Acer Travelmate 310 Service Guide

							Chapter 1 15
Software Configuration and Specification
The  BIOS is compliant to PCI v2.1, APM v1.2, E-IDE and PnP specification.  
It also defines the hotkey functions and controls the system power-saving 
flow.
Hot Keys
IconFunctionDescription
Power Lights when the computer is on.
Standby Lights when the computer enters 
Standby mode.
Media Activity Lights when the hard disk is active.
Battery Charge Lights when the battery is being 
charged.
Caps Lock Lights when Caps Lock is activated
Num Lock Lights when Numeric Lock is activated
Microphone Use for sound input 
						

							16 TravelMate 310 Service Guide
The computer employs hot keys or key combinations to access most of the 
computer’s controls like screen contrast and brightness, volume output and 
the BIOS setup utility. 
Hot KeyIconFunctionDescription
Fn-F1 Help Displays a list of the hotkeys 
and their functions.
Fn-F2 Notebook 
ManagerAccess the notebook 
configuration utility.
Fn-F3 Standby Puts the computer in 
Standby mode. Press any 
key to return.
Fn-F4 Hibernation Puts the computer in 
Hibernation mode (Save to 
Disk).   Press the power 
switch to resume.
Fn-F5 Display 
toggleSwitches display output 
between the display screen, 
external monitor (if 
connected) and both the 
display screen and external 
monitor.
Fn-F6 Speaker on/
offTurns the speaker on and 
off; mutes the sound.
Fn-F7 Speaker 
volume downDecreases the speaker’s 
volume level.
Fn-F8 Speaker 
volume upIncreases the speaker’s 
volume level.
Fn-F
9Brightness 
downDecreases the screen 
brightness.
Fn-F10 Brightness 
upIncreases the screen 
brightness.
Fn-F11 Contrast 
downDecreases the screen 
contrast (available only for 
models with STN displays). 
						

							Chapter 1 17
Activating Hot Keys
When activating hot keys, press and hold the first key Fn
 before pressing the 
other key in the hot key combination.
Fn-F12 Contrast up Increases the screen 
contrast (available only for 
models with STN displays).
Fn-
­PgUp Page Up Scrolls the screen one page 
up.
Fn-
¯PgDn Page Down Scrolls the screen one page 
down.
Fn-
®End End Go to the end of the screen.
Fn-
¬Hom
eHome Go to the beginning of the 
screen.
Fn-D Screen blank Turns the display screen 
backlight off to save power. 
Press any key to return.
Fn-T Touchpad on/
off
*Turns the internal touchpad 
on and off.
Fn-SL Num Lock When Num Lock is on, the 
embedded keypad is in 
numeric mode.
Fn-Ins Print Screen Prints the information 
currently displayed on 
screen.
Fn-Del System 
RequestSoftware specific function.
* Fn-T only works when no external PS/2 mouse or external 
serial mouse is connected to the computer.
Hot KeyIconFunctionDescription 
						

							18 TravelMate 310 Service Guide 
						

							Chapter 2 19
BIOS
The flash Memory Update: The flash memory update is required for the 
following conditions:
•  New versions of system programs
•  New features or options
Create a bootable diskette
C:\Sys A:
Copy flash utility & new versions BIOS to the diskette, then boot from diskette 
driver.
1.  Plug in AC power.(to avoid battery no power during flash!)
2.  Unit power on, and press F8; system into safe mode command prompt 
only at Microsoft Windows 95 Startup Menu.
3.  Using the attached three files to flash rom.
4.  Typing phlash tan01a0.rom on dos prompt then enter. 
5.  Waiting for a moment.
6.  The end.
Setup UtilityC h a p t e r 2 
						

							20 TravelMate 310 Service Guide
Setup Utility
The Setup Utility is a hardware configuration program built into your 
computer’s BIOS (Basic Input/Ouput System).
Your computer is already properly configured and optimized, and you do not 
need to run this utility.  However, if you encounter configuration problems, you 
may need to run Setup.  To activate the Setup Utility, press F2
 during POST 
(while the Travelmate logo is being displayed).
Navigating the Setup Utility
There are five menu options: Main, Advanced, Security, Power Saving and 
Exit.  To navigate the Setup Utility:
•  Press the cursor right/left keys ®
¬ to move between the main menu 
items.
•  Press Esc
 while you are in any of the menu options to display the Exit 
menu.
•  Press the cursor up/down keys 
­¯
 to move between parameters.
•  Press the plus/minus keys +-
 to change the value of a parameter.
Note: You can change the value of a parameter if it is enclosed in square 
brackets.
•  Press the Enter
 key to access a submenu.  A >
 symbol in front of a 
parameter denotes an item with a submenu.
Note: Parameter explanations are displayed in the Item-Specific Help 
section of the Setup Utility (right panel).  Navigation keys are shown 
on the bottom of the screen. 
						

							Chapter 2 21
Main
The Main screen contains parameters involving basic computer settings and 
hardware information.
The following table describes the parameters in this screen.  Settings in 
boldface are the default and suggested parameter settings. 
ParameterDescription
System Time Sets the system time.
Format: HH:MM:SS (hour:minute:second)
System Date Sets the system date.
Format: DD/MM/YYYY (day/month/year)
Floppy Disk A Selects the floppy disk drive type.
Options: 
1.44 MB, 3½” or Disabled.
Hard Disk 0 Shows the hard disk size.
Press 
Enter to access the Hard Disk 0 submenu.
Boot Device 
PriorityPress 
Enter to access the Boot Device Priority submenu.
System 
MemoryShows the size of main memory.
Video 
MemoryShows the size of video memory.
CPU Type Shows the type of the CPU.
CPU Speed Shows the speed of the CPU. 
						

							22 TravelMate 310 Service Guide
Note:   The BIOS versions are important information about your 
computer.  If you experience computer problems and need to 
contact technical support, this data helps our service personnel 
know more about your computer.
Hard Disk 0 Submenu
The hard disk 0 submenu allows you to set parameters related to your hard 
disk.  Press Enter
 to access this submenu.
The following table describes the parameters in this screen.  Settings in 
boldface are the default and suggested parameter settings.  
VGA BIOS 
VersionShows the version number of the VGA BIOS.
Format: Vx Rx (version and release numbers)
BIOS Version Shows the version number of the BIOS.
Format: Vx Rx (version and release numbers)
ParameterDescription
Type Sets the hard disk type.
Options: 
Auto, User or None
Cylinders Shows the number of cylinders of the hard disk.
Heads Shows the number of heads of the hard disk.
Sectors Shows the number of sectors per track of the hard disk.
ParameterDescription 
						

							Chapter 2 23
Note: The values for Cylinder, Heads, Sectors/Track and Maximum 
Capacity are automatically set when the hard disk type is set to 
Auto.  We suggest you set the hard disk type to [Auto] for problem-
free and correct hard disk detection.  The computer’s BIOS 
automatically sets the parameters in this screen to their optimal 
values.
Boot Device Priority Submenu
The Boot Device Priority submenu allows you to set the boot sequence of the 
bootable devices in your computer.  Press Enter
 to access this submenu.
The computer boots-up using the sequence specified in this submenu.  To set 
the boot device priority, use the plus/minus +-
 keys.
Maximum 
CapacityShows the maximum capacity of the hard disk.
ParameterDescription 
						

							24 TravelMate 310 Service Guide
Advanced
The Advanced  screen contains parameters that are related to computer 
hardware.
Note: The parameters in this screen are for advanced users only.  You do 
not need to change the values in this screen because these values 
are already optimized. 
The following table describes the parameters in this screen.  Settings in 
boldface are the default and suggested parameter settings.
ParameterDescription
  Serial Port Enables or disabled the serial port.
Options: 
Enabled or Disabled
   Base I/O  
   AddressSets the I/O address of the serial port.
Options: 
3F8, 2F8, 3E8 or 2E8
   Interrupt Sets the interrupt request of the serial port.
Options: IRQ3, 
IRQ4, IRQ10 or IRQ11
Parallel Port Enables or disables the parallel port.
Options: 
Enabled or Disabled
   Operation 
   modeSets the operation mode of the parallel port.
Options: Output only, Bi-directional, or 
ECP
   Base I/O
   AddressSets the I/O address of the parallel port.
Options: 
378, 278, or 3BC
   Interrupt Sets the interrupt request of the parallel port.
Options: 
IRQ 7 or IRQ 5