1. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Portable Computing Chapter 19

2. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

3. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved CompTIA A+ Essentials Essentials Getting the Right Sound Card Portable Computing Devices

4. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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 ModeNameResolution XGAeXtended Graphics Array1024 x 768 SXGASuper eXtended Graphics Array1280 x 1024 SXGA+Super eXtended Graphics Array Plus1400 x 1050 WSXGA+Widescreen SXGA Plus1680 x 1050 UXGAUltra eXtended Graphics Array1600 x 1200 WUXGAWidescreen UXGA1920 x 1200

5. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved LCD Screens Two types of finishes Matte –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

6. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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 Desktop Replacements

7. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

8. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

9. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved PDA Features HotSync –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

10. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

11. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Portable Computer Device Types Screen SizeWeightUses Desktop replacements 14–20 inches8–12 lbsMobile anything Desktop extenders 10–14 inches4 lbsPresentations, note taking Ultralights6–12 inches2–3 lbsLong-term traveling Tablet PCs10–12 inches4 lbsNiche market Ultra-mobile PCs 4–7 inches1–2 lbsNiche market PDAs3–4 inches1 lbOrganization PDA phones2 niches< 1 lbEliminates cell phone

12. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved IT Technician CompTIA A+ Technician Enhance and Upgrade the Portable PC

13. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

14. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved PC Cards Parallel PC Cards –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)

15. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Card Types TypeLengthWidthThicknessTypical Use Type I85.6 mm54 mm3.3 mmFlash memory Type II85.6 mm54 mm5.0 mmI/O (modem, NIC, etc.) Type III85.6 mm54 mm10.5 mmHard drives

16. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved PC Cards Two levels of software drivers –Socket 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

17. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

18. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

19. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

20. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Replacing RAM No standard method –You usually have to unscrew or pop open a panel on the underside of the portable

21. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Shared Memory Reduces cost of video cards –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

22. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

23. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved The Modular Laptop 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

24. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Managing and Maintaining Portable Computers

25. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

26. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Batteries Three types of commonly used batteries –Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd) –Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) –Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)

27. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

28. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

29. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

30. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

31. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

32. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Power Management

33. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

34. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

35. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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

36. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved APM/ACPI Levels Full On –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)

37. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved APM/ACPI Configuration CMOS settingsWindows –Overrides CMOS settings –Display applet in Control Panel Settings  Advanced  Monitor tab –Power Management applet in Control Panel

38. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Configuration of APM/ACPI — Windows

39. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Cleaning & Heat Cleaning –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

40. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Protect the Machine Protect your investment with best practices –TrippingWatch the power cord –StorageProtect from damage and dirt –TravelRemember foreign power is 230 V –Shipping Protect from damage and theft –SecurityProtect from theft

41. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Troubleshooting Laptop won’t power on –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

42. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Troubleshooting Handwriting is not recognized –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

43. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Beyond A+ Intel’s Centrino Technology –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

44. © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved