Compaq 277958-001 manual

b Learning More About Y our Computer Compaq Presario Computers Document P ar t Number : 277958-001 March 2002 The guide provides basic information to assist you in using the hardware and software features of your computer .[...]

© 2002 Compaq Information T echnologies Group, L.P . Compaq, the Compaq logo and Presario are trademarks of Compaq Information T echnologies Group, L.P . in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, MS-DOS, W indows, W indo ws NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Intel, Pentium, Intel Inside, and Celeron are t[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer iii Contents 1 Performing Common Tasks Modifying the Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1 Modifying the Keyboard Language Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–2 Modifying the Mouse Properties . . . [...]

iv Lear ning More About Y our Computer Contents Defragmenting the Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–5 Protecting from a Virus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–6 Preparing for Shipping or Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 1–1 1 P erf orming Common T asks Y ou may f ind yourself wanting to perform tasks such as: ■ Modifying your display ■ Modifying your ke yboard language setting ■ Modifying your mouse settings ■ Shutting do wn your system ■ Printing ■ Playing games ■ Listening to digital audio files Modifying the Di[...]

1–2 Lear ning More About Y our Computer P erf or ming Common T asks Modifying the Ke yboar d Language Setting Y ou can modify the language setting for your ke yboard. T o Modify the Keyboar d Language Setting 1. Click the Start button from the W indows taskbar . 2. Click Control P anel . 3. Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options . 4. Cl[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 1–3 P erforming Common T asks 8. Click the K eyboard lay out/IME do wn arrow and select a language from the list. 9. Click OK . 10. Click OK to apply the changes. Modifying the Mouse Pr oper ties Y ou can vie w and modify different properties of the mouse from the Mouse Properties dialog box. The dialog box may [...]

1–4 Lear ning More About Y our Computer P erf or ming Common T asks 6. Click OK to apply the changes.[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 1–5 P erforming Common T asks Shutting Down the Computer When you are finished w orking or playing on the computer , it is a good idea to shut it do wn. T o Shut Down the Computer 1. Click the Start button from the W indows taskbar . 2. Click T urn Off Computer . Printing Y ou can print text and graphics from mo[...]

1–6 Lear ning More About Y our Computer P erf or ming Common T asks T o Use the Print Menu 1. Click File on the menu bar . 2. Click Print... 3. Select your printing options. Remember , the look and feel of the Print dialog box v aries from application to application. 4. Click OK . Pla ying Games Y ou can use the computer to play games that were: [...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 1–7 P erforming Common T asks Before you do wnload or purchase any games, check the computer requirements for the game. These are usually listed on the Internet site or outside of the game box. Y ou should pay particular attention to the amount of disk space required for the game and make sure you ha ve at least[...]

1–8 Lear ning More About Y our Computer P erf or ming Common T asks ✎ It is recommended that you use the same disc dri ve (CD or D VD) to play a game that you used to install it. If you ha ve problems installing or playing a game, contact the game manufacturer . Pla ying Digital A udio Y ou can play digital audio f iles that you download from t[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 2–1 2 Using Y our Computer Drives Computers can hav e sev eral types of driv es that include: ■ Diskette (floppy) ■ Hard ■ CD-R OM (compact disk - read only memory) ■ CD-R W (compact disk - re-writable) ■ D VD-R OM (digital versatile disk- read only memory) ■ D VD-R/R W (digital versatile disk- recor[...]

2–2 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Using Y our Computer Dr iv es ✎ If you hav e a tower model, hold the disk ette with the label facing left and the arro w pointing toward the dri ve. 2. Gently push the diskette into the dri ve. Remo ving a diskette Y ou should remo v e the diskette from the disk ette dri ve when you are: ■ Finished copy[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 2–3 Using Y our Computer Dr iv es Ä CA UTION: If you remo ve a diskette while the activity light is glowing, you can damage the disk ette or the information stored on it. Using the Har d Drive Y ou can store computer operating f iles, applications, data, Internet, and personal files on your hard dri ve. As you [...]

2–4 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Using Y our Computer Dr iv es Using the CD or D VD Drive The CD-R OM, CD-R W , D VD-R OM, and D VD-R/R W dri ves allo w you to perform se veral dif ferent actions (such as, store information, listen to music, vie w and create movies). The D VD-R OM and D VD-R/R W dri ves take longer to be gin playback than [...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 2–5 Using Y our Computer Dr iv es It is important to read all directions before attempting to record onto a D VD-R or D VD-R W disc. Y ou should make sure that all open applications are closed and remain closed while you are burning the D VD-R or D VD-R W disc. ✎ Y our 4.7 Gigabyte (GB) (where 1GB = 1000 cubed[...]

2–6 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Using Y our Computer Dr iv es Regardless of the dri ve(s), you insert and remo ve a CD or D VD disc using the same steps. CD-R Data Y es (only once) Y es Requires CD-R W or D VD-R/RW hardw are Va r i e s per model MP3 Music Y es (only once) Y es Requires CD-R W or D VD-R/RW hardw are Va r i e s per model CD[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 2–7 Using Y our Computer Dr iv es Inser ting a CD or D VD T o Inser t a CD or D VD 1. Po wer on the computer . 2. Press the load/eject button to open the dri ve. 3. Carefully lift the CD or D VD from its case. Y ou should av oid touching the surface of the CD or D VD. If possible, hold the CD or D VD by the edge[...]

2–8 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Using Y our Computer Dr iv es 4. Place the CD or D VD, label side up (label side left if tower model), into the round tray ✎ If the tray has support tabs, carefully slide the disc under the tabs to position it correctly in the tray . 5. Press the load/eject button to close the dri ve tray .[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 2–9 Using Y our Computer Dr iv es Remo ving a CD or D VD T o Remove a CD or D VD 1. Po wer on the computer . 2. Press the load/eject button to open the dri ve. 3. Carefully lift the CD or D VD from the driv e. Y ou should av oid touching the surface of the disc. If possible, hold the CD or D VD by the edges. 4. [...]

2–10 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Using Y our Computer Dr iv es ✎ The D VD dri v es may take longer to begin music playback because they must determine the type of media being played. T o Listen to Music 1. Insert a CD or D VD as described previously in this chapter , “ Inserting a CD or D VD. ” 2. W ait for disc to automatically sta[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 2–11 Using Y our Computer Dr iv es 6. Click A pply , then OK . Pla ying a Movie Y ou can only play a D VD movie from the D VD-R OM and D VD-R/R W drives. T o Play a Mo vie 1. Insert a D VD as described previously in this chapter , “ Inserting a CD or D VD. ” ✎ For best performance, it is recommended that y[...]

2–12 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Using Y our Computer Dr iv es 2. W ait for the D VD to automatically start playing. If the D VD does not start playing automatically , follow these steps. a. Click the Start b u tton on your W indows desktop. b . Click All Pr ograms , Compaq WinD VD , then Wi n DVD Player . c. Click the Play button to star[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 2–13 Using Y our Computer Dr iv es Y ou can use either CD-R or CD-R W discs to create your CDs. Y ou can only write to a CD-R disc once, but you can write to, erase, re write to, and reuse a CD-R W disc. It is recommended that use a CD-R disc if you are going to use it in a CD player , CD-R OM, D VD-R OM, or D V[...]

2–14 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Using Y our Computer Dr iv es Maintaining the CD or D VD Drive Y ou should keep the follo wing guidelines in mind when maintaining and cleaning your CD or D VD driv e: ■ Do not mov e the driv e while it is operating ■ A void e xposing the driv e to rapid changes in temperature ■ W a it one hour befor[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 3–1 3 Maintaining and Shipping Routine and pre venti ve maintenance for the computer is easier than you might think. A fe w basic procedures will help keep the computer and monitor in good operating condition. ■ Disk cleanup ■ Scan disk ■ Defragment Use virus scan software to protect your operating system,[...]

3–2 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Maintaining and Shipping ■ K eep the computer aw ay from excessi v e heat, cold, moisture, and direct sunlight (for specific ranges of temperature and humidity , see your computer specifications) ■ K eep liquids away from the computer and ke yboard ■ T urn of f the computer before you: ❏ W ipe the e[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 3–3 Maintaining and Shipping 4. Right click the hard disk dri ve you want to clean up. 5. Click Properties on the pop-up menu. 6. On the General tab, click Disk Cleanup . 7. Click the types of files you w ant to delete. 8. Click OK .[...]

3–4 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Maintaining and Shipping Emptying the Recyc le Bin After you delete files from the hard dri ve, the y are sent to the recycle bin. Y ou can retrie ve files that are sent to the rec ycle bin as long as you hav e not emptied it. Once you empty the recycle bin, your f iles are permanently deleted. T o Empty th[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 3–5 Maintaining and Shipping 8. Click Start to begin scanning. Defragmenting the Drive Y ou can increasingly improv e the eff iciency of the computer b y defragmenting it on a regular basis. Defragmenting mo ves the files closer together so that the hard dri ve space is used more effecti vely . ✎ Y our compute[...]

3–6 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Maintaining and Shipping 8. Click Defragment to begin. Pr otecting from a Virus A computer virus can destroy information on the hard dri ve. Y ou can get a virus through: ■ An infected diskette ■ A CD, CD-R, CD-R W , D VD, D VD-R or D VD-R W disc ■ E-mail messages and attachments ■ Infected files do[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 3–7 Maintaining and Shipping Y ou should take the follo wing precautions in order to protect your ne w computer: ■ Do not open unsolicited e-mail from unkno wn sources ■ Only do wnload files from sources you feel are safe ■ Always scan documents for viruses before opening ■ Make sure you ha ve the latest[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 4–1 4 Sa ving Energ y Y ou can conserv e energy by using the Microsoft W indows Po wer Management system. W ith this system, you can determine when the computer is sleeping, hibernating, or aw ake. Y ou can also determine when your monitor and hard dri ve turns of f. Using P ower Management The Microsoft Po wer [...]

4–2 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Saving Energ y ✎ If your computer is connected to a network or has “ alw ays on ” DSL connection, you should use the Always On po wer scheme. Using the P o wer Options Properties 1. Click Start from the W indo ws taskbar . 2. Click Control P anel . 3. Click Perf ormance and Maintenance . 4. Click Po w[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 4–3 Saving Energ y Sleep Mode Sleep mode is a lo w-power standby state that reduces the amount of electrical po wer consumed by the computer while you are not using it. The Microsoft W indows Po wer Management system automatically puts the computer into sleep mode after it has been idle for a while. Y ou can: ?[...]

4–4 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Saving Energ y Manuall y Entering the Sleep Mode Y ou can manually put the computer into sleep or standby mode to conserve ener gy . T o Manually Enter Sleep Mode 1. Close all programs and sav e any open f iles. 2. Click Start on the W indo ws taskbar 3. Click the Contr ol Panel . 4. Click Perf ormance and [...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 4–5 Saving Energ y Hibernate Mode Y ou can also set the computer to go into Hibernate mode after a specified period of inacti vity . Before the computer can hibernate, it sav es ev erything in memory to the hard dri ve. Then, it shuts itself off. When you a wake the computer , the W indows Desktop appears e xact[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–1 5 Under standing Computer T erms This chapter provides def initions for computer terms used in this guide and other documents that ship with your computer . A 1394 port A ne w type of connector for plugging in peripherals with extremely fast data-transfer rates, such as video cameras. The 1394 standard synch[...]

5–2 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms application A technical term for a computer program. See program. audio/video streaming See streaming. authoring What you do to create a program that may e ventually be stored on a CD. For e xample, if you want to create a multimedia game or presentation, you need authoring so[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–3 Understanding Computer T er ms bro wser Software that searches for , displays, and do wnloads text, graphics, sound, and video from the Internet. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are tw o popular browsers. buf fer A temporary storage area in memory . It acts as a holding area where data wit[...]

5–4 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms byt e Eight bits of data strung together to make a message that the computer can interpret. Most information is organized into b ytes, the standard unit of data. One byte of data is required to represent a single character that you can see on the screen (a letter , number , pu[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–5 Understanding Computer T er ms CD-I A compact disc format de veloped by Philips, designed to allo w interacti ve multimedia applications to be run on a player attached to a tele vision. The standard document defining CD-I is called the Green Book. CD-R (CD-recordab le) Media used in a CD-R dri ve to record o[...]

5–6 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms CD-ROM drive A dri ve that reads a CD-R OM (or music CD) by shining a laser into the clear plastic base and interpreting the way the laser light is reflected by the shin y aluminum layer . The CD-R OM dri ve is read-only; it cannot write to a disc. Most modern dri v es can als[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–7 Understanding Computer T er ms CD-R W drive A dri ve with three laser po wers that can write to a CD-R W , erase the data, or read the data. A high-po wer laser melts the crystalline recording layer . It cools quickly , sets without forming crystals, and absorbs the laser beam. Data is written in pits that f[...]

5–8 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms close session When a session is closed, information about its contents is written into the T able of Contents of the CDs, and a lead-in and lead-out are written to prepare the CD for subsequent sessions. coaster Popular term for a ruined recordable CD, named after the round ob[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–9 Understanding Computer T er ms dedicated line A telephone line that is always connected to the modem (inside the computer) to provide constant access to the Internet. A separate telephone line is used for phone calls. See modem. default The option that the program automatically chooses for you when you do no[...]

5–10 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms disc image A single large f ile which is an e xact representation of the whole set of data and programs as it will appear on a CD in terms of both content and logical format. This may be an ISO 9660 image or some proprietary format such as the .cif format used by Easy CD Crea[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–11 Understanding Computer T er ms drop-do wn menu A list of options that drops do wn when you click a menu name on the menu bar or click the do wn arrow on a dialog box. DSL (digital subscriber line) A telephone line that carries both voice and data signals, allo wing you to talk on the phone and surf the Inte[...]

5–12 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms file extension A dot and three letters after a file name that indicate the program in which the file w as created. For example, f ilename.doc. The f ile extension .doc indicates that the f ile was created in Microsoft W ord. floppy disk An older term for disk. See disk. fol d[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–13 Understanding Computer T er ms gap The gap (more correctly called a pause) is a space di viding tracks on a CD. In some situations, a gap is required by standards such as the Red Book. For e xample, if you ha ve data and audio tracks within the same session, they must be separated b y a gap. Also, there mus[...]

5–14 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms hard drive The dri ve that reads and writes to the hard disk. If you hav e a large hard dri ve, it may be divided into se veral partitions. Each partition is designated by a dif ferent icon and a consecuti ve driv e letter , beginning with the letter C. P artition C: contains[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–15 Understanding Computer T er ms I icon A small picture that represents a menu command, file, program, tool, or peripheral. interactive A computer program that responds to you as if you were having a con versation. Y ou giv e instructions; computer performs an action (or requests additional information). Comp[...]

5–16 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms ISP (Internet Service Pro vider) A company that pro vides access to the Internet. T o use the service, you need the ISP software, a user name, a password, and access phone number(s). J jewel case The hinged plastic case in which CDs are often stored. jewel case slee ve The pi[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–17 Understanding Computer T er ms lead-out An area at the end of a session which indicates that the end of data has been reached. The first lead-out on a CD is 6750 sectors long. An y subsequent lead-outs are 2250 sectors, or about 30 seconds. link See hyperlink. link bloc k A block, also kno wn as a sector , [...]

5–18 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms M mailing list An electronic mail-forwarding service that allo ws subscribers to send e-mail to a single address where the message is copied and sent to all addresses on the list. Clubs and professional organizations use this service, sometimes called a “ listserv , ” to [...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–19 Understanding Computer T er ms Microsoft Internet Explorer A W eb bro wser dev eloped by the Microsoft Corporation. See bro wser . Microsoft Windo ws The most popular computer operating system in the world. It is characterized by the use of windo ws and icons. Each running program and open file has its o wn[...]

5–20 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms mixed-mode disc A CD that includes both computer data and CD-D A tracks. The data is all contained in track one, and the audio in one or more of the follo wing tracks. Contrast with CD Extra. modem: A de vice in the computer that conv erts data from digital format to analog f[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–21 Understanding Computer T er ms multiread: An OST A (Optical Storage T echnology Association) standard for CD-R OM and R OM driv es. Driv es that follow the multiread standard can read commercial CDs (audio and data), CD-R discs, and CD-R W discs. They can also read CDs written in fix ed- or v ariable-length[...]

5–22 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms newsgr oup A discussion group on the Internet where people can post or read messages on thousands of topics, such as professional basketball, en vironmental protection, Himalayan cats, Scottish bagpipes, Irish clog dancing, souf fl é s, macram é , book revie ws, mountain bi[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–23 Understanding Computer T er ms online shopping Ordering products on the Internet. Y ou can purchase books, flo wers, music CDs, toys, groceries, stocks, airline tickets, cars, and much more. on the fly T o write on the fly means to write directly from source data to CD data without first writing a disc imag[...]

5–24 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms peripheral An external de vice connected to a computer , such as a monitor , ke yboard, mouse, joystick, scanner , printer , and digital camera. See component. PDF (P or tab le Document Format) A file format that has captured all the elements of a printed document as an elect[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–25 Understanding Computer T er ms plug-and-play A feature introduced with W indows 95 to simplify the use of some peripheral de vices. Once the device is installed (in accordance with the manufacturer ’ s instructions), you can plug it into the computer while the computer is running. The operating system aut[...]

5–26 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms program A set of instructions, written in a programming language understood by the computer , that tells the hardware what tasks to perform. Some programs are installed at the factory as R OM chips that cannot be altered; they are essential for operating the microprocessor . [...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–27 Understanding Computer T er ms right-clic k T o press and quickly release the right mouse b utton to display a menu of options. See pop-up menu. ROM (Read-Onl y Memory) Memory that contains the basic instructions for the microprocessor . R OM is permanent memory; turning of f the computer does not erase it.[...]

5–28 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms scroll mouse A mouse with a scroll wheel (between the two mouse b uttons) for automatic scrolling through long documents or W eb pages. See scroll and mouse. searc h engine A program, accessed on the Internet, that allo ws you to search large databases for information by usin[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–29 Understanding Computer T er ms server A computer with a large hard dri ve that serv es (provides information to) other computers connected to it on a network. In a local area network, se veral computers in the same room or all the computers in a high-rise of fice b uilding may be connected to a server . The[...]

5–30 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms shortcut An icon on the W indo ws desktop that you double-click to launch a program. W ithout the shortcut, you click the Start button on the W indows taskbar , point to Programs to display a menu of programs installed on your computer , and click the one you want to launch. [...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–31 Understanding Computer T er ms surge pr otector A de vice that protects a computer from fluctuations in power . A surge protector regulates the flo w of electricity to the computer and pre vents high-voltage sur ges from reaching and possibly damaging the equipment. SV GA (Super Video Graphics Array) A vide[...]

5–32 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms track-at-once A method of writing data to a CD. Each time a track (data or audio) is completed, the recording laser is stopped, e ven if another track will be written immediately afterwards. Link and run blocks are written when the laser is turned on and of f. U UDF (Universa[...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–33 Understanding Computer T er ms utility A small program that helps your computer to manage system resources for optimum performance. For e xample, anti-virus, diagnostic, file backup, f ile compression, and font management utilities. V V .90 standar d A standard adopted in 1998 to resolve competition between[...]

5–34 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms W WAV A file format used to store sounds. W A V sound files can be identified by the f ile extension .wa v . Microsoft and IBM dev eloped the format for W indo ws-based programs that support sound. See file extension. We b See W orld W ide W eb . W eb bro wser See bro wser . [...]

Learning More About Y our Computer 5–35 Understanding Computer T er ms Windows taskbar The gray bar across the bottom of the screen that you see when your computer completes startup. The Start button is on the left end of the taskbar , and the systray (a tray with icons and the computer clock) is on the right. Programs that are running but ha ve [...]

5–36 Lear ning More About Y our Computer Understanding Computer T er ms[...]