Getting Started with your Tablet PC

Your Compaq Tablet PC is a highly portable, full-featured computing device with integrated wireless networking and a convenient method of user input: your own handwriting. The Tablet PC is a great device for note-taking in class or in group meetings. Its small size and integrated wireless networking allows it to be used anywhere. Your Tablet PC runs on a variant of Windows XP labeled Tablet PC Edition. Essentially it is used exactly like any other Windows XP computer. However, there are a few differences you need to be aware of when using your Tablet.

First Use Checklist

  • Login as LocalMgr and change the LocalMgr password. Do this by pressing Alt-Ctrl-Delete once logged in and choosing "Change Password". Enter your old password and your new password twice, then press "OK" to change your password.
  • While LocalMgr, open the Display Settings, click on the Advanced button, select the GeForce2 Go tab, click Additional Properties, select the Desktop Utilities tab, and uncheck the Enable Display Manager box. This is necessary if you want to give Powerpoint presentations with your tablet.
  • Calibrate the pen. This will need to be done both as LocalMgr and as yourself. Tap the tablet icon in the system tray next to the time. Click Properties. Click Calibrate. Follow the directions.
  • Install necessary printers and software from \\rose-hulman.edu\dfs\software and \\print .

The Pen

The most useful feature of the Tablet PC is the Pen. On the Tablet, the pen is used both as a mouse and to write or draw on the screen. However, clicking with the Pen is a bit different than with a mouse. Left-clicking on a Tablet is done by tapping the screen. Double-clicking is done by tapping twice. To right-click, press the pen to the screen and hold it there. A circle will appear around the pen. After a second, a mouse icon will appear. When this icon appears lift the pen off the screen and the context menu will appear. You can also right-click by pressing the button on the side of the pen and tapping the screen. See the Pen usage instructions for more information.

Special Buttons

The Tablet has several buttons around the edge for easy access to certain applications. Along the top edge (in Portrait mode) you will find 3 icons, an E, a pad, and two arrows. The E icon, when tapped with the pen, will open the on-screen keyboard. The pad icon will open Windows Journal, and the arrows will change the display mode from Portrait mode to Landscape mode and back again. Along the side your will find an email button, the Q menu button, the Tab and ESC buttons, the Ctrl+Alt+Del button, and a scroll wheel. Most of these buttons are self-explanatory. The Q menu button will open up the Q menu which, among other things, will allow you to adjust the brightness of the display. The scroll wheel is used like the wheel on a mouse.

Writing Pad and Keyboard

When you turn on your Tablet you will notice a keyboard on the screen. This keyboard is used when you have the real keyboard folded up under the screen. You can type by tapping the buttons with the Pen. Once you are logged in, this keyboard will be docked at the bottom of the screen. It can be opened and closed as necessary by using the keyboard button next to the Start menu or the icon on the top edge. You can also switch to a writing pad by selecting the writing pad tab at the bottom. Anything that you write or type in the input panel will be inserted where the cursor is currently located just like if you were typing on an actual keyboard.

Accounts and Login

Your Tablet PC has a LocalMgr account just like all Rose-Hulman Windows XP computers. You should use this account in the same way you use it on your laptop. However, unlike your laptop, the Tablets do not have a local personal account. The Tablets use the MSROSE-HULMAN domain for authentication. Therefore, when you login, enter your username and password and select MSROSE-HULMAN from the list of locations. Note that to login the first time you must be on the campus network (either wirelessly or connected to a network port). After that, your authentication information will be cached on the tablet for 50 logins. After 50 logins, you must connect on campus to authenticate again and refresh the cache.

As on a regular Rose Laptop, you must press Ctrl+Alt+Del to login. However, if you are using the Tablet with the keyboard folded up, you can't get to those buttons. Fortunately, the Tablet provides a special Ctrl+Alt+Del button on the side for this purpose. You will find a small red button between the Tab and ESC keys on the side of the Tablet near the power button. However, you must use the pen to press this Ctrl+Alt+Del button. After you press this button you can tap in your username and password as normal.

Software

The Tablets come preloaded with the same suite of software as a Rose Laptop. This includes Office XP, McAfee, SecureCRT and FX, and WinRar. Other software can be installed from Tibia. In addition to this standard software is a suite of Tablet-specific software including Windows Journal and Tablet Pack for Office XP.