Acer Travelmate 6231 Service Guide

							Chapter 115
Hot Keys
The computer employs hotkeys or key combinations to access most of the computer’s controls like screen 
brightness, volume output, and the BIOS utility.
To activate hot keys, press and hold the  key before pressing the other key in the hotkey combination.
KeyIconDescription
Windows key Pressed alone, this key has the same effect as 
clicking on the Windows Start button; it launches the 
Start menu. It can also be used with other keys to 
provide a variety of function:
   +  Activates next taskbar button.
  +   Opens the My Computer window
  +   Opens Help and Support.
  +   Opens the Search: All Files dialog box.
  +   Opens the Run dialog box.
+    Minimizes all windows.
+  +  Undoes the minimize all windows 
action.
Application keyThis key has the same effect as clicking the right 
mouse button; it opens the application’s context 
menu.
Hot KeyIconFunctionDescription
+ Hot key help Displays help on hot keys.
+ Acer eSettings Launches the Acer eSettings in Acer eManager.
+ Acer ePower 
ManagementLaunches the Acer ePower Management in Acer 
Empowering Technology. See “Acer Empowering 
Technology” on page 17.
+ Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep mode. 
						

							16Chapter 1
Special Key
You can locate the Euro symbol and US dollar sign at the upper-center of your keyboard.
To  t y p e :
The Euro symbol
1. Open a text editor or word processor.
2.Hold  and then press the  symbol at the upper-center of the keyboard.
NOTE: Some fonts and software do not support the Euro symbol. Please refer to www.microsoft.com/
typography/faq/faq12.htm for more information.
The US dollar sign
1.Open a text editor or word processor.
2.Hold  and then press the  key at the upper-center of the keyboard.
NOTE:  This function varies by the operating system version.
+ Display toggle Switches display output between the display screen, 
external monitor (if connected) and both.
+ Screen blank Turns the display screen backlight off to save power. 
Press any key to return.
+ Touchpad toggle Turns the internal touchpad on and off.
+ Speaker toggle Turns the speakers on and off.
+ Volume up Increases the speaker volume.
+ Volume down Decreases the speaker volume.
+ Brightness up Increases the screen brightness.
+ Brightness down Decreases the screen brightness
Hot KeyIconFunctionDescription
Gr 
						

							Chapter 117
Acer Em powering Technology
Acer’s innovative Empowering Technology makes it easy for you to access frequently used functions and 
manage your new Acer notebook. It features the following handy utilities: 
TAcer eNet Management hooks up to location-based networks intelligently.
TAcer ePower Management extends battery power via versatile usage profiles.
TAcer ePresentation Management connects to a projector and adjusts display settings conveniently.
TAcer eDataSecurity Management protects data with passwords and advanced encryption algorithms.
TAcer eLock Management limits access to external storage media.
TAcer eRecovery Management backs up and recovers data flexibly, reliably and completely.
TAcer eSettings Management accesses system information and adjusts settings easily.
TAcer ePerformance Management improves system performance by optimizing disk space, memory and 
registry settings.
For more information, press the < > key to launch the Empowering Technology toolbar, then click on the 
appropriate utility and select the Help or Tutorial function.
Em powering Technology password
Before using Acer eLock Management and Acer eRecovery Management, you must initialize the Empowering 
Technology password. Right-click on the Empowering Technology toolbar and select “Password Setup” to do 
so. If you do not initialize the Empowering Technology password, you will be prompted to do so when running 
Acer eLock Management or Acer eRecovery Management for the first time.
Acer eNet Management 
Acer eNet Management helps you to quickly and easily connect to both wired and wireless networks in a 
variety of locations. To access this utility, either click on the “Acer eNet Management” icon on your notebook, 
or start the program from the Start menu. You also have the option to set Acer eNet Management to start 
automatically when you boot up your PC.
Acer eNet Management automatically detects the best settings for a new location, while offering you the 
freedom to manually adjust the settings to match your needs. 
						

							18Chapter 1
Acer eNet Management can save network settings for a location to a profile, and automatically switch to the 
appropriate profile when you move from one location to another. Settings stored include network connection 
settings (IP and DNS settings, wireless AP details, etc.), as well as default printer settings. 
Security and safety concerns mean that Acer eNet Management does not store username and password 
information. 
						

							Chapter 119
Acer ePower Management 
Acer ePower Management features a straightforward user interface. To launch it, select Acer ePower 
Management from the Empowering Technology interface.
AC Mode (Adapter mode)
The default setting is “Maximum Performance.” You can adjust CPU speed, LCD brightness and other 
settings, or click on buttons to turn the following functions on/off: Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, CardBus, FireWire 
(1394), Wired LAN and Optical Device if supported.
DC Mode (Battery mode)
There are three pre-defined profiles - Balanced, Power Saver, and High Performance. You can also define the 
power plan optimized for your needs.
To create new power plan
1.   Select a predefined power plan and click the “ “ icon shown on the lower left-hand side.
2.Enter the name for the newly created power plan.
3.Select one of the predefined power plan that is closest to what you want.
4.Change the display and sleep settings as desired.
5.Click “OK“ to apply the setting.
6.A new power plan is created. 
						

							20Chapter 1
Battery status
For real-time battery life estimates based on current usage, refer to the time shown in the “Remaining Battery 
Life” field.
For additional power options, click “More Power option”.
Acer ePresentation Management 
Acer ePresentation Management lets you project your computer’s display to an external device or project 
using the hot key: Fn + F5. If auto-detection hardware is implemented in the system, your system display will 
be automatically switched out when an external display is connected to the system. 
						

							Chapter 121
Acer eDataSecurity Management 
Acer eDataSecurity Management is handy file encryption utility that protects your files from being accessed by 
unauthorized persons. It is conveniently integrated with Windows explorer as a shell extension for quick and 
easy data encryption/decryption and also supports on-the-fly file encryption for MSN Messenger and Microsoft 
Outlook. 
The Acer eDataSecurity Management setup wizard will prompt you for a supervisor password and default 
encryption. This encryption will be used to encrypt files by default, or you can choose to enter your won file-
specific password when encrypting a file.
NOTE: The password used encrypt a file is the unique key that the system needs to decrypt it. If you lose the 
password, the supervisor password is the only other key capable of decrypting the file. If you lose both 
passwords, there will be no way to decrypt your encrypted file! Be sure to safeguard all related 
passwords! 
						

							22Chapter 1 
						

							Chapter 123
Acer eLock Management 
Acer eLock Management is a security utility that allows you to lock your removable data, optical and floppy 
drives to ensure that data cannot be stolen while your notebook is unattended.
TRemovable data devices - includes USB disk drives, USB pen drives, USB flash drives, USB MP3 drives, 
USB memory card readers, IEEE 1394 disk drives and any other removable disk drives that can be 
mounted as a file system when plugged into the system.
TOptical drive devices - includes any kind of CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives.
TFloppy disk drives - 3.5-inch disks only.
TInterfaces - includes serial ports, parallel port, infrared (IR), and Bluetooth.
To activate Acer eLock Management, a password must be set first. Once set, you can apply locks to any of the 
devices. Lock(s) will immediately be set without any reboot necessary, and will remain locked after rebooting, 
until unlocked.
NOTE: If you lose your password, there is no method to reset it except by reformatting your notebook or taking 
your notebook to an Acer Customer Service Center. Be sure to remember or write down your password. 
						

							24Chapter 1
Acer eRecovery Management 
Acer eRecovery Management is a powerful utility that does away with the need for recovery disks provided by 
the manufacturer. The Acer eRecovery Management utility occupies space in a hidden partition on your 
system’s HDD. User-created backups are stored on D: drive. Acer eRecovery Management provides you 
with:
TPassword protection.
TRecovery of applications and drivers.
TImage/data backup:
TBack up to HDD (set recovery point).
TBack up to CD/DVD.
TImage/data recovery tools:
TRecover from a hidden partition (factory defaults).
TRecover from the HDD (most recent user-defined recovery point).
TRecover from CD/DVD.
For more information, please refer to “Acer eRecovery Management”
NOTE: If your computer did not come with a Recovery CD or System CD, please use Acer eRecovery 
Management’s “System backup to optical disk” feature to burn a backup image to CD or DVD. To 
ensure the best results when recovering your system using a CD or Acer eRecovery Management, 
detach all peripherals (except the external Acer ODD, if your computer has one), including your Acer 
ezDock.