Gateway 400 series User Manual

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Chapter 7: Sending and Receiving Faxes
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Managing Power
While your notebook is running on battery power, you 
should manage power consumption to get the most use out 
of the battery. Read this chapter to learn how to:

Check and recharge the battery

Recalibrate the battery

Change batteries

Extend the life of the battery by conserving battery 
power and using alternate power sources

Change power-saving settings 
						

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Monitoring the battery charge 
Closely monitor the battery charge. When the battery charge gets low, change 
the battery or connect to AC power immediately to prevent losing any unsaved 
work.
Monitor the battery charge by:

Double-clicking the power cord icon  or battery icon  in the taskbar. 
The Power Meter dialog box opens.

Pressing FN+STATUS to view the power status box, which opens in the 
upper-left corner of the screen. The power status box shows the current 
power source, the battery charge level, and the power management mode.

Looking at the battery charge indicator:

LED green - battery is fully charged.

LED orange - battery is charging.

LED red - battery is malfunctioning.
ImportantIf the power cord or battery icon does not appear on the 
taskbar, click the show hidden icons button.
ImportantThis LED only lights up when the notebook is connected 
to AC power. For the location of the battery charge 
indicator, see “Front” on page 2. 
						

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Recharging the battery
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Pressing the battery meter buttons on the battery. The battery meter light 
indicates the percentage of battery charge remaining.

Waiting for a Low Battery warning message to appear.
If your battery charge indicator displays what looks like an inaccurate charge, 
you may need to recalibrate the battery. For more information, see 
“Recalibrating the battery” on page 126.
Recharging the battery
The battery recharges while it is installed and your notebook is connected to 
AC power. While the battery is recharging, the battery charge indicator turns 
orange and the battery icon in the taskbar has a lightning bolt .
ImportantIf the power cord or battery icon does not appear on the 
taskbar, click the show hidden icons button. 
						

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Recalibrating the battery
If your notebook unexpectedly goes into Standby mode while you are using it 
but the battery charge is not low, you may need to recalibrate your battery. 
You should also recalibrate the battery periodically to maintain the accuracy 
of the battery gauge.
To recalibrate the battery:
1Connect the AC adapter, then turn on your notebook.
2As soon as it starts and you see a startup screen, press F2. The BIOS Setup 
utility opens.
3Open the Advanced menu.
4Highlight Battery Auto Learning, then select Enabled by pressing the 
spacebar.
5Open the Exit menu, then highlight Exit Saving Changes and press ENTER.
6Select Ye s, then press ENTER.
The battery recalibration process begins and a screen opens showing you 
the progress. The entire process will take several hours.
When the recalibration has finished, the message “Press [Esc] key to exit” 
appears.
7Press ESC. The battery charge indicator now displays an accurate battery 
charge. If the battery charge indicator does not show an accurate charge, 
contact Gateway Technical Support.
ImportantDo not interrupt the battery recalibration process. If 
recalibration is interrupted, you must start the process over 
again. 
						

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Changing batteries
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Changing batteries
If your notebook is plugged into an AC outlet, you can change the battery while 
the notebook is turned on. If your notebook is not plugged into an AC outlet, 
you must turn the notebook off while changing the batteries.
Replacing the battery
To replace the battery:
1If your notebook is on and is plugged into an AC outlet, go to Step 2.
-OR-
If your notebook is on and is not plugged into an AC outlet, save your 
work and turn off the notebook.
2Close the LCD panel.
3Turn your notebook over so the bottom is facing up.
WarningDanger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.
Replace only with a Gateway 400VTX battery. Discard 
used batteries according to the manufacturer’s 
instructions.
The battery used in this device may present a fire or 
chemical burn hazard if mishandled. Do not disassemble, 
heat above 212°F (100°C), or incinerate. Dispose of used 
battery promptly. Keep away from children. 
						

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4Slide the battery release latch and lift the battery out of the bay.
5Place a recharged battery into the bay and press down until it snaps into 
place.
6Turn your notebook over.
7Open the LCD panel and press the power button. 
						

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Extending battery life
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Extending battery life
Conserving battery power 
While using the battery to power your notebook, conserve power by:

Dimming the display as low as is comfortable.

Removing PC Cards and IBM Microdrive cards when you do not need 
them. Many PC Cards and Microdrive cards use a small amount of power 
while inserted, even if they are not being used.

Modifying the power management settings for maximum power savings. 
For more information, see “Changing power settings” on page 131.

Closing the LCD panel to turn off the display while you are not using your 
notebook. The display stays off until you open the panel again.

Using Hibernate mode for maximum power savings while your notebook 
is not in use. For more information, see “Activating and using Hibernate 
mode” on page 135.

Using the DVD drive only when necessary. These drives use a large amount 
of power.

Recharging the battery often, taking an extra battery, and fully recharging 
the batteries before traveling. For more information, see “Recharging the 
battery” on page 125 and “Changing batteries” on page 127.
Using alternate power sources 
To extend battery life, use alternate power sources whenever possible.

If traveling internationally, take electrical adapters. Save the battery for 
times when you cannot use a power adapter. If you plan on taking your 
AC power adapter, also take a single-plug surge protector.

If you will have access to an EmPower™ in-flight power receptacle or an 
automobile cigarette lighter, use an airplane/automobile power adapter. 
Save the battery for times when you cannot use a power adapter.

To find AC power outlets in airports, look for them next to support pillars, 
in large areas such as boarding gates, and under banks of telephones. 
						

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Changing power modes 
You can use the following power modes to lengthen the life of your notebook’s 
battery:

Standby - while your notebook is in Standby, it switches to a low power 
state where devices, such as the display and drives, turn off.

Hibernate - (also called save to disk) writes all current memory (RAM) 
information to the hard drive, then turns your notebook completely off. 
The next time you turn on your notebook, it reads the memory 
information from the hard drive and opens the programs and documents 
that were open when you activated Hibernate mode. For more information 
on using Hibernate mode, see “Activating and using Hibernate mode” on 
page 135.
Using power saving modes
Always save your work before using Standby mode. In Standby mode, your 
notebook reduces or turns off the power to most devices except memory. 
However, the information in memory is not saved to the hard drive. If power 
is interrupted, the information is lost.
When in Hibernate mode, your computer saves all memory information to the 
hard drive, then turns the power completely off.
If your computer 
is......and you want to... ...then
On Enter Standby mode Press FN+STANDBY.
On Enter Hibernate mode 
(must be activated)Click Start, then click Turn Off Computer. Press 
and hold 
SHIFT, then click Hibernate.
In Standby or 
Hibernate modeExit Standby or 
Hibernate modePress the power button. 
						

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Changing power settings
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Changing power settings
You can change the function of the power button, Standby system key, and 
power-saving timers by changing power settings on your notebook.
You can customize power settings from the Windows Control Panel by selecting 
power schemes, setting power alarms, adjusting advanced power settings, and 
activating Hibernate mode.
Power schemes (groups of power settings) let you change power saving options 
such as when the display or hard drive is automatically turned off. You can 
select one of the defined power schemes or create a custom power scheme.
Alarms can alert you when the battery charge is low.
Advanced power settings let you assign different power saving modes to the power 
button and Standby system key. You can also select which power saving mode 
is activated when you close the LCD panel.