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Gateway FX540X 8512728 - FX540 Hardware Reference Guide - Page 117

Type of connection used, Quality of video cables, Screen resolution, Size of display device, Age

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www.gateway.com • Type of connection used-You can connect the computer video output to a TV. However, the connection type has an affect on the video quality. Media Center has two video outputs: • VGA-If your TV includes a VGA port, connect the VGA cable from the computer's VGA (monitor) port to the TV's VGA In port for the best quality. Many TVs do not have a VGA port. • S-Video-If your TV does not have a VGA port, but includes an S-Video port, connect the S-Video cable from the computer's S-Video Out port (if on your computer's video card) to the TV's S-Video In port. S-Video image quality is usually good for TV images. The image quality for the computer functions, however, is not as good as VGA output. S-Video image output is not optimized for computer video display. • Quality of video cables-Poor quality or the incorrect type of video cables can cause problems and affect the video quality. Gateway recommends using high-quality video cables that can be purchased from www.gateway.com. Important Cable connections must be made correctly for optimal video quality. A loose cable connection can lower video quality. • Screen resolution-Many TVs cannot display the high resolution that your computer's video signal uses, and may shift, scramble, or scroll the picture. For a better picture on a TV, you may need to lower the computer's screen resolution to 800 × 600 or 640 × 480. For more information about changing the screen resolution, see the "Customizing Windows" chapter in your online User Guide. • Size of display device-Small computer monitors for standard computer applications are generally not optimized for motion video playback. Although they offer excellent resolutions and refresh rates, they are designed to make static white backgrounds with black text look readable. Some small display devices do not make colorful motion video look its best. Generally, video will look better on a larger display device. • Age of the TV-Newer TVs usually have more advanced features, produce a better quality picture, and support higher screen resolutions. The Media Center video image will likely be better on a newer model TV. 111

Section	Page
Contents	3
About This Reference	7
About this guide	8
For more information	8
Accessing your online User Guide	8
To access your User Guide:	8
Gateway contact information	9
Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity	9
Checking Out Your Computer	11
Front	12
Back	14
Video card ports	17
Setting Up and Getting Started	19
Working safely and comfortably	20
Reducing eye strain	21
Setting up your computer desk and chair	21
Sitting at your computer	22
Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain	22
Preparing power connections	22
Protecting from power source problems	22
Connecting to a broadband modem or network	23
To connect to a broadband modem or to an Ethernet network:	23
Connecting a dial-up modem	23
To connect the modem:	23
Starting your computer	24
To start your computer:	24
Waking up your computer	24
Turning off your computer	25
To put your computer to sleep:	25
To turn off your computer:	25
Restarting (rebooting) your computer	26
To restart your computer:	26
Using the keyboard	27
Premium multimedia keyboard features	27
Elite multimedia keyboard features	28
Using the mouse	30
Using optical drives	32
Features	32
Loading an optical disc	32
To insert an optical disc:	32
Identifying optical drive types	33
Playing discs	34
Playing a CD	34
Playing a DVD	35
Playing a Blu-ray Disc	35
Playing an HD-DVD	35
Creating discs	36
Recording to optical discs	36
Creating audio and video files	36
Copying optical discs	36
Using the memory card reader	36
Memory card types	37
Using a memory card	37
To insert a memory card:	37
To remove a memory card:	37
Adjusting the volume	38
To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:	38
To adjust the volume from Windows:	38
Configuring the audio jacks	40
To configure the audio jacks:	40
Installing a printer, scanner, or other device	41
Advanced Hardware Setup	43
Setting up dual video cards	44
To set up the single-monitor SLI connection:	44
Setting up multiple monitors	46
Setting up RAID	47
About RAID	47
RAID 0 for performance	47
How it increases performance	47
How it makes file storage cheaper	48
Drawbacks	48
RAID 1 for security	48
Drawback	49
RAID 5 and 10 for both performance and security	49
Understanding RAID 5	49
Understanding RAID 10	49
Drawback	50
Preparing your computer for RAID	50
To prepare your computer for RAID:	50
Configuring RAID	51
Creating a RAID volume	51
To create a RAID volume:	51
Deleting a RAID volume	51
To delete a RAID volume:	51
Getting help	52
Upgrading Your Computer	53
Preventing static electricity discharge	54
To prevent risk of electric shock, do not insert any object into the vent holes of the power supply.	54
Opening the case	55
Removing the side panel	55
To remove the side panel:	55
Removing the front bezel	57
To remove the front bezel:	57
Closing the case	58
Replacing the front bezel	58
To replace the front bezel:	58
Replacing the side panel	58
To replace the side panel:	58
Adding or replacing memory	59
To install or replace DIMM memory:	59
Adding or replacing an optical disc drive	61
To add or replace an optical disc drive:	61
Replacing the memory card reader	63
To replace the memory card reader:	63
Adding or replacing a hard drive	65
To add or replace a hard drive:	65
Replacing the front fan	67
To replace the front fan:	67
Replacing the rear fan	70
To replace the rear fan:	70
Replacing the power supply	72
To replace the power supply:	72
Replacing the heat sink and processor	73
To replace the heat sink and processor:	73
Replacing the I/O board	75
To replace the front I/O board:	75
Adding or replacing an expansion card	77
To add or replace an expansion card:	77
Replacing the system battery	80
To replace the battery:	80
Replacing the system board	81
To replace the system board:	81
Maintaining Your Computer	89
Setting up a maintenance schedule	90
Caring for your computer	91
Cleaning your computer	92
Cleaning the exterior	92
Cleaning the keyboard	93
To clean the keyboard:	93
Cleaning the monitor	93
To clean the monitor:	93
Cleaning the mouse	93
To clean the mouse:	93
Cleaning optical discs	94
To clean an optical disc:	94
Updating Windows	94
Using BigFix	95
To start BigFix:	95
Managing hard drive space	96
Checking hard drive space	96
To check hard drive space:	96
Deleting unnecessary files	97
To delete unnecessary files:	97
Checking the hard drive for errors	98
To check the hard drive for errors:	98
Defragmenting the hard drive	99
To defragment the hard drive:	100
Backing up files	100
To back up files:	101
Scheduling maintenance tasks	102
To start the Task Scheduler:	102
Moving from your old computer	103
Transferring files and settings automatically	103
To move files and settings from your old computer:	103
Transferring files and settings manually	104
Finding your documents	104
To find files in the documents folder:	104
Finding other files	105
To find files using Find or Search:	105
Troubleshooting	107
Safety guidelines	108
. Power cords or plugs are damaged	108
. Liquid has been spilled into your computer	108
. Your computer was dropped	108
. The case was damaged	108
Instead, unplug your computer and contact a qualified computer technician.	108
First steps	108
Troubleshooting	109
Add-in cards	109
Audio	109
CD or DVD drives	109
The computer does not recognize a disc or the CD or DVD drive	109
An audio CD does not produce sound	110
A DVD movie will not play	110
Display	111
DVD drives	111
Ethernet	111
You cannot see the other computers on your network	111
The computer does not recognize an Ethernet expansion card	112
Your Ethernet network is running slower than you expect	112
Expansion cards	112
The computer does not recognize an expansion card	112
File management	112
A file was accidentally deleted	112
To restore deleted files:	112
You need to restore your computer to a working condition	113
Hard drive	113
You see an “Insufficient disk space” error message	113
You see a “Data error” message	113
The hard drive cannot be accessed, or you see a “General failure reading drive C” error message	113
You see a “Non-system disk” or “disk error” error message	114
Internet	114
You cannot connect to the Internet	114
You see an “Unable to locate host” message and are unable to browse the Internet	114
Connecting to a Web site takes too long	115
People are sending you e-mail messages, but you have not received any mail	115
Keyboard	115
The keyboard does not work	115
A keyboard character keeps repeating or you see a “keyboard stuck” or “key failure” error message	115
Liquid spilled in the keyboard	116
Media Center	116
The Media Center video image looks bad on your TV	116
You need to configure your computer to output to a TV	118
You want to change display settings to get better TV or DVD image quality	118
You need to burn programs that were recorded with your computer to a DVD using Media Center	118
You want to play recorded programs on other computers	119
You get a “Download Error” message when Media Center tries to update the Program Guide	119
Memory	119
You see a “Memory error” message	119
To run the Memory Diagnostic Tool:	119
You see a “Not enough memory” error message	119
Memory card reader	119
Drive letters for the memory card slots do not appear in the Computer window	119
Modem (cable or DSL)	120
My computer cannot connect to the Internet.	120
Modem (dial-up)	120
Your modem does not dial or does not connect	120
To check the dialing properties:	120
You cannot connect to the Internet	121
Your 56K modem does not connect at 56K	122
Your fax communications program only sends and receives faxes at 14,400 bps when you have a 56K modem	122
The modem is not recognized by your computer	122
To run modem diagnostics:	122
The modem is noisy when it dials and connects	123
To turn down the modem volume:	123
Monitor	123
The screen resolution is not correct	123
The computer is running, but there is no picture	124
The color is not uniform	124
The text on the screen is dim or difficult to read	124
Mouse	124
The mouse does not work	124
The mouse works erratically	125
Networks	125
You cannot connect to your company network	125
Passwords	125
Your computer does not accept your password	125
Power	125
Your computer will not turn on	125
Printer	126
The printer will not turn on	126
The printer is on but will not print	126
To set a default printer:	126
You see a “Printer queue is full” error message	126
To make sure that the printer is not set to work offline:	126
You see a “Printer is out of paper” error message	127
Sound	127
You are not getting sound from the speakers	127
Restoring your computer	128
Recovering your system	128
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers	129
Preparing for software and device driver recovery	129
To create discs for recovering pre-installed software and drivers:	130
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using Gateway Recovery Center	131
To recover specific drivers and software:	131
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using recovery discs	133
To recover software and drivers using recovery discs:	133
Using Microsoft System Restore	134
To restore using Microsoft System Restore:	135
Manually creating a restore point	136
To manually create a restore point:	136
Recovering your system to its factory condition	137
To delete everything on your hard drive and re-install all factory software:	137
Recovering your system using the Windows DVD	138
To completely re-install Windows:	138
Telephone support	139
Before calling Gateway Customer Care	139
. Power cords or plugs are damaged	140
. Liquid has been spilled into your computer	140
. Your computer was dropped	140
. The case was damaged	140
Instead, unplug your computer and contact a qualified computer technician.	140
Telephone numbers	140
Self-help	141
Tutoring	141
Training	141
Legal Notices	143
Important safety information	144
Regulatory compliance statements	145
Environmental information	150
Notices	150
If your computer has a DVD-compatible drive and an analog TV Out port, the following paragraph applies:	151
A	153
B	153
C	153
D	154
E	155
F	155
G	156
H	156
I	156
J	156
K	156
L	157
M	157
N	158
O	158
P	158
R	159
S	159
T	160
U	161
V	161
W	161
X	161
Z	161

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111

•

Type of connection used

—You can connect the

computer video output to a TV. However, the connection

type has an affect on the video quality. Media Center has

two video outputs:

•

VGA—If your TV includes a VGA port, connect the VGA

cable from the computer’s VGA (monitor) port to the

TV’s VGA In port for the best quality. Many TVs do not

have a VGA port.

•

S-Video—If your TV does not have a VGA port, but

includes an S-Video port, connect the S-Video cable

from the computer’s S-Video Out port (if on your

computer’s video card) to the TV’s S-Video In port.

S-Video image quality is usually good for TV images.

The image quality for the computer functions,

however, is not as good as VGA output. S-Video

image output is not optimized for computer

video display.

•

Quality of video cables

—Poor quality or the incorrect

type of video cables can cause problems and affect the

video quality. Gateway recommends using high-quality

video cables that can be purchased from

www.gateway.com

•

Screen resolution

—Many TVs cannot display the high

resolution that your computer’s video signal uses, and

may shift, scramble, or scroll the picture. For a better

picture on a TV, you may need to lower the computer’s

screen resolution to 800 × 600 or 640 × 480. For more

information about changing the screen resolution, see

the “Customizing Windows” chapter in your online

User

Guide

•

Size of display device

—Small computer monitors for

standard computer applications are generally not

optimized for motion video playback. Although they

offer excellent resolutions and refresh rates, they are

designed to make static white backgrounds with black

text look readable. Some small display devices do not

make colorful motion video look its best. Generally,

video will look better on a larger display device.

•

Age of the TV

—Newer TVs usually have more advanced

features, produce a better quality picture, and support

higher screen resolutions. The Media Center video image

will likely be better on a newer model TV.

Important

Cable connections must be made correctly for optimal video

quality. A loose cable connection can lower video quality.