TROUBLESHOOTING
Keyboard
E.g. “@” displays
double quotes.
This is because your
keyboard is currently set to a
1. Click on ‘Start’ then ‘Control
Panel’
2. In the pick a category menu select
‘Date, Time, Language and regional Options
3. In the pick a task option select
‘Add other languages’
4. Within the languages tab select the
‘Details’ button
5. Select the ‘Add’
button
6. Change the input language option to
‘English UK’ then press ‘OK’
7. Delete the
8. Explore the other tabs at the top
of the window to ensure all other options are set to English
UK
9. Now select ‘OK’. If an error
message shows saying the keyboard cannot be removed, click OK and it will take
affect when you reboot
10. Reboot to ensure keyboard layout has taken effect
If your screen is dim
or off when you open your notebook while it is still powered on, first check
that the system hasn’t gone into standby mode or hibernate to save power.
Pressing the spacebar will return the system from hibernate and the function key
that shows a moon type icon will return it from
standby.
Should the above not
turn on the screen or it shows a very faint picture, it could be that the small
switch that detects whether the screen is up or down may be sticking. Often this
is because of dust or dirt in the mechanism. It can bee freed up by pressing it
down or lightly brushing it to remove any
particles.
To conserve battery
life it is wise to dim the screen brightness as this accounts for a significant
percentage of your Notebook’s overall power requirement. Some models do this
automatically when away from mains power but for most it may be necessary to do
this manually.
For most, simply
holding the Fn/Function Key in the bottom left of the keyboard whilst pressing
the appropriate F key at the top of the keyboard. The key varies but usually
indicated by an outline of a ‘sun’ and an up and down arrow. Please refer to the
user manual if the key isn’t marked.
DVD
Formats
There are numerous DVD
formats. Check your system to see what formats your drive will support. DVD-RAM/DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD+R/DVD+RW
DVD-RAM current Drive use 4.7GB
discs
DVD-RAM allows fully integrated OS-Level
random read/write access similar to hard drives as well as on-the-fly write
verification. This standard is best for backups as the format is designed to be
written to, like a hard drive. The main drawback being the format is limited
read compatibility amongst DVD-ROM drives and standalone DVD players. DVD-RAM
read support with these units is increasing however, partially because of the
increasing popularity of home standalone DVD-RAM recorders in home theatre
systems.
DVD-R and DVD-RW Both use 4.7GB
discs
DVD-R is a write once recordable format
which gives good compatibility with both standalone DVD players and DVD-ROM
drives
DVD-RW media uses rewriteable discs, which
are rated for more than 1000 rewrites in ideal situations. The majority of
standalone DVD players will play video recorded on DVD-RW discs, but the
compatibility is not as high as with DVD-R.
DVD+R and DVD+RW These discs are very similar to
DVD-R and DVD-RW in design, usage and
compatibility.
DVD+RW, like DVD-RW, are a rewriteable
4.7GB format, and overall it has a similar functionality to DVD-RW. The level of
compatibility of standard DVD+RW discs in standalone DVD players is similar to
that of DVD-RW. The rewritability is also said to be similar to that of DVD-RW,
allowing up to 1000 rewrites.
How come my 4.7GB disc isn’t really
4.7GB?
Like hard drives, 1GB
on a DVD recordable disc equals 1,000,000,000 bytes. In contrast, a computer
considers 1GB to be 1,073,741,824 bytes. Thus, a 4.7 GB disc is seen by a
computer as having approx 4.37GB but the number of bytes is the
same.
Why is my system properties showing
that my CPU is running at a slower MHz than I have?
The reason why the system properties shows the CPU running at a slower
MHz is because of something called "cool & quiet", a setting found in the
bios.
Cool & quiet slows down the processor when it's idle so that your
processor runs cooler. It automatically speeds up when needed (like if you start
a game).
Try running a stress test or bench. Load a programme to put a load on the
processor and see if it's still running slow.
If it is just Cool 'n' Quiet, leave it enabled, it keeps the processor
cooler, there is not any noticeable lag when it starts to load any
programmes.
Bluetooth
Upgrading to service
Pack 2 you may find the wireless function not operating. This is because of a
driver software conflict. Please follow the steps below:
1. Left click on
start
2. Right click on my
computer
3. Left click on properties from the
extended menu, a new window will appear
4. Left click on Hardware tab at the
top of the window
5. Left click on the Device Manager
Button
The list that appears will display all devices that are recognized within
the Windows Operating System that require drivers.
6. Left click on Bluetooth to
expand
7. Double click on the Bluetooth
device then the Microsoft Bluetooth enumerator
8. Click on the Drivers tab on the new
window
9. Left click on update
Driver
10. Ensure that on the first window the
option ‘No not at this time’ is selected then click next
11. On next screen select install from
a list or a specific location
12. Next window select ‘don’t search I
will choose the driver to install’
13. Next window select ‘have disc’ and
ensure the Bluetooth driver CD is inserted to the CD drive. Choose the driver
from the disc and click next to install the driver.
14. Once driver has been installed
click finish and restart the Notebook to put changes into
effect.
How do I configure my notebook to
an existing wireless network?
For Windows XP Pro,
Home and media Centre Versions:
1. Double left click the wireless icon
located in the bottom right corner of the display
2. Under Network Task in the new
window, left click on ‘Set up a wireless network from home or
office’
3. A wizard for installing will
appear, click Next on the first screen
4. On next screen an SSID will need to
be inputted. The SSID is the ID associated to the wireless network. After this
has been inputted enter your network pass key or ensure that ‘automatically
assign network key’ is selected
5. Left click on
‘Next’
6. On the next window ensure set up a
network manually is selected and click ‘Next’
7. On the final window to complete the
wireless network set up left click on ‘Finish’
8. The previous window will appear
displaying the network; once the wireless network is found ensure it is
highlighted and left click on connect. This will establish a
connection.
Users with Service Pack
2 installed will have to go through a similar process but not quite as straight
forward. We recommend that you upgrade to Service Pack 2 for ease of connection
to wireless networks.
If your system set up
still seems to be having difficulty, run the Restore Disc to reboot the system.
If your laptop is not provided with a restore disc the laptop may prompt you to
create one or may be stored on the BIOS system.
If your laptop is
having problems in Windows* check the legitimacy of all added
software.
Problems connecting to
the web can occur through lack of viral protection and user installed
software.
CD/DVD function can be
set up with the ‘properties’. Failure may not be the result of a
fault.
My LCD display has a
bright/dark/coloured dot on the screen - Is it
faulty?
The screen
on TFT displays is made up of thousands of tiny pixels. A 15" flat-screen with a
resolution of 1024 x 768 for example has 786423 pixels. Each pixel comprises
three sub-pixels (red, green and blue) so on the 15" above, there are almost 2.4
million dots in total. Behind each pixel is a transistor. When a transistor
fails it manifests itself as a bright, dark or coloured dot on
the screen that stands out from the rest. Today's production techniques
unfortunately cannot guarantee an absolutely
fault-free screen display and buyers should be aware of
the possibility of imperfections (in the form of a few isolated constantly lit
or unlit pixels) before choosing to purchase a TFT display. Due to this, there
is indeed a commonly accepted 'tolerance level' by which TFT’s may display such
imperfections (or stuck pixels) without being classified as faulty. As such, we
can only take back displays as faulty for refund/repair IF the number of stuck
pixels exceeds the manufacturer's guidelines. The number required for the
monitor to be classed as faulty varies between manufacturers but is usually
above 3.
This is normal. Many laptops have integrated graphics chips which share
the RAM. For example, if you have 256MB of RAM on your laptop and the graphics
chip uses 64MB, then your laptop will show only 192MB.
Software packages not pre-installed can be found on the included CD
ROMs.
Virus
Protection
You are advised to
patch your laptop with the latest Windows Service Packs and Critical updates before going on to the Internet. You
will need to download the patches from another PC to apply them. We strongly
recommend that you DO NOT go onto the internet before applying these patches.
Can I upgrade
the Memory / Hard Drive on my PC / Laptop?
Yes, - please call our sales team to discuss your requirements and
arrange the installation.
Hard Drive size: It is
standard practice for laptop manufacturers to partition the hard drive. For
example your system may have a 30GB drive split between the C drive (20GB) and
the D drive (10GB). It is recommended that you load your Applications onto C and
reserve D for you data.
When to Contact
us
If any or all of the above fail please fill in our online returns form.If
your goods have been damaged in transit it must be reported to us with 48 hours
of receipt. After this time we cannot accept responsibility.
Warranty
Information
All PCs and Notebook come with a direct to manufacturer warranty. In case
of faults, please contact the manufacturer’s number below. For many products,
you can extend your warranty to up to three years. Warranties need to be
registered within 30 days of purchase. Please call our Sales team on 0870 167
0818 to enquire about warranty extensions.
Contact Information –
Laptops Direct
|
Laptops Direct / AcerNotebooks |
Unit 6, |
|
Laptops Direct
Customer Services |
customerservices@laptopsdirect.co.uk |
|
Web Sales: |
|
|
Phone Sales: |
0870 167 0818 |
|
AOC
Monitors |
0193
226 9258 |
|
Acer
Laptops, Monitors and Desktops |
|
|
Asus |
0870
120 8340 |
|
Averatec |
0871
240 5060 |
|
Belkin |
0193 331
2000 |
|
Benq |
0906 753
3443 |
|
Canon |
0173 722
0000 |
|
Creative |
+353 1
4333200 |
|
Dalen |
0121 783
3838 |
|
Dell |
0870 908
0800 |
|
Dlink |
0845 612
0003 |
|
Draytek |
0905 509
2201 |
|
Elonex |
0870 780
6666 |
|
Epson |
0870 241
6900 |
|
F-Secure |
0870 240
8321 |
|
Fujitsu
Siemens Laptops |
0870
535 9752 |
|
Garmin |
0870 850
1242 |
|
Hewlett
Packard Laptops |
0207
512 5202 |
|
Hewlett
Packard Printers |
0870
010 4320 |
|
Hewlett
Packard Projectors |
0870
010 4320 |
|
IBM
Laptops |
0147
555 5055 |
|
Iiyama |
0870 224
9595 |
|
JVC
Laptops |
0845
310 5998 |
|
Kensington |
0207 949 0119 |
|
|
0193 273 8888 |
|
Logitech |
0207 309 0126 |
|
Maxtor |
0192 371 2448 |
|
Microsoft |
0870 601 0100 |
|
NEC
Projectors |
0208
752 3535 |
|
Netgear
|
0870
112 1206 |
|
Panasonic |
0134 447
6540 |
|
Phillips |
0207 949
0069 |
|
Samsung
Laptops |
0870
242 0303 |
|
Seagate |
00 800 4732
4283 |
|
Smartboard |
0800 015
1624 |
|
Sony
Laptops |
0870
240 2408 |
|
Symantec |
0207 744
0367 |
|
Targus
|
0207
744 0330 |
|
Toshiba
Laptops |
0870
444 8936 |
|
Unicol |
0186 576
7676 |
|
Vodafone |
0870 077 6655 |