Acer TravelMate 8431 Series User manual

TravelMate 8471/8431 Series
Quick Guide

Changes may be made periodically to the information in this publication without obligation
to notify any person of such revisions or changes. Such changes will be incorporated in new
editions of this manual or supplementary documents and publications.
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.
This booklet has been reviewed for accuracy. Although Acer makes all reasonable attempts for
this booklet to be printed in an accurate manner, Acer takes no responsibility for any
inadvertent errors or misprints. Acer's liability with respect to this booklet is subject to any
limitation of liability set out in the applicable product warranty.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically, by photocopy, recording or
otherwise,without the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.
Model number: __________________________________
Serial number: ___________________________________
Date of purchase: ________________________________
Place of purchase: ________________________________
Copyright © 2009. Acer Incorporated.
All Rights Reserved.
TravelMate 8471/8431 Series Quick Guide
Original Issue: 07/2009
TravelMate 8471/8431 Series Notebook PC
Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Incorporated. Other companies'
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 an Acer notebook your choice for
meeting your mobile computing needs.
Your guides
To help you use your Acer notebook, we have designed a set of guides:
First off, the Just for Starters... poster helps you get started with setting up your
computer.
The TravelMate Series Generic User Guide contains useful information applying
to all models in the TravelMate product series. It covers basic topics such as
using the keyboard and audio, etc. Please understand that due to its nature, the
Generic User Guide as well as the AcerSystem User Guide mentioned below will
occasionally refer to functions or features which are only contained in certain
models of the series, but not necessarily in the model you purchased. Such
instances are marked in the text with language such as "only for certain
models".
The Quick Guide introduces you to the basic features and functions of your new
computer. For more on how your computer can help you to be more productive,
please refer to the AcerSystem User Guide. This guide contains detailed
information on such subjects as system utilities, data recovery, expansion
options and troubleshooting. In addition it contains warranty information and
the general regulations and safety notices for your notebook. It is available in
Portable Document Format (PDF) and comes preloaded on your notebook.
Follow these steps to access it:
1 Click on Start, All Programs, AcerSystem.
2 Click on AcerSystem User Guide.
Note: Viewing the file requires Adobe Reader. If Adobe Reader is not
installed on your computer, clicking on AcerSystem User Guide will run the
Adobe Reader setup program first. Follow the instructions on the screen to
complete the installation. For instructions on how to use Adobe Reader,
access the Help and Support menu.

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English
Your Acer notebook tour
After setting up your computer as illustrated in the Just for Starters... poster,
let us show you around your new Acer notebook.
Top view
#Icon Item Description
1 Acer Crystal Eye
webcam
Web camera for video communication.
(only for certain models)

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English
2 Microphone Internal microphone for sound recording.
3 Display screen Also called Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD),
displays computer output
(Configuration may vary by models).
4 Speakers Left and right speakers deliver stereo
audio output.
5 Keyboard For entering data into your computer.
6 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which
functions like a computer mouse.
7 Click buttons (left,
center* and right)
The left and right buttons function like
the left and right mouse buttons. *The
center button serves as Acer Bio-
Protection fingerprint reader supporting
Acer FingerNav 4-way control function
(only for certain models).
8 Palmrest Comfortable support area for your hands
when you use the computer.
9 Touchpad toggle Turns the internal touchpad on and off.
10 Eject button Presses to eject the optical disk from the
drive.
Optical disk access
indicator
Lights up when the optical drive is active.
11 HDD Indicates when the hard disk drive is
active.
Num Lock Lights up when Num Lock is activated.
Caps Lock Lights up when Caps Lock is activated.
Communication
key
Enables / disables the WLAN / 3G
functions.
Backup key Launches Acer Backup Management for
three-step data backup.
Acer PowerSmart
key
Puts your computer into power-saving
mode.
12 Power button /
indicator
Turns the computer on and off. /
Indicates the computer's power status.
#Icon Item Description

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English
Hotkeys
The computer employs hotkeys or key combinations to access most of the
computer's controls like screen brightness and volume output.
To activate hotkeys, press and hold the <Fn> key before pressing the other key
in the hotkey combination.
Hotkey Icon Function Description
<Fn> + <F2> System
property
Starts System Property for displaying
system information.
<Fn> + <F3> Bluetooth Enables/disables the Bluetooth
function. (only for certain models)
<Fn> + <F4> Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep mode.
<Fn> + <F5> Display
toggle
Switches display output between the
display screen, external monitor (if
connected) and both.
<Fn> + <F6> Screen
blank
Turns the display screen backlight off
to save power.
Press any key to return.
<Fn> + <F8> Speaker
toggle
Turns the speakers on and off.
<Fn> + < > Brightness
up
Increases the screen brightness.
<Fn> + < > Brightness
down
Decreases the screen brightness.
<Fn> + < > Volume up Increases the sound volume.
<Fn> + < > Volume
down
Decreases the sound volume.

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English
Closed front view
Rear view
#Icon Item Description
1 Battery Indicates the computer's battery status.
1. Charging: The light shows amber
when the battery is charging.
2. Fully charged: The light shows blue
when in AC mode.
2 Multi-in-1
card reader
Accepts Secure Digital (SD),
MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick
(MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), xD-
Picture Card (xD).
Note: Push to remove/install the card.
Only one card can operate at any given
time.
#Icon Item Description
1 Battery bay Houses the computer's battery
pack.

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English
Left view
#Icon Item Description
1 Ethernet (RJ-45) port Connects to an Ethernet 10/100/1000-
based network.
2 Ventilation slots Enable the computer to stay cool, even
after prolonged use.
3 Acer EasyPort IV
connector
Connects to Acer EasyPort IV.
4 External display
(VGA) port
Connects to a display device (e.g.,
external monitor, LCD projector).
5 USB 2.0 port Connect to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB
mouse, USB camera).
6Microphone-in jack Accepts inputs from external
microphones.
Headphones/speaker/
line-out jack
Connects to audio line-out devices
(e.g., speakers, headphones).

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English
Right view
#Icon Item Description
1 USB 2.0 port Connects to USB 2.0 devices
(e.g., USB mouse, USB camera).
2 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or
DVDs.
3 Emergency eject
hole
Ejects the optical drive tray when the
computer is turned off.
Note: Insert a paper clip to the
emergency eject hole to eject the
optical drive tray when the computer
is off.
4 DC-in jack Connects to an AC adapter.
5 Kensington lock slot Connects to a Kensington-compatible
computer security lock.
Note: Wrap the computer security
lock cable around an immovable
object such as a table or handle of a
locked drawer. Insert the lock into the
notch and turn the key to secure the
lock. Some keyless models are also
available.

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English
Base view
#Icon Item Description
1 Battery bay Houses the computer's battery pack.
2 Battery lock Locks the battery in position.
3 Memory compartment Houses the computer's main memory.
4 Hard disk bay Houses the computer's hard disk
(secured with screws).
5 Ventilation slots and
cooling fan
Enable the computer to stay cool, even
after prolonged use.
Note: Do not cover or obstruct the
opening of the fan.
6 Battery release latch Releases the battery for removal.

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English
Specifications
Operating
system
•Genuine Windows Vista®*
•Genuine Windows 7®*
Platform •Intel®Core™2 Duo processor*
•Intel®Core™2 Solo processor*
•Intel®Celeron®mobile processor*
•Mobile Intel®GS45 Express Chipset
•Intel®Wireless WiFi Link 5100*
•Acer InviLink™Nplify™802.11b/g/Draft-N*
•Acer InviLink™802.11b/g*
System memory •Dual-Channel SDRAM support
•Up to 2 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, upgradeable
to 4 GB using two soDIMM modules*
•Up to 4 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, upgradeable
to 8 GB using two soDIMM modules*
Display •16:9 aspect ratio
•14.0" HD 1366 x 768
Graphics •Mobile Intel®GS45 Express Chipset*
•ATI Mobility Radeon™HD 4330*
Audio •High-definition audio support
•MS-Sound compatible
•Built-in microphone
Storage
subsystem
•2.5" hard disk drive*
•2.5" solid state drive*
•DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
•Multi-in-1 card reader

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Communication •Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam*
•WLAN:
•Intel®Wireless WiFi Link 5100*
•Acer InviLink™Nplify™802.11b/g/Draft-N*
•Acer InviLink™802.11b/g*
•WPAN: Bluetooth®2.1+Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)*
•WWAN: UMTS/HSPA at 850 MHz/900 MHz/1900 MHz/
2100 MHz and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
(850/900/1800/1900 MHz)*
•LAN: Gigabit Ethernet; Wake-on-LAN ready
Privacy control •Enhanced Acer DASP (Disk Anti-Shock Protection)
•Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint solution*
•BIOS user, supervisor, HDD passwords
•Kensington lock slot
Dimensions
and weight
•341.9 (W) x 235 (D) x 25.9/29.6 (H) mm
(13.46 x 9.25 x 1.01/1.16 inches)
•1.98 kg (4.37 lbs.) with 6-cell battery pack
Power
subsystem
•ACPI 3.0
•62.16 W 5600 mAh*
•3-pin 65 W AC adapter
•ENERGY STAR®*
Special keys
and controls
•88-/89-/93-key keyboard
•Touchpad pointing device
I/O interface •Acer EasyPort IV connector
•Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint reader*
•Multi-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD)
•USB 2.0 port
•External display (VGA) port
•Headphones/speaker/line-out
•Microphone-in jack
•Ethernet (RJ-45) port
•DC-in jack for AC adapter

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English
Note: * Only for certain models
Note: The specifications listed above are for reference only. The
exact configuration of your PC depends on the model purchased.
Environment •Temperature:
•Operating: 5 °C to 35 °C
•Non-operating: -20 °C to 65 °C
•Humidity (non-condensing):
•Operating: 20% to 80%
•Non-operating: 20% to 80%