®
STARTERGUIDE
Thank you!
Thank you for your purchase! We want to make your
experience a satisfying one, so we’ve put together tips
to help you get started with your Gateway computer.
Contents
We do Windows .......................................................................... 4
Getting things started ...............................................................5
Maintaining order ....................................................................... 6
Improving performance ........................................................... 7
Need additional help? ............................................................... 8
Surng the ’net ...........................................................................10
Welcome to e-mail! ...................................................................11
For your listening and viewing pleasure... ........................12
Keeping your computer safe .................................................13
Backing up a bit .........................................................................15
Prepare to recover .....................................................................16
4
After you start your computer and complete the Windows® setup, the first thing you’ll see on
your screen is the Windows desktop. The desktop includes a taskbar, Start button, and Recycle
Bin icon. Other icons can be added depending on your computer’s configuration.
Click the Start button to access programs
and to turn your computer off
Drag items to
the Recycle
Bin to delete
them
This is the
Windows
desktop
Add icons
of your own
- see your
user guide for
instructions
Click the
Windows
Media Player
icon to play
audio and video
Click the Oce Trial icon
to write letters or create a
spreadsheet
Click the
AOL icon
to set up
and send
e-mail
we do Windows
For more information about Windows, see “Windows basics” under Help and Support in the Start menu.
5
The Start menu is the command center of your computer. Whether you want to start a program,
find a file, or change settings on your system, the Start menu is where it all begins.
Click here to shut
down your computer
Click here to
access the
Internet, e-mail,
and your most
frequently used
programs
Click here to see
all your programs
Click here to find a file or folder,
to change settings on your
computer, or to get help.
For more information about Windows, see “Windows basics” under Help and Support.
getting things started
6
Managing files and folders starts with My Computer. From there, you can see everything on
your computer. To get to My Computer, click the Start button, then click My Computer. To
save something right away, use the My Documents folder that has already been set up for you.
To access that folder, click the Start button, then click My Documents.
My Documents
Already created
for you, this
folder is ready for
immediate use
My Computer
Look here to see
what’s on your
computer
maintaining order
For more information about Windows, see “Windows basics” under Help and Support.
7
Keep your computer in top running condition with regular maintenance. Click Start, Control
Panel, then click Performance and Maintenance. Select an option and follow the instructions.
Do this regularly and you’ll have a smoother-running system.
For more information, see “Performance and maintenance” under Help and Support.
improving performance
Clean it up
Click here to eliminate
performance and hard
drive space problems
Speed it up
Click here to help
programs run faster
and to open files
more quickly
8
If you need a little extra help with something on your computer, Gateway offers several options
designed to meet your needs:
• Gateway Web support—Available 24/7,
Gateway’s online support provides current drivers,
product specifications, tutorials, and personalized
information about your computer. Visit us at
www.support.gateway.com.
• Help and Support—This collection of Windows
help and troubleshooting information, along with
automated support, is easily accessible. Just click
Start, then click Help and Support. Click a link,
do a search, or simply browse to find what you’re
looking for.
Help and Support is a
quick and easy way to get
information
Gateway’s Web support is available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week
need additional help?
9
• User guide—For detailed information on using your
Gateway computer, see the provided Reference Guide or
online User Guide. To access the online guide, click Start, All
Programs, then click Gateway Documentation.
• Tech support—For help and advice you can trust, talk to
people who know computers. You can find the number on
the setup poster that came with your computer.
Check your User Guide for easy-
to-understand information on a
variety of topics
®
help, continued...
10
Explore the World Wide Web with an Internet connection. Just connect your computer to
a telephone line, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or cable TV line and sign up with an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) like America Online.
To get to the Internet, click Start, then click Internet Explorer or the ISP you’ve connected with.
Type in an Internet address, such as www.gateway.com, click Go, and you’re on your way.
This is a
Web page
The address bar is
where you type in
the Internet address
or URL (Universal
Resource Locator)
surng the ’net
To learn more about America Online, click the AOL icon on your Windows desktop.
This is a linked Web page
If your pointer arrow turns into a hand
when you move over something, it’s a link.
Click on it and see where it takes you!
11
Staying in touch with family and friends is easy with email and is usually free with your Internet
account.
To send e-mail, connect to your ISP, click Start, then click E-Mail. When your default email
program opens. Complete any setup required, then click New and type the email address of the
person that you want to send a message to in the To box. Add a description in the Subject box,
type the email message, then click Send. Your message will arrive at most email addresses in
seconds.
Type a short description
of your message here
Include others in your
message by typing
their email addresses
here or in the To box
Type the email
address of the person
you want to send a
message to here
This is the user name
part of an email address
This is the Internet domain name
part of an email address
For more information about email, see “Using the Internet” in your online user guide.
welcome to email!
12
Enjoy listening to your favorite music or watching a movie with software already installed on
your new Gateway computer.
To listen to music or watch a movie, click the Windows Media Player icon on your Windows
desktop. Select media files on your computer, then click the Play button ( ). You can control
how the music or video plays from Windows Media Player.
Click these buttons to play, pause, or stop media
files. You can also control the volume here.
Songs
or scene
selections
from media
files you are
playing are
listed here.
Note: You must
have a external
CD or DVD drive
and related
software to play
a CD or DVD.
for your listening and viewing pleasure...
13
For more information on security, see “Protecting Your Computer” in your online user guide.
keeping your computer safe
Your Gateway computer comes with hardware and software features that can help you keep
your computer secure and up-to-date. To view or change Windows XP security settings, click
Start, Control Panel, then click Security Center. Use these tools regularly to improve the
security of personal information stored on your computer:
• Windows Security—Provides access to security features such as Security Center,
Windows Firewall, Windows Update, and—all built into Windows XP
Select and
control the
type and level
of protection
you want for
your computer
Get more resources
of security
information
14
Windows Update
If a hacker finds a way to bypass the security features built into Windows XP, Microsoft creates a
high-priority Windows update to fix the problem. You should update Windows regularly to keep
your computer secure.
To run Windows Update, click Start, All Programs, then click Windows Update. Click Express
to download high priority updates including those that are security-related.
You can
schedule
automatic
updates with
Windows
Update
safe and sound
For more information on security, see “Protecting Your Computer” in your online user guide.
15
Take a trip back in time
Microsoft System Restore lets you roll back your computer to a previous state when everything
worked right. Every time you install new software, and every 24 hours (while your computer is
turned on), Microsoft System Restore takes a snapshot of your system settings and saves it as a
restore point. In most cases of hard-to-resolve software problems, you can return to one of these
restore points to get your computer running again.
1 Click Start, Help and Support, then click
Undo changes to your computer with
System Restore.
2 Click Restore my computer to an earlier
time, then click Next.
3 Click a bold date on the calendar (Step 1 on
the screen), click a restore point in the list
(Step 2 on the screen), then click Next.
4 Read all notices on the screen, click Next,
then follow the on-screen instructions to
finish the restoration.
For more information on restoration, see “Recovering Your System” in your online user guide.
backing up a bit
16
prepare to recover
When you first get your computer, it is a good idea to make a backup of the software that came
with your system. Before you create these “recovery discs,” make sure that you have blank discs
ready.
To create discs, click Start, All Programs, Gateway, then click Gateway Recovery
Management. To create recovery discs for your factory-loaded hard drive contents (Windows
Vista, pre-installed software and drivers), click Create factory default disc or, to create recovery
discs for only the factory-loaded drivers and software, click Create driver and application
backup disc. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish.
Caution: External optical disc
drive required. Please see your
retailer for more details.
17
restoring to factory condition
If you can run Windows...
1 Click Start, All Programs, Gateway, then click Gateway Recovery Management.
Gateway Recovery Management opens.
2 Click the Restore tab, then click Restore system to factory default. The Confirm
Restoration dialog box opens.
3 Follow the on-screen instructions to finish.
18
If you cannot run Windows...
1 Restart your computer, then press the ALT+F10 keys during startup.
2 Follow the on-screen instructions to finish.
IMPORTANT
• Ifyourharddrivehasfailedandyoucan’trestorethesoftwarefromtheharddriveor
recovery discs, contact Gateway Customer Care for help.
• Afteryourestoreyourcomputer,itwillappearwiththesamelesandprogramsit
had when it shipped from the factory. You still need to download Windows updates
and antivirus updates to bring your computer’s software up to date.
MU20100122
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Gateway LT 1000 Starter Manual
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