Laptop Questions? |
Notebook FAQs Notebook (Q & A's) Over the years we have accumulated a list of questions asked by our clients. Below you'll find some frequently asked questions as well as the answers. Just click on the question and you'll be led to the answer. Please Note: not ALL procedures are identical for ALL laptops, your system may be a variation of some of these procedures. For instance your F-Key to enter your CMOS might be F1 instead of F2.
TOUCHPAD / Pointing Device QUESTIONS
Short Battery Life and Memory Effect
Q. How do I disable my power on password? A. When prompted, type in the password immediately followed by a forward slash character. If you do not know the password you will have to take the unit to an authorized service provider. Q. My computer has locked up and the power switch will not work. What can I do to reset it? A. If an computer is locked up the power switch will probably not respond. To reset the system simultaneously press down on the display switch and the standby button. One is a small button above the power switch and the other is a gray button to the right of the power switch. If this does not shut down the computer, remove the battery, wait for the symbols on the status panel to disappear, then reinsert the battery and turn the power back on. Q. How do I decrease the size of the border around the display on my computer? A. This border is normal on a computer with an SVGA display when it is set to a resolution of 640 by 480. The border will be smaller if you set the resolution to 800 by 600. In Windows 3-dot-1 the resolution can be changed through Windows Setup. Under Windows 95, right click anywhere on the desktop, choose properties from the menu and select the settings tab. Q. I just installed Windows 95 and the trackball no longer works properly? A. If the integrated trackball on your computer is no longer responding correctly after installing Windows 95 try using the other trackball button. When Windows 95 is installed it swaps your mouse buttons so that the rear one is now set as the primary mouse button. To swap the buttons back to the way they were go to Control Panel, double click on the Mouse icon and under Button Configuration choose Left Handed. Q: My computer is not running correctly! A: Troubleshooting problems on your computer is simple and a matter of narrowing down the problem that may be the cause of the problem. In general, some of the most common areas that cause your computer to function abnormally are:
The best thing to do is back-tracking. If you have added something new and then all of a sudden your system starts to misbehave then undo the steps and see if the computer is back to normal. If it is, then you know that the problem occurring is due to whatever was installed. Q: What if my system freezes up? A: If your system freezes, press Ctrl, Alt and Delete simultaneously. In the "Close Program" window, select "Free Access" and click "End Task". Boot Up/System Error A: First check the obvious possible causes. If you are running on AC power (as when it is plugged into the wall socket) check to make sure the AC connection is good. Plug in another appliance that you know works. Flip the wall switch on and off. If you are running the system on DC (battery power), try using AC. Connect the AC adapter and plug in the notebook. If it still refuses to boot, the internal AC-DC converter may have a short. Call customer service for repair. Q: My computer does not recognize my PCMCIA devices. A: Most PCMCIA problems occur from the installation of more than one card manager. Your notebook computer ships with PCMCIA card manager pre-installed if you choose DOS and Windows 3.1 as an operating system. Windows 95 has internal support for PCMCIA device and you do not need any additional card manager. If you are using a modem in DOS and Windows 3.1, please be sure that you have your COM Ports and IRQ addresses set correctly under both DOS and Windows. However, if you prefer to use the point enable that comes with your PCMCIA devices, please disable the PCMCIA card manager first. (note, if you do this and you have a I/O slice, then extra PCMCIA sockets will not be recognized, if any are available.) Q: I can't get my laptop to use my PCMCIA card, why? A: You probably do not have the right drivers installed. Check to see that you have loaded the appropriate software for the card you are trying to use. If you still have problems getting the card to work, contact the PCMCIA Card manufacturer for product support, and find out if the card is a listed compatible product for the model you have. Q: Why does my PCMCIA socket only support 16-bit cards and not 32-bit cards? A: The system is designed to use 16-bit cards only. Q: I reinstalled Windows, now my PCMCIA modem is not working, now what do I need to do to get the modem to work? A: You probably do not have the right drivers installed. Check to see that you have loaded the appropriate software for the card you are trying to use. If you still have problems getting the card to work, contact the PCMCIA Card manufacturer for product support, and find out if the card is a listed compatible product for the model you have. If your PCMCIA modem is not working, check System Properties, Device Manager, and check to see if the Controller of the PCMCIA socket is Intel PCIC compatible PCMCIA controller. If it is, then go to Control Panel, Modems, click on Diagnostics, click on the COM Port that is listed for use by your modem. Click More Info. That should tell you whether your modem is installed properly or not. If you cannot find a COM port listed with your modem, then you have not loaded the modem driver. If that is the case, try installing and reinstalling the modem driver. TOUCHPAD / Pointing Device QUESTIONS Q: My Touch Pad is overly sensitive. A: The Touch Pad is operated on static energy as your finger glides over the pad. If your Touch Pad is overly sensitive, you may tune down the sensitivity in the control panel. If it is still too sensitive for you, you may wish to use an external mouse. A: Please download the newest driver for the touchpad and follow the instructions in the readme file. This should install the ALPS driver for Windows 95 A: If your features are grayed out, you have a Logitech touchpad and need to install the drivers. Check your utility driver CD and load the appropriate driver for that manufacturer's touchpad. Use Control Panel, Mouse, Driver, click on General, and if the name is Synaptics PS/2 touchpad, then click Change. Then click Have Disk, insert Utility CD in the CD-ROM drive, click Browse, then go to the D: drive, Mouse folder, Logitech, then click Next, then keep clicking okay or next to finish the installation. If you want to Enhanced features, then go to Start, click on "Restart computer in MS-DOS mode," go to D: mouse, Logitech folder, then type "Setup." Q: My trackball is sluggish/not responding/not moving in one or more directions. A: The ball and its contact points need cleaning. Refer to your user's manual for directions on how to go about cleaning it. Q: When I click the left mouse button nothing happens. A: Over time, trackball pointing devices can lose their ability to make the connection necessary for the button to work. Contact customer service. You can also use a serial mouse. Q: My touchpad pointing device is acting up. A: Some older model touchpads can become extremely sensitive. Even newer ones can sometimes respond erratically. First try adjusting the sensitivity of the touchpad under Control Panel, Mouse. Q: Why don't some notebooks charge the battery while the unit is on? A: This "feature" was taken out as it can cause memory effect on batteries. The unit has to be off in order for the battery to be charged. Q: When my computer runs from battery it starts beeping after 10-15 min. ? A: Condition your battery by following these steps:
Q: How to condition the battery to get a better charge. A: Please do the followings:
Q: My battery does not seem to be charging. How long does it to take to charge my battery? A: Normally it takes two hours to charge the battery if you are not operating the system. If the battery does not seem to be charging, cycle the battery. In other words, discharge then recharge it. The 700 Series battery can be charged in either media bay. Try both bays. If the charging function stops, which is indicated by the battery icon on the status panel, and the battery has still not fully charged, unplug the AC-adapter then reconnect it. If it still does not charge, you may need a new battery, as the old one may be shot. Q: Does my notebook accept Lithium or NiMH batteries? A: It depends on the model. Newer systems will accept Lithium Ion batteries. Earlier models use Nickel Metal Hydride type batteries. Q: How long does the battery last, is there a lithium battery available? (Any notebook) A: Battery run time will vary depending on usage. A typical high-drain usage is when the CD-ROM and hard drives are being accessed. Check your User's Manual for tips on improving battery run-times, but common is 2-3 hours. Short Battery Life and Memory Effect After being fully charged, the main system battery will only last for 10-20 minutes. Battery will not charge at all : Allow the battery to completely discharge and then charge the battery until the charger indicates that a full charge has been reached. Repeat this process three times and see if the battery functions normally. Replace the battery due to memory effect.
Batteries should be periodically (once or twice a month) deep-cycle discharged. This is one of the most effective means for prolonging battery life. The factors that most affect battery life are : Display brightness/contrast settings Hard drive activity Internal and External options ( PCMCIA cards, etc. ) Power Conservation settings. There is no magic combination of Power Conservation settings and battery maintenance procedures that works best for all situations. Power Conservation settings are very personalized and the values used depends greatly on the type of work being done. The best way to find out what settings work best for you is to experiment with the available options and regular battery maintenance. Q: Why does my floppy disk drive say 5.25" underneath the MY COMPUTER when the drive is a 3.5"? A: You have set up the supervisor or user password in the BIOS; however, you did not provide the password when you were asked by the system during the bootup phase. You will not be able to access the floppy drive until you reboot the system, and enter the proper password. Q: Why can't I hot swap my floppy and CD-ROM? A: Some notebooks are not designed to do a hot swap, meaning you cannot remove and insert the CD-ROM or FDD while the unit is on. You will damage the unit and this is not a warranty issue. Q: I get a message "not a bootable diskette" or "disk failure drive A." A: If your notebook floppy disk drive won't work with diskettes that you are sure good (you can check them by trying them on another personal computer system) then your floppy disk drive has probably gotten out of alignment. A malfunctioning floppy disk drive can scratch diskettes on the boot sector, causing the boot failure message. This problem is especially prevalent on older drives. Q: I have tried using brand new floppy diskettes, but my floppy drive still won't read/write. A: If your notebook floppy disk drive won't work with diskettes you have tried on another system, your floppy disk drive may need service. This problem is especially prevalent on older drives. Contact customer service for repair information. Q: My system freezes while accessing the Internet. A: Download "V.90 flash.exe" file from drivers to upgrade the modem to V.90. Q: My system will not warm boot. A: The wrong CD-ROM driver is installed. Copy the driver called tricd.sys from the EzBook utility CD to the Windows directory (the driver is located in D:cdromtorisan directory). Then edit the config.sys file by replacing the word "Oakcdrom.sys" with "tricd.sys" in the line: DEVICE=C:WINDOWSOAKCDROM.SYS/D:OEMCD001 Q: With a battery installed in the floppy drive bay I get the following error message: "Warning no bootable floppy drive 0 installed" "Warning - Floppy information invalid - run SCU" "Hit F1 to continue" A: On boot up, the BIOS will always search for the floppy drive first, anticipating that normally the floppy drive will be inserted in the bay, rather than a battery. Simply press F1 to continue. Q: Why is the display quality so much better at 1024 x 768 resolution than 640 x 480? A: The display system was created to optimize XGA screen resolutions; therefore, 1024 x 768 will provide a much sharper image than 640 x 480. Q: Can my LCD display be upgraded? A: Since your notebook has electronics specifically designed for your current LCD display, upgrading your display to one of a different type is not possible/practical. Q: What is wrong with my video display it keeps flickering, distorted or no display at all? A: Evidently your system is experiencing an intermittent display problem associated with the VGA controller and/or the DSTN display unit. Call Customer Service for diagnosis and advice. Q: Why do the icons on my display blink? A: If the icons on the LCM blink, the battery is probably overcharging. Q: My LCD is perfect except for some tiny lines. A: If the display is good except for lines on the screen, you may have a loose video chip or loose video cable. Call customer service for further help. Q: I cannot adjust my notebook dual scan display's contrast and/or brightness. A: The internal DC-AC converter may need replacing. My 600 Series notebook doesn't run my MPEG video software. MPEG is an optional feature with the 600 notebooks. You must first purchase and install the MPEG video card for the system to run MPEG video files. Contact customer service for details on how to run MPEG software on the 600s. Q: Why should someone buy a laptop? A: Anyone who ever needs to take their work on the road, even if it's just to the library or across town between home and office. Traveling businesspeople-- especially salespeople-- are obviously the most likely notebook buyers, but other candidates include people in education (students too); small-business owners who never take off their various professional hats, even on leisure trips; and other professionals who must always have access to email, faxes, the office server, and other communications. Q: What is the downside to having a laptop? Q: What advantages, if any, do laptops have over desktop models, besides portability? Q: Laptops, portables, and notebooks: Are the terms interchangeable? One last piece of advice: If you really want to get a sense of how a notebook feels-- you'd be surprised how important this is, especially for desktop replacements-- it's a great idea to go to a local computer store to play with a few different models. Even if they don't have the exact machine you want at the exact price, at least you'll learn what you want in a keyboard, weight, screen size, and input device (touchpad or pointing stick). You can buy online from almost all major computer vendors. Q: Is there any danger in leaving a laptop on 24 hours a day? Q: What's the difference between DSTN displays and TFT displays? Q: How much damage is done to a laptop that is left in a hot car? If you love your laptop, follow these tips: Q: Will a PCMCIA card modem drain my laptops battery if left in when not in use? A: Often, yes. In fact, modem cards are notorious for draining batteries dry. Some modem cards drain the battery even when you're not online. To stop up the power leak, just make sure you shut off power to the modem card when it's not in use. . Here are some general tips to help keep your notebook humming: -- Use a lithium (Li) ion battery if your system supports them. ACPI lets you use various Power Schemes built into the Power Management control panel. Power Schemes are designed to save power in various ways optimized for your computer's hardware setup. If you have a laptop, that might be a reason to update to Win98. Q. Can I hot swap the Multi-Bay devices for my LTE 5000 series computer? A. A utility which allows users to swap Multi-Bay devices in an LTE 5000 series computer while the unit is in Standby is now available for DOS and Windows 3-dot-1 or Windows NT 3-dot-51. To obtain the utility for DOS and Windows 3-dot-1 download SoftPaq file SP1589.EXE. For Windows NT 3-dot-51 download SoftPaq file SP1587.EXE. Both files are available from the Compaq Download Facility at 281-518-1418 or from the Compaq Internet Site at http://www.compaq.com. These files are self extracting and will create an installation diskette, see the README.TXT file on the installation disk for details and instructions. Q. How do I disable my power on password? A. When prompted, type in the password immediately followed by a forward slash character. If you do not know the password you will have to take the unit to an authorized service provider. A. If an LTE 5000 series computer is locked up the power switch will probably not respond. To reset the system simultaneously press down on the display switch and the standby button. One is a small button above the power switch and the other is a gray button to the right of the power switch. If this does not shut down the computer, remove the battery, wait for the symbols on the status panel to disappear, then reinsert the battery and turn the power back on. A. Since the internal keyboard is disabled, you cannot use the left hand control alt power button sequence. Instead, use the shutdown icon in the Compaq Utilities Group or simply type the word SHUTDOWN from the DOS prompt and press enter. Q. How can I obtain backup diskettes for my laptop? A. Backup diskettes for the preinstalled software can be purchased for a nominal fee from the Compaq Customer Order Center by calling 1-800-952-7689 in the US or 1-800-349-8498 in Canada. Q. How do I decrease the size of the border around the display on my notebook computer? A. This border is normal on a notebook computer with an SVGA display when it is set to a resolution of 640 by 480. The border will be smaller if you set the resolution to 800 by 600. In Windows 3.1, the resolution can be changed through Windows Setup. Under Windows 95, right click anywhere on the desktop, choose properties from the menu and select the settings tab. Q. I just installed Windows 95 and the trackball no longer works properly? A. If the integrated trackball on your notebook computer is no longer responding correctly after installing Windows 95 try using the other trackball button. When Windows 95 is installed it swaps your mouse buttons so that the rear one is now set as the primary mouse button. To swap the buttons back to the way they were go to Control Panel, double click on the Mouse icon and under Button Configuration choose Left Handed. Battery Step Charge:
Q: Can I install Windows 98 on my notebook which originally shipped with Windows 95? A: While it is a user's option to install any software, our support is limited to the operating system that shipped on the unit. If you would like to install an operating system other than the one that shipped on the unit, we recommend you check with our technical support analysts prior to making any changes. Q: Where do I get DirectX drivers for my notebook? A: DirectX is a Microsoft product. Get it here Q: If I install a BETA version of an operating system or third party application, where should I go for assistance? A: For assistance with these please contact the vendor of the software/operating system. Q: My unit was manufactured with a USB port, how do I enable USB? A: By default, some notebooks have the USB port disabled so as not to use up resources if the user does not have any USB peripherals. To enable USB on these notebooks, you will need to enable the device in the BIOS settings. Q: Why is my 56K modem not connecting at 56K speeds? A: Several factors can affect connection speed, such as line noise, number of people connecting or connected to your ISP, and the age and condition of the telephone lines. A 56K modem does not guarantee all connections at 56K; rather it offers the ability to connect at up to 56K baud. Presently FCC regulations limit speeds to 53K maximum and this is with absolutely perfect conditions. Q: My unit shipped with an internal modem; will I be able to use it with a cellular phone? A: The internal modems in most notebooks are not cellular ready modems. Q: I have a digital phone line, can I use my internal modem on that line? A: The internal modems in most notebooks will work on analog lines only. Q: How do I condition my battery? A: There are different ways to condition your battery depending on which type battery you have. There are battery conditioning instructions located in the Users Guide for your notebook that pertain to your notebook / battery combination. You can find a link to your Users Guide on the Technical Support page. Q: Is there a BIOS update for my notebook? A: Note: Incorrect usage of BIOS upgrades will cause damage to your system and is not covered under the manufacturer's limited warranty. BIOS upgrades are designed to address specific functions of the computer. Acer does not recommend making any changes to your BIOS, unless the upgrade addresses the issue you are experiencing. If you are experiencing an issue with your system that may require a BIOS upgrade, please check the Downloadable Files area for your system. Q: Which PC-Card can I use in my notebook? A: The PC Card industry is a fast growing and ever-changing industry. Every day new cards are being manufactured. Please check with the manufacturer of the PC Card for information on their products and the PC Card's performance in your notebook. A: There is a difference between the Windows 95 format and a format done from DOS. To resolve this, you will need to reformat the diskette from a DOS prompt.
Q: I'm not going to be using my notebook for a month or longer. How should I care for my battery?A: If your notebook is to be stored for a month or longer, turn the machine off, and remove all Lithium ION batteries. Store your notebook and batteries separately in a cool, dry location. If you store your notebook with a battery installed, the battery will discharge, and battery life will be reduced. Caution: If your battery is installed with your notebook while in storage, and the battery is faulty, this could cause damage to your notebook.Q: My notebook "locks up" during boot (start-up) or only starts in the Windows 95 Safe Mode. What should I check?A: An old version of Adobe Acrobat may be causing this problem. Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, prior to version 2.1, when installed on a computer with the Windows 95 Operating System, will cause the computer to "lock-up" during system start-up. This will prevent you from accessing any of your programs or files. If you have installed an older version of Adobe Acrobat, you will need to upgrade to a newer version (2.1 or greater) or delete the program from your system. You can do this by booting into Safe Mode and upgrading the program or removing it. Q: I have a 56K Internal Modem in my notebook. Why does it connect to America Online at low speed?A: AOL requires a Custom Initialization String. You can make this change in the America Online Modem Setup. Follow these steps:
Q: My battery seems to discharge overnight on my notebook. Is this normal?A: Are you shutting down the system properly by turning off the unit with the power switch on the side of your computer? The Windows 95 shutdown procedure will shutdown the unit and leave the notebook in a suspend mode state (still using some battery power). From that point on, the unit will run on the Primary Lithium battery. This Windows 95 shutdown feature is part of Microsoft's Advanced Power Management requirement. To completely shutdown your unit and not lose your battery charge through drainage, please switch off the power manually, using the main power on/off switch. Q: My notebook is Pulse dialing instead of Tone dialing. Is this normal?A: The current version of Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) has the dialing properties default set for pulse dialing, and not tone dialing. This will automatically reset to tone dialing if you use the Fujitsu registration at start. However, if you skipped the Fujitsu registration, pulse dialing does not cause harm, and will work with either tone or pulse dialing. To change the settings for tone dialing:
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