arrange Your Equipment.......................................... A-3

Adjust Your Chair.................................................... A-3

Adjust Your Input Devices ....................................... A-4

Adjust Your Screen or Monitor................................. A-5

Vary Your Workday................................................. A-6

Pre-Existing Conditions and Psychosocial Factors..... A-7

B Specifications and Environment

Tables

Troubleshooting ....................................................... 5-2

POST Error Messages.............................................. 5-3

Contents v

Getting to Know Your NEC

1

AROUND THE SYSTEM

Front

Versa 2000

Your NEC Versa™ 2000 is ready to go! It’s packed with features to make
your work experience fun and productive. Take the online System Tour or
flip through this guide to familiarize yourself with the NEC Versa.

Let’s first look around the system.

The NEC Versa 2000 is light and compact with features all around it.

Take a look at the front of the NEC Versa 2000.

LCD Display

Switches and
LEDs

Keyboard

LCD

Your NEC Versa 2000 comes with either a 10.4-inch DSTN (Double-Scan
Super-Twisted Nematic) color display or a 9.5-inch color TFT (Thin Film
Transistor) active-matrix display.

Contrast Control

You can adjust the contrast on the LCD with the control slide switch on the
side of the screen (DSTN screen only).

VersaGlide

Front of System

Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000 1-1

Brightness Control

You can adjust the screen backlight brightness with the control slide switch
on the side of the screen.

Switches

The NEC Versa 2000 has the following switches:

Reset

Power

Contrast
Control

Brightness
Control

Power
Management

Suspend/Resume

Power — Slide right to turn on; slide right again to turn off.
Power Management — Slide the switch to turn Power Management on;

slide again to turn it off.

Suspend/Resume — Slide the switch for Suspend mode; slide again to re-

sume active mode.

1-2 Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000

LEDs

Reset — This recessed switch resets the system if the NEC Versa does not
respond to keyboard input or VersaGlide movement. Use it before powering
down the system and restarting it.

The NEC Versa 2000 has several LED lights to let you know what’s hap­pening on your system.

Power
Management

Battery/AC Power
Status

Diskette
Access

Hard Disk
Access

Num Lock

Caps
Lock

Scroll
Lock

Power Management — Green when on; no color when off. Blinking green

when the system is in Suspend mode.

Battery/AC Power Status — There are several light indicators.

BATTERY
STATUS

AC Powered Green
50% to 100% Green
25% to 49% Yellow
10% to 24% Orange
0% to 9% Blinking Orange
Charging Blinking Green
Power off No color

LED

Hard Disk — Green when the NEC Versa is writing data to or retrieving
from the system’s hard disk.

Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000 1-3

Keyboard

Diskette — Green when the NEC Versa 2000 is writing data to or retriev-
ing from the diskette in the A drive.

Num Lock — Green is On; no color is Off.
Caps Lock — Green is On; no color is Off.
Scroll Lock — Green is On; no color is Off.

The NEC Versa 2000 keyboard is equipped with many features, including:

■ Function keys

■ Typewriter keys

■ Cursor control keys

■ Numeric keypad

■ Control keys.

Function keys — The Fn (Function) key activates the functions printed in

blue on keys having dual functions. Press the Fn key and the desired func­tion key simultaneously.

The applications that you run determine how these keys function. See the
user’s guide for the applications.

Function key combinations —

Fn

Fn

Fn

Fn

Fn

Fn

1-4 Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000

+

+

+

+

+

+

F2

Highlight

F3
LCD/CRT

F5

Backlight

F6

Speaker

F7

P/M Lev

F12

ScrLock

Highlight

LCD/CRT

Backlight

Speaker Volume

Power Management (P/M)

Scroll Lock On/Off

Typewriter keys — The typewriter keys (also called alphanumeric keys)
are used almost exactly as on a typewriter. Those that behave differently do
so when combined with control keys or function keys.

Cursor control keys — Cursor control keys let you position the cursor on

the screen wherever you want. On the screen, the cursor is a blinking under­line, block or pointer, depending on the application. It indicates where the
next text type is inserted.

Numeric keypad — Pressing the Num Lock on the keyboard activates the

numeric keypad when an external keyboard is not connected. The numeric
keys are printed in blue. The keypad lets you type numbers and mathemati­cal operands (+, -) as you would on a calculator. The keypad is ideal for
entering long lists of numbers.

Control keys — Cursor control keys include Ctrl, Alt, Fn, and Shift. They

are used in conjunction with other keys to change their functions. To use
these control keys, press and hold the control key while pressing another
key. For example, “
the letter

c. How the key combination works depends on the applications

you are running. Other control keys include

Ins.

press Ctrl C” means to hold down the Ctrl key and type

Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and

NEC VersaGlide

This is the mechanism by which you control the pointer on the screen. It
serves the same function as the mouse or trackball on other systems. For
more information on the VersaGlide, see “Learning to Use the Hardware.”

Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000 1-5

Rear

The rear of the system has ports for connecting your NEC Versa 2000 to
other devices, like a printer or an external mouse, and power sources.

AC Power

Jack
Video
Connector

Keyboard/Mouse
Port

Serial Port

Docking
Connector

Parallel Port

Keyboard and Mouse Port — Use the standard PS/2 port to connect an

external PS/2 mouse or an external PS/2 keyboard. If you want to connect
both, use the optional NEC Versa Y Adapter. (See the online NEC Versa
2000 Options Catalog.)

Serial Port — Use this to connect an external modem or a serial printer.

You can tell that it’s serial by looking at the cable. A serial cable has a 9-pin
connector.

Parallel Port — Use to connect a parallel printer. A parallel device has a

25-pin cable connector.

Docking Connector — Use this bus connector to attach the NEC Versa

2000 to a MiniDock 2000 or MediaDock 2000 to further expand your op­tions.

Video Port — Use this 15-pin connector port to attached an external CRT

monitor to your NEC Versa. You can run both the LCD display and the ex­ternal monitor simultaneously, or one alone.

AC Power Jack — Use the power jack to attach the NEC Versa 2000 to an

AC power source such as the AC adapter.

1-6 Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000

Left Side

The left side of your NEC Versa 2000 has two slots for PCMCIA cards and
a hard disk drive compartment.

PCMCIA
Slots

Hard Disk
Drive

PCMCIA Slots — PCMCIA is a standard interface for peripheral devices

like fax/modems, local area network (LAN) cards, storage cards, and
pagers. A PCMCIA card is about the size and shape of a credit card and in­serts into one of the two slots.

Hard Disk Drive — The hard disk drive is removable. Depending on your

NEC Versa 2000’s configuration, it contains either 350MB, 540MB, or
720MB storage space. You can exchange hard disks in the NEC Versa

2000.

Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000 1-7

Right Side

On the right side of the NEC Versa 2000 is a diskette drive and a removable
battery.

Diskette
Drive

Underside

Battery

Diskette Drive — You can save your files to diskette and install software

from diskette using the diskette drive, called drive A.

Battery — On the right front is the Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) battery.

Every inch of the NEC Versa 2000 has a purpose — even the underside!
Turn your system upside down. You’ll see three compartments. The small
compartment is for expansion memory modules. Another compartment con­tains the Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) battery. There is also a compartment for the
built-in modem. You should not try to remove this — call NEC Customer
Support for help with the modem, should you encounter problems.

Memory

Modem

Battery

1-8 Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000

SYSTEM CARE

The NEC Versa 2000 is a durable, dependable system built for extensive use
and travel. Follow these guidelines to maintain the condition and perform­ance of your computer.

Precautions

Follow these precautions when using your NEC Versa 2000 and AC
adapter.

■ Avoid dropping or bumping the computer or the AC adapter.

■ Do not stack heavy objects on the computer.

■ Avoid moving the NEC Versa 2000 during system operation, especially

NOTE

There is a small compartment in the center of the underside
that contains the CMOS battery. You should not attempt to remove
this battery.

while the hard disk or diskette drive is being accessed.

■ When using the AC adapter, make sure the power source falls within the

system’s compatible range of 100–120 or 224–240 volts AC. Never use
the AC adapter if the voltage falls outside of this range. (Watch for this
when traveling to foreign countries.)

■ Turn computer power off before attaching or removing non-plug and

play devices.

■ Avoid using the computer or AC adapter for extended periods in direct

sunlight.

■ Do not use the system in humid or dusty environments.

■ Avoid exposing the NEC Versa 2000 or AC adapter to extreme changes

in temperature or humidity. If it is unavoidable, allow your NEC Versa
to adjust to room temperature before using.

■ When cleaning the system, use a soft, clean, dry cloth. Avoid wiping the

display surface with abrasive material, including rough cloth.

Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000 1-9

■ The VersaGlide has a sealed surface that resists normal dust and mois-

ture and should require nothing more than an occasional cleaning. To
clean the VersaGlide, simply wipe it off with a clean cloth. For stubborn
grime, use a lightly moistened cloth and a dab of mild dishwashing deter­gent.

■ If the AC adapter becomes extremely hot, unplug the adapter and let it

cool.

Storage Requirements

Store the computer and AC adapter in an environment that meets the follow­ing conditions:

■ Maintain storage temperatures between –4°F and 104°F (–20°C and

40°C).

■ Keep the storage area free from vibration and magnetic fields.

■ Keep the system and its components away from organic solvents or cor-

rosive gases.

■ Avoid leaving the system and its components in direct sunlight or near

heat sources.

Routine Cleaning

Clean or dust your system as follows.

■ LCD screen — Carefully wipe the LCD screen with a soft cloth or a

screen wipe designed for that purpose. Special screen wipes are available
through your local computer dealer.

■ System case — If the NEC Versa 2000 case gets dirty, carefully wipe it

with a slightly damp, almost dry cloth. Be extremely careful not to drip
any moisture onto or into the NEC Versa 2000. Never use harsh solu­tions or spray chemical cleaning products on the NEC Versa 2000.

■ VersaGlide — Wipe the pad surface with a clean cloth. For stubborn

grime, use a lightly moistened (with water) cloth.

1-10 Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000

!

I f the environmental temperature of the NEC Versa suddenly rises
(for example, when you move the system from a warm place to a
cold place), vapor condenses inside the system. Turning on the
system under this condition can cause damage to the internal
components. Wait before turning the system on so that the internal
temperature of the system can equalize with the cooler environment
and any moisture can dry.

CAUTION:

!

Never use household cleaning solvents that contain caustic materi ­als. The use of these cleaners may cause cracking or discoloration
of the plastic surface.

CAUTION:

Getting to Know Your NEC Versa 2000 1-11

Learning to Use

2

Powering Your NEC Versa

the Hardware

Like any computer, the NEC Versa 2000 is made up of the hardware — the
physical unit and its components — and the software — the programs that
run on the computer. This chapter discusses the hardware. The topics in­clude:

■ Powering the system

■ Keyboard

■ NEC VersaGlide

■ Options and PCMCIA Expansion

Since the NEC Versa 2000 is a truly portable computer, you can use it
practically anywhere using any one of a number of power sources, includ­ing:

■ the AC adapter connected to an electrical wall outlet (using AC power)

■ the battery pack

AC Adapter

■ the optional DC adapter connected to a car cigarette lighter.

Use the AC adapter that came with your NEC Versa 2000 to run your com­puter with AC (alternating current) power, or recharge the battery pack. Use
the AC adapter whenever a wall outlet is nearby.

Keep the adapter connected whenever possible. The AC adapter keeps the
battery charged while you use the system and when the NEC Versa 2000 is
powered off.

Here's how you connect the AC adapter:

1. Connect the AC adapter to your NEC Versa 2000.

Learning to Use the Hardware 2-1

Battery Pack

AC Adapter

Connecting the AC adapter

2. Connect the other end to a 100- or 240-volt wall outlet.

The NEC Versa 2000 comes with a rechargeable Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) bat­tery. With it, you can run your system without a wall outlet for up to four
hours with Power Management or two hours without Power Management.
It's easy to install and remove.

You can keep track of the battery's status through the LEDs on the front of
the system or with the battery gauge in Windows. Both let you know how
much battery power you have left.

When your battery power is getting low, you can remove it and replace it
with a charged Li-Ion battery while your system is off or in Suspend mode
or leave it in the system and simply plug in your NEC Versa 2000 into a
wall outlet. The battery recharges over a period of 1.6 hours while in the
NEC Versa 2000 and the system is powered off. You can recharge the bat­tery in two to three hours while the system is on.

Optionally, you can buy a battery charger to quickly charge your battery.
See the online NEC Versa 2000 Options Catalog.

2-2 Learning to Use the Hardware

Keyboard

!

To prevent accidental battery ignition or explosion, adhere to the
following:

■ Keep the battery away from extreme heat.

■ Keep metal objects away from the battery terminals to prevent

causing a short circuit.

■ Make sure the battery is properly installed in the battery bay.

■ Read the precautions printed on the battery and in the online

Basics

.

WARNING

The NEC Versa 2000 keyboard is equipped with many features. They in­clude the following.

■ Function keys

■ Cursor control keys

■ Typewriter keys

■ Numeric keypad

■ Control keys

Function Keys

Control Keys

Numeric Keypad

Cursor Control
Keys

Keyboard

Learning to Use the Hardware 2-3