Acer a-550 Series

Optical drive/

Hard disk

activity

CD or DVD drive or hard disk is being

accessed.

Floppy drive

activity

Floppy drive is being accessed.

PC Card

activity

PC Card is being accessed.

AC power Computer is running on AC power.

Battery

charge

Battery is being charged.

Battery full Battery is fully charged.

Battery

gauge

Battery is 75 to 100 percent full.

Battery is 31 to 74 percent full.

Battery is 6 to 30 percent full, and

battery is running low.

Note: Charge the battery as soon as

possible.

Battery is critically-low.

Note: Battery gauge icon is blinking.

Battery temperature is too high.

Note: Save your work and shut down

your computer to let the battery cool

down.

Battery is not installed.

Function Icon Description

TMa550.book Page 13 Wednesday, October 3, 2001 10:57 AM

Contents

Main All trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective companies. First things first Your guides Basic care and tips for using your computer Turning your computer on and off Taking care of your computer Taking care of your AC adapter Taking care of your battery pack Cleaning and servicing Page Contents 1 Getting familiar with your computer 1 2 Operating on battery power 29 3 Peripherals and options 37 4 Moving with your computer 51 Page Page Page Page Page Page Left view Right view Rear view Bottom view Features Performance Multimedia Connectivity Human-centric design and ergonomics Page Display Video performance Simultaneous display Indicators Page Page Keyboard Special keys Lock keys The keyboard has four lock keys which you can toggle on and off. Embedded keypad Windows keys The keyboard has two keys that perform Windows-specific functions. Hotkeys Page Touchpad Touchpad basics = Launch keys To configure the launch keys and the applications they launch, see Easy Button on page 62. Storage Connectivity options Ethernet and LAN Fax/data modem Audio Adjusting the volume Using the Audio DJ feature Securing your computer Security notch Passwords Page Page Page Battery pack Battery pack characteristics Using a battery pack for the first time Installing and removing the battery pack Page Charging the battery Charging modes Checking the battery level Using the Windows battery meter Optimizing battery life Battery-low warning Page Power management Page Page External display devices External monitor External display with s-video input Using simultaneous display External input devices External keyboard External keypad External pointing device Printer Page Expansion devices PC Card slots Inserting a card Ejecting a card USB Disconnecting USB devices IEEE 1394 Disconnecting IEEE 1394 devices Miscellaneous options Key component upgrades Memory upgrade Installing memory Page Page Page Page Page Disconnecting from the desktop Moving around What to bring to short meetings What to bring to long meetings Taking the computer home Setting up a home office Traveling with the computer Traveling internationally with the computer Page Page System software Easy Button E-Mail Detector BIOS Setup Utility Navigating the BIOS Setup Utility Main Page System Devices The System Devices screen contains parameters involving your hardware devices. Security Setting a password Removing a password Changing a password Others Boot The table below describes these devices. Exit The table below describes the parameters in this screen. Page Page Page Frequently-asked questions I press the power switch, but the computer does not start or boot-up. Nothing appears on the screen. Image is not full-screen. No audio from the computer. External microphone does not work. How do I eject the optical drive tray with the computer turned off? The keyboard does not respond. The floppy drive cannot access a diskette. The CD or DVD drive cannot access a disc. The printer does not work. I want to set up my location to use the internal modem. Why cant I charge my battery to 100% charged when it is 99-95% Page Error messages Page Page Page Page Page Microprocessor Memory Data storage Display and video Audio Keyboard and pointing device I/O ports Weight and dimensions Environment Operating system Power Options Page Page Page FCC notice Notice: Shielded cables Notice: Peripheral devices Caution Modem notices FCC CTR 21 Important safety instructions e f 12 13 14 Laser compliance statement Lithium battery statement Year 2000 compliance statement LCD pixel statement Macrovision copyright protection notice Index A B C D E F G H I R S T U V