Gateway E4350 manual Safety guidelines, First steps

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Chapter 6: Troubleshooting

Safety guidelines

While troubleshooting your computer, follow these safety guidelines:

■Never remove your computer case cover while your computer is turned on and while the modem cable and the power cord are connected.

■Make sure that you are correctly grounded before accessing internal components. For more information about preventing damage from static electricity, see “Preventing static electricity discharge” on page 42.

Warning

To avoid bodily injury, do not attempt to troubleshoot your computer problem if:

■Power cords or plugs are damaged

■Liquid has been spilled into your computer

■Your computer was dropped

■The case was damaged

Instead, unplug your computer and contact a qualified computer technician.

First steps

If you have problems with your computer, try these things first:

■Make sure that the AC power adapter is connected to your computer and an AC outlet and that the AC outlet is supplying power.

■If you use a power strip or surge protector, make sure that it is turned on.

■If a peripheral device (such as a keyboard or mouse) does not work, make sure that all connections are secure.

■Make sure that your hard drive is not full.

■If an error message appears on the screen, write down the exact message. The message may help Gateway Customer Care in diagnosing and fixing the problem.

■If you added or removed peripheral devices, review the installation procedures you performed and make sure that you followed each instruction.

■If an error occurs in a program, see the program’s printed documentation or the online help.

54	www.gateway.com

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Contents Page Page Contents Maintaining Your Computer Iii Page Chapter Help and Support To start Help and SupportUsing Your Computer guide To access the Using Your Computer guideSearching for a topic Online help Gateway contact informationIdentifying your computer Checking Out Your Gateway Computer Front Your computer includes the following componentsComponent Icon Description Back Back Gateway Documentation Locating your serial number Microsoft Certificate of AuthenticityFinding your specifications Accessories MemoryPrinters Storage DevicesUninterruptible power supplies USB flash driveGetting Started Working safely Reducing eye strainSetting up your computer desk and chair Setting up your computer and computer accessoriesSitting at your computer Protecting from power source problems Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strainChecking the voltage selection To set the voltage selection switch Starting your computerTo start your computer Turning off your computer Waking up your computerTo turn off your computer Restarting rebooting your computer To close unresponsive programs and restart your computerUsing the keyboard Standard keyboardMultifunction keyboard Function keysSpecial-function buttons Adjusting the volume Wireless keyboardTo adjust the overall volume level using hardware controls Installing a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device Help and SupportUsing Drives and Ports Using the diskette drive To use a disketteUsing the CD or DVD drive Identifying drive typesInserting a CD or DVD To insert a CD or DVDPlaying a CD Playing a DVDCreating CDs and DVDs Using Drives and Ports Maintaining Your Computer To run Windows Update Caring for your computerUpdating Windows Protecting your computer from viruses To scan for virusesTo update Norton AntiVirus To remove a virusCleaning your computer Cleaning the exteriorCleaning the keyboard Cleaning the monitor Cleaning the mouseTo clean your trackball mouse Cleaning CDs or DVDs To clean your optical mouseMicrosoft System Restore Reinstalling programs and driversTo run Microsoft System Restore To reinstall your program or driverRestoring your computer to the original configuration To restore your computer to the original configurationPreventing static electricity discharge Opening the case To open the caseRemoving the front bezel To remove the front bezelOpening the case To replace the front bezel Closing the case To close the caseInstalling memory To install or replace Dimm memoryInstalling memory Replacing the system battery To replace the batteryReplacing the system battery Maintaining Your Computer Troubleshooting Safety guidelines First stepsTroubleshooting Add-in cardsAudio CD or DVD drivesComputer DVD movie will not playComputer will not start You see a Access Denied or Write protect error message You see a Disk is full error messageYou see a Non-system disk or Disk error error message Diskette driveTo restore deleted files DVD drivesFile management Hard driveYou see a Data error message InternetYou cannot connect to the Internet Connecting to a Web site takes too long KeyboardKeyboard does not work Memory Modem dial-upTo check the dialing properties To run modem diagnostics Your 56K modem does not connect at 56KModem is not recognized by your computer To turn down the modem volume Modem is noisy when it dials and connectsScreen resolution is not correct MonitorComputer is running but there is no picture Color is not uniformText on the display is dim or difficult to read Mouse NetworksMouse does not work Mouse works erraticallyPasswords PowerTo set a default printer PrinterYou see a Printer queue is full error message You see a Printer is out of paper error messageSound To make sure that the printer is not set to work offlineHelp Support Troubleshooting Networking Your Computer Using a router Introduction to NetworkingExample router-based Ethernet network Equipment you need for a router-based Ethernet networkInstalling Ethernet cards and drivers Creating an Ethernet networkMaking sure your broadband connection works Naming the computers and the workgroupTo identify this computer on the network Configuring the TCP/IP protocol To use a Dhcp serverCreating an Ethernet network Setting up an Ethernet network Setting up a network using a router Configuring your router To set up a network using a routerTo configure the Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL router Creating an Ethernet network Testing your network Troubleshooting Your Ethernet network You cannot see the other computers on your networkComputer does not recognize an add-inEthernet card Your Ethernet network is running slower than you expectNetworking Your Computer Appendix a Important safety information Setting up your systemRegulatory compliance statements United States of AmericaCanada Industry Canada IC Unintentional emitter per ICES-003Laser safety statement External television antenna groundingReference Grounding component Environmental information Macrovision statement Trademark AcknowledgmentsIndex DVD Page Page RAM Page Page MAN 4350 USR GDE R0 07/05