HP Pavilion G4 2100 Notebook Pc Series User Guide

Traveling with or shipping your computer
If you have to travel with or ship your computer, here are some tips to keep in mind to keep your
equipment safe.
●Prepare the computer for traveling or shipping:
◦Back up your information to an external drive.
◦Remove all discs and all external media cards, such as digital storage cards, from the
computer.
◦Turn off, and then disconnect all external devices.
◦Remove any media from the drive before removing the drive from a drive bay.
CAUTION:Perform this action...

9 Securing your computer and
information
Computer security is essential for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your
information. Standard security solutions provided by the Windows operating system, HP applications,
the non-Windows Setup Utility (BIOS), and other third-party software can help protect your computer
from a variety of risks, such as viruses, worms, and other types of malicious code.
IMPORTANT:Some security features listed in this chapter may not be available on...

Using passwords
A password is a group of characters that you choose to secure your computer information and to
protect online transactions. Several types of passwords can be set. For example, when you set up
your computer for the first time, you were asked to create a user password to secure your computer.
Additional passwords can be set in Windows or in the HP Setup Utility (BIOS) that is preinstalled on
your computer.
You may find it helpful to use the same password for a Setup Utility (BIOS) feature...

Setting Setup Utility (BIOS) passwords
Password Function
Administrator password●Must be entered each time you access Setup Utility
(BIOS).
●If you forget your administrator password, you cannot
access Setup Utility (BIOS).
NOTE:The administrator password can be used in place of
the power-on password.
NOTE:Your administrator password is not interchangeable
with an administrator password set in Windows, nor is it
displayed as it is set, entered, changed, or deleted.
NOTE:If you enter the power-on password...

Using antivirus software
Computer viruses can disable programs, utilities, or the operating system, or cause them to function
abnormally. Antivirus software can detect most viruses, destroy them, and in most cases, repair any
damage they have caused.
For more information about computer viruses, type viruses in the Search box in Help and Support.
Using firewall software
Firewalls are designed to prevent unauthorized access to a system or network. A firewall can be
software you install on your computer...

If you have installed third-party software after you purchased your computer, regularly update the
software. Software companies provide software updates to their products to correct security problems
and improve functionality of the software.
Securing your wireless network
When you set up your wireless network, always enable security features. For more information, see
Protecting your WLAN on page 18.
Backing up your software applications and information
Regularly back up your software applications and...

10 Using Setup Utility (BIOS) and System
Diagnostics
Setup Utility, or Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), controls communication between all the input and
output devices on the system (such as disk drives, display, keyboard, mouse, and printer). Setup
Utility (BIOS) includes settings for the types of devices installed, the startup sequence of the
computer, and the amount of system and extended memory.
Starting Setup Utility (BIOS)
To start Setup Utility (BIOS), follow these steps:
1.Turn on or restart the...

Determining the BIOS version
To determine whether available BIOS updates contain later BIOS versions than those currently
installed on the computer, you need to know the version of the system BIOS currently installed.
BIOS version information (also known as ROM date and System BIOS) can be displayed by pressing
fn+esc (if you are already in Windows) or by using Setup Utility (BIOS).
1.Start Setup Utility (BIOS).
2.Use the arrow keys to select Main.
3.To exit Setup Utility (BIOS) without saving your...

4.Double-click the file that has an .exe extension (for example, filename.exe).
The BIOS installation begins.
5.Complete the installation by following the on-screen instructions.
NOTE:After a message on the screen reports a successful installation, you can delete the
downloaded file from your hard drive.
Updating the BIOS 69 

Using System Diagnostics
System Diagnostics allows you to run diagnostic tests to determine if the computer hardware is
functioning properly.
To start System Diagnostics:
1.Turn on or restart the computer. While the “Press the ESC key for Startup Menu” message is
displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen, press esc. When the Startup Menu is displayed,
press f2.
2.Click the diagnostic test you want to run, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
NOTE:If you need to stop a diagnostics test while...