To activate hotkeys, press and hold the key before pressing the other key in the hotkey combination. Hotkey Icon Function Description + Airplane mode Turns on / off the computer's network devices. (Network devices vary by configuration.) + Sleep Puts the computer in Sleep mode. + Display toggle Switches display output between the display screen, external monitor (if connected) and both. + Display off Turns the display screen backlight off to save power. Press any key to return. + Touchpad toggle Turns the built-in touchpad on and off. + Speaker toggle Turns the speakers on and off. + Scr Lk Scroll Lock Turns Scroll Lock on or off. + <> Brightness up Increases the screen brightness. + <> Brightness down Decreases the screen brightness. + <> Volume up Increases the sound volume. + <> Volume down Decreases the sound volume. + Play/Pause Play or pause a selected media file. + Stop Stop playing the selected media file. + Previous Return to the previous media file. + Next Jump to the next media file. Windows keys The keyboard has two keys that perform Windows-specific functions. Key Description Windows key Pressed alone it returns to the Start screen. It can also be used with other keys for special functions, please check Windows Help. Application key This key has the same effect as clicking the right mouse button; it opens the application's context menu. Touchpad basics The touchpad controls the arrow (or 'cursor') on the screen. As you slide your finger across the touchpad, the cursor will follow this movement. Press the left or right side of the button located beneath the touchpad to perform selection and execution functions. These two areas are similar to the left and right buttons on a mouse. Tapping on the touchpad is the same as clicking the left side of the button. The cursor is controlled by some basic gestures: Touchpad gestures Windows 8 and many applications support touchpad gestures that use one or more fingers. These allow you to control applications with a few simple gestures, such as: If you are having trouble with your computer, and the frequently asked questions (see page 81) do not help, you can 'recover' your computer - i.e. return it to an earlier state. This section describes the recovery tools available on your computer. Acer provides Acer Recovery Management, which allows you to create a recovery backup, a drivers and applications backup, and to start recovery options, either using Windows tools, or the recovery backup. Creating a recovery backup To reinstall from a USB storage drive, you must first create a recovery backup. The recovery backup includes the entire original contents of your computer’s hard drive, including Windows and all factory-loaded software and drivers. Using this backup will restore your computer to the same state as when you purchased it, while giving you an option to retain all settings and personal data. Creating a drivers and applications backup To create a Drivers and Applications Backup, that contains the factory- loaded software and drivers needed by your computer, you may use either a USB storage drive or, if your computer features a DVD recorder, one or more blank recordable DVDs. Recovering your system To recover your system: Reinstalling drivers and applications As a troubleshooting step, you may need to reinstall the applications and device drivers that came pre-installed on your computer from the factory. You can reinstall using either your hard drive or the backup you have created. Returning to an earlier system snapshot Microsoft System Restore periodically takes a 'snapshot' of your system settings and saves them as restore points. In most cases of hard-to- resolve software problems, you can return to one of these restore points to get your system running again. Windows automatically creates an additional restore point each day, and also each time you install software or device drivers. Returning your system to its factory condition If your computer experiences problems that are not recoverable by other methods, you may need to reinstall everything to return your system to its factory condition. You can recover from either your hard drive or the recovery backup you have created. Recovering from Windows Start Acer Recovery Management: Two options are available, Restore Factory Settings (Reset my PC) or Customized Restore (Refresh my PC). Restore Factory Settings deletes everything on your hard drive, then reinstalls Windows and all software and drivers that were pre-installed on your system. If you can access important files on your hard drive, back them up now. See "Restore Factory Settings with Acer Recovery Management" on page 49. Customized Restore will attempt to retain your files (user data) but will reinstall all software and drivers. Software installed since you purchased your PC will be removed (except...
