1200 West University Ave
Mitchell, SD 57301
Phone: 605-995-2697
E-mail: helpdesk@dwu.edu
Web: http://www.dwu.edu/is//

Specifications

 Your new IBM ThinkPad R40 comes with a 1.5 GHz processor (which is fast, at least for early 2004), 512 MB of RAM (active memory, which determines how many different applications, or software programs, you can run at the same time) and a hard drive containing roughly 53 available GB of digital storage, which is a lot.  The operating system is Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

Getting Help

The menu bar across the top of the Access IBM window provides a general list of topics.  To access the full menu of help topics, click on Get Help & Support > View References > Use on-system help.

For human help, you can contact Mike Albright, Title III Instructional Technology Specialist (x2638) or the Information Technology Help Desk (x2697).

Getting Along Without a Floppy Disk Drive

Some of you who have your career’s worth of files stored on floppy disk drives may be in a state of nervous panic because the ThinkPad R40s do not come equipped with floppy drives.  Fear not.  Floppy disks are an artifact of past times, such as the 8-track tape player and the buggy whip.  We have to learn to live without them.

You have a couple of options for saving your floppy disk files onto other media, or for transfer to your new laptop.  It is easiest if you transfer the files before you give up your old office computer.  All will not be lost if you forget to do this.  You can take your floppy disks to a campus computer lab, such as in Layne Library, find a computer with a floppy drive, and transfer the files at a later date.

We suggest that you go through the files on your floppy disks first and weed out the files, maybe even entire disks, that you definitely, gosharootie for sure no longer need.  Do you really need those quiz questions from 1992?  Be conservative, though, in your weeding, because unless you are definitely, gosharootie for sure, you will discover a need for a file about eight nanoseconds after you send it off to the e-dumpster™.

Your first option for transferring the floppy disk files is to use your H-drive space.  Think of the H-drive as an electronic file cabinet, maintained on a server in Smith Hall.  Your electronic files that you would store on the H-drive are the equivalent of the manila folders and other materials that you store in the metal file cabinet in your office.  You can access your H-drive space from any computer on campus, including those in classrooms for in-class use, or even from your home computer.  Contact Mike Albright for help in doing this.

Insert the floppy into your old computer and open the disk so that you can see the filenames.  Then open your H-drive folder.  Do this by going to the Start menu on your computer, then on My Computer.  You will see a screen that looks something like this.  Yours will be a little different if your computer’s operating system is Windows 2000 or if your user name isn’t MiAlbrig, but the principle will be the same.  Look for the icon marked (H), and double-click on it.

This will open your H-drive space.  Configure the two open windows on your screen (the floppy disk window and H-drive window) so that you can see both, and simply drag the file icons from the floppy window to the H-drive window.  That will transfer the file electronically to the H-drive.  (Trust us, it works!!)  When you receive your new laptop, reverse this procedure to transfer the files from your H-drive to the laptop, although we suggest that you leave them on the H-drive for security and accessibility from about anywhere.

Power to the ThinkPad

The battery itself is housed in a compartment accessed via the underside of the laptop.  You should not need to gain access to the battery.  If you have trouble with the battery, or if it needs to be replaced, contact the Help Desk at x2697.

• Orange light:  The battery is being charged, but the power level is still low.
• Blinking orange light:  Better plug it in pretty soon!!  Your laptop will start beeping at you when it reaches this point.

At the bottom of the screen, you see a percentage on a yellow-green background.  This is the percentage of battery life your laptop has remaining.

To turn off the laptop, go through the Start > Shut Down sequence, as you would with other computers running the Windows operating system.  Please note that unplugging the laptop from the AC power source by itself does not turn off the computer unless the battery is completely drained.  The laptop will continue to operate on battery power until it is properly turned off or until the battery power is exhausted.

Display (Monitor)

The display that comes with your laptop is a 15-inch monitor that is an equivalent size to many of the desktop monitors on campus.  The display is a sensitive device.  You should always pick up your laptop by the base and never by the display alone.  The display is designed to be opened to greater than a 90-degree angle with the keyboard but should never be opened to an angle approaching 180 degrees.

You should always be aware of the screen resolution of your display.  You can check the resolution by going to Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Themes.  Then click on Change the Screen Resolution.  You can change the resolution by dragging the arrow along the Less -----More line.  This is very important if you use your laptop with a projector, such as in DWU classrooms.  Our projectors operate at a resolution of 1024 x 768.  Your laptop should be set to that resolution in order for the output to be displayed.  If the projector and laptop are connected properly, but you don’t see an image on the screen, check the resolution.  You might also toggle through the Function – F7 settings (see below).

While in the Appearance and Themes area, you can also change the screen appearance.  In the Desktop tab, you can change the “wallpaper” or background.  You can also use the Browse button to select a digital photograph of your own to use as wallpaper, such as a photo of the grandkids.  Ask Mike Albright for assistance.

Screen Navigation

If you wish, you may connect an external mouse and keyboard to your laptop.  Some people prefer the ease of use of an external mouse and a larger keyboard that can be placed in a more ergonomically-friendly position in relation to their hands and arms.  The devices probably will need to be connected to the laptop using the USB ports (position 7 at the rear of the laptop – see above, or on the left side, next to the green headphone jack).

IBM has also devised the UltraNav Track Point system for screen navigation to accommodate those who do not wish to remove their hands from the keyboard and have the fingers of a concert pianist or pickpocket.  The red button nestled among the G-H-B keys serves the same function as the trackpad.  Push down on the side of the red button and see what happens to the cursor.  The two buttons above the trackpad, with red stripes on the sides, are the left and right click buttons.

Function Keys

The function keys provide short cuts that enable you to perform important activities with your laptop.  The main function key is the blue Fn key in the lower left corner of the keyboard.  It does nothing by itself but operates in conjunction with other keys with blue icons on the keyboard.  Both keys need to be pressed simultaneously, although you can start by pressing one and then depress the other while holding down the first.

• Fn and F3 (the F3 key at the top of the keyboard, not the F key and the 3 key):  This combination turns off the display to conserve power or to conceal the screen from others, a handy tool to have if the Dean or your department chair knocks on your office door while you are trolling eBay.  Simply hit any key to restore the screen.
   

• Fn and F4:  This puts your computer into Standby mode to conserve power.  You must hit Fn and F4 again to return to normal.  This will take a few seconds.  You must also log back in after the laptop has been in Standby mode.
• Fn and F12:  This puts your computer into Hibernation mode to really conserve power, a deep sleep.  To restart, you must press the power button and log back in.
• Fn and F5:  This turns your wireless connection off and on.  You might want to turn your wireless connection off, when you are not using it, for two reasons.  One, the wireless card draws power;  turning wireless connectivity off can conserve the battery when you are not using AC power.  Second, when your wireless connection is on, it is possible for a lowlife cruising the neighborhood to connect with your laptop and do all kinds of nasty things with it.  Obviously, it is important to remember to turn the wireless connectivity back on when you need it. 
• Fn and F7:  This function is very important if you take your ThinkPad to any location at which you make a presentation, such as in a classroom, and connect the laptop to a projector, or if you use an external monitor/display in your office.  Normally when you connect an external projector or monitor, the image from your laptop display will disappear.  Particularly in presentations, you probably will want to see the image on both your display and the room screen, so you can stand with your back to the screen and face the audience while you present.  Pressing Fn and F7 repeatedly lets you toggle between having the image on the projector alone, on the laptop alone, and on both the projector and the laptop, which is called “mirroring”. 
• Fn and PgUp (upper right corner of the keyboard):  At the top middle of the frame for your display is a small light.  Fn and PgUp lets you turn the light on and off, a handy feature to allow you to see the keyboard in low lighting situations such as a red-eye flight.
• Fn and Home (upper right corner of the keyboard):  This increases the brightness of your display.
• Fn and End (below the Home key):  This decreases the brightness of your display.
• Fn and the space bar:  This magnifies the image on your screen.

Audio Capabilities and Controls

Volume can be controlled two other ways using Windows XP.  Click on Start > Control Panel > Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.  Select the Volume tab and adjust the device audio level.

From this tab, select “Place volume icon on the taskbar” to do just that.  You will see it as an audio speaker icon in the task bar in the lower right corner of your display.  Click on the icon to see a volume control pop-up window.

Connecting with the Campus Network/Internet

Your ThinkPad contains an internal wireless card that allows it to connect with the eConnections@DWU wireless network anywhere the network is active, including almost all classrooms, residence hall lounges, and the student center.  See http://helpdesk.dwu.edu/econnections/wireless_coverage.htm for a complete list of wireless coverage areas.

Remember what we said above about using Fn and F5 to turn wireless connectivity on and off.  On the middle bottom of the display housing, just above and to the left of the power button, is a small icon that looks like a transmitter.  If the icon is lit (yellow-green), you have a wireless connection;  if it isn’t, you don’t.  If you have used Fn/F5 to turn on wireless connectivity and the icon still is not lit, you probably don’t have wireless coverage at that location.

When you are in your office, you will most likely want to use a wired connection to the network.  The laptop connects in the same way as did your desktop computer.  Use the Ethernet jack in position 6 in the illustration of the back of the laptop, above.

When you travel, your wireless card may enable you to connect with “Wi-Fi” networks in other locations.  A new icon will appear in taskbar in the lower right corner of your screen.  When you “mouse-over”, it will indicate something like “new wireless network available.”  Click on the icon to see your connection options and procedures.  Some may require a fee payment.

Running DVDs and CDs

When you insert a DVD, you may be prompted to download a proprietary, third-party DVD player.  Politely decline their kind offer and close the window.  You don’t need it.  Click on Start > All Programs > InterVideo WinDVD to access the built-in DVD player, and follow the instructions.

To play a CD, follow the same directions to insert the disk into the drive.  Normally, the CD will open automatically.  If it doesn’t, go to Start > My Computer and click on the DVD/CD-RW Drive icon, and follow the instructions.

Use of Cell Phones Near Your Laptop

We kid you not.  IBM makes a point of this in the Service and Troubleshooting Guide for your laptop.  You should never have your cell phone within five inches of the laptop.  This is important if you are talking on your cell phone and attempting to keystroke with your nose, unless you have a very long nose.  Also, when your cell phone is not in use, never lay it down on top of your laptop or within five inches of it.

For More Assistance

Mike Albright
Title III Instructional Development Specialist
mialbrig@dwu.edu
995-2638

Information Technology Help Desk
helpdesk@dwu.edu
995-2697

Rod Brown
Media Services Technician  (for classroom-related assistance)
robrown@dwu.edu
995-2685

Back to Top