Introducing Your Laptop

Unpacking the Box

The laptop computer you've just received is an IBM ThinkPad T22 Model 2647-6EU/RSU. As you unpack the box, please take a few minutes to make sure you have -- and hang onto -- the materials listed below.

Materials to Keep

n Laptop computer

n Power cord and AC adapter

n Floppy diskette drive

n IBM Li-Ion battery pack

n Bag containing an extra TrackPoint cap, a telephone cord, and a security screw for the laptop's hard drive

n Getting Started -- Microsoft Windows 98 Manual (Second edition)

n IBM ThinkPad T22 Setup Guide and Checklist for Unpacking

n IBM ThinkPad T22 Service and Troubleshooting Guide

n Miscellaneous advertisement documents and brochures

Hardware Features

Front View

1. The system status indicators consist of a series of indicator lights, and show the computer's current status in green or orange. (A close-up view of the system status indicators appears on the following page, along with a list of their descriptions.)

2. The power switch turns the computer on and off.

3. The battery, standby mode, and UltraBay status indicators. Full descriptions of these indicators appear on the following page.

4. The bay latch allows you to eject and remove the Ultrabay 2000 device, should you ever need to replace it.

5. The eject button ejects various storage devices, such as DVD or CD-ROM drives, from the Ultrabay 2000 device (6).

6. The Ultrabay 2000 device accepts storage devices, such as a DVD drive or a CD-ROM drive.

7. The TrackPoint pointing stick is a built-in pointing device that provides a function similar to that of a mouse.

8. The TrackPoint buttons work with the TrackPoint stick (7) and provide functions similar to those of mouse buttons.

9. The ThinkPad button provides you with built-in, one-button access to information you need, along with ThinkPad portals for mobile solutions, service, support, and more.

10. The volume and mute buttons allow you to control the volume level on your laptop.

Note that your laptop also comes equipped with the ThinkLight ä feature that makes it easy for you to see your keyboard in low-light conditions, such as when you're giving a presentation, or if you're using your laptop on a plane.

The System Status Indicators

1. Device Access indicator. This will appear in green while data is being read from or written to the hard disk drive, the diskette drive, or a drive in the Ultrabay 2000. Do not put the computer into standby mode or turn off the computer while this indicator is on.

2. Numeric lock indicator. Indicates that the numeric keypad on the keyboard is enabled. To enable or disable the keypad, press and hold the Shift key, and then press the NumLk (Scrlk) key.

3. Caps lock indicator. Indicates that the Caps Lock mode is enabled.

4. Scroll lock indicator. Indicates that Scroll Lock mode is enabled, and you can use the arrow keys as screen-scroll function keys. Note that the cursor cannot be moved with the arrow keys while this function is enabled, although not all applications support this function.

5. Power on indicator. Indicates that the laptop is powered on and ready to use. This light remains on whenever the computer is powered on and not in standby mode.

6. Battery indicator. When green, this indicates that the battery is fully charged. When blinking green, it indicates that the battery is being charged, but has enough power to operate the machine. When orange, it indicates that the battery is being charged but that the power is still low, and when blinking orange, it indicates that the battery needs charging.

7. Standby indicator. When green, this indicates that the computer is in standby mode. When blinking green, the computer is entering either standby or hibernation mode, or is resuming normal operation.

8. Ultrabay indicator. When green, this indicates that a device, such as a CD or DVD, is installed and in use in the drive. When blinking green, it indicates that the Ultrabay device is in the process of being detached. When not illuminated, this indicates that the Ultrabay 2000 drive is not in use.

Rear View

1. The security keyhole allows you to connect the security cable, which you received with your laptop, to help prevent it from being stolen.

2. The video-out (S video) connector allows you to connect your computer to an external television receiver.

3. The serial connector allows you to connect a serial mouse, serial printer, or serial device and to transfer data between devices.

4. The parallel connector allows you to connect a diskette drive, a Centronics interface printer, or some other parallel device, and to transfer data between devices.

5. The external monitor connector allows you to attach an external monitor.

6. The modem connector is used for connecting your computer to a telephone line.

7. The Ethernet connector is used for connecting your computer to a local network. Please note that you should not connect your telephone line to this connector.

8. The power jack allows you to connect the AC adapter cable.

9. The universal serial bus (USB) connector allows you to connect any device that conforms to the USB interface. Many recent digital devices comply with this new standard.

10. The external-input-device connector allows you to attach a mouse or external numeric keypad to the computer. You may also attach an external keyboard to this connector using an optional keyboard/mouse cable.

Bottom View

1. The built-in stereo speakers provide the sound for your laptop computer.

2. The battery pack is a built-in power source for the computer, whenever you do not have an AC adapter available.

3. The battery-pack latches lock or release the battery pack.

4. The docking connector allows you to connect your laptop to a Thinkpad Dock or ThinkPad Port replicator.

5. The mini PCI card slot contains a card that acts as both your modem and Ethernet card.

6. The dual inline memory module (DIMM) allows for memory expansion. (The system has 256MB of memory standard.)

7. The PCMCIA card slots accept PC cards. (Note that your machine has both an upper and a lower card slot.)

8. The PC card eject button ejects the PC card from the PC card slots (7).

9. The infrared port allows the computer to communicate with other devices that have infrared data-transfer capability.

10. The stereo headphone jack, a 3.5mm diameter jack, allows you to connect a stereo headphone or external speakers.

11. The stereo line-in jack, a 3.5mm diameter jack, allows you to connect an external stereo audio device.

12. The microphone jack, another 3.5mm diameter jack, allows you to connect a stereo microphone.

13. The hard disk drive consists of the computer's large-capacity, built-in hard disk drive.

14. The LCD latches open the laptop cover when pressed.

Setting Up the Laptop

Recording Your Windows Product Key

Before you begin setting up your new laptop, take a minute to turn it over and locate the Windows Product Key that appears on the special laminated sticker on the bottom of your machine.

Enter this product key information at the top of your Laptop Configuration/Installation Checklist, and also copy it down on the "Introducing Your Laptop handout" that you received with your laptops. You will need it to initialize -- or if you ever need to re-install -- Windows.

Connecting the Pieces

Connecting the Power Cord

To connect the power cord, first insert the two-pronged "jack" end of the power cord into the matching receptacle of the AC adapter, then plug the other end into a standard electrical outlet. Insert the yellow-coded plug on the AC adapter cord into the matching yellow-coded power jack (labeled as #8 on the rear view on page 7) located on the back of the laptop.

Connecting the Network Cable

Insert one end of the grey network cable into the Ethernet connector receptacle at the back of the laptop (labeled as #7 on the rear view on page 7) until it clicks into place, and the other end of the cable into a laptop jack.

Opening the Machine

There are two small spring-loaded latches (LCD latches, labeled as #14 on the bottom view on page 8), on the front of the laptop, toward either side of the machine. Use your thumbs to push these two switches out away from each other, toward the sides of the laptop. Then, still holding the switches outward, push up the lid of the laptop.

Powering on the Laptop

To power on the laptop, push the round power button (labeled as #2 on the front view on page 4) located above the keyboard and to the right of the system status indicators (labeled as #1 on the front view on page 4).

Entering the Required Information

When the laptop has powered up completely, a Windows 98 Setup Wizard window will appear, asking you for some user information. You must enter your name in the Name: field. In the Company: field, you may either keep "Rensselaer" as the default, or leave the field blank altogether. Click the Next button at the bottom of the window.

A License Agreement window will appear. After you have read the terms of the agreement, select the option saying that you accept the terms of the agreement, and click the Next button to accept those terms.

Another window will appear, asking for your Windows product key information; type the product key in the fields provided. (You don't have to use the Tab key; the cursor will automatically move from field to field as you type. Similarly, you don't have to press the Shift key to enter capital letters; letters will appear as capitals automatically.) Double-check what you have typed to make sure you have entered the product key correctly, then click the Next button.

A Start Wizard window appears. Click on the Finish button to continue starting Windows 98.

Wait a moment for the Supply Rensselaer Credentials window to appear. Enter your assigned RCS userID -- which consists of the first five letters of your last name, the first initial of your first name, and possibly a digit or two to make it unique-- in the top field of this window. Enter the name of your dorm building as your workgroup name. (The system will require you to enter a workgroup.) Off-campus users should enter offcampus as their workgroup name.

Click the OK button.

THE LAPTOP WILL NOW AUTOMATICALLY RESTART. WAIT A FEW MOMENTS FOR THIS PROCESS TO COMPLETE.

Connecting to the Network and Obtaining Your Adapter Address

When the machine finishes booting, an Enter Network Password window will appear; your RCS userID should already appear in the Name: field. Enter your RCS password (remember, your password is case-sensitive) in the Password: field, and click OK.

A Set Windows Password window will appear. Your RCS password will have already been entered in the New password: field. (It will appear as a string of asterisks.) Enter your RCS password again in the Confirm new password: field and click OK.

The Welcome to Windows 98 window will appear. At this point, either click the Close ("X") button in the upper right corner of the window, or the Close button, to close this window. (Clicking on the Continue option would start up a guided tour of Windows 98, but please don't do this now. However, you should go back and go through this guided tour later.)

Double-click on the Winipcfg icon in the lower right corner of the desktop. An IP Configuration window appears. If the adapter is listed as PPP Adapter in the top field of the window, click on the small drop-down arrow beside that field and select the 10/100 Mini PCI Ethernet Adapter option . When you do this, the remaining IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway information will appear in the appropriate fields.

Record the machine's adapter address (shown in the Adapter Address field) on your Laptop Configuration/Installation Checklist.

(Please note that whenever the network connection does not appear to be working, left-click on the Release button and then on the Renew button to obtain a new IP address.)

Left-click on the "X" in the upper right corner of the IP Configuration window to close it.

You should now be connected to the network.

Software Features

An Overview of the Included Software

Your laptop has come pre-loaded with a number of software packages, including:

n Microsoft Office XP Professional -- Microsoft's Office suite of Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, Frontpage, and PowerPoint packages will provide you with word processing, spreadsheet, database, e-mail, HTML, and presentation capabilities, respectively.

n Maple 7 -- This symbolic algebra package allows you to integrate, differentiate, solve equations, and plot functions.

n SecureCRT 3.3 -- This package provides a secure connection to the RCS UNIX systems.

n Microsoft Visual C++ -- This package provides a C++ programming/development environment from Microsoft. The rest of the Visual Studio package, including Front Page 2000, J++, FoxPro, and Visual Basic, is available on CD ROM at the VCC Help Desk.

n LabVIEW -- National Instruments' LabVIEW package provides data acquisitions and control, data analysis, and data presentation capabilities. Please note that only sub-sets of this package have been pre-installed on your machine; you can obtain the remaining components on CD from the VCC Help Desk.

n Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer -- Both of these browsers allow you to access the World Wide Web.

n MapInfo Professional -- Through a process known as Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), MapInfo Professional turns your word processing and spreadsheet applications into mini MapInfo programs in which you can create, display, and edit a map for use in a presentation or report, or even for publishing.

n Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 This product allows you to view, navigate, and print PDF files across all major computing platforms.

n SolidWorks 2001 -- This package provides powerful, easy-to-use solid modeling capabilities.

n EZ-Snapshot-- This service provides you with a scheduled, automated means of backing up and restoring your files. We strongly recommend that you sign up for this service by filling out and returning the application form you received with your laptop.

n Norton Anti-Virus Corporate Edition -- This software helps protect your laptop against possible virus contamination and related problems.

A Brief Description of Your Laptop's Disk Drive

Your laptop's disk drive consists of one main 32-gigabyte hard disk drive, which is partitioned into a 27862MB system partition, and a 2695 hidden partition that houses the IBM Product Recovery image.

Test-Driving Your New Laptop

Understanding Some Basic Terms

Active Window – Refers to the window in which you're currently working. The active window has the color title bar, (not the gray one).

Control Menu Box – Obtained when you right-click on a window's title bar (see description below), this box provides options to restore, move, size, minimize, maximize, or close an application.

Desktop – Consists of the entire screen. There is only one desktop.

Menu Bar -- Provides commands applicable for use in the application. A sample menu bar appears below.

Scrolling

n The Vertical scroll bar is located on the right side of the window and is used to scroll up and down the page.

n The Horizontal scroll bar is located at the bottom of the window, and allows you to scroll to the right and left of the window.

n The Scroll box is another way to scroll either vertically or horizontally. Click on the scroll box and drag the box up or down, or left or right, to change your position within the window.

Scroll Box or Bubble

Vertical Scroll Bar

Horizontal Scroll Bar

Task Bar

The Task Bar contains the Start button, an area that displays buttons for each program you have open and the time. You can relocate the Task Bar by left clicking on it and dragging it to either the top of the screen or to either the far left or right side of the screen.

Tile – An option that allows you to arrange your active windows either vertically or horizontally, or cascade them by right-clicking on the Task bar and selecting the appropriate option.

Title Bar – Displays the name of the application and the document filename.

The Title Bar also contains the following icons:

n Close Button ( ) Located in the upper right corner of a window on your screen, this icon provides one way to close an application.

n Maximize button ( ) Located in the upper right corner of a window on your screen, this icon maximizes the window to full-screen size.

n Minimize button ( ) – Also located in the upper right corner of a window on your screen, this icon reduces the application to an icon on the Task Bar (the portion of the screen which contains the Start button, and an area that displays buttons for each program you have open and the time).

n Restore button ( ) – Restores the window to the size it was prior to using the Maximize button.

Wallpaper/Background – Refers to the image that covers the desktop or appears in the center of the desktop.

Window – Refers to one of the large rectangular boxes on the screen in which you can run various applications, etc. You can have several windows open at the same time on your desktop.

Identifying Some Desktop Features

Start Button

You can use the Start Button to start a program, open a document, change system settings, get Help, and find files, folders, or another networked computer. When you click on the Start button, the following menu appears:

The Start Menu consists of the following commands:

This Command		Does this….
Programs	Displays a list of programs that you can select to start. You can also customize this list. **
Documents	Displays a list of recently opened documents
Settings	Displays a list of settings that can be changed such as Control Panel, Taskbar and Start Menu
Find	Allows you to search for a file, folder, or computer
Help	Opens the Windows 98 Help Topics window
Run	Allows you run a program by entering the appropriate command
Shut Down	Displays a list of options that allow you to shut down, restart the computer, or log off and log in as a different user

** When you select the Programs option from the Start menu, all of the applications should appear listed alphabetically, with all folders listed first, and then all programs. If this list of applications should ever get out of order, you can restore it to alphabetical order by doing the following:

1. Open the Start menu and select the Programs option.

2. Right-click on the pop-up sub-menu that appears, and select the Sort by Name option. All of the listed folders and programs should once more appear in alphabetical order.

Using the TrackPoint and Buttons

The TrackPoint consists of the stick on the keyboard and the three click buttons located below the keyboard.

The amount of pressure you apply to the non-slip cap on the stick controls the movement and speed of the cursor on the screen. As you press the stick away from you, the cursor moves toward the top of the screen; similarly, moving the stick toward you moves the cursor toward the bottom of the screen. To move the cursor to the right, press the stick toward the right and vice versa. (Please note that the TrackPoint sometimes "drifts". This isn't a defect.)

The left and right click buttons function in the same way as those on a traditional desktop PC mouse. (Of course these functions also depend on the software that you are using.) The center button can be used to scroll, or as a magnifying glass by customizing the TrackPoint settings. Please refer to your IBM User's Reference manual for instructions on how to customize the TrackPoint buttons.

Using the ThinkPad Button

When you first press the ThinkPad button, an Access ThinkPad window may appear, summarizing how you can add programs to your laptop using the Software Selections CD that was included with your new laptop. If you wish to simply close the window at this time, you may either click on the OK button or the "X" in the upper-right corner. If you do not wish to see this window appear again, first select the "Do not show this notice again" option, and then close the window as described above.

When you exit the Access ThinkPad window, another window will appear, listing a number of help categories:

§ Up & Running

§ About Your ThinkPad

§ Everyday Essentials

§ Problem Solving

§ How to reach IBM

This screen even includes a Quick Search field that allows you to run a search for a specific topic.

To get started, position your cursor on the Everyday Essentials link; you should see a pop-up sub-menu appear. Next, position your cursor over the Everyday use option (it will appear highlighted in yellow) and then click on it to select that option. A new window containing lots of helpful information appears; using the ThinkLight Ô keyboard light, the TrackPoint, and the Ultrabay 2000, playing a CD or DVD, managing the battery power, and familiarizing yourself with the machine's many keys, buttons, and indicator lights are just a few of the numerous topics you'll find listed.

Please note that, as an alternative to pressing the ThinkPad button, you may also access the laptop's built-in information by opening the Start menu, and selecting the ThinkPad Assistant option.

However you access it, we think you will find the ThinkPad Assistant to be an extremely valuable tool, so always remember to use it as an excellent source of help and information any time you may have a question as to how to use your new laptop!

Identifying the Desktop Icons

Note that the icons marked with a double asterisk (**) require that you be connected to the network in order for you to access and use them properly.

Double-click on this icon to display your computer’s contents, including the available drives and printers, the control panel, and dial-up networking.

** When you initially double-click on this icon, the only entry you will see is "Entire Network." When you select that option, you will receive an "Unable to Browse the Network" error message; this occurs because file and print sharing are not enabled on your laptop by default.

If you wish to enable file and print sharing on your laptop, open the Start menu, select the Settings option, and then select the Control Panel option. In the window that appears, double-click the Network icon, and then click on the File and Print Sharing… button. In the window that appears, click in either (or both) of the file and print sharing options, and click the OK button. Please note that your enabling this feature does not actually share any resources on your laptop; use the Sharing tab on the Properties window to specify the drive or directory you want to share.

Use the Recycle Bin as a temporary "storage" place for deleted files. As long as you haven't emptied your Recycle Bin, you can use it to retrieve files that you accidentally deleted. To completely delete any files you have placed in the Recycle Bin, first right-click on the Recycle Bin icon, then select the Empty Recycle Bin option from the pop-up sub-menu that appears.

Double-click on this icon to access the Microsoft Visual C++ compiler.

** Double-click on this icon to access the documentation assembled especially for laptop users.

** Double-click on this icon to access the web site for Rensselaer's on-campus Advising and Learning Assistance Center.

Double-click on this icon to access the Maple 7 symbolic math package.

Double-click on this icon to access National Instruments' LabVIEW package, which provides data acquisition and control, data analysis, and data presentation capabilities.

** Double-click on this icon to access file and print sharing on the RCS UNIX platform. You must double-click on this icon and login using your RCS userID and password to be able to print to a network printer.

Double-click on this icon to access the Microsoft Access database program.

Double-click on this icon to access the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program.

Double-click on this icon to access the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation software program.

Double-click on this icon to access the Microsoft Word word-processing program.

Double-click on this icon to access the SolidWorks 2001 solid modeling program.

** Double-click on this icon to access the Internet Explorer Web browser.

** Double-click on this icon to open a SecureCRT session, which provides a secure connection to the RCS UNIX systems.

** Double-click on this icon to launch a session of the TSM EZ-Snapshot file backup service.

** Double-click on this icon to obtain IP address, subnet mask, and other configuration information about your laptop. (Please note that whenever you run this utility and an IP address does not automatically appear, you should left-click on the Release button and then the Renew button, to obtain a new IP address.)

Customizing Your Desktop

You can customize your desktop in several ways. To do this, right-click anywhere on the desktop; from the pop-up sub-menu that appears, select the Active Desktop option, then Customize my Desktop.

Click on the Background tab; you can now specify what image you want to display on your desktop. (Please note, however, that using colorful backgrounds and/or images on your machine may cause certain programs such as Maple to fail.)

You can choose to display the image in the center of your screen or the entire screen. Click on the Apply button to see a ‘preview’ of your selected image. If satisfied with your choice, click on OK.

If you click on the Screen Saver tab, you can select a preexisting screen saver or marquee (which allows you to enter your own screen saver message). You can also choose the amount of time you want to wait before the screen saver is activated when the desktop has been idle.

Clicking on the Appearance tab allows you to customize the color scheme of the desktop, icons, active and inactive title bars, menus, windows, etc.

Moving and Resizing Windows

To move a window, left-click on the application's title bar, as shown below, hold down the left mouse button, and drag the window to a different place on the desktop.

To resize a window, place your mouse button over one of the four corner edges of the window until your cursor turns into a double-ended arrow ( ) ,as shown in the upper left corner of the title bar below. Once you have the double-ended arrow, click and hold down the left mouse button and drag the window to the desired size.

Moving a Window in Front of Other Windows

To move one window in front of another, left-click on any portion of the window that you wish to bring to the front. (You may need to move the windows around a bit in order to see the window you wish to bring forward.)

Using Scroll Bars to View the Entire Contents of a Window

You can click on the small arrows at the top and bottom of the vertical scroll bar, located on the right side of the screen, to scroll up and down the page.

If your window has a horizontal scroll bar located at the bottom of the screen, you can click on the small arrows on either side of the scroll bar to scroll and see what text may run off the left and/or right side of the screen.

You may also use the scroll bubble located inside the scroll bar to scroll either vertically or horizontally. To do this, click on the scroll bubble and drag it up or down in the vertical scrollbar, or left or right in the horizontal scrollbar, to change your position within the window.

Working with Keyboard Shortcuts

Using shortcuts can save a lot of time and mouse/TrackPoint maneuvering. A list of some helpful keystroke shortcuts appears on the following page. (For each of the following shortcuts, hold down either the Ctrl or Fn key while pressing the other key shown.)

Action	Keystrokes
Copy	Ctrl + c
Cut	Ctrl + x
Paste	Ctrl + v
Turns off the LCD display, leaving the screen blank. To turn the LCD display back on, press any key or the TrackPoint stick.	Fn + F3
Turns standby mode * on. To return to normal operation, press the Fn key.	Fn + F4
Toggles between the LCD screen and an external monitor.	Fn + F7
Turns screen expansion on or off.	Fn + F8
Turns hibernation mode * on.	Fn + F12
Turns the ThinkLight on or off.	Fn + PgUp
Increases the brightness on the LCD.	Fn + Home
Decreases the brightness on the LCD.	Fn + End

*For more information on suspend and hibernation modes, please refer to the "Conditioning and Charging the Battery and Increasing Battery Life" section of this document.

Using the DVD Player

To play a digital video disk (DVD) in the Ultrabay 2000 device:

1. Press the small blue eject button (labeled as #5 on the front view on page 5) on the Ultrabay device. The disk tray should open slightly.

2. Gently pull the tray out until it is completely open. (DO NOT FORCE IT.)

3. Insert the videodisk in the tray just as you would any music or software CD, with the mirror-finish side facing downward. (If your video disk has two mirror-finished sides, check it carefully for any labels that indicate the first and second sides of the disk, and place the disk in the tray so that the first side -- for example, Side A -- faces up.)

4. Gently press the videodisk straight downward until it clicks into place. Make sure you seat your videodisk correctly! If you do not, it may not engage properly or may actually become jammed in the machine.

5. Once you have seated the disk properly, gently press the disk tray back into the laptop until it clicks into place. If you have loaded the disk correctly, the small green LED to the left of the eject button will briefly flash as the disk spins up.

Please note that your viewing options may vary from DVD to DVD. For example, some DVDs allow you to view the film in a wide-screen format, in different languages, or with the use of subtitles and closed captioning, and so on. Therefore, you may need to explore each DVD's options carefully, to make sure you get the desired viewing effects.

Adjusting the Sound

There are two ways to adjust the sound:

n Click on the small yellow “horn” icon located in the bottom right corner of the taskbar. A small window containing a volume-control slider will appear. Press and hold down the left TrackPoint button (see #8 on the front view on page 5), then use the TrackPoint itself to position the cursor over the slider and move it up or down to control the volume level as you wish.

n Use the volume control buttons (labeled as #10 on the front view on page 5) that appear in the upper left corner of your laptop keyboard, immediately to the right of the ThinkPad button. The first button is the "volume down" button, the second button is the "volume up" button, and the third button is the mute button, which turns the sound off altogether.

Powering off the Laptop

First, exit all programs you have running. Next, open the Start menu and select the Shut Down… option. The system will prompt you if you are sure you wish to shut down the computer. If so, click Yes. Otherwise, click No, or Help for additional information. The laptop will shut itself off after a few seconds.

Installing Software

When you purchase new software for your laptop, it may help to know that some applications will automatically start the installation setup once you insert the software CD in the CD/DVD drive. Other packages, however, may require you to load the software from floppy disks. (Also, when purchasing software, make sure that the package is labeled for Windows PCs, and not for Macintosh computers.)

To install software, open the Start menu and select the Run option. Type the letter of your CD drive in the window that appears, and click on Browse. Look for the setup.exe file in the list of files that should appear.

Uninstalling Software

To uninstall a piece of software from your laptop, first open the Start menu and select the Settings option. From the pop-up sub-menu that appears, select the Control Panel option. In the Control Panel window that appears, double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. An Add/Remove Programs Properties window will appear. If the software you wish to remove appears in the list at the bottom of the window, click on the software you wish to delete to select it, then left-click on the Add/Remove button. Follow the prompts that appear on the screen to finish uninstalling the software.

If the software you wish to uninstall does not appear in the list at the bottom of the Add/Remove Programs Properties window, open the Start menu and select the Programs option. From the pop-up sub-menu that appears, select the name of the software you wish to remove, and see if there's an uninstall option available for that package. If so, click on the uninstall option and follow the prompts to finish uninstalling the software.

Still other software packages require you to re-run the program's setup/installation procedure from the original media, in order to uninstall the software.

Caring for Your Laptop

While your laptop is designed and tested to hold up to a lot of use, common sense should tell you that you should not misuse your machine. As a result of some hard lessons students have learned in the past few years, we offer you the following advice, emphasizing the top three items:

DON'T:

n Have liquids, especially sweet, sticky drinks like soda, nearby when using your laptop. Spills can cause serious damage to the machine and can be costly to repair.

n Crush your laptop by stuffing too many books around it inside your backpack.

n Pile heavy objects on top of it.

n Drop, jar, or bump your laptop.

n Pick up or hold your laptop by the screen, or scratch, twist, hit, or push the surface of the display.

n Leave a pen or pencil on your laptop when you close it. Doing so will break the screen.

n Disassemble or attempt to repair your laptop yourself.

n Leave the laptop's base resting directly on your body (your legs or torso) for an extended period of time. It can get hot!

n Use your laptop in or near water.

n Use or store your laptop at temperatures above 95° F or below 41° F.

n Place your laptop closer than five inches from any electrical appliance that generates a strong magnetic field, such as a television, refrigerator, etc.

n Touch the lens on the CD-ROM tray or the surface of the compact disk.

n Insert a floppy disk at an angle.

DO:

n Condition your battery. (Please see the "Conditioning and Charging the Battery, and Increasing Battery Life" section of this document for more information.)

n Replace the plastic bezel when you exchange drives.

n Use a soft cotton cloth, such as a handkerchief, moistened with non-alkaline detergent to clean your computer. The Campus Computer Store recommends -- and sells -- Kensington's "Screen Guardian" cleaner for this purpose. Since different types of the "Screen Guardian" cleaner are available, make sure that you purchase the small spray bottle cleaner that is made especially for laptop computers, and anti-glare and polarized computer screens.

n Use a carrying case that provides good protection for your laptop, such as the backpack you received with it.

n Register your laptop with IBM in case it is lost or stolen, and also to receive upgrade notices.

Physically Securing the Machine

Always remember to use the security cable that you received with your laptop! This is especially important whenever you need to leave your machine for a few moments, whether you're looking for a book in the library, asking a question at the VCC Help Desk, or getting your lunch in one of the dining halls.

You may want to seriously consider using some of the following tips and tricks to make your machines more secure:

n It may sound like common sense, but keep your laptop with you as much as possible, and never leave it unattended and unsecured. For example, let's say you need to run into the Union Bookstore to buy a book; you know you'll only be in there a minute. Think you can just leave your backpack -- with your laptop in it -- on the open shelves inside the door? Well, think again! Sure, it may be tempting to leave your laptop and backpack unattended, especially if you know you'll only be gone for a short period of time, but the truth is that the potential for someone to walk off with your laptop is high.

So keep your machine with you, whenever you can. And whenever you go into the Union Bookstore, take advantage of their free lockable storage to secure your laptop and other belongings until you've finished your shopping.

n Protect your data by requiring the use of a password.

n Consider using a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) password, which you can add for additional security; they won't prevent the actual theft of your machine, but they will protect the data on it. However, please note that you should exercise extreme caution when setting any of these passwords, as setting and then forgetting them can have serious consequences, as explained below.

§ The Power-on Password prevents unauthorized users from starting up the ThinkPad. You must enter the correct power-on password prior to starting an operating system. Rensselaer Computer Repair (RCR) on an IBM repair facility can reset this password if you forget it.

§ The Supervisor Password protects the system information stored in the BIOS in such a way that a user can change the computer's configuration only after entering the correct supervisor password. Important note: If you forget the supervisor password, RCR or an IBM repair facility will have to replace the system motherboard. This expensive repair is neither covered under the IBM warranty nor by insurance.

§ The Hard-disk Passwords (master and user) protect the information stored on your hard disk in that you can only access the information on a hard disk after entering the correct hard-disk password. Important note: If you forget the hard-disk password, RCR or an IBM repair facility will have to replace the hard disk, and you will be unable to recover the information from the hard disk. This expensive repair is neither covered under the IBM warranty nor by insurance.

Getting Warranty Information

The laptop you obtained from Rensselaer has a three-year warranty and is eligible for on-campus service and repair, provided you've only subjected it to normal wear and tear and haven't misused or abused it. (See the "Caring for Your Laptop" section of this document for a list of helpful hints regarding the care of your laptop.) Laptop batteries come with a one-year warranty. You should have also received a copy of the appropriate warranty information in the box along with your laptop.

Getting Your Laptop Repaired

Tempting as it may be, don't ever attempt to repair any hardware portion of your laptop yourself. Instead, first take it to the VCC Help Desk to verify the hardware problem, and then take it to Rensselaer Computer Repair (RCR), located in the lower level of the Voorhees Computing Center, and let their staff look over your machine and repair it for you. RCR also has a number of loaner laptops available for use in case they can't repair your machine in a day or two.

If you find that your laptop does require service while you're off-campus, you have several options:

n You can call IBM for assistance. For domestic calls, call 1-800-497-7426; from outside the US, call (248) 740-1215. IBM will issue a certificate authorizing international service at any worldwide IBM reseller.

n You can return your machine to:

Rensselaer Computer Repair

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

VCC 115

110 8th Street

Troy, NY 12180-3590

RCR will repair your machine under warranty, but you will be responsible for paying all
shipping, customs fees, insurance, and other handling charges. NOTE: If you do return
your machine, you should insure it at its suggested retail replacement cost; please refer to
the URL http://www.rpi.edu/dept/computer_store/ to access the Campus Computer
Store's price information.

n And if you're off-campus but within the United States, you may choose to take your machine to a local IBM reseller for service.

Getting Help if Your Laptop is Stolen

We like to stress to all students that the first and most important step in safeguarding your laptop against theft is to keep it with you at all times, and to keep it properly secured if you do need to leave it for a moment.

However, in the event that your laptop is stolen:

n If you're on-campus, contact Public Safety immediately by calling ext. 6603 (Investigations) or ext. 6611 (Emergency) to report the theft.

n If your laptop is stolen while you're off-campus, contact the local police authorities where the theft occurred and file an official police report.

In either case, it's very important that you be able to supply the officers with your laptop's serial number, so make sure that you have that information recorded.

You should also check to see if your insurance company offers a policy that will offer monetary compensation if your laptop is stolen. (Rensselaer's laptop lease program includes theft and damage insurance, provided you have only subjected the laptop to normal wear and tear and have not misused or abused it.)

Conditioning and Charging the Battery and Increasing Battery Life

Your laptop is equipped with a Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) battery, and, while it has been programmed to save power whenever and however possible, you'll have to initially condition your battery, as well as recharge it from time to time. Use the following tips to obtain the best condition for your battery and extend its rundown time.

Conditioning the Battery

If your battery is brand new, and you are using it for the first time, it may not be charged to full capacity. To obtain maximum battery performance, cycle the battery three times. To do this, plug your laptop into a standard electrical outlet to fully charge the machine, then run the laptop off the battery until it is fully discharged. (This procedure is also recommended if you have stored the battery for a few months.)

Tips for Charging the Battery

n Do not charge the battery until it is completely out of power. (Check the small green battery-shaped icon on the right-hand side of your laptop's taskbar to check your machine's current battery capacity.) Partial charge or discharge may cause a degradation of your laptop's performance.

n Once you have started charging the battery pack, do not use it until it is fully charged.

Increasing the Life of Your Battery

You can also use the following "power management" techniques to help extend the life of your battery:

n Suspend mode

n Hibernation mode

n Intel ® SpeedStep ™ technology

Suspend mode (Fn+F4) - Although your laptop appears to be powered down when it's in suspend mode, the machine's memory contents are actually kept active at very low power. You can bring your machine out of suspend mode by pressing any key. Your laptop can remain in suspend mode for about three days before the battery is drained.

Hibernation mode (Fn + F12) - This mode uses no power until you restart your laptop; the machine stores its active memory to the hard disk and then turns off the ThinkPad. Entering a single keystroke should bring it back up, without the need to reboot. Your laptop can remain in hibernation mode indefinitely.

Intel ® SpeedStep ™ technology also helps you to increase the life of your laptop's battery by using two performance modes:

n Maximum performance mode for top performance while your machine is plugged in to an external power source.

n Battery-optimized performance allows for balance between performance and battery life whenever you're operating your laptop on battery power. In this mode, the MHz speed is reduced to approximately 80% of the maximum performance (MHz speed) with approximately 50% of the power consumption to conserve battery power.

Your laptop is configured to operate in battery-optimized mode by default whenever you are running your laptop off its battery. However, if you ever wish to override this default:

1. Double-click on the SpeedStep ™ icon, which appears as a small blue-checkered flag on the right-hand side of the laptop's taskbar.

2. Click on the small drop-down arrow next to the Running on batteries: field, and select the Maximum Performance option.

Protecting Your Laptop against Computer Viruses

Computer viruses pose a constant threat to the security and safety of the data stored on your laptop, so you need to use anti-virus software, and keep it up-to-date to provide the best possible protection for which it has been designed. Every month, the virus protection software vendors publish updates to the virus signature databases that the software uses to detect or clean a new virus, should it find its way to your system.

The Norton AntiVirus package, has been installed on your laptop. To update this anti-virus software:

1. Make sure you're connected to the network.

2. Open the Start menu and select the Programs option. From the pop-up sub-menu that appears, position your cursor over the Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition option.

3. From the next pop-up sub-menu that appears, select the Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition option.

4. In the window that appears, click the LiveUpdate… button.

5. A Virus Protection Update window appears. Check field labeled "How do you want to connect to a LiveUpdate server?". The current setting should be Internet. If it is not, left-click on the drop-down arrow beside the text box, and change it.

6. Click the Next button to begin downloading the anti-virus software files. An In Progress window will appear and indicate the various stages of the update's progress. A Transfer Completed window will appear when the files have finished loading.

7. Click the Finish button to complete the update procedure.

Remember, it is your responsibility to keep your laptop virus-free. We strongly recommend that you use some anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date for your own security and peace of mind.

Another Helpful Security-Related Tip

As long as we're talking about viruses, here's a simple step you can take to make sure that you don't open a certain type of file, such as one that may contain a virus: show the filename extensions on your laptop!

To do this, first double-click on the My Computer or Windows Explorer icon on your machine's desktop, and select a disk (for example, your C: hard drive). Pull down the View menu and select Folder Options… In the separate View Options window that appears, left-click on the View tab, and select the Show all files option (if it isn't selected already). Finally, ensure that a checkmark does not appear to the left of the "Hide file extensions for known file types" option.

As we mentioned before, taking this precaution is really important when you don't want to open a certain type of file, especially to avoid spreading a virus. A good example is with the Anna Kournikova virus that has affected campus in the past; if you don't show filename extensions on your machine, the virus file appears as a simple .JPEG file, and you don't see that the file really has the .VBS extension.

So, do yourself a favor and take a minute to show the complete file extensions on your laptop!

Accessing Software Patches and Drivers

You may update some of your laptop's software by opening the Start menu and selecting the Windows Update option. Doing this will close many security vulnerabilities on your machine as well as add functionality and correct any software defects.

You may also use the following URLs to access various software update patches and drivers:

Microsoft Office http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/

Visual Studio http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/updates.asp

And, since many machine security vulnerabilities occur via Web browsers, Internet Explorer users should consider accessing security updates at the following URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/default.htm

Backing Up Your Critical Files

Using the EZ-Snapshot Backup Service

Although the EZ-Snapshot utility, which provides file backup service exclusively to the members of the Rensselaer community, has been pre-installed on your laptop, you must still register for the service before you can use it. Students are entitled to as much of 8GB of storage a year free-of-charge; an annual fee of $25.00 will be charged for each additional 2GB allocation. You should have received an EZ-Snapshot application form with your laptop; we strongly recommend that you apply for, and take advantage of, this important backup service.

You may find more information about the EZ-Snapshot service on-line by first selecting the Academic & Research Computing link from the "Computing" section of the main RPInfo homepage (located at URL http://www.rpi.edu/rpinfo), and then cli