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eMachines E4264 8512042 - eMachines Computer Reference Guide - Page 93

Recovering your system - recovery

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www.emachines.com Help For more information about sound troubleshooting, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type sound troubleshooter in the Search Help box, then press ENTER. Recovering your system Most computer problems can be solved by following the information in "Troubleshooting" on page 143 or in the technical support pages at www.emachines.com. Problem-solving may also involve re-installing some or all of the computer's software (also called recovering or restoring your system). eMachines provides everything you need to recover your system under most conditions. Caution To prepare your computer for additional system recovery options, you should create a set of software and driver recovery discs as soon as possible. For instructions, see "Preparing for software and device driver recovery" on page 88. • To recover software and device drivers that were pre-installed at the factory, see "Recovering pre-installed software and drivers" on page 88. • To return your system to a previous condition when it was working correctly, see "Using Microsoft System Restore" on page 90. • To completely recover your system to its factory condition, see "Recovering your system to its factory condition" on page 93. If you upgrade or exchange your hard drive, or if your hard drive is completely erased or corrupted, your only option for system recovery may be to reinstall Windows from the Windows DVD, then recover your pre-installed software and device drivers using recovery discs that you created. (Your computer must have a recordable disc drive to use these options.) • To re-install Windows using the Windows DVD, see "Recovering your system using the Windows DVD" on page 94. • To re-install your pre-installed software and device drivers using recovery discs, see "Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using recovery discs" on page 90. 87

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
eMachines contact information	9
Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity	9
Checking Out Your Computer	11
Front	12
Back	14
Setting Up and GettingStarted	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	22
To connect to a broadband modem or to an Ethernet network:	22
Connecting a dial-up modem	22
To connect the modem:	22
Starting your computer	23
To start your computer:	23
Waking up your computer	23
Turning off your computer	24
To put your computer to sleep:	24
To turn off your computer:	24
Restarting (rebooting) your computer	25
To restart your computer:	25
Using the keyboard	25
Enhanced keyboard	26
Standard keyboard	26
Using the mouse	28
Adjusting the volume	30
To adjust the overall volume using hardware controls:	30
To adjust the volume from Windows:	30
Configuring the audio jacks	32
To configure the audio jacks:	32
Installing a printer, scanner, or other device	33
Upgrading Your Computer	35
Preventing static electricity discharge	36
Opening the case	37
Removing the side panel	37
To remove the side panel:	37
Removing the front bezel	38
To remove the front bezel:	38
Closing the case	39
Replacing the front bezel	39
To replace the front bezel:	39
Replacing the side panel	39
To replace the side panel:	39
Installing memory	40
To install or replace DIMM memory:	40
Adding or replacing an optical disc drive	42
To add replace an optical disc drive:	42
Adding or replacing a harddrive	44
To add or replace a hard drive:	44
Replacing the heat sink and processor	46
To replace the heat sink and processor:	46
Adding or replacing an expansion card	48
To add or replace an expansion card:	48
Replacing the system battery	50
To replace the battery:	50
Replacing the system board	52
To replace the system board:	52
Maintaining Your Computer	55
Setting up a maintenance schedule	56
Caring for your computer	56
Cleaning your computer	57
Cleaning the exterior	58
Cleaning the keyboard	58
To clean the keyboard:	58
Cleaning the monitor	59
To clean the monitor:	59
Cleaning the mouse	59
To clean the mouse:	59
Cleaning optical discs	59
To clean an optical disc:	59
Updating Windows	60
Using BigFix	60
To start BigFix:	60
Managing hard drive space	61
Checking hard drive space	61
To check hard drive space:	61
Deleting unnecessary files	62
To delete unnecessary files:	62
Checking the hard drive for errors	63
To check the hard drive for errors:	63
Defragmenting the hard drive	64
To defragment the hard drive:	65
Backing up files	65
To back up files:	66
Scheduling maintenance tasks	67
To start the Task Scheduler:	67
Moving from your old computer	68
Moving with Windows Easy Transfer	68
To move files and settings from your old computer:	68
Moving files and settings manually	69
Finding your documents	69
To find files in the documents folder:	69
Finding other files	69
To find files using Find or Search:	70
Troubleshooting	71
Safety guidelines	72
First steps	72
Troubleshooting	73
Add-in cards	73
Audio	73
CD or DVD drives	73
The computer does not recognize a disc or the CD or DVD drive	73
An audio CD does not produce sound	74
A DVD movie will not play	74
Diskette drive	75
The diskette drive is not recognized	75
You cannot save a file to diskette or you see the message “disk is full or write-protected”	75
You see an “Access Denied” or “Write protect” error message	75
You see a “Disk is full” error message	76
You see a “Non-system disk” or “Disk error” error message	76
The diskette drive LED is lit continuously	76
DVD drives	76
Ethernet	76
You cannot see the other computers on your network	76
The computer does not recognize an add-in Ethernet card	77
Your Ethernet network is running slower than you expect	77
Expansion cards	77
The computer does not recognize an expansion card	77
File management	77
A file was accidentally deleted	77
To restore deleted files:	78
Hard drive	78
You see an “Insufficient disk space” error message	78
You see a “Data error” message	78
The hard drive cannot be accessed, or you see a “General failure reading drive C” error message	78
Internet	79
You cannot connect to the Internet	79
You see an “Unable to locate host” message and are unable to browse the Internet	79
Connecting to a Web site takes too long	80
People are sending you e-mail messages, but you have not received any mail	80
Keyboard	80
The keyboard does not work	80
A keyboard character keeps repeating or you see a “keyboard stuck” or “key failure” error message	80
Liquid spilled in the keyboard	81
Media Center	81
The Media Center video display looks bad on your TV	81
You need to configure your Media Center computer to output to aTV	83
You want to change display settings to get better TV or DVD image quality	83
You want to know whether you can burn programs that were recorded with your Media Center computer...	83
You want to know whether you can play recorded programs on other computers	84
You want to know whether you can play recorded programs on your home DVD player	84
You get a “Download Error” message when the Media Center tries to update the Program Guide:	84
Memory	84
You see a “Memory error” message	84
You see a “Not enough memory” error message	84
Memory card reader	84
Drive letters for the memory card slots do not appear in the My Computer window	84
Modem (cable or DSL)	85
Modem (dial-up)	85
Your modem does not dial or does not connect	85
To check the dialing properties:	85
You cannot connect to the Internet	86
Your 56K modem does not connect at 56K	86
Your fax communications program only sends and receives faxes at 14,400bps when you have a 56K m...	87
The modem is not recognized by your computer	87
To run modem diagnostics:	87
The modem is noisy when it dials and connects	88
To turn down the modem volume:	88
Monitor	88
The screen resolution is not correct	88
The computer is running but there is no picture	88
The color is not uniform	89
Why is there a horizontal line or wire visible across the monitor screen?	89
The text on the display is dim or difficult to read	89
Mouse	90
The mouse does not work	90
The mouse works erratically	90
Networks	90
You cannot connect to your company network	90
Passwords	90
Your computer does not accept your password	90
Power	90
Your computer will not turn on	90
Printer	91
The printer will not turn on	91
The printer is on but will not print	91
To set a default printer:	91
You see a “Printer queue is full” error message	92
To make sure that the printer is not set to work offline:	92
You see a “Printer is out of paper” error message	92
Sound	92
You are not getting sound from the speakers	92
Recovering your system	93
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers	94
Preparing for software and device driver recovery	94
To create discs for recovering pre-installed software anddrivers:	94
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using eMachines Recovery Center	95
To recover specific drivers and software:	95
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using recoverydiscs	96
To recover software and drivers using recovery discs:	96
Using Microsoft System Restore	96
To restore using Microsoft System Restore:	97
Manually creating a restore point	98
To manually create a restore point:	98
Recovering your system to its factory condition	99
To delete everything on your hard drive and re-install all factory software:	99
Recovering your system using the WindowsDVD	100
To completely re-install Windows:	100
Telephone support	101
Before calling Customer Care	101
eMachines contact information	102
Self-help	103
Legal Notices	105
If your computer has a DVD-compatible drive and an analog TV Out port, the following paragraph ap...	113