Acer AcerBasic II User Manual Download

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AcerBasic

User’s Guide

Summary of Contents for AcerBasic II

Page 1: ...AcerBasic User s Guide ...

Page 2: ...sed as is Should the programs prove defective following their purchase the buyer and not Acer Incorporated its distributor or its dealer assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing repair and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software Further Acer Incorporated reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the co...

Page 3: ...be blocked or covered The openings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed sofa rug or other similar surface This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat register or in a built in installation unless proper ventilation is provided 7 This product should be operated from the type of power indicated on the marking label If you are not sure of the type of power a...

Page 4: ...ly those controls that are covered by the operating instructions since improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the product to normal condition e If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged f If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance indicating a need for service 13 Repla...

Page 5: ...en tilsvarende type anbefalt av apparatfabrikanten Brukte batterier kasseres i henhold til fabrikantens instruksjoner VARNING Explosionsfara vid felaktigt batteribyte Anvãnd samma batterityp eller en ekvivalent typ som rekommenderas av apparattillverkaren Kassera anvãnt batteri enligt fabrikantens instruktion VAROITUS Päristo voi räjähtää jos se on virheellisesti asennettu Vaihda paristo ainoastaa...

Page 6: ... If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures 1 Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna 2 Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver 3 Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit...

Page 7: ... par le ministère des Communications du Canada Laser Compliance The CD ROM drive in the AcerBasic is a laser product The CD ROM drive s classification label shown below is located on the top of the drive CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT CAUTION INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION WHEN OPEN AVOID EXPOSURE TO BEAM APPAREIL A LASER DE CLASSE 1 PRODUIT LASER ATTENTION RADIATION DU FAISCEAU LASER INVISIBLE EN CAS D OUVERTU...

Page 8: ...nts IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS iii Caution on Lithium Batteries v FCC Class B Radio Frequency Interference Statement vi Canadian Department of Communications Regulatory Statement vii Laser Compliance vii Unpacking 1 Standard Items 1 Optional Items 2 Getting to Know your AcerBasic 3 Basic Features 3 Optional Features 5 Setting Up the AcerBasic 6 Locating the Connectors 6 Front 6 Rear 8 Finding a...

Page 9: ... 22 Using the CD ROM Drive 24 Guidelines on CD ROM Drive Use 24 Inserting and Removing a CD ROM Disc 25 Setting Passwords 27 Setup Password 27 Power On Password 30 Communicating Between AcerBasics 31 Transferring Files 32 Maintenance 33 Getting Help 34 Accessing Online Help 34 Getting Help Online 34 Setup Utility 35 BIOS Utility Main Screen 35 Basic System Configuration 37 Date and Time 38 Diskett...

Page 10: ...red Activities 50 QuickStart State Timer 50 Point Device Location 50 System Security 51 Disk Drive Control 51 Onboard Communication Ports 53 Onboard PS 2 Mouse IRQ 12 56 Setup Password 57 Power On Password 57 PCI PnP System Configuration 58 PCI IRQ Setting 58 PCI Slots 1 and 2 59 Onboard VGA 59 PCI IRQ Sharing 59 VGA Palette Snoop 60 Plug Play OS 60 Reset Resources Assignment 61 Onboard LAN Chip 6...

Page 11: ...sonal computer package contains the following items Carefully unpack each item and set aside Standard Items AcerBasic personal computer Wireless keyboard SCART Euro AV cable Audio and video cables Power cord User s guide and miscellaneous items ...

Page 12: ...Unpacking 2 User s Guide Optional Items Remote control Computer video camera kit The items in your package may differ slightly ...

Page 13: ... of fast EDO Extended Data Out or fast page RAM Random Access Memory These memory types give you true value balancing price and performance High performance video The graphics adapter with 2MB of video memory outputs high resolution high speed graphics onto your television or monitor 3D graphics support also turn your AcerBasic into a gaming machine High capacity storage mediums One high capacity ...

Page 14: ... Peripheral connectivity Located at the front and rear of the computer are a host of connectors for a large variety of peripherals printer mouse keyboard microphone speakers joystick just to name a few See Setting Up the AcerBasic on page 6 User Friendly software The bundled software helps you explore a world of information Refer to the applications guide for details Security features Security fea...

Page 15: ...y Higher capacity hard disk Higher speed CD ROM drive DVD ROM drive MPEG II capability Hardware options Remote control Computer video camera kit External monitor External keyboard External mouse Network hubs USB devices Software options Please contact your dealer or reseller for the options available in your region ...

Page 16: ... connectors are found on the front for easy access Let s take a look at the front and rear of the unit before we make the connections Front Item Description 1 Floppy disk drive activity indicator Lights up when the floppy disk drive is being accessed 2 Floppy disk drive Accepts 3 5 inch 1 44MB diskette 3 Floppy disk drive eject button Ejects the diskette from the floppy disk drive 4 CD ROM drive A...

Page 17: ...rd or remote control Allows you to transfer data or files with another AcerBasic computer 12 Game MIDI port Connects a joystick game device or MIDI device 13 Microphone jack Connects a microphone 14 Earphone headphone jack Connects an earphone or headphone 15 VCR camcorder audio input jack right Connects to the right audio input of a VCR or camcorder 16 VCR camcorder audio input jack left Connects...

Page 18: ...television 7 S video output jack Connects to the S video input of a television 8 Parallel port Connects a printer or other parallel device 9 Serial port Connect a serial mouse or other serial device 10 PS 2 mouse port Connects a PS 2 mouse 11 PS 2 keyboard port Connects a PS 2 keyboard 12 Network jack Connects a network line Ethernet 13 Audio output jack Connects to speakers or other audio output ...

Page 19: ...a to Place the AcerBasic The AcerBasic has the following dimensions Locate a suitable area to place the AcerBasic Allow ample space on all sides of the unit for cords and cable connections The AcerBasic should also be placed near the devices you will connect to it ...

Page 20: ...ke a printer or the phone line described in pages 12 to 17 Connecting to a Television or a Monitor First you need to connect an output device to the computer which can either be a television unit or a computer monitor Television Unit Computer Monitor If your television uses a SCART interface use the included SCART cable to connect your television set to the computer ...

Page 21: ...the unit Then connect the other end to a properly ground power outlet These basic connections you ve just made are all you need to get your AcerBasic up and running If you need to make other connections such as a phone line for connecting to the Internet or a printer for printing documents read on Otherwise you can jump to page 19 ...

Page 22: ...also connect a telephone set to the phone set jack Your modem has been designed to work with an analog telephone line like the ones commonly found in your home Connecting your modem to a digital phone system or a PBX Private Branch Exchange system like the ones found in large establishments and office complexes can cause damage to your modem Before using the modem make sure you are connecting an a...

Page 23: ...anies are connected on networks to facilitate the transfer of information If you are using the AcerBasic in a networked environment contact your system administrator for details Printer A printer allows you to print out documents and other data from your computer to paper At the rear of the unit connect a parallel printer to the parallel port or connect a serial printer to the serial port ...

Page 24: ...nect various audio and game devices to your computer Some of these ports are duplicated in the front of the unit for easy connection At the rear of the unit speakers earphones or headphones connect to the audio line out jack audio input device connects to the audio input jack ...

Page 25: ...AcerBasic User s Guide 15 At the front of the unit earphones or headphones connect to the earphone headphone jack microphone connects to the microphone jack joystick game or MIDI device connects to the game MIDI port ...

Page 26: ...nstead of the wireless keyboard that comes with the AcerBasic There are two types of keyboards besides the wireless keyboard that you can use with the AcerBasic USB keyboard connects to any of the two USB ports PS 2 keyboard connects to the PS 2 keyboard port These ports are found on the rear of the unit ...

Page 27: ...efer to use an external mouse instead There are three types of mice besides the one built into the wireless keyboard that you can use with the AcerBasic USB mouse connects to any of the two USB ports PS 2 mouse connects to the PS 2 mouse port Serial mouse connects to the serial port These ports are found on the rear of the unit ...

Page 28: ...eo Cassette Recorder or Camcorder You can also connect a video cassette recorder VCR or camcorder to the unit Computer Video Camera You can also connect a computer video camera to the unit Some computer video cameras support an S video connection ...

Page 29: ... switch is located at the rear of the computer to the left of the power cord socket Press the power switch to the ON position 2 Turn on your television or your monitor the one you connected to the computer 3 Press the On Sleep button at the front of the computer The computer starts up and Windows 95 begins loading ...

Page 30: ...ons like a mouse or trackball as it moves the cursor on the screen Move the direction pad in any direction to move the mouse pointer on the screen The left and right buttons function like those on a mouse or trackball Installing the Battery The wireless keyboard uses two 2 size AA batteries Flip open the battery cover to see the installation diagram After installing the batteries close the battery...

Page 31: ...n using the floppy disk drive Always make backup copies of diskettes that contain important data or program files Keep diskettes away from magnetic fields and sources of heat Avoid removing a diskette from a drive when the floppy drive activity light is on When you put a label on a 3 5 inch diskette make sure the label is properly attached flat on the surface and within the labelling area area wit...

Page 32: ...ntal erasure To do this slide the write protect tab to the write protect position Inserting and Ejecting a Floppy Disk To insert a floppy disk for use with the AcerBasic insert the floppy disk into the floppy disk drive as shown in the figure below Write protected Not write protected ...

Page 33: ...Using the AcerBasic User s Guide 23 To eject a floppy disk press the floppy disk drive eject button Then carefully remove the floppy disk from the floppy disk drive ...

Page 34: ... Read through the following guidelines before using the CD ROM drive Do not open the disc tray except when inserting or removing a disc Do not place any item on top of the disc tray Never attempt to push down on an opened disc tray Always remove the disc from the drive if you are going to move the AcerBasic On discs Always handle a disc by its edges Do not touch the surface of the disc especially ...

Page 35: ...t or fingerprints use a clean soft and dry cloth Never use fluids like benzene or anti static fluids Using fluids of these types may damage the disc Inserting and Removing a CD ROM Disc To insert a CD ROM disc into the CD ROM drive the computer must be ON Follow these steps 1 Press the CD ROM drive open close button The CD ROM disc tray slides out ...

Page 36: ...Using the AcerBasic 26 User s Guide 2 Place a CD ROM disc onto the CD ROM disc tray 3 Press the CD ROM drive open close button The CD ROM drive tray slides back in ...

Page 37: ... need to contact your dealer Setup Password The Setup Password prevents unauthorized access to the BIOS Utility The BIOS Utility is a setup utility for your hardware settings For more information on this utility see page 35 Setting a Password 1 During POST while the startup logo is being displayed press Ctrl Alt Esc to enter the BIOS Utility 2 Select System Security and press Enter 3 Highlight the...

Page 38: ...y 6 Retype the password then press Enter After setting the password the computer automatically sets the Setup Password parameter to Present 7 Press Esc to exit the System Security screen and return to the main menu 8 Press Esc to exit the BIOS Utility A dialog box appears asking if you want to save the CMOS data Do you want to save CMOS data Yes No 9 Select Yes to save the changes and reboot the c...

Page 39: ...ct System Security and press Enter 3 Highlight the Setup Password parameter 4 Press or to display the password prompt and key in a new password or Press or and select None to remove the existing password 5 Press Esc to exit the System Security screen and return to the main menu 6 Press Esc to exit the BIOS Utility A dialog box appears asking if you want to save the CMOS data Do you want to save CM...

Page 40: ...ur computer against unauthorized use Once you set this password you have to type it whenever you boot the computer To set this password enter the BIOS Utility select System Security then highlight the Power On Password parameter Follow the same procedure as in setting the Setup password ...

Page 41: ...ture and bundled infrared software The two AcerBasic units should be facing each other with a maximum angle of 15 degrees When set up the two computers will automatically detect and establish a connection The IRConnect infrared connect icon will appear on the taskbar indicating the status of the connection means a successful connection means no connection ...

Page 42: ...pertaining to the two computers appear in the list 2 Double click on each item to open their contents 3 Drag and drop files from one computer to the other and vice versa You can also access these functions via the IRConnect software Simply double click on the IRConnect taskbar icon to bring up the window then access the toolbar or menu functions To set up the IRConnect software please refer to the...

Page 43: ...r or heater Do not expose to temperatures below 0ºC 32ºF or above 50ºC 122ºF Do not subject the computer and magnetic media e g diskettes to magnetic fields Do not expose the computer to rain or moisture Do not spill water on the computer Do not insert inappropriate objects into the diskette and CD ROM drives Diskettes one at a time go into the diskette drive One CD ROM disc goes on the CD ROM dri...

Page 44: ...To get help with Windows 95 1 Click on Start 2 Click on Help To get help with specific applications refer to the documentation that came with the application Most applications have a Help item on their menu bar that you can gain access to Getting Help Online If you are connected to the Internet and have World Wide Web access visit our homepage http www acer com to get support and the latest inform...

Page 45: ...o run this utility unless you get a Run Setup message Run this utility if you want to do any of the following Check the configuration of the computer Change the drive boot sequence Set or change power saving options Set or change resume options Set change or remove passwords BIOS Utility Main Screen Follow these steps to access this utility 1 Turn on your computer The Startup logo screen shows whi...

Page 46: ...ault Settings Move Highlight Bar Select Esc Exit and Reboot To enter a menu item use the cursor up down keys to select the item then press Enter The following sections describe the different sections of this utility The parameters on the screens show default values Some values such as hard disk drive and memory sizes may not be the same as those in your computer Grayed out items on the screens hav...

Page 47: ...one Cylinder Head Sector IDE Drive 0 1222 MB Auto 2484 16 63 IDE Drive 1 0 MB Auto 0 0 0 IDE Drive 2 0 MB Auto 0 0 0 IDE Drive 3 0 MB Auto 0 0 0 Total Memory 16 MB Move Highlight Bar Change Setting PgDn PgUp Move Screen F1 Help Esc Exit The command line at the bottom of the menu tells you how to highlight items change settings and move from one screen to another Press cursor up or cursor down on t...

Page 48: ...d Disk Size 504MB Enabled Hard Disk 32 Bit Access Enabled Large Memory Support Mode Normal Num Lock After Boot Enabled Memory Test Disabled Quiet Boot Enabled Configuration Table Enabled Move Highlight Bar Change Setting PgDn PgUp Move Screen F1 Help Esc Exit Date and Time The real time clock keeps the system date and time After setting the date and time you need not enter them every time you turn...

Page 49: ...ear 00 to 99 TIME Highlight the items on the time parameter and press or to set the time following the hour minute second format Valid values for hour minute and second are Hour 00 to 23 Minute 00 to 59 Second 00 to 59 Diskette Drives To enter the configuration value for the first diskette drive drive A highlight the Diskette Drive A parameter Press or key to view the options and select the approp...

Page 50: ...pective values Select the type that corresponds to your IDE hard disk drive Follow the same procedure for the other IDE hard disk drives if any Choose None for IDE drives other than hard disk and CD ROM Selecting the Auto Option If you do not know the exact type of your IDE hard disk drive select the option Auto During the power on self test POST when the computer performs self testing and self in...

Page 51: ...that you copy the IDE disk drive values and keep them in a safe place in case you have to reconfigure the disk in the future Follow the same procedure to auto configure other IDE drives Selecting the User Option There are cases when you cannot use the option Auto instead you have to select User Choose the User option when you have installed an IDE hard disk that was previously formatted but does n...

Page 52: ...r automatically detects the total amount of onboard memory during the POST and sets this parameter accordingly If you install additional memory the computer automatically adjusts this parameter to display the new memory size Enhanced IDE Features HARD DISK BLOCK MODE This function enhances disk performance depending on the hard disk in use If you set this parameter to Enabled it allows data transf...

Page 53: ...K SIZE 504 MB This enhanced IDE feature works only under DOS and Windows 3 x environments If enabled it allows you to use a hard disk with a capacity of more than 504 MB This is made possible through the Logical Block Address LBA mode translation Other operating systems require this parameter to be set to Disabled HARD DISK 32 BIT ACCESS Enabling this parameter improves system performance by allow...

Page 54: ... Test When set to Enabled this parameter allows the computer to perform a RAM test during the POST routine When set to Disabled the computer detects only the memory size and bypasses the test routine The default setting is Disabled Quiet Boot This parameter enables or disables the quiet boot function When set to Enabled BIOS is in graphical mode and displays only an identification logo during POST...

Page 55: ...fter POST but before booting The configuration table gives a summary of the hardware devices and settings that BIOS detected during POST A sample configuration table appears below CPU ID Pentium CPU Clock 133 MHz Math Coprocessor Installed IDE Drive 0 1222 MB IDE Drive 1 None IDE Drive 2 CD ROM IDE Drive 3 None Diskette Drive A 1 44 MB 3 5 inch Diskette Drive B None USB HC Disabled Base Memory 640...

Page 56: ...The following screen shows the Advanced System Configuration parameters Advanced System Configuration Page 1 1 Internal Cache CPU Cache Enabled External Cache Enabled Cache Scheme Write Back ECC Parity Mode Selection Disabled Memory at 15MB 16MB Reserved for System Use USB Host Controller Disabled Move Highlight Bar Change Setting PgDn PgUp Move Screen F1 Help Esc Exit Internal Cache CPU Cache Thi...

Page 57: ...etect and correct data errors Select Disabled if you installed SIMMs without parity or if you want to disregard the function Memory at 15 16 MB Reserved for To prevent memory address conflicts between the system and expansion boards you can reserve this memory range for the system or the expansion board Before setting this parameter check you add on card manual to see if your add on card needs thi...

Page 58: ...er 15 Minute s System Standby Timer Off Minute s System Suspend Timer Off Minute s Monitored Activities IRQ 2 IRQ 9 Disabled IRQ 8 Disabled IRQ 3 Disabled IRQ 10 Disabled IRQ 4 Disabled IRQ 11 Disabled IRQ 5 Disabled IRQ 12 Enabled IRQ 7 Disabled IRQ 15 Enabled QuickStart State Timer 2 Second s Point Device Location PS 2 Move Highlight Bar Change Setting PgDn PgUp Move Screen F1 Help Esc Exit Powe...

Page 59: ...f 1 to 15 minutes depending on your setting When you access the hard disk again allow 3 to 5 seconds depending on the hard disk for the disk to return to normal speed Set this parameter to Off if your hard disk does not support this function MONITOR POWER SAVING TIMER This parameter sets your display monitor to standby mode Any keyboard or mouse action returns the monitor to normal operation The m...

Page 60: ...system activities occurring through the IRQ channels to determine whether or not to enter power saving mode For example if you assign IRQ 3 to a fax modem and you set this item to Enabled any fax modem activity wakes up the computer from standby mode QuickStart State Timer The QuickStart State Timer specifies how long the computer enters or wakes up from its power saving mode The default setting i...

Page 61: ...F8h Fast IR Mode Enabled Serial Port 2 Base Address 2F8h FIR DMA Channel 3 Parallel Port Base Address 378h IRQ 7 Operation Mode Enhanced Parallel Port EPP Mode ECP DMA Channel Onboard PS 2 Mouse IRQ 12 Enabled Setup Password None Power On Password None Move Highlight Bar Change Setting PgDn PgUp Move Screen F1 Help Esc Exit Disk Drive Control The disk drive control features allow you to enable or ...

Page 62: ...ectors Disables the write function on all sectors Write Protect Boot Sector Disables the write function only on the boot sector Disabled Disables all hard disk functions SYSTEM BOOT DRIVE Setting Description Drive A then C The computer checks drive A first If there is a diskette in the drive the computer boots from drive A Otherwise it boots from drive C Drive C then A The computer checks drive C ...

Page 63: ...ESS This parameter allows you to set the serial port 1 logical base address Setting Description 3F8h Serial port 1 with address 3F8h using IRQ4 2F8h Serial port 1 with address 2F8h using IRQ3 3E8h Serial port 1 with address 3E8h using IRQ4 2E8h Serial port 1 with address 2E8h using IRQ3 Disabled Disables serial port 1 FAST IR MODE This parameter allows you enable or disable Fast IR Fast Infrared o...

Page 64: ...Q3 3E8h Serial port 2 with address 3E8h using IRQ4 2E8h Serial port 2 with address 2E8h using IRQ3 Disabled Disables serial port 2 If you assign 3F8h to serial port 1 you may only assign 2F8h or 2E8h to serial port 2 If you assign 2F8h to serial port 1 you may only assign 3F8h or 3E8h to serial port 2 FIR DMA CHANNEL If Fast IR Mode is enabled you need to set a DMA channel for FIR When Fast IR Mod...

Page 65: ...with address 378h 278h IRQ 5 Corresponds to the parallel port with address 278h Disabled Disables the parallel port To deactivate the parallel port select the Disabled option If you install an add on card that has a parallel port whose address conflicts with the parallel port onboard the computer automatically disables the onboard functions Check the parallel port address on the add on card and ch...

Page 66: ...arallel port to operate in bidirectional mode and at a speed higher than the maximum data transfer rate ECP DMA CHANNEL This item becomes active only if you select Extended Capabilities Port ECP as the operation mode It allows you to assign DMA channel 1 or DMA channel 3 for the ECP parallel port function as required in Windows95 Onboard PS 2 Mouse IRQ 12 This parameter enables or disables the onb...

Page 67: ... is set you must key in this password the next time you want to enter the BIOS utility To set the Setup Password see page 27 Power On Password The Power On Password secures your computer against unauthorized use Once the Power On Password is set you have to type it whenever you boot the computer To set the Power On Password see page 27 ...

Page 68: ...es Reset Resources Assignment No Onboard LAN Chip Enabled Onboard Audio Chip Enabled Move Highlight Bar Change Setting PgDn PgUp Move Screen F1 Help Esc Exit PCI IRQ Setting This parameter allows for auto or manual configuration of PCI devices If you use Plug and Play PnP devices you can keep the default setting Auto to automatically configure PnP devices If your PCI device is not Plug and Play yo...

Page 69: ...rd VGA You can assign IRQ5 IRQ9 IRQ10 IRQ11 or IRQ15 to the slots Make sure that you assign a different interrupt for each device to avoid conflict However if there are no more IRQs available for the remaining functions you may assign the same IRQ to two different functions See section below PCI IRQ Sharing Setting this parameter to Yes allows you to assign the same IRQ to two different devices To...

Page 70: ... send a signal to all the VGA cards so that they can update their individual RAM DACs The signal goes through the cards continuously until all RAM DAC data have been updated This allows display of multiple images on the screen Some VGA cards have required settings for this feature Check your VGA card manual before setting this parameter Plug Play OS When this parameter is set to Yes BIOS initializ...

Page 71: ...mputer boots After clearing the resource data the parameter resets to No Onboard LAN Chip If you are connecting the computer to a network using the onboard network chip this parameter should be set to Enabled If you want to use a network add on card instead set this parameter to Disabled Onboard Audio Chip To enable audio using the onboard audio chip this parameter should be set to Enabled If you ...

Page 72: ...gs for optimized computer operation When you load the default settings some parameters are grayed out and fixed The following dialog box appears when you select Load Setup Default Settings from the main menu Load Setup Default Settings Are you sure Yes No Select Yes to load the default settings ...

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