NEC PowerMate Ready ES Pro User manual

First Printing — August 1997
Copyright 1997
NEC Computer Systems Division
Packard Bell NEC, Inc.
1414 Massachusetts Avenue
Boxborough, MA 01709
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 Computer Systems Division, Packard Bell NEC (NECCSD, PBNEC)
and/or its licensors. NECCSD 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 NECCSD 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 NECCSD.
To allow for design and specification improvements, the information in this document is sub-
ject to change at any time, without notice. Reproduction of this document or portions thereof
without prior written approval of NECCSD is prohibited.
NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation, and NEC CS500 and NEC’s WebWay are trademarks of NEC
Technologies, Inc. These trademarks are used under license by NEC Computer Systems Division, Packard Bell NEC, Inc.
MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
X2 and the x2 logo are trademarks of U.S. Robotics Corporation.
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
About this guide......................................................................... ix
Who should use this guide?..............................................................ix
How should I use this guide? ...........................................................ix
What about text conventions?...........................................................x
Where else can I find information?...................................................xi
Get acquainted............................................................................. 1
Looking at the Merlin topics.............................................................2
Merlin topics................................................................................3
How to use Merlin .......................................................................4
NEC DirectLinks..............................................................................5
Taking the NEC Ready System Tour ................................................5
Take shortcuts............................................................................. 7
Locating NEC DirectLinks ...............................................................8
Using NEC DirectLinks....................................................................9
Find information quickly!.......................................................... 11
Checking out the NEC Help Library ...............................................12
Using electronic books...............................................................13
Using the NEC Help Center.......................................................13
Keeping help handy.........................................................................16
Getting help on everything..............................................................17
Help in your applications............................................................17
Help on the operating system .....................................................17

iv Contents
Send a fax — in minutes! ..........................................................19
Checking your fax banner............................................................... 20
Sending the fax .............................................................................. 21
Receiving a fax............................................................................... 22
Viewing faxes ................................................................................ 23
Stay in touch...............................................................................25
Using the phone............................................................................. 26
Dial a call manually.................................................................... 26
Dial using Phone Book.............................................................. 27
Dial using Speed Dial ................................................................ 27
Answering a phone call .................................................................. 28
Checking voicemail answering........................................................ 29
Playing voice messages .................................................................. 30
From the Voice messages tab .................................................... 30
From remote telephones ............................................................ 30
Setting a password for mailboxes................................................... 31
Hear the difference! ...................................................................33
Introducing your sound system....................................................... 34
Playing a music CD........................................................................ 35
Pumping up the volume.................................................................. 36
From the sound software........................................................... 36
From the speakers ..................................................................... 36
Wander the Web.........................................................................37
Finding NEC’s WebWay................................................................ 37
Checking what’s on NEC’s WebWay............................................. 38
Using the navigation buttons.......................................................... 39

Contents v
Calling for WebWay help................................................................39
Using Internet service providers......................................................39
Get customer services ’round the clock!................................ 41
Looking at available services...........................................................42
Using NECCSD services.................................................................44
NECCSD FaxFlash Service........................................................44
NECCSD Bulletin Board System ...............................................47
NECCSD on America Online.....................................................49
NECCSD on CompuServe.........................................................50
Email/fax technical support service.............................................51
Internet......................................................................................52
NECCSD Technical Support Center...........................................53
Find answers to questions....................................................... 55
Mouse............................................................................................56
Monitor..........................................................................................57
Diskette drive.................................................................................58
CD-ROM reader.............................................................................59
Faxing ............................................................................................60
Modem...........................................................................................61
Telephone/answering system...........................................................62
Multimedia .....................................................................................63
Solve problems.......................................................................... 65
Determining the problem.................................................................66
Solving common problems..............................................................68
System problems........................................................................68
Diskette drive problems..............................................................69
Monitor problems ......................................................................70

vi Contents
Keyboard/mouse problems ........................................................ 71
CD-ROM reader problems ........................................................ 71
Speaker problems...................................................................... 72
Microphone problems................................................................ 72
Printer problems........................................................................ 73
Clearing your password.................................................................. 73
Cleaning the mouse........................................................................ 74
Getting help................................................................................... 75
Getting help from your company ............................................... 75
Getting help from your NECCSD retailer/dealer........................ 75
Getting help from NECCSD...................................................... 75
NECCSD warranty repair service................................................... 76
Ready product recovery CD to the rescue!.............................77
Checking out your recovery CD..................................................... 78
Selecting recovery options ............................................................. 78
Test Your System...................................................................... 78
Format and Restore Your Hard Disk......................................... 79
Testing your system ....................................................................... 80
Restoring your software with the Recovery CD.............................. 82
Setting up a healthy work environment...................................85
Making your computer work for you.............................................. 86
Arrange your equipment................................................................. 87
Adjust your chair ........................................................................... 88
Adjust your input devices............................................................... 90
Adjust your monitor....................................................................... 92
Vary your workday........................................................................ 94
Pre-existing conditions and psychosocial factors............................. 95

Contents vii
Checking your comfort: how do you measure up?...........................96
Checking your chair ...................................................................96
Checking your keyboard.............................................................96
Checking your mouse.................................................................96
Checking your monitor...............................................................96
Checking you.............................................................................97
Index

About this guide ix
About this guide
This guide gives you an introduction to what you can do with your
Ready Multimedia Computer and how to do it.
Who should use this guide?
We’ve written this guide for anyone who wants to learn about using
the Ready Multimedia Computer.
How should I use this guide?
We suggest that you read :

“Get acquainted” for information on how to best start with
your system once you’ve set it up.

“Take shortcuts” to learn about NEC DirectLinks which take
you directly to the software applications that you’ll want to
use often.

“Find information quickly!” for an explanation of all the
electronic help and online books that come with the Ready
Multimedia Computer.

“Send a fax — in minutes!” for quick steps on sending a fax
from Ready fax/modem models.

“Stay in touch” for information on using the phone with
Ready fax/modem models.

“Hear the difference!” to become familiar with the many
sound options on your computer.

“Wander the Web” for an overview of NEC’s WebWay™
Internet home page.

x About this guide

“Get customer services ’round the clock” for information
about the many services NECCSD provides for our products.

“Find answers to questions” for some typical questions about
using the Ready computer and their answers.

“Solve problems” for some ideas on how to handle common
problems with your Ready computer that may come up from
time to time.

“Ready product recovery CD to the rescue!” for some very
important information on what to do if you need to restore the
software that shipped with your Ready computer.

“Setting up a healthy work environment” to learn how to
prepare yourself and your work space for best results with
your computer.
What about text conventions?
This guide uses the following text conventions.

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.

About this guide xi
Note:
Notes give important information about the
material being described.

Names of keyboard keys are printed as they appear on the
keyboard, for example, Ctrl, Alt, or Enter.

Text or keystrokes that you enter appear in boldface type. For
example, type exit and press Enter.

Mouse input is a single click of the left mouse button unless
indicated otherwise.
Want to know more?
This section appears at the end of some sections in this guide.
See it for other sources of information on the topic just
discussed.
Where else can I find information?
Use the following documentation with this guide for information
about your computer.
 NEC Help Library
The online NEC Help Library provides a shelf of electronic
books describing the software that comes with your Ready
computer. The shelf also contains the NEC Help Center
package described next. You can get to it by double clicking
the NEC Help Library icon on your desktop.

xii About this guide

NEC Help Center
The online NEC Help Center is your comprehensive source of
information about your system. Go to the NEC Help Center
for detailed information about your computer.
You can choose topics from categories such as System Tour,
The Basics, Advanced Topics, Questions & Answers, System
Upgrades, and Service & Support.
 NEC Ready Series System Upgrade and Reference Guide
This printed guide provides information for adding system
upgrades to your Ready Computer. It includes a description of
your computer’s resources such as communication ports and
interrupts. You can also find jumper settings and hardware
specifications.

Get acquainted 1
Get acquainted
Your new Ready Computer is full of state-of-the-art technologies that
add up to power and performance for you. Take a look at the many
interesting and exciting features. You can learn all about them by
taking the Ready tours.
Continue for directions to the following features:

Merlin topics

DirectLinks

NEC Ready System Tour.

2 Get acquainted
Looking at the Merlin topics
Double click the Wizard hat icon on your Windows95 desktop.
The Merlin Topics List appears. You can select topics that help
you learn the basics, review the NEC DirectLinks, and more!
Merlin and his cast of characters provide an easy and entertaining
way to get acquainted with your computer.
Note:
Merlin appears his best when the system is set
at the High Color (800 by 600 with 64,000 colors) video
setting.
Merlin Topics List

Get acquainted 3
When you click “Meet Merlin,” Merlin introduces himself and
explains his role on your Ready computer. He also describes the tours
you can take.
Merlin and his “colleagues” give you a series of quick tours around
your desktop. You’ll see the Start button, the taskbar, My Computer,
the Recycle Bin, and more. By the end of the tours, you should feel
more comfortable with your desktop. And you can also run the tour
or print a reference card anytime for a quick refresher.
Merlin topics
The topics are grouped into four areas.
The Basics
Just as it sounds, the Basics gets you started on your computer. Meet
Merlin, hear how to use the mouse, get around the desktop, start
programs, and understand Windows.
More Basics
More Basics takes you to the next level of concepts you need to
understand to efficiently use Windows. Learn what’s stored on your
computer, how to make and use folders, manage your files, create
shortcuts. Even if you’re not entirely new to computers, you might
pick up a tip or two that you didn’t know before!
DirectLinks
Merlin explains your NEC Ready’s own shortcuts, DirectLinks. He
can get you doing what you want to do with your computer in a jiffy!
Want to play some music? Want to surf the Internet? Merlin can get
you started fast.

4 Get acquainted
Tips and Tricks
No matter what your level of experience with computers, it’s
worthwhile going through this topic list. Tips and Tricks addresses
areas that computer users often find confusing. Merlin and company
take some of the mystique out of using your computer and help you
learn to get the most out of your computer.
How to use Merlin
Once you are in the Merlin topics, click the topic title of your choice
and Merlin or one of his “colleagues” appears and talks about the
topic. Hearing how to use the computer can be an easier way to learn
and remember. It’s certainly more fun than just reading about it.
If you like, after listening, you can select and print out a quick
reference card on the topic to refer to as you actually try the task.
Just select View Reference Card. The reference card pops up.
For example, if you find your computer seems stuck, go to Merlin’s
Tips and Tricks topics list. Select “Your computer is stuck?” You can
play the video clip or, just click the button to the right of the topic for
the reference card. Here is the reference card that pops up.
Merlin Reference Card

Get acquainted 5
You can also select a link to the relevant Windows Help file for
further information by clicking the highlighted text. In this case, click
“Restarting your computer.”
NEC DirectLinks
Merlin tours the NEC DirectLinks that take you directly to Ready-
specific shortcuts. DirectLinks launch software programs that you use
frequently and save you time. More about these later in this guide.
Taking the NEC Ready System Tour
The Ready System Tour takes you around your computer, pointing
out basic system components, your software, and many hardware
attractions. Take the tour to get familiar with your new Ready
computer.
Here’s how to start the system tour:
1. Double click the NEC Help Library icon on the Windows 95
desktop.
2. From the shelf, select the NEC Help Center.
3. From the NEC Help Center screen, click the System Tour
button on the left side of the screen.
Enjoy!

Take shortcuts 7
Take shortcuts
NEC DirectLinks bring you instantly to the programs that let you get
things done quickly on your computer.
Once you are in DirectLinks, a simple click takes you directly to the
program that lets you

play a video

listen to your favorite music CD

make or pick up phone calls

surf the World Wide Web using NEC’s WebWay™ for
boundless information and fun!

8 Take shortcuts
In this section, we’ll show you where you can find your shortcuts and
where they take you.
Locating NEC DirectLinks
You can find the NEC DirectLinks icon on the Windows 95 desktop.
Click the icon and a panel of pictures pops up.
Read on to see where each DirectLink takes you.
NEC DirectLinks

Take shortcuts 9
Using NEC DirectLinks
Click the NEC DirectLinks icons to quickly launch your multimedia
and communications programs.
Here’s a description of the NEC DirectLinks:
Video Player
Select Video Player to run video formats such as AVI, MPEG, and
video CDs. Play video clips from the Internet or you can even watch
movies on your computer!
Microphone
Select Microphone to run VoyetraRecording Station. This is where
you go to record voice messages or original musical pieces using
sophisticated-looking recording station software.
Stereo System
Select Stereo System for a suite of programs to perform all of your
personal and professional audio tasks. Use your Stereo System to play
music CDs, adjust your sound system, create custom playlists of
sounds, and more!
Communications
Choose Communications to send and receive faxes (with fax/modem
models), and if you have speakers and a microphone, use your
hands-free speakerphone, use your answering machine, and more!

10 Take shortcuts
WebWay
Click the globe to open NEC’s WebWay. Follow the screen
prompts and soon you’ll be on your way, cruising the information
highway!

Find information quickly! 11
Find information quickly!
Your system comes with documentation available at your fingertips.
No more hunting for printed manuals. Information about your system
is available right from your Windows 95 desktop.
There are three places you can go for quick information:

NEC Help Library

Merlin’s topics (described earlier in “Get acquainted”)

? (question mark) or Help button in any program you run.