Acer 9500 - Manual

1 Em powe ring Tech nology Acer Empowering Technology Acer's innovative Empowering Technology makes it easy for you to access frequently used functions and manage your new Acer notebook. It features eight handy utilities: • Acer eDataSecurity Management protects data with passwords and advanced encr...

2 Em po w eri ng Te ch no lo g y For more information, press the < > key to launch the Empowering Technology menu, then click on the appropriate utility and select the Help function. Acer eDataSecurity Management Acer eDataSecurity Management is a handy file encryption utility that protects yo...

3 Em powe ring Tech nology Acer eLock Management Acer eLock Management is a security utility that allows you to lock up your removable data, optical and floppy drives to ensure that data can't be stolen while your notebook is unattended. • Removable data devices — includes USB disk drives, USB pen d...

4 Em po w eri ng Te ch no lo g y Acer ePerformance Management Acer ePerformance Management is a system optimization tool that boosts the performance of your Acer notebook. It provides you with the following options to enhance overall system performance: • Memory optimization — release unused memory ...

5 Em powe ring Tech nology Acer eRecovery Management Acer eRecovery Management is a powerful utility that does away with the need for recovery disks provided by the manufacturer. The Acer eRecovery Management utility occupies space in a hidden partition on your system's HDD. User-created backups are...

6 Em po w eri ng Te ch no lo g y Acer eSettings Management Acer eSettings Management allows you to inspect hardware specifications and to monitor the system health status. Furthermore, Acer eSettings Management enables you to optimize your Windows operating system, so your computer runs faster, smoo...

8 Em po w eri ng Te ch no lo g y Acer ePower Management Acer ePower Management features a straightforward user interface. To launch it, select Acer ePower Management from the Empowering Technology interface, or double-click the Acer ePower Management icon in the task tray. AC mode The default settin...

9 Em powe ring Tech nology You can also click "Advanced Settings" to: • Set alarms. • Re-load factory defaults. • Select what actions will be taken when the cover is closed, and set passwords for accessing the system after Hibernation or Standby. • View information about Acer ePower Manageme...

10 English An Aspire tour After setting up your computer as illustrated in the Just for Starters... poster, let us show you around your new Aspire computer. Front view # Item Description 1 Display screen Also called Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD), displays computer output. 2 Status indicators Light-Em...

11 Eng lis h Closed front view 6 Microphones Internal microphones for stereo sound recording. 7 Touchpad Touch-sensitive pointing device which functions like a computer mouse. 8 Click buttons (left, center and right) The left and right buttons function like the left and right mouse buttons; the cent...

12 English Left view 8 Media control Five-way multimedia button (for selected models). 9 Latch Locks and releases the lid. # Icon Item Description 1 USB 2.0 port Connect to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB mouse, USB camera). 2 PCI Express card slot Accepts one PCI Express card. 3 Headphone/speaker/line-o...

13 Eng lis h Right view # Icon Item Description 1 PC Card slot eject button Ejects the PC Card from the slot. 2 PC Card slot Accepts one Type II PC Card. 3 5-in-1 card reader Accepts Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), and xD-Picture Card.Note: Only one card ca...

14 English Rear view # Icon Item Description 1 Ventilation slots Enable the computer to stay cool, even after prolonged use. 2 DC-in jack Connects to an AC adapter. 3 External display (VGA) port Connects to a display device (e.g., external monitor, LCD projector). 4 S-video/TV-out port Connects to a...

15 Eng lis h Base view # Item Description 1 Cooling fan Helps keep the computer cool.Note: Do not cover or obstruct the opening of the fan. 2 Memory compartment Houses the computer's main memory. 3 Battery lock latch Locks the battery in place. 4 Battery release latch Releases the battery for remova...

16 English Specifications Operating system Microsoft ® Windows ® XP Home Edition (Service Pack 2) Microsoft ® Windows ® XP Professional (Service Pack 2) Microsoft ® Windows ® Media Center Edition Platform Intel ® Pentium ® M processor 725a (2 MB L2 cache, 1.60GHz 400 MHz FSB ) 730/740/750/760/770 (2...

19 Eng lis h Indicators The computer has three easy-to-read status indicators on the upper-right above the keyboard, and four on the front panel. The power, battery and wireless communication status indicators are visible even when the LCD display is closed. Icon Function Description Caps Lock Light...

21 Eng lis h Touchpad The built-in touchpad is a pointing device that senses movement on its surface. This means the cursor responds as you move your finger across the surface of the touchpad. The central location on the palmrest provides optimum comfort and support. Touchpad basics The following it...

23 Eng lis h Using the keyboard The keyboard has full-sized keys and an embedded numeric keypad, separate cursor, lock, Windows, function and special keys. Lock keys The keyboard has three lock keys which you can toggle on and off. Lock key Description Caps Lock When Caps Lock is on, all alphabetic ...

24 English Windows keys The keyboard has two keys that perform Windows-specific functions. Hotkeys The computer employs hotkeys or key combinations to access most of the computer's controls like screen brightness, volume output and the BIOS utility.To activate hotkeys, press and hold the <Fn> ...

26 English Special keys You can locate the Euro symbol and the US dollar sign at the upper-center of your keyboard. The Euro symbol 1 Open a text editor or word processor. 2 To type the < > symbol, hold <Alt Gr> and then press the <5> key at the upper-center of the keyboard. Note: ...

27 Eng lis h Ejecting the optical (CD or DVD) drive tray To eject the optical drive tray when the computer is turned on, press the drive eject button. Using a computer security lock A security keylock notch, located on the chassis of the computer, lets you connect a Kensington-compatible computer se...

28 English Audio The computer comes with 16-bit high-fidelity AC'97 stereo audio, and dual stereo speakers. Adjusting the volume Adjusting the volume on the computer is as easy as pressing some buttons. See "Hotkeys" on page 24 for more information on adjusting the speaker volume.

29 Eng lis h Using the system utilities Note: The system utilities work under Microsoft Windows XP only. Acer GridVista (dual-display compatible) To enable the dual monitor feature of your notebook, first ensure that the second monitor is connected, then, select Start, Control Panel, Display and cli...

30 English Acer GridVista is simple to set up:1 Run Acer GridVista and select your preferred screen configuration for each display from the taskbar. 2 Drag and drop each window into the appropriate grid. 3 Enjoy the convenience of a well-organized desktop. Note: Please ensure that the resolution set...

31 Eng lis h You can access the Launch Manager by clicking on Start, All Programs, and then Launch Manager to start the application. Norton AntiVirus Norton AntiVirus is an anti-virus software that finds and repairs infected files, and protects against viruses to keep your computer data safe and sec...

32 English Microphone features The stereo microphones in your Aspire PC can perform several special functions to provide you with the best quality sound possible. You can access these functions from the taskbar. To access the microphones functions: Double click the HD Audio Manager icon located on t...

33 Eng lis h Frequently asked questions The following is a list of possible situations that may arise during the use of your computer. Easy solutions are provided for each one. I pressed the power button, but the computer does not start or boot up. Look at the power indicator: • If it is not lit, no...

36 English To start the recovery process:1 Restart the system. 2 While the Acer logo is showing, press <Alt> + <F10> at the same time to enter the recovery process. 3 Refer to the on-screen instructions to perform system recovery. Important! This feature occupies 2 to 3 GB in a hidden pa...

38 English Arcade hotkeys When running in the Windows environment, the key combinations listed below are available to control and fine-tune the features and settings of Acer Arcade. InstantOn Arcade mode With some Aspire models, it is possible to use Acer Arcade to watch TV, listen to music, and vie...

39 Eng lis h 48-button remote control If your Aspire is bundled with a TV-tuner card, a 48-button remote control is included for use with the Acer Arcade software. The table below explains the functions for this controller. Warning! The Arcade and Power buttons have different functions depending on ...

40 English Remote functions *TeleText regions only **Dependent on individual DVD content # Item Description 1 Record Record TV 2 Arcade Launch/quit Acer Arcade; return to Arcade main page 3 Color buttons Teletext shortcut functions* 4 0-9 buttons Input TV channel numbers 5 Last Ch Return to previous...

41 Eng lis h Mini remote control Your Aspire notebook comes with a handy mini remote control for convenient operation of Acer Arcade. The buttons provide standard playback functionality. The images below show how the buttons on the remote contol function in the different Arcade modes. Arcade main pa...

42 English Finding and playing content Clicking a button on the Arcade home page opens the corresponding feature's home page. The content pages have buttons on the left and a content browsing area on the right. If a button shows one of several choices, such as sort order, the current setting is show...

43 Eng lis h "Output mode" should be set to "Stereo" if you are listening to speakers, Dolby surround," or "Virtual surround sound" if you are using headphones. Note: If your speakers are not capable of outputting low-frequency signals, it is recommended that you do not s...

44 English Virtual keyboard Whenever you are required to enter search information, or name a file, DVD or folder, you can use the onscreen virtual keyboard. You can quickly enter the information you need using the mouse, cursor keys or keyboard. Background mode With Acer Arcade you can continue list...

45 Eng lis h Cinema If your computer came with a DVD drive, you can play movies from DVDs and Video CDs (VCDs) with the Cinema function of Acer Arcade. This player has the features and controls of a typical DVD player.When you insert a disk into the DVD drive, the movie begins playing automatically....

46 English Album Acer Arcade lets you view digital photos individually or as a slide show, from any available drive on your computer. Click the Album button on the Arcade Home page to show the Album main page. The content area on the right shows both individual pictures and folders. Click on a folde...

47 Eng lis h To add background music to a slide show, click on the "Slide Show Music" option. The Slide Show Music page will ask you to choose music from your personal music library.Click Load Default Settings to return your settings to their default values. Video To open the Video function,...

48 English Editing video Acer Arcade offers the capability to edit captured video clips, photos and footage from a camcorder into a movie. You can also select a movie style, and add special transition effects and music to create the perfect home movie.To edit a movie, click Advanced, and then select...

50 English Note: Since the TV content you watch always lags slightly behind the live TV broadcast, going to the end of the instant replay recording is as close to watching live TV as Arcade permits. Recorded TV The "Recorded TV" page shows recorded TV files. A thumbnail image shows the first...

51 Eng lis h The Region option allows you to select the country or region where your cable provider is located.You can also enable and disable the Time-Shifting function. Channel settings If no channel list exists, click Scan Channels. Your computer will scan and list the available TV channels. Clic...

52 English Make DVDs Acer Arcade provides an easy and complete solution for recording data, audio, photos or videos. You can burn and share any combination of data, music, photos or videos onto a CD or DVD — direct from Make DVD mode or some of the other Acer Arcade media modes. Authoring CD/DVDs Wi...

53 Eng lis h Taking your notebook PC with you This section gives you tips and hints to consider when moving around or traveling with your computer. Disconnecting from the desktop Follow these steps to disconnect your computer from external accessories: 1 Save any open files. 2 Remove any media, flop...

54 English Note: If the Sleep indicator is off, the computer has entered Hibernation mode and is turned off. If the power indicator is off but the Sleep indicator is on, the computer has entered Sleep mode. In both cases, press and release the power button to turn the computer back on. Note that the...

55 Eng lis h Special considerations Follow these guidelines to protect your computer while traveling to and from work: • Minimize the effects of temperature changes by keeping the computer with you. • If you need to stop for an extended period of time and cannot carry the computer with you, leave th...

56 English Special considerations In addition to the guidelines for taking the computer home, follow these guidelines to protect your computer while traveling: • Always take the computer as carry-on luggage. • If possible, have the computer inspected by hand. Airport security X-ray machines are safe...

57 Eng lis h Securing your computer Your computer is a valuable investment that you need to take care of. Learn how to protect and take care of your computer. Security features include hardware and software locks — a security notch and passwords. Using a computer security lock A security keylock not...

58 English • Type the Supervisor Password and press <Enter> to access the BIOS utility. If you enter the password incorrectly, a warning message appears. Try again and press <Enter>. • When the User Password is set and the password on boot parameter is enabled, a prompt appears at boot-u...

59 Eng lis h Expanding through options Your notebook PC offers you a complete mobile computing experience. Connectivity options Ports allow you to connect peripheral devices to your computer as you would with a desktop PC. For instructions on how to connect different external devices to the computer...

60 English Built-in network feature The built-in network feature allows you to connect your computer to an Ethernet-based network. To use the network feature, connect an Ethernet cable from the Ethernet (RJ-45) port on the chassis of the computer to a network jack or hub on your network. Fast Infrar...

62 English PC Card slot The Type II PC Card slot of the computer accepts PC Cards that enhance the usability and expandability of the computer. These cards should have a PC Card logo on them. PC Cards (formerly PCMCIA) are add-on cards for portable computers, giving you expansion possibilities long ...

63 Eng lis h ExpressCard The ExpressCard is the newest version of the PC Card. It is a smaller and faster interface that further enhances the usability and expandability of your computer. ExpressCards support a vast number of expansion options, including flash memory card adapters, TV-tuners, Blueto...

64 English Installing memory Follow these steps to install memory: 1 Turn off the computer, unplug the AC adapter (if connected) and remove the battery pack. Then turn the computer over to access its base. 2 Remove the screws from the memory cover; then lift up and remove the memory cover. 3 (a) Ins...

65 Eng lis h Connecting your TV and AV-in cables Follow the instructions below to set up the TV function of your Acer Aspire notebook. PAL/SECAM and NTSC systems 1 Plug the PAL/SECAM cable’s RF plug into your notebook’s RF jack. 2 Connect the other end to your TV antenna cable, using the NTSC conver...

67 Eng lis h AV-in cable The AV-in cable can be used to connect your notebook to a VHS player or camcorder for viewing, capturing and recording video clips. 1 Plug the single end of the cable into the AV-input port of your notebook. 2 Connect the other ends to the S-video or composite audio/video ja...

68 English BIOS utility The BIOS utility is a hardware configuration program built into your computer's BIOS. Your computer is already properly configured and optimized, and you do not need to run this utility. However, if you encounter configuration problems, you may need to run it. To activate the...

69 Eng lis h Using software Playing DVD movies When the DVD drive module is installed in the optical drive bay, you can play DVD movies on your computer. 1 Eject the DVD tray and insert a DVD movie disk; then close the DVD tray. Important! When you launch the DVD player for the first time, the progr...

70 English Power management This computer has a built-in power management unit that monitors system activity. System activity refers to any activity involving one or more of the following devices: keyboard, mouse, hard disk, peripherals connected to the computer, and video memory. If no activity is ...

71 Eng lis h 4 In the Acer eRecovery Management window, select Recovery settings and click Next. 5 In the Recovery settings window, select Backup snapshot image and click Next. 6 Select the backup method.a Use Backup to HDD to store the backup disk image on drive D:. b Backup to optical device to st...

72 English 7 Follow the instructions on screen to complete the process. Re-install bundled software without CD Acer eRecovery Management stores pre-loaded software internally for easy driver and application re-installation.1 Boot to Windows XP. 2 Press <Alt> + <F10> to open the Acer eRec...

73 Eng lish Eng lis h Troubleshooting This chapter shows you how to deal with common system problems. Read it before calling a technician if a problem occurs. Solutions to more serious problems require opening up the computer. Do not attempt to open the computer yourself; contact your dealer or auth...

75 Eng lish Eng lis h Regulations and safety notices ENERGY STAR guidelines compliance As an ENERGY STAR partner, Acer Inc. has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. FCC notice This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class ...

76 English Operation conditions This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired ope...

77 Eng lish Eng lis h Your telephone company may make changes in its facilities, equipment, operations, or procedures that could affect the proper functioning of your equipment. If they do, you will be notified in advance to give you an opportunity to maintain uninterrupted telephone service.If this...

78 English Notice for New Zealand For modem with approval number PTC 211/03/0081 The grant of a Telepermit for any item of terminal equipment indicates only that Telecom has accepted that the item complies with minimum conditions for connection to its network. It indicates no endorsement of the prod...

79 Eng lish Eng lis h 3 This device is equipped with pulse dialing while the Telecom standard is DTMF tone dialing. There is no guarantee that Telecom lines will always continue to support pulse dialing. 4 Use of pulse dialing, when this equipment is connected to the same line as other equipment, ma...

81 Eng lish Eng lis h Laser compliance statement The CD or DVD drive used with this computer is a laser product. The CD or DVD drive's classification label (shown below) is located on the drive.CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCTCAUTION: INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION WHEN OPEN. AVOID EXPOSURE TO BEAM.APPAREIL A LASER...

82 English Radio device regulatory notice Note: Below regulatory information is for models with wireless LAN and/or Bluetooth only. General This product complies with the radio frequency and safety standards of any country or region in which it has been approved for wireless use. Depending on config...

83 Eng lish Eng lis h List of applicable countries EU member states as of May 2004 are: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slova...

85 Eng lish Eng lis h Federal Communications Comission Declaration of Conformity This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, in...

86 English Declaration of Conformity for CE Marking Is in compliance with the essential requirements and other relevant provisions of the following EC directives. The product specified above was tested conforming to the applicable Rules under the most accurate measurement standards possible, and all...

87 Eng lis h Index A AC adapter caring for v audio 28 adjusting the volume 28troubleshooting 34 B battery pack caring for vi BIOS utility 68brightness hotkeys 25 C caps lock 23 on indicator 19 care AC adapter vbattery pack vicomputer v CD-ROM ejecting 27 cleaning computer vi computer caring for vcle...