Gateway P-6825 Manual

							CHAPTER7
83
Maintaining Your Notebook
Caring for your notebook
Cleaning your notebook
Maintaining the battery
Cleaning CDs or DVDs
Overclocking the processor
Recovering your system 
						

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Caring for your notebook
To extend the life of your notebook:
Be careful not to bump or drop your notebook, and do 
not put any objects on top of it. The case, although 
strong, is not made to support extra weight.
When transporting your notebook, we recommend that 
you put it in a carrying case.
Keep your notebook away from magnetic fields. 
Magnetic fields can erase data on hard drives.
Never turn off your notebook when the drive indicator 
is on because data on the hard drive could be lost or 
corrupted.
Avoid subjecting your notebook to extreme temperature 
changes. The case (and LCD panel) can become brittle 
and easy to break in cold temperatures and can melt or 
warp in high temperatures. Damage due to either 
extreme is not covered by your warranty. As a general 
rule, your notebook is safest at temperatures that are 
comfortable for you.
Keep all liquids away from your notebook. When spilled 
onto notebook components, almost any liquid can result 
in expensive repairs that are not covered under a 
standard warranty.
Avoid dusty or dirty work environments. Dust and dirt 
can clog the internal mechanisms and can lead to 
permanent damage to the notebook.
Do not block the ventilation fan slots. If these slots are 
blocked, your notebook may overheat resulting in 
unexpected shutdown or permanent damage to the 
notebook.
When storing your notebook for an extended period of 
time, unplug AC power and remove the battery after 
discharging them partway.
Cleaning your notebook
Keeping your notebook clean and the vents free from dust 
helps keep your notebook performing at its best. You may 
want to gather these items and put together a notebook 
cleaning kit:
A soft, lint-free cloth
An aerosol can of air that has a narrow, straw-like 
extension 
						

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Cotton swabs
A CD or DVD drive cleaning kit
Cleaning the exterior
Always turn off your notebook and other peripherals before 
cleaning any components. Also, remove the battery before 
cleaning any components.
Use a damp, lint-free cloth to clean your notebook and other 
parts of your system. Do not use household abrasive or solvent 
cleaners because they can damage the finish on components.
Your notebook is cooled by air circulated through the vents on 
the case, so keep the vents free of dust. With your notebook 
turned off and unplugged, brush the dust away from the vents 
with a damp cloth. Be careful not to drip any water into the 
vents. Do not attempt to clean dust from the inside of your 
notebook with the exception of the memory bay.
Cleaning the keyboard
You should clean the keyboard occasionally by using an aerosol 
can of air with a narrow, straw-like extension to remove dust 
and lint trapped under the keys.
If you spill liquid on the keyboard, turn off your notebook and 
turn the notebook upside down. Let the liquid drain, then let 
the keyboard dry before trying to use it again. If the keyboard 
does not work after it dries, you may need to replace it. A 
replacement keyboard may not be covered by your warranty.
Cleaning the notebook screen
Use a soft cloth and water to clean the LCD screen. Squirt a little 
water on the cloth (never directly on the screen), and wipe the 
screen with the cloth.Warning
When you shut down your notebook, the power turns off, but some 
electrical current still flows through your notebook. To avoid possible injury from 
electrical shock, unplug the power cord, modem cable, and network cable from 
the wall outlets and remove the battery.
TipYou may want to occasionally open the memory bay door and remove 
dust and lint using an aerosol can of air.
CautionA notebook LCD screen is made of specially coated glass and can be 
scratched or damaged by abrasive or ammonia-based glass cleaners. 
						

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Maintaining the battery
The life span of a notebook battery is about 1.5 to 3 years, 
under normal conditions. As the battery begins to die, you will 
have to recharge the battery more frequently because it 
cannot hold a full charge.
Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing 
temperatures. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold 
ones cannot create as much power. Short battery life is more 
likely to be caused by heat than by charge/discharge patterns. 
Keep your lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car, for 
example.
Charge often, but do not try to fully discharge the battery 
frequently. This only adds strain. Several partial discharges 
(regular use), with frequent recharges, are better for 
lithium-ion than one total discharge. Recharging a partially 
charged lithium-ion battery does not cause any harm because 
it has no “memory.”
Batteries with fuel gauges (notebooks) should be calibrated by 
applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. 
Running the battery down in the equipment does this. If 
ignored, the fuel gauge becomes increasingly less accurate and 
in some cases will cut off the device prematurely.
Using the right charger is important. By now you probably 
know that each kind of battery has its own technology, its own 
rate of charge, and so on. Charging lithium batteries correctly 
is one way to extend their life and to avoid damage. 
Storing batteries
Do not charge up the battery, then store it away. A stored 
battery should be used every three to four weeks. Let the 
battery fully discharge, then recharge to 40% if you plan to 
store it again. If you store a battery for longer than three to 
four weeks, the battery could fully discharge because the 
battery circuitry itself consumes power.
If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one exclusively and 
keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Make sure 
that it is wrapped protectively and that nothing will be dropped 
on it. Do not freeze the battery.
Do not use old batteries. Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion 
batteries and storing them for later use. Do not buy old stock, 
even if it is sold at clearance prices. While it makes sense to 
have 2 or 3 extra batteries, so that you always have a fresh one 
charged up and ready to go, if you buy batteries and store 
them for years, they may not work when you decide to use 
them. 
						

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Consider removing the battery from your notebook when 
running on fixed power. However, remember that when you 
have removed the battery from your notebook while using it 
with an electrical outlet, the automatic battery charger no 
longer keeps the battery charged.
Cleaning CDs or DVDs
Wipe from the center to the edge, not around in a circle, using 
a product made especially for the purpose.
Overclocking the processor
If your notebook comes with an Extreme Edition CPU, the CPU 
is “unlocked,” which means its clock speed (operating speed) 
can be increased (overclocked) beyond the default processor 
speed. Overclocking may result in system instability.
To change the clock speed of your processor:  
1Restart your notebook. As soon as you see a startup 
screen, press F2. The BIOS Setup utility opens.
2Select the Advanced menu, then select Extreme CPU 
Speed.
3Press the space bar to change the speed of the CPU.
4Press F10, then type Y to exit BIOS saving changes. Caution
When the battery is in the notebook and the notebook is running on AC 
power, the battery constantly charges, even though it has a full charge. This 
reduces the life of the battery. If the battery is fully charged and you want to run 
on AC power, remove the battery.  
						

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Recovering your system
You can solve most notebook problems by following the 
information in “Troubleshooting” on page 113 or in the 
technical support pages at www.gateway.com
. Problem 
solving may also involve re-installing some or all of the 
notebook’s software (also called recovering or restoring your 
system). Gateway provides everything you need to recover 
your system under most conditions.
If only one or two items of software or hardware have 
stopped working correctly, the problem may be solved 
by re-installing the software or the hardware drivers. To 
recover software and drivers that were pre-installed at 
the factory, see “Recovering pre-installed software and 
drivers” on page 89. For instructions on reinstalling 
software and drivers that were not pre-installed, see 
that product’s documentation or support Web site.
If re-installing software or drivers does not help, then the 
problem may be solved by returning your system to a 
previous state when everything was working correctly. 
For instructions, see “Using Microsoft System Restore” on 
page 94.
If nothing else has solved the problem and you want to 
return your system to factory condition, see “Recovering 
your system to its factory condition” on page 97.
If you upgrade or exchange your hard drive or if your hard 
drive is completely erased or corrupted, your only option for 
system recovery may be to reinstall Windows from the 
Windows DVD, then recover your pre-installed software and 
device drivers using recovery discs that you created.
To re-install Windows using the Windows DVD, see 
“Recovering your system using the Windows DVD” on 
page 98.
To re-install your pre-installed software and device 
drivers using recovery discs, see “Recovering 
pre-installed software and drivers using recovery discs” 
on page 93. Caution
To prepare your notebook for additional system recovery options, you 
should create a set of software and driver recovery discs as soon as possible. For 
instructions, see “Preparing for software and device driver recovery” on page 89. 
						

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Recovering pre-installed software and drivers
You can perform a partial recovery by recovering the software 
and device drivers that were pre-installed at the factory. If you 
need to recover software that did not come pre-installed on 
your system, you need to follow that software’s installation 
instructions.
You can recover pre-installed software and drivers from a set 
of recovery discs (you must create the discs) or by using 
Gateway Recovery Center.
Preparing for software and device driver recovery
You can usually recover your pre-installed software and drivers 
from your hard drive. However, if you ever re-install Windows 
from the Windows DVD or install a new hard drive, you need 
to recover your pre-installed software and drivers using a set 
of software and driver recovery discs. Because these discs do 
not come with your notebook, you should create your own set.
You should create a set of discs for recovering your 
pre-installed software and device drivers, in case you need to 
use them later for a complete system recovery. (Your notebook 
must have a recordable disc drive to perform this procedure.)Caution
Although you may not be expecting to need recovery discs, we 
recommend that you prepare for any eventuality and create a set of recovery 
discs while you have the opportunity.
ImportantYour notebook may have shipped with a Drivers and Applications Recovery 
disc. If this is the case, you may want to create an additional set of discs in case 
the originals are lost or damaged. 
						

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To create discs for recovering pre-installed software 
and drivers:  
1Click (Start), All Programs, Gateway Recovery 
Center, then click Gateway Recovery Center. The 
Gateway Recovery Center opens.
2Click Applications and drivers external media, then 
click Next. The What would you like to do? dialog box 
opens.
3Click Create system recovery discs, then click Next.
4Insert a blank, recordable disc into the recordable disc 
drive, then click Next. If an AutoPlay dialog box opens, 
click the x in the upper-right corner to close it.
A dialog box opens that tells you the number of blank 
discs you need to create a full set of recovery discs. 
						

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5If you have enough blank discs of the specified type, click 
I have enough discs, then click Next. If you do not have 
enough discs, choose a different disc type, or click 
Cancel.
The disc recording begins. Label the discs as they are 
completed.
6If multiple discs are required, insert the additional blank 
discs when prompted. 
7When the process is finished, the Congratulations! 
window opens.
8Click Finish.
9Remove your final disc, then label all of the discs and 
store them in a safe place.
Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using 
Gateway Recovery Center
To recover specific drivers and software:  
1Click (Start), All Programs, Gateway Recovery 
Center, then click Gateway Recovery Center. The 
Gateway Recovery Center opens. Important
Use a permanent marker to label each disc “Software and Driver 
Recovery,” along with a short description of which notebook the discs are 
for. If you are recording multiple discs, as you remove each disc from the 
drive, use the marker to label each disc 1 of x, 2 of x, 3 of x, and so on.
TipAfter a recovery disc is created, your notebook names the disc 
Recovery13 for disc 1 of a 3-disc set, Recovery23 for disc 2, and so on.
ImportantIf you have recently reinstalled Windows or installed a new hard 
drive, and your Start menu does not contain Gateway Recovery Center 
as an option, you must recover your software and drivers using software 
and driver recovery discs you have created. For instructions, see 
“Recovering pre-installed software and drivers using recovery discs” on 
page 93. 
						

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2To recover software that was pre-installed, click 
Programs, then click Application recovery.
- OR -
To recover device drivers that were pre-installed, click 
Hardware, then click Device driver recovery.
3Click the software or driver you want to recover, then 
click Next.