User manual TOSHIBA SATELLITE A70

[. . . ] Satellite A70/75 Series User's Guide If you need assistance: ® Toshiba Global Support Centre Calling within the United States (800) 457-7777 Calling from outside the United States (949) 859-4273 For more information, see "If Something Goes Wrong" on page 143 in this guide. Handling the cord on this product will expose you to lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling. PMAD00009011 08/04 2 Models: Satellite® A70/A75 Series ReWritable CD/DVD Drives The computer system you purchased may include a ReWritable CD and/or DVD drive(s), among the most advanced data storage technologies available. As with any new technology, you must read and follow all set-up and usage instructions in the applicable user guides and/or manuals enclosed. [. . . ] For assistance with setup changes, contact Toshiba's Global Support Centre. Using additional batteries If you spend a lot of time traveling and need to work for many hours without an AC power source, you may want to carry additional charged batteries with you. You can then replace a discharged battery and continue working. NOTE Over a period of time, and depending on the usage of the computer, the brightness of the LCD Screen will deteriorate. Screen will dim when the computer is operated on battery power and you may not be able to increase the brightness of the screen. Charging the batteries NOTE Battery charge time may vary depending on the applications, power management settings, and features used. The battery needs to be charged before you can use it to power the computer. It takes much longer to charge the battery while the computer is on. 108 Mobile Computing Charging the batteries Never leave batteries in the battery charger for more than a week at a time. Use only battery chargers designed to work with your notebook computer. You can order a Toshiba battery charger from Toshiba's Web site at accessories. toshiba. com. Charging the main battery To charge the battery, plug the computer into a live wall outlet. TECHNICAL NOTE: When your computer is using all of the power provided by the AC adapter to run applications, features, and devices, the recharging of the battery cannot occur. Your computer's Power Saver utility can be used to select a power level setting that reduces the power required for system operation and will allow the battery to recharge. The battery may not start charging immediately if: The battery is extremely hot or cold. To ensure that the battery charges to its full capacity, wait until it reaches room temperature (50 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 to 26 degrees Celsius). The battery is almost completely discharged. Mobile Computing Charging the batteries 109 Leave the power connected, and the battery should begin charging after a few minutes. HINT: Once the battery is fully charged, we recommend that you operate your computer on battery power until the battery discharges completely. Doing this extends battery life and helps ensure accurate monitoring of battery capacity. Charging the RTC battery Your computer has an internal real-time clock (RTC) battery. The RTC battery powers the System Time Clock and BIOS memory used to store your computer's configuration settings. When fully charged it maintains this information for up to a month when the computer is powered off. The RTC battery may have become completely discharged while your computer was shipped, resulting in the following error message during startup: BAD RTC BATTERY BAD CHECKSUM (CMOS) CHECK SYSTEM To recharge the RTC battery, plug in the computer and leave it turned off for at least 24 hours. NOTE The above error message may vary by computer model. The RTC battery does not charge while the computer is turned off even when the AC adapter is charging the computer. If the RTC battery is low, the real-time clock and calendar may display the incorrect time and date, or stop working. 110 NOTE Mobile Computing Monitoring battery power It is seldom necessary to charge the RTC battery because it charges while the computer is on. If the RTC battery is low, the real-time clock and calendar may display the incorrect time and date or stop working. When Hibernation mode is enabled and the RTC battery is completely discharged, a warning prompts you to reset the real-time clock. The computer can be used while the RTC battery is being charged, although the charging status of the RTC battery cannot be monitored. Monitoring battery power The battery light indicates the battery's current charge. The indicator light: Glows green when the battery is fully charged Glows amber while the battery is being charged Does not glow if the external power source is disconnected or if the battery is completely discharged Determining remaining battery power NOTE Wait at least 16 seconds after turning on the computer before trying to monitor the remaining battery power. The computer needs this time to check the battery's remaining capacity and perform its calculations. 1 2 Click Start, Control Panel, then Performance and Maintenance. Click the Toshiba Power Management icon. Mobile Computing Monitoring battery power 111 The current power source and battery power remaining section displays the current charge state of the battery. 3 Click the Battery Power Meter tab. Sample Toshiba Power Management Battery Power Meter tab TECHNICAL NOTE: The computer drains the battery faster at low temperatures. Check your remaining charge frequently if you are working in temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. [. . . ] By volatile, we mean that information in RAM is lost when you turn off your computer. resolution -- A measure of the sharpness of the images that can be produced by a printer or displayed on a screen. For a screen, it is expressed as the number of pixels available horizontally and vertically. To reset the computer by reloading the operating system without turning the computer off. [. . . ]