Acer TravelMate 7300 User manual

TravelMate 7300 Series
Notebook Computer
User’s Guide

ii
Copyright
This is a product of Acer Inc. developed to TI specifications.
Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks and
TravelMate is a trademark of Acer Inc. Texas Instruments,
TI and the TI logo are registered trademarks of Texas
Instruments Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo
are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel and
Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. All
other brands/product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted,
transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into
any language or computer language, in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical,
manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
this company.
© 1997 by this company. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer of Warranties
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. Any
software described in this manual is sold or licensed “as is.”
Should the programs prove defective following their
purchase, the buyer (and not this company, its distributor,
or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary
servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential
damages resulting from any defect in the software. Further,
this company reserves the right to revise this publication
and to make changes from time to time in the contents
hereof without obligation to notify any person of such
revision or changes.

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About This User’s Guide
The following conventions are used in this manual:
Notes related to the current topic
Warnings about actions that can cause
damage.
Cautions that help you avoid problems
Important reminders.
Tips or shortcuts.

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Contents
v
Getting Started............................................................ 1
Unpacking Your Computer........................... 1
Taking Care of Your Computer ..................... 2
Cleaning ............................................... 3
AC Adapter ........................................... 3
Battery Pack ......................................... 4
Powering Up Your Computer ........................ 5
Entering User Information .................... 5
Creating Backup and Startup
Diskettes ............................................ 6
Using Diskettes............................................ 7
Travel Tips ................................................... 8
Getting Help............................................... 10
Technical Support............................... 10
World Wide Web.................................. 10
System Tour................................................................ 11
Feature Summary ...................................... 11
Performance ....................................... 11
Multimedia and Communications ....... 12
Ergonomics......................................... 12
Expandability ..................................... 13
Display ...................................................... 14
Opening and Closing the Display ........ 14
FlashStart Automatic Power-On.......... 14
Indicator Lights .................................. 15
Keyboard.................................................... 17
Lock Keys ........................................... 17
Embedded Keypad .............................. 19
Windows 95 Keys................................ 20
Hot Keys............................................. 21
Touchpad ........................................... 25
Palm Rest ........................................... 27
Storage ...................................................... 28
Hard Disk........................................... 28

Contents
vi
Module Bay......................................... 28
Ejecting a CD...................................... 29
Using the Floppy Drive Module
Externally......................................... 29
Swapping Modules.............................. 30
Audio ......................................................... 33
Audio Control ..................................... 34
Ports .......................................................... 35
Rear Panel Ports ................................. 35
Left Panel Ports................................... 38
Security ..................................................... 40
System Resource Lock ........................ 40
Power ......................................................................... 41
Battery Pack .............................................. 41
Removing and Installing the Battery
Pack ................................................. 42
Charging the Battery........................... 43
Checking the Battery Level.................. 44
Optimizing Battery Life ....................... 46
Low-Battery Warning .......................... 47
Advanced Power Management .................... 50
Heuristic Power Management ..................... 51
Suspend to Disk ................................. 52
Suspend to Memory ............................ 53
Peripherals and Options........................................... 55
Printers...................................................... 55
PC Cards.................................................... 56
Audio Devices ............................................ 58
External Monitor........................................ 59
External Keyboard...................................... 60
External Keypad......................................... 61
External Pointing Device ............................ 62
USB Devices............................................... 63
Mini Dock .................................................. 64

Contents
vii
Floppy Drive Cable..................................... 65
PS/2 Y-Bridge Cable .................................. 66
File Transfer Cable..................................... 67
Battery Pack .............................................. 68
AC Adapter ................................................ 68
Memory Upgrades ...................................... 69
Hard Disk Upgrades................................... 72
System Utilities........................................................... 75
Sleep Manager ........................................... 75
Accessing Sleep Manager .................... 76
Creating Reserved Space..................... 77
Removing a Reserved Space ................ 80
Minimizing Sleep Manager .................. 81
Exiting Sleep Manager ........................ 81
Sleep Manager Troubleshooting Tips... 81
Uninstalling Sleep Manager ................ 82
Touchpad Driver ........................................ 84
BIOS Setup Utility...................................... 85
About My Computer............................ 86
System Configuration ......................... 88
Advanced System Configuration.......... 91
Power Saving Options ......................... 95
System Security.................................. 97
Reset To Default Settings .................. 102
Appendix................................................................. 103
Troubleshooting ....................................... 103
Startup Error Messages............................ 108
Specifications........................................... 110
System Memory Map................................ 114
I/O Address Map...................................... 114
Interrupts ................................................ 116
DMA Channels......................................... 116
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS ...... 117
Canadian DOC Notice .............................. 119

Contents
viii
FCC Class B Radio Frequency
Interference Statement........................... 120
Index ........................................................................ 121

1
Getting Started
1
Congratulations on your purchase of the
TravelMate 7300 series notebook computer.
Guaranteed and backed by world-class support,
you can be sure of top-notch performance from
your new computer. This section guides you
through the first few steps in setting up your
computer.
Unpacking Your Computer
Carefully unpack the carton and remove the
contents. You should find your computer and an
accessory box containing the following items:
q AC adapter
q Battery pack
q Floppy drive module
q External floppy drive cable
q Software library and recovery CD
q This user’s guide and other documentation
If any of the items is missing or damaged, contact
your dealer immediately.
Caution: Be sure to read the Important Safety
Instructions in the Appendix at the back of
this manual.

Getting Started
2
Taking Care of Your Computer
Your notebook will serve you well if you observe
the following guidelines:
q Do not expose the notebook to prolonged
direct sunlight, or sources of heat, such as a
radiator.
q Do not expose the notebook to temperatures
below 32ºF (0ºC) or above 122ºF (50ºC).
q Do not subject the notebook to magnetic
fields.
q Do not expose the notebook to rain or
excessive moisture.
q Do not subject the notebook to heavy shock
or vibration.
q Do not expose the notebook to dust and dirt.
q Do not place objects on top of the notebook
when it is closed.
q Do not use the notebook on uneven surfaces.