Gateway Solo 9300 User Manual

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Contents
1 About Your Notebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecting the AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Starting your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Waking up your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Turning off your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
System status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Power and battery indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Adjusting the keyboard angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Function keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Multi-function buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using the EZ Pad touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3 Windows Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
About the Windows environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Desktop components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Window components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using the Start menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Working with files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
About drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
About folders and files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Copying and moving files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Deleting files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Browsing for files and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Searching for files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Using the Windows Me Search utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using the Windows 98 Find utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4 Customizing Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Adjusting the screen and desktop settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Gateway Solo 9300 Specifications

General

Processor	Intel Pentium III
Display Size	15 inches
Optical Drive	CD-ROM
Network	56K Modem, 10/100 Ethernet
RAM	64 MB
Storage	6 GB
Display Resolution	1024 x 768
Operating System	Windows 98
Ports	USB, Serial, Parallel, VGA, PS/2

Summary

About Your Notebook

Front Components

Describes the front components of the notebook.

Left Side Components

Describes the left side components of the notebook.

Right Side Components

Describes the right side components of the notebook.

Back Components

Describes the back components of the notebook.

Bottom Components

Describes the bottom components of the notebook.

Getting Started

Connecting the AC adapter

Steps to connect the AC adapter for power and charging.

Protecting from power source problems

Guidance on protecting the notebook from power surges.

Starting your notebook

Instructions on how to power on the notebook.

Waking up your notebook

How to resume the notebook from standby mode.

Turning off your notebook

Steps to properly shut down the notebook.

System status indicators

Explains the meaning of various system indicator lights.

Power and battery indicators

Details the battery and power status LEDs.

Using the keyboard

General information about the notebook's keyboard.

Adjusting the keyboard angle

How to use the elevating feet for keyboard angle adjustment.

Function keys

Details on function keys and their uses.

Multi-function buttons

Explains the purpose of multi-function buttons.

Using the EZ Pad touchpad

Guide to using the touchpad and its buttons.

Windows Basics

About the Windows environment

Introduction to the Windows desktop and its components.

Desktop components

Explains common desktop icons and elements.

Window components

Describes the elements of a typical Windows window.

Using the Start menu

How to navigate and use the Windows Start menu.

Working with files and folders

Basic operations for managing files and folders.

About drives

Explanation of computer drives.

About folders and files

Concepts of folders and files.

Copying and moving files and folders

Procedures for copying and moving files/folders.

Deleting files and folders

How to delete and recover files/folders.

Browsing for files and folders

Navigating through folders to find files.

Searching for files

Using search utilities to locate files.

Using the Windows Me Search utility

Guide to using the Windows Me search tool.

Using the Windows 98 Find utility

Guide to using the Windows 98 find tool.

Shortcuts

Common keyboard shortcuts for Windows.

Customizing Your Notebook

Adjusting the screen and desktop settings

Options for customizing display and desktop appearance.

Adjusting the color depth

How to change the number of colors displayed.

Adjusting the screen area

How to change screen resolution.

Changing the font size

How to adjust font size for desktop items.

Applying a color scheme

How to apply Windows color schemes.

Changing the desktop background

How to change the desktop wallpaper.

Selecting a screen saver

How to choose and configure screen savers.

Customizing the multi-function buttons

How to reassign multi-function button actions.

Working with Documents

Creating a new document

Steps to create a new document in a word processor.

Saving a document

How to save a document.

Opening a document

How to open an existing document.

Printing a document

Steps to print a document.

Using Multimedia

Using diskettes

How to use the 3.5-inch diskette drive.

Using the CD/DVD drive

Information on using the CD/DVD drive.

Inserting a CD/DVD

Procedure for inserting discs into the drive.

Adjusting the volume

How to control system volume levels.

Playing CDs and DVDs

How to play audio CDs and DVDs.

Listening to music CDs in Windows Me

Playing CDs using Windows Media Player.

Listening to music CDs in Windows 98

Playing CDs using the CD Player.

Playing a DVD

How to play DVD movies.

Recording and playing audio

How to record and play audio using Sound Recorder.

Using the Media Player

Guide to using the Windows Media Player.

Using MusicMatch

Using the MusicMatch program for music playback.

Playing CDs

How to play music CDs with MusicMatch.

Creating music files

How to rip music from CDs to MP3 files.

Building a music library

Organizing music tracks in a library.

Editing track information

Modifying metadata for music tracks.

Listening to Internet Radio

How to listen to radio stations online.

Using composite video

Connecting the notebook to TVs or VCRs.

Using MGI VideoWave III

Using video capture software.

Changing the audio source

Configuring external audio input.

Using the Internet

Learning about the Internet

Basic overview of the Internet and its components.

Setting up an Internet account

Steps to set up an ISP account.

Accessing your Internet account

How to connect to and disconnect from the Internet.

Using the World Wide Web

Navigating the Web using a browser.

Connecting to a Web site

How to access specific websites.

Downloading files

Process of transferring files from the Internet.

Using e-mail

How to send and receive email messages.

Sending e-mail

Instructions for composing and sending emails.

Checking your e-mail

How to read incoming emails.

Sending and Receiving Faxes

Creating a cover page

Setting up personal information for fax cover pages.

Sending a fax

How to send a fax.

To send a fax

Steps to initiate sending a fax.

To fax a document directly from most programs

Faxing documents from applications.

Receiving a fax

How to receive and view faxes.

To receive and view a fax

Procedures for receiving faxes.

Managing Power

Maintaining battery power

How to maintain battery health and check status.

Checking battery status

Ways to check the current battery level.

Conserving battery power

Tips for maximizing battery life.

Changing batteries

How to replace the notebook battery.

To replace the battery

Steps for battery replacement.

Installing a second battery

How to install an optional second battery.

Recalibrating the battery

Procedure to recalibrate the battery gauge for accuracy.

Changing power settings

Customizing power management options.

Changing settings

Adjusting power schemes and timers.

Changing the alarm options

Setting up low battery alarms.

Changing advanced power management settings

Configuring power button and standby behavior.

To enable Hibernate support

Enabling the hibernate power saving feature.

Disabling the backlight dimmer

How to disable screen brightness reduction on battery.

Changing SpeedStep settings

Adjusting processor performance based on power source.

Upgrading Your Notebook

Installing a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device

Connecting external devices like printers.

Connecting the modem

Steps to connect the built-in modem.

Adding PC Cards

How to insert and remove PC Cards.

To insert a PC Card

Procedure for inserting a PC Card.

To remove a PC Card

Procedure for removing a PC Card.

Changing bay modules

How to swap modular components.

To change bay modules

Steps to replace bay modules.

Replacing memory and the hard drive

Procedures for upgrading memory and hard drive.

Preventing static electricity discharge

Guidelines to prevent ESD damage during upgrades.

Installing memory

How to add or replace memory modules.

Replacing the main hard drive

Steps to replace the primary hard drive.

Travel Tips and Accessories

Travel tips

Advice for using the notebook while traveling.

Modem

Tips for using the modem while traveling.

Files

Tips for managing files when traveling.

Security

Recommendations for securing the notebook.

Power

Information on notebook power management and sources.

Using alternate power sources

Using AC adapters and in-flight power.

Monitoring the battery charge

How to monitor battery status.

Conserving battery power

Methods to save battery power.

Accessories

Gateway accessories for the notebook.

Using the Solo Port Replicator

Front

Identifies components on the front of the port replicator.

Left side

Identifies components on the left side of the port replicator.

Back

Identifies components on the back of the port replicator.

Composite Video In (TV In) connection

Connecting external video sources to the replicator.

Composite Video Out (TV Out) connection

Connecting the replicator to external displays.

S-Video Out connection

Connecting the replicator to S-Video displays.

Right side

Identifies components on the right side of the port replicator.

Attaching to the replicator

Steps to connect the notebook to the port replicator.

Using composite video or S-Video

Connecting video sources to the replicator.

Using the Solo Docking Station

Front

Identifies front components of the docking station.

Left side

Identifies left side components of the docking station.

Back

Identifies back components of the docking station.

Composite Video In (TV In) connection

Connecting external video sources to the docking station.

Composite Video Out (TV Out) connection

Connecting the docking station to external displays.

S-Video Out connection

Connecting the docking station to S-Video displays.

Right side

Identifies right side components of the docking station.

Docking your notebook

Steps to connect the notebook to the docking station.

Adjusting audio settings

Configuring audio output for the docking station.

Getting Help

For more information . . .

Resources for additional information and support.

HelpSpot

Using HelpSpot for assistance with Windows.

QuickANSWERS

Using QuickANSWERS for Windows 98 help.

Online help

Accessing help files within programs.

Gateway Web site

Information available on the Gateway website.

Before calling for technical support

Recommendations before contacting support.

Technical support resources

Contact information for technical support.

Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information

Important safety information

Essential safety guidelines for using the system.

Setting up your system

Instructions for properly setting up the computer system.

Care during use

Guidelines for safe operation and maintenance.

Replacement parts and accessories

Information on using recommended replacement parts.

Regulatory compliance statements

FCC and other regulatory compliance information.

United States users

FCC Part 15 and Part 68 statements.

Canadian users

Industry Canada (ICES-003) and modem notices.

European users

Compliance with European directives and modem regulations.

Japanese users

VCCI statement for Japanese users.

Australia and New Zealand users

EMI and telecommunication statements for ANZ.

Laser safety statement

Safety precautions for CD/DVD laser devices.