Gateway E3400 User guide

E-3400 Desktop
System Manual
MAN US E3400 /MVCASE R0 5/00

i
Contents
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Conventions used in this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Getting additional information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
1 System Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Standard features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Front panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Back panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Vertical desktop feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
System board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Riser card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Setting up your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Starting your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Understanding the Power-On Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Setting up the operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Turning off your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Resetting your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3 Case Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Static electricity precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Opening the case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Closing the case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4 Replacing and Adding System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Replacing or adding drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Preparing to replace or add a drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Drive cabling information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.5-inch diskette or CD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Adding or replacing memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Adding an expansion card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Replacing the system board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Replacing the processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

ii
5 Using the BIOS Setup Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
About the BIOS Setup utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Updating the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Setting the system board jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Recovery mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
6 Managing Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Protecting against power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Surge suppressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Line conditioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Uninterruptible power supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Maintaining and managing your hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Hard drive maintenance utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Hard drive management practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
System integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Protecting against viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Checking system health with LANDesk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
System Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Creating a startup diskette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Keeping a record of system configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Using your System Restoration CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
System power management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
7 Cleaning Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Cleaning the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Cleaning the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Cleaning the monitor screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Cleaning the computer and monitor cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
8 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Troubleshooting checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Verifying your configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Troubleshooting guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
CD drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Hard drive problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Memory/processor problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Modem problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Peripheral/adapter problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Printer problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
System problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

iii
Video problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
9 Safety, Regulatory, and Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
A Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

iv

Conventions used in this manual v
Preface
Conventions used in this manual
Throughout this manual, you will see the following conventions:
Convention Description
ENTER Keyboard key names are printed in small capitals.
CTRL+ALT+DEL A plus sign means to press the keys at the same time.
Setup Commands to be entered, options to select, and messages that
appear on your monitor are printed in bold.
User’s Guide Names of publications are printed in italic.
Important A note labeled important informs you of special
circumstances.
Caution A caution warns you of possible damage to equipment or
loss of data.
Warning A warning indicates the possibility of personal injury.

vi
Getting additional information
Log on to the technical support area at www.gatewayatwork.com to find
information about your system or other Gateway products. Some types of
information you can access are:
■Hardware driver and program updates
■Technical tips
■Service agreement information
■Technical documents and component information
■Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
■Documentation for peripherals or optional components
■Online access to technical support

Standard features 1
1
System
Features
Standard features
■Intel®Pentium III(FC-PGA 370) i256K processor with 133 MHz Front
Side Bus (FSB)
■Desktop to tower conversion
■Two DIMM sockets that support up to 512 megabytes (MB) of
Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM)
■Intel i815 chipset
■AGP 4X expansion slot or graphics integrated on system board
■Support for Ultra DMA/66 hard drives
■One 3.5 inch 1.44 MB diskette drive, one CD drive, one hard drive, and
two expansion bays
■PS/2 Keyboard port, PS/2 mouse port, video port, two serial ports, parallel
port, two Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, Ethernet port, and audio
line-out, audio line-in and microphone-in ports
■One 1.44 MB 3.5-inch diskette drive, one CD drive, and one hard drive
■Integrated audio using AC’97 compliant audio Codec chip
■145-watt power supply

2System Features
Front panel
The desktop case front panel includes the following features:
Audio-out jack connects headphones or powered speakers that let you listen
to an audio CD (directly from the CD drive).
CD drive plays data or audio CDs.
CD eject button ejects a CD from the CD drive.
CD volume control controls the volume of an audio CD.
Diskette drive writes to and reads from 3.5-inch, 1.44 MB diskettes.
Diskette eject button ejects diskettes from the diskette drive.
Hard drive LED lights when the hard drive is active.
Power button turns the computer on and off.
Power LED lights when the computer is turned on. The green light indicates
your computer is using full power. The amber light indicates your computer
is in power conservation mode.
Reset Button restarts a system that becomes non-responsive.
Audio-out
jack
Diskette
drive
Diskette
eject button
Power button
Reset
button
CD drive
Power LED
CD eject
button
Hard drive LED
CD volume
control

Back panel 3
Back panel
The desktop case back panel includes the following Input/Output (I/O) ports,
connectors, and switches:
Kensington lock slot permits the use of a cable lock to secure the system.
Keyboard port connects a Personal System/2®(PS/2) compatible keyboard.
Microphone-in, audio line-in, and audio line-out jacks connect audio
devices such as speakers, tape players, and microphones
Mouse port connects a PS/2-compatible mouse.
Parallel (printer) port connects a printer or other parallel device.
Power connector connects the computer power cord. The other end of the
power cord plugs into an AC outlet or power strip.
RJ-45 LAN connector lets you connect to a network, and the Indicator LEDs
show LAN activity (yellow LED) and 100 Mb/sec. speed (green LED).
Serial ports connect to serial devices.
Thumbscrew must be loosened to remove the cover from the system.
USB ports connect external Plug-and-Play devices.
Voltage selector sets the voltage for your area, either 115V (US standard) or
230V.
Serial port A
Keyboard portAudio line-in
Microphone-in
Power connector
RJ-45 LAN connector
and indicator LEDs
USB ports
Voltage selector
Parallel (printer) port
AGP video card connector
Kensington lock slot
Thumbscrew
Mouse port
Audio line-out
Serial port B
Video port

4System Features
Video port connects the monitor interface cable.
AGP video card connector (optional) connects to the monitor interface cable
if not using the integrated graphics.
Vertical desktop feature
You can set up your desktop to sit vertically by using a stand included with
your accessory kit. This setup saves space and transforms your desktop into
a minitower computer. See the illustrated instructions included with your
accessory kit or the illustration below for more information.
To convert your computer to a tower:
1Turn off the system and disconnect the power cord, modem cord (if
installed), and all external peripheral devices.
2Lift the right side of the computer until it rests vertically on its left side.
Important If you set your system up vertically, make sure to use a
CD drive with retaining clips. You can use these clips to
hold the CD in place when using the vertical desktop
feature. The CD drive that ships with your system includes
these clips.
Groove for
stand

System board 5
3Lift the front of the computer by pushing on the top front and rocking
it back, then place the plastic stand in the grooves provided for that
purpose.
4Lower the front of the computer, allowing it to balance on the stand.
5Reconnect the power cord and cables you disconnected.
System board
The following figure and list identify system board components.
ABattery
BProcessor socket (PGA370)
P
O
N
M
L
K
J
G
I
H
A
D
E
F
B
C

6System Features
CCPU fan connector
DDIMM slots (3)
EAGP slot
FBIOS configuration jumper (JP6)
GVideo connector
HParallel port
ISerial port B
JSerial port A
KPS/2 Mouse port
LPS/2 Keyboard port
MUSB port (2)
NAudio line-out port
OMicrophone-in port
PAudio line-in port

Riser card 7
Riser card
The riser card is mounted to the chassis by brackets at its base and two screws
at the top. The two screws attach the riser card to a bracket attached to the
power supply cage. The riser card contains most of the connectors and slots
used by the internal system components.
Front
AChassis intrusion switch (SW1)
BATX power connector
CSCSI LED connector (JP11)
DFront panel control and chassis fan connector
ENLX system board edge connector
F10 Mb/sec LED (Amber)
GCD/DVD audio connector (CN4)
HPCI slots (3)
ITAD/Speakerphone connector (CN3)
JWake-on-LAN connector (JP7)
D
L
E
G
H
I
B
C
A
K
J
F

8System Features
KRing-in connector (JP8)
LPower supply fan connector (JP9)
Back
APrimary IDE connector
BSecondary IDE connector
CFloppy Drive connector
DRJ-45 LAN connector
EEthernet LAN Indicator LEDs (Green = 100 Mb/sec Yellow = LAN
activity)
D
B
C
E
A
Pin 1 position on
each connector

Setting up your system 9
2
System Setup
Setting up your system
Follow the instructions on the poster that came with your system for assembly
instructions. You can prepare a safer working environment before assembling
your system by following the guidelines listed below.
■Provide a clean, flat, stable surface for your system. Allow at least 6 inches
at the back of the computer for cabling and air circulation.
■Obtain a grounded (three-prong) AC surge-protected power strip.
A surge-protected power strip helps protect against AC line spikes.
■Protect your system from extreme temperature and humidity. Do not
expose your system to direct sunlight, heater ducts, or other
heat-generating objects.
■Keep your computer away from equipment that generates magnetic
fields, such as unshielded stereo speakers. Even a telephone placed too
close to the computer may cause interference.
■Plug the computer into a wall outlet or power strip that is easily
accessible. When you turn off the computer with the power button, some
electricity still flows through the computer. To remove all power from
the computer, you need to unplug it.
Important Keep the product carton and packing material, in case you
need to send the system out for repair. If you return your
system to the factory in different packaging, your warranty
may be void.

10 System Setup
Starting your system
Before you start your system for the first time:
■Refer to the safety information beginning on page 81.
■Make sure that the voltage selector switch on the back of the computer
is still set to the correct voltage for your area. This switch is set at the
factory to the correct voltage (see “Back panel”on page 3 for voltage
selector switch location).
■Make sure all cables are firmly connected to the proper ports on the back
panel of the computer.
■Make sure the computer and monitor are plugged into an AC outlet or
power strip.
To start the system:
1If you have connected the system components to a power strip, make
sure all the system components are turned off, then turn on the power
strip.
2Turn on the monitor by pressing the power button.
3Turn on the computer by pressing the power button. The power
light-emitting diode (LED) on the front panel is lit when the power is on.
Caution Make sure your computer and peripherals are turned off
and unplugged from the power outlet when you connect
peripherals to the computer.
Power button
Power LED

Starting your system 11
4Turn on any other components connected to the computer, such as
speakers, a printer, or a scanner.
If nothing happens when you turn on the system:
■Recheck the power cables to make sure that they are securely
plugged in and that your power strip (if you are using one) is
plugged in and turned on.
■Make sure the monitor is connected to the computer, plugged into
the power strip or AC outlet, and turned on. You may also need
to adjust the brightness and contrast controls on the monitor.
Wait until the startup procedure is finished before loading a diskette in the
diskette drive, or the computer may search the diskette for startup
information.
Understanding the Power-On Self-Test
When you turn on your computer, the Power-On Self-Test (POST) routine
checks the system memory and components. To display this information,
press TAB during POST. Press ESC to bypass the remaining memory count.
The system displays an error message if POST finds any problems. Write down
the error message that appears.
Setting up the operating system
At initial computer startup, the operating system takes a few minutes to set up.
Refer to your software documentation for specific questions.
To complete the operating system setup:
1After the computer starts, the start-up wizard opens. Click Next.
2Type the requested information in the appropriate text boxes. When you
finish entering the information, click Next.

12 System Setup
3Follow the on-screen instructions, while selecting the desired options in
the start-up wizard dialog boxes. Continue clicking Next to move through
the dialog boxes until the wizard tells you to restart your computer.
If you need to return to the previous dialog box to change any of your
entries, click Back.
4Restart your system. The setup is complete.
Turning off your system
Every time you turn off your system, shut down the operating system first.
You may lose data if you do not follow the proper procedure. Refer to the
software documentation or visit the online help system of your specific
operating system for proper shut down procedures.
Resetting your system
If your computer does not respond to keyboard or mouse input, you may have
to close a program or programs that may not be responding. If closing
unresponsive programs does not restore your computer to normal operation,
you may have to reset the system.
Refer to the software documentation or visit the online help system of your
specific operating system for proper shut down procedures.
Warning When you turn the computer off by pressing the power
button, some electric current still flows through the
computer. Before opening the computer case or
connecting or removing any peripherals, turn off the
computer, then unplug the power cord and modem cord
(if installed).

Static electricity precautions 13
3
Case Access
Static electricity precautions
Static electricity can permanently damage electronic components in your
computer. When opening your computer case, always perform the following
procedure.
To prevent static electricity discharge:
1Wear a grounding wrist strap (available at most electronics stores).
2Turn off the computer power.
3Discharge any static electricity by touching a bare metal surface on the
back of the case.
4Unplug all power cords from AC outlets and disconnect the modem cable
(if installed).
Caution Prevent electrostatic damage to your computer by
following static electricity precautions every time you open
your computer case.