Acer Aspire S3-951 manual

Acer Aspire S3 Series User's Manual[...]

Model number: Ser ial number: Date of pur chase : Place of pur chase : © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Acer Aspire S3 Ser ies User's Manual Or iginal Issue: 09/2011[...]

Table of content s - 3 T ABLE OF CONTENTS Safety and comfort 5 First things first 16 Your g uides ....... ..... ........ ..... ........ ..... ........ ..... ... 16 Basi c care and ti ps for using you r comp uter ........ ...... ....... ...... ........ ..... ........ ..... ..... 1 6 Turning your co mputer o n and o ff ....... ..... 16 Takin g care o[...]

4 - Tabl e of conten ts Securing your computer 58 Using passw ords . ....... ........ ...... ....... ........ ..... ... 58 Enterin g passwo rds ..... ........ ........ ..... ........ 59 Wireless ne tworks 60 Connec ting to the I ntern et .. ...... ....... ........ ..... ... 6 0 Acer Instant Connec t ...... ........ ..... ........ ..... 60 Wire less[...]

Safety and comfort - 5 S AFETY AND COMFORT S AFETY INSTRUCTIONS Read these i nstructi ons car efully . Keep this document for futur e re ference. Follow all warnings and instructio ns marked on the pr oduct. T urni ng the product off before cleaning Unplug this product fr om the w all outlet befo re cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aer osol [...]

6 - Safety and c o mfort  If an extension cor d is used with this pr oduct, mak e sure that the total amper e ratin g of the equipment plugg ed in to the extension cor d does not exceed the extension cor d ampere rati ng. Also, make sur e that th e total rating of all pr oducts plugged into the wall outlet does n ot exce ed the fuse rating.  [...]

Safety and com fort - 7  Do not increase the volume to block out noisy surr oundings.  Decr ease the volume if you can't hear people speaking near you. Bundled dummy car d s  Note : Informa tion in th is sectio n ma y not apply to your compu ter . Y our computer shi pped with plastic du mmies installed in the ca rd slots. Dumm ies pro[...]

8 - Safety and c o mfort Pr o duct servicing Do not attempt to service th is pr oduct yo urself, as ope ning or removing covers may expose you to dang erous voltag e points or other r isks. Refer all ser vicing to qualified service personnel. Unplug this pr oduct fr om the wall outlet and r efe r serv icing to qualif ied ser vice personnel when: ?[...]

Safety and com fort - 9 The full perf ormance of a new battery is achieved onl y after two or thr ee complete cha rg e and dischar ge cycles. The batte ry can be char ged and dischar ged hundreds of times, but it will ev entually wear out. When the oper ation time beco mes noti ceably shorter than normal, r efer to qua lified service pe rsonnel. Us[...]

10 - Sa fety and comfort data file s or messages, this dev ice r equir es a good qualit y connection to the networ k. In some ca ses, transm ission of data files or me ssages may be delayed until such a connection is ava ilable. Ens ure that the above separa tion dista nce inst ructions are followed until the transm ission is compl eted. Parts of t[...]

Safety and comfort - 11 informati on, chec k with the manufacturer , or its representative, of your vehic le or any equipment that has been added. Only qualified per sonnel shoul d service the devi ce, or install the device in a vehic le. Faulty installation or ser vice may be danger ous and ma y invalidate any warranty that may apply to the device[...]

12 - Sa fety and comfort E MERGENCY CALLS  W a rning: Y ou cannot make emerge ncy calls through thi s device. T o make a n emergenc y call you shall dial out th rough your mobile phone or other telephone call syst em. D ISPOSA L INSTRUCTIONS Do not thr ow this electr oni c device into the trash when dis carding. T o minimize pol lution and ensur[...]

Safety and comfort - 13  wake fr om "Sleep" mode if the keyboard is pr essed or mouse is m oved.  save mor e than 80% ener gy when in "Sleep " mode. ENERGY ST AR and the ENERGY ST AR mark ar e re gistere d U.S. marks. T IPS AND INFORMATION FOR COMFORTABLE USE Computer use rs may com plain of eyestrain and headaches after p[...]

14 - Sa fety and comfort  A void tensing your muscle s or shrugg ing your shou lders.  Install the exter nal displa y , keyboard and mouse pr oper ly a nd within com fortable r each.  If you view your mo nitor mor e than your documents, plac e the display at the c e nter of your desk to mi nimize neck strain. T aking ca re of your v ision [...]

Safety and comfort - 15 using a gl are-r eduction fil ter , using a di splay viso r , such as a piece of cardboar d extended fr om the display's to p fr ont edge.  A void adjusting your display to a n awkward vie wing angle.  A void looking at bright light s o ur ces for extended per iods of time. Developi ng good wo rk habits The foll o[...]

16 - First thin gs first F IRST THINGS FIRST We would like to thank you for making an Acer notebook your choice fo r meeting your mobile computing need s . Y our guides To help you use your Acer no tebook, we have designed a set of guides: First off, the se tup poster helps you get st arted with setting up your computer. The Quick Guide introduces [...]

First thin gs first - 17 • Use the Windows shutd own command: click St art then Click Shut Down . • Use the power button. • Y ou can also p ut the computer in Sleep mo de by pr essing the Sleep hotkey < Fn > + < F4 >. Note: If you cannot power off the comput er normally, press and hold the power button for more t han four seconds [...]

18 - First thin gs first • Never place the computer on uneven surfaces. T aking car e of your AC adapter Here are some ways to take care of your AC ada pter: • Do not connect the adapter to any other device. • Do not step on the power cor d or place heavy objects on top of it. Car efully route the power cor d and any cables away fr om foot tr[...]

Your Acer notebook tour - 1 9 Y OUR A CER NOTEBOOK TOUR After setting up your computer as illustrated in the setup poster, let us show you around your new Acer computer. Acer Aspire S3 Series[...]

20 - Your A cer notebook tour To p v i e w[...]

# Icon Item Description 1 Display screen Displays computer output. 2 Power butt on T ur ns the computer on and of f. 3 Micr ophone Inter nal micr ophone for sound r ecord ing. 4 Keyboar d For enter ing data into your computer . Caution: Do not use a keybo ar d pr otector or similar cover as the keyboar d design includes ventilation intakes for cool[...]

22 - Your A cer notebook tour Rear view # Icon Item Description 1 DC-in jack Connects to an AC adapter . 2 HDMI port Supports high-definition digital video co nnections. 3 USB 2.0 ports Connects to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., U SB mou s e, USB c amera). Note: Small holes on the rear of the computer are part of the antenna assembly. Do not insert any obj[...]

Your Acer notebook t our - 23 Left view # Icon Item Descr iption 1 Headset/speaker jack Connects to audio devices (e.g., speakers, head phones) or a headset with micr ophone. Right view # Icon It em Descr iption 1 2-in-1 car d reader Accepts one Secur e Digital (SD or SDHC) car d or one MultiMediaCar d (MMC). Note: T o r emove the car d, simply pul[...]

24 - Your A cer notebook tour Base view # Icon Item Descri ption 1 Battery r e set pinhole Insert a paper clip into the hole and pr ess for four s econds to r eset the computer (simulates r emoving and r einstalling the battery). 2 Speakers Deliver ster eo audio output.[...]

Touch pad - 25 T OUCHPAD The built-in touchpad is a pointing device that senses movement on its surface. This means the cursor responds as you move your finger across the surface of the touchpad. The central location on the palm rest provides optimum comfort and support. T ouchpad basics The following items show you h o w to use the touchpad. • M[...]

26 - Touchpad Note: When using the touchpad, keep it — and your fingers — dry and clean. The touchpad is sensitive to finger movement; hen ce, the lighter the touch, the better the response. Tap ping harder will not increase the touchpad's responsiveness. Function Bottom left corner Bottom rig h t c o r n e r Main touchp ad Open Quickly pr[...]

Using the keyboard - 27 U SING THE KEYBOARD The keyboard has full-sized keys and an embedded numeric keypad, separate cursor, lock, Windows, function and special keys. Lock keys and embedded numer ic keypad Note : Information in this section may not apply to your computer. The keyboard has three lock keys which you can toggle on and off. The embedd[...]

28 - Using the keybo ard keycaps. To simplify the keyboard legend, cursor-control key symbols are not printed on the keys. Hotkeys The computer employs hotkeys or key combinations to access most of the computer's controls like screen b rightness and volume output. To activate hotkeys, press and hold the < Fn > key before pressing the oth[...]

Using the keyboard - 29 < Fn > + < F4 > Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep mode. < Fn > + < F5 > Display toggle Switches display output between the display scr een, exter nal monitor (if connected) and both. < Fn > + < F6 > Display off T ur ns the display screen backlight of f to save power . Pr ess any key to retu[...]

30 - Using the keybo ard Windows keys The keyboard has two keys that perform Windows-specific functions. Key De scriptio n Windows key Pressed alone it launches the Start m enu. It can also be used with other keys for special functions, please check Windows Help. Application key This key has the same ef fect as clicking the r ight mouse button; it [...]

Recove ry - 3 1 R ECOVERY Acer e Recovery Management Note: Acer eRecovery Management is only available with a preinstalled Windows operating system. If your computer experiences problems that are not recoverable by other methods, you may need to reinstall the Windows operating system and factory-loaded s oftware and dr ivers. To ensure you can reco[...]

32 - Recover y To use the passwo rd protectio n feature of Acer eRecovery Management, you must first set the password. The pa s sword is set by launching Acer eRecovery Management and clicking Settings . Cr eating r ecovery di scs To reinstall using discs, you must create a set of recovery discs beforehand. Throughout the process, you will be guide[...]

Recove ry - 3 3 Caution: If yo u are using a US B flash drive, ensure it is at least 12 GB and does not c ontain any previous dat a. 1. Click on Star t > All Pr ograms > Acer , then click on Acer eRecovery Ma nagement . 2. T o cr eate recovery backup for the hard dr ive’ s entire original contents, including Windows and all factory-loaded s[...]

34 - Recover y The Create Factory Default Backup dialog box opens. This dialog box tells you the estimated size of the backup file. • If you ar e using optical discs, it will also show the number of blank, r ecordable discs you will need to complete the r ecovery discs. Make sur e that you have the requir ed number of identical, blank discs. • [...]

Recove ry - 3 5 3. Plug in the USB disk or insert a blank disc into the d rive indicated in the Backup to list, then click Next . Y ou will be shown the backup pr ogress on the scr een. 4. Follow the pr ocess until it completes: • If you ar e using optical discs, the drive ejects each disc as it completes burning it. Remo v e the disc fr om the d[...]

36 - Recover y Backup’. Make sure you keep the backup in a saf e place that you will remembe r. Recover ing your system If Acer support did not help fix your problem, you can use th e Acer eRecovery Management program. This will restore your computer to the same state as when you purchased it, while giving you an option to retain all settings and[...]

Recove ry - 3 7 If nothing else has solved the pro blem and you want to reset your system to factory condition, see “ Returning your system to its factory condition ” on page 40. T ypes of r ecovery Returning to a pr evious system condition Microsoft System Restore periodically takes ’snapshots’ of your system settings and saves them as res[...]

38 - Recover y Recovering pre-installed software and drivers As a troubleshooting step, you ma y need to reinstall the s oftware and device drivers that came pre-installed on your computer from the factory. You can recover using either your hard drive or the bac kup you have created. • New softwar e - If you need to recover softwar e that did not[...]

Recove ry - 3 9 If you are recovering from a driver and application reco very backup on optical di scs: • Insert the dr iv er and application recovery backup disc ( ’Apps/ Drivers Recovery Backup’ ) into the disc dr ive. • Restart your computer and wait for the pr ogram to start, then go to "Reinstall dr ivers or appl ications: Click C[...]

40 - Recover y • Click Reinstall Dr ivers or Application f rom a USB devic e . • Reinstall drivers or applications: Click Contents . A list of software and device dr ivers opens. • Click the install icon for the item you want to install, then follow the on-scr een prompt s to complete the installation. Repeat this step for each item you want [...]

Recove ry - 4 1 were pre-install ed on your system. If you can access important files on yo ur hard drive, back them up now. • If you can still run Windows, see “ Recovering from within Windows ” below . • If you cannot run Windows and your or i ginal har d dr ive is still working, see “ Recovering from the hard drive during startup ” o[...]

42 - Recover y When the recovery has finished , a dialog box prompts you to rest art your computer. 5. Click on OK . Y our computer r estarts. 6. Follow the on-scr een prompts for first-time system setup. Recovering from the hard drive during start up To reinstall Windows and all pre-installed software and drivers: 1. T ur n on your computer , then[...]

Recove ry - 4 3 2. If it is not alr eady enabled, you must enable the F12 Boot Menu : 1. Press F2 when starting your comp uter . 2. Use the left or r ight arrow keys to select the Main menu. 3. Pr ess the down key until F12 Boot Menu is selected, pr ess F5 to change this setting to Enabled . 4. Use the left or r ight arrow keys to select the Exit m[...]

44 - Ac er cl ear.f i A CER CLEAR . FI Acer clear.fi is a home media dat abase viewer and controller. It allows you to browse media contents o n devices that are on the same subnet. Media content types When you launch Acer clear.fi, you can choose the media content type. There are three types defined: video, music, and photos. DMS (Digital Media Se[...]

Acer clear.f i - 45 make it available to DMP (Digital Media Player) and DMR (Digit al Media Renderer) devices. Acer clear.fi will list DMS devices on the main screen, and you can choose ALL DEVICES or a specific device to browse the media stored. Display media con tent If you want to display media content on your computer, you just need to double-c[...]

46 - Ac er cl ear.f i Sear ch media If you want to search your media content, you nee d to choose the media type first; then enter a keyword in the search bar. Acer clear.fi will list the media content that matches the keyword. Block and unblock devices If you want to block a device, you can right-click it, and select Bl ock from the menu. After bl[...]

Power management - 47 P OWER MANAGEMENT This computer has a built-in pow er management unit that monitors system activity. System activity refers to any activity involving one or more of the following devices: keyboard, mouse, hard disk, peripherals connected to the comput er, and video memory. If no activity is detected for a period of time, the c[...]

48 - Batte ry pack B ATTERY PACK The computer uses a battery pack that gives you long use be tween charges. Battery pack character istics The battery pack has the following cha racteristics: • Employs curr ent battery technology standar ds. • Delivers a batter y-low war ning. The battery is recharged whenever you connect the computer to the AC [...]

Batter y pack - 49 Note : You are advised to charge the battery before retiring for the day. Charging the battery overnight before traveling enables you to start the next day with a fully charged batter y. Conditioning a new battery pack Before you use a battery pack for the first time, there is a conditioning process that you should follow: 1. Con[...]

50 - Batte ry pack In addition, the useful lifespa n of the battery is adversely affected by the following usage patterns: • Using the computer on constant AC power with the battery inserted. If you want to use constant AC power , you ar e advised to r emove the battery pack after it is fully char ged. • Not dischar ging and r echar ging the ba[...]

Batter y pack - 51 Checking the bat tery level The Windows power meter indicates the current battery level. Rest the cursor over the battery/power ico n on the taskbar to see the battery's present charge level. Battery-low war ning When using battery power pay attention to the Windows power meter. Warning: Connect the AC adapter as soon as pos[...]

52 - Traveling wi th yo ur comput er T RAVELING WITH YOUR COMPUTER This section gives you tips and hint s to consid er when moving around or traveling with your computer. Disconnecting fr om the desktop Follow these steps to disconnect your computer from external accessories: 1. Save any open files. 2. Remove discs fr om optical drive(s). 3. Shut d[...]

Traveling with your computer - 5 3 Pr epar ing the computer Before moving the computer, close and latch the display cover to place it in Sleep mode. You can now safely take the co mputer anywhere y ou go within the build i ng. To bring th e computer out of Sleep mode, open the display; then press and relea s e the power button. If you are taking th[...]

54 - Traveling wi th yo ur comput er < F4 > or close the display cover whenever you are not actively using the computer. T aking the computer home When you are moving from your off i ce to your home or vice versa. Pr epar ing the computer After disconnecting the computer from your desktop, follow these steps to prepare the computer for the tr[...]

Traveling with your computer - 5 5 Special considerations Follow these guidelines to protect your computer while traveling to and from work: • Minimize the ef fects of temperatur e changes by keeping the computer with you. • If you need to stop for an extended period of time and cannot carry the computer with you, leave the computer in the trun[...]

56 - Traveling wi th yo ur comput er T raveling with the computer When you are moving w ithin a larger distance, for instance, from your office building to a client's office building or traveling locally. Pr epar ing the computer Prepare the computer as if you were taking it home. Make sure that the battery in the computer is charged. Airport [...]

Traveling with your computer - 5 7 Pr epar ing the computer Prepare the computer as you would normally prepare it for traveling. What to bring with you Bring the following items with you: • AC adapter . • Power cor ds that are appr opriate for the country to which you ar e traveling. • Additional pr inter driver files if you plan to use anot [...]

58 - Secu ring your computer S ECURING YOUR COMPUTER Your computer is a valuable investment that you need to take care of. Learn how to protect and take care of your computer. Using passwor ds Passwords protect your computer from unauthorized access. Set ting these passwords creates several different levels of p rotection for your computer and data[...]

Securin g your c omput er - 59 Ente ring pas swords When a password is set, a password promp t appears in the center of the display screen. • When the Supervisor Passwor d is set, a pr ompt appears when you pr ess < F2 > to enter the BIO S utility at boot-up. • T ype the Supe rvisor Passwor d and pr ess < Enter > to access t he BIOS[...]

60 - Wireless networks W IRELE SS NETWORKS Connecting to the Inter net Your computer's wireless co nnection is turned on by default. Windows will detect and display a list of available networks during setup. Select your network and ent er the password if required. To turn your computer's Bluetooth or wireles s connections on or o ff, pres[...]

Wireless networks - 61 What are benefits of a wireless network? Mobility Wireless LAN systems allow you and other users of your home network to share access to files and devices connected to the network, for example a printer or scanner. Also you can share an internet connection with other computers in your home. Installation speed and simplicity I[...]

62 - HDMI HDMI HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is an industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. HDMI provides an interface between any compatible digital audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, and A/V receiver and a compatible digital audio and/or video monitor, such as a digita l television (DT[...]

Universal Serial Bus (USB) - 6 3 U NIVERSAL S ERIAL B US (USB) The USB 2.0 port is a high-speed serial bus which allows you to connect USB peripherals without taking up system resources.[...]

64 - BIOS utility BIOS UTILITY The BIOS utility is a hardware config uration program built into your computer's BIOS. Your computer is already properly configured and optimized, and you do not need to run this utility. However, if you encounter configuration problems, you may need to run it. To activate the BIOS utility, press < F2 > dur[...]

Frequen tly asked questions - 65 F REQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The following is a list of possib le situations that may arise during the use of your computer. Easy solut i ons are provided for each one. I turned on the power , but the computer does not start or boot up. Look at the power indicator: • If it is not lit, no power is being supplied to [...]

66 - Fr equent ly asked qu estions If pressing a key does not turn the display b ack on, three things might be the cause: • The brightness level might be too l ow . Press < Fn > + < > (incr ease) to adjust the br ightness level. • The display device might be set to an exter nal monitor . Press the display toggle hotkey < Fn > [...]

Frequen tly asked questions - 67 The keyboard does not respond. Try attaching an external keyboard to a USB port on the computer. If it works, contact your dealer or an auth orized service center as the internal keyboard cable may be loose. The printer does not work. Check the followin g: • Make sur e that the pr inter is connected to a power out[...]

68 - Fr equent ly asked qu estions 3. Exit the BIOS utility and save changes. The system will r eboot. Note: To activate the BIOS utility, press < F2 > during POST. To start the recovery process: 1. Restart the system. 2. While the Acer logo is showing, press < Alt > + < F10 > at the same time to enter the r ecovery pr ocess. 3. R[...]

Frequen tly asked questions - 69 Before you call Please have the following information available when you call Acer for online service, and please be at your comput er when you call. With your support, we can reduce the amount of time a call takes and help solve your problems efficiently. If there are error messages or beeps reported by your comput[...]

70 - T r oubleshooting This chapter shows you how to deal with common system problems. Read it before calling a technician if a problem occurs. Solutions to more serious problems require opening up the computer. Do not attempt to open the computer yourself; contact your dealer or authorized service center for assistance. T roublesh ooting tips This[...]

- 71 If you still encounter problems after going through the corrective measures, please contact your dealer or an authorized service center for assistance. Disk boot failur e Insert a system (bootable) disk, then press < Enter > to r eboot. Equipment configuration err or Pr ess < F2 > (during POST) to enter the BIOS utility , th en pr [...]

72 - Regula tions and sa fety notic es R EGULATIONS AND SAFETY NOTICES FCC STATEMENT This device has be en tested and found to co mply with the limits for a Class B digita l device purs uant to Part 15 of th e FCC rules. These lim its are designed to provide r e asonabl e protec tion agai nst harmful int erference in a r esidential ins tallation. T[...]

Regulati ons and safet y notice s - 73 Caution: Cha nges or modifica tions not ex pressly approved by the manufacturer could vo id the use r's authority , which is granted by the Fe deral Co mmunications Commis sion, to ope rate th is comp uter . N OTICE FOR C ANADA This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Remar q ue à [...]

74 - Regula tions and sa fety notic es Declar ation of Conformit y for EU co untries Hereby , Acer, decl ares that this comp uter is in complianc e with the ess ential r equirements and other r elevant provisions of Di re ctive 1999/5/EC. Wireless operation channel s for differ ent d omains France: Re str icted wir e less frequency bands Some ar ea[...]

Regulati ons and safet y notice s - 75 Departments in which the use of the 2400 - 2 483.5 MHz band is permitted with an E IRP of less than 100 mW indoors and less than 10 mW outdoors: This requirement is like ly to ch ange ov er time , allowing you to us e your wi reless LAN card in mor e areas wi thin France. Please chec k with AR T for the latest[...]

76 - Regula tions and sa fety notic es List of nati onal codes This equ ipment may be oper ated in the f ollowing c ountries: C ANADA — L OW - POWER LICENSE - EXEMPT RADIO COMMUNICATION DEVICES (RSS-210) Exposure of humans to RF fields (RSS-102) The com puter emplo ys low ga in integra l antennas that do not emi t RF field in excess o f Health Ca[...]

Regulati ons and safet y notice s - 77 This device compli es with RSS210 of Industry Canada. This Class B digital a pparatus complies w ith Canadian ICES-003 , Issue 4, and RSS-210, No 4 (Dec 2000) and No 5 (Nov 2001). "T o prevent radio interfer ence to the licensed service, this devi ce is intended to be operated in doors and away fro m wind[...]

78 - The FCC RF s afety r equir ement The radi ated output power of the wireless LA N Mini PCI Card and Bluetooth car d is far below the FCC radio frequency exposur e limits . Neverthele ss, the com puter shall be used in such a manner that the potential fo r human contact dur ing normal operatio n is minimized a s follows: 1. This devi ce is restr[...]