Checking Out Your Gateway Solo 3350

Tips & Tricks

To access the contents of this manual while you are traveling, download the manual from www.support.gateway.com/s/manlib/.

Front

Component	Icon	Description
Release latch		Open the notebook cover by sliding the release latch to the right.
Power indicator light		Lights up when the notebook is turned on and shows notebook power status: Steady green light indicates that power is on and the notebook is in operation. Flashing green light indicates that the notebook is in standby mode. No light indicates that the notebook is off.
Battery indicator light		Indicates the battery status while the AC power adapter is plugged in: Green light indicates that the battery is fully charged. Orange light indicates that the battery is charging. Red light indicates a battery error.

Left

Component	Icon	Description
Ventilation fan		Helps cool system components. Do not block.
Microphone jack		Plug a microphone into this jack. While the external microphone is connected, the built-in microphone is disabled.
Speaker jack		Plug external speakers or headphones into this jack.
USB port		Plug a USB (Universal Serial Bus) device (such as a USB Iomega™ Zip™ drive, scanner, or camera) into this port.

Right

Component	Icon	Description
Kensington™ lock slot		Secure your computer to an object by connecting a Kensington cable lock to this slot.
Hard drive		The hard drive is stored here.
PC Card eject button		Press the eject button to remove the PC Card from the PC Card slot. For more information, see "Adding PC Cards".
PC Card slot		Insert a Type I or II PC Card into this slot. For more information, see "Adding PC Cards".

Back

Component	Icon	Description
Ethernet jack (optional)		Plug an Ethernet 10/100 network cable into this jack.
Modem jack		Plug a modem cable into this jack.
Monitor port		Plug an external (VGA) monitor into this port.
Parallel port		Plug a parallel device (such as a printer) into this port.
External drive connection		Plug the external drive cable into this connection.
Power connection		Plug the AC power adapter cable into this connection.
PS/2 port		Plug a PS/2 (Personal System/2™) device (such as a keyboard or mouse) into this port.

Bottom

Component	Icon	Description
Docking port		Connect an optional port replicator to this port. Warning! Power is passed through this connection. This docking connection is UL certified for use only with Solo 3350 port replicator devices.
Reset hole		If the system does not respond to input and you cannot use the shut down procedure, press a straightened paper clip into this hole to turn off the system.
Speaker		Provides audio output. The speaker is turned off while headphones are connected.
Battery release latch		Slide to release the battery.
Battery status indicator		Press to see the charge level of the battery. A full charge is indicated by four lights.
Battery bay		The notebook uses power from this battery while not connected to AC power.
Hard drive bay		The hard drive is stored here.
System label		Includes the product model number and serial number.

Indicator light panel

Indicator	Icon	Description
Power button		Press to turn the power on or off. You can also configure the button to operate in Standby/Resume mode or Hibernate mode. For more information on configuring the power button mode, see Changing power modes.
Hard drive		Turns on when the hard drive is in use.
Pad Lock		Turns on when the embedded numeric keypad is activated.
Caps Lock		Turns on when Caps Lock is activated.
Scroll Lock		Turns on when Scroll Lock is activated.
Microphone		Record audio through this microphone. The built-in microphone is turned off while an external microphone is connected.

Accessories

Gateway offers accessories that can help you make the most of using your notebook.

Batteries and automobile/airplane power adapters

If you run your notebook on battery power for extended periods, you may want to buy an additional battery so that you can swap batteries when necessary.

With an automobile/airplane power adapter, you can save battery power by plugging your notebook into an automobile cigarette lighter or an airplane in-flight power receptacle.

Carrying cases

Gateway has large-capacity carrying cases if you need additional space for accessories or supplies.

External drive module

Your notebook has an optional external drive bay that lets you use a removable drive such as a diskette drive or CD/DVD drive. To change drives, you need to replace the drive module in the drive bay.

Port replicator

Although you can attach external devices directly to your notebook, a port replicator lets you make all of those connections at once. When you travel with your notebook, you merely disconnect from the port replicator instead of unplugging all the external devices.

A port replicator also provides additional ports and other expansion features not included with your notebook. For more information, see "Using the Port Replicator"

External devices

You can attach external devices such as a keyboard, mouse, printer, or monitor to your notebook or docking station.

Memory

Large programs, such as multimedia games or graphics programs, use a lot of memory. If your programs are running more slowly than you think they should, try adding more memory. For more information, see "Replacing the memory".

Printers

You can attach almost any type of printer to your computer. The most common types are inkjet and laser printers, which print in color or black and white.

Inkjet printers and cartridges are relatively inexpensive, but usually they are slower than laser printers. Using an inkjet color printer, you can print pictures, banners, and greeting cards, as well as documents.

Laser printers and cartridges are more expensive, but usually they print much faster than inkjet printers. Laser printers are better than inkjet printers when you are printing large documents.