Acer TravelMate 2100 User manual

TravelMate 2100/2600 Series
User’s Guide

Changes may be made periodically to the information in this publication without obligation
to notify any person of such revision or changes. Such changes will be incorporated in new
editions of this manual or supplementary documents and publications. This company makes
no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents
hereof and specifically disclaims the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose.
Record the model number, serial number, purchase date, and place of purchase information in
the space provided below. The serial number and model number are recorded on the label
affixed to your computer. All correspondence concerning your unit should include the serial
number, model number, and purchase information.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.
Model Number : __________________________________
Serial Number: ___________________________________
Purchase Date: ___________________________________
Place of Purchase: ________________________________
Copyright © 2004. Acer Incorporated.
All Rights Reserved.
TravelMate 2100/2600 Series User’s Guide
Original Issue: July 2004
TravelMate 2100/2600 Series Notebook Computer
Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Incorporated. Other company's
product names or trademarks are used herein for identification purposes only and belong to
their respective companies.

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First things first
We would like to thank you for making the TravelMate series of
notebook computers your choice for your mobile computing needs.
We hope you will be happy with your TravelMate as much as we
enjoyed making it for you.
Your guides
To help you use your TravelMate, we have designed a set of guides:
First off, the Just for starters... poster helps you get started
with setting up your computer.
This User’s guide introduces you to the many ways your
computer can help you be more productive. This guide
provides clear and concise information about the computer,
so read it thoroughly.
If you ever need to print out a copy, this User’s guide is also
available in Portable Document Format (PDF). Follow these
steps:
1Click on Start, All Programs, AcerSystem.
2Click on AcerSystem User’s guide.
Note: Viewing the file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed. If Adobe Acrobat Reader is not installed on your
computer, clicking on TravelMate User’s guide will run the
Acrobat Reader setup program first. Follow the instructions
on the screen to complete the installation. For instructions
on how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader, access the Help and
Support menu.

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English
Basic care and tips for using your computer
Turning your computer on and off
To turn on the computer, simply press and release the power switch
below the LCD screen beside the Launch keys. See “Front view” on
page 3 for the location of the power switch.
To turn the power off, do any of the following:
•Use the Windows shutdown command
Click on Start, Turn Off Computer; then click on Turn Off.
•Use the power switch
Note: You can also use the power switch to perform power
management functions. See “Power management” on page 23.
•Use the customized functions for power management
You can also shut down the computer by closing the display cover,
or by pressing the sleep hot key (Fn-F4). See “Power management”
on page 23.
Note: If you cannot power off the computer normally, press and
hold the power switch for more than four seconds to shut down
the computer. If you turn off the computer and want to turn it on
again, wait at least two seconds before powering up.
Taking care of your computer
Your computer will serve you well if you take care of it.
•Do not expose the computer to direct sunlight. Do not place it
near sources of heat, such as a radiator.
•Do not expose the computer to temperatures below 0ºC (32ºF) or
above 50ºC (122ºF).
•Do not subject the computer to magnetic fields.
•Do not expose the computer to rain or moisture.
•Do not spill water or any liquid on the computer.
•Do not subject the computer to heavy shock and vibration.
•Do not expose the computer to dust and dirt.

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•Never place objects on top of the computer to avoid damaging the
computer.
•Do not slam the computer display when you close it.
•Never place the computer on uneven surfaces.
Taking care of your AC adapter
Here are some ways to take care of your AC adapter:
•Do not connect the adapter to any other device.
•Do not step on the power cord or place heavy objects on top of it.
Carefully route the power cord and any cables away from personal
traffic.
•When unplugging the power cord, do not pull on the cord itself
but pull on the plug.
•The total ampere ratings of the equipment plugged in should not
exceed the ampere rating of the cord if you are using an extension
cord. Also, the total current rating of all equipment plugged into a
single wall outlet should not exceed the fuse rating.
Taking care of your battery pack
Here are some ways to take care of your battery pack:
•Use only batteries of the same kind as replacements. Turn the
power off before removing or replacing batteries.
•Do not tamper with batteries. Keep them away from children.
•Dispose of used batteries according to local regulations. Recycle if
at all possible.
Cleaning and servicing
When cleaning the computer, follow these steps:
1Power off the computer and remove the battery pack.
2Disconnect the AC adapter.
3Use a soft cloth moistened with water. Do not use liquid or
aerosol cleaners.

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If any of the following occurs:
•The computer has been dropped or the body has been damaged.
•Liquid has been spilled into the product.
•The computer does not operate normally.
Please refer to "Troubleshooting my computer" on page 43.

First things first iii
Your guides iii
Basic care and tips for using your computer iv
1 Getting to know your TravelMate 1
A TravelMate tour 3
Front view 3
Left view 5
Right view 6
Rear view 7
Bottom view 8
Features 9
Indicators 11
Using the keyboard 12
Lock keys 12
Embedded numeric keypad 13
Windows keys 14
Hot keys 15
The Euro symbol 17
Launch keys 18
Touchpad 19
Touchpad basics 19
Storage 21
Hard disk 21
Optical drive 21
Audio 23
Power management 23
Moving around with your TravelMate 24
Disconnecting from the desktop 24
Moving around 24
Taking the computer home 25
Traveling with the computer 27
Traveling internationally with the computer 27
Securing your computer 29
Using a computer security lock 29
Contents

2 Customizing my computer 31
Expanding through options 33
Connectivity options 33
Upgrade options 37
Using system utilities 39
Notebook Manager 39
Launch Manager 40
BIOS Utility 40
D to D Recovery (Disc to Disc) 41
Multilingual operating system installation 41
Restore without a Recovery CD 41
Setup password and exit 42
3 Troubleshooting my computer 43
Frequently-asked questions 45
Requesting service 49
International Traveler’s Warranty (ITW) 49
Before you call 49
Appendix A Specifications 51
Appendix B Regulation & safety notices 57
Index 71

1 Getting to know your
TravelMate

Your TravelMate computer combines high-
performance, versatility, power management
features and multimedia capabilities with a
unique style and ergonomic design. Work with
unmatched productivity and reliability with
your new power computing partner.

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A TravelMate tour
After setting up your computer as illustrated in the Just for starters...
poster, let us show you around your new TravelMate computer.
Front view
#Item Description
1 Display screen Also called Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD),
displays computer output.

1 Getting to know your TravelMate4
English
2 Status indicators Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that turn on
and off to show the status of the
computer, its functions and components.
3 Power button Turns on the computer power.
4 Launch Keys Buttons for launching frequently used
programs. See“Launch keys” on page 18
for more details.
5 Palmrest Comfortable support area for your hands
when you use the computer.
6 Click buttons
(left, center and right)
The left and right buttons function like the
left and right mouse buttons; the center
button serves as a 4-way scroll button.
7 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which
functions like a computer mouse.
8 Keyboard Inputs data into your computer.
9 Ventilation slot Enables the computer to stay cool, even
after prolonged use.
#Item Description

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Left view
#Item Description
1 PC Card slots Connects to one Type III or
two Type II CardBus PC Card(s).
2 Eject buttons Eject the PC Cards from the slots.
3 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or
DVDs depending on the optical drive
type.
4 Infrared port Interfaces with infrared devices (e.g.,
infrared printer, IR-aware computer).
5 LED indicator Lights up when the optical drive is
active.
6 Eject button Ejects the optical drive tray from the
drive.
7 Emergency eject hole Ejects the optical drive tray when the
computer is turned off. See page 46
for more details.
8 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output.

1 Getting to know your TravelMate6
English
Right view
#Item Description
1 Speaker Delivers stereo audio output.
2 Security keylock Connects to a Kensington-compatible
computer security lock.
3 Ventilation slots Enable the computer to stay cool, even after
prolonged use.

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Rear view
#Item Description
1 Power jack Connects to an AC adapter.
2 Parallel port Connects to a parallel device (e.g., parallel
printer).
3 Ventilation slot Enables the computer to stay cool, even after
prolonged use.
4 External display
port
Connects to a display device (e.g., external
monitor, LCD projector) and displays up to
16M colors at 1024x768 resolution.
5 Four USB 2.0 ports Connect to Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
devices (e.g., USB mouse, USB camera).
6 Network jack Connects to an Ethernet 10/100-based
network.
7 Modem jack Connects to a phone line.

1 Getting to know your TravelMate8
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Bottom view
8 Speaker/Line-Out/
Headphone jack
Connects to audio line-out devices (e.g.,
speakers, headphones).
9 Line-in/Mic-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices (e.g., audio CD
player, stereo walkman).
#Item Description
1 Battery bay Houses the computer's battery pack.
2 Battery release
latch
Unlatches the battery to remove the battery
pack.
3Memory
compartment
Houses the computer's main memory.
#Item Description

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Features
Below is a brief summary of the computer’s many features:
Performance
•Intel® Pentium® 4 processors, 2.8 GHz and above
•Intel® Celeron® processors, 2.6 GHz and above
•256/512 MB of DDR333 SDRAM standard, upgradeable to 2048 MB
with dual soDIMM modules
•30 GB and above high-capacity, Enhanced-IDE hard disk
•Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI) power
management system
Display
•The 15.4” WXGA (1280x800 resolution) TFT LCD panel providing a
large viewing area for maximum efficiency and ease-of-use
•ATI MOBILITY ™ RADEON™ 9000 IGP chipset shared with 64 MB of
system memory, as video RAM
•3D graphics support
•Simultaneous LCD and CRT display support
•"Automatic LCD dim" feature that automatically deciding the best
settings for your display and conserves power
•DualView™ support
Multimedia
•High-speed drive:
DVD-ROM, DVD/CD-RW Combo, DVD Dual or DVD-Super Multi
•MS DirectSound compatible
•Built-in dual speakers

1 Getting to know your TravelMate10
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Connectivity
•Integrated 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet connection
•Built-in 56Kbps fax/data modem
•Four Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 ports
•InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wireless LAN (manufacturing option)
•Bluetooth® (manufacturing option)
Human-centric design and ergonomics
• Rugged, yet extremely portable design
• Stylish appearance
• Full-size keyboard with four programmable launch keys
•Comfortable palm rest area with well-positioned touchpad
Expansion
•One Tpye III or two Type II CardBus PC Card slots
•Upgradeable memory modules

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Indicators
The computer has seven easy-to-read status icons below the display
screen.
Icon Function Description
Wireless
communications
Lights when the Wireless LAN capability is
enabled.
Power Lights when the computer is on.
Sleep Lights when the computer enters Standby
mode and blinks when it enters into or
resumes from hibernation mode.
Media activity Lights when the hard disk or optical drive is
active.
Battery charge Lights when the battery is being charged.
Caps Lock Lights when Caps Lock is activated.
Num Lock Lights when Num Lock is activated.

1 Getting to know your TravelMate12
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Using the keyboard
The keyboard has full-sized keys and an embedded keypad, separate
cursor keys, two Windows keys and twelve function keys.
Lock keys
The keyboard has three lock keys which you can toggle on and off.
Lock Key Description
Caps Lock When Caps Lock is on, all alphabetic characters typed are in
uppercase.
Num Lock
(Fn-F11)
When Num Lock is on, the embedded keypad is in numeric
mode. The keys function as a calculator (complete with the
arithmetic operators +, -, *, and /). Use this mode when you
need to do a lot of numeric data entry. A better solution
would be to connect an external keypad.
Scroll Lock
(Fn-F12)
When Scroll Lock is on, the screen moves one line up or down
when you press the up or down arrow keys respectively.
Scroll Lock does not work with some applications.