Acer MS2154W manual

TravelMate 2100/2600 Series User’s Guide[...]

Changes may be made peri odically to the infor mation in this publication without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes. Such changes will be incorporated in new editions of this manual or supplementary documents and publ ications. This company makes no representations or warra nties, either expre ssed or implied, with respe c[...]

iii English First things first We would like to thank you for ma king the TravelMate series of notebook computers your choice fo r your mobile computing needs. We hope you will be happy with your TravelMate as much as we enjoyed making it for you. Your guides To help you use your TravelMat e, we have design ed a set of guides: First off, the Just f[...]

iv English Basic care and tips for using your computer Turning your computer on and off To turn on the computer, simply pr ess and r elease the power switch below the LCD screen beside the Launch keys. See “Front view” on page 3 for the location of the power switch. To turn the po wer off, do any of the following: • Use the Windows shutdown c[...]

v English • Never pla ce objec ts on to p of the co mputer to avoid d amaging the computer. • Do not slam the computer display when you close it. • Never place the computer on uneven surface s. Taking care of yo ur AC adapter Here are some ways to take care of your AC adapter: • Do not connect the adapte r to any other device. • Do not st[...]

vi English If any of the following occurs: • The computer has been dropped or the body has been damaged. • Liquid has been spil led into the produc t. • The computer does not operate normally. Please refer to "Troubleshooti ng my computer" on page 43.[...]

First things first iii Your guides iii Basic care and tips for using your computer iv 1 Getting to know your TravelMate 1 A TravelMate tour 3 Front view 3 Left view 5 Right view 6 Rear view 7 Bottom view 8 Features 9 Indicators 11 Using th e keyboar d 12 Lock keys 12 Embedded numeric keypad 13 Windows keys 14 Hot keys 15 The Euro symbol 17 Launch k[...]

2 Customizing my computer 31 Expanding th rough opti ons 33 Connectivity opti ons 33 Upgrade options 37 Using system utilities 39 Notebook Manager 39 Launch Manager 40 BIOS Utility 40 D to D Recovery (Disc to Disc) 41 Multilingual o perating system install ation 41 Restore without a Recovery CD 41 Setup password and exit 42 3 Troubleshooting my com[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate[...]

Your TravelMate computer combines high- performance, versatili ty, power management features and multimedi a capabilities with a unique style and ergonom ic design. Work with unmatched productivity and reliability with your new power computing partner.[...]

3 English A TravelMate tour After setting up your computer as illustrated in the Just for starters.. . poster, let us show you around your new TravelMate computer. Front view # Item Description 1 Display screen Also called Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD), displays computer output.[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 4 English 2 Status indicators Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that turn on and off to show the status of the computer, i ts function s and compon ents. 3 Power button Turns on the computer powe r. 4 Launch Keys Buttons for launching frequently used programs. See“Launch keys” on page 18 for more details. 5 Palmrest[...]

5 English Left view # Item Description 1 PC Card slots Connects to one Type III or two Type II CardBus PC Card(s). 2 Eject buttons Eject the PC Cards from the slots. 3 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or DVDs depend ing on the op tical drive type. 4 Infrared port Interfaces with infrared devices (e.g., infrared printer, IR-aware co[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 6 English Right view # Item Description 1 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output. 2 Security keylock Connects to a Kensington-co mpatible computer security lock. 3 Ventilation slots Enable the computer to stay cool, even after prolonged use.[...]

7 English Rear view # Item Description 1 Power jack Connects to an AC adapter. 2 Parallel port Connects to a parallel device (e.g., parallel printer). 3 Ventilation slot Enables the comp uter to stay cool, even after prolonged use. 4 External display port Connects to a display device (e.g., external monitor, LCD projector) an d displays up to 16M c[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 8 English Bottom view 8 Speaker/Line-Out/ Headphone jack Connects to audio lin e-out devices (e.g., speakers, headphones). 9 Line-in/Mic-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices (e.g., au dio CD player, stereo walkman). # Item Description 1 Battery bay Houses the computer's battery pack. 2 Battery release latch U[...]

9 English Features Below is a brief summary of the computer’s many features: Performance • Intel® Pentium® 4 pr oce ssors, 2.8 GHz and above • Intel® Celeron® processors, 2.6 GHz and above • 256/512 MB of DDR333 SDRAM sta nd ard, upgradeable to 204 8 MB with dual soD IMM module s • 30 GB and above high-capacit y, Enhanced-IDE hard dis[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 10 English Connectivity • Integrated 10/100 Mbps Fa st Ethernet connection • Built-in 56Kbps fax/data modem • Four Universal Serial B us (USB) 2.0 ports • InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wireless LAN (manufacturi ng option) • Bluetooth® (ma nufacturing option) Human-centric de sign and ergonomics • Rugged, yet e[...]

11 English Indicators The computer has seven easy-to-rea d status icons below the display screen. Icon Function Description Wireless communications Lights when the Wireless LAN capability is enabled. Power Lights when the computer is on. Sleep Lights when the computer enters Standby mode and blinks when it enters into o r resumes from hibernation m[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 12 English Using the keyboard The keyboard has full-sized keys and an embedded keypad, separate cursor keys, two Windows keys and twelve fu nction keys. Lock keys The keyboard has three lock keys whic h you can toggle on an d off. Lock Key Description Caps Lock When Caps Lock is on, all alpha betic characters typed[...]

13 English Embedded numeric keypad The embedded numeric keypad func tions like a desktop numeric keypad. It is indicated b y small ch aracters located on the upper right corner of the keycaps. To simplify the keyboard legend, cursor-cont rol key symbols are not printed on the keys. Desired Access Num Lock On Num Lock Off Number keys on embedded key[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 14 English Windows keys The keyboard has two keys that pe rform Windows-spec ific functio ns. Key Description Windows key Pressed alone, this key has the same effect as clicking on the Windows Start button ; it launches the Start menu. It can also be used with other keys to pro vide a variety of functions: + Tab Ac[...]

15 English Hot keys The computer employs hot keys or ke y combinations to acces s most of the computer’s controls like screen brightness, volume output an d the BIOS Utility. To activate hot keys, press and hold the Fn key before pr essing the other key i n the hot key comb ination. Hot Key Icon Functi on Description Fn-F1 Hot key help Displays h[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 16 English Fn-F5 Display toggle Switches display output between the display screen, external monitor (if connected) and both the display screen and external monitor. Fn-F6 Screen bla nk Turn s the dis play sc reen backlight off to save power. Press any key to return. Fn-F7 Touchpad toggle Turns th e internal touchp[...]

17 English The Euro symbol If your ke yboard la yout is set to United Stat es-International or United Kingdom or if you have a keyboard with a European layout, you can type the Euro symbol on your keyboard. Note for US keyboard users: The keyboard layou t is set when you first set up Windows. For the Eu ro symbol to work, the keyboard layout has to[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 18 English Launch keys Located at the top of the keyboard are six buttons. These buttons are called launch keys. They are design ated as the mail, Web broswer, P1, P2 , Wireless and Bluetooth button s. The Wireless and Bluetooth buttons cannot be set by the user. To set the other four launch keys, run the Acer Laun[...]

19 English Touchpad The built-in touc hpad is a PS/2-com patible poin ting device that senses movement on its surface. This mean s the cursor responds as you move your finger on the surface of the to uchpad . The central l ocation on th e palmrest provides optimum comfort and support. Note: When using an external USB or serial mo use, you can press[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 20 English Note: Keep your fingers dry and clean wh en using the touchpad. Also keep the touchpad dry and clean. The tou chpad is sensitive to finger movements. Hence, the lighter the touch, the better the response. Tapping harder will not increase th e touchpad’s responsiveness. Function Left Button Right Button[...]

21 English Storage This comput er suppli es you with the following media storage: Hard disk The high-capacity hard disk is the answer to your storage needs. T his is where your data files and appl ications are stored. Optical drive Your computer comes eq uipped with an optical drive which may be one of the follo wing: • DVD-ROM • DVD/CD-RW Comb[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 22 English Playing DVD movies When the DVD driv e module is installed in the optica l drive bay, you can play DVD movies on your computer. 1 Eject the DVD tray and insert a DV D movie disc; then close the DVD tray. Important! Whe n you launch the DVD pl ayer for the first time, the program asks you to input the reg[...]

23 English Audio The computer comes with 16-bit high -fidelity AC’97 ste r eo audio. The built-in dual stereo speakers are easy to access. There are audio ports on the rear panel of the computer. See “Rear view” on page 7 for more informa tion on external audio devices. Power management This computer ha s a built-in powe r management unit tha[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 24 English Moving around with your TravelMate This section gi ves you tips and hints on thi ngs to consid er when moving around or traveling with you r computer. Disconnecting from the desktop Follow these steps to disconnect your computer from external accessorie s: 1 Save your work in progress. 2 Remove any media[...]

25 English - or - you can put the computer in S leep mode by pressi ng Fn-F4 . Then close and latch the display. When you are ready to use the comp uter again, unla tch and open the display, and press and release the po wer swit ch. If th e power indicator is off, the computer has entered Hibernation mode and turned off. Press and release the powe [...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 26 English Caution: Avoid p acking items next to the top cover of th e computer. Pressure against the top cover can damage th e screen What to bring with you Unless you already have some item s at home, bring the following items with you: • AC adapte r and power co rd • The printed user’s guide Special consid[...]

27 English Traveling with the computer “when you are moving within a larger distance, for instance, from your office building to a client’s office building or trav eling locally” Preparing the computer Prepare the computer as if you were tak ing it home. Make sure that the battery in the computer is char ged. Airport security may require you [...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 28 English What to bring with you Bring the foll owing items with you: • AC adapter • Power cords that are appropriate for the country to which you are traveling • Spare, fully-c harged batter y packs • Additional printer driver files if you plan to use ano ther printer • Proof of purchase, in case you ne[...]

29 English Securing your computer Your computer is a valuable i nvestme nt that you need to take ca re of. Learn how to protect and tak e care of your comput er. Security features include hardware and software locks — a securit y lock and passwords. Using a computer security lock A security keylock notch located on the right panel of the comput e[...]

1 Getting to know your TravelMate 30 English[...]

2 Customizing my computer[...]

After learning the basics of your TravelMate computer, let’s get acquainted with the advanced features of your computer. In this chapter, you will lear n how to add options, upgrade components for better performance, and customize your computer.[...]

33 English Expanding through options Your TravelMate offers you a complete mobile computing experience. Connectivity options Ports allow you to co nnect peripheral devices to your comput er as you would with a desktop PC. Modem Your computer has a built-i n V.92 56Kbps AC’97 Link modem. Warning! This mode m port is not com patible with digital ph[...]

2 Customizi ng my compu ter 34 English Network Your computer has built-i n Ethernet /Fast Ethernet capabilities. To use the network feature, connect an Ethe rnet cable from the network jac k to an network jac k or hub. Cons ult your ne twork administrator for details. Universal Serial Bus The Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 po rt is a high-speed ser[...]

35 English PC Card slot There are one Type III or two Type II CardBus PC Card slots found on the left side of the computer. The slots accept cr edit -card-sized cards that enhance the usability and expa ndability of the computer. These cards should have a PC Card logo on them. PC Cards (formerly PCMCIA) are add- on cards for po rtable co mputer s, [...]

2 Customizi ng my compu ter 36 English Ejecting a PC Card Before ejecting a PC Card: 1 Exit the applicatio n using the card. 2 Left-cli ck on the Safe ly Remove Ha rdware icon on the taskb ar and click on the PC C ard item. Click OK to confirm. 3 Press the slot eject button (1) to pop out the eject button; then press it again to eject the card (2) [...]

37 English Upgrade options Your computer delivers sup erior power and performance. However, some users and the applications they use ma y demand more. This computer allo ws you to upgrad e ke y components when you need increased performance. Note: Contact your authorized d ealer if you decide to perform a key component upgrade. Memory upgrade Memor[...]

2 Customizi ng my compu ter 38 English Installing memory Follow these steps to install m emory: 1 Turn off the computer, unplug th e AC adapter (if connected) and remove the battery pack. Then turn the computer over t o access its base. 2 Remove the screw from the memory cover (1) , then lift up and remove the memory cover (2) . 3 Insert the memory[...]

39 English Using system utilities Notebook Manager The computer has a built-in syst em setup program called Notebook Manager. The Windows-based Notebo ok Manager allows you to set passwords, the star tup sequenc e of the drives, and po wer management settings. It also show s current hardware configurat ions. To start the Notebook Ma nager, press Fn[...]

2 Customizi ng my compu ter 40 English Launch Manager There are six Launch Keys located above the keyboard. The Wireless and Bluetooth buttons are not pro grammable. Laun ch Manager only allows you to set the other four Launch Keys . See “Launc h keys” on page 18 for more information. You can access the Laun ch Manager by clic king on Start , A[...]

41 English D to D Recovery (Disc to Disc) Note : This feature is only available on certain m odels. Multilingual operating system installation Follow the instructi ons to choose th e operating system an d language you use when you first power-on the system. 1 Turn on the system. 2 Acer multilingual operating system selection menu will pop-up automa[...]

2 Customizi ng my compu ter 42 English 3 Press < Alt > + < F10 > at the same time to ent er the recovery process. 4 The message "The system has password pr otection. Please enter 000000:" is displayed. 5 Enter six 0s and continue. 6 "Acer Self-Configuration Pr eload" wi ndow appears. 7 Use the arrow keys to scroll th[...]

3 Troubleshooting my computer[...]

This chapter instructs y ou on 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 by yourself. Contact your dealer or an authoriz ed service center for assistance.[...]

45 English Frequently-asked questions The following is a list of possible situations th at may arise during the use of your compute r. Easy answe rs and solutions ar e provided for each one. I pressed the power switch and opene d the display, but the computer does not start or boot-up. Look at the Power indicator: • If it is not lit, no power is [...]

3 Troubleshooting my comp uter 46 English Image is not full-screen. Make sure that the resolution is se t to 1024x768. This is the native resolution of your computer displ ay. Right-clic k on your Windows desktop and sele ct Properties to bring up the Display Properties dialog box. Then click on the Se ttings tab to make sure that the resolution is[...]

47 English The CD or DVD drive cannot access a disc. Check the following: • Make sure the disc is supported by the drive. If your comp uter has a CD-ROM drive, it can read CDs but cannot read DVDs. I f your computer has a DVD drive, it ca n read DVDs in addi tion to CDs. • When placing th e CD or DVD in the drive tray, ma ke sure it is secure i[...]

3 Troubleshooting my comp uter 48 English The printer does not work. Check the following: • Make sure that the printe r is conn ected to a power outlet and that it is turned on. • Depending on you r connection (US B or parallel), ma ke sure th at the printer cable is connected secu rely to the appropriate port on your computer and the correspon[...]

49 English Requesting service International Traveler’s Warranty (ITW) Your computer is backed by an International Trave ler’s Warranty (ITW) that gives you security and peac e of mind when traveling. Our worldwide network of se rvice centers are there to give you a helping hand. An ITW passport comes with your co mputer. This pa ssport conta in[...]

3 Troubleshooting my comp uter 50 English[...]

Appendix A Specifications[...]

This appendix lists the gener al specifications of your computer.[...]

53 English Microprocessor • Intel® Pentium® 4 pr oce ssors, 2.8 GHz and above • Intel® Celeron® processors, 2.6 GHz and above Memory • 256/512 MB of DDR333 SDRAM sta nd ard, upgradeable to 204 8 MB with dual soD IMM module s • 512 KB flash ROM BIOS Data storage • One 30 GB and above E-IDE hard disk (2.5”, 9.5mm, UltraDMA-1 00) • O[...]

Appendix A Specifications 54 English Keyboard and pointing device • 84/85/88-key Windows keyboard • Ergonomically-cen tered touchpad pointi ng device with sc roll function I/O ports • One Type III or two type II PC Ca rd slots • One RJ-11 ph one jack (V.92, 56Kbps modem ) • One RJ-45 network jack (Ethernet 10/10 0 Base-T) • One DC-in ja[...]

55 English System • Microsoft® Windows® XP Ho me/Pro • ACPI 1.0b support • DMI 2.0-compliant Power • 8-cell Li-ion battery pack • 135W AC adapter 19V Options • 256MB/512MB/1GB memo ry upgrade module • Additional 135W AC adapter • Addition Li-ion battery pack[...]

Appendix A Specifications 56 English[...]

Appendix B Regulation & safety notices[...]

This appendix lists the general notices for your computer.[...]

59 English English Energy Star Guidelines Compliance As an Energy Star Partner, Acer In c. has determined that this product meets the Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency. FCC notice This device has been tested and foun d to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursu ant to Par t 15 of the FCC Rules. Thes e limits are designe[...]

Appendix B Regulation & safety notices 60 English Caution Changes or modifications not expres sly approved by the manufacturer could void the user's authority, which is granted by the Federal Communications Commission, to operate this computer. Operation conditions This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rule s. Oper ation is su bject[...]

61 English English Your telephone company may ma ke changes in its facilities , equipment, operations, or procedures that could affect the proper functioning of your e quipment. I f they do, you will be notified in advance to give you an opportunity to maintain uninterrup ted telephone service. If this equipme nt should fail to operate prop erly, d[...]

Appendix B Regulation & safety notices 62 English Notice for New Zealand For Modem with approval number PTC 211/03/008 1 The grant of a Telepermit for any item of terminal equipment indicates only that Telecom has ac cepted that the item co mplies with minimum co nditions for connecti on to its network. It indicates no en dorsement of the pr od[...]

63 English English For Modem with approval number PTC 211/01/030 1 The grant of a Telepermit for any item of termi nal equipmen t indicates only that Telecom has ac cepted that the item co mplies with minimum co nditions for connecti on to its network. It indicates no en dorsement of the pr oduct by Telecom, nor does it provide any sort of warranty[...]

Appendix B Regulation & safety notices 64 English Important safety instructions Read these instructions carefully. Save them for future reference. 1 Follow all warnings and ins tructions mar ked on the product. 2 Unplug this produ ct from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for clean[...]

65 English English d If the product does not o perate normally when the operating instructions are followed. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions si nce improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the p roduct to normal con[...]

Appendix B Regulation & safety notices 66 English PRODUCTO LÁSER DE LA CLASE I ADVERTENCIA: RADIACIÓ N LÁSER INVISIBLE AL SER ABIERTO. EVITE EXPONERSE A LOS RAYOS. ADVARSEL: LASERSTRÅLING VEDÅBNING SE IKKE IND I STRÅLEN. VARO! LAVATTAESSA OLET ALTTINA LASERSÅTEILYLLE. VARNING: LASERSTRÅLNING NÅR DENNA DEL ÅR ÖPPNAD ÅLÅ TUIJOTA SÅT[...]

67 English English General This product complies wi th the radio frequency an d safety standards of any country or region in which it ha s been approved for wireless use. Depending on config urations, this product may or may no t contain wireless radio devices (such as wi reles s LAN and/or Bluetooth® modules). Below information is for products wi[...]

Appendix B Regulation & safety notices 68 English in the country of use. For furthe r information, please contact local office in the country of use. The FCC RF safety requirement The radiated output power of Wi reless LAN Mini-PCI Card and Bluetooth car d is far below the FCC rad io frequency expos ure limits. Nevertheless, the TravelMa te ser[...]

69 English English Federal Communications Commission Declaration of Conformity This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept a ny interference received, including interference that may cause undesired opera[...]

Appendix B Regulation & safety notices 70 English Acer Incorporated 8F, 88, Sec. 1, Hsin Tai Wu Rd., Hsichih Taipei Hsien 221, Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel : 886-2 - 2696- 1 234 Fax : 886-2- 2696- 3535 www.acer.com Declaration of Conformity for C E ma r king We , Acer Inc. 8F, 88, Sec. 1, Hsin Tai Wu Rd., Hsichih, Taipei Hsien 221, T aiwan, R. O. C. Cont[...]

71 Index A AC adapter caring for v audio 23 troublesh ooting 46 B battery pack caring for v charging indicator 11 BIOS Utility 40 BIOS utility 40 brightness hotkeys 16 C caps lock 12 on indicator 11 care AC adapter v battery pack v computer iv CD troublesh ooting 47 CD-ROM ejecting 21 ejecting manually 46 troublesh ooting 46 cleaning computer v com[...]

72 N network 34 Notebook Man ager 39 hotkey 15 notice DVD copyright protection 66 num lock 12 on indicator 11 numeric keypad embedded 13 num lock 13 O optical drive 21 options memory upgrade 37 P PC Card 35 ejecting 36 inserting 35 ports 33 Power-On Self Test (POST) 40 printer troublesh ooting 48 problems 45 CD 47 CD-ROM 46 display 45, 46 DVD 47 ke[...]