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Gateway LX6200 8513217 - Gateway Hardware Reference Guide - Page 43

How it makes file storage cheaper, Drawbacks

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www.gateway.com How it increases performance The more drives you have in your RAID 0 array, the faster the potential drive reading performance. All hard drives have limitations on how fast they can read and write files. If half a file is stored on one RAID 0 drive and the other half on another RAID 0 drive, each drive only has to read half of the file. So, the entire file is accessed by the computer up to twice as fast (using a two-drive RAID 0 array). In a three-drive RAID 0 array, if the file is evenly distributed among the drives, each drive must read only a third of the file, and so on. If the entire file happens to be stored on only one of the drives, the file is accessed at the same speed as if it were on a standard hard drive setup. Dividing up files between multiple hard drives is called striping. In the following graphic, each letter represents a unique block of data, and each column represents a separate hard drive. RAID 0 A B C D E F How it makes file storage cheaper Because RAID 0 lets your computer see multiple hard drives as a single drive, you can install several lower capacity (less expensive) drives and have the same single-drive storage simplicity and capacity as a larger, more expensive hard drive. Drawbacks Unfortunately, RAID 0 lets multiple drives behave as one in another way. If part of the array fails (such as a hard drive crashing), the entire array fails. Because the drives are treated like a single drive, parts of files (including operating system files) can be spread across several drives, leaving the computer with only file fragments if one drive fails. Regular and frequent backups are critical. Another drawback is that RAID 0 treats each hard drive as if it has the storage capacity of the smallest drive in the array. So if you have three drives (300 GB, 250 GB, and 200 GB) in a RAID 0 array, your computer only recognizes 600 GB total capacity. 37

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
Digital media manager	14
Media control panel	14
Multimedia panel	14
Back	15
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	25
Turning off your computer	25
To put your computer to sleep:	25
To turn off your computer:	26
Restarting (rebooting) your computer	26
To restart your computer:	26
Opening the hideaway port panels	27
To open the hideaway port panels:	27
Using the keyboard	27
Using the mouse	29
Using optical drives	31
Features	31
Loading an optical disc	31
To insert an optical disc:	31
Identifying optical drive types	32
Playing discs	33
Playing a CD	33
Playing a DVD	33
Playing a Blu-ray Disc	34
Creating discs	34
Recording to optical discs	34
Creating audio and video files	34
Copying optical discs	34
Using the digital media manager	35
Memory card types	35
Using a memory card	35
To insert a memory card:	35
To remove a memory card:	36
Using the Copy button	36
To use the Copy button:	36
Adjusting the volume	37
To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:	37
To adjust the volume from Windows:	37
Configuring the audio jacks	39
To configure the audio jacks:	39
Installing a printer, scanner, or other device	40
Advanced Hardware Setup	41
Setting up multiple monitors	42
Using a removable hard drive	42
To use a removable hard drive for backups:	42
Setting up RAID	42
About RAID	42
RAID 0 for performance	42
How it increases performance	43
How it makes file storage cheaper	43
Drawbacks	43
RAID 1 for security	44
Drawback	44
RAID 5 and 10 for both performance and security	44
Understanding RAID 5	44
Understanding RAID 10	45
Drawback	45
Preparing your computer for RAID	46
To prepare your computer for RAID:	46
Configuring RAID	46
Creating a RAID volume	46
To create a RAID volume:	46
Deleting a RAID volume	47
To delete a RAID volume:	47
Getting help	47
Upgrading Your Computer	49
Preventing static electricity discharge	50
Opening the case	51
Removing the left side panel	51
To remove the left side panel:	51
Removing the right side panel	52
To remove the right side panel:	52
Removing the front bezel	53
To remove the front bezel:	53
Closing the case	54
Replacing the front bezel	54
To replace the front bezel:	54
Replacing the side panels	54
To replace the side panels:	54
Adding or replacing memory	54
To install or replace DIMM memory:	54
Adding or replacing an optical disc drive	56
To add replace an optical drive:	56
Adding or replacing a hard drive	58
Adding or replacing an internal hard drive	58
To add or replace an internal hard drive:	58
Adding a removable hard drive	61
To install a removable hard drive:	61
Replacing the power supply	64
To replace the power supply:	64
Adding or replacing an expansion card	66
To add or replace an expansion card:	66
Maintaining Your Computer	69
Setting up a maintenance schedule	70
Caring for your computer	71
Cleaning your computer	72
Cleaning the exterior	72
Cleaning the keyboard	73
To clean the keyboard:	73
Cleaning the monitor	73
To clean the monitor:	73
Cleaning the mouse	73
To clean the mouse:	73
Cleaning optical discs	74
To clean an optical disc:	74
Updating Windows	74
Using BigFix	75
To start BigFix:	75
Managing hard drive space	76
Checking hard drive space	76
To check hard drive space:	76
Deleting unnecessary files	77
To delete unnecessary files:	77
Checking the hard drive for errors	78
To check the hard drive for errors:	78
Defragmenting the hard drive	79
To defragment the hard drive:	80
Backing up files	80
To back up files:	81
Backing up files	82
To back up files:	82
Scheduling maintenance tasks	83
To start the Task Scheduler:	83
Moving from your old computer	84
Transferring files and settings automatically	84
To move files and settings from your old computer:	84
Transferring files and settings manually	85
Finding your documents	85
To find files in the documents folder:	85
Finding other files	86
To find files using Find or Search:	86
Troubleshooting	87
Safety guidelines	88
Try these steps first	88
Error messages	89
Internet and networking	90
Internet	90
You cannot connect to the Internet	90
You see an “Unable to locate host” message and are unable to browse the Internet	90
People are sending you e-mails, but you have not received them	91
E-mails you send are returned as undeliverable	91
Modem (cable or DSL)	91
My computer cannot connect to the Internet.	91
Modem (dial-up)	92
Your modem does not dial or does not connect	92
To check the dialing properties:	92
You cannot connect to the Internet	93
Your 56K modem does not connect at 56K	93
The modem is not recognized by your computer	93
To run modem diagnostics:	93
The modem is noisy when it dials and connects	93
To turn down the modem volume:	93
Networking	94
You cannot see the other computers on your network	94
Your wired network is running slower than you expect	94
Power	95
Your computer will not turn on	95
Display	95
The screen resolution is not correct	95
The computer is on, but there is no picture	95
The color is not uniform	96
The text on the display is dim or difficult to read	96
Printing	96
The printer will not turn on	96
The printer is on but will not print	96
To set a default printer:	96
Optical discs	97
The computer does not recognize a disc or the disc drive	97
An audio disc does not produce sound	97
A movie disc will not play	97
Memory card reader	98
Drive letters for the memory card slots do not appear in the Computer window	98
Mouse	98
The mouse does not work	98
The mouse works erratically	98
Keyboard	99
The keyboard does not work	99
Liquid spilled in the keyboard	99
Files	99
You get an “Insufficient disk space” error message	99
A file was accidentally deleted	100
To restore deleted files:	100
You get a “Data error” message	100
The hard drive cannot be accessed, or you see a “General failure reading drive C” error message	100
You get an “Operating system not found” error message	100
You need to restore your computer to a working condition	100
Checking the hard drive for errors	101
To check the hard drive for errors:	101
Memory	102
You see a “Memory error” message	102
You see a “Not enough memory” error message	102
Audio	102
You are not getting sound from the speakers	102
Passwords	103
Your computer does not accept your password	103
Expansion cards	103
The computer does not recognize an expansion card	103
Media Center	104
The Media Center video display looks bad on your TV	104
You want to change monitor settings to get better TV or DVD image quality	105
You need to burn programs that were recorded with your computer to a DVD using Media Center	105
You want to play recorded programs on other computers	105
You get a “Download Error” message when Media Center tries to update the Program Guide	105
Checking for device problems	106
To check for device problems:	106
Recovering your system	107
To recover your system:	107
Creating recovery discs	108
To create recovery discs:	108
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers	110
To recover your pre-installed software and drivers:	110
Returning to a previous system condition	111
To return to a restore point:	111
Returning your system to its factory condition	112
Recovering from within Windows Vista	113
To reinstall Windows Vista and all pre-installed software and drivers:	113
Recovering from the hard drive during startup	114
To reinstall Windows Vista and all pre-installed software and drivers:	114
Recovering from your recovery discs	114
To reinstall Windows Vista and all pre-installed software and drivers:	114
Technical support	115
Before calling Gateway Customer Care	115
Calling Customer Care	115
Legal Notices	117
If your computer has a DVD-compatible drive and an analog TV Out port, the following paragraph applies:	125
A	127
B	127
C	127
D	128
E	129
F	129
G	129
H	129
I	130
J	130
K	130
L	130
M	130
N	131
O	131
P	131
R	132
S	133
T	133
U	134
V	134
W	134
X	134
Z	134