Using Your Gateway Solo 9150 Notebook

Welcome to your Online Documentation! This notebook-specific information will allow you to find information quickly and leave the printed manuals at home.

  • To find needed information, click the headings to the left.
  • To read the text, click the down arrow in the lower right-hand corner.
  • To print, click once in the text, then click your browser's print button.

    In addition to this User Guide, we've also provided other documentation to help you get the most from your Solo 9150. Please refer to the following printed and online documentation for additional resources:

    • Printed manuals
    • The "Maintaining and Troubleshooting Your Solo 9150 Notebook" contains information about managing system resources, preserving your system performance, reinstalling your operating system and drivers, and general troubleshooting tips.
    • Windows 98, 95, or NT manual (depending upon the operating system you ordered) provides information about using the operating system, learning about advanced features, networking, getting help, and more.
    • Online documentation - Lets you access the electronic manuals from your hard drive when you are traveling or when the manuals are not accessible. To access the online documentation click Start, Online Documentation, then select the manual you want to review.
    • Gateway web site (http://www.gateway.com) - If you have a subscription to an Internet service provider (such as gateway.net), you can tap into some of the latest help and other information on our web site. We provide notebook support help, technical documents, tech tips, FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), glossary, software library with BIOS updates, and other resources that can help you make the most of using your notebook.
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    Chapter 1:
    Getting Started


    Keyboard and LCD

    Component

    Description

      A. XGA TFT Color Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

    Backlit anti-glare screen.

      B. Power button

    Turns power ON or OFF. Can also be configured to Standby/Resume mode.

      C. Keyboard

    Provides full functionality of a desktop computer keyboard. Many of these keys have assigned alternate functions, including shortcut keys for Windows 98 and Windows 95, Status Display menus, and numeric keypad.

      D. Speakers

    Provide high quality sound reproduction for software and audio CDs.

      E. DVD/120MB SuperDisk

      -or-


      CD/diskette

    Reads DVDs, CDs, standard diskettes, and 120MB diskettes.

    -or-

    Reads CDs and standard diskettes

      F. EZ-PadTM TouchPad or EZ-PointTM stickpoint

    Controls the cursor movement on the screen. (EZ-PointTM stickpoint - U.S. keyboards only.)

      G. Hard drive access cover

    Opens to reveal the hard disk drive.

      H. Power LED

    Indicates the power status mode:

    • Steady green light indicates power is on and computer is in operation.
    • Flashing green light indicates that the computer is in standby mode.
    • No light indicates that the computer is off.

      I. Battery LED

    Indicates the battery status mode:

    • Green light indicates that the battery is fully charged.
    • Yellow light indicates that the battery is charging.
    • Red light indicates a battery malfunction.
    • No LED indicates that the system is running on the battery because the AC adapter is either not connected or is not providing power to the computer.

      J. System status indicators

    Indicate system status modes.


    System status indicators

    Indicator

    Icon

    Description

      A. Hard drive access light

    Indicates that the hard drive is in use.

      B. DVD/120 MB SuperDisk or CD/diskette drive

    Indicates that the DVD/120 MB SuperDisk or CD/diskette drive is in use.

      C. Caps lock

    Indicates that the caps lock in on. When the Caps lock light is on, you type in all capital letters.

      D. Pad lock

    Indicates that the pad lock is on. When the Pad lock light is on, you can access the secondary numeric keypad.

      E. Scroll lock

    Indicates that the scroll lock is on. With some programs, you can scroll through large volumes of text when scroll lock is turned on.


    Left side

    Component

    Icon

    Description

      A. Volume wheel

    Adjusts built-in speaker, external speaker, and headphone volume. Volume levels are also controlled by multimedia software.

      B. Modem jack

    Plug a phone line into this jack to connect the notebook's on-board modem to an analog phone system.

      C. PC Card slots

    		  

    Accepts one Type III PC Card or two Type I or Type II PC Cards.

      D. Eject buttons

    Ejects the PC Cards from the PC Card slots.


    Back

    Port

    Icon

    Description

      A. Joystick/MIDI port

    Connect a game joystick or an electronic MIDI musical instrument to this port. The port provides both MIDI In and Out capabilities.

      B. Fast IR (Infrared) port

    Sends infrared signals between the notebook and a remote device, such as another computer, printer, or peripheral. You can place infrared devices up to 3 feet (1 meter) apart.

      C. Composite Video Out

    You can view your notebook screen on a TV by connecting the notebook to the TV or VCR using a standard video cable.

      D. Composite Video In

    You can display NTSC or PAL format video on your notebook's screen from a VCR or video camera using a standard video cable.

      E. Mic

    Connect to an external microphone. (Using this connection will disable the built-in microphone.)

      F. Line In

    Audio line level input from another computer, stereo equipment, or a VCR.

      G. Line Out

    Audio line level output to another computer, stereo equipment, or a VCR. Line Out is not capable of driving unamplified speakers or headphones.

      H. Speaker out/Headphone jack

    Connect to external speakers or headphones. Supports small unamplified speakers. (1/8-inch/3.5-mm jack.)

      I. Dolby Digital Out

    Connect to an (optional) surround-sound decoder. This connection will only provide DVD audio.

      J. PS/2 port

    Connect to an external mouse or keyboard.

      K. Serial port

    Connect to an optional serial device.

      L. VGA

    Connect to a VGA monitor cable.

      M. Docking station port

    Connect an optional docking station to this port.

      N. Parallel port (LPT1)

    Connect a parallel device (such as a printer) to this port.


    Bottom

    Component

    Description

      A. Flip foot

    Flips out to tilt the notebook.

      B. Reset switch

    Restarts the notebook, if necessary. Insert a paper clip to press switch.

      C. System identification label

    Provides product model number, serial number, display type, and processor speed.

      D. Combination module

    Slide module into bay for use of a DVD/120MB SuperDisk or CD/diskette combination module.

      E. Combination module release latch

    Slide the latch to release the combination drive module from the bay.

      F. Battery release latch

    Slide the latch to release the battery pack from the battery pack bay.

      G. Battery pack bay

    Slide battery pack into bay for battery power and battery charging.

      H. Back ports cover (open position)

    Flips open to reveal ports.


    Right side

    Component

    Icon

    Description

      A. USB ports

    Plug optional USB serial devices into these ports.

      B. Power connector

    Connect to an AC power adapter.

      C. Kensington lock slot

    Attach a Kensington lock into this slot. A Kensington lock is an optional cable lock for portable computers.