Reference GuideTable of ContentsContents3About This Reference7About this guide8For more information8Accessing your online User Guide8To access your User Guide:8Gateway contact information9Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity9Checking Out Your Computer11Front12Back14Video card ports17Setting Up and Getting Started19Working safely and comfortably20Reducing eye strain21Setting up your computer desk and chair21Sitting at your computer22Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain22Preparing power connections22Protecting from power source problems22Connecting to a broadband modem or network23To connect to a broadband modem or to an Ethernet network:23Connecting a dial-up modem23To connect the modem:23Starting your computer24To start your computer:24Waking up your computer24Turning off your computer25To put your computer to sleep:25To turn off your computer:25Restarting (rebooting) your computer26To restart your computer:26Using the keyboard27Premium multimedia keyboard features27Elite multimedia keyboard features28Using the mouse30Using optical drives32Features32Loading an optical disc32To insert an optical disc:32Identifying optical drive types33Playing discs34Playing a CD34Playing a DVD35Playing a Blu-ray Disc35Playing an HD-DVD35Creating discs36Recording to optical discs36Creating audio and video files36Copying optical discs36Using the memory card reader36Memory card types37Using a memory card37To insert a memory card:37To remove a memory card:37Adjusting the volume38To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:38To adjust the volume from Windows:38Configuring the audio jacks40To configure the audio jacks:40Installing a printer, scanner, or other device41Advanced Hardware Setup43Setting up dual video cards44To set up the single-monitor SLI connection:44Setting up multiple monitors46Setting up RAID47About RAID47RAID 0 for performance47How it increases performance47How it makes file storage cheaper48Drawbacks48RAID 1 for security48Drawback49RAID 5 and 10 for both performance and security49Understanding RAID 549Understanding RAID 1049Drawback50Preparing your computer for RAID50To prepare your computer for RAID:50Configuring RAID51Creating a RAID volume51To create a RAID volume:51Deleting a RAID volume51To delete a RAID volume:51Getting help52Upgrading Your Computer53Preventing static electricity discharge54To prevent risk of electric shock, do not insert any object into the vent holes of the power supply.54Opening the case55Removing the side panel55To remove the side panel:55Removing the front bezel57To remove the front bezel:57Closing the case58Replacing the front bezel58To replace the front bezel:58Replacing the side panel58To replace the side panel:58Adding or replacing memory59To install or replace DIMM memory:59Adding or replacing an optical disc drive61To add or replace an optical disc drive:61Replacing the memory card reader63To replace the memory card reader:63Adding or replacing a hard drive65To add or replace a hard drive:65Replacing the front fan67To replace the front fan:67Replacing the rear fan70To replace the rear fan:70Replacing the power supply72To replace the power supply:72Replacing the heat sink and processor73To replace the heat sink and processor:73Replacing the I/O board75To replace the front I/O board:75Adding or replacing an expansion card77To add or replace an expansion card:77Replacing the system battery80To replace the battery:80Replacing the system board81To replace the system board:81Maintaining Your Computer89Setting up a maintenance schedule90Caring for your computer91Cleaning your computer92Cleaning the exterior92Cleaning the keyboard93To clean the keyboard:93Cleaning the monitor93To clean the monitor:93Cleaning the mouse93To clean the mouse:93Cleaning optical discs94To clean an optical disc:94Updating Windows94Using BigFix95To start BigFix:95Managing hard drive space96Checking hard drive space96To check hard drive space:96Deleting unnecessary files97To delete unnecessary files:97Checking the hard drive for errors98To check the hard drive for errors:98Defragmenting the hard drive99To defragment the hard drive:100Backing up files100To back up files:101Scheduling maintenance tasks102To start the Task Scheduler:102Moving from your old computer103Transferring files and settings automatically103To move files and settings from your old computer:103Transferring files and settings manually104Finding your documents104To find files in the documents folder:104Finding other files105To find files using Find or Search:105Troubleshooting107Safety guidelines108. Power cords or plugs are damaged108. Liquid has been spilled into your computer108. Your computer was dropped108. The case was damaged108Instead, unplug your computer and contact a qualified computer technician.108First steps108Troubleshooting109Add-in cards109Audio109CD or DVD drives109The computer does not recognize a disc or the CD or DVD drive109An audio CD does not produce sound110A DVD movie will not play110Display111DVD drives111Ethernet111You cannot see the other computers on your network111The computer does not recognize an Ethernet expansion card112Your Ethernet network is running slower than you expect112Expansion cards112The computer does not recognize an expansion card112File management112A file was accidentally deleted112To restore deleted files:112You need to restore your computer to a working condition113Hard drive113You see an “Insufficient disk space” error message113You see a “Data error” message113The hard drive cannot be accessed, or you see a “General failure reading drive C” error message113You see a “Non-system disk” or “disk error” error message114Internet114You cannot connect to the Internet114You see an “Unable to locate host” message and are unable to browse the Internet114Connecting to a Web site takes too long115People are sending you e-mail messages, but you have not received any mail115Keyboard115The keyboard does not work115A keyboard character keeps repeating or you see a “keyboard stuck” or “key failure” error message115Liquid spilled in the keyboard116Media Center116The Media Center video image looks bad on your TV116You need to configure your computer to output to a TV118You want to change display settings to get better TV or DVD image quality118You need to burn programs that were recorded with your computer to a DVD using Media Center118You want to play recorded programs on other computers119You get a “Download Error” message when Media Center tries to update the Program Guide119Memory119You see a “Memory error” message119To run the Memory Diagnostic Tool:119You see a “Not enough memory” error message119Memory card reader119Drive letters for the memory card slots do not appear in the Computer window119Modem (cable or DSL)120My computer cannot connect to the Internet.120Modem (dial-up)120Your modem does not dial or does not connect120To check the dialing properties:120You cannot connect to the Internet121Your 56K modem does not connect at 56K122Your fax communications program only sends and receives faxes at 14,400 bps when you have a 56K modem122The modem is not recognized by your computer122To run modem diagnostics:122The modem is noisy when it dials and connects123To turn down the modem volume:123Monitor123The screen resolution is not correct123The computer is running, but there is no picture124The color is not uniform124The text on the screen is dim or difficult to read124Mouse124The mouse does not work124The mouse works erratically125Networks125You cannot connect to your company network125Passwords125Your computer does not accept your password125Power125Your computer will not turn on125Printer126The printer will not turn on126The printer is on but will not print126To set a default printer:126You see a “Printer queue is full” error message126To make sure that the printer is not set to work offline:126You see a “Printer is out of paper” error message127Sound127You are not getting sound from the speakers127Restoring your computer128Recovering your system128Recovering pre-installed software and drivers129Preparing for software and device driver recovery129To create discs for recovering pre-installed software and drivers:130Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using Gateway Recovery Center131To recover specific drivers and software:131Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using recovery discs133To recover software and drivers using recovery discs:133Using Microsoft System Restore134To restore using Microsoft System Restore:135Manually creating a restore point136To manually create a restore point:136Recovering your system to its factory condition137To delete everything on your hard drive and re-install all factory software:137Recovering your system using the Windows DVD138To completely re-install Windows:138Telephone support139Before calling Gateway Customer Care139. Power cords or plugs are damaged140. Liquid has been spilled into your computer140. Your computer was dropped140. The case was damaged140Instead, unplug your computer and contact a qualified computer technician.140Telephone numbers140Self-help141Tutoring141Training141Legal Notices143Important safety information144Regulatory compliance statements145Environmental information150Notices150If your computer has a DVD-compatible drive and an analog TV Out port, the following paragraph applies:151A153B153C153D154E155F155G156H156I156J156K156L157M157N158O158P158R159S159T160U161V161W161X161Z161Index153Size: 9.06 MBPages: 164Language: EnglishOpen manual
