Home » Gateway Manuals » Desktops » Gateway FX510XT » Manual Viewer

Gateway FX510XT 8512066 - Gateway Reference Guide (for FX510 computers with Wi - Page 36

How it makes file storage cheaper, Drawbacks

Add to My Manuals
Save this manual to your list of manuals

Page 36 highlights

CHAPTER 3: Setting Up and Getting Started 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 like this is called striping. 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. 30

Section	Page
Contents	3
About This Reference	7
About this guide	8
For more information	8
Accessing the online User Guide	8
To access the User Guide:	8
Gateway contact information	9
Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity	9
Checking Out Your Computer	11
Front	12
Back	14
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
Checking the voltage selection	23
To set the voltage selection switch:	23
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	24
To connect the modem:	24
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:	26
To turn off your computer:	26
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
Adjusting the volume	32
To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:	32
To adjust the volume from Windows:	32
Configuring the audio jacks	34
To configure the audio jacks:	34
Installing a printer, scanner, or other device	34
Setting up RAID	35
About RAID	35
RAID for performance	35
How it increases performance	36
How it makes file storage cheaper	36
Drawbacks	36
RAID for security	37
Drawback	37
RAID for both: performance and security	37
Drawback	38
Preparing your computer for RAID	39
To prepare your computer for RAID:	39
Configuring RAID	39
Enabling RAID	39
To enable RAID on your computer:	39
Creating a RAID volume	40
To configure RAID:	40
Deleting a RAID volume	41
To delete a RAID volume:	41
Resetting drives to non-RAID status	42
To reset drives to non-RAID status:	42
Adding or replacing a RAID drive	42
To replace a failed RAID drive:	42
Getting help	43
Upgrading Your Computer	45
Preventing static electricity discharge	46
Opening the case	47
Removing the side panel	47
To remove the side panel:	47
Removing the front bezel	49
To remove the front bezel:	49
Closing the case	50
Replacing the front bezel	50
To replace the front bezel:	50
Replacing the side panel	50
To replace the side panel:	50
Adding or replacing memory	51
To install or replace DIMM memory:	51
Replacing the system battery	53
To replace the battery:	53
Adding or replacing an optical disc drive	54
To add or replace an optical disc drive:	54
Adding or replacing an optional diskette drive	56
To add or replace a diskette drive:	56
Adding or replacing the memory card reader	58
To add or replace the memory card reader:	58
Adding or replacing a harddrive	60
To add or replace a hard drive:	60
Replacing the front fan	62
To replace the front fan:	62
Replacing the rear fan	64
To replace the rear fan:	64
Replacing the power supply	66
To replace the power supply:	66
Replacing the heat sink and processor	67
To replace the heat sink and processor:	67
Replacing the I/O board	69
To replace the front I/O board:	69
Adding or replacing an expansion card	71
To add or replace an expansion card:	71
Replacing the system board	74
To replace the system board:	74
Maintaining Your Computer	79
Setting up a maintenance schedule	80
Caring for your computer	80
Cleaning your computer	81
Cleaning the exterior	82
Cleaning the keyboard	82
To clean the keyboard:	82
Cleaning the monitor	83
To clean the monitor:	83
Cleaning the mouse	83
To clean the mouse:	83
Cleaning optical discs	83
To clean an optical disc:	83
Updating Windows	84
Using BigFix	84
To start BigFix:	84
Managing hard drive space	84
Checking hard drive space	85
To check hard drive space:	85
Deleting unnecessary files	86
To delete unnecessary files:	86
Checking the hard drive for errors	87
To check the hard drive for errors:	87
Defragmenting the hard drive	88
To defragment the hard drive:	88
Backing up files	89
To back up files:	89
Scheduling maintenance tasks	90
To start the Task Scheduler:	90
Moving from your old computer	91
Moving with Windows Easy Transfer	91
To move files and settings from your old computer:	91
Moving files and settings manually	92
Finding your documents	92
To find files in the documents folder:	92
Finding other files	92
To find files using Find or Search:	93
Troubleshooting	95
Safety guidelines	96
First steps	96
Troubleshooting	97
Add-in cards	97
The computer does not recognize an add-in card	97
Audio	97
CD or DVD drives	97
The computer does not recognize a disc or the CD or DVDdrive	97
An audio CD does not produce sound	98
A DVD movie will not play	98
DVD drives	99
Ethernet	99
You cannot see the other computers on your network	99
The computer does not recognize an add-in Ethernet card	100
Your Ethernet network is running slower than you expect	100
File management	100
A file was accidentally deleted	100
To restore deleted files:	100
Hard drive	101
You see an “Insufficient disk space” error message	101
You see a “Data error” message	101
The hard drive cannot be accessed, or you see a “General failure reading drive C” error message	101
Internet	102
You cannot connect to the Internet	102
You see an “Unable to locate host” message and are unable to browse the Internet	102
Connecting to a Web site takes too long	103
People are sending you e-mail messages, but you have not received any mail	103
Keyboard	103
The keyboard does not work	103
A keyboard character keeps repeating or you see a “keyboard stuck” or “key failure” error message	103
Liquid spilled in the keyboard	104
Media Center	104
The Media Center video display looks bad on your TV	104
You need to configure your Media Center computer to output to aTV	106
You want to change display settings to get better TV or DVD image quality	106
You want to know whether you can burn programs that were recorded with your Media Center computer...	106
You want to know whether you can play recorded programs on other computers	107
You want to know whether you can play recorded programs on your home DVD player	107
You get a “Download Error” message when the Media Center tries to update the Program Guide:	107
Memory	107
You see a “Memory error” message	107
You see a “Not enough memory” error message	107
Memory card reader	107
Drive letters for the memory card slots do not appear in the My Computer window	107
Modem (cable or DSL)	108
Modem (dial-up)	108
Your modem does not dial or does not connect	108
To check the dialing properties:	108
You cannot connect to the Internet	109
Your 56K modem does not connect at 56K	109
Your fax communications program only sends and receives faxes at 14,400bps when you have a 56K m...	110
The modem is not recognized by your computer	110
To run modem diagnostics:	110
The modem is noisy when it dials and connects	111
To turn down the modem volume:	111
Monitor	111
The screen resolution is not correct	111
The computer is running but there is no picture	111
The color is not uniform	112
The text on the display is dim or difficult to read	112
Mouse	112
The mouse does not work	112
The mouse works erratically	112
Networks	113
You cannot connect to your company network	113
Passwords	113
Your computer does not accept your password	113
Power	113
Your computer will not turn on	113
Printer	113
The printer will not turn on	113
The printer is on but will not print	114
To set a default printer:	114
You see a “Printer queue is full” error message	114
To make sure that the printer is not set to work offline:	114
You see a “Printer is out of paper” error message	115
Sound	115
You are not getting sound from the speakers	115
Recovering your system	115
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers	116
Preparing for software and device driver recovery	117
To create discs for recovering pre-installed software anddrivers:	117
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using Gateway Recovery Center	119
To recover specific drivers and software:	119
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using recoverydiscs	120
To recover software and drivers using recovery discs:	120
Using Microsoft System Restore	122
To restore using Microsoft System Restore:	122
Manually creating a restore point	124
To manually create a restore point:	124
Recovering your system to its factory condition	125
To delete everything on your hard drive and re-install all factory software:	125
Recovering your system using the WindowsDVD	126
To completely re-install Windows:	126
Telephone support	127
Before calling Gateway Customer Care	127
Telephone numbers	128
Automated troubleshooting system	128
Telephone numbers	128
Self-help	129
Tutoring	129
Training	129
Legal Notices	131
If your computer has a DVD-compatible drive and an analog TV Out port, the following paragraph ap...	139