Gateway M210 User manual

Gateway Notebook
User Guide

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Contents
1GettingHelp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Gateway Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Using eSupport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Help and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Searching for a topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Using Your Computer guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 Checking Out Your Gateway Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Left side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Right side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Keyboard area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Identifying your model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Gateway model and serial number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Finding your specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3GettingStarted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Installing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Connecting the AC adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Protecting from power source problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Starting your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Waking up your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Turning off your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Restarting (rebooting) your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Using the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Key types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
System key combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using the EZ Pad touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using the touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Adjusting the volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Turning your wireless network on or off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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4 Using Drives and Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Using the DVD drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Identifying drive types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Inserting a CD or DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Playing a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Playing a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Creating CDs and DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Using the memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Memory card types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Inserting a memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Adding and removing a PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Viewing the display on a projector or monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
5 Managing Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Monitoring the battery charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Recalibrating the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Changing batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Extending battery life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Conserving battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Using alternate power sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Changing power modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
6 Upgrading Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Preventing static electricity discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Adding or replacing memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Replacing the hard drive kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
7 Maintaining Your Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Caring for your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Cleaning your notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Cleaning the exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Cleaning the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Cleaning the notebook screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Cleaning CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Protecting your computer from viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Updating Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Restoring your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

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8 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
First steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
CD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Device installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
DVD drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
File management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Memory card reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Modem (dial-up) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
PC Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Touchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Telephone support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Before calling Gateway Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Telephone numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Self-help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
A Safety, Regulatory, and Legal Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

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Chapter 1
1
Getting Help
• Using the Gateway Web site
• Using Help and Support
• Using Your Computer guide
• Using online help

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Chapter 1: Getting Help
Thank you for purchasing our
notebook!
You have made an excellent decision choosing Gateway. We are sure that
you will be pleased with the outstanding quality, reliability, and
performance of your new notebook. Each and every Gateway notebook
uses the latest technology and passes through the most stringent quality
control tests to ensure that you are provided with the best product
possible.
Your new Gateway notebook is designed to provide an exceptional
balance of performance and portability. Your notebook uses the latest
chipset and mobile processor technologies to manage the processor speed
and power consumption for a greater battery life experience. This design
provides you with maximum performance when plugged into AC power
balanced with optimized battery life when on battery power.
Please read this manual carefully to familiarize yourself with our range
of services and support. We have highlighted some basic care and safety
information to help you keep your notebook in good operating
condition.
Gateway stands behind our value proposition to our customers — to
provide best-of-class service and support in addition to high-quality,
brand-name components at affordable prices. If you ever have a problem,
our knowledgeable, dedicated customer service department will provide
you with fast, considerate service.
We sincerely hope that you will receive the utmost satisfaction and
enjoyment from your new Gateway notebook for years to come.
Thank you again, from all of us at Gateway.

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Gateway Web site
Gateway Web site
Gateway's online support is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
and provides the most current drivers, product specifications, tutorials,
and personalized information about your notebook. Visit the Gateway
eSupport Web site at support.gateway.com.

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Chapter 1: Getting Help
Using eSupport
The eSupport site is divided into five major areas:
■Support Home
■Product Support
■Downloads
■Contact Us
■PC Tools
Support Home
Click Support Home, then click All Support Documents to access product
documentation, specifications, and guides. You can also browse through
the reference area to locate an article specific to the question you have.
Click Support Home, then click General Tutorials to access an extensive
library of how-to articles and videos on topics, such as making audio CDs
and installing a hard drive.
Product Support
Click Product Support to view a list of all the products that Gateway
supports.
Downloads
Click Downloads, then click My Downloads to get the latest software
updates for BIOS and driver upgrades. By entering your serial number you
get drivers specific to your notebook. Click All Downloads to walk through
a step-by-step wizard to locate your drivers.
Contact Us
Click Contact Us to access links to customer care with a live technician,
including chat and e-mail. Click Call Us to get a list of Gateway telephone
numbers for both sales and support. For more information, see
“Telephone support” on page 95.
PC Tools
Click PC Tools to access utilities to help you manage your notebook.

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Help and Support
Help and Support
Your notebook includes Help and Support, an easily accessible collection
of help information, troubleshooters, and automated support. Use Help
and Support to answer questions about Windows and to help you quickly
discover and use the many features of your Gateway notebook.
To start Help and Support:
■Click Start, then click Help and Support. Help and Support opens.
You can find help information by clicking a link, performing a search,
or browsing the index.

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Chapter 1: Getting Help
Searching for a topic
To search for a topic in Help and Support, type a word or phrase
(keyword) in the Search box located at the top of any Help and Support
screen, then click the arrow button.
For each search, you receive the following search result types:
■Suggested Topics - These topics are located in Help and Support and
are relevant to your search topic.
■Full-text Search Matches - These topics are located in Help and
Support and contain the words you entered in the Search box.
■Microsoft Knowledge Base - These topics are located on the Microsoft
Web site and contain the words you entered in the Search box. You
must be connected to the Internet to search for and access these
topics.
To view a list of your search results, click the results header for the type
of results you want to view.
To view a topic, click the topic name in the Search Results list.
Using Your Computer guide
In addition to this guide, the Using Your Computer guide has been included
on your hard drive. The Using Your Computer guide includes information
on using Windows, using the Internet, sending a fax, and changing
power-saving settings as well as other topics.
To access the Using Your Computer guide:
■Click Start, All Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.

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Online help
Online help
Many programs provide information online so you can research a topic
or learn how to perform a task while you are using the program. You
can access most online help information by selecting a topic from a Help
menu or by clicking a Help button.
You can search for information by viewing the help contents, checking
the index, searching for a topic or keyword, or browsing through the
online help.

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Chapter 1: Getting Help

Chapter 2
9
Checking Out Your
Gateway Notebook
• Identifying features
• Locating your notebook’s model and serial
number
• Locating the Microsoft Certificate of
Authenticity
• Locating the specifications for your
notebook
• Purchasing accessories

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Chapter 2: Checking Out Your Gateway Notebook
Front
Component Icon Description
Volume control ■Press the right side of the button to increase the
volume.
■Press the left side of the button to decrease the
volume.
■Press the button in to mute the volume.
Microphone jack Plug a microphone into this jack.
Headphone jack Plug amplified speakers or headphones into this jack.
The built-in speakers are turned off when speakers or
headphones are plugged into this jack.
Memory card
reader
Insert a memory card from a digital camera, MP3
player, PDA, or cellular telephone into the memory
card reader. For more information, see “Using the
memory card reader” on page 41. The memory card
reader supports Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Pro®,
MultiMediaCard™, and Secure Digital™.
LCD panel release
latch
Open the LCD panel by sliding the release latch.
LCD panel
release latch
Memory
card
reader
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Volume control

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Left side
Left side
Component Icon Description
Modem jack Plug a modem cable into this jack.
Ventilation fan Helps cool internal components.
Warning: Do not work for long periods with the notebook
resting on your lap. If the air vents are blocked, the notebook
may become hot enough to harm your skin.
Caution: Do not block or insert objects into these slots. If
these slots are blocked, your notebook may overheat resulting
in unexpected shutdown or permanent damage to the
notebook.
Caution: Provide adequate space around your notebook so
air vents are not obstructed. Do not use the notebook on a
bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface.
Monitor port Plug an analog VGA monitor or projector into this port.
PC Card slot Insert one Type II PC Card into this slot. For more information,
see “Adding and removing a PC Card” on page 43.
Ventilation fan PC Card slotMonitor portModem jack

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Chapter 2: Checking Out Your Gateway Notebook
Right side
Component Icon Description
IEEE 1394 port Plug an IEEE 1394 (also known as Firewire®or i.Link®)
device (such as a digital camcorder) into this 4-pin
IEEE 1394 port.
USB ports Plug USB devices (such as a diskette drive, flash drive,
printer, scanner, camera, keyboard, or mouse) into these
ports.
DVD/CD-RW or
recordable DVD
drive
Insert CDs or DVDs into this drive. For more information,
see “Using the DVD drive” on page 38. This drive may be
a combination DVD/CD-RW or recordable DVD drive. To
determine the type of drive in the notebook, examine the
drive tray’s plastic cover and compare the logo to those
listed in “Identifying drive types” on page 38.
Power/ battery
charge indicator
■LED solid blue - notebook is on, and if the notebook is
connected to AC power, the battery is fully charged.
■LED blinking blue - notebook is in Standby mode.
■LED solid purple - battery is charging.
■LED blinking purple - battery is charging and notebook is
in standby.
■LED blinking red - battery charge is very low and has
insufficient power to turn on the notebook.
■LED off - notebook is off.
DVD/CD-RW or
recordable DVD
drive
Power
connector
USB
ports
IEEE 1394
port
Power/battery
charge indicator

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Back
Back
Power connector Plug the AC adapter cable into this connector.
Component Icon Description
Kensington™
lock slot
Secure your notebook to an object by connecting a Kensington
cable lock to this slot.
Ethernet jack Plug a 10/100 Ethernet network cable into this jack.
Component Icon Description
Ethernet jack
Kensington lock slot

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Chapter 2: Checking Out Your Gateway Notebook
Bottom
Component Description
Battery Provides power when the notebook is not plugged into AC power.
Battery latch Slide to release the battery. For more information, see “Changing
batteries” on page 51.
System label Includes the product model number. For more information, see
“Identifying your model” on page 16.
Hard drive bay The hard drive is located in this bay. For more information, see
“Replacing the hard drive kit” on page 61.
Memory bay Install as many as two memory modules into this bay. For more
information, see “Adding or replacing memory” on page 57.
Battery lock Slide to unlock the battery. For more information, see “Changing
batteries” on page 51.
Memory
bay
Battery
latch
Hard drive
bay
Battery
lock
Battery
System
label