NOTE: You, the customer, are solely responsible for data security. WinBook strongly recommends that you perform a backup of all personal data contained on your system prior to performing this procedure. Warning: WinBook will NOT be held responsible for any data loss incurred during this process.

Congratulations on your purchase of the WinBook FX. We are proud to be among the manufacturers who are offering Windows 95 as the operating system on the unit that you have purchased.

Please do not lose the certificate of Authenticity number that is attached to the front of the Windows 95 manual (Product 00000-OEM-000000-00000), because another number cannot be issued. We CANNOT provide a replacement! This number is keyed to the Windows 95 disk set that you received with your WinBookFX, and if lost would make purchasing a new copy a necessity.

GENERAL

All software for your WinBook FX is preinstalled and ready to use. Please file the included disks in a safe place, in the event you need to reinstall your software in the future.

The BIOS setup program for the WinBook FX is accessed by pressing the F2 key, during the bootup process, while there is a message at the bottom of the screen telling you to "Press F2 to run setup." You should familiarize yourself with pages 9-2 through 9-35 of the FX User's Manual before making changes to the BIOS. If you are not sure what the result of those changes will be, you should call Technical Support before making changes.

The CD-ROM drive and the floppy disk drive have a closely machined fit. When the machine is new, you may experience a little difficulty in extracting the drives from the bay. When inserting either drive, make sure you snap the drive in and that the drive is flush in the bay.

It is a good idea to keep a backup of important data on your hard disk at all times. The most important thing to back up is the data (spreadsheets, word processing documents, etc.) that you create. Your operating system and programs can always be reinstalled, using the original manufacturers disks. You will need to decide if you want to try to do this on floppy disks, or utilize an external device, such as a tape drive, or other removable media drives.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are there things I can do to extend the battery charge life?

Battery life will vary from user to user depending on what the computer is being used for. Configuring the power management features within the BIOS of your WinBook FX can help to increase your battery life. To do this, press the F2 key during bootup to enter the BIOS setup and make the necessary changes to the settings. The User's Manual explains in detail the various Power Management settings, on pages 3-9 through 3-12. You should also be aware that any power management features can only be of benefit if there are periods of inactivity, allowing them an opportunity to engage their power savings mode. Please note that the battery in the WinBook FX takes about 4.5 hours to do a full charge, with the machine turned off. There is also a "hot key" that can be used, from the keyboard to change the status of Power Management. While holding down the teal-colored Fn key, each stroke of the F5 key will cycle through the choices, ON, DC, OFF, on the menu in the upper left corner of your screen.

Windows 95 also incorporates power management support to extend the battery life of your WinBook. For help on Windows 95 power management perform the following steps. Go to the START menu and select the HELP icon, next click on the FIND tab and enter "POWER" in the "Type the word(s) you would like to find" box.

Can I "hot-swap" the CD-ROM and floppy disk drive in my WinBook FX?

No. It is not possible to do this. You must first turn off your computer before changing between the Floppy disk drive and the CD-Rom drive.

When I tell Windows 95 to "Shutdown" the machine turns itself off. It does not say "It is now safe to turn off your computer." Is this normal?

Yes, this is the way the machine is designed to work with Windows 95. This is part of the Plug-n-Play capabilities of Windows 95 and the BIOS of your WinBook FX.

When I push the "power" button on my WinBook FX the system goes into suspend mode. Why is this?

The power switch mode is controlled by a setting in the system BIOS. Please read pages 9-27 and 9-28 in the FX User's Manual for a thorough explanation of how this works.

What do I have to do to use PCMCIA (or PC Cards) in my WinBook FX?

For most cards, you simply need to insert the card in the slot and Windows 95 will automatically install any necessary drivers. There are some cards that will require an updated file from the manufacturer. In that case, you should have the disk ready when Windows 95 asks you for a disk from the manufacturer.

What kind of sound card is in my WinBook FX?

The sound card is integrated into the circuitry of your WinBook FX, and is compatible with Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 Plug and Play. The sound is controlled by the use of control keys embedded into your keyboard. These control Volume, Bass, treble, etc. Please review pages 2-15 through 2-16 in the FX User's Manual.

There is feedback from the microphone. What can I do?

Double click on the Speaker icon in the tray on the Task Bar, then add a check mark in the MUTE box for Microphone Balance.

When I record sound the volume level is very low. What can I do?

Double click on the Speaker icon in the tray on the Task Bar, select Options, choose Properties, click on Recording, click OK, click the Advanced button, put a check mark in the box for Automatic Gain Control.

Why am I not getting sound when trying to play an audio CD?

Sometimes you may have to open the Volume Control application, mute the CD Player volume, then un-mute it before it will reproduce sound.

What can the infrared port be used for?

The infrared serial port conforms to the IrDA standard, and can be used for connecting infrared devices, printers, and for direct connection to other computers for file transfers, etc. See pages 4-18 through 4-19 in the FX User's Manual.

Which modem do I select in setting up my communications software?

The internal 28.8 modem in the WinBook FX uses a Rockwell chip set. The modem list for each communications software is different. Refer to the table below for some of the most common settings. The default settings are COM2, IRQ3. These are user selectable, and may be changed (but we don't recommend this.) For most applications, this is all you will need to know.

COMM. PROGRAM RECOMMENDED MODEM CHOICES

America on Line Zoom 28.8 V.34 I

COMit for Windows Hayes 2400 or Generic High Speed 1 (DOS 6.xx & Win 3.xx)

Delrina CommSuite WinBook FX V.34

Hyperterminal WinBook FX V.34

Microsoft Fax WinBook FX V.34

Prodigy "Hayes Brand" 28,800

ProComm+ /DOS "Hayes 2400"

ProComm+ /Win Hayes Compatible or Explorer Communications FM 288R Rockwell

QmodemPro/Win95 WinBook FX V.34

WinCIM or "WOW" "Hayes"

WinFax (Lite/Pro) Auto detected as Generic Class 1 Send/Receive Fax/Modem

Windows 95 WinBook FX V.34

(When in doubt, try Hayes compatible or Zoom 28.8 V.34I)

Note: Do not remove the modem entry in Device Manager without consulting our Technical Support department

COMMON WINDOWS 95 RELATED QUESTIONS:

1. Re-installing Windows 95 - we recommend that you contact your local WinBook retailer before re-installing Windows 95 because there are certain ramifications of doing so.

a.) You will need to reinstall ALL Windows related programs, because the information contained in the Windows initialization files, some necessary DLL files, etc. will no longer be there.

b.) You will lose all WinBook pre-installed drivers and utilities. To obtain these drivers you can visit our Internet website (www.winbookcorp.com), or contact your local WinBook retailer.

2. Copying Windows 95 from another computer using Direct Cable Connect - This is NOT a good idea! It sounds easy, in theory, but copying Windows and its related directories and files overwrites utilities, drivers, etc. that are necessary for the WinBook FX to run properly.

3. Turning off the machine, or booting while in Windows - In a word - DON'T. This can cause file corruption, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and in a worst-case scenario, actually wipe out the File Allocation Tables (FAT), resulting in a total loss of data on your hard drive!

4. The modem works in DOS, but not in Windows - This is most often caused by an incorrect setting in the SYSTEM.INI file.

a. From the DOS prompt, change to the Windows sub-directory and edit the SYSTEM.INI file. Near the top you will find a line that says: COMM.DRV= ; if it says anything other than COMM.DRV on the right side of the equal sign, then change it to read: COMM.DRV=COMM.DRV

5. How do I set up an external mouse?

If you have a PS/2 mouse, simply exit all programs, turn the machine off, plug in the PS/2 mouse, and turn the machine back on.

If you have a serial mouse, plug the mouse in, turn the machine on, go to Control Panel, Add New Hardware, and let Windows 95 detect the serial mouse.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. If you have noticed any problems with this tech article, or if you feel that something is not clear enough, please E-mail our Technical Support department by clicking on the link below. Please include the Technical Article Number and the specific area that you feel is inaccurate. Thank you. 
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Disclaimer: This information is being provided to you as a service from the Technical Support Department of WinBook Computers. It is intended to assist you in the resolution of your technical problems or questions. If you feel uncomfortable implementing any of the information or suggestions contained herein then you should e-mail the WinBook Technical Support Department. WinBook will not be held responsible for any loss of information, data or programming as a result of the use of this TechNote.