Acer AcerNote 950 User manual

Getting Started 1-1
Chapter 1
Getting Started
This chapter introduces this multimedia notebook and gives first-time
operating instructions.
1.1 Overview
This system supports the Intel Pentium™ processor, packing the processing
power of a multimedia desktop PC into a compact, slim and lightweight
notebook suitable for use on the road, at the office or in your home.
Combining performance, versatility, and a host of advanced power-
management features plus multimedia capabilities, this notebook helps you
work with unmatched productivity and reliability.
The system features a modular design. It supports multiple configurations
with its unique storage, accessory and power bays. The storage bay holds a
user-upgradeable 2.5-inch, high-capacity hard disk drive. The accessory bay
houses a 3.5-inch, 1.44-MB removable diskette drive, a 5.25-inch,
removable IDE CD-ROM drive, or a secondary battery for more power on-
the-go. The power bay accommodates a battery pack or the AC adapter.
The easy-to-open modular housing design, with innovative use of latches,
grooves, and sliding compartments, makes upgrades easy. The hard disk,
diskette drive, CD-ROM drive, keyboard, touchpad, battery pack and AC
adapter are easy to install and remove, thanks to the unique housing.
This system supports PCMCIA technology, allowing flexible use of up to two
type II or one type III PC cards. Hailed in leading industry journals as the
technology that will revolutionize portable computing, the PCMCIA interface
allows you to use credit-card-sized fax/data modem cards, SRAM cards, 1.8-
inch removable hard disks, SCSI interface cards and other devices. Thus,
you enjoy benefits similar to those of add-on cards in desktop PCs.

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An innovative feature of the notebook is the palm rest. Located below the
keyboard, it provides ample palm space for your typing comfort in any work
environment. The touchpad, centrally located in the palm rest, responds to
precise finger movements, making it easy to control cursor movement under
graphical user environments like Windows or OS/2.
Another important feature is the high-performance graphics display. This
notebook supports a large DualScan STN color or TFT color LCD, offering
excellent display quality and brilliant colors. This notebook can also
accommodate an external ultra-VGA monitor. This feature allows you to
perform simultaneous operation of your LCD and the external VGA monitor,
an advantage for giving presentations. Simultaneous display allows you to
control the presentation from the LCD and at the same time face your
audience. You can even connect an LCD projection panel for large-
audience presentations. PCI-bus video with graphics accelerator and 1MB
video RAM provide faster video performance.
Advanced power management features such as automatic LCD and hard
disk power-down, system standby and suspend modes enable this notebook
to conserve battery power. The notebook houses up to two battery packs for
longer battery operation. Battery packs supported are nickel metal-hydride
(NiMH) and state-of-the-art lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries. The system has
both visible and audible battery-low warning features that remind you to
recharge your battery.
Special features include a serial infrared (SIR) port which allows wireless
communication with other SIR-”aware” systems. Onboard 16-bit stereo
audio capability plus the optional CD-ROM module gives you true
“multimedia-on-the-go”. You can also plug in a PCMCIA SCSI card
connected to an external CD-ROM drive, or “park” the system to the optional
docking station with a CD-ROM drive and multimedia comes alive on your
notebook.
The system also supports a local-bus architecture. A local bus is the
interface around the CPU. The major purpose of local bus is to enhance
CPU data transfer throughput, as well as to provide a solution for I/O
bottlenecks caused by running on old 16-bit ISA bus architecture.
Most importantly, this notebook incorporates advanced technology that
makes performance upgrades easy and economical.

Getting Started 1-3
1.2 Item Checklist
Remove all items from the carton and save the packing materials for future
use. If any of the following items are missing or damaged, contact your
dealer immediately.
•The notebook computer
•AC adapter1(includes power cord and DC-in cable)
•Battery pack
•Manuals (includes quick guide and user’s manual)
Check for optional accessories2, if any:
•4-/8-/16-MB RAM modules
•External numeric keypad
•MS-DOS and application software documentation
•System utilities diskette3
•PCMCIA fax/data modem card
•Port replicator
•External battery charger
•Additional battery pack
•Additional AC adapter
•File transfer (interlink) cable
•Carrying bag for system and accessories
1The AC adapter is inserted into the power bay of the notebook during packing.
2Optional accessories may differ from area to area.
3Refer to the README files of the system utilities in their respective subdirectories for information.

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1.3 LCD Display
The system supports four different LCD display configurations as shown in
Table 1-1.
Table 1-1 LCD Display Configurations
Type Size Resolution
DualScan STN color 10.4-inch 640 x 480, 256 colors
DualScan STN color 10.4-inch 800 x 600, 256 colors
TFT color (active matrix) 10.4-inch 640 x 480, 64K colors
TFT color (active matrix) 10.4-inch 800 x 600, 256 colors
Open the display by sliding the two cover latches toward you as shown in
Figure 1-1. Lift the display and tilt it to a comfortable viewing position.
Figure 1-1 Opening the Display

Getting Started 1-5
A microswitch, located near the LCD cover hinge, detects the opening and
closing of the LCD display. The LCD backlight goes off when you close the
display without turning off the system power. Reopening the display turns on
the backlight again.
If you connect an external monitor to the system, you can still
view the display through the LCD.
Figure 1-2 The LCD Display
The LCD power-saving feature turns off the LCD after a preset
period of inactivity to reduce power consumption. Please refer
to section 4.6.3 for details.
To close the display, fold it down gently until the latches click into place.
To avoid damaging the display, do not slam it when closing. Do
not place any object on top of the notebook when the display is
closed.
Microswitc
h

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1.4 Front Panel
The front panel has three bays that house removable components. These
include the storage bay, the accessory bay and the power bay. Figure 1-3
shows the front panel.
1 Storage Bay
2 Accessory Bay
3 Power Bay
Figure 1-3 Front Panel
Front Panel Features
n
Storage bay This bay houses a 2.5-inch hard disk drive.
o
Accessory bay This bay houses either a 3.5-inch, 1.44MB diskette
drive, an optional 5.25-inch CD-ROM drive, or an optional
secondary battery pack.
p
Power bay This bay houses either the primary battery pack or the
AC adapter.
1 2 3

Getting Started 1-7
Module Installation and Swapping
To remove a module:
Release the bay lock of the
bay you want to remove the
module from. Pull the module
out of the bay.
The AC adapter and CD-ROM
drive have built-in locks on the
units themselves.
Turn the power off before installing or removing a module. The
system MUST NOT be in standby or suspend mode.
Remember to enter the Setup utility to make the proper settings.
Figure 1-4 Bay Modules
n o p
n
n
o
o
p
p
Bay Lock
Module
HDD module FDD module NiMH battery
AC adapter + Extender
NiMH battery
CD-ROM drive module 6-cell Li-Ion battery

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Table 1-2 lists all possible module combinations.
Table 1-2 Module-Bay Combinations
n
n
Storage Bay o
o
Accessory Bay p
p
Power Bay
HDD module
HDD module
HDD module
HDD module
HDD module
HDD module
HDD module
FDD module
FDD module
FDD module
CD-ROM module
CD-ROM module
Extended NiMH battery
Extended NiMH battery
NiMH battery
Adapter (with extender)
6-cell Li-Ion battery (with extender)
Adapter
6-cell Li-Ion battery
NiMH battery
Adapter (with extender)
When the 6-cell Li-Ion battery pack is installed in the power bay,
do not install a secondary battery pack.
You can add an extender module to the AC adapter if you want to use it with
the diskette drive or secondary battery. Similarly, you can attach an extender
module to the 6-cell Li-Ion battery for use with the diskette drive.
Attach the extender to the AC
adapter by connecting the two
modules together and sliding the
extender into place.
Attach the extender to the 6-cell Li-
Ion battery by connecting the two
modules together.

Getting Started 1-9
1.5 Rear Panel
The rear panel consists of peripheral connectors. Open the port cover to
access the CRT, serial, parallel and expansion ports. The rear panel also
includes other ports and connectors. Figure 1-5 shows the rear panel.
1 Serial infrared port 4 Parallel port
2 External CRT port 5 Serial port
3 Expansion connector 6 External PS/2 connector
Figure 1-5 Rear Panel
Rear Panel Features
SIR
Serial Infrared (SIR) port
This lets you accomplish wireless
communication with SIR-”aware” systems.
External CRT port
This connects a VGA or SVGA monitor.
Expansion connector
This connects a port replicator or a
docking station.
Parallel port
This connects a printer, pocket LAN, or other
parallel device.
Serial port
This connects a mouse, modem, scanner, or other
serial device.
External PS/2 connector
This connects an external PS/2-type
keyboard, keypad, mouse or trackball.
1 2 3 4 5 6

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When connecting a port replicator or connecting the notebook to a docking
station, open the expansion port cover (instead of the entire port cover) and
then make the connection. Refer to section 3.7 for details.
Serial Infrared (SIR)
The onboard serial infrared (SIR) port is IrDA-compliant and allows you to
perform wireless file transfers and “connect” with other serial infrared
devices such as a serial infrared printer.
To transfer files using SIR, line up the SIR ports of the notebook and the
other SIR-capable system not more than a meter apart, at an angle of ±15
degrees for optimal performance.
Figure 1-6 Serial Infrared Communication
Run the file-transfer utility1on both systems and begin wireless file transfers.
See Appendix D for details.
1If the file-transfer utility is not preloaded on your hard disk, you have to install it. See Appendix D.

Getting Started 1-11
1.6 Left Panel
The left panel of the system includes PCMCIA slots and audio jacks for a
microphone and line-in and line-out devices. Figure 1-7 shows the left panel
of the system.
1 PCMCIA Slots
2 Microphone-in port (top), Line-out port (left), Line-in port (right)
Figure 1-7 Left Panel
Left Panel Features
PCMCIA
PCMCIA slots
These slots accept PC cards
Microphone in port
This connects a microphone
Line-out port
This connects an audio line-out device like
headphones or amplified speakers
Line-in port
This connects an audio line-in device like a CD
player or synthesizer
1
2

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Flexible PCMCIA implementation and support enable you to use credit-card-
sized PC cards similar to add-on cards for desktop computers, thus
enhancing the usability and expandability of this notebook. In this slot, you
can insert one type III or two type I/II cards.
PCMCIA I/O cards the system accepts include fax/data modem, LAN, SCSI
cards and ATA drives. Memory cards include flash memory and SRAM.
Before using the slot, you need to specify the corresponding PCMCIA driver
in the CONFIG.SYS file. The driver initializes and prepares the PCMCIA
slots for use. Refer to the PCMCIA driver utility information in Appendix D
for more details.
To complement the 16-bit stereo audio capability of the notebook, there are
microphone, line-in and line-out audio jacks. There is also a built-in speaker
and microphone.
Figure 1-8 Speakers and Microphones
Built-in microphone
Internal speaker
External microphone
External amplified speakers

Getting Started 1-13
1.7 Right Panel
The right panel features the connectors and buttons associated with system
power. Figure 1-9 shows the right panel of the system.
1 AC adapter connector hole
2 Power switch
3 DC-in port
Figure 1-9 Right Panel
Right Panel Features
AC adapter connector hole
This connects the power cord to the
AC adapter when the adapter is inside the power bay
Power switch
This turns the notebook on and off
DC-in port
This connects the AC adapter when the AC adapter is
connected externally to the system
1
2
3

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1.8 AC Adapter
The AC adapter accepts input voltage ranging from 100V to 240V at a
frequency range of 47Hz to 63Hz. Figure 1-10 shows the AC adapter.
Figure 1-10 AC Adapter
The status LCD displays the DC-in icon ( ) when the notebook is running
on the AC adapter. Refer to section 1.10.
1. Do not use the AC adapter or the battery pack with other
notebooks or any other devices.
2. Do not use other AC adapters and battery packs not
specifically designed for this system.
3. Unplug the AC adapter by pulling on the connector, not the
cord. Pulling on the cord may damage the connections
inside the connector.
AC adapter
Power cord
DC-in cable
Extender module

Getting Started 1-15
Connecting the AC Adapter
The AC adapter connects to the system in two ways, either internally or
externally. Follow these steps to connect the AC adapter.1
Connecting the Adapter Internally
1. During packing, the AC adapter is
inserted into the power bay. Just
plug the other end of the power
cord into the AC adapter through a
connector hole found on the right
panel.
2. Connect the power cord to a power
outlet.
1The steps described assume that the AC adapter is inside the power bay (i.e., during packing).

1-16 User’s Manual
Connecting the Adapter Externally
1. Release the AC adapter lock and
slide the AC adapter out of the
power bay.
2. You may now insert the battery
pack into the power bay. Slide it
into the bay until it clicks into place.
3. Connect the power cord to the AC
adapter.
4. Connect one end of the DC-in cable
(square head) to the AC adapter.

Getting Started 1-17
5. Connect the other end of the DC-in
cable to the DC-in port of the
notebook.
6. Connect the power cord to a power
outlet.

1-18 User’s Manual
1.9 Starting the System
Figure 1-11 shows the location of the power on/off switch. Press this toggle
switch to turn the system on and off. The power icon ( ) on the status
LCD appears when you turn on the system. The battery icon ( ) or the
DC-in icon ( ) also appears depending on the power source.
Figure 1-11 On/Off Switch and Power Icon
The system runs a series of power-on self-tests (POST) and displays POST
messages. Next, copyright and other messages appear on the screen
followed by the DOS prompt C>. If you get an error message or the DOS
prompt does not appear, see Chapter 6 for assistance.
Use a backup utility to create diskette copies of all pre-installed
software that come with the system. Always store the originals
and use the backup copies. See the MS-DOS user’s manual for
information on how to create backup copies.
Avoid turning the system on and off in intervals of less than five
seconds between power on and off, as this may damage your
hard disk drive.
On/Off Switch
Power Icon

Getting Started 1-19
1.10 Interior Features
Figure 1-12 shows the location of the control buttons and status LCD.
Figure 1-12 Control Buttons and Status LCD
Control Buttons
No-reboot Setup button
This button enables you to access Power
Management and LCD Panel Control pages of the Setup utility. The
system gives you the option of not rebooting when you exit Setup.
System Standby/Suspend button
This button enables the system to
enter system standby or suspend mode. See Section 2.5 for details
on suspend mode.
Contrast control
This controls the display clarity of the LCD screen
(STN color models only)
1The contrast control is found on the lower right side of the LCD bezel on DualScan STN models. The
TFT model has no contrast control.
Status LC
D
Standby/Suspend button
No-reboot Setup button
Contrast control
1

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Status LCD Indicators
Docking icon
This icon appears when the system is connected to a
docking station.
Power icon
This icon appears when power is applied to the system.
Standby mode icon
This icon appears when the system is in system
standby mode.
Hard disk drive activity icon
This icon appears when the system
accesses the hard disk drive.
Diskette drive activity icon
This icon appears when the system
accesses the diskette drive.
Num Lock icon
This icon appears when the Num Lock function is
activated.
Caps Lock icon
This icon appears when the Caps Lock function is
activated.
Scroll Lock icon
This icon appears when the Scroll Lock function is
activated.
Battery-low icon
This icon appears when the battery pack is low on
power. See section 2.7 for information on battery-low condition.
DC-in icon
This icon appears when the system is using power from
the AC adapter.
Battery icon
This icon appears when the system runs on battery
power.