CHAPTER 4CHAPTER 4Notebooks, Tablet PCs

and PDA

Suraya Alias

Tips for buying notebookTips for buying notebook

◦ A notebook or laptop computer is a computer designed to be portable The main advantage of notebook is portability. The cost is

higher that pc, so if the computer is to remain at one place, buy a desktop

Notebook cannot be easily upgraded compared to desktop, so buy it without expecting to upgrade internal component

Don’t buy extra features if not needed Go for extended warranty since the parts is not easily replaced Go for the brand

◦ Buy the fastest processor, select active matrix LCD rather than dual scan

◦ Buy the highest memory that you plan to used because upgrading later might be expensive. Lithium battery is the best.

◦ Consider also the weight and size of the notebook

Caring for your notebooksCaring for your notebooks

Don’t connect to a phone line in a stormRun Antivirus softwareDon’t pick it up by the display panelUse Admin password to secureKeep the notebook in normal temperatureUse a quality suitcase

Securing notebook and its data◦Security devices - use cable lock◦Power on and hard drive password◦Data backups

Notebook - OverviewNotebook - Overview

Replacing a hard driveReplacing a hard drive

A notebook hard drive is smaller (2.5 inches), desktop is 3.5 inches

Most notebook hard drive uses universal 40-pin connector for an IDE notebooks

For IDE drives, some notebooks use an adapter to interface between a proprietary connectors on their hard drives and the 40 pin connectors on the notebook motherboard.

If the old drive has crashed, you’ll need the recovery CD and notebook drivers CD to reinstall

If you are upgrading, you need to consider how to transfer data from old to new one.

One way is to use USB IDE converter so that both drives can be up and working on the notebook at the same time you can copy files

Replacing a hard driveReplacing a hard drive

Remove the hdd screw, then take out the hard drive case out.

Remove the attachedscrews

Remove the hard drive from case The hard drive is connected with ribbon cable, remove it.

Replacing the LCD PanelReplacing the LCD Panel

1. Remove the battery pack2. Remove the keyboard in order to remove the LCD

Top cover. To remove the keyboard, remove the screw first

3. Remove screws in the back of the notebook to release the hinge assembly

4. Remove hinge covers carefully5. Lift the cover off the notebook case6. Disconnect the cables that connect the hinges

assembly7. Remove screws that hold the top cover and LCD

panel together8. If the notebook has USB connection on the top

cover, carefully remove all the connection

Replacing the LCD PanelReplacing the LCD Panel

LCD Front Bazel Hinges

LCD PanelInverter card

LCD RearCover

LCD Interface cable

Replacing a mini PCI cardReplacing a mini PCI card

There are two color antenna wires connected to the wireless card. White wire is for main connector on the card. Black wire is for the auxiliary

connector on the card.

To disconnect the antenna wire grasp with finger and unsnap it from the card.

Now spread latches as shown with red arrow on both sides of the wireless card slot to release the card.

The wireless card will comes up at 30 degrees angle

Now as shown with red arrows. Pull the wireless card from the slot

Others field replaceable units for Others field replaceable units for notebooknotebook

Besides memory, hard drive, there are other Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) for notebooks such as the motherboard, CPU and keyboards.

All these parts must be approved by the notebook manufacturer before using it to your notebook

A DC (direct current) controller is a card inside the notebook that converts voltage to CPU core voltage.

It also support battery mode, AC Adapter mode and others

Troubleshooting problems with Troubleshooting problems with the power systemthe power system

Check the power light, if it blinks indicates the notebook has power and in standby mode. If its steady, it has power, if the lights is off, press power on.

The battery charge might be depleted. Connect the AC Adapter.

The AC Adapter might be loose at any ends. Eliminate power strips or other devices that might cause

problem. Connect direct to electrical outlet The memory modules might be defective or loose To many device is connected, try to unplug unnecessary

device Use a multimeter to measure voltage in the 1 to 10 V DC The voltage range should be +- 5% of the accepted

voltage. For example if the notebook is designed to use 16V, the voltage should measure about 15.2 and 16.8 V DC

If you boot and the CMOS settings such as datetime is wrong, maybe the battery needs replacement

Troubleshooting problems Troubleshooting problems with videowith videoProblems What to do

Display is blank maybe lack of power Check the lcd switch (maybe it is off) display settings has been set very low loose connection The panel or inverter is broken (try desktop monitor) Try adjusting the brightness and contrast level

Display is hard to read check if any device interference such as speaker, stereo systemTry to eliminate glare

Bright dots, dark dots, bubbles on lcd, discoloration dent

Damaged LCD panel

Screen Flicker Display setting need adjusting

LCD Contrast and brightness cannot be adjusted

Try reseating the LCD Connector inside the notebook Replace the LCD assembly

LCD Panel is unreadable, characters missing or incorrect characters appears

Try reseating the LCD Connector inside the notebook Replace the LCD assembly

Troubleshooting problems:Troubleshooting problems:

When the notebook gets wet◦Turn off the AC Adapter, disconnect the n/book◦Turn off any attached device◦Ground yourself by touching the parallel port◦Remove any PC cards or removable drivers◦Remove the battery pack◦Remove the hard drive and memory modules◦Open the notebook up and set it across two

books to circulate the air◦Allow it to dry 24 hours at room temperature,

don’t use hair dryer

Troubleshooting problems:Troubleshooting problems:

When the notebook is dropped◦If the system is still running, save your work and

close any open files and applications, shut down the computer

◦Disconnect the AC Adapter from the notebook and from the electrical outlet

◦Turn off and disconnect any external devices such as printer and remove the battery pack

◦Reinstall the battery pack or the AC adapter and turn on the notebook

◦If the notebook does not work, begin troubleshooting

Protecting and retrieving dataProtecting and retrieving data

Obtain a notebook IDE adapter kit such as the one purchased from PC Cables used to install a notebook hard drive in a desktop system

Remove the notebook hard drive from the notebook and connect the adapter to the drive

Copy the data onto a hard drive in the desktop system

If appropriate, you can then put the notebook hard drive back to troubleshoot

Errors and how to solve itErrors and how to solve itError Message What to do

Operating System not found Remove any bootable devices, such as floppy or CD Suspect damaged system files on the hard drive. For windows XP try booting to the advanced options menu by pressing F8.Try booting from support CD or rescue disk Go to CMOS setup and verify that the hard drive is correctly identified Reseat the hard driveTroubleshoot the OS installed on the hard drive Flash BIOS and the install the OS Replace the motherboard

Error reading PC Card Try reseating the card and rebooting Reinstall the drivers for the PC Card

Keyboard controller error Try reseating the card and rebooting Try an external keyboard, disable internal keyboard Replace the keyboard

Certain keys on keyboard don’t work

Is the NumLock key set correctly An application might not be configured correctly, try different application

Errors and how to solve itErrors and how to solve itWireless connectivity is not working or weak

Move the notebook to better hot spot Is the wireless switch turned on The internal antenna might be loose

One beep and the LCD panel is blank

Reseat the LCD connector Replace the LCD panel Replace the motherboard

Touchpad or touch screen does not work

Check the digital pen type, reboot Check device manager for errors Try updating device drivers and flashing bios

Intermittent problems Run diagnostic software, then test the hardware component Watch for problem pattern

The system does not detect PC card or Express card

Reinstall PCMIA driver, try different card Consider using USB Replace motherboard or PCMIA assembly

Surveying Table PCSurveying Table PC

Is a type of notebook computer with a pad and pencil

Price is higher, size is smaller, more portables and it has the features of a LCD touch screen, digital pen to write text on the screen

Uses Windows XP Tablet PC edition Operating System – extension from Win XP Pro

Example of application written specially for tablet PC is OmniForm Filler Solution by Scansoft

Surveying PDASurveying PDA PDA (Personal Digital

Assistant), sometimes called personal PC or handheld PC

Example Palm Pilot, Pocket PC, BlackBerry

Connects to your desktop using wireless Bluetooth, USB or serial port and powered by AC adapter or battery

PDA + cell phone = smart phone

PDA uses grayscale or color LCD panel, sometimes uses stylus (writing utensil) to operates

Surveying PDASurveying PDA

Battery life on PDA varies by model, a good habit is to set the PDA on its cradle when its not in use

PDA can serve as an address book, access the internet, find directions using GPS and exchange information with desktop computer

To connect a PDA to PC◦ Read the documentation, install the PC synchronization s/ware◦ Connect the PDA to PC using USB or serial port (cable connection)◦ IF using wireless connection, verify the standard (using bluetooth or

WiFi) and encryption methods◦ The PDA and PC should synchronized immediately

If unsuccessful◦ Check for USB and cable plugged and device manager◦ Check the wireless connection◦ Install/uninstall the PDA software◦ Check documentation

PDA Manufacturer and OSPDA Manufacturer and OS

Operating System Manufacturer

Windows Mobile Microsoft

BlackBerry Research in Motion

Palm OS Access Co

Symbian OS Symbian