CTL

All in One will not power on

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:30:03 -0700

It has been brought to our attention that some of our M650 All in One computers with the Mitac system board installed will not power on or (appear not to power on). It has been found that when the computer is powered off for approximately 2 hours or longer the computer could go into a very deep sleep. While in this deep sleep the system board doesn't see the power on signal from the power button and will fail to power on. We found that the "Sleep SX" feature in the BIOS Setup Utility was enabled. This setting is used in Europe and needs to be disabled on our US based computers. This article has instructions on how to disable this feature. This has only affected the Mitac system board All in Ones. The deep sleep function on the M650's with Intel Apple Glen system board is disabled by default.

If your system will not power on at this time we have found that you can get it to power on by:

First unplug the adaptor plug from the side of the LCD, second hold the power button down while inserting the power jack back into the connector. This should get your system to power back on. Please follow the instructions below to keep this from happening again.

This only happens on some on the All in Ones with the Mitac System Boards installed at this time.

As the computer boots up please tap on the “F2” key to get into the system "Aptio Setup Utility" or BIOS.

You will see a screen that has the "Aptio Setup Utility" at the top of the screen.

Please use the right arrow key to highlight or display the “Chipset” option in the "Aptio Setup Utility"

While in the “Chipset” portion of the "Aptio Setup Utility" please down arrow and select the “South Bridge” option on the screen.

Hit "Enter" and you will see the option for the “Deep Sx”.

Please use the down arrow to highlight this feature and hit the "enter" key again and you will see an option window pop up.

In this window please use the up arrow to highlight the “Disabled” option and hit the Enter key again.

This will make the change to this option.

After you have made this change you will see in the "Deep SX" feature is disabled.

After you have made this change to the “Deep SX” you can hit the “Esc” key to get back to the main screen and then use right arrow key to get to the “Save and Exit” tab and select the “Save and Reset” option in that window to save the changes. This will save the changes and restart the computer.

Keywords: Power, no power, all in one, will not power, AIO, m650, mitac

Can 2go PC's be upgraded to Windows 8?

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 08:34:57 -0700

2go PC netbooks are unable to upgrade to Windows 8, as they do not meet the minimum operating requirements of the newest Windows operating system. Attempting to upgrade a 2go PC to Windows 8 may have unexpected results, which may lead to internal damage to the PC. If Windows 8 has been installed on a 2go PC, and you wish to revert to the original operating system that was installed, it is likely that the PC will need to be sent in for repair to re-install the original operating system. For assistance with re-installing the original operating system on a 2go PC, please follow the links below.

Re-installing Windows 7 from recovery partition:

http://ctl.helpserve.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/277/4/re-install-windows-from-recovery-partition-2go-pcs

Requesting an RMA for Repair:

http://ctl.helpserve.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/290/0/how-to-request-a-repair-of-a-2go-pc

How to Install a Driver

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:36:44 -0700

There are three main methods of installing drivers. Computers generally have the ability to detect the devices that are installed in them and may be able to perform a driver install automatically. To see if this is possible, follow these steps (For Windows users):

1) Click START

2) Right-Click on COMPUTER

3) Click MANAGE

4) In the new window, click DEVICE MANAGER in the left hand pane

5) Any devices needing drivers should have a yellow question mark or a yellow exclamation mark next to them; right-click on any device with this icon.

6) Choose UPDATE DRIVER SOFTWARE

7) In the Wizard that opens up, choose "Search automatically for updated software"

The computer should now automatically detect, download, and install the necessary software if it is found.

If there are any errors during this process, or if Windows simply cannot locate the driver software, follow these steps:

1) Manually locate the driver needed. Drivers are commonly found on the device manufacturer's website and are free to download.

2) Download the driver to the computer. Some drivers may come as .zip files and may need to be extracted prior to installation.

3) Follow steps 1-6 from the instructions above.

4) In the Wizard that opens up, choose "Browse my computer for driver software"

5) If the folder displayed is not he correct folder that the driver was downloaded to, click the BROWSE button, then locate the correct folder.

6) Click NEXT and the computer will look in the location chosen for the drive software. The computer should automatically install the driver once it is found.

The third method is generally used if you cannot locate the device you are trying to update in the DEVICE MANAGER.

1) Manually locate the driver needed. Drivers are commonly found on the device manufacturer's website and are free to download.

2) Download the driver to the computer. Some drivers may come as .zip files and may need to be extracted prior to installation.

3) After downloading the driver, open the driver folder to see the contents.

4) Typically, drivers have an installer that accompanies them in the download folder. Normally this is seen as "SETUP.EXE" (There may also be text documents in the folder with specific instructions on installing the driver. These are typically seen as "README".)

5) After launching the "SETUP.EXE" file, an installer will open and should install the driver automatically.

Keep in mind that there are many drivers available for different devices, so finding the right one may take a little research. If you are not sure if you have the correct driver, it is ok to install it to test the functionality. If it is the incorrect driver, often the computer will reject the driver before it is installed and will prompt you with an error message. If the driver does install and it is the incorrect one, you may uninstall the driver easily from the DEVICE MANAGER. Simply locate the device you are updating in DEVICE MANAGER, right click on the device, and choose UNINSTALL.

How to request a repair of a 2go PC

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 08:57:16 -0700

If a repair is needed on a 2go pc, visit ctl.helpserve.com and select the "Submit a Ticket" option on the Home page. Select the "Product Technical Support" department and click "Next". Fill in the General Information and the User Info fields. In the Message Details section, provide a detailed description of the issue along with the serial number of the unit and your desired return address then select "Submit". Once the ticket is submitted, a technician will review the information provided and will reply in the form of an e-mail. Be prepared to perform basic troubleshooting steps with a technician to determine if the issue can be resolved prior to sending the unit in for repair. Once a technician determines that the unit needs to be sent in, your information will be processed, and you will be issued an RMA number along with detailed shipping instructions. It is imperative to follow the shipping instructions exactly to avoid any delays in the repair process.

For detailed information regarding RMA policies, please follow this link:

http://ctl.helpserve.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/30/0/returns-and-rma

Keywords: Repair, broken, malfunction, damaged, not working, RMA

Identify Primary Components of Your System to Help Find Drivers

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:23:54 -0800

How can I find out what kind of components my computer has without opening it up?

If you are able to boot into windows successfully and your system is running fine but you are just looking for driver updates the easiest way to go about it is to download and run a free utility called CPU-Z. This utility was created by the developers at www.cpuid.com. It categorically identifies each subsystem of your computer as well as the bios revisions and primary manufacturers of each part.

CPU-Z can be used to identify the CPU, Motherboard, Ram amount, type/(SPD settings) of installed ram in the corresponding slots, and basic information about the graphics card and maker that is installed in your system.

The first page of CPU-Z shows current CPU details such as name, socket (package), the speed, and the multiplier strap. This information can be useful if you think you processor is running slower than it should be, but make sure to check the processor when under load as intel processors run something called speedstep that reduces processor speed when idle. The screenshot below shows that the i3-2100 at its idle speedstep setting of 1.6ghz instead of the working speed of 3.1ghz as reported in the specification box.

For motherboard identification specifically you will want to look at the mainboard tab on CPU-Z. Here is where it will tell you the; Manufacturer, model, and bios version that you are currently running as well as when that bios version was released. If you were to run CPU-Z on a CTL GC-14 you would see this report as an example.

The memory tab is useful to determine what multiplier and speed your memory is currently running at. The timings can be useful to look at as well though they don’t have as much of an influence on performance as they did in previous years.

SPD is a standard that shows the base readings off the memory controller’s interactions with the DRAM installed in the system. This basically shows you what the ram is rated to be capable of, as well as what kind of ram you have installed in your system. Everything from the stick size to the manufacturer information can be gleaned from this page of the program.

The final primarily useful page is the Graphics page. This section shows you very basic information regarding your graphics processor in your system. You see GPU name and if you were running a discrete graphics card from nvidia or AMD you would see the bus width, memory size, and other basic features of the card’s capabilities.

While CPU-Z may not identify every last component of your system it does give you a good start for looking for up to date drivers, and can give you peace of mind in knowing what your system components are before you start your search.

"Power Button Locked" Message on Monitor

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:54:07 -0700

Procedure to Lock or Unlock the Power button on LP2151 monitors:

Press and hold the two left menu buttons on the front panel of the monitor (Example: O-O-X-X-X).

A gauge will be displayed on the screen stating "Power Button Locking" or "Power Button Unlocking".

Continue holding both menu buttons until the gauge is full and "Power Button Locked" or "Power Button Unlocked" is displayed.

Power button will remain in Locked or Unlocked state until the procedure is reversed.

2go Classmate PC (E12/Intel Atom)

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:17:39 -0700

Driver Location for the 2Go E12. 32bit OS is the only supported version. 64bit drivers have not been developed by Intel.

Driver Link

Software Stack Files

2go Convertible Classmate (NL1) - Drivers & Software Link

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:18:28 -0800

Driver Location for the 2Go NL1. 32bit OS is the only supported version. 64bit drivers have not been developed by Intel.

Windows 7 Driver Link

Windows XP Driver Link

and

Windows 7 Software

Windows XP

2go Convertible Classmate (NL2) - Drivers and Software

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:26:28 -0800

Driver Location for the 2Go NL2. 32bit OS is the only supported version. 64bit drivers have not been developed by Intel.

Windows XP Driver Link

Windows 7 Driver Link

and

Retail Software

Educational Software

2go PC Accessories

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:11:39 -0700

Accessories for the 2go PC line can be located at our website at http://ctl.net/computer-hardware/accessories

2GO PC CHAT OR MESSENGER REQUESTS

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:32:10 -0700

We have no affiliation with 2go Mobile Messenger. If you are trying to find 2go PC to chat on your phone or to download to chat on your PC, go to : http://www.2go.co.za/

We are 2goPC, which is the CTL USA brand for a line of small laptop / netbook models that cost from $300-$500 USD each. We do not provide 2go for your phone or 2go chat for your PC. That is provided from a different company. We find that many of the visitors to our site from Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya are actually looking for 2go Mobile Messenger chat application for their phone or the 2go Mobile Messenger chat program for their computer/PC

Link to 2Go Mobile Messenger Website:

http://www.2go.co.za/

2go PC stuck at 2go Splash Screen

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:43:47 -0800

If, when powering on a 2go PC, it does not pass the initial 2go logo screen, then the system has experienced a hardware failure and will need to be sent to our facility for repair. For instructions on requesting an RMA, click the following link:

http://ctl.helpserve.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/290/0/how-to-request-a-repair-of-a-2go-pc

Keywords: 2go Logo, RMA, Request Repair, Splash Screen, Stuck, Won't Boot

Accessing User Serviceable Components for NL3 Model

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:37:44 -0800

To gain access to user serviceable components such as the hard drive and memory in an NL3, follow these steps:

1) Power the unit OFF, close the clamshell, and place the unit battery side up on a smooth, flat surface

2) Remove the battery and a/c adapter

3) Inside the battery tray, locate two white tabs

4) Slide the tabs towards the rear of the unit (toward the handle) until you hear a clicking sound indicating the keyboard has released

5) Rotate the unit right side up and open the clamshell

6) Lift the keyboard out of the keyboard tray, and disconnect the keyboard ribbon cable from the motherboard (Gently slide the grey tabs away from the beige socket, toward the direction of the cable, and the ribbon cable will release)

7) Remove the four screws from the aluminum keyboard tray, and remove the tray

You will now see the Hard Drive, RAM modules, WiFi card, and 3g card (if applicable). Installation is the reverse of removal.

Keywords: Hard drive, RAM, Memory, Keyboard, NL3, Removal, Removing, Access

All in one touch screen issues

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:00:35 -0700

All in one touch screen issues

Issue:

If you are have problems with the touch screen responding.

Resolution:

First try calibrating the screen.

Tap the Start button, Control Panel and then Hardware and Sound.
Under Tablet Pc Settings, tap Calibrate the screen for pen or touch input.
On the Display tab, under Display options, tap Calibrate and then Yes to allow the program to make changes.
Follow the on-screen instructions to calibrate the touch screen.

If you still get no response then download and install the firmware found at this link :

https://ctl.box.net/shared/qquubvltnibmjgealr3q
All the instructions are included in the zip file.

If the problem persist please call Technical Support at 1 800 645-8670.

Keywords: touchscreen, all-in-one, calibration

All-In-One 650 board compatibility issue DQ77KB

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 10:57:00 -0800

DQ77KB and AIO 650

Issue:

There is a compatibility issue that has arisen with the Intel DQ77KB motherboard and the AIO650 chassis. The Fan header for the CPU cannot be plugged in due to the way the processor heatpipe covers the board and the location of the CPU header.

Resolution:

You may use the motherboard fan header or system fan header for the processor heatsink as it is qualified to run the intel spec. You will however not have a system fan as a result.

Install the fan to the motherboard system header.

CCFL LCD vs. LED Backlighting

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:29:11 -0700

HDTV Backlights: LED vs CCFL

This is a more technical area, and one that more casual consumers might want only to gloss over. Backlighting is just what it sounds like–light that comes from the rear of the TV or Monitor in order to illuminate the image on the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). It’s a simple enough concept, but there are a number of different ways it can be done.

It’s not crucial for consumers to understand the technologies involved, but different methods have advantages and this is becoming an increasingly important selling point when choosing between certain models and manufacturers, especially towards the higher end of the market. It applies to LCD televisions and Computer Monitors. NOT plasma screens.

A common, and older, method of backlighting uses cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs). This method is cheap, but not very power efficient. A product using this generally won’t have any mention of the backlighting in its sales materials.

A newer and increasingly popular technology is using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). This technology can come in a number of different varieties, but it’s generally a step up from a standard LCD. While not particularly new, the use of LEDs is still a premium technology not found in all displays. LED backlighting tends to offer improved color gamut, contrast ratios, and less power consumption. They are also more reliable and can offer over 100,000 hours of life, compared to CCFLs which are often rated at 20,000 hours.

LED backlighting can be broken down into a few different varieties. These include full arrays of LEDs (with individual LEDs spread out over the entire area behind the screen) and edge-lit, which only places LEDs on the edges of the display. (Here is a Geek.com article on Samsung’s edge-lit TVs.) While edge-lit TV’s generally do not have as high dynamic contrast ratios as full array models, neither can (generally) compare to displays which have the best blacks and contrast ratios available, thanks largely to a feature known as local dimming.

So while “edge-lit” is a cool term, it isn’t always a good thing, in fact it’s not that different from CCFL lighting when it comes down to picture performance. The advantage that edge-lit displays do have, is that they are cheaper to produce, they are power efficient, and they can be very thin.

You can see more about CTL LED Products here: http://www.ctlcorp.com/v4/c-3-monitors.aspx

Contacting Tech Support

Douglas Jenkins — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:06:23 -0800

If you require technical support for a CTL or 2go product, you may contact our technical support department via telephone at 800.645.8670, email at support@ctl.helpserve.com , live via live chat or by opening a ticket directly online at www.ctlcorp.com/support. Our customers are important to us and we strive to respond to all tickets as fast as possible, however, because they are the most efficient, you will receive the fastest response by creating a ticket directly online.

However you create a ticket, you may choose to have CTL communicate with you about your ticket via telephone or via email. If you want us to communicate to you about your ticket via telephone, you’ll need to provide a valid telephone number and area code. Whenever calling us back about a previously opened ticket, please reference your ticket number.

The fastest and most efficient method of getting support from CTL/2go is by opening a ticket online and conducting ticket communication via email. When you create a ticket online or by sending an email to our support department, our system will send you an email notifying you that your ticket has been created and containing your ticket information. For tickets submitted in this manner, subsequent questions and instructions from our support technicians will be via email. You can simply reply to those emails and your response will automatically be recorded to your ticket and distributed to the correct technician. Handling your tickets by email in this manner will ensure that you have documentation of all communication with CTL and will allow us to respond to your ticket requests faster than by telephone.

To ensure that our emails get through to you, you will need to be sure that you provide us with the correct email address. You will also need to ensure that emails from support@ctl.helpserve.com or any emails from ctlcorp.com are not marked as spam by your email provider or email program. Please check with your email provider or email program’s documentation for information on how to keep specific emails from specific senders from being marked as spam.

As an alternative to communicating about your ticket via email, you may also log into our helpdesk site at www.ctlcorp.com/support to manage your ticket online. If you create a user account and login and submit a ticket, you may re-login to that account at any time to view, manage and respond to all tickets created under that account. If you create a ticket without creating and/or logging into a user account, the emails from our system to you about that ticket will contain a username and password that will allow you to login to our helpdesk site to manage your ticket online.

CTL Disk Imaging Services

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:51:11 -0700

CTL Imaging Services

CTL builds our systems with industry best, brand name hardware. CTL wants your software installation to be as good as our hardware. CTL strives to provide customers with intelligently installed Microsoft operating systems on all of our computers. This means that the system you receive is installed with the latest drivers, the most current but proven patches and system options set with industry standard configurations. CTL updates, tests and verifies the images against Microsoft standards quarterly. The software CTL installs is designed to enhance the user experience; you won’t find ad infested demo applications on your new CTL computer. You can typically start using your new CTL system right out of the box.

Premium Imaging is available to all customers order 50 or more systems.

Rapid deployment of clone systems

Large enterprises often need to buy or replace new computer systems in large numbers. Installing operating system and programs in to each of them one by one requires a lot of time and effort and has a significant possibility of human error. Therefore, system administrators use disk imaging to quickly clone the fully prepared software environment of a reference system. This method saves time and effort and allows administrators to focus on unique distinctions that each system must bear.

CTL utilizes a network based disk imaging system co-developed by Microsoft and CTL to clone all of the systems.

CTL Customer Disk Imaging Services

Want your computers delivered to you with your own organizations image? CTL can provide your customized image on all machines you receive. The operating system, service packs, updates, settings, configurations, and your standard software can be delivered to you preinstalled just the way you prefer.

CTL sells many systems utilizing Intel’s stable Image platform. Unlike the consumer grade systems, these can be purchased for 18 months with the exact same on board hardware components. This makes your custom built system software images even more valuable as you can use these images for many systems you purchase through the extended life cycle. When getting systems that are going to remain stable, it only makes good business sense to ensure that you create the very best system and software image possible. CTL has the expertise and experience to help you engineer the optimal image for your environment.

Our premium service includes assistance from CTL in creating the image and in trouble shooting issues with the installation. CTL engineers will help the customer understand configuration options and the impact of settings on the end user experience. CTL will send out a reference system which the customer uses to install their required software. A CTL engineer is available to help make choices regarding settings and functionality. Premium services include 4 hours of image consulting and an extensive verification process in the CTL lab.

CTL Disk Imaging

Premium Customer Disk Imaging Service $199/image and $8/system – 50 System Minimum Requirement

CTL will provide customer a configured system 3 weeks prior to initial ship date of complete order with the correct operating system, drivers and current patches installed.
Customer will have 2 weeks to add software, configure their image, and send the file or machine back to CTL. Customer is responsible for all shipping charges.
CTL will install the customer supplied image to every system requested.
CTL will retain standard images for our products enabling your CTL system to be flashed back to a factory fresh state for the life of warranty.
CTL will retain Customer Disk Images for 1 year after system warranty
After receiving image from customer, CTL will inspect, verify and test the image, working with the customer on any issues or anomalies found. CTL will provide a report of how the image affects the load times and resource utilization. When image is deemed to be satisfactory by both CTL and customer, customer and CTL engineer will sign off on final disk image. CTL will perform Microsoft updates on image.
If problems arise, CTL engineers and the customer will work together to resolve issues found to be caused by incorrectly installed or configured system software on customers image.
CTL will re-image systems purchased with premium imaging services one time to the customer image until warranty expiration. Systems purchased with Windows 7 are configured to easily re-image utilizing a hidden restore partition and the Windows boot selection.

Sales Protocol: