NEC POWERMATE P - SERVICE MANUAL 1995 User manual

First Printing — August 1995
Copyright 1995 Copyright 1995
NEC Technologies, Inc. NEC Corporation
1414 Massachusetts Avenue 7-1 Shiba 5-Chome, Minato-Ku
Boxborough, MA 01719 Tokyo 108-01, Japan
All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved
PROPRIETARY NOTICE AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
The information disclosed in this document, including all designs and related
materials, is the valuable property of NEC Corporation (NEC) and/or its licensors.
NEC and/or its licensors, as appropriate, reserve all patent, copyright and other
proprietary rights to this document, including all design, manufacturing,
reproduction, use, and sales rights thereto, except to the extent said rights are
expressly granted to others.
The NEC product(s) discussed in this document are warranted in accordance with
the terms of the Warranty Statement accompanying each product. However, actual
performance of each such product is dependent upon factors such as system
configuration, customer data, and operator control. Since implementation by
customers of each product may vary, the suitability of specific product
configurations and applications must be determined by the customer and is not
warranted by NEC.
To allow for design and specification improvements, the information in this
document is subject to change at any time, without notice. Reproduction of this
document or portions thereof without prior written approval of NEC is prohibited.
MultiSync and PowerMate are registered trademarks of NEC Technologies, Inc.
FastFacts is a U.S. trademark of NEC Technologies, Inc.
All other product, brand, or trade names used in this publication are the trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

Contents iii
Contents
Using This Guide
Text Conventions ..................................................... vi
Related Documents................................................... vii
1 Taking a Look at Your Computer
On the Front............................................................. 1-2
CD-ROM Reader................................................ 1-2
Diskette Drive A ................................................. 1-3
IR Window ......................................................... 1-5
System Controls and Lamps ................................ 1-6
On the Back ............................................................. 1-8
External Connectors............................................ 1-8
Power Supply Features........................................ 1-11
Speakers .................................................................. 1-11
Microphone.............................................................. 1-12
2 Getting Started
Using Your Mouse ................................................... 2-1
Using Online Documentation .................................... 2-4
Where to Go from Here............................................ 2-6
3 24-Hour Information Services
NEC's FastFacts Service .......................................... 3-2
NEC Bulletin Board Service..................................... 3-4
America Online Service............................................ 3-6
CompuServe Online Service ..................................... 3-7
AT & T Interchange................................................. 3-8
E-Mail/Fax Technical Support Service ..................... 3-9
Internet .................................................................... 3-10
NEC Technical Support Services.............................. 3-11

iv Contents
4 If You Have a Problem
What to Do if You Have a Problem .......................... 4-2
Solutions to Common Problems................................ 4-3
System Problems................................................. 4-3
Diskette Drive Problems...................................... 4-5
Monitor Problems................................................ 4-6
Keyboard/Mouse Problems.................................. 4-7
CD-ROM Problems............................................. 4-7
Speaker Problems................................................ 4-8
Microphone Problems.......................................... 4-8
Replacing the CMOS Battery ................................... 4-9
Online Diagnostics ................................................... 4-11
Getting Help............................................................. 4-11
Getting Help from Your Company....................... 4-12
Getting Help from Your NEC Dealer................... 4-12
Getting Help from NEC's Technical Support
Center ............................................................. 4-12
NEC Warranty/Non-Warranty Repair Service..... 4-13
A Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment
Making Your Computer Work for You..................... A-1
Arrange Your Equipment.......................................... A-3
Adjust Your Chair.................................................... A-4
Adjust Your Input Devices ....................................... A-6
Adjust Your Monitor................................................ A-8
Vary Your Workday................................................. A-10
Pre-Existing Conditions and Psychosocial Factors..... A-11
Checking Your Comfort: How Do You Measure Up? A-12
Checking Your Chair........................................... A-12
Checking Your Keyboard .................................... A-12
Checking Your Mouse......................................... A-12
Checking Your Monitor....................................... A-12
Checking You ..................................................... A-13
Tables Quick Reference to Information About
Your Computer .................................................... 2-6

Contents v

Using This Guide v
Using This Guide
The PowerMate P Series User's Guide provides a quick
reference to information about your computer.
The guide contains the following information:
n Chapter 1, Taking a Look at Your System, provides a
look at system components. See this chapter to
familiarize yourself with your system.
n Chapter 2, Getting Started, gives you information about
using a mouse, using online documentation, and what
you should do after your system is up and running.
The chapter includes a quick-reference chart for finding
information about a variety topics.
n Chapter 3, 24-Hour Information Services, lists the
services available to you for information and help and
describes how to access the services.
n Chapter 4, If You Have a Problem, contains
troubleshooting tips for solving simple problems and
provides where you can find help when you cannot solve
a problem yourself.
!
WARNING
Prolonged or improper use of a computer
workstation may pose a risk of serious injury. To
reduce your risk of injury, set up and use your
computer in the manner described in Appendix A,
Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment.

vi Using This Guide
n Appendix A, Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment,
contains guidelines to help you use your computer
productively and safely. This appendix also instructs
you on how to set up and use your computer to reduce
your risk of developing nerve, muscle, or tendon
disorders.
TEXT CONVENTIONS
This guide uses the following text conventions.
n Warnings, cautions, and notes have the following
meanings:
!
WARNING
Warnings alert you to situations that could result in
serious personal injury or loss of life.
!
CAUTION
Cautions indicate situations that can damage the
hardware or software.
NOTE
Notes give important information about the
material being described.

Using This Guide vii
n Names of keyboard keys are printed as they appear on
the keyboard, for example, Ctrl, Alt, or Enter.
n Text or keystrokes that you enter appear in boldface
type. For example, type return and press Enter.
n File names are printed in uppercase letters.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
In addition to this guide, the following printed
documentation ships with your PowerMate®P Series
system.
n NEC PowerMate P Series Quick Setup/
Quick-Reference Roadmap
Quick Setup contains information for quickly getting
your system up and running. Read this information to set
up the system for the first time.
The Quick-Reference Roadmap gives you a look at the
documentation, NEC tools, software applications, and
services available to you.
n How Does Your Workplace Measure Up?
This brochure provides information for setting up and
using your computer productively and safely.
Information includes guidelines to reduce the risk of
injury associated with using a computer.
n TabWorks User’s Guide
This guide describes how to us TabWorks™ for
organizing your work and launching your applications
from a notebook-like location.
n TranXit Quick Reference Guide
This guide describes wireless data transfers between
your computer and a laptop using the TranXit™
software.

viii Using This Guide
n Windows 95 User’s Guide
This is a quick reference guide that comes with
Windows 95 systems.
Your system comes with the following online documentation
on the hard disk:
n PowerMate P Series System Documentation
This online documentation is your comprehensive source
of information about your system. It contains a System
Tour, User’s Guide, Hardware Reference Guide, Option
Installation Guide, and Support Guide.
n Ergonomics
This is an online version of the “How Does Your
Workplace Measure Up?” brochure.
n MS-DOS Quick-Start Guide
Comes with MS-DOS/Windowsfor WorkGroups
systems. Provides information for using
MS-DOS.
n Windows Quick-Start Guide
Comes with MS-DOS/Windowsfor WorkGroups
systems. Provides information for using Windows for
WorkGroups.
n Using Windows 95
Comes with Windows 95 systems. Contains information
for using Windows 95.
Most of your application programs provide extensive online
help. Some programs provide separate online user’s guides
for specific applications.
Windows 95 provides extensive online help and “wizards”
to guide you through procedures.

Using This Guide ix
In addition to the documentation that ships with the system,
the following documentation is available from NEC:
n PowerMate P Series Service and Reference
Manualprovides information for maintaining,
troubleshooting, and repairing the PowerMate P Series
system. This guide also includes hardware and interface
information for programmers, engineers, and others who
need to know how the system is designed.
To purchase the service and reference manual, call NEC
at 1-800-632-4525 and select spare part sales at the
prompt.
n NEC FastFacts
NEC FastFacts is an automated service that sends the
latest information about NEC and its products directly
to a fax machine. The service is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week.
With FastFacts, you can obtain product literature and
technical information bulletins. By using FastFacts, you
can be kept up-to-date on the latest technical information
for your system.
See “NEC’s FastFacts Service” in Chapter 3 for
information about using FastFacts.

Taking a Look at Your Computer 1-1
Taking a Look at
Your Computer
!
WARNING
Prolonged or improper use of a computer
workstation may pose a risk or serious injury. To
reduce your risk of injury, set up and use your
computer in the manner described in Appendix A,
Setting Up a Healthy Work Environment.
After unpacking your computer, familiarize yourself with
your system. The following information provides a brief
look at features on the front and rear of your system.
For a comprehensive source of information about your
computer, see the online NEC PowerMate P Series System
Documentation in the Windows® NEC Information group.
1