Introduction
One thing that needs to be understood about a Notebook is that it is
not more difficult to troubleshoot. The same OS that would be placed
on a desktop system can and will be placed on a Notebook. The
biggest major difference between a Notebook and a desktop is, for
our specific systems, wireless connections, PCMCIA, sale of the ESP,
and the hardware that can be reseated and sent out for repair. There
is no specific software or driver reinstallation procedure that is
different than a normal computer. Only those things mentioned above
differentiate a Notebook from a desktop.
Scope of Support Differences
For scope of support the only differences are what parts we can
replace, sale of the ESP, and the RMA process varies slightly. Scope
is the same because the basic ideals of what eMachines wants us to
help with are the same. We won’t support configuration or the
addition of hardware or software.
Differences Between Notebooks and Desktops
Case
The case is one of the most radical differences. In dealing with a
Notebook you are dealing with a compacted version of a case. As you
learned in case types there are panels that can be opened to access
the different components. The following is a list of components that
can be reseated and removed:
• Hard drive
• 1 Memory chip not both
• Wireless Card
• Battery
Touchpad
The touchpad is built into the case. A touchpad is a substitute for
a mouse. It’s a flat surface, which you can move your finger across
to control the mouse.
Notice also that on the touchpad you have a left and right click
along with a scroll zone. The scroll zone works exactly like what
the scroll wheel on a mouse would do. The touchpad has a lot more
options than a regular mouse does. There is a complete walkthrough
of the touchpad software within eMacInfo2.
The walkthrough can be located under Reference à Animations à
Notebook Touchpad Tapping Walkthrough. Some of the options that can
be adjusted are:
• Touchpad sensitivity: Allows you to adjust how much press
it takes to move the cursor on the screen
• Tapping: Allows you to enable an option to simply tap the
bad to get a double left click
• Enable coasting: This option will make it so that if you
move the cursor then simply keep pressure on the pad the cursor will
coast until you remove the pressure completely.
• Button options: Allows you to change what happens when you
right click and left click.
Wireless
Scope for Wireless
The wireless card is supported only as far as making sure that the
card can see another device. Connection is not guaranteed because
there are many different configuration settings that can be changed.
It will be discussed however some of those options in a little bit
of detail in case a customer asks what they are. There are some
simple, quick, and easy checks that we will perform that will only
take one to two minutes to ensure we are helping customer as much as
we possible can.
Fundamental Wireless Terms
There are some items that the wireless card supports however we do
not support them.
WEP: Wired equivalent privacy. This option is a form of
encryption that we do not support. It is for having a secure
connection over wireless.
WAP: Short for the Wireless Application Protocol, a secure
specification that allows users to access information instantly via
handheld wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way
radios, smartphones and communicators.
SSID: Service Set Identifier. This is a name given to
wireless networks. If you don’t have the name then you will be
unable to access that particular network. This is an item that we
will not support them setting up.
802.11a: This is an older standard of wireless communication
that our wireless cards will not communicate with. Only compatible
with other 802.11a routers and devices.
802.11b: This is a rather common standard that our wireless
card can communicate with.
802.11g: One of the most common standards in today’s wireless
industry and our wireless card does support this standard. Backwards
compatible with 802.11b routers and wireless cards.
Access Point: An access point is simply a box used to convert
the signal from a standard wall outlet into a wireless signal
Wireless Router: A wireless router is a device that is both
an access point and has many other additional features for security
and general networking.
Troubleshooting a Wireless Card
Our main troubleshooting for a wireless card will be to test and see
if it sees another card or device. If the card does see other
devices then we know physically the card is working and that’s where
we can draw the line for scope of support. Commonly however there
are a few things that we will check beyond just making sure it sees
another device.
1. Looking in the bottom right hand corner you will see 2 network
connection icons and a Broadcom wireless utility icon. One of these
icons will be for the standard network card built into the system
while the other will be for the wireless.
2. Right click either icon and see if there is an option for View
Available Wireless Networks. If the icon you choose to right click
does not have the option right click the other one.
3. Once inside the Available Wireless Networks simply ask the
customer if anything is listed in the box.
a. If there is something there then the wireless card sees’ another
device and ask them if they have an option on the screen for a box
that next to it states “Allow me to connect to the selected wireless
networks, even though it is not secure”.
i. If there is no checkmark box what we can do for the customer is
finished. We need to refer them to the maker of their Access Point
or Router. If they ask for further troubleshooting reinstall the
wireless driver in device manager.
ii. If there is a checkmark box ask them to check it and click
connect. Once that option has been checked that should resolve any
connection issues they may have had. If that does not alleviate the
problem look in device manager under network adapters for anything
that says Network Bridge if anything is located with that name
remove it and restart.
b. If there is nothing listed under the Available Wireless Networks
then we want to do the following:
i. Reinstall the wireless driver in device manager. The driver will
be listed under network adapters as IEEE 802.11g network adapter. If
you aren’t sure if what you are removing is the wireless card simply
removing everything under network adapters and restarting is
sufficient.
ii. Make sure the router or other connection device has been power
cycled (powered off for 30 seconds then back on)
iii. The wireless card is enabled. This is done by going to BIOS and
under Advanced makes sure that Wireless Power Setting is set to ON.
This will ensure that upon restarting the wireless card will be
enabled and functioning correctly.
iv. Reseating the Wireless card. In rare circumstances opening the
case and making sure the antenna are connected securely and that the
card is seated properly is necessary.
v. If the connection device has been ensured to work running a
restore would be our next option
vi. If the card still does not see a device and the router or access
point are assured to be working we would replace the card.
All other troubleshooting of a wireless card is the exact same thing
that you would do with a normal network card.
Video Out Connections
There are two types of output connection on most Notebooks S-Video
and SVGA.
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S-Video
S-video is geared primarily towards projectors and TVs.
With a Notebook you have the following display options:
• LCD only
• LCD and S-Video
• LCD and SVGA
• S-Video only
• SVGA only
SVGA
The SVGA conection is standard for any monitor.
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Switch between the different display modes by pressing FN+F4.
One thing to note about switching between display options is unless
the system recognizes a device connected to either S-Video or SVGA
it will not change to those modes. Also if the system is set to
S-Video only or SVGA only and then that device is removed restarting
the system will put the default back of LCD only and you will get a
screen on the LCD display. As for the connection of third-party
devices and configuring them to work that is beyond our scope of
support however there is a list of things we can check to make sure
they are set correctly:
• Have they restarted the system? On some
models the S-Video will only work if its been connected and then the
system restarted.
• In the display properties there is an option
to set what kind of output device you are sending to. Through the
SVGA you can send to either a project or a monitor. Has the device
been set correctly
o Open Display Properties → Settings Tab
→ Advanced button →
Displays Tab → is the device they are
sending the signal to what it selected
• One of the features within Windows XP is to
extend the desktop to have 2 different screens. This is not a
defaulted setting however and must be set.
o Open Display Properties → Settings Tab
→ From the display menu select the drop
down and select the number 2 option → Put
a check mark in the box labeled extend my desktop
• The resolutions can be set independently
between the LCD display and output devices. On the main display
property window there is a drop down menu with 1. Display driver and
2. Display driver. They will want to select whatever display they
are wanting to adjust and then adjust the resolution
• If for whatever reason the above steps are
not working simply reinstall the driver.
o Go to device manager → Click the plus in front
of Display Adapters → Right click the
Display Driver → Select Uninstall
→ Restart the system
Service Options
EURP Items
The time frame for EURP items on a Notebook is the same on a desktop
part. There are a much more limited amount of items that can be
shipped for a Notebook than a desktop but the prices are the same
for pre-auth. The following is a list of items and the pre-auth:
• Hard Disk Drive $75
• Memory $75
• AC Adapter $75
• Restore CD $20 charge or free if waived by
CRM
• Recovery Console Free must be waived by CRM
• Wireless Card $75
• Battery $75
RMA Options
The RMA procedure for a Notebook is slightly different than a
desktop. For a desktop the system as soon as it arrives at the
warehouse it will be restored. For Notebooks they might sign a sheet
of paper and return it with the RMA otherwise the warehouse will not
restore it and will put a note in helix stating “On-Hold WFC rebrick”.
What this means is they are waiting for contact before they will
proceed further with the system.
The time frame for an RMA on a Notebook is also different than on a
desktop RMA. The shipping labels are sent overnight just like a
desktop but the time the system spends in the warehouse is shorter.
Average time is three to five business days for a Notebook Vs seven
to ten business days for a desktop.
There are a few special things to take note of when doing an RMA on
a Notebook:
• Both the battery and the AC adapter are
shipped in
• Complete packaging is provided to the
customer when they receive a box for the Notebook
• They must sign a sheet of paper and return
it with the RMA giving the warehouse approval to run a restore if
necessary. If they do not the system is shipped in and the warehouse
determines that a restore should be run in helix it will show as
“On-Hold WFC rebrick”. If this is seen in the RMA notes the customer
must be asked for permission to restore and regardless of the answer
that information passed onto the CRM. If the customer refuses a
restore a CRM will escalate it to corporate who will just have the
system sent back un-repaired. If they agree to the restore it will
be restored and further diagnosing will be done.
Special Issues
There is one issue that is common among all Notebooks that needs to
be addressed. For those systems that come with 512 MB of memory it
comes in 2 memory chips. The drawback is that only 1 memory slot is
accessible therefore only 1 of the 256MB chips can be removed and
upgraded. This limits the upgradeability of the Notebooks
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