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Gateway FX530XV 8512162 - Gateway Computer Reference Guide (for Gateway FX-Ser - Page 130

Preparing for software and device driver recovery

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CHAPTER 7: Troubleshooting Preparing for software and device driver recovery You can usually recover your pre-installed software and drivers from your hard drive. However, if you ever re-install Windows from the Windows DVD or install a new hard drive, you need to recover your pre-installed software and drivers using a set of software and driver recovery discs. Because these discs do not come with your computer, you should create your own set. Caution Although you may not be expecting to need recovery discs, we recommend that you prepare for any eventuality and create a set of recovery discs while you have the opportunity. You should create a set of discs for recovering your pre-installed software and device drivers, in case you need to use them later for a complete system recovery. (Your computer must have a recordable disc drive to perform this procedure.) To create discs for recovering pre-installed software and drivers: 1 Click (Start), All Programs, Gateway Recovery Center, then click Gateway Recovery Center. The Gateway Recovery Center opens. 2 Click Applications and drivers external media, then click Next. The What would you like to do? dialog box opens. 3 Click Create system recovery discs, then click Next. 124

Section	Page
Contents	3
About This Reference	7
About this guide	8
For more information	8
Accessing the 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
Setting Up and Getting Started	17
Working safely and comfortably	18
Reducing eye strain	19
Setting up your computer desk and chair	19
Sitting at your computer	20
Avoiding discomfort and injury from repetitive strain	20
Preparing power connections	20
Protecting from power source problems	20
Checking the voltage selection	21
To set the voltage selection switch:	21
Connecting to a broadband modem or network	21
To connect to a broadband modem or to an Ethernet network:	21
Connecting a dial-up modem	22
To connect the modem:	22
Starting your computer	22
To start your computer:	22
Waking up your computer	23
Turning off your computer	23
To put your computer to sleep:	24
To turn off your computer:	24
Restarting (rebooting) your computer	24
To restart your computer:	24
Using the keyboard	25
Premium multimedia keyboard features	25
Elite multimedia keyboard features	26
Using the mouse	28
Using optical drives	30
Features	30
Loading an optical disc	30
To insert an optical disc:	30
Identifying optical drive types	31
Playing discs	32
Playing a CD	32
Playing a DVD	33
Playing a Blu-ray Disc	33
Playing an HD-DVD	33
Creating discs	34
Recording to optical discs	34
Creating audio and video files	34
Copying optical discs	34
Using the memory card reader	34
Memory card types	35
Using a memory card	35
To insert a memory card:	35
To remove a memory card:	35
Adjusting the volume	36
To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:	36
To adjust the volume from Windows:	36
Configuring the audio jacks	38
To configure the audio jacks:	38
Installing a printer, scanner, or other device	39
Advanced Hardware Setup	41
Setting up your CrossFire video cards	42
To connect your CrossFire video cards:	42
Configuring CrossFire	43
To configure your CrossFire video cards:	44
Connecting multiple displays to your CrossFire video cards	44
To use multiple displays on the CrossFire video cards:	44
Setting up RAID	45
About RAID	45
RAID 0 for performance	45
How it increases performance	45
How it makes file storage cheaper	46
Drawbacks	46
RAID 1 for security	46
Drawback	47
RAID 5 and 10 for both: performance and security	47
Understanding RAID 5	47
Understanding RAID 10	48
Drawback	48
Preparing your computer for RAID	49
To prepare your computer for RAID:	49
Configuring RAID	49
Enabling RAID	49
To enable RAID on your computer:	49
Creating a RAID volume	50
To configure RAID:	50
Deleting a RAID volume	51
To delete a RAID volume:	51
Resetting drives to non-RAID status	52
To reset drives to non-RAID status:	52
Adding or replacing a RAID drive	52
To replace a failed RAID drive:	52
Getting help	52
Overclocking the processor	53
To change the clock speed of your processor:	53
Setting up multiple monitors	54
Upgrading Your Computer	55
Preventing static electricity discharge	56
Opening the case	57
Removing the side panel	57
To remove the side panel:	57
Removing the front bezel	59
To remove the front bezel:	59
Closing the case	60
Replacing the front bezel	60
To replace the front bezel:	60
Replacing the side panel	60
To replace the side panel:	60
Adding or replacing memory	61
To install or replace DIMM memory:	61
Replacing the system battery	63
To replace the battery:	63
Adding or replacing an optical disc drive	65
To add or replace an optical disc drive:	65
Replacing the memory card reader	66
To replace the memory card reader:	66
Adding or replacing a hard drive	68
To add or replace a hard drive:	68
Replacing the front fan	71
To replace the front fan:	71
Replacing the rear fan	73
To replace the rear fan:	73
Replacing the power supply	75
To replace the power supply:	75
Replacing the heat sink and processor	76
To replace the heat sink and processor:	76
Replacing the I/O board	78
To replace the front I/O board:	78
Adding or replacing an expansion card	80
To add or replace an expansion card:	80
Replacing the system board	82
To replace the system board:	82
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 with Windows Easy Transfer	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
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
The screen resolution is not correct	111
The computer is running, but there is no picture	111
The color is not uniform	111
The text on the display is dim or difficult to read	111
DVD drives	111
Ethernet	112
You cannot see the other computers on your network	112
The computer does not recognize an Ethernet expansion card	112
Your Ethernet network is running slower than you expect	113
Expansion cards	113
The computer does not recognize an expansion card	113
File management	113
A file was accidentally deleted	113
To restore deleted files:	113
You need to restore your computer to a working condition	113
Hard drive	114
You see an “Insufficient disk space” error message	114
You see a “Data error” message	114
The hard drive cannot be accessed, or you see a “General failure reading drive C” error message	114
You see a “Non-system disk” or “disk error” error message	114
Internet	115
You cannot connect to the Internet	115
You see an “Unable to locate host” message and are unable to browse the Internet	115
Connecting to a Web site takes too long	116
People are sending you e-mail messages, but you have not received any mail	116
Keyboard	116
The keyboard does not work	116
A keyboard character keeps repeating or you see a “keyboard stuck” or “key failure” error message	116
Liquid spilled in the keyboard	117
Media Center	117
The Media Center video display looks bad on your TV	117
You need to configure your computer to output to a TV	119
You want to change display settings to get better TV or DVD image quality	119
You need to burn programs that were recorded with your computer to a DVD using Media Center	119
You want to play recorded programs on other computers	120
You get a “Download Error” message when Media Center tries to update the Program Guide	120
Memory	120
You see a “Memory error” message	120
To run the Memory Diagnostic Tool:	120
You see a “Not enough memory” error message	120
Memory card reader	120
Drive letters for the memory card slots do not appear in the Computer window	120
Modem (cable or DSL)	121
My computer cannot connect to the Internet.	121
Modem (dial-up)	121
Your modem does not dial or does not connect	121
To check the dialing properties:	121
You cannot connect to the Internet	122
Your 56K modem does not connect at 56K	123
Your fax communications program only sends and receives faxes at 14,400 bps when you have a 56K modem	123
The modem is not recognized by your computer	123
To run modem diagnostics:	123
The modem is noisy when it dials and connects	124
To turn down the modem volume:	124
Monitor	124
Mouse	125
The mouse does not work	125
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	126
Your computer will not turn on	126
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	127
To make sure that the printer is not set to work offline:	127
You see a “Printer is out of paper” error message	127
Sound	128
You are not getting sound from the speakers	128
Restoring your computer	128
Recovering your system	128
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers	129
Preparing for software and device driver recovery	130
To create discs for recovering pre-installed software and drivers:	130
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using Gateway Recovery Center	132
To recover specific drivers and software:	132
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using recovery discs	133
To recover software and drivers using recovery discs:	133
Using Microsoft System Restore	135
To restore using Microsoft System Restore:	135
Manually creating a restore point	137
To manually create a restore point:	137
Recovering your system to its factory condition	138
To delete everything on your hard drive and re-install all factory software:	138
Recovering your system using the Windows DVD	139
To completely re-install Windows:	139
Telephone support	140
Before calling Gateway Customer Care	140
Telephone numbers	141
Automated troubleshooting system	141
Telephone numbers	141
Self-help	142
Tutoring	142
Training	143
Legal Notices	145
If your computer has a DVD-compatible drive and an analog TV Out port, the following paragraph applies:	153