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Gateway GT5072b 8512243 - Gateway UK Desktop Hardware Reference Guide - Page 118

Self-help

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CHAPTER 6: Troubleshooting Warning To avoid bodily injury, do not attempt to troubleshoot your computer problem if: • Power cords or plugs are damaged • Liquid has been spilled into your computer • Your computer was dropped • The case was damaged Instead, unplug your computer and contact a qualified computer technician. • Have your customer ID, serial number, and order number available, along with a detailed description of your problem, including the exact text of any error messages, and the steps you have taken. • Make sure that your computer is nearby at the time of your call. The technician may have you follow troubleshooting steps. Self-help If you have how-to questions about using your Gateway-supplied hardware or software, see the following resources: • The printed or online documentation that came with your hardware or software. In many cases, additional product information and online documentation for Gateway-supplied hardware can be found in our Web site's Documentation Library. • This Reference Guide and your online User Guide. • The software publisher's Web site. Help For more how-to information about Windows, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword practice in the Search Help box, then press ENTER. 112

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
Using the diskette drive	36
To load a diskette:	36
Adjusting the volume	36
To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:	36
To adjust the volume from Windows:	37
Configuring the audio jacks	38
To configure the audio jacks:	38
Installing a printer, scanner, or other device	39
Upgrading Your Computer	41
Preventing static electricity discharge	42
Opening the case	43
Removing the side panel	43
To remove the side panel:	43
Removing the front bezel	44
To remove the front bezel:	44
Closing the case	45
Replacing the front bezel	45
To replace the front bezel:	45
Replacing the side panel	46
To replace the side panel:	46
Replacing the color panel	46
To replace the color panel on the front bezel:	46
Installing memory	49
To install or replace DIMM memory:	49
Adding or replacing an optical disc drive	51
To add replace an optical drive:	51
Replacing the memory card reader	53
To replace the memory card reader:	53
Adding or replacing a hard drive	55
To add or replace a hard drive:	55
Replacing the heat sink and processor	57
To replace the heat sink and processor:	57
Adding or replacing an expansion card	59
To add or replace an expansion card:	59
Replacing the system battery	61
To replace the battery:	61
Replacing the system board	63
To replace the system board:	63
Maintaining Your Computer	65
Setting up a maintenance schedule	66
Caring for your computer	67
Cleaning your computer	68
Cleaning the exterior	68
Cleaning the keyboard	69
To clean the keyboard:	69
Cleaning the monitor	69
To clean the monitor:	69
Cleaning the mouse	69
To clean the mouse:	69
Cleaning optical discs	70
To clean an optical disc:	70
Updating Windows	70
Using BigFix	71
To start BigFix:	71
Managing hard drive space	72
Checking hard drive space	72
To check hard drive space:	72
Deleting unnecessary files	73
To delete unnecessary files:	73
Checking the hard drive for errors	74
To check the hard drive for errors:	74
Defragmenting the hard drive	75
To defragment the hard drive:	76
Backing up files	76
To back up files:	77
Scheduling maintenance tasks	78
To start the Task Scheduler:	78
Moving from your old computer	79
Transferring files and settings automatically	79
To move files and settings from your old computer:	79
Transferring files and settings manually	80
Finding your documents	80
To find files in the documents folder:	80
Finding other files	81
To find files using Find or Search:	81
Troubleshooting	83
Safety guidelines	84
First steps	84
Troubleshooting	85
Add-in cards	85
Audio	85
CD or DVD drives	85
The computer does not recognize a disc or the CD or DVD drive	85
An audio CD does not produce sound	86
A DVD movie will not play	86
Diskette drive	87
The diskette drive is not recognized	87
You cannot save a file to diskette or you see the message “disk is full or write-protected”	87
You see an “Access Denied” or “Write protect” error message	87
You see a “Disk is full” error message	87
You see a “Non-system disk” or “Disk error” error message	87
The diskette drive LED is lit continuously	88
Display	88
The screen resolution is not correct	88
The computer is running, but there is no picture	88
The color is not uniform	88
The text on the display is dim or difficult to read	88
DVD drives	88
Ethernet	89
You cannot see the other computers on your network	89
The computer does not recognize an Ethernet expansion card	89
Your Ethernet network is running slower than you expect	90
Expansion cards	90
The computer does not recognize an expansion card	90
File management	90
A file was accidentally deleted	90
To restore deleted files:	90
You need to restore your computer to a working condition	90
Floppy drive	90
Hard drive	91
You see an “Insufficient disk space” error message	91
You see a “Data error” message	91
The hard drive cannot be accessed, or you see a “General failure reading drive C” error message	91
You see a “Non-system disk” or “disk error” error message	91
Internet	91
You cannot connect to the Internet	92
You see an “Unable to locate host” message and are unable to browse the Internet	92
Connecting to a Web site takes too long	92
People are sending you e-mail messages, but you have not received any mail	93
Keyboard	93
The keyboard does not work	93
A keyboard character keeps repeating or you see a “keyboard stuck” or “key failure” error message	93
Liquid spilled in the keyboard	93
Media Center	93
The Media Center video display looks bad on your TV	94
You need to configure your computer to output to a TV	95
You want to change display settings to get better TV or DVD image quality	96
You need to burn programs that were recorded with your computer to a DVD using Media Center	96
You want to play recorded programs on other computers	96
You get a “Download Error” message when Media Center tries to update the Program Guide	96
Memory	97
You see a “Memory error” message	97
To run the Memory Diagnostic Tool:	97
You see a “Not enough memory” error message	97
Memory card reader	97
Drive letters for the memory card slots do not appear in the Computer window	97
Modem (cable or DSL)	97
My computer cannot connect to the Internet.	97
Modem (dial-up)	98
Your modem does not dial or does not connect	98
To check the dialing properties:	98
You cannot connect to the Internet	99
Your 56K modem does not connect at 56K	99
Your fax communications program only sends and receives faxes at 14,400 bps when you have a 56K modem	100
The modem is not recognized by your computer	100
To run modem diagnostics:	100
The modem is noisy when it dials and connects	101
To turn down the modem volume:	101
Monitor	101
Mouse	101
The mouse does not work	101
The mouse works erratically	102
Networks	102
You cannot connect to your company network	102
Passwords	102
Your computer does not accept your password	102
Power	102
Your computer will not turn on	102
Printer	103
The printer will not turn on	103
The printer is on but will not print	103
To set a default printer:	103
You see a “Printer queue is full” error message	103
To make sure that the printer is not set to work offline:	103
You see a “Printer is out of paper” error message	104
Sound	104
You are not getting sound from the speakers	104
Recovering your system	105
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers	106
Preparing for software and device driver recovery	106
To create discs for recovering pre-installed software and drivers:	107
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using Gateway Recovery Center	109
To recover specific drivers and software:	109
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using recovery discs	110
To recover software and drivers using recovery discs:	110
Using Microsoft System Restore	112
To restore using Microsoft System Restore:	112
Manually creating a restore point	114
To manually create a restore point:	114
Recovering your system to its factory condition	115
To delete everything on your hard drive and re-install all factory software:	115
Recovering your system using the Windows DVD	116
To completely re-install Windows:	116
Telephone support	117
Before calling Gateway Customer Care	117
Self-help	118
Calling Customer Care	119
Legal Notices	121
If your computer has a DVD-compatible drive and an analog TV Out port, the following paragraph applies:	129
A	131
B	131
C	131
D	133
E	133
F	133
G	134
H	134
I	134
J	134
K	134
L	135
M	135
N	136
O	136
P	136
R	137
S	137
T	138
U	139
V	139
W	139
X	139
Z	139