Quanta Computer 145015318 Notebook PC with Integrated Wireless LAN User Manual Using Your Solo 1450

Quanta Computer Inc Notebook PC with Integrated Wireless LAN Using Your Solo 1450

Users Manual Part 1

Contents

1 Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 1450. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

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

Left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Keyboard area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Identifying your model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Connecting the AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Starting your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Waking up your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Turning off your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Key types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

System key combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Multi-function buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Using the EZ Pad touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Using the touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Connecting the modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Connecting to an Ethernet network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Broadband Internet connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Installing a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

3Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

HelpSpot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

HelpSpot Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Gateway Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

4 Windows Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

About the Windows environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Using the desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Using the Start menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Identifying Window items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Working with files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Viewing drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Creating folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Copying and moving files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Deleting files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Browsing for files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Searching for files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Using the Search utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Working with documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Creating a new document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Saving a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Opening a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Printing a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

5 Using the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Learning about the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Setting up an Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Accessing your Internet account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Using the World Wide Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Connecting to a Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Downloading files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Using e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Sending e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Checking your e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

6 Using Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Using diskettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Using a CD, CD-RW, or DVD drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Inserting a CD, CD-RW, or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Creating CDs using your CD-RW or DVD/CD-RW drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Creating data CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Creating music CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Adjusting the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Listening to CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Recording and playing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Playing audio and video files with the Windows Media Player . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Playing a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Using MusicMatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Playing CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Creating music files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Editing track information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Building a music library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

iii

Listening to Internet radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Using advanced features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

7 Sending and Receiving Faxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Setting up your cover page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Sending a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Faxing from programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Receiving and viewing a fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

8 Managing Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Monitoring the battery charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Recalibrating the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Changing batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Extending battery life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Conserving battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Using alternate power sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Changing power modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Changing power settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Changing the power scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Changing alarm options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Changing advanced settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Activating and Using Hibernate Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Changing SpeedStep settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

9Travel tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Radio frequency wireless connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

10 Customizing Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Adjusting the screen and desktop settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Adjusting the color depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Adjusting the screen resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Applying a color scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Changing the desktop background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Selecting a screen saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Changing the touchpad settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Programming the multi-function buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Adding and modifying user accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

11 Upgrading Your Notebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

Adding PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Preventing static electricity discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Installing memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Replacing the hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

12 Networking Your Notebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

The benefits of using a network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Sharing a single Internet connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Sharing drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Sharing peripheral devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Streaming audio and video files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Playing multi-player games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Example network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Selecting a network connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Wired connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Wireless Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

Assessing your connection needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

Comparing data transfer speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Using a wireless network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Using wireless Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Purchasing additional network equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174

HPNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174

Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

Wireless Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

For more information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

13 Moving From Your Old Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

Transferring software and hardware from your old computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

Using the Windows XP Files and Settings Transfer Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

Transferring files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

Transferring Internet settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179

Reinstalling your old printer or scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180

Reinstalling your old programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

14 Maintaining Your Notebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Caring for your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Creating an emergency startup diskette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

Protecting your computer from viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Managing hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Checking hard drive space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Using Disk Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

Checking the hard drive for errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Defragmenting the hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Backing up files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Using the Scheduled Task Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Cleaning your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Cleaning the exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Cleaning the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Cleaning the screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Cleaning the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

15 Restoring Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Using the Restoration CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Reinstalling device drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Updating device drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Reinstalling programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Reinstalling Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

16 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Software support tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD/CD-RW drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Device installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Diskette drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

File management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

LCD panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Telephone support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Before calling Gateway Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Telephone numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Tutoring and training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232

Self-help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232

Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232

Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232

A Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

www.gateway.com

Checking Out

Your Gateway

Solo 1450

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

download an electronic copy from

www.gateway.com/support/manlib/.

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 1450

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Front

Component Icon Description

LCD panel release latch Open the LCD panel by sliding the release latch to the

right.

Speakers Provide audio output. Speakers are disabled while

headphones are connected.

Battery charge indicator The LED shows the battery activity and status.

■LED green – battery is fully charged.

■LED orange – battery is charging.

■LED red – battery is low.

■LED blinking and red – battery is very low.

NOTE: This LED only lights up when the notebook is

plugged in.

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

notebook power status.

■LED on – power is on.

■LED flashing – notebook is in Standby mode.

■LED off – power is off or notebook is in Hibernate

mode.

LCD panel

release

latch

Power

indicator

Battery

charge

indicator

Speaker Speaker

Left side

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Left side

Component Icon Description

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

“Connecting the modem” on page 26.

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

information, see “Connecting to an Ethernet network” on page 27

and “Networking Your Notebook” on page 139.

Microphone jack Plug a microphone into this jack.

Headphone jack Plug amplified speakers or headphones into this jack.

PC Card eject button Press this eject button to remove the PC Card from the PC Card

slot. For more information, see “Adding PC Cards” on page 130.

PC Card slot Insert one Type II or Type III PC Card into this slot. For more

information, see “Adding PC Cards” on page 130.

Diskette drive Insert a standard 3.5-inch diskette into this drive. For more

information, see “Using diskettes” on page 68.

Diskette drive eject

button Press the eject button to remove a diskette from the drive. For

more information, see “Using diskettes” on page 68.

Microphone jack Headphone jack

Modem jack PC Card

slot

PC Card

eject button

Ethernet jack

Diskette drive

eject button

Diskette

drive

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 1450

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Right side

Component Icon Description

Battery bay Insert the battery into this bay. For more information, see

“Changing batteries” on page 103.

CD, CD-RW, DVD, or

combination DVD/CD-RW

drive

Insert CDs, CD-RWs, or DVDs into this drive. For more

information, see “Using a CD, CD-RW, or DVD drive” on

page 69.

To determine the type of drive in your notebook, examine

the drive tray’s plastic cover. A CD Compact Disc logo

indicates a CD drive, a CD-R/RW logo indicates a

recordable/rewritable CD drive, a DVD logo indicates a

DVD drive, and a DVD/CD-R/RW logo indicates a

combination DVD and recordable/rewritable CD drive.

Drive indicator Lights up when the computer is accessing the CD,

CD-RW, DVD, or combination DVD/CD-RW drive. For

more information, see “Using a CD, CD-RW, or DVD

drive” on page 69.

Drive eject button Press the eject button to open the disc tray. For more

information, see “Using a CD, CD-RW, or DVD drive” on

page 69.

Manual eject hole Insert a straightened paperclip into this hole to open the

drive if the drive eject button fails to open it.

CD, CD-RW, DVD,

or DVD/CD-RW

drive Drive eject button

Drive

indicator

Battery bay Manual eject hole

Back

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Back

Component Icon Description

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

Kensington cable lock to this slot.

Power connector Plug the AC adapter cable into this connector.

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

Iomega™ Zip™ drive, printer, scanner, or camera) into

these ports.

Monitor port Plug an analog VGA monitor into this port.

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

Ventilation fan Helps cool internal components. Do not block or insert

objects into these slots.

Parallel

port

Monitor

port

USB

ports

Power

connector

Kensington

lock slot Ventilation

fan

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 1450

www.gateway.com

Bottom

Component Icon Description

Hard drive Install the hard drive here. For more information, see “Replacing the

hard drive” on page 137.

Battery bay Insert the battery into this bay. For more information, see “Changing

batteries” on page 103.

Battery latch Slide to release the battery.

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

information, see “Identifying your model” on page 9.

Ventilation

fan Helps cool internal components. Do not block or insert objects into these

slots.

Reset hole Insert a straightened paper clip into this hole to manually restart the

system.

Memory bay Install as many as two memory modules into this bay. For more

information, see “Installing memory” on page 133.

Battery

latch

Battery

bay

Hard drive

Memory

bay

System

label

Ventilation

fan

Reset

hole

Keyboard area

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Keyboard area

Component Icon 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 107.

Multi-function buttons Four multi-function buttons can be assigned to open

applications. By default, these buttons are set to open your

e-mail application, your Web browser, online help, and

another program that you assign. For more information, see

“Multi-function buttons” on page 22.

Status indicators Inform you when a drive is in use or when a button has been

pressed that affects how the keyboard is used. For more

information, see “Status indicators” on page 17.

Touchpad Provides all the functionality of a mouse. For more

information, see “Using the EZ Pad touchpad” on page 23.

Status

indicators

Keyboard

Touchpad

Power button

Multi-function buttons

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 1450

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Keyboard A full-sized 86-key keyboard. For more information, see

“Using the keyboard” on page 18.

Component Icon Description

Identifying your model

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Identifying your model

The labels on the bottom of your computer contain information that

identifies your notebook model and its features. Gateway Technical Support

will need this information if you call for assistance.

The following label indicates your computer contains a wireless

communications device.

The Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity label includes the product key code

for your operating system.

Important The label shown below is for informational purposes only.

Label information varies by model.

Insert Solo 1450 Label

Insert Wireless Label

Insert Microsoft XP Label

Chapter 1: Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 1450

www.gateway.com

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. See “Changing batteries” on page 103 for more information about

using a second battery on your notebook.

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.

Peripheral devices

You can attach devices such as a keyboard, mouse, printer, or monitor to your

notebook.

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.

Printers

You can attach many types of printers to your notebook. The most common

types are inkjet and laser printers, which print in color or black and white.

See “Installing a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device” on page 28 for

more information about attaching a printer to your notebook.

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.

www.gateway.com

Getting Started

This chapter provides basic information about your Gateway notebook. Read

this chapter to find out:

■How to connect the AC 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

Chapter 2: Getting Started

www.gateway.com

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.

To connect the AC adapter:

1Connect the power cord to the AC adapter.

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 information on

recalibrating the battery, see “Recalibrating the battery” on

page 102.

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.

Connecting the AC adapter

www.gateway.com

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

3Plug the power cord into a wall outlet.

The battery charging indicator turns on (see “Front” on page 2 for the

location of the indicator). If the battery charging indicator does not turn

on, disconnect the adapter from your notebook and repeat Step 2.

4When 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. The battery charge meters may not show a charge for several

hours. For more information about battery meters on your model, see

“Monitoring the battery charge” on page 100.

5If 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.

Chapter 2: Getting Started

www.gateway.com

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.

Starting your notebook

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Starting your notebook

To start the notebook:

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

to the right and lifting the LCD panel.

2Press the power button located above the keyboard.

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 107.

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

instructions to set up your notebook.

Waking up your notebook

When you have not used your notebook for several minutes, it may enter 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

“Changing power settings” on page 107.

Power button

Chapter 2: Getting Started

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Turning off your notebook

To turn off your notebook:

1Click Start, then click Turn Off Computer. The Turn Off Computer dialog box

opens.

2Click Turn Off. Windows shuts down and turns off your notebook.

Important If for some reason you cannot use the Turn Off Computer

option in Windows to turn off your notebook, press and

hold the power button for about five seconds, then release

it.

Status indicators

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Status indicators

Status indicators inform you when a drive is being used or when a button

has been pressed that affects how the keyboard is used.

Indicator Icon Description

Caps Lock Caps Lock is turned on.

Pad Lock Pad Lock is turned on.

Scroll Lock Scroll Lock is turned on.

Diskette drive The standard 1.44 MB diskette drive is in use.

Hard drive The hard drive is in use.

Disc drive The CD, CD-RW, DVD, or combination DVD/CD-RW drive is in

use.

Hard drive

Disc drive

Diskette drive

Caps lock

Pad lock

Scroll lock

Chapter 2: Getting Started

www.gateway.com

Using the keyboard

Your notebook features a full-size keyboard that functions the same as a

desktop computer keyboard. Many of the keys have been assigned alternate

functions, including shortcut keys for Windows, function keys for specific

system operations, and the Pad Lock keys for the numeric keypad.

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/System keys Navigation/Volume keys

Numeric

keypad Arrow keysWindows

key

Fn key

Application

key Fn key

Windows

key

Using the keyboard

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Key types

Many different key types are located on the keyboard. Some keys perform

specific actions when pressed by itself and another action when pressed in

combination with another key.

Key type 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 colored keys in combination with the FNkey

to perform specific actions.

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.

Volume keys Press these colored keys in combination with the FNkey

to increase or decrease the volume, or mute the sound.

FN key Press the FNkey in combination with a colored system

key (such as STATUS, STANDBY, or PAUSE) to perform

a specific action.

Application key Press for quick access to shortcut menus and help

assistants in Windows.

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 FN+PAD LOCK to turn on the

numeric keypad.

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

left.

Chapter 2: Getting Started

www.gateway.com

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 colored text or icon on the key.

Press and hold FN while

pressing this system key... Too...

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.

Enter Standby mode. Press the power button to leave Standby

mode.

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.)

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

sound.

Increase volume.

Using the keyboard

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Decrease volume.

Press and hold FN while

pressing this system key... Too...

Chapter 2: Getting Started

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Multi-function buttons

The multi-function buttons can be assigned different functions than those

listed. For more information, see “Programming the multi-function buttons”

on page 126.

Button Icon Press to...

E-mail Open your e-mail program.

Internet Open your Web browser.

Help Open online help.

User-defined shortcut Open the program you assign to this key.

E-mail

Internet

Help

User-defined

shortcut

Using the EZ Pad touchpad

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Using the EZ Pad touchpad

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

When you move your finger on the touchpad, the pointer (arrow) on the screen

moves in the same direction.

Touchpad

Left

touchpad

button

Right

touchpad

button

Rocker

switch

Chapter 2: Getting Started

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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.

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 125.

Using the touchpad

To... Do this...

Move the pointer

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.

Select an object

on the screen. Position the pointer over the

object. Press the left button below

the touchpad once. This action is

called clicking.

Start a program

or open a file or

folder.

Position the pointer over the

object. Press the left button below

the touchpad twice in rapid

succession. This action is called

double-clicking.

Using the EZ Pad touchpad

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Access a

shortcut menu or

find more

information

about an object

on the screen.

Position the pointer over the

object. Quickly press and release

the right button once. This action

is called right-clicking.

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.

To... Do this...

Chapter 2: Getting Started

www.gateway.com

Connecting the modem

Your notebook has a built-in 56K modem.

To connect the modem:

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

side of the notebook.

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

modem will not work with digital or PBX telephone lines.

3Start your notebook, then start your communications software.

Caution To reduce the risk of fire, use only No. 26 AWG or larger

telecommunications line cord.

Connecting to an Ethernet network

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Connecting to an Ethernet network

Your notebook has a network jack that you can use to connect it to a 10/100

Ethernet network.

To connect to a network:

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

left side of the notebook.

2Insert 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 onto your network.

Broadband Internet connections

You can use your notebook’s Ethernet jack for more than just networking.

Many broadband Internet connections, such as cable modems and DSL

modems, connect to your notebook’s Ethernet jack. For more information,

see “Using the Internet” on page 57 and “Networking Your Notebook” on

page 139.

Chapter 2: Getting Started

www.gateway.com

Installing a printer, scanner, or other

peripheral device

Your computer has one or more of the following ports: Universal Serial Bus

(USB) 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

1450” 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 port devices are not plug-and-play. Refer to the device documentation

for detailed information and installation instructions.

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Getting Help

This chapter tells you about additional information resources available to help

you use your computer. It includes the following topics:

■HelpSpot™

■Online help

■Gateway Web site

Chapter 3: Getting Help

www.gateway.com

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. HelpSpot also

has an area called Contact Gateway that helps you find the right resource at

Gateway to answer your questions or help solve your problems.

To start HelpSpot:

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

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.

HelpSpot

www.gateway.com

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 tasks, click the Using your computer link on the HelpSpot

main page.

Chapter 3: Getting Help

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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.

Online help

www.gateway.com

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 Help menu or

by clicking a Help button.

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.

Chapter 3: Getting Help

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Gateway Web site

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

your computer.

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 “Learning about

the Internet” on page 58.

www.gateway.com

Windows

Basics

Read this chapter to get basic information on how to:

■Use the Windows desktop

■Manage files and folders

■Work with documents

■Use shortcuts

Help and

Support For more information about Windows, click Start, then

click Help and Support.

Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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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.

Using the desktop

www.gateway.com

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.

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 45.

Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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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:

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

menu opens showing you the first level of menu items.

2To 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.

3Click a file or program to open it.

Identifying Window items

www.gateway.com

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 Local Disk (C:) icon in the My Computer

window.

Minimize

Maximize

Title bar

Menu bar

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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 in 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.

Clicking an item on the menu bar starts an

action such as Print or Save.

Working with files and folders

www.gateway.com

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, CD-RW, DVD, or combination

DVD/CD-RW drive.

To view the drives on your computer:

■Click Start, then click My Computer on the Start menu.

Drives

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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 Show the contents of this drive.

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.

To create a folder:

1Click Start, then click My Computer on the Start menu.

2Double-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.

Folders

Files

Working with files and folders

www.gateway.com

3Click File, New, then click Folder. The new folder is created.

4Type 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 temporarily 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 original 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.

To copy a file or folder to another folder:

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

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

2Click Copy on the pop-up menu.

3Open the destination folder.

4With the pointer inside the destination folder, right-click.

5Click Paste. A copy of the file or folder appears in the new location.

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.

Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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To move a file or folder to another folder:

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

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

2Click Cut on the pop-up menu.

3Open the destination folder.

4With the pointer inside the destination folder, right-click.

5Click Paste. The file or folder you moved appears in its new location and

is removed from its old location.

Working with files and folders

www.gateway.com

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:

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

want to delete. For instructions on how to select multiple files and folders,

see “Shortcuts” on page 55.

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

Recycle Bin.

To recover files or folders from the Recycle Bin:

1Double-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.

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

to select multiple files and folders, see “Shortcuts” on page 55.

3Click File, then click Restore. Windows returns the deleted files or folders

to their original locations.

Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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To empty the Recycle Bin:

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

opens.

2Click File, then click Empty Recycle Bin. Windows asks you if you are sure

that you want to empty the bin.

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

Caution Emptying the Recycle Bin permanently erases any files or

folders in the bin. These files cannot be restored.

Working with files and folders

www.gateway.com

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:

1Click Start, then click My Computer.

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

that you want to find. If you do not see the contents of a folder, click

Show the contents of this folder.

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

file or folder you want.

Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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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 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

www.gateway.com

Using the Search utility

To find files and folders using the Search utility:

1Click Start, then click Search. The Search Results window opens. Click All

files and folders.

2If 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.

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

names containing the letters you typed.

Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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3Click Search. When the search is completed, Windows lists the files and

folders whose names contain the text that you searched for.

4Open 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 select

options to 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.

Working with documents

www.gateway.com

Working with documents

Computer documents include 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 show how to create, save, open, and print a document

using Microsoft® Word. Similar procedures apply to other programs such as

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft WordPad, and Microsoft Publisher.

For more information about using a program, click Help on its menu bar.

Creating a new document

To create a new document:

1Click Start, All Programs, then click Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word starts

and a blank document opens.

2Click File, then click New. The New Document pane opens.

Help and

Support For more information about creating a document in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

New

Document

pane

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3Click General Templates. The Templates dialog box opens.

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

template style, then click OK. The document template opens.

5Begin 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.

To save a document in Microsoft Word:

1Click File, then click Save. The Save As dialog box opens.

2In the Save in list, click the folder where you want to save the file.

Help and

Support For more information about saving a document in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Working with documents

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3Type the new file name.

4Click Save.

Opening a document

To view, revise, or print an existing document, first you need to open it. Open

the document in the program that it was created in.

To open a document in Microsoft Word:

1Click Start, All Programs, then click Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word starts

and a blank document opens.

2Click File, then click Open.

Help and

Support For more information about opening a document in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

File

folder

File

name

Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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

4Double-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.

To print a document in Microsoft Word:

1Make sure that the printer is turned on and loaded with paper.

2Start Microsoft Word and open a document.

Help and

Support For more information about printing a document in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Look in

list

Shortcuts

www.gateway.com

3Click File, then click Print. The Print dialog box opens.

4Set the print options, then click OK. The document prints.

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 Click the item, then press CTRL +C.

Cut a file, folder, text, or graphic Click the item, then press CTRL +X.

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

the object, then press CTRL +V.

Select multiple items in a list or in a

window Click the first item, press and hold down the CTRL key,

then click each of the remaining items.

Select multiple adjacent items in a list

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

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

Permanently delete a file or folder Click the file or folder, then press SHIFT +DELETE. The

file is permanently deleted. The file or folder is not stored

in the Recycle Bin.

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

press ENTER.

Close the active window or program Press ALT +F4.

Switch to a different file, folder, or

running program Press ALT +TAB.

Chapter 4: Windows Basics

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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® Internet service so that

you can send and receive e-mail and access other Internet resources.

Chapter 5: Using the Internet

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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).

Cable and DSL modems, a faster connection known as broadband, use your

TV cable or special telephone lines to connect to your ISP and access the

Internet. Cable and DSL modems connect to your computer through an

Ethernet jack.

Important For the location of your Ethernet jack, see “Left side” on

page 3.

Your computer

connects to the

Internet through

an ISP.

ISP Servers

let you connect to

the Internet and

access your e-mail

messages.

Internet Servers

store information so other

computers can access it

from the Internet.

Setting up an Internet account

www.gateway.com

If you want to access the Internet you need:

■A modem – a device that connects your computer to other computers

or servers using a telephone, DSL, or cable line.

■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.

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.

To set up an Internet account with America Online:

1Click Start, All Programs, then click America Online.

2Follow the on-screen instructions. After setting up your account, you can

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

Help and

Support For more information on setting up and accessing an

Internet account, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Chapter 5: Using the Internet

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Accessing your Internet account

To connect to your America Online Internet account:

1Click Start, All Programs, then click America Online.

2Complete 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 61.

To disconnect from your America Online Internet account:

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

computer disconnects from the Internet.

If you are using a service other than America Online, check with your ISP for

the correct procedure for disconnecting.

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.

Using the World Wide Web

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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 Web 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 Web pages is called a Web site. 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 a 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.

To learn more about using the Web browser features, click Help in the menu

bar.

Web

page

Link

Linked Web page

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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.

To connect to a Web site:

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

opening page or welcome screen opens.

2To 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 GO on the browser address bar.

- 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.

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.

Help and

Support For more information on connecting to a Web site in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Using the World Wide Web

www.gateway.com

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 187.

To download files or programs from a Web site:

1Connect to your Internet account.

2In the address bar, type the address of the Web site that contains the file

or program you want to download, then click GO on the browser address

bar.

- OR -

Click a link on a Web page to navigate to the Web site containing the

file that you want to download.

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

computer.

4Click the link on the Web page for the file that you want to download.

5Follow the on-screen instructions for saving the file in the folder that

you want.

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.

6Open the folder that you created.

7Install 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.

Help and

Support For more information on downloading files in Windows XP,

click Start, then click Help and Support.

Chapter 5: Using the Internet

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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:

Help and

Support For more information on using e-mail in Windows XP, click

Start, then click Help and Support.

jdoe@aol.com

User name Internet domain name

Using e-mail

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Sending e-mail

To send e-mail using America Online:

1Connect to your America Online account.

2Click Write.

3Type the e-mail address of the recipient you want to send e-mail to in

the Send To box.

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

5Type the e-mail message.

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

the e-mail address you specified.

Checking your e-mail

To check your e-mail using America Online:

1Connect to your America Online account.

2Click Read.

3Double-click the message you want to read.

For more information about managing and organizing your e-mail messages,

see the online help in your e-mail program.

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 a CD, CD-RW, DVD, or combination DVD/CD-RW drive

■Create CDs

■Adjust the volume

■Play CDs and DVDs

■Record and play audio files

■Use Windows Media Player

■Use MusicMatch

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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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.

To use a diskette:

1Insert the diskette into the diskette drive with the label facing up.

2To access a file on the diskette, click Start, My Computer, double-click the

drive letter (for example, the A: drive), then double-click the file name.

3To remove the diskette, make sure the diskette drive status indicator is

off (see “Status indicators” on page 17), then press the diskette eject

button.

Warning Do not expose diskettes to water or magnetic fields.

Exposure could damage the data on the diskette.

Diskette

slot Eject

button

Using a CD, CD-RW, or DVD drive

www.gateway.com

Using a CD, CD-RW, or 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.

Inserting a CD, CD-RW, or DVD

To insert a CD, CD-RW, or DVD:

1Press the eject button on the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or combination

DVD/CD-RW drive. After the tray opens slightly, pull the disc tray

completely open.

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

carefully on the disc until it snaps into place.

3Push the tray in until it is closed.

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.

Eject button

Activity indicator Manual eject hole

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Creating CDs using your CD-RW or

DVD/CD-RW drive

Creating data CDs

Use Roxio Easy CD Creator to create data CDs. Data CDs are ideal for backing

up important files such as tax records, letters, MP3s, or photos.

To create a data CD:

1Insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc into your CD-RW drive.

2If a CD Drive dialog box opens, click Create a CD using Roxio Easy CD

Creator, then click OK. The Project Selector window opens.

- OR -

If a dialog box does not open, click Start, All Programs, Roxio Easy CD

Creator, then click Project Selector. The Project Selector window opens.

make a data CD dataCD project

Creating CDs using your CD-RW or DVD/CD-RW drive

www.gateway.com

3Move your pointer over make a data CD, then click dataCD project. The

Easy CD Creator window opens.

4Click the arrow button to open the Select Source Files list, then click the

folder where your files are located.

Source Pane Add

Select Source Files

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5Click the file you want to record (hold down the CTRL or SHIFT key when

you click to select multiple files) in the Source pane, then click Add.

6After you have added all of your files, click record. The Record CD Setup

window opens.

7Click Start Recording.

record

Start Recording

Creating CDs using your CD-RW or DVD/CD-RW drive

www.gateway.com

Creating music CDs

Use Roxio Easy CD Creator to create music CDs from other music CDs or MP3

files.

To create music CDs:

1Insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc into your CD-RW drive.

2If a CD Drive dialog box opens, click Create a CD using Roxio Easy CD

Creator, then click OK. The Project Selector window opens.

- OR -

If a dialog box does not open, click Start, All Programs, Roxio Easy CD

Creator, then click Project Selector. The Project Selector window opens.

Tips & Tricks Most car stereos read CD-R discs, but do not read CD-RW

discs.

make a music CD musicCD project

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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3Move your pointer over make a music CD, then click musicCD project. The

Easy CD Creator window opens.

4Click the arrow button to open the Select Source Files list, then click the

folder where your files are located.

Source pane Add

Select Source Files

Source pane

Creating CDs using your CD-RW or DVD/CD-RW drive

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5Click the file you want to record (hold down the CTRL or SHIFT key when

you click to select multiple files) in the Source pane, then click Add.

Tips & Tricks You can add any combination of music tracks or MP3 files

to a music CD project. You can add up to 99 tracks and

files, or up to 650 MB (74-minute CD) or 700 MB

(80-minute CD) of tracks and files to a music CD project.

record

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6After you have added all of your tracks and files, click record. The Record

CD Setup window opens.

7Click Start Recording.

Start Recording

Adjusting the volume

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Adjusting the volume

You can use the volume controls to adjust the overall volume and the volume

of specific sound devices in your computer.

To adjust the overall volume level using hardware controls:

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

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

FN+ to turn off all sound.

To adjust the overall volume level from Windows:

1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If

your Control Panel is in Category View, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio

Devices.

2Click/Double-click the Adjust the system volume or Sounds and Audio

Devices. The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box opens.

Help and

Support For more information about adjusting the volume in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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3Click the Volume tab.

4Drag the Device Volume slider to change the volume or click to select the

Mute check box, then click OK.

To adjust specific volume levels:

1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If

your Control Panel is in Category View, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio

Devices.

2Click/Double-click the Adjust the system volume or Sounds and Audio

Devices. The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box opens.

Adjusting the volume

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3Click the Volume tab.

4Click Advanced in the Device volume area.

If the device you want to adjust does not appear in the window, click

Options, Properties, the check box next to the audio device you want to

appear, then click OK.

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

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

controls, click Help in the window.

6Click X in the top-right corner of the window to close it.

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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Listening to CDs

Use the Windows Media Player to listen to CDs. For more information about

the using the Windows Media Player, click Help. You can also use MusicMatch

to listen to CDs. See “Using MusicMatch” on page 85 for more information.

To play a CD:

1Insert a CD into the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or combination DVD/CD-RW

drive.

2If a message asks you to chose a CD player, click Windows Media Player.

The Windows Media Player opens.

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

Play Stop

Previous Mute

Volume

Recording and playing audio

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Recording and playing audio

Use the instructions below to make an audio recording by speaking into the

microphone.

To make an audio recording:

1Plug a microphone into the Microphone jack on your computer. See “Left

side” on page 3 for the location of the Microphone jack.

2Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, then click Sound

Recorder. The Sound Recorder opens.

3Click (record), then speak into the microphone.

4When you finish recording, click (stop).

5Click File, then click Save As. The Save As dialog box opens.

6Name the recording, specify the location where you want to save the

recording, then click Save. The recording is saved.

Help and

Support For more information about recording and playing audio in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Rewind Fast

Forward Play Stop Record

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To play an audio recording in Sound Recorder:

1Open the Sound Recorder.

2Click File, then click Open. The Open dialog box opens.

3Click the file you want to play, then click Open.

4Play the file by clicking (play), then stop playing the file by

clicking (stop).

Recording and playing audio

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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, click Help.

To play a file using the Windows Media Player:

1Click Start, All Programs, then click Windows Media Player.

The Windows Media Player opens.

2Click File, then click Open. The Open dialog box opens.

3Click the file you want to play, then click Open.

4Play the file by clicking (play), then stop playing the file by

clicking (stop).

Video file

information

Video

screen

Stop

Play

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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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 or combination DVD/CD-RW drive, you can play DVDs with

the DVD Player program. For more information about playing DVDs, click

Help in the DVD player program.

To play a DVD:

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

and that the volume is turned up.

2Turn off your screen saver and standby timers.

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

video screen and control panel open.

4Insert a DVD into the DVD drive, then click (play). The DVD plays.

5To specifically 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.

Using MusicMatch

www.gateway.com

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:

1Insert the music CD into the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or combination

DVD/CD-RW drive on your computer. The first time you insert a CD, the

Audio CD dialog box opens.

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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2Click Play Audio CD using MUSICMATCH Jukebox, click 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.

Creating music files

Using MusicMatch, you can copy the tracks from a music CD to your

computer’s hard drive as MP3 files. 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.

To create (rip) MP3 files:

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

clicking MusicMatch Jukebox.

2Insert a CD into the CD, CD-RW, DVD, or combination DVD/CD-RW

drive, then click (record). The Recorder window opens.

3By default all tracks in the track list are selected. Clear the checkbox of

any audio track you do not want to record (rip).

Using MusicMatch

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4Click (REC), then follow the on-screen instructions.

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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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:

1In MusicMatch, click My Library. The library window opens.

2In the library window, right-click the file, then click Edit Track Tag(s). The

Edit Track Tag dialog box opens.

3Enter information such as track title, lead artist, album, and genre.

4Click OK. The new track information appears in the MusicMatch playlist,

music library, and recorder.

Using MusicMatch

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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.

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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Changing the music library display settings

To change the music library display settings:

1In MusicMatch, click Options, then click Settings. The Settings window

opens.

2Click the Music Library tab.

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

click OK.

Using MusicMatch

www.gateway.com

Listening to Internet radio

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

To listen to an Internet radio station:

1Connect to the Internet, then open MusicMatch.

2Click Radio Stations. The Radio window opens.

Chapter 6: Using Multimedia

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3To select one of the MusicMatch Internet radio stations, click one of the

Popular Stations. You can also choose another Internet radio station by

clicking Broadcast Stations, then clicking the appropriate category in the

Station Selector.

4Select a radio station, then click Play. MusicMatch connects to the station

and plays the audio.

Using advanced features

You can also use MusicMatch to create your own music CDs and to download

MP3 files to your portable MP3 player. For more information, see the

MusicMatch online Help.

www.gateway.com

Sending and

Receiving

Faxes

PhoneTools lets you send and receive faxes using the modem.

Before you send your first fax, you need to set up your user information. Your

fax cover sheets and fax headers will contain this information, which is

required by law.

Help and

Support For more information about using the fax functions in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

Chapter 7: Sending and Receiving Faxes

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Setting up your cover page

To set up your fax cover page:

1If PhoneTools is not open, click Start, All Programs, PhoneTools, then click

PhoneTools.

2Click Setup, then click General Setup. The General Setup dialog box opens.

3Click the Customize tab, then type your personal information in the User

boxes.

4Click the Fax tab, then enter your name and fax number in the Fax

identifier text box. This identifier information is required by law. You can

enter up to 20 characters in the text box. We suggest using eight

characters for your identifier name, followed by 12 characters for your

telephone number.

5Click OK.

Important Some fax machines cannot use special characters such

as hyphens. We suggest using spaces instead of hyphens

in telephone and fax numbers.

Setting up your cover page

www.gateway.com

6If you want to change the logo that appears on the cover page, click Setup,

then click Logo Management. The Logo Management dialog box opens.

7If you do not want the PhoneTools logo on your cover page, click the

picture then click the clear button.

- OR -

If you want to replace the PhoneTools logo with one of your own, click

the import button then select a picture for the logo. The picture must

be saved in a supported format (.BMP, .DGR, .GIF, .JPG, .PCX, .T31, or

.TIF) and be small enough to fit in the logo box.

8Click OK.

Import

button Clear

button

Chapter 7: Sending and Receiving Faxes

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Sending a fax

To send a fax:

1If PhoneTools is not open, click Start, All Programs, PhoneTools, then click

PhoneTools.

2Click Send Fax. The Send Fax Wizard opens.

Sending a fax

www.gateway.com

3Enter the recipient’s name, company (if applicable), and fax number, then

click Next.

4Type the message text in the Message Text area.

5Select a cover page template from the Template list, then click Next. If you

typed a message in the Message Text area, you must select a cover page.

6If you want to attach a file, make sure the file is not open, then click

(browse), click the file, then click Open.

7Click Next, then click Finish. The Confirm Transmissions dialog box opens.

8Click Send. PhoneTools dials the fax number and sends your fax.

Important If for any reason you receive a failed transmission

message, click Send, then click Outbox. Right-click the fax

that was not sent to modify it.

Chapter 7: Sending and Receiving Faxes

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Faxing from programs

To fax a document directly from most programs:

1In the program with the document open, click File, then click Print. The

Print dialog box opens.

2Click the arrow button to open the Name list, click the printer CAPTURE

FAX BVRP, then click OK. The Send Fax Wizard opens.

3Complete the wizard as instructed in “Sending a fax” on page 96.

Receiving and viewing a fax

To receive and view a fax:

1If PhoneTools is not open, click Start, All Programs, PhoneTools, then click

PhoneTools.

When PhoneTools is open, it detects incoming faxes and stores them in

the In Box.

2To view a fax, click Fax Inbox, then double-click the fax you want to view.

The fax viewer opens, where you can view and print the fax.

www.gateway.com

Managing

Power

While your notebook is running on battery power, you should manage power

consumption to get the most use out of the battery. This chapter shows you

how to:

■Check and recharge the battery

■Recalibrate the battery

■Change batteries

■Extend the life of the battery by conserving battery power and using

alternate power sources

■Change power-saving settings

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Monitoring the battery charge

Closely monitor the battery charge. When the battery charge gets low, change

the battery or connect to AC power immediately to prevent losing any

unsaved work.

Monitor the battery charge by:

■Positioning the pointer over the power cord icon or battery icon

in the taskbar. A battery status window opens. Move the pointer away

from the icon to close the window.

■Pressing FN+STATUS to view the Status display, which opens in the upper

left corner of the screen. The Status display shows the current power

source, the battery charge, and the power management mode.

■Looking at the battery charge indicator:

■LED green – battery is fully charged.

■LED orange – battery is charging.

■LED red – battery is low.

■LED blinking and red – battery is very low.

■Waiting for a Low Battery warning message to appear.

If your battery charge indicators display what looks like an inaccurate charge,

you may need to recalibrate the battery. For more information, see

“Recalibrating the battery” on page 102.

Important If the power cord or battery icon does not appear on the

taskbar, click the show hidden icons button.

Important This LED only lights up when the notebook is plugged in.

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Recharging the battery

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Recharging the battery

The battery recharges while it is installed and your notebook is connected to

AC power. While the battery is recharging, the battery indicator turns orange

and the battery icon in the taskbar has a lightning bolt .

Important If the power cord or battery icon does not appear on the

taskbar, click the show hidden icons button.

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Chapter 8: Managing Power

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Recalibrating the battery

If your notebook unexpectedly goes into Standby mode while you are using

it but the battery charge is not low, you may need to recalibrate your battery.

You should also recalibrate the battery once a year to maintain the accuracy

of the battery gauge.

To recalibrate the battery:

1Connect the AC adapter, then turn on your notebook.

2As soon as it starts and you see a startup screen, press F2. The BIOS Setup

program opens.

3Open the Power menu.

4Highlight Battery Calibration, then select Enabled by pressing the spacebar.

5Open the Exit menu, then highlight Exit Saving Changes and press ENTER.

6Select Yes, then press ENTER.

The battery learning process begins and a screen opens showing you the

progress. The entire process will take several hours.

When the recalibration has finished, the message “Press [Esc] key to exit”

appears.

7Press ESC. The battery indicator now displays the accurate battery charge.

If the battery indicator does not show an accurate charge, contact

Gateway Technical Support.

Important Do not interrupt the battery recalibration process. If

recalibration is interrupted, you must start the process over

again.

103

Changing batteries

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Changing batteries

If your notebook is plugged into an AC outlet, you can change the battery

while the notebook is turned on. If your notebook is not plugged into an AC

outlet, you must turn it off while changing the batteries.

To replace the battery:

1If your notebook is on and is plugged into an AC outlet, go to step 2.

-OR-

If your notebook is on and is not plugged into an AC outlet, save your

work and turn off the notebook.

2Close the LCD panel and turn your notebook over.

3Slide the battery release latch and slide the battery out of the bay.

Warning Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.

Replace only with the Gateway Solo 1450 Li-Ion or Ni-MH

battery. Discard used batteries according to the

manufacturer’s instructions.

The battery used in this device may present a fire or

chemical burn hazard if mishandled. Do not disassemble,

heat above 212°F (100°C), or incinerate. Dispose of used

battery promptly. Keep away from children.

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4Slide a charged battery into the bay until it snaps into place.

105

Extending battery life

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Extending battery life

Conserving battery power

While using the battery to power your notebook, conserve power by:

■Removing PC Cards when you do not need them. Many PC Cards use a

small amount of power while inserted, even if they are not being used.

■Modifying the Power Management settings for maximum power savings.

For more information, see “Changing power settings” on page 107.

■Closing the LCD panel to turn off the display while you are not using

your notebook. The display stays off until you open the panel again.

■Using Hibernate mode for maximum power savings while the notebook

is not in use. For more information, see “Activating and Using Hibernate

Mode” on page 111.

■Using the CD, DVD, CD-RW, or combination DVD/CD-RW drives only

when necessary. These drives use a large amount of power.

■Recharge the battery often, take an extra battery, and fully recharge the

batteries before traveling. For more information, see “Recharging the

battery” on page 101 and “Changing batteries” on page 103.

Using alternate power sources

To extend battery life, use alternate power sources whenever possible.

■If traveling internationally, take electrical adapters. Save the battery for

times when you cannot use a power adapter. If you plan on taking your

AC adapter, also take a single-plug power surge protector.

■If you will have access to an EmPower™ in-flight power receptacle or an

automobile cigarette lighter, use an airplane/automobile power adapter.

Save the battery for times when you cannot use a power adapter.

■To find AC power outlets in airports, look for them next to support pillars,

in large areas such as boarding gates, and under banks of telephones.

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Changing power modes

You can use the following power modes to lengthen the life of your notebook’s

battery:

■Standby - while your notebook is in Standby, it switches to a low power

state where devices, such as the display and drives, turn off.

■Hibernate - (also called save to disk) writes all current memory (RAM)

information to the hard drive, then turns your notebook completely off.

The next time you turn on the notebook, it reads the memory

information from the hard drive and opens the programs and documents

that were open when you activated Hibernate. For more information on

using Hibernate mode, see “Activating and Using Hibernate Mode” on

page 111.

Using Standby mode

Always save your work before using Standby mode. When in Standby, your

computer reduces or turns off the power to most devices except memory.

However, the information in memory is not saved to the hard drive. If power

is interrupted, the information is lost.

When in Hibernate mode, your computer saves all memory information to

the hard drive, then turns the power completely off.

If your computer

is... ...and you

want to... ...then

On Enter

Standby mode Press FN+STANDBY.

On Enter Hibernate

mode (must be

enabled)

Click Start, Turn Off Computer, then

press and hold SHIFT and click

Hibernate.

In Standby or

Hibernate mode Exit Standby or

Hibernate mode Press the power button.

107

Changing power settings

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Changing power settings

You can change the function of the power button, Standby key, and

power-saving timers by changing power settings on your notebook.

You can customize power settings from the Windows Control Panel by

selecting power schemes, setting power alarms, adjusting advanced power

settings, and activating Hibernate mode.

Power schemes (groups of power settings) let you change power saving options

such as when the display or hard drive is automatically turned off. You can

select one of the defined power schemes or create a custom power scheme.

Alarms can alert you when the battery charge is low.

Advanced power settings let you assign different power saving modes to the

power button and Standby key. You can also select which power saving mode

is activated when you close the LCD panel.

Help and

Support For more information about changing power settings in

Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support.

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Changing the power scheme

To change the power scheme

1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If

your Control Panel is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance.

2Click/Double-click the Power Options icon. The Power Options Properties

dialog box opens.

3Click the arrow button to open the Power Scheme list, then click the

power scheme you want.

- OR -

Set the timers, then save your custom power scheme by clicking Save As

and typing a name for the scheme.

4Click OK.

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Changing power settings

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Changing alarm options

To change the alarm options:

1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If

your Control Panel is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance.

2Click/Double-click the Power Options icon. The Power Options Properties

dialog box opens.

3Click the Alarms tab.

4Adjust the alarm settings.

5Click OK.

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Changing advanced settings

To change advanced power management settings:

1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If

your Control Panel is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance.

2Click/Double-click the Power Options icon. The Power Options Properties

dialog box opens.

3Click the Advanced tab.

4Click the arrow button to open a Power buttons list, then click the power

setting mode you want to use.

5Click OK.

Quanta Computer 145015318 Notebook PC with Integrated Wireless LAN User Manual Using Your Solo 1450

Quanta Computer Inc Notebook PC with Integrated Wireless LAN Using Your Solo 1450

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