HP Vectra XA 5/xxx User manual

HP Vectra VL
5/xxx
User’s Guide

Notice
The information contained in this document is subject to change
without notice.
Hewlett-Packard makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this
material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Hewlett-Packard
shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or
consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance,
or use of this material.
This document contains proprietary information that is protected by
copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be
photocopied, reproduced, or translated to another language without the
prior written consent of Hewlett-Packard Company.
CompuServeTM is a U.S. registered trademark of CompuServe Inc.
Microsoft®, MS®, MS-DOS® and Windows® are U.S. registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Pentium®is a U.S. registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
Hewlett-Packard France
Commercial Desktop Computing Division
38053 Grenoble Cedex 9
France
1996 Hewlett-Packard Company

User’s Guide

iv English
Who this Manual is For
This manual is for anyone who wants to:
•Set up the PC for the first time
•Configure the PC
•Add accessories to the PC
•Troubleshoot problems on the PC
•Find out where to get more information and support.
Important Safety Information
If you have any doubt that you can lift the PC or display safely, do not
try to move it without help.
For your safety, always connect the equipment to a grounded wall
outlet. Always use a power cord with a properly grounded plug, such as
the one provided with this equipment, or one in compliance with your
national regulations. This PC is disconnected from the power by
removing the power cord from the power outlet. This means the PC
must be located close to a power outlet that is easily accessible.
For your safety, never remove the PC’s cover without first removing the
power cord from the power outlet, and any connection to a
telecommunications network. Always replace the cover on the PC
before switching it on again.
WARNING To avoid electric shock, do not open the power supply.
This HP PC is a class 1 laser product. Do not attempt to make any
adjustment of the laser units.

English v
Important Ergonomic Information
It is strongly recommended that you read the ergonomic information
before using your PC.
For Windows 95 users, open the Start menu in the task bar and select
Help. Then double-click on the help topic “Working in Comfort”.
For Windows for Workgroups (Windows 3.11) users, open the Program
Manager, open the program group “HPUtils”, and double-click on the
“HP User Tools” icon. Then click on “Working in Comfort” in the page
tagged “Information”.

vi English

Contents
English vii
1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Unpacking Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Connecting the Mouse, Keyboard, Display and Printer . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Connections for Models with Integrated Video Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Connections for Models with MGA Millennium Video Board. . . . . . . . . . . 4
Connecting Audio Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Connecting the Power Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Starting and Stopping Your PC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Starting Your PC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Starting the PC for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Stopping Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Setting Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Setting an Administrator Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Setting a User Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Additional Information and Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 How to Install Accessories In Your PC
Accessories You Can Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Removing and Replacing the Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Removing the Cover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Replacing the Cover after Installing Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

viii English
Removing the Air Flow Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Installing Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Installing Main Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Installing a Video Memory Upgrade (Integrated Video Models) . . . . . . 21
Upgrading the MGA Millennium Board Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Installing Mass Storage Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Installing an Additional Hard Disk Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Installing a Flexible Disk Drive, CD-ROM Drive, or Tape Drive . . . . . . . 30
Installing Accessory Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Configuring Accessory Boards with Plug and Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Configuring non-Plug and Play ISA Accessory Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Installing the Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Installing an OverDrive Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3 Troubleshooting Your PC
Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
HP Summary Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
If Your PC Does Not Start Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Display is Blank and There Are No Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
If You Cannot Start Your PC from a Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
If a POST Error Message is Displayed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
If You Cannot Turn Off Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
If Your PC Has a Hardware Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

English ix
Display Does Not Work Properly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
If Your Keyboard Does Not Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
If Your Mouse Does Not Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
If Your Printer Does Not Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
If the Flexible Disk Drive Does Not Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
If the Hard Disk Does Not Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
If the CD-ROM Drive Has a Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
If an Accessory Board Does Not Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
If Your PC Has a Software Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
If You Have Forgotten Your Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
If Your Application Software Does Not Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
If the Date and Time are Incorrect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
If You Have a Network Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
If Your PC Has an Audio Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Changing the Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Technical Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
System Board Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Power Consumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
IRQs, DMAs, and I/O Addresses Used by Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Integrated Video Graphic Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
HP Setup Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
4 Hewlett Packard Support and Information Services
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

xEnglish
Your HP Authorized Reseller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
HP SupportPack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
HP Support Assistant CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Hewlett-Packard Information Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
HP Forum on CompuServe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
HP Forum on America Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
HP BBS Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
HP World Wide Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
HP FAXback on Demand—HP FIRST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
HP Audio Tips (USA only) HP Automated Support Directory. . . . . . . . 68
Ordering Drivers and BIOS on Diskette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
HP Support Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Hewlett-Packard Telephone Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Lifeline Telephone Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
HP Network Phone-in Support Service (NPS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Hewlett-Packard Marketing Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

1
Setting Up and Using Your PC

1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Unpacking Your PC
2English
Unpacking Your PC
WARNING If you have any doubt that you can lift the PC or display safely, do not
try to move it without help.
1When you receive your PC, unpack all the components.
2Place the PC on a sturdy desk near to easily accessible power outlets,
with enough space for the keyboard, mouse, and any other
accessories.
3Position the PC so that its rear connectors are easily accessible. (You
can place the PC on the floor instead of on the table, if desired.)
4Refer to the display’s manual for information about the display.
Operating System Your PC’s operating system is preloaded on your PC’s hard disk drive.
Installation Tools No tools are required to set up your PC. However, if you plan to install a
disk drive or an accessory board in your PC, you will need a flat-blade
screwdriver. For further information about installing accessories, refer
to chapter 3, “How to Install Accessories In Your PC”.
Manuals
Mouse
Typical Display
Computer
Keyboard

English 3
1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Connecting the Mouse, Keyboard, Display and Printer
Connecting the Mouse, Keyboard, Display and Printer
Connect the mouse, keyboard, and display to the back of the computer.
The connectors are shaped to go in one way only. Tighten the
display cable attachment screws.
Connect the printer cable to the back of the computer and tighten the
attachment screws. Use the connector labeled:
•Parallel (25-pin parallel connector) for a parallel device
•Serial A (9-pin serial connector) for a serial device
•Serial B (9-pin serial connector) for a second serial device.
Connections for Models with Integrated Video Display
NOTE The Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors are between the serial
connectors and can be used for USB accessories. Most USB accessories
are automatically configured as soon as they are physically attached to
the PC. USB is not supported by all operating systems. If the USB
drivers are not available on your PC, they can be obtained from HP’s
electronic services.
Keyboard
Mouse
Serial Connectors
(USB—see note below)
Parallel Connector
Display

1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Connecting the Mouse, Keyboard, Display and Printer
4English
Connections for Models with MGA Millennium Video Board
NOTE The Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors are between the serial
connectors and can be used for USB accessories. Most USB accessories
are automatically configured as soon as they are physically attached to
the PC. USB accessories are not supported by all operating systems. If
the USB drivers are not available on your PC, they can be obtained from
HP’s electronic services.
MGA Millenium video
display connector
Keyboard
Mouse
Serial Connectors
(USB—see note below)
Parallel Connector

English 5
1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Connecting Audio Accessories
Connecting Audio Accessories
If your PC comes with multimedia capabilities, it will have a
Headphones jack and a Microphone jack on the rear panel. An audio
Line In jack, an audio Line Out jack, and a MIDI interface connector are
also located on the rear panel.
WARNING To avoid discomfort from unexpected noise, always turn the volume
down before connecting headphones or speakers.
Listening to loud sounds for prolonged periods may permanently
damage your hearing. Before putting on headphones, place them
around your neck and turn the volume down. When you put on the
headphones, slowly increase the volume until you find a comfortable
listening level, and leave the volume control in that position.
LINE IN
MIC IN
LINE OUT
SPK OUT
JOYSTICK
NOTE
The internal speaker and the Line
Out jack on the rear of your PC,
are deactivated when you use the
Headphones jack.
The internal speaker is
deactivated when you use the
Stereo Out jack.
The audio accessories shown
here (microphone, speakers, and hifi system) are
not supplied with your PC.

1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Connecting the Power Cables
6English
Connecting the Power Cables
WARNING For your safety, always connect the equipment to a grounded wall
outlet. Always use a power cable with a properly grounded plug such
as the one provided with this equipment or in compliance with your
national regulations. This PC is disconnected from the power by
removing the power cable from the power outlet. This means the PC
must be located close to a power outlet that is easily accessible. This
PC is a class 1 laser product.
1Remove the warning label covering the computer’s power connector
at the rear of the computer.
2Check that the correct voltage is selected for your country. (The
voltage is set during manufacture, and should be already correct.)
3Connect the power cables to the display and the computer. (The
connectors are shaped to go in one way only.)
4Connect the display’s power cable and the computer’s power cable
to grounded outlets.
Voltage
Selector
Grounded Outlet
Computer
Power Cord
Display
Power Cord

English 7
1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Starting and Stopping Your PC
Starting and Stopping Your PC
NOTE If you are starting your PC for the first time, refer to "Starting the PC
for the First Time", on page 8. To stop your PC, refer to "Stopping Your
PC", on page 10.
Starting Your PC
1Before you start your PC, first switch on the display.
2Start your PC in one of these ways:
•press the power button on the front panel
•press the space bar.
When you switch on the computer, the computer carries out the
Power-On-Self-Test (POST) while the Vectra logo is displayed. If
you wish to view the POST details, press to get the HP
Summary Screen. If there is an error in the POST, the error will
automatically be displayed. For details, refer to "HP Setup
Program", on page 60.
3If you have set a password in the PC’s Setup program, the password
prompt displays after the POST has completed. If the Password
prompt is displayed, type your password and press to be
able to use the PC.

1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Starting and Stopping Your PC
8English
Starting the PC for the First Time
If your PC has preinstalled software, it is initialized the first time you
start the PC. The software initialization process takes approximately
three minutes. This process sets up the software in your language and
sets up your software to use the hardware installed in your computer
(you can change the settings after the software has been initialized).
CAUTION You may also be asked to select which operating system you want to use,
for example Windows 3.11 or Windows 95. Once you have confirmed
your selection of the operating system, you cannot change that
selection. The operating system that you have NOT chosen will be
deleted from the computer’s hard disk
Initializing Your Software
NOTE Do NOT switch OFF the PC while the software is being initialized—this
could cause unexpected results.
To initialize your software:
1Turn on the display first, and then the PC.
When the PC is switched on, the Vectra Logo is displayed. The PC
performs a Power-On-Self-Test (POST). Press if you want to
view the POST details in the HP Summary Screen (refer to the
"HP Setup Program", on page 60.
If an error is detected during the Power-On-Self-Test, the PC will
automatically display the error. You may be prompted to press
to start the Setup program to correct the error.

English 9
1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Starting and Stopping Your PC
2The software initialization routine starts. It displays the software
license agreement, gives you an opportunity to read Working in
Comfort (ergonomic advice for computer users), and then asks
questions about the PC. For example:
•The name of the person who will use the PC and your company
name. (If necessary, the name of the user can be modified later.)
•The current date and time.
•The type of printer (for example, HP LaserJet 4M). This is shown
on the front of the printer. You also need to enter the connection
used by the printer.
•The model number of your display. The display’s model number
is shown on the cover of the manual supplied with the display and
on a label on the rear of the display.
•Depending on which model PC you have, you may also be asked
to select which operating system you want to use, Windows 3.11
or Windows 95. Once you have confirmed your selection of the
operating system, you cannot change that selection. The
operating system that you have NOT chosen will be deleted from
the computer’s hard disk
3While the initialization program is running, you can complete the
Warranty Registration card that you will find inside the back of this
manual. When the initialization routine has finished, click on OK and
the PC will restart.
After Your PC Has Restarted
❒Set the keyboard to a comfortable position.
❒Adjust the display screen’s brightness and contrast to suit your
needs. If the picture does not fill the screen or is not centered, adjust
it using the controls on the display. Refer to the display’s manual for
details.

1 Setting Up and Using Your PC
Starting and Stopping Your PC
10 English
Creating Master Diskettes
It is very important that you create master diskettes for your preloaded
software as soon as possible. HP recommends that you use new
diskettes. If you need to restore the preloaded software on your PC,
you can use these diskettes to do so.
For details on how to create these diskettes, refer to the
documentation for your operating system.
Stopping Your PC
To stop the PC, make sure that you have exited all programs and the
operating system (if necessary), and then press the power button on
the control panel.
Refer to the operating system manual for details of how to exit the
operating system.