Gateway E-4300 Checking Out Your, Gateway Computer

Chapter 2

Checking Out Your

Gateway Computer

■Identifying features

■Locating your computer serial number

■Locating the Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity

■Locating the specifications for your computer

■Purchasing accessories

Contents

Gateway E-4300 Page Contents Using Drives and Ports Maintaining Your Computer Troubleshooting Networking Your Computer Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information Index Page Getting Help Help and Support Using Your Computer guide Online help Gateway contact information Checking Out Your Gateway Computer Micro Tower Component Icon Description Back Page Page Mid Tower Page Page Page Page Desktop to tower conversion Locating your serial number Finding your specifications Accessories USB flash drive Uninterruptible power supplies Getting Started Working safely Setting up your computer desk and chair Setting up your computer and computer accessories Sitting at your computer Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain Protecting from power source problems Checking the voltage selection To set the voltage selection switch: Micro Tower Mid Tower Starting your computer Turning off your computer Restarting (rebooting) your computer Using the keyboard Multifunction keyboard Press these keys Special-functionbuttons Adjusting the volume Connecting the modem Connecting to a wired Ethernet network Installing a printer, scanner, or other peripheral device Using Drives and Ports Using the diskette drive To use a diskette: Using the Zip drive Using the memory card reader To remove a memory card: Using the CD or DVD drive Inserting a CD or DVD To insert a CD or DVD: Playing a CD Playing a DVD Creating CDs and DVDs Page Maintaining Your Computer Caring for your computer Updating Windows Protecting your computer from viruses To remove a virus: Cleaning your computer Cleaning the keyboard Cleaning the monitor Cleaning the mouse To clean your optical mouse: To clean your trackball mouse: Restoring your system Preventing static electricity discharge Maintaining the Micro Tower case Page Closing the case To close the case: Installing memory To install or replace DIMM memory: Page Replacing the system battery To replace the battery: Maintaining the Mid Tower case Removing the front bezel To remove the front bezel: Page To replace the front bezel: Page Page Page Troubleshooting Safety guidelines First steps Troubleshooting Audio CD does not produce sound A DVD movie will not play Computer The computer will not start Diskette drive The diskette drive is not recognized You see a “Access Denied” or “Write protect” error message DVD drives File management A file was accidentally deleted To restore deleted files: Hard drive You see an “Insufficient disk space” error message You see a “Data error” message You see a “Non-systemdisk” or “disk error” error message Internet You cannot connect to the Internet Connecting to a Web site takes too long People are sending you e-mailmessages, but you have not received any mail Keyboard The keyboard does not work Liquid spilled in the keyboard Memory You see a “Memory error” message Memory card reader Drive letters for the memory card slots do not appear in the My Computer window Modem (dial-up) Your modem does not dial or does not connect To check the dialing properties: Your 56K modem does not connect at 56K The modem is not recognized by your computer To run modem diagnostics: The modem is noisy when it dials and connects To turn down the modem volume: Monitor The screen resolution is not correct The computer is running but there is no picture The color is not uniform Why is there a horizontal line or wire visible across the monitor screen Mouse The mouse does not work The mouse works erratically Networks You cannot connect to your company network Passwords Your computer does not accept your password Power The printer is on but will not print To set a default printer: You see a “Printer queue is full” error message To make sure that the printer is not set to work offline: You see a “Printer is out of paper” error message Sound You are not getting sound from the speakers Page Networking Your Computer Introduction to networking Sharing a single Internet connection Sharing drives Sharing peripheral devices Streaming audio and video files Playing multi-playergames Wireless Ethernet network Wireless Ethernet speed and frequency Network Type Speed Frequency Advantages Example access point router wireless Ethernet network Equipment you need for an access point wireless Ethernet network Determining if wireless Ethernet is already installed on your computers Wired Ethernet network Example router-basedwired Ethernet network Equipment you need for a router-basedwired Ethernet network Determining if wired Ethernet is already installed on your computers Making sure your broadband connection works Naming the computers and the workgroup To identify this computer on the network: Terms you should know Using a DHCP server Page Where to go from here Mounting the access point Configuring the access point http://192.168.1.1 admin Connecting to an access point network Configuring computer settings for an access point is not Adding an access point Page Setting up a network using a router To set up a network using a router: Configuring your router To configure the Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL router: Testing your network Sharing your resources Page Page Accessing the Internet Sharing drives or folders Page Un-sharingdrives, folders, and files Sharing printers Viewing shared drives and folders Mapping a network drive Opening files across the network Copying files across the network Printing files across the network Connecting to hotspots Troubleshooting Your Ethernet network Wireless Ethernet network You turned the wireless on, but it takes a while to connect Your connection on the network seems intermittent Your wireless Ethernet network is running slower than you expect To check the signal strength of your wireless Ethernet network: ANY Page Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information Important safety information Regulatory compliance statements California Proposition 65 Warning Canada Industry Canada (IC) Unintentional emitter per ICES-003 Laser safety statement Notices Index