Acer 420 series manual

T ravelMate 420 series User’ s guide TM420-e.book Page i T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

Changes may be mad e perio dically to the in formati on in this publica tion wi thout oblig ation to notify any pers on of such rev ision or ch anges. Such ch anges will be in corpor ated in ne w editions of this m anual or suppl ementary docume nts an d publica tions. Th is comp any mak es no repr esenta tions or war ranties, either ex pressed o r[...]

iii English First things first W e would like to tha nk you for making the T ravelMate series of notebook c omputers your choi ce for your mobile computing need s. W e hope you will be happy with your T ravelMate as m uch as we enjoyed mak ing it for you. Y our guides To help y ou use your Tra velMate, we ha ve designed a set of guides: For more in[...]

iv English Basic care and tips for using your computer T urn ing your com puter o n and o ff To turn on the computer, simply press the p ower button on the top left of your TravelMate. See pa ge 3 for the location of the power b utton. To turn the power off, do any of the following: • Use the Win dows shutdown command For Windows 2 000: Click on [...]

v English • Do not spill w ater or any liquid on the computer . • Do not subjec t the computer to heavy shock and vibrat ion. • Do not expose the computer to dust a nd dirt. • Never plac e objects on top of the c omputer to av oid damaging th e computer . • Do not slam the computer displ ay whe n you close it. • Never place the computer[...]

vi English 3 Use a soft cloth moistened with wate r . Do not use liqui d or aerosol cleaners. 4 T o clean the display sc reen, use an L CD cleaning kit. If any of the follow ing occurs: • The computer h as been d ropped or the bod y has been d amaged. • Liquid ha s been spilled i nto the product. • The computer does n ot operate normally . Pl[...]

Contents First things first iii Your guides iii Basic care and tips for using your com puter iv 1 Getting to know your TravelMate 1 A TravelM ate tour 3 Front vie w 3 Left vie w 5 Right view 6 Rear vi ew 7 Bottom view 8 Features 9 Indicators 11 Using the keyboard 12 Special key s 12 Touchpad 20 Touchpad bas ics 20 Storag e 22 Hard disk 22 Optical d[...]

viii 3 Troub leshooti ng my c omputer 45 Frequently -asked questions 47 Requesting serv ice 50 Internat ional Travele r’s Warranty (ITW) 50 Before you call 51 Appendix A Specifications 53 Appendi x B Not ices 59 Index 67 English TM420-e.book Page viii Thursday, Augus t 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

1 Getting to know your T ravelMate TM420-e.book Page 1 Thursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

Y our T ravelMate computer combines high- performance, vers atility , power management features and multimedia capabilities with a unique style and ergonomic design. Work with unmatched productivity and reliability with your new power computing partner . TM420-e.book Page 2 Thursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

3 English A T ravelMat e tour After setting up your compu ter as illustrated in the Just for Starters ... poster, let us sh ow you arou nd your new TravelMate computer. Fr ont view # Item Description 1 Disp lay scre en Also called LCD (liqui d-cry sta l displ ay) , displays c omputer ou tput. 2 Power Button T urns on the computer power . 3 Speakers[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 4 English 4 Keyboard Inputs data i nto your computer . 5 T ouchpad T ouch-sensitive poin ting devi ce which functions like a computer m ouse. 6 Click butt ons (left, center and right) The left and r ight buttons function like the left and right mouse buttons; the center button serves as a 4-way sc roll button. 7 [...]

5 English Note: The posi tions of the O ptical drive indicato r , eject button and emergency ejec t hole m ay dif fer depending on the opti cal drive mod ule in stall ed. Left view # Item De scription 1 Power jack Connects to an AC adapter . 2 Security keyloc k Connects to a Kensingto n-compatible computer security lock. K TM420-e.book Page 5 Thurs[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 6 English Right view # Item De scription 1 USB port Connects to Univ ersal Serial Bus devices (e.g .,USB m ouse, U SB cam era). 2 Line-in /Mic-in jack Accepts audi o line-in devices (e.g ., audio CD play er , stereo wa lkman ). Sele ction is throug h the OS W indows mixer . 3 Speaker/ Headphone-out jac k Connects[...]

7 English Rear view 9 Memory stick slot Accepts memory sticks. 10 SD/MMC slot Accepts SD or MMC cards. # Item Description 1 Expa ns ion por t I/O repl ic ato r or EasyP ort exp ansi o n devi ces . 2 Ext ern al displa y port Connects to a display dev ice (e.g., external monitor , LCD projector). 3 Parallel port Conn ect s to a para lle l dev ice (e.[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 8 English Bottom view # Item Des cription 1 Battery bay Houses the com puter's battery p ack. 2 Battery release latch Unlatches the battery to remove the battery pack. 3M e m o r y compartment Houses the computer's main memory . 4 Cooling fans Helps keep the computer cool. Note: Don't co ver or obs[...]

9 English Featur es Below is a brief summary o f the computer’s many features: Performance • Intel® Pentiu m® 4 Processor with 5 12 KB leve l 2 cache • DDR 266 (PC2 100) SDRAM, m emory expanda ble up to 1 GB • Internal optical drive • High-capa city , Enhanced-IDE ha rd disk • Li-lon batte ry pack • Power ma nagement system with ACP[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 10 English Connectivi ty • High-speed fax /data modem port • Ethernet/Fast Ethernet port • 3 USB (Univ ersal Serial Bus) ports • IEEE 1394 por t • SD/MMC memory slot • Memory stick slot • Acer EasyPort port replicator • Bluetooth ready (optiona l) Huma n-cent ric desig n and ergon omics • 4-way [...]

11 English Indicators The computer has seven easy-to-read status icons below the di splay screen. Icon Function De scriptio n Power Lights green w hen the computer is on. Flashes when the computer is in low pow er . Sleep Flashes when the computer is entering Sleep mode. Ligh ts orange when the computer is in Sleep mode. Battery charge Lights when [...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 12 English Using the keyboar d The full-size d keyboard includes an embedded nu meric keypad , separate cursor keys, two Windows keys and twelve function keys. Special keys Lock keys The keyboard has three lo ck keys which y ou can toggle o n and off. Lock key Description Caps Loc k When Caps Lock i s on, all al [...]

13 English Embedded numeric keypad The embe dded numeric k eypad func tions like a desk top numeric keypad. It is indicated by small chara cters located on the upper right corner of the keycaps. To simplify the keyboa rd legend, cursor-control key sym bols are not pr inted on the ke ys. Desired acce ss Num lock on Num lock off Number keys on embedd[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 14 English W ind ows k eys The keyboard has two keys that perform Window s-specific functions. Key Description Windows logo key á Start button. Combinations with this key perform shortcut functions . Below are a few examples: á + T ab (Activates next taskbar button) á + E (Explores My Computer) á + F (F inds [...]

15 English Hot keys The computer e mploys hot ke ys or key c ombinations to a ccess most of the computer’s c ontrols like screen b rightness, vol ume output. To activate hot keys, press and hold the Fn key before pre ssing the other ke y in the hot key combinat ion. Hot key Icon Function Description Fn-F1 Hot key help Displays help on hot keys. F[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 16 English Fn-F5 Display toggl e Switches disp lay output between the display screen, external monitor (if connected) and both the display screen and external monit or . Fn-F6 Screen blank T urns the display screen backlight of f to save p ower . Press any key to return. Fn-F7 T ouchp ad toggle T urns the interna[...]

17 English The Euro symbo l If your key board layout i s set to United States-In ternational o r United Kingdom or if y ou have a keyboard with a Europea n layout, yo u can type the Eu ro symbol on y our keyboard. Note for U S keyboar d users: The keyboard l ayout is set when you first set up Windows. For the Euro symbol to work, the keyboard layo [...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 18 English 5C l i c k o n OK . To type the Euro symbol: 1 Locate the Euro symbol on your keyboa rd. 2 Open a text e ditor or word proc essor . 3 Hold Alt Gr and press th e Euro symbol . Note : Some fonts and software do not support the Euro symbol. Please refer to www .microsoft.com/typography/faq/faq12.htm for m[...]

19 English E-Ma il D ete ction Click right button at the Launch Manager icon on th e taskbar and click on E-Mail De tection. In this dialog bo x, you hav e the option to e nable/ disable mail check ing, set the time interval for mail checking, etc. I f you already have an email ac count, you can fill in User Name, Password and POP3 S ever in the d [...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 20 English T ouchp ad The built-in tou chpad is a poin ting device that senses movement on its surface. This means the cursor responds as you move your finger on the surface of the touchpad. The central location on the palmrest provides optim al comfort and supp ort. Note: When using an extern al USB mouse, you c[...]

21 English pressing on the vertical and horizontal scroll ba rs of Windows applicati ons. Note: Keep your fingers dry and clean when usi ng the touchpad. Also keep th e touchpad dry and clean. The tou chpad is sensit ive to finger movements. Hence, the lighter the touch, the better the response. T apping harder will not increase the to uchpad'[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 22 English Storage This computer supplies you with the following media storag e: • High-capacity En hanced-IDE hard disk • Optical drive Hard disk The high-capacity hard disk is the answer to your stora ge needs. This is where yo ur programs and data a re stored. Opti cal d riv e The optic al drive bay ac cep[...]

23 English Using softwar e Playing DVD movies When the DVD-RO M drive mod ule is installed i n the optical drive bay, you can pla y DVD movies o n your computer. 1 Eject the DVD tray and insert a DVD movie di sc; then close the DVD tray . Important! When you launc h the DVD player for the first ti me, the program asks you t o input the regi on code[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 24 English Audio The computer c omes with 18-bi t high-fideli ty AC’97 stereo au dio, and includes a built-in sensitive microphone and dual stereo speakers. There are audio ports on the right side of the computer. See “Right view” o n page 6 for m ore information on connectin g external audio device s. Adju[...]

25 English Using the Audio DJ featur e The Audio DJ fe ature allows you to c ontrol the playback of music CDs even with the compute r turned off To playb ack an audio C D, do as follo ws: 1 Press the Audio DJ p ower button (on the front panel of the computer) until the pow er indicator lights up to turn on the Audio DJ feature. 2 Press the optical [...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 26 English Power management This computer ha s a built-in pow er managem ent unit that monitors system activity. System activity ref ers to any activity involving one or more of the following d evices: ke yboard, mouse , floppy dr ive, hard disk, periphe rals connected to the serial a nd parallel po rts. If no ac[...]

27 English Moving around with your T ravelMate This section gives you tips and hints to consider when movin g around or traveling with you r computer. Disconnecting fr om the desktop Follow these steps to disconnect your compu ter from external accessories: 1 Save your w ork in progress. 2 Remove any media, diskette or compact disc, from the drive([...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 28 English 1 Click on Start, T urn off Computer (Win dows XP). 2 Hold "Shift" 3 Click on Hibern ation (Windo ws XP). Then cl ose and la tch the di splay. When you are ready to use t he computer again, un latch and o pen the display; then release the p ower button. Note: If th e sleep indi cator is of f,[...]

29 English • Check i f you ha ve remove d all medi a, diskettes and compact discs, from the drive(s). Failure to remove the media can damage the drive head. • Pack the computer in a protective case tha t can prevent the computer from slidi ng around and cushion i t if it should fall. Cautio n: Avoid packing item s next to the top cover of the c[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 30 English If you use y our computer at hom e for significant periods of time, you might also want to add an exte rnal keyboard , monitor, or mou se. T raveling with the computer “when you are moving within a larger dista nce, for instance, from your office build ing to a clie nt’s office building o r traveli[...]

31 English What to bring wi th you Bring the follow ing items wi th you: • AC adapter • Power cords that are appr opriate for the country to which you a re traveling • Spare, fully-charged battery packs • Proof of purchase, in case you need to show it to Customs of ficials • International T raveler’ s Warranty passport Special considera[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 32 English Securing yo ur computer Your computer is a valuable investment that you n eed to take care of. Lea rn ho w to prot ec t an d ta ke ca re of your com put er. Security features include hardware and software locks — a security notch and passw ords. Using a computer security lock A security keylock no tc[...]

33 English on boot-up a nd resume from hibernati on for maximum security . • Hard Disk Passwo rd protects your data by preventing unauthorized access to your hard disk. E ven if the hard disk is removed from the computer and moved to an other computer , it cannot be accessed without the Hard Disk Password. Important! Do not forget your Supervisor[...]

1 Getting to kno w your T ravelMate 34 English TM420-e.book Page 34 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

2 Customizing my computer TM420-e.book Page 35 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

After learning the basics of your T ravelMate computer , let’ s get acquain ted with the advanced features of your computer . In this chapter , you will learn how to add opt ions, upgrade components for better performance, and customize your computer . TM420-e.book Page 36 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

37 English Expandi ng through options Your TravelM ate offers you a c omplete mo bile comput ing experience . Connectivity o ptions Ports allow you to conn ect periphera l devices to your computer a s you would with a desktop PC. Fax/data modem Your compu ter ha ve a built-in V .90/92 56Kbps AC’97 Link fa x/data modem. W arnin g! This modem port [...]

2 Customizing my computer 38 English Built-in net work featur e The built-in network feature allow s you to co nnect your computer to an Ethe rnet-based (1 0/100 Mbps ) network. To use the netwo rk featur e, connect an Ethern et cable f rom the network jac k on the righ t side of the com puter to a n etwork jack or hub on yo ur network. Universal S[...]

39 English IEEE 1394 port The com puter's IEEE 13 94 port allow s you to conne ct to an IEE E 1394 supported dev ices like a vi deo camera or digital camera . See you r video o r digital camera's d ocumentation for details. PC Car d slot The type II CardBus PC Card slot fou nd on the right side of the computer acce pts credit-card-sized c[...]

2 Customizing my computer 40 English Inser ting a PC Card Insert the card into the slot a nd make the prope r connection (e.g., network cable), if necessary. See your card manua l for details. Ejec ting a PC Card Before ejec ting a PC Ca rd: 1 Exit the applicatio n using the card. 2 Left-click on the PC Card icon on th e taskbar and stop the card o[...]

41 English Upgrade options Your compu ter delivers superio r power and pe rformance. However, some user s and the applic ations they u se may d emand more. This computer a llows you to u pgrade key components when you ne ed increased performance. Note: Contact your authorized d ealer if you decid e to perform a key component upgrad e. Memory upgrad[...]

2 Customizing my computer 42 English 2 Remove the screw from the memory cover (a); then lift up and remove the memory cover (b). 3 Insert the memory modul e diago nally into th e slot (a), the n gently press it down (b ) until it clicks in to place. 4 Replace the memory cover and se cure it with the screw . 5 Reinstall the battery pack, and reconne[...]

43 English Using system utiliti es Launch Man ager Launch Man ager allo ws you to set the four launch keys l ocated above the keyboard. Se e “Launch Keys” on page 18 for the locati on of the launch k ey. You can a ccess the Laun ch Manager by clicking on Sta rt , All Programs , an d then Launch Manager to start the application. You can manu all[...]

2 Customizing my computer 44 English To activate th e BIOS Utility, press F2 during the POST (po wer-on self- test) while the TravelMate logo is being di splayed. TM420-e.book Page 44 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

3 T r oubleshooting my computer TM420-e.book Page 45 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

This chapter instructs you on how to deal with common system pr oblems. 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 by yoursel f. Contact your dealer or an authorized service center for assist ance. key link: www .acersupport.com TM[...]

47 English Frequently-asked questi ons The follow ing is a list of possible situations tha t may ari se during the use of your com puter. Easy an swers and solutions ar e provided for each one. I opene d the di splay an d presse d the po wer bu tton, bu t comput er does not start or boot-up . Look at the Power indicator: • If it is not l it, no p[...]

3 T roub leshooti ng my comput er 48 English Imag e is n ot full -scree n. The computer display has a native resolution of 1024 x 768 (XGA) for the 14 .1”/15.0” o r 1400 x 1050 (SXG A+) for the 15.0” (selected models only). If you set the re solution lower than this, the screen expan ds to fill the com puter display. Right-click on y our Wind[...]

49 English I want t o eject the opti cal dr ive tray w ithout tur nin g on the power . I cannot e ject t he opti cal dr ive tray . There is a mechan ical eject button on the optica l drive. Si mply insert the tip of a pe n or papercli p and push to ej ect the tray. The keyboa rd does not respond. Try attaching an external keyboard to the USB port o[...]

3 T roub leshooti ng my comput er 50 English Requesting servi ce Internationa l T raveler’ s W arr anty (IT W) Your computer is backed by an In ternational Trave ler’s Warranty (ITW) that gives y ou security an d peace of mind when tra veling. Our worldwide ne twork of service centers are ther e to give yo u a helping hand. An ITW p assport com[...]

51 English Befor e you call Please have t he fol lowing infor mation availabl e when y ou call Acer for online servi ce, and pl ease be at your comp uter when you call. With your support, we c an reduce the a mount of time a c all takes and help solve your problems efficiently. If there are error messages or beeps reported by your computer, write t[...]

3 T roub leshooti ng my comput er 52 English TM420-e.book Page 52 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

Appendix A Specifications TM420-e.book Page 53 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

This appendix li sts the genera l specifications of your computer . TM420-e.book Page 54 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

55 English Microprocessor • Intel® Pentiu m® 4 Processor with 5 12 KB le vel 2 cache , 400 MHz FSB (front side bus) • Main mem ory expandable to 1 GB, dual 2 00-pin soDIMM soc kets • DDR 266 (PC2 100) DDR-SDRAM (Double Data Rate-Syn chronous Dynamic Ran dom Access Memory) sup port • 512 K B Flash R OM BIOS Data stor age • One high -capa[...]

Appendix A Spe cifications 56 English • Ergonomic ally-centered tou chpad pointi ng device with 4-way scroll button I/O ports • One type II CardBu s PC Card slots • One RJ-45 jac k (Ethern et 10/10 0) • One RJ-11 jac k (V .90/56Kb ps) • One DC-in jack • One parallel port (ECP/EPP) • One external monitor port • One hea dphone/speak e[...]

57 English Syst em • ACPI support • DMI 2 .0- com pli an t • Microsof t Windows operatin g system Pow er • Battery pack • 70Wh Li- Ion b att ery pack • 2.5~3-hour ra pid charge/3 .5-hour charge-in-u se • AC adapter • 90-Watt • Auto s ensing 100~24 0V ac, 50~60Hz Options • 128/256 /512-MB memory upgra de modules • Additional L [...]

Appendix A Spe cifications 58 English TM420-e.book Page 58 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

Appendix B Notices TM420-e.book Page 59 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

This appendix lists the general notices of your computer . TM420-e.book Page 60 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

61 English FCC n otice This device has been te sted and found to comp ly with the lim its for a Cl ass B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This device gen erates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and,[...]

Appendi x B Notices 62 English Notice: Canadian users This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equi pment Regulatio ns. Remarque à l’intention des utilisateurs can adiens Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respected toutes les ex igences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada . M[...]

63 English 1 Follow all warn ings and instructio ns marked on the produc t. 2 Unplug this product from the wall ou tlet before cleanin g. Do no t use liquid cleaners or aerosol c leaners. Use a damp c loth for cleaning. 3 Do not use this produc t near wa ter . 4 Do not place this pro duct on an unstable cart, stand, or table. Th e product may fall,[...]

Appendi x B Notices 64 English f I f the produc t exhibits a d istinct change in perfo rmance, indicati ng a need for service. 12 Replace the battery with the same type as the pro duct's battery w e recommend. Use of another b attery may present a risk of fire or explosion. 13 Wa rning! Batteries m ay explo de if not handled prop erly . Do not[...]

65 English same or eq uivalent ty pe recomme nded by the manufactu rer . Dispose of used batt eries acco rding to loc al regul ations . Recycle if a t all possibl e. ADV ARSEL ! Lithiumbatteri - Eksplosionsfare ved fejlagtig håndt ering. Udskiftning må kun ske med batt eri af samme fabrikat o g type. L éver det brugt e batteri tilbage til levera[...]

Appendi x B Notices 66 English A-Tick notice For safety reason s, only co nnect headsets w ith a telecommu nications comp lianc e label. This include s custom er equipm ent prev iously la belled permitted or certified. The unit shall be c onnected to T elecommunication Networ k through a line cord which meets the requirements of ACA T echnical Stan[...]

67 English Index A AC adapter caring fo r v AcerMedia drive 22 audi o 24 adjusting the volume 24 troubleshoo ting 48 B batt er y p ac k caring fo r v charging indica tor 11 BIOS util ity 43 bri ghtn es s hotkeys 16 C caps lo ck 12 on indi cator 11 care AC adapter v batt ery pa ck v compu ter iv CD- ROM ejecting 22 ejecting manually 49 troubleshoo t[...]

68 English M media access on indi cator 11 memory insta lling 41– 42 upgrading 41 modem 37 N network 38 Notebook Manager hotkey 15 noti ce DVD copyrig ht protection 65 num loc k 12 on indi cator 11 numeric keypad embedded 13 num loc k 13 O onli ne se rvices 50 opti on s memory upgrade 41 P pass wo rd 32 types 32 PC Card 39 ejecting 40 inserting 4[...]

69 English W warranty International Traveler’s Warran- ty 50 Windows keys 14 TM420-e.book Page 69 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]

70 English TM420-e.book Page 70 T hursday, August 22, 2002 10:00 AM[...]