NEC POWERMATE VE - 07-1996 User manual

First Printing — July 1996
Copyright 1996 Copyright 1996
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 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...................................................... x
Related Documents................................................... xi
1 Introducing Your Computer
Front Features .......................................................... 1-2
System Controls and Lamps................................. 1-3
Diskette Drive A.................................................. 1-5
CD-ROM Reader................................................. 1-6
Back Features........................................................... 1-8
External Connectors............................................. 1-9
Power Supply Features ........................................ 1-11
Speakers................................................................... 1-12
The Microphone ....................................................... 1-13
2 Getting Started
Using a Mouse.......................................................... 2-1
About Your Online Documentation ........................... 2-2
Where to Go from Here............................................. 2-4
3 Installing Options
Option Installation Procedures .................................. 3-2
Safety Precautions............................................... 3-4
Removing the System Unit Cover......................... 3-5
Replacing the System Unit Cover......................... 3-7
Expansion Boards..................................................... 3-8
Locating Expansion Slots..................................... 3-8
Installing an Expansion Board.............................. 3-10
Installing an Expansion Board in the
Inside Slot ......................................................... 3-12
Removing an Expansion Board ............................ 3-14

iv Contents
Removing an Expansion Board
from the Inside Slot............................................ 3-15
SIMM Upgrade ........................................................ 3-17
Checking System Memory.................................... 3-18
Removing a SIMM.............................................. 3-20
Installing a SIMM ............................................... 3-21
Video Upgrade.......................................................... 3-22
Processor Upgrade.................................................... 3-24
Removing the Processor....................................... 3-24
Installing the Processor........................................ 3-25
Secondary Cache Upgrade ........................................ 3-26
Data Storage Devices................................................ 3-28
Locating Device Slots.......................................... 3-28
Preparing the Device............................................ 3-29
Device Cables...................................................... 3-30
Diskette Drive Signal Cable ............................ 3-31
IDE Signal Cables .......................................... 3-32
System Power Cables...................................... 3-33
Cabling Storage Devices...................................... 3-33
Cabling an IDE Device ................................... 3-34
Cabling a Diskette Drive................................. 3-35
Installing Storage Devices.................................... 3-36
Removing the 3 1/2-Inch Drive
Bracket......................................................... 3-36
Installing the 3 1/2-Inch Drive......................... 3-38
Removing the Front Panel............................... 3-39
Installing the 5 1/4-Inch Device....................... 3-40
Replacing the Front Panel ............................... 3-43
Replacing the 3 1/2-Inch Drive
Bracket......................................................... 3-44
Adding External Options........................................... 3-45
Connecting a Parallel Printer................................ 3-45
Connecting an RS232C Device ............................ 3-46

Contents v
4 Setting System Parameters
The Setup Utility ...................................................... 4-2
How to Start Setup ................................................... 4-3
How to Use Setup..................................................... 4-4
The Menu Bar ..................................................... 4-5
The Legend Bar................................................... 4-6
Selecting a Menu Item..................................... 4-7
Displaying a Submenu.................................... 4-7
Getting Help................................................... 4-7
Main Menu Options.................................................. 4-7
IDE Adapters....................................................... 4-9
Memory Cache .................................................... 4-11
Memory Shadow.................................................. 4-12
Boot Options ....................................................... 4-12
NumLock ............................................................ 4-13
The Advanced Menu................................................. 4-14
Integrated Peripherals Menu................................. 4-15
The Security Menu ................................................... 4-17
The Power Menu ...................................................... 4-20
The Boot Menu......................................................... 4-22
The Exit Menu.......................................................... 4-22
Save Changes & Exit........................................... 4-22
Discard Changes & Exit ...................................... 4-23
Get Default Values .............................................. 4-23
Load Previous Values.......................................... 4-24
Save Changes ...................................................... 4-24
Operating System Backup Utility.............................. 4-24
Microsoft Create System Disks............................ 4-24
Distribution Diskette Creator ............................... 4-27
5 Setting System Board Jumpers
Changing Processor Jumper Settings......................... 5-2
Setting the Cache Jumper.......................................... 5-4
Clearing Your Password ........................................... 5-7

vi Contents
6 Using Voyetra Sound Software
Power Bar ................................................................ 6-2
Audio Mixer............................................................. 6-3
Adjusting the Sound Using Software .................... 6-3
Adjusting the Sound Using the Speakers............... 6-4
CD Player................................................................. 6-4
WAV Player............................................................. 6-4
Recording Digital Audio Files.............................. 6-5
Playing Digital Audio Files.................................. 6-5
Editing Digital Audio Files................................... 6-6
MIDI Player............................................................. 6-6
7 24-Hour Information Services
NEC's FastFacts Service........................................... 7-2
NEC Bulletin Board Service...................................... 7-4
America Online Service............................................. 7-7
CompuServe Online Service...................................... 7-8
E-Mail/Fax Technical Support Service...................... 7-9
Internet..................................................................... 7-10
NEC Technical Support Services .............................. 7-11
8 If You Have a Problem
Problem Checklist..................................................... 8-2
Solutions to Common Problems................................. 8-3
System Problems ................................................. 8-3
Diskette Drive Problems ...................................... 8-5
Monitor Problems................................................ 8-6
Keyboard/Mouse Problems.................................. 8-7
CD-ROM Problems............................................. 8-7
Speaker Problems................................................ 8-8
Microphone Problems.......................................... 8-8
Replacing the CMOS Battery.................................... 8-9
Diagnostic Diskette................................................... 8-12

Contents vii
Getting Help............................................................. 8-13
Getting Help from Your Company........................ 8-13
Getting Help from Your NEC Dealer ................... 8-13
Getting Help from NEC's Technical Support
Center................................................................ 8-14
NEC Warranty/Non-Warranty Repair Service...... 8-14
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
B Reviewing System Interrupts
Interrupt Controller................................................... B-1
Index

viii Contents
List of TablesQuick Reference to Information About Your
Computer ............................................................... 2-5
Setup Key Functions................................................. 4-6
Main Menu Parameters............................................. 4-8
IDE Hard Disk Parameters........................................ 4-11
Memory Cache Parameters ....................................... 4-12
Boot Option Parameters............................................ 4-13
Keyboard Features Parameters.................................. 4-14
Advanced Menu Parameters...................................... 4-15
Integrated Peripherals Parameters ............................. 4-16
System Security Options........................................... 4-19
Power Management Parameters................................. 4-21
Interrupt Level Assignments...................................... B-1

Using This Guide ix
Using This Guide
The PowerMate Ve Series User's Guide provides a quick
reference to information about your computer.
The guide contains the following information:

Chapter 1, Introducing Your Computer, provides a look
at system components. See this chapter to familiarize
yourself with your system.

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.
 Chapter 3, Installing Options, provides installation
procedures for internal and external options.
 Chapter 4, Setting System Parameters, describes the
Setup utility and explains how to use it to configure your
system.
 Chapter 5, Setting System Board Jumpers, provides
information on changing jumper settings when
reconfiguring your system.

Chapter 6, Using Voyetra Sound Software, explains how
to use Voyetra’s Multimedia Sound Software to play
music CDs, record, play and edit audio files, and play
and edit MIDI files.
 Chapter 7, 24-Hour Information Services, lists the
services available to you for information and help and
describes how to access the services.

x Using This Guide

Chapter 8, If You Have a Problem, contains
troubleshooting tips for solving simple problems and
provides information on where you can find help when
you cannot solve a problem yourself.

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.

Appendix B, Reviewing System Interrupts, provides the
interrupt settings used by the system.
!
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.
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.

Using This Guide xi
!
CAUTION
Cautions indicate situations that can damage the
hardware or software.
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 return and press Enter.
 File names are printed in uppercase letters.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
In addition to this guide, the following printed
documentation ships with your PowerMate®Ve Series
system. See the NEC PowerMate Customers Catalog
included with your system for other related documentation.

NEC PowerMate Ve 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.

xii Using This Guide

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.

Windows 95 User’s Guide
This guide is a quick reference to information about
using Windows 95.
Your system comes with the following online documentation
on the hard disk:

PowerMate Ve Series System Documentation
This online documentation is your comprehensive source
of information about your system. It contains a System
Tour, User’s Guide, Product Information Center, Option
Installation Center, and Support Center.
 Healthy Environment
This is an online version of the “How Does Your
Workplace Measure Up?” brochure.
 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 xiii
In addition to the documentation that ships with the system,
the following documentation is available from NEC:

PowerMate Ve Series Service and Reference
Manual (part number 819-181528-000) which
provides information for maintaining, troubleshooting,
and repairing the PowerMate Ve 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 1-800-233-6321 (in the U.S.) or contact your local
NEC sales provider (outside U.S.).

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 7 for
information about using FastFacts.

Introducing Your Computer 1-1
Introducing 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 setting up your computer, familiarize yourself with
your system. The following sections provide a brief look at
the front and back features of your system.
For a comprehensive source of information about your
computer, see the online NEC PowerMate Ve Series System
Documentation in the Windows® NEC Information group.
1

1-2 Introducing Your Computer
FRONT FEATURES
The following figure shows the features on the front of the
system. A brief description of the features follows the
figure.
Front features
Power
Button
CD-ROM Reader*Diskette Drive A
System Controls
and Lamps
*Multimedia systems only.

Introducing Your Computer 1-3
The following figure depicts in detail the system lamps and
controls called out in the previous figure.
System controls and lamps
System Controls and Lamps
System controls let you select specific system operations.
Lamps let you know the status of system operation. Your
computer has the following controls and lamps:
 Power button
Press this button to turn on system power. Press it again
to turn off the power.

Suspend button
Lets you initiate a power-saving mode of operating your
computer. Press this button to suspend system operation
when you plan to be away from your computer for a
short time. Press any key or move your mouse to resume
system operation to where you stopped it. See “The
Power Menu” in Chapter 4 for more information on the
Suspend operation.
Power Lamp
Disk Lamp
Reset Button
Suspend Button

1-4 Introducing Your Computer
A blinking system unit power lamp lets you know that
the system is in a power-saving mode.

Reset button
The reset button lets you manually restart your system
when it does not respond to keyboard commands.
!
CAUTION
Resetting your system can result in the loss of data.
Press the reset button only when all other methods
of restarting your computer fails.

Power lamp
The power lamp indicates whether system power is on or
off. It also lets you know if the system is operating in a
power-saving mode.
A steady green lamp indicates that the power is on to all
system components. A blinking green lamp indicates that
the system is in Suspend mode with full power
reduction.
 Disk lamp
Indicates if your hard disk is doing anything. A green
lamp tells you that the hard disk is reading or writing
data.
!
CAUTION
Do not turn off the system, unless absolutely
necessary, while the disk lamp is lit. To do so can
damage your hard disk or data.

Introducing Your Computer 1-5
Diskette Drive A
Diskette drive A loads and starts programs from a diskette.
Diskette drive A is your primary “bootable” drive.
Diskette drive A features
Your diskette drive has the following features:
 Diskette drive busy lamp
Lights when your diskette drive is reading to or writing
from a diskette.
!
CAUTION
To prevent damage to your diskette drive and data,
do not turn off the system or remove a diskette
while the diskette drive busy lamp is lit.
 Diskette release button
Press this button to release a diskette from the diskette
drive.
Diskette Release ButtonDiskette Drive
Busy Lamp

1-6 Introducing Your Computer
CD-ROM Reader
An eight-speed CD-ROM reader is a standard feature in
multimedia models. The CD-ROM reader is assigned as
drive E.
Use the CD-ROM reader to load and start programs from a
compact disc (CD). You can also use the CD-ROM reader
to play your audio CDs.
NOTE
You can boot your system from the CD-ROM
with a bootable CD. To enable the system to boot
from the CD-ROM, see “Boot Menu” in Chapter 4.
The CD-ROM reader operates at different speeds depending
on whether the CD you are using contains data or music.
This allows you to get your data faster and to see smoother
animation and video.
NOTE
The CD-ROM reader in your system might
look different from the one shown here.

Introducing Your Computer 1-7
CD-ROM reader features
The CD-ROM reader has the following features:
 Headphone jack
Allows the connection of an optional set of headphones
with a stereo mini-jack plug.
 Volume control knob
Lets you adjust the volume of an optional set of
headphones.
 Open/close button
Opens or closes the reader’s loading tray. Press this
button when the computer power is on to insert or
remove a CD into or out of the reader.
 Emergency eject hole
Allows the manual ejection of a CD if the eject function
is disabled by software or if a power failure occurs.
Headphone
Jack Volume
Control Knob Open/Close
Button
Emergency
Eject Hole
CD Busy
Lamp
CD Tray

1-8 Introducing Your Computer

CD busy lamp
Lights when the reader is retrieving data, music, or
graphics/audio from a CD. Do not eject the CD or turn
off the system unit when the lamp is on.

CD tray
Provides a surface for loading a CD into the reader.
Press the open/close button to open or close the CD tray.
BACK FEATURES
On the back of your computer, you’ll find external
connectors, power supply features, and expansion board
slots. The following figures show these features.
Rear features
Audio
Connectors*
VGA Monitor
Connector
Serial Port 2
Serial Port 1 Printer Port
Power
Socket
Fan
Voltage Selector
Switch
Mouse Port
Keyboard Port
*Multimedia systems only.