TROUBLESHOOTING

New - Vista Upgrade Problem

I can't find my 14 digit Certificate of Authenticity.

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Keyboard

E.g. “@” displays double quotes.

This is because your keyboard is currently set to a United States keyboard, to change to the United Kingdom:

1. Click on ‘Start’ then ‘Control Panel’

2. In the pick a category menu select ‘Date, Time, Language and regional Options

3. In the pick a task option select ‘Add other languages’

4. Within the languages tab select the ‘Details’ button

5. Select the ‘Add’ button

6. Change the input language option to ‘English UK’ then press ‘OK’

7. Delete the United States keyboard by selecting ‘Remove’. This should automatically set the English UK as the default

8. Explore the other tabs at the top of the window to ensure all other options are set to English UK

9. Now select ‘OK’. If an error message shows saying the keyboard cannot be removed, click OK and it will take affect when you reboot

10. Reboot to ensure keyboard layout has taken effect

Screen Brightness

If your screen is dim or off when you open your notebook while it is still powered on, first check that the system hasn’t gone into standby mode or hibernate to save power. Pressing the spacebar will return the system from hibernate and the function key that shows a moon type icon will return it from standby.

Should the above not turn on the screen or it shows a very faint picture, it could be that the small switch that detects whether the screen is up or down may be sticking. Often this is because of dust or dirt in the mechanism. It can bee freed up by pressing it down or lightly brushing it to remove any particles.

To conserve battery life it is wise to dim the screen brightness as this accounts for a significant percentage of your Notebook’s overall power requirement. Some models do this automatically when away from mains power but for most it may be necessary to do this manually.

For most, simply holding the Fn/Function Key in the bottom left of the keyboard whilst pressing the appropriate F key at the top of the keyboard. The key varies but usually indicated by an outline of a ‘sun’ and an up and down arrow. Please refer to the user manual if the key isn’t marked.

DVD Formats

There are numerous DVD formats. Check your system to see what formats your drive will support. DVD-RAM/DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD+R/DVD+RW

DVD-RAM current Drive use 4.7GB discs

DVD-RAM allows fully integrated OS-Level random read/write access similar to hard drives as well as on-the-fly write verification. This standard is best for backups as the format is designed to be written to, like a hard drive. The main drawback being the format is limited read compatibility amongst DVD-ROM drives and standalone DVD players. DVD-RAM read support with these units is increasing however, partially because of the increasing popularity of home standalone DVD-RAM recorders in home theatre systems.

DVD-R and DVD-RW Both use 4.7GB discs

DVD-R is a write once recordable format which gives good compatibility with both standalone DVD players and DVD-ROM drives

DVD-RW media uses rewriteable discs, which are rated for more than 1000 rewrites in ideal situations. The majority of standalone DVD players will play video recorded on DVD-RW discs, but the compatibility is not as high as with DVD-R.

DVD+R and DVD+RW These discs are very similar to DVD-R and DVD-RW in design, usage and compatibility.

DVD+RW, like DVD-RW, are a rewriteable 4.7GB format, and overall it has a similar functionality to DVD-RW. The level of compatibility of standard DVD+RW discs in standalone DVD players is similar to that of DVD-RW. The rewritability is also said to be similar to that of DVD-RW, allowing up to 1000 rewrites.

How come my 4.7GB disc isn’t really 4.7GB?

Like hard drives, 1GB on a DVD recordable disc equals 1,000,000,000 bytes. In contrast, a computer considers 1GB to be 1,073,741,824 bytes. Thus, a 4.7 GB disc is seen by a computer as having approx 4.37GB but the number of bytes is the same.

Why is my system properties showing that my CPU is running at a slower MHz than I have?

The reason why the system properties shows the CPU running at a slower MHz is because of something called "cool & quiet", a setting found in the bios.

Cool & quiet slows down the processor when it's idle so that your processor runs cooler. It automatically speeds up when needed (like if you start a game).

Try running a stress test or bench. Load a programme to put a load on the processor and see if it's still running slow.

If it is just Cool 'n' Quiet, leave it enabled, it keeps the processor cooler, there is not any noticeable lag when it starts to load any programmes.

My Windows Licence sticker looks torn - does this mean my laptop is used or second hand?

No it doesn't. The Windows Licence sticker on new laptops is as valuable as a copy of Windows as the Licence key allows your software to work. Because of it's value it has a tamper-proof design which means any attempt at removing it would result in destruction of the sticker. It looks torn or broken already but that actually prevents it from being removed. On new laptops you can find that these stickers will look damaged, however this is perfectly normal.

Bluetooth

Upgrading to service Pack 2 you may find the wireless function not operating. This is because of a driver software conflict. Please follow the steps below:

1. Left click on start

2. Right click on my computer

3. Left click on properties from the extended menu, a new window will appear

4. Left click on Hardware tab at the top of the window

5. Left click on the Device Manager Button

The list that appears will display all devices that are recognized within the Windows Operating System that require drivers.

6. Left click on Bluetooth to expand

7. Double click on the Bluetooth device then the Microsoft Bluetooth enumerator

8. Click on the Drivers tab on the new window

9. Left click on update Driver

10. Ensure that on the first window the option ‘No not at this time’ is selected then click next

11. On next screen select install from a list or a specific location

12. Next window select ‘don’t search I will choose the driver to install’

13. Next window select ‘have disc’ and ensure the Bluetooth driver CD is inserted to the CD drive. Choose the driver from the disc and click next to install the driver.

14. Once driver has been installed click finish and restart the Notebook to put changes into effect.

How do I configure my notebook to an existing wireless network?

For Windows XP Pro, Home and media Centre Versions:

1. Double left click the wireless icon located in the bottom right corner of the display

2. Under Network Task in the new window, left click on ‘Set up a wireless network from home or office’

3. A wizard for installing will appear, click Next on the first screen

4. On next screen an SSID will need to be inputted. The SSID is the ID associated to the wireless network. After this has been inputted enter your network pass key or ensure that ‘automatically assign network key’ is selected

5. Left click on ‘Next’

6. On the next window ensure set up a network manually is selected and click ‘Next’

7. On the final window to complete the wireless network set up left click on ‘Finish’

8. The previous window will appear displaying the network; once the wireless network is found ensure it is highlighted and left click on connect. This will establish a connection.

Users with Service Pack 2 installed will have to go through a similar process but not quite as straight forward. We recommend that you upgrade to Service Pack 2 for ease of connection to wireless networks.

If your system set up still seems to be having difficulty, run the Restore Disc to reboot the system. If your laptop is not provided with a restore disc the laptop may prompt you to create one or may be stored on the BIOS system.

If your laptop is having problems in Windows* check the legitimacy of all added software.

Problems connecting to the web can occur through lack of viral protection and user installed software.

CD/DVD function can be set up with the ‘properties’. Failure may not be the result of a fault.

My LCD display has a bright/dark/coloured dot on the screen - Is it faulty?

The screen on TFT displays is made up of thousands of tiny pixels. A 15" flat-screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768 for example has 786423 pixels. Each pixel comprises three sub-pixels (red, green and blue) so on the 15" above, there are almost 2.4 million dots in total. Behind each pixel is a transistor. When a transistor fails it manifests itself as a bright, dark or coloured dot on the screen that stands out from the rest. Today's production techniques unfortunately cannot guarantee an absolutely fault-free screen display and buyers should be aware of the possibility of imperfections (in the form of a few isolated constantly lit or unlit pixels) before choosing to purchase a TFT display. Due to this, there is indeed a commonly accepted 'tolerance level' by which TFT’s may display such imperfections (or stuck pixels) without being classified as faulty. As such, we can only take back displays as faulty for refund/repair IF the number of stuck pixels exceeds the manufacturer's guidelines. The number required for the monitor to be classed as faulty varies between manufacturers but is usually above 3.

Why does my RAM Memory appear to be less that I bought?

This is normal. Many laptops have integrated graphics chips which share the RAM. For example, if you have 256MB of RAM on your laptop and the graphics chip uses 64MB, then your laptop will show only 192MB.

Why does my Hard Disk size appear to be less than it should?

This is normal and there are several reasons. Every hard drive manufacturer defines 1 gigabyte as 1 billion bytes (instead of the strictly correct 1.073 billion bytes). This means that what we would see as 120GB the computer sees as less. On top of this, space is lost when the drive is formatted. Space saved for hidden partitions and restore data may also not be included in the total. So in total, you could see between 5% and 15% less total space. If you have a 120GB hard drive and you only see 115GB, or 106GB, this is normal.

Where can I find bundled software such as DVD software and Norton Anti Virus?

Software packages not pre-installed can be found on the included CD ROMs.

Virus Protection

You are advised to patch your laptop with the latest Windows Service Packs and Critical updates before going on to the Internet. You will need to download the patches from another PC to apply them. We strongly recommend that you DO NOT go onto the internet before applying these patches.

Can I upgrade the Memory / Hard Drive on my PC / Laptop?

Yes, - please call our sales team to discuss your requirements and arrange the installation.

Hard Drive size: It is standard practice for laptop manufacturers to partition the hard drive. For example your system may have a 30GB drive split between the C drive (20GB) and the D drive (10GB). It is recommended that you load your Applications onto C and reserve D for you data.

When to Contact us

If any or all of the above fail please fill in our online returns form.If your goods have been damaged in transit it must be reported to us with 48 hours of receipt. After this time we cannot accept responsibility.

Warranty Information

All PCs and Notebook come with a direct to manufacturer warranty. In case of faults, please contact the manufacturer’s number below. For many products, you can extend your warranty to up to three years. Warranties need to be registered within 30 days of purchase. Please call our Sales team on 0870 167 0818 to enquire about warranty extensions.

Contact Information – Laptops Direct

Contact Information – Technical Help lines and Warranty information