TravelMate C300 series User’s guide
Copyright © 2003. Acer Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. TravelMate C300 series User’s guide Original Issue: October 2003 Changes may be made periodically to the information in this publication without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes. Such changes will be incorporated in new editions of this manual or supplementary documents and publications.
iii We would like to thank you for making the TravelMate series of notebook computers your choice for your mobile computing needs. We hope you will be happy with your TravelMate as much as we enjoyed making it for you. Your guides To help you use your TravelMate, we have designed a set of guides: First off, the Just for Starters... poster helps you get started with setting up your computer. This User’s guide introduces you to the many ways your computer can help you be more productive.
English iv Basic care and tips for using your computer Turning your computer on and off To turn on the computer, simply slide and release the power switch on the left side of your TravelMate. See “Left view” on page 4 for the location of the power switch. To turn the power off, do any of the following: • Use the Windows shutdown command Click on Start, Turn Off Computer; then click on Turn Off. • Use the power switch Note: You can also use the power switch to perform power management functions.
v Here are some ways to take care of your AC adapter: • Do not connect the adapter to any other device. • Do not step on the power cord or place heavy objects on top of it. Carefully route the power cord and any cables away from personal traffic. • When unplugging the power cord, do not pull on the cord itself but pull on the plug. • The total ampere ratings of the equipment plugged in should not exceed the ampere rating of the cord if you are using an extension cord.
English vi
iii iii iv 1 Getting to know your TravelMate 1 A TravelMate tour Front view Left view Right view Rear view Bottom view Using your computer in tablet mode Writing in the tablet mode Features Indicators Understanding the icons Using the keyboard Special keys Touchpad Touchpad basics Storage Hard disk Optical drive Audio Power management Acer light sensor Moving around with your TravelMate Disconnecting from the desktop Moving around Taking the computer home Traveling with the computer Traveling internation
3 Troubleshooting my computer 51 Frequently-asked questions Requesting service International Travelers Warranty (ITW) Before you call 53 57 57 57 Appendix A Acer soft button 59 Appendix B Specifications 65 Appendix C Notices 71 Index 81
1 Getting to know your TravelMate
Your TravelMate computer combines highperformance, versatility, power management features and multimedia capabilities with a unique style and ergonomic design. Work with unmatched productivity and reliability with your new power computing partner.
3 After setting up your computer as illustrated in the Just for Starters... poster, let us show you around your new TravelMate computer. Front view # Item Description 1 EMR stylus Electromagnetic resonate (EMR) stylus is used to input data in tablet mode. Use only an EMR-compatible stylus to input data on the screen.
English 4 1 Getting to know your TravelMate # Item Description 2 Display screen Also called LCD (liquid-crystal display), displays computer output. 3 Tablet Keys Add enhanced functionality when operating in Tablet mode. 4 Launch Keys Buttons for launching frequently used programs. See“Launch Keys” on page 23 for more details. 5 Palmrest Comfortable support area for your hands when you use the computer.
5 Item Description 2 Power switch Turns on the computer power. 3 Ventilation slot Allows air to circulate through the computer chassis. 4 AcerMedia Bay For hot-swappable modules including DVD-ROM, DVD/CD-RW combo or DVD dual drive. 5 LED indicator Lights up when the optical drive is active. 6 Eject button Ejects the optical drive tray from the drive. 7 Emergency eject slot Ejects the optical drive tray when the computer is turned off. See page 54 for more details.
English 6 1 Getting to know your TravelMate # Item Description 3 PC Card eject button Ejects the PC Card from the slot. 4 PC Card slot Accepts one Type II 16-bit PC Card or 32-bit CardBus PC Card. Rear view # Item Description 1 Line-in/Mic-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices (e.g., audio CD player, stereo walkman). 2 Speaker/Line-out Headphone jack Connects to audio line-out devices (e.g., speakers, headphones). 3 IEEE 1394 port Connects to IEEE 1394 devices.
7 Item Description 7 Convertible hinge Hinges the LCD screen in place when switching from PC mode to tablet mode and vice versa. 8 External display port Connects to a display device (e.g., external monitor, LCD projector) . 9 S-video Connect to a television or display device with S-video input. 10 USB 2.0 ports (2) Connect to Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 devices (e.g., USB mouse, USB camera). 11 Power jack Connects to an AC adapter.
English 8 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Bottom view # Item Description 1 AcerMedia bay release latch Unlatches the AcerMedia drive for removal or swapping. 2 AcerMedia bay Houses an AcerMedia drive module. 3 Cooling fan Helps keep the computer cool. Note: Don’t cover or obstruct the fan opening. 4 Memory compartment Houses the computer's main memory. 5 Hard disk protector Protects the hard disk from accidental dumps and vibration.
9 Your computer is designed for convenience, ergonomic use, and portability. Running the Windows XP Tablet PC edition operating system, your TravelMate utilizes an EMR stylus for pen-based input. Software developed specifically for the computer allows for both handwriting recognition converted to application text, or handwriting captured as rich digital ink for manipulation, editing, and formatting.
English 10 2 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Open the display screen to an angle of about 90 degrees. Rotate the display screen 180 degrees clockwise as shown in the illustration. Note: Do not rotate the display screen in any other angle. 3 With the screen facing away from the keyboard, close the display cover and slide the lock lever to properly secure the screen.
11 Remove the EMR stylus from the pen slot to begin pen-based input.
English 12 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Features Below is a brief summary of the computer’s many features: Performance • Intel® Pentium® M processor with 1MB L2 cache • Intel® 855GM chipset • CD ROM, DVD, DVD/CD-RW combo, DVD or DVD-dual drive • High-capacity Enhanced-IDE hard disk • High-capacity LI-ION battery • Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI) power management system Display • 14.
13 • High-speed fax/data modem port • 10/100/1000 t-based Gigabit Ethernet port • USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 ports • IEEE 1394 port • 802.11b, 802.
English 14 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Indicators The computer has eight easy-to-read status icons at the top of the display screen. The Power and Sleep status icons are visible even when you close the display cover so you can see the status of the computer while the cover is closed. Icon Function Description Wireless communication Lights when the Wireless LAN capabilities are enabled. Bluetooth Lights when Bluetooth is enabled or a Bluetooth enabled device is within range.
15 Function Description Media Activity Lights when the floppy drive, hard disk or optical drive is active. Battery Charge Lights when the battery is being charged. Caps Lock Lights when Caps Lock is activated. Num Lock Lights when Num Lock is activated.
English 16 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Understanding the icons When the cover of your computer is closed, four easy-to-read icons are shown, indicating which state or feature is enabled or disabled. Icon Description Lights when Bluetooth is enabled or a Bluetooth enabled device is within range. Lights when the Wireless LAN capabilities are enabled. Lights up when the computer is on. Lights when the computer enters Standby mode and blinks when it enters into or resumes from hibernation mode.
17 The keyboard has full-sized keys and an embedded keypad, separate cursor keys, two Windows keys and twelve function keys. 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 characters typed are in uppercase. Num Lock (Fn-F11) When Num Lock is on, the embedded keypad is in numeric mode. The keys function as a calculator (complete with the arithmetic operators +, -, *, and /).
English 18 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Embedded numeric keypad The embedded numeric keypad functions like a desktop numeric keypad. It is indicated by small characters located on the upper right corner of the keycaps. To simplify the keyboard legend, cursor-control key symbols are not printed on the keys. Desired access Num lock on Num lock off Number keys on embedded keypad Type numbers in a normal manner. Cursor-control keys on embedded keypad Hold Shift while using cursor-control keys.
19 The keyboard has two keys that perform Windows-specific functions. Key Description Windows logo key Start button. Combinations with this key perform shortcut functions. Below are a few examples: + Tab (Activates next taskbar button) + E (Explores My Computer) + F (Finds Document) + M (Minimizes All) Shift + + M (Undoes Minimize All) + R (Displays the Run... dialog box) Application key Opens a context menu (same as a right-click).
English 20 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Hot keys The computer employs hot keys or key combinations to access most of the computer’s controls like screen brightness, volume output and the BIOS Utility. To activate hot keys, press and hold the Fn key before pressing the other key in the hot key combination. Hot key Icon Function Description Fn-F1 Hot Key Help Displays help on hot keys. Fn-F2 Setup Accesses the computer’s configuration utility.
21 Icon Function Description Fn-F5 Display Toggle Switches display output between the display screen, external monitor (if connected) and both the display screen and external monitor. Fn-F6 Screen Blank Turns the display screen backlight off to save power. Press any key to return. Fn-F7 Touchpad Toggle Turns the internal touchpad on and off. Fn-F8 Speaker Toggle Turns the speakers on and off. Fn-↑ Volume up Increases the sound volume. Fn-↓ Volume down Decreases the sound volume.
English 22 1 Getting to know your TravelMate The Euro symbol If your keyboard layout is set to United States-International or United Kingdom or if you have a keyboard with a European layout, you can type the Euro symbol on your keyboard. Note for US keyboard users: The keyboard layout is set when you first set up Windows. For the Euro symbol to work, the keyboard layout has to be set to United States-International. To verify the keyboard type: 1 Click on Start, Control Panel.
23 Located at the top of the keyboard are six buttons. These buttons are called launch keys. They are designated as Wireless, Bluetooth, P1 , P2, mail, and Web browser buttons. The Wireless and Bluetooth buttons cannot be set by the user. To set the other four launch keys, run the Acer Launch Manager. No. Description Default application 1 Wireless LAN (optional) Activate wireless LAN for wireless communication. 2 Bluetooth (optional) Activate Bluetooth for wireless communication.
English 24 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Touchpad The built-in touchpad is a PS/2-compatible pointing device that senses movement on its surface. This means the cursor responds as you move your finger on the surface of the touchpad. The central location on the palmrest provides optimum comfort and support. Note: When using an external USB or serial mouse, you can press Fn-F7 to disable the touchpad.
25 Press the left (#1) and right (#3) buttons located on the edge of the touchpad to do selection and execution functions. These two buttons are similar to the left and right buttons on a mouse. Tapping on the touchpad produces similar results. • Use the 4-way scroll (#2) button to scroll up or down and move left or right a page. This button mimics your cursor pressing on the right scroll bar of Windows applications.
English 26 1 Getting to know your TravelMate Storage This computer supplies you with the following media storage: • High-capacity Enhanced-IDE hard disk • Optical (2nd HDD, DVD, DVD/CD-RW combo, DVD or DVD dual) drive Hard disk The high-capacity hard disk is the answer to your storage needs. This is where your data files and applications are stored.
27 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 disc; then close the DVD tray. Important! When you launch the DVD player for the first time, the program asks you to input the region code. DVD discs are divided into 6 regions. Once your DVD drive is set to a region code, it will play DVD discs of that region only.
