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Portable Computing Chapter 3 and 13
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Overview In this chapter, you will learn to
Describe the many types of portable computing devices available Enhance and upgrade portable computers Manage and maintain portable computers Troubleshoot portable computers Instructor Tip When gaining attention and establishing common ground, ask questions of the class such as, “How many here have a laptop computer?” or “How many of you have worked on a laptop?” For a positive statement, tell the class, “In this lesson, we are going to learn about the various types of portables and how to install RAM and hard drives in them.”
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Getting the Right Sound Card
Essentials CompTIA A+ Essentials Getting the Right Sound Card Portable Computing Devices
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LCD Screens Major contributor to cost
Most range from 12 inch to 17 inch Aspect ratio changing from 4:3 standard For comparison, 16:9 is standard for widescreen 16:10 is the standard for 17-inch LCD screen Mode Name Resolution XGA eXtended Graphics Array 1024 x 768 SXGA Super eXtended Graphics Array 1280 x 1024 SXGA+ Super eXtended Graphics Array Plus 1400 x 1050 WSXGA+ Widescreen SXGA Plus 1680 x 1050 UXGA Ultra eXtended Graphics Array 1600 x 1200 WUXGA Widescreen UXGA 1920 x 1200
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LCD Screens Two types of finishes Matte High Gloss
Traditional standard Reduces glare Washes out a lot in bright light Hopeless in bright daylight High Gloss Relatively new Offers sharper contrast, richer colors and wider viewing angles
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Desktop Replacements Typical laptops can function as a fully standalone PC Can be used as a desktop replacement Input devices Trackballs on early laptops IBM’s TrackPoint—pencil eraser–sized joystick in the middle of the keyboard Touchpads
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Desktop Extenders Desktop extenders are portable devices
Not intended to take the place of a desktop Think of them as a smaller, lighter, less-powerful laptop for less intensive use Ultralights Ultralight portables are computers that normally weigh less than three pounds and are less than an inch thick. These machines usually have smaller displays, lower-capacity hard drives, and CPUs that operate at lower speeds than their more full-sized brethren. This class of portable computers is designed for the busy traveler who wants a nearly full-featured laptop in a small, easily transported package. Often, these laptops are much more expensive than larger, faster machines —think of it as paying more to get less! You’ll hear the term subnotebooks used to describe ultralight portables; the terms aren’t quite synonymous, but the marketing waters for all portable computing devices are pretty muddy.
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PDAs Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
Tiny, handheld portable computing devices Address book, personal notes, appointments, word processors, image viewers Often use handwriting recognition with a pen-style stylus for pen-based computing Use specialized OS such as Windows CE, PocketPC, PalmOS, and Linux Made by Palm, Sony, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and other companies
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PDA Features HotSync Beaming PDA Memory
Can synchronize data between PDA and office PC PalmOS calls it HotSync Beaming PDAs typically have IR ports Can transfer data (beam) between PDAs PDA Memory Internal flash ROM of 1 MB or more CompactFlash cards that are removable and upgradeable for removable storage needs
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Tablet PCs Combines handwriting benefits of PDAs with power of traditional laptops Use a stylus to write Applications can use digital ink to capture pen strokes Tablet PCs Looking and feeling like a cross between a traditional laptop PC and a PDA, Tablet PCs have been marked as the next great thing in portables for a while now. They feature ~1 GHz processors, a good amount of RAM, 20–40 GB hard drives, and integrated wireless networking. They run a version of Windows called Windows XP Tablet Edition and use a pen-based interface for the most part, although some models also include a keyboard. Tablet PCs have currently caught on in certain industries, such as medicine, but have not captured the fancy of the general public. Everything you learn about portable computing devices in this chapter also applies to Tablet PCs.
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Portable Computer Device Types
Screen Size Weight Uses Desktop replacements 14–20 inches 8–12 lbs Mobile anything Desktop extenders 10–14 inches 4 lbs Presentations, note taking Ultralights 6–12 inches 2–3 lbs Long-term traveling Tablet PCs 10–12 inches Niche market Ultra-mobile PCs 4–7 inches 1–2 lbs PDAs 3–4 inches 1 lb Organization PDA phones 2 niches < 1 lb Eliminates cell phone
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Enhance and Upgrade the Portable PC
IT Technician CompTIA A+ Technician Enhance and Upgrade the Portable PC
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PC Cards PC Cards are commonly known as the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) Hot-swappable devices Easy to use, inexpensive, and convenient Tech Tip Memory Cards Memory cards of all stripes made the leap in 2003 from the exclusive realm of tiny devices such as PDAs and digital photographic cameras to fully featured portable PCs and even desktop models. Some Panasonic PCs sport SD card slots, for example, and you can expect nearly every Sony PC—portable or otherwise—made in 2003 and later to offer a Memory Stick port. Hot-Pluggable Many manufacturers use the term hot-pluggable rather than hot-swappable to describe the ability to plug in and replace PC Cards on the fly. Look for either term on the exams.
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PC Cards Parallel PC Cards ExpressCard
16-bit or CardBus (32-bit 3.3V cards) Three sizes: Type I (thinnest), II, and III (thickest) Cards can have one or many functions ExpressCard High-performance serial version Can connect to USB 2.0 slot (480 Mbps) or PCIe (2.5 Gbps)
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Card Types Type Length Width Thickness Typical Use Type I 85.6 mm
Flash memory Type II 5.0 mm I/O (modem, NIC, etc.) Type III 10.5 mm Hard drives
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PC Cards Two levels of software drivers Socket services Card services
Device drivers that enable the system to detect when a PC Card is inserted or removed Provide necessary I/O to the device Standardized and handled by the system BIOS Card services Recognize the function of a particular PC Card and provide the specialized drivers required to make the card work Handled by Windows Accessed via PCMCIA option in Control Panel
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Limited-Function Ports
All portable PCs and many PDAs come with a variety of ports VGA connection for hooking up an external monitor PS/2 port for an external keyboard or mouse Built-in NICs and modems for network support All of these work the same as in desktop PCs Video ports External monitor, projector, or a combination of both Speaker ports Extra function key Although many laptops use the Function key method to cycle the monitor selections, that’s not always the case. You might have to pop into the Display applet in the Control Panel to click a check box. Be assured, however, that if the laptop has a VGA or DVI port, you can cycle through monitor choices!
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General-Purpose Ports
Legacy ports PS/2, RS-232 USB and FireWire Work same as in PC Port replicators Plug into a single port Offer common PC ports such as serial, parallel, network, and PS/2
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Docking Stations Gives laptops access to PC resources
Large monitors, regular mice, network connections, and full-size keyboards Provides an easy way to take your laptop in and out of the office Basically a port replicator with extra features such as a DVD drive or PC Card slots
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Replacing RAM No standard method
You usually have to unscrew or pop open a panel on the underside of the portable How Much RAM Is Enough? The amount of RAM needed to run a PC—portable or otherwise—smoothly and stably depends on both the type of applications that it will run and the needs of the OS. When making a recommendation to a client about upgrading a laptop’s memory, you should ask the basic questions, such as what he or she plans to do on the laptop. If the laptop will be used for , word processing, and web surfing, a medium level of RAM, such as 32–64 MB, should do fine. If the user travels, uses a high-end digital camera, and wants to use Photoshop to edit huge images, you’ll need to augment the RAM accordingly. Then you need to account for the needs of the OS to give an accurate recommendation.
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Shared Memory Reduces cost of video cards Shared memory technologies
Reduces amount of memory on the video card Shared memory technologies TurboCache (NVIDIA) HyperMemory (ATI) System RAM will report less RAM available Not shared as much as taken from OS Once taken, OS no longer has access to the RAM
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The Modular Laptop Common components that can be replaced or upgraded in a portable PC Hard drives 2.5-inch ATA drives most common Cable select often required Otherwise the same as regular 3.5-inch drives Modular CPUs Just replace with a newer module from Intel or AMD Video cards Least standardized
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The Modular Laptop Modular Drives Mobile NICs and Mini PCI
Common components that can be replaced or upgraded in a portable PC Modular Drives CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-R/W, hard drives Mobile NICs and Mini PCI Most laptops have dial-up modems and Ethernet Many also come with integrated wireless networking support Many devices can be toggled on and off with key combinations such as FN-F2
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Managing and Maintaining Portable Computers
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Maintenance Everything you normally do to maintain a PC applies to portable PCs Windows patches and Service Packs Upgrading drivers CHKDSK ScanDisk Defragment Disk Cleanup Tech Tip Going Inside To reach most modular components on a laptop, you need to do more than remove an exterior panel. You need to go inside to get access to devices directly connected to the motherboard. Many laptops have an easily removable keyboard that, once removed, gives you access to a metal heat spreader (just a plate that sits over the motherboard) and a half-dozen or more tiny screws. You’ll need a special screwdriver to avoid stripping the screws— check a watch or eyeglass shop if your local hardware store doesn’t carry anything appropriate. You need to take major precautions when you remove the keyboard and heat spreader. The keyboard will be attached to a small cable that can easily disconnect if you pull hard. Don’t forget to check this connection before you reinsert the keyboard at the end of the procedure! Avoid ESD, as you would with any other PC, and definitely unplug the laptop from the wall and remove the battery before you do any inside work!
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Batteries Three types of commonly used batteries
Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd) Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)
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Nickel-Cadmium Batteries
Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries First batteries commonly used in mobile PCs Battery memory is the tendency of a Ni-Cd battery to lose a significant amount of its recharge ability Conditioning charge could sometimes resolve battery memory problem At best, can only be recharged about 1000 times Toxic—dispose of at recycling centers Nickel-Cadmium batteries are not used in portable PCs today but may be found in cell phones and cordless phones. Good for, at most, about 1000 charges You must use disposal companies or battery recycling services to dispose of the highly toxic Ni-Cd batteries.
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Nickel Metal Hydride Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries
Next generation of mobile PC batteries Less susceptible to memory problems and last longer between recharges Still susceptible to heat Popular replacement for Ni-Cd systems
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Lithium Ion Lithium Ion batteries
Most common type of battery used today Powerful Completely immune to memory problems Built-in circuitry to prevent accidental overcharging
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Other Portable Power Sources
Smart batteries Tell the computer when they need to be charged, conditioned, or replaced Fuel cells Promising new technology that could power a laptop for up to 40 hours before refilling Hasn’t yet reached the consumer market
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Battery Maintenance Batteries should be stored in a cool place
Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries should be conditioned by using a special charger Battery contacts should be kept clean using a little alcohol or dry cloth Used or old batteries should be recycled
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Power Management
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Power Management Power management goals
Shut down unused devices selectively Define a maximum period of inactivity Shut down the entire system during longer periods of inactivity Ready to restart if triggered by a wake-up event Sensitive to potential hazards like shutting down the hard drive in the middle of a write operation Keep the system cost about the same
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System Management Mode
System Management Mode (SMM) Set of features that enables the CPU to slow down or stop its clock without deleting information Stops the CPU and all of the peripherals Requires a specialized BIOS and OS To further power management capabilities, Intel introduced Advanced Power Management (APM) in 1992 Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) in 1996
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Requirements for APM/ACPI
APM and ACPI require the following in order to function properly An SMM-capable CPU APM-compliant BIOS Devices that will accept being shut off (“Energy Star”) A system OS that knows how to request the shutdown of a particular device Don’t limit your perception of APM, ACPI, and Energy Star simply to laptops! Virtually all desktop systems also use the power management functions.
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APM/ACPI Levels Full On APM Enabled APM Standby APM Suspend
No power management—everything running APM Enabled CPU and RAM running at full power Unused devices may or may not be shut down APM Standby CPU is stopped (can easily be restarted) RAM still stores all the programs All peripherals are shut down APM Suspend Everything is shut down or at its lowest power-consumption Hibernation (stores everything in RAM on the hard drive before powering down)
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APM/ACPI Configuration
CMOS settings Windows Overrides CMOS settings Display applet in Control Panel Settings Advanced Monitor tab Power Management applet in Control Panel
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Configuration of APM/ACPI— Windows
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Cleaning & Heat Cleaning Heat
Use a screen cleaner to clean the LCD screen (not a glass cleaner) Use compressed air to clean out the keyboard and PC Card sockets Heat Use power management Keep air space between the bottom of the laptop and the surface it sits on Don’t use a keyboard protector Listen for fan running a lot or stopping
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Protect the Machine Protect your investment with best practices
Tripping Watch the power cord Storage Protect from damage and dirt Travel Remember foreign power is 230 V Shipping Protect from damage and theft Security Protect from theft
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Troubleshooting Laptop won’t power on Screen doesn’t come on properly
Verify the outlet is good Verify the adapter is good Remove all peripherals Screen doesn’t come on properly Make sure the display is on Press FN key combination to activate the screen Wireless networking doesn’t work Check for physical or software switch to turn it on Ensure you’re in range
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Troubleshooting Handwriting is not recognized Keypad doesn’t work
May need to retrain the digitizer Keypad doesn’t work Probably unseated keypad connector Check manufacturer’s disassembly procedures Touchpad doesn’t work Clean with compressed air May need to reconfigure touchpad driver
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Beyond A+ Intel’s Centrino Technology Origami—Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPC)
Extremely low power Fast CPUs Integrated wireless networking Origami—Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPC) Small form factor tablet PC Runs full-fledged OS such as Windows XP or Vista
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