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Aspire iDea
User’s Guide

Summary of Contents for Aspire iDea

Page 1: ...Aspire iDea User s Guide ...

Page 2: ...ord the model number serial number purchase date and place of purchase information in the space provided below The serial number and model numbers are recorded on the label affixed to your computer All correspondence concerning your unit should include the serial number model number and purchase information Model Number _________________________________ Serial Number ______________________________...

Page 3: ... a radiator or heat register or in a built in installation unless proper ventilation is provided Never push objects of any kind into this product through cabinet slots as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock Never spill liquid of any kind onto or into the product To avoid damage of internal components and to prevent battery leakag...

Page 4: ...supplied power supply cord set If you need to replace the power cord set make sure that the new power cord meets the following requirements detachable type UL listed CSA certified type SVT rated 7 A 125 V minimum VDE approved or its equivalent 4 6 meters 15 feet maximum length Product servicing Do not attempt to service this product yourself as opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerou...

Page 5: ...onitis tenosynovitis or other musculoskeletal disorders The following symptoms may appear in the hands wrists arms shoulders neck or back numbness or a burning or tingling sensation aching soreness or tenderness pain swelling or throbbing stiffness or tightness coldness or weakness If you have these symptoms or any other recurring or persistent discomfort and or pain related to computer use consul...

Page 6: ...eep your eyes from drying out Display Keep your display clean Keep your head at a higher level than the top edge of the display so your eyes point downward when looking at the middle of the display Adjust the display brightness and or contrast to a comfortable level for enhanced text readability and graphics clarity Eliminate glare and reflections by placing your display in such a way that the sid...

Page 7: ...ay devices 14 Connecting to a TV antenna or cable 17 Connecting an FM radio antenna 17 Selecting an A V input source 17 Connecting audio devices 18 Configuring audio output settings 19 Setting up the wireless devices 20 Turning on your system for the first time 22 Using the VFD 24 Turn off your system 25 4 Using the Windows XP Media Center 27 Overview 27 Opening Media Center 27 Media Center Home P...

Page 8: ... notices 53 ENERGY STAR guidelines compliance 53 FCC notice 53 Laser compliance statement 55 Digital audio output statement 55 Macrovision copyright protection notice 55 Radio device regulatory notice 55 General 56 European Union EU 56 FCC RF safety requirement 57 Canada Low power license exempt radio communication devices RSS 210 57 Federal Communications Comission Declaration of Conformity 58 De...

Page 9: ...FM radio functionality allows you to record TV only watch pause and replay live programs Cutting edge audio capability supports analog digital audio outputs and the cutting edge sound effect technologies Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect Fast and easy control through wireless keyboard remote control VFD and front panel navigation and playback buttons Slim assembly and low operating noise compleme...

Page 10: ...ww acer nl Belgium http www acer be Luxembourg http www acer lu Denmark http www acer dk Finland http www acer fi France http www acer fr Germany http www acer de Italy http www acer it Norway http www acer no Spain http www acer es Portugal http www acer pt com Sweden http www acercomputer se Switzerland http www acer ch United Kingdom http www acer co uk Czech Republic http www acer cz Eastern E...

Page 11: ... the boxes and packing materials for future use Aspire iDea unit Aspire iDea poster This Guide Warranty Media Center remote control and 2 AA batteries Wireless keyboard and 2 AA batteries DVI cable DVI to D Sub adapter Video Audio cable Stereo cable Digital audio coaxial cable FM antenna Power cable IR blaster x 2 S video cable SCART cable External WLAN antenna HDMI cable Stereo mini port to stere...

Page 12: ...1 About Aspire iDea 4 English ...

Page 13: ...3 Drive eject button Ejects the optical disk 4 Multi Writable DVD drive Use to access and record data on compact disks CDs and digital video disks DVDs 5 IR Infrared receiver Receives IR signals from the remote control 6 Playback controls Lets you conveniently play record pause stop forward rewind skip or replay a song slide show movie or TV program 7 VFD Vacuum Fluorescent Display Displays the cu...

Page 14: ...tick or MS Pro Memory Stick Pro card Warning If you want to read contents from small form factor memory cards such as mini SD RS MMC or MS Pro Duo you should use a suitable adapter 12 CF I CF II MD slot Accepts a CF CompactFlash Type I CF Type II or Microdrive 13 USB 2 0 ports Connects to USB peripherals devices e g USB mouse USB printer USB combo drive digital cameras 14 S video input jack Connec...

Page 15: ...signals 3 IR blaster ports Connects an IR blaster to the set top box s IR sensor window 4 LAN port Connects to an Ethernet 10 100 1G based network 5 TV antenna cable output jack Connects to a television 6 TV antenna cable input jack Connects to a antenna or cable TV 7 FM radio input jack Connects to an external FM radio antenna 8 WLAN antenna connector Connects to a wireless LAN antenna 9 Coaxial ...

Page 16: ...ideo camcorder hard disk scanners 18 USB 2 0 ports Connects to USB peripheral devices e g USB mouse USB printer USB drive No Component Description 1 Power LED Indicates that a command button is pressed 2 Sleep Press to turn system to Away mode While in Away mode press the button again to wake up or activate the system 3 Playback controls Lets you play record pause stop forward rewind skip or repla...

Page 17: ...edia Center Home Page 7 Channel Page Moves pages up or down or change the channels on the My TV page 8 Mute Turns the system sound off and on 9 DVD menu When a DVD video is playing press this button to display the DVD disc s main menu 10 Live TV Displays a full screen view of a live TV program 11 Numeric buttons Switches channels or inputs alphanumeric characters in the Media Center text box 12 Te...

Page 18: ...he IR receiver 2 Press the button to launch or return to the Media Center Home Page Wireless keyboard The wireless keyboard with built in touchpad combines mouse control with touch typing It has full sized keys that include shortcut keys status LED power switch touchpad left and right buttons arrow keys one Windows key left and right mouse keys and twelve function keys No Component Description 1A ...

Page 19: ...rd 4 Touchpad Pointing device that senses movement on its surface Move your finger on the surface of the touchpad to move the cursor 5 Left and right buttons Press the left and right buttons to select and execute functions These two buttons are similar to the left and right buttons on a mouse Tapping on the touchpad produces similar results to clicking the left button 6 Arrow keys Moves the pointe...

Page 20: ...2 Guide to components 12 English ...

Page 21: ...at you have access to the Internet before starting the Aspire iDea or Media Center software setup Contact your ISP Internet Service Provider for more information about setting up your Internet connection Internet connection allows you to fully utilize the MCE Online Spotlight and Electronic Program Guide EPG features The EPG is an easy way to select a channel and record TV programs To view and rec...

Page 22: ... and recommended connection type for setting up your display device You can also refer to the table on page 16 for recommended settings Use an extension cable to connect the Y cable to the display device s speaker input A B B A Component YPbPr stereo audio Video stereo audio DVI stereo audio S video stereo audio ...

Page 23: ...A or DVI connector or enabling the dot by dot feature on your TV when connected with HDMI 2 Aspire iDea supports a wide variety of connection for different types of display devices but we still recommend to connect only one display device at a time C SCART HDMI A DVI to VGA using converter stereo audio D ...

Page 24: ... Media Center on page 27 Display device type Possible connection1 Suggested connection Video Audio HD ready devices Plasma TV LCD TV Projection TV with DVI or HDMI input DVI HDMI VGA Component YPbPr S video Video DVI see A on page 14 Y cable2 HDMI3 see C on page 15 DVI for video Multi channel analog or digital audio to A V receiver HD ready devices Plasma TV LCD TV Projection TV without DVI or HDM...

Page 25: ...e an input source from the following options Notes 1 When you move your mouse cursor the MCE media playback toolbar appears on the screen but most of the functions on the toolbar are not supported 2 To record you can press the record button on the remote control and to stop recording press the stop button 3 Make sure that your TV regional settings match with the input signal 4 Make sure that your ...

Page 26: ... coaxial digital optical digital or analog audio output jack Do not connect both analog audio out and digital audio out connectors 2 speakers Note After you connect a 5 1 or 7 1 audio system you must configure Media Center for multi channel audio output For more information refer To configure Media Center for multi channel audio output on page 50 5 1 audio system 7 1 audio system B Stereo front L ...

Page 27: ...ate 2 channel stereo sound into surround sound effect Select Dolby and enable Dolby Digital Live Dolby Digital Live encodes audio signals into a Dolby Digital 5 1 bitstream for multi channel playback through a surround sound system Soundtrack type Hardware connection Audio output setting DVD Remark Audio CD with stereo soundtrack Audio stereo Two speakers Configure the Realtek HD Audio in Media Ce...

Page 28: ...urround sound 7 Press the OK button on the remote control or exit More Programs menu Setting up the wireless devices Note Make sure that you match the positive and negative poles of the batteries with the and signs in the battery compartment Installing the batteries in the remote control 1 Remove the battery cover from the remote control rear 2 Insert two AA batteries into the battery compartment ...

Page 29: ...e antenna 2 Synchronizing the keyboard Synchronize the keyboard when the Acer Logo appears or after the system enters Windows Note The wireless keyboard synchronizes best in distance of less than 50 cm from the system s RF receiver On the bottom of the keyboard press the Reset button and you will see the green LED turn on The keyboard s LED flashes green to indicate the keyboard is synchronizing w...

Page 30: ...ter making sure that you have set up the system properly and connected all the required cables you can now power on your system 1 Press the power button on the front panel of the monitor or TV 2 Press the power button on the front of the system 3 The system starts up and displays the Microsoft registration wizard 4 Synchronize the wireless keyboard with the system ...

Page 31: ...complete 7 After installation the system will reboot 8 Depending on region the Media Center Setup Wizard may appear If the wizard does not appear press on the remote control 9 Follow all onscreen instructions to complete the Media Center setup 10 After you have completed the setup procedures the Media Center Home Page appears Use the navigation or shortcut buttons on the remote control or the keyb...

Page 32: ...wer on WELCOME TO ASPIRE IDEA MCE Home Page MCE Home System time MCE Menu page Play DVD Online Spotlight My Videos My Pictures My TV My Music Radio More Programs Settings Play DVD MCE Home My Videos My Pictures My TV My Music Radio MCE Home MCE Home System time Playback media content in MCE DVD Title number and chapter number Playback time Videos clips Media information Playback time Live TV Chann...

Page 33: ...n off the system 1 Press the Power button on the front panel to turn off the system and enter the Hibernation mode To turn on press this Power button again 2 Press the Sleep button on the remote control or the Sleep button on the keyboard to turn the system to Away mode To resume press the Power button on the front panel or the Sleep button on the remote control Warning Never unplug the power cabl...

Page 34: ...ower Button Indicator Unplug Power Cord Power button on front panel Hibernation Deep sleep1 1 Under Deep sleep mode the system is off and all running programs will be suspended but the scheduler for pre recording TV programs is still running Blinking to off Allowed Sleep button on remote control or keyboard Away2 2 Under Away mode the display is off and the audio is mute but all background program...

Page 35: ... displayed in full screen You can also chat with friends by sending instant messages while watching a TV program movie or listening to radio Opening Media Center Turn on the system System will launch Media Center if the Start Media Center when Windows starts option in the Settings menu is enabled Note If the system fails to launch Media Center after turning on the system press on the remote contro...

Page 36: ...r you open the Media Center Use the navigation or shortcut buttons on the remote control or the arrow keys on the keyboard to select an option in the Start Menu Component Description Play DVD Plays your favorite DVDs Online Spotlight Finds digital media content available for Media Center on the Internet giving you access to the latest music movies trailers and news updates My Videos Plays home vid...

Page 37: ...rograms available in your system For more information refer to Using accessory programs page 39 Settings Access several settings that control how Media Center plays and records TV programs plays DVDs displays pictures plays sound and displays Media Center pages Component Icon Description Channel up and down Change channels or scroll pages up or down Pause Play Play or pause selected TV program vid...

Page 38: ...rk with your set top box then select Next 10 Choose your TV signal then select Next 11 Choose Yes if you have a set top box remote control then select Next 12 Choose the number of digits for the highest channel number you receive on your system then select Next 13 Specify how you change channels then select Next 14 Select your set top box brand then select Next 15 Choose a remote control code then...

Page 39: ...n the upper left corner of the screen then press OK The Media Center shut down window appears The options are Close Media Center Log Off Shut Down Restart and Stand By Warning Never unplug the power cable when the system is in Standby or Away mode Unplugging the power cable will cause irrecoverable errors to your system 3 Select the desired option and press OK ...

Page 40: ...4 Using the Windows XP Media Center 32 English ...

Page 41: ... from photos and images saved on your computer for quick sharing with family and friends PSD created DVDs are compatible with standalone DVD players and other devices that can play DVDs such as game consoles and personal computers PSD enables you to customize your picture DVD with various menus transition options and background music Note PSD creates DVD Video disks that are supported by most DVD ...

Page 42: ...election then click Next 2 Select the transition mode Three transition modes are available random none and user defined When you select user defined you can manually choose the transition effects from a list 3 Click Next to continue 4 Select MagicMotion effect MagicMotion has the Pan and Zoom functions for livelier image playback Adding background music PSD automatically searches the Windows Media...

Page 43: ...nR is an easy to use Media Center Edition plug in that creates playable DVDs from digital video stored on a DV camcorder or backs up video to your computer s hard disk in MPEG 2 format PnR created DVDs are compatible with standalone DVD players and other devices that can play DVDs such as game consoles and personal computers PnR enables you to customize your DVD video with various menus and transi...

Page 44: ...rt to begin the Quick Burn process Customized Burn Burn to DVD Use Customized Burn Burn to DVD to create a playable DVD with more control over options You can select which scenes to include or customize menus and transitions Scene selection Once you have entered Customized Burn Burn to DVD PnR will rewind and scan the tape content of your DV camcorder 1 Use the PnR scene browser to select which cl...

Page 45: ...computer s hard drive that can be played in Windows Media Player or used in video editing software Scene selection Once you have entered Customized Burn Create Movie on Hard Disk PnR will rewind and scan the tape content of your DV camcorder 1 Use the PnR scene browser to select which clips you want to transfer to your hard drive 2 Click Next to continue Creating the movie An information summary s...

Page 46: ...5 Using accessory programs 38 English ...

Page 47: ... eDataSecurity Management for selected models Acer eDataSecurity Management is a 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 eDataSe...

Page 48: ... configuration from an image stored in a hidden hard disk drive partition secondary partition or optical disks Acer eRecovery Management also features an easy to use utility that backs up system settings applications and data to the hard disk drive or to optical disks Using Acer eRecovery Management Launching Acer eRecovery Management You can launch Acer eRecovery Management in three ways Click St...

Page 49: ...41 English Press the Stop and Record buttons simultaneously on the front panel ...

Page 50: ...lick OK to start burning This function is disabled when the factory default setting image is copied or when you check the Don t remind me again option Creating system backups Creating a full backup You can create a full backup image of the current system configuration including all applications drivers and data Create a full backup before installing new hardware or software applications to protect...

Page 51: ...ck Create 2 Select Incremental backup fast then click Next 3 Follow steps 3 to 4 of the previous section Deleting a user created backup point You can delete a previously created backup image to free some HDD space A confirmation message appears when you select this option Click Yes to delete the backup image Copying to disks The Burn Disk function allows you to copy factory default settings images...

Page 52: ...rograms and saved data will be lost When selected the computer reboots and restores the system from the image in the hidden hard disk drive partition Restore system from user s backup Allows you to restore the system using the most recent backup image you created When selected the backup image information appears below the option Recover system from CD DVD Allows you to restore the system using th...

Page 53: ...stem to factory default settings 1 Select this option then enter the password The utility restores the system from the factory default settings image in the hidden hard disk drive partition 2 When prompted confirm system recovery A message appears to tell you that you will lose all data on the drive The utility then restores the system to its original state Restoring system to user s backup 1 Sele...

Page 54: ...nd network performance Using Acer ePerformance Management You can launch Acer ePerformance Management in two ways On the Windows taskbar click Start All Programs Empowering Technology Acer ePerformance Management Click on the Acer ePerformance Management icon in the Empowering Technology toolbar from your desktop which can be shown by pressing the Empowering Key This will open the Acer ePerformanc...

Page 55: ...leting files that are not needed Select the file types from the list by checking the appropriate boxes and click Clear to delete the files and free up disk space Speed Optimization The five functions listed under Speed Optimization improve the overall performance of your computer Turbo Startup Streamlines the startup process for faster booting Turbo Shutdown Streamlines the shutdown process Perfor...

Page 56: ...6 Managing your system 48 English ...

Page 57: ...NTSC If your display device is PAL SECAM set the system to PAL SECAM If your external display Component YPbPr is functioning abnormally Exit Media Center and use the wireless touchpad to right click on the Windows desktop Go to NVIDIA Display TV TV Setting Signal format and select HDTV or SDTV or EDTV Microphone volume is too low Enable booster on the Realtek HD Audio 1 Open Media Center 2 Select ...

Page 58: ...xample select 2 speakers if you have 2 speakers 8 speakers if you have 7 1 audio system and 6 speakers if you have 5 1 audio system 4 If you have a digital audio system select Use SPDIF 5 Press the OK button on the remote control or exit Media Center Settings menu Check the sound track format of the DVD If you are playing DVD with Dolby sound track you can select Use SPDIF or multi channel speaker...

Page 59: ...ire iDea 510 Do the following 1 Exit Media Center 2 Using the wireless touchpad right click on a blank area on the Windows desktop 3 Select NVIDIA Display TV TV Settings Signal format 4 Select HDTV or SDTV or EDTV and click OK When connecting a TV to the system via YPbPr the image on the TV appears overscanned for Aspire iDea 510 Overscan is a common behavior with many TVs To correct overscan on t...

Page 60: ...VD RW you can erase the disk contents and try again Are DVDs created in NTSC or PAL format PnR will retain the format used by the DV camcorder source when creating the DVD video Thus if your DV camcorder uses NTSC then your DVD video will be created in NTSC format The same with the PAL format Why is power management disabled when PSD or PnR is running PSD and PnR disables the power management to e...

Page 61: ...allation If this device does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the device off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the device and receiver Connect the device into an outlet on a circuit different...

Page 62: ...ept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation Notice Canadian users This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES 003 Remarque à l intention des utilisateurs canadiens Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme a la norme NMB 003 du Canada Declaration of Conformity for EU countries Hereby Acer declares that this notebook PC series is i...

Page 63: ...ARO LAVATTAESSA OLET ALTTINA LASERSÅTEILYLLE VARNING LASERSTRÅLNING NÅR DENNA DEL ÅR ÖPPNAD ÅLÅ TUIJOTA SÅTEESEENSTIRRA EJ IN I STRÅLEN VARNING LASERSTRÅLNING NAR DENNA DEL ÅR ÖPPNADSTIRRA EJ IN I STRÅLEN ADVARSEL LASERSTRÅLING NAR DEKSEL ÅPNESSTIRR IKKE INN I STRÅLEN Digital audio output statement The optical connector contains no laser or light emitting diode LED more than Class I Macrovision co...

Page 64: ...tive EN 55022 EN 55024 EN 61000 3 2 3 99 5 EC Radio Telecommunications Terminal Equipment R TTE Directive Art 3 1a EN 60950 1 Art 3 1b EN 301 489 1 17 Art 3 2 EN 300 328 2 Art 3 2 EN 301 893 applies to 5 GHz only List of applicable countries EU member states as of May 2004 are Belgium Denmark Germany Greece Spain France Ireland Italy Luxembourg the Netherlands Austria Portugal Finland Sweden Unite...

Page 65: ...ful interference to radio communications Also any tampering of the internal antenna will void the FCC certification and your warranty Canada Low power license exempt radio communication devices RSS 210 1 Common information Operation is subject to the following two conditions a This device may not cause interference and b This device must accept any interference including interference that may caus...

Page 66: ...e and 2 This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation The following local manufacturer importer is responsible for this declaration Product Personal Computer Model number Acer Aspire iDea 500 Name of responsible party Acer America Corporation Address of responsible party 2641 Orchard Parkway San Jose CA 95134 U S A Contact person Mr You...

Page 67: ...t will continue to comply with these requirements Name of manufacturer Acer Computer Shanghai Limited Address of manufacturer 3F No 168 xizang medium road Huangpu District Shanghai China Contact person Mr Easy Lai Tel 886 2 8691 3089 Fax 886 2 8691 3000 E mail easy_lai acer com tw Declares that product Personal Computer Model number Acer Aspire iDea 500 Reference no Title 89 336 EEC Electromagneti...

Page 68: ...8 Regulations and safety notices 60 English ...

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