Toshiba L350 Manual

							
71Getting Started
Turning off the computer
2Click  Change plan settings  under the power plan to be 
customized.
The Edit Plan Settin gs window appears.
(Sample Image) Edit Plan Settings screen
3 To change the amount of time af ter which the computer enters 
Sleep mode:
❖ Under  Put the computer to sleep , select the desired 
amount of time in both the  On battery and Plugged in  
categories. 
❖ To disable the computer from  automatically entering Sleep 
mode, select  Never. 
						

							
72Getting Started
Turning off the computer
4Click  Change advanced power settings .
The Advanced settings tab of the Power Options window 
appears.
(Sample Image) Advanced settings tab of Power Options screen
5 Click  Power buttons and lid  to display the actions that you 
can configure.
6 Select  Sleep for the options you want.
These options can be set separately for how they operate while the 
computer is running on battery power or while connected to AC 
power.
❖ Lid close action  
Set this option to  Sleep if you want the computer to go 
into Sleep mode when you close the display panel. 
❖ Power button action  
Set this option to  Sleep if you want the computer to go 
into Sleep mode when you press the power button. 
❖ Start menu power button  
Set this option to  Sleep if you want the computer to go 
into Sleep mode when you click the power button in the 
Start menu. 
7 Click  Apply .
8 Click  OK.
NOTE 
						

							
73Getting Started
Customizing your computer’s settings
Once the computer is configured, you can place it into Sleep mode 
by either pressing the power button or closing the display panel, 
depending on the Sleep options set.
Starting again from Sleep mode
To start up the computer from Sleep mode, press the power button 
until the on/off light glows green. The computer returns to the 
screen(s) you were using.
If you place the comput er in Sleep mode by closing the display 
panel, you can start it again by opening the display panel.
Closing the display panel
After you have turned off the computer, close the display panel to 
keep dust and dirt out of the computer. 
Customizing your computer’s settings
There are several ways in which you can customize your computer 
to suit your particular requirements. Refer to your operating system 
documentation or Help and Support for details.
You may also wish to customize your power usage settings. For 
more information, see  “Power Plans” on page 101 . There are 
additional custom settings you can choose. See  “Utilities” on 
page 124 .
Caring for your computer
This section gives tips on cleaning and moving your computer. For 
information about taking care of  your computer’s battery, see 
“Taking care of your battery” on page 106 .
Please handle your computer carefully to avoid scratching or 
damaging the surface.
Cleaning the computer
Keep liquids, including cleaning fluid, out of the computer’s 
keyboard, speaker, and other openings. Never spray cleaner directly 
onto the computer and/or display. Never use harsh or caustic 
chemical products to clean the computer.
To keep your computer clean, gently wipe the display panel and 
exterior case with a lig htly dampened cloth.
NOTE 
						

							
74Getting Started
Caring for your computer
Moving the computer
Before moving your computer, even across the room, make sure all 
disk activity has ended (the drive indicator light stops glowing) and 
all external peripheral cables are disconnected.
Do not pick up the computer by its display panel or by the back. 
Doing so could damage the system.
Using a computer lock
You may want to secure your computer to a heavy object such as 
your desk. The easiest way to do this is to purchase an optional 
computer lock cable. For more  information on purchasing a cable 
lock, visit  accessories.toshiba.com .
(Sample Illustration) Computer lock cable
To secure the computer:
1 Wrap the cable through or around some part of a heavy object.
Make sure there is no way for a potential thief to slip the cable 
off the object.
2 Pass the locking end through the loop.
3 Insert the cable’s locking end into the security lock slot on your 
computer, then engage the locking device.
The computer is now securely locked.
(Sample Illustration) Attaching security lock cable 
						

							
75
Chapter 2
Learning the Basics
This chapter gives some computing tips and provides important 
information about basic features.
Computing tips
❖Save your work frequently.
Your work stays in the computer’s temporary memory until 
you save it to the disk. If the network you are using goes down 
and you must restart your computer to reconnect, or your 
battery runs out of charge while you are working, you will lose 
all work since you last saved.
See “Saving your work” on page 81  for further information.
HINT: Some programs have an automatic save feature that can be 
activated. This feature saves your file to the hard disk at preset 
intervals. See your software documentation for details. 
						

							
76Learning the Basics
Computing tips
❖Back up your files to disks (or other removable media) on a 
regular basis. Label the backup co pies clearly and store them in 
a safe place.
It is easy to put off backing up  because it takes time. However, 
if your hard disk suddenly fails, you will lose all the data on it 
unless you have a separate backup copy. For more information, 
see  “Data and system configurat ion backup in the Windows® 
operating system” on page 170 .
❖ Use Error-checking and Disk Defragmenter regularly to 
conserve disk space and improve performance. 
❖ Scan all new files for viruses.
This precaution is especially impor tant for files you receive via 
diskette, email, or down load from the Internet. 
❖ Take frequent breaks to avoid repetitive-motion injuries and 
eyestrain.
❖ Do not turn off the computer if  a drive indicator light indicates 
a drive is active.
Turning off the computer while it is reading from or writing to 
a disk may damage the disk, the drive, or both.
❖ Before turning off the computer , use the Shut Down command 
or Sleep command. See  “Using and configuring Sleep mode” 
on page 70  to learn more about Sleep.
The Windows® operating system records information, such as your 
desktop setup, during its shutdown procedure. If you do not let the 
Windows
® operating system shut down normally, details such as 
new icon positions may be lost.
NOTE 
						

							
77Learning the Basics
Using the keyboard
Using the keyboard
Your computer’s keyboard contains character keys, control keys, 
function keys, and special Windows® keys.
(Sample Illustration) Keyboard
Character keys 
Typing with the character keys is  very much like typing on a 
typewriter, except that: 
❖ The space bar creates a space char acter instead of just passing 
over an area of the page.
❖ The lowercase letter l (el)  and the number 1 are not 
interchangeable.
❖ The uppercase letter O an d the number 0 are not 
interchangeable.
Ctrl, Fn, and Alt keys
 (Sample Illustration) Ctrl, Fn, and Alt keys 
The 
Ctrl, Fn, and Alt keys do different things depending on the 
program you are using. For more  information, see your program 
documentation. 
						

							
78Learning the Basics
Starting a program
Function keys
The function keys (not to be confused with the Fn key) are the 12 
keys at the top of the keyboard. 
 (Sample Illustration) Function keys
F1 through F12 are called function keys because they execute 
programmed functions when pressed. Used in combination with the 
Fn key, function keys marked with icons execute specific functions 
on the computer. For example, 
Fn+F9 turns off the TouchPad. For 
more information, see  “Hot key functions” on page 182 . 
Special Windows® keys 
(Sample Illustration) Special Windows® keys 
Your computer’s keyboard has one key and one button that have 
special functions in Windows
®: 
❖ Windows
® button —Opens the Start menu
❖ Application key —Has a similar functio n as the secondary 
mouse button
Starting a program
The easiest way to start a program is to double-click the name of 
the file that contains the information you want to work on. To find 
the file, use the Start menu or Windows
® Explorer.
If you prefer to open the program fi rst, you have four options. You can:
❖ Double-click the icon for the program on your desktop
❖ Use the Start menu
❖ Use Windows
® Explorer or the St art menu to locate the 
program file
❖ Use the Search or Start Sear ch field in the Start menu
The next three sections explain how to start a program from the 
Start menu, Windows
® Explorer and the  Start Search field.
Application key
Windows
® button 
						

							
79Learning the Basics
Starting a program
Starting a program from the Start menu
When you install a prog ram, the operating system usually puts an 
icon in the All Programs menu. To start a program that has an icon 
in the All Programs menu, follow these steps, which use the 
Windows
® WordPad program as an example:
1 Click  Start, and then  All Programs .
The Windows
® operating system displays the All Programs 
menu, which lists programs and program groups. If your 
program is listed, go to step 3, otherwise, continue with step 2.
If you pause with your mouse on All Programs, it will open it up. You 
may need to scroll up or down to see the complete list.
2 Click the program group, in this example,  Accessories.
The Accessories menu is displayed.
3 Click the program, in this example,  Wo r d P a d.
WordPad opens.
To close the program, click the  Close button in the upper-right 
corner of the program’s window.
Starting a program from Windows® Explorer
If a program is not listed in th e All Programs menu, you can start it 
from Windows® Explorer. Windows® Explorer gives you a view of 
your computer’s contents as a hi erarchy or “tree.” You can easily 
see the contents of each drive and  folder on your computer. To use 
this method, you should know the file name and location of the 
program’s executable file (this file ends with .exe). 
This example opens WordPad using Windows
® Explorer.
1 Click  Start, and then  All Programs . 
If you pause with your mouse on All Programs, it will open it up. You 
may need to scroll up or down to see the complete list.
2 Click  Accessories .
3 Click  Windows Explorer . 
4 In the left part of the window, double-click  Computer to 
expand the window.
NOTE
NOTE 
						

							
80Learning the Basics
Starting a program
5In the left part of the window, c lick the line that ends in “Local 
Disk (C:).”
6 In the left part of the window, under the Local Disk C: icon, 
double-click the folder contai ning the program, in this case 
Program Files .
Windows
® Explorer shows the contents of the Program Files 
folder on the right side of th e window. The left side of the 
window shows all the folders  contained within the Program 
Files folder. 
7 In the left part of the window, double-click  Windows NT.
8 In the left part of the window, double-click  Accessories.
Windows
® Explorer shows the contents of the  Accessories 
folder on the right side of the window.
9 In the right part of the window, double-click  wordpad.
The operating system opens WordPad.
To close the program, click the  Close button in the upper-right 
corner of the program’s window.
Starting a program using  the Start Search field
This example uses the Start menu’ s Start Search field to start 
Wo r d P a d :
1 Click  Start to display the Start menu.
The Start Search field appears at  the bottom of the Start menu.
(Sample Image) Start Search field in Start menu
2 Start typing the program’s name (
wordpad) in the Start Search 
field.
As you type, all matching files and programs are displayed in 
the Start menu.
3 Click  Wo r d P a d  under Programs at the top left of the Start 
menu.
Arrow
Start
Search
field