HP Media Center PC User Manual

128 hp media center pc user’s guide
Creating Your Music Library
When you add music files to your music library, they
are placed into your My Music folder in Windows
Explorer and in the Media Library in Windows
Media Player. You can also find them in Media
Center.
Adding music files
1 Click Start on the
taskbar, choose All Programs, and
then click Windows Media
Player.
2 Click the Media Library tab on the side of
the window. The first time you select Media
Library, a message tells you that Windows
Media Player needs to search your computer
for your music files.
3 Click Yes. Windows Media Player searches
for all available audio media and places them
in the Media Library. If you choose No, you
can go to the Tools menu and search for
media to add later. Select drives, and then
click Search.
4 To add files from a CD to your Media Library:
a Insert the CD.
b Select Copy from CD from the tabs on
the left.
c Select the tracks you want to copy by
placing a check in the box next to the
track.
d Select Copy Music in the menu bar.
You can select to copy your music files as
MP3 files or as Windows Media Audio
files (.wma).
5 Click the Media Library tab to see where
your new audio files have been placed. You
can rename files by right-clicking the file,
selecting Edit, and then typing a new name
or genre over the old one. The way you label
your music files determines the category in
which they are placed.
Your added music files can immediately be found
and played back by using My Music in Media
Center.
For more information about adding music files to
the Media Library, use the Windows Media Player
Help menu.
Deleting Music files
1 Click Start on the taskbar,
choose All Programs, and then click
Windows Media Player.
2 Select the Media Library tab.
3 Select the file you want to delete.
4 Click the delete icon on the menu bar,
and then select Delete from Library.
5 Select the option to Delete from Media
Library only or Delete from Media
Library and my computer, and then
click OK.

HP Media Center PC Specifications

General

Operating System	Windows XP Media Center Edition
Processor	Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64
Form Factor	Tower or Small Form Factor
Optical Drive	DVD-RW, or Blu-ray
Connectivity	Ethernet, Wi-Fi (optional)
Ports	USB 2.0, FireWire, audio jacks
Remote Control	Included
Expansion Slots	PCI, PCI Express
Memory	512MB to 2GB DDR/DDR2
Graphics	Integrated or dedicated graphics card (NVIDIA or ATI)

Summary

Where Can I Find Information?

Getting Help

Information on accessing various help resources for your PC and software programs.

Inventory

PC and Main Components

Identifies the main computer hardware components and their locations.

Media Center Components

Identifies the components specific to the Media Center functionality.

Connecting the Speakers

2.1 Klipsch Speaker System

Detailed connection instructions for the Klipsch 2.1 speaker system.

2.1 Altec Lansing Speaker System

Detailed connection instructions for the Altec Lansing 2.1 speaker system.

Connecting Multi-channel Audio Speakers to the PC

How to connect and configure multi-channel audio speaker systems.

Adjusting the Volume

Methods for adjusting speaker volume levels.

Resolving Sound Issues

Troubleshooting steps for common sound problems.

Starting My PC

Starting the PC for the First Time

Initial steps to turn on the PC and begin the setup process.

Selecting an ISP

Guide to selecting an Internet Service Provider during initial PC setup.

Turning Off the PC

Step-by-step instructions on how to properly shut down the computer.

Manual Standby Mode

Procedures for putting the PC into and taking it out of standby mode.

Manual Hibernation Mode

Steps for entering and exiting manual hibernation mode.

Using Media Center Help

How to access and use the built-in help system for Media Center.

Using the PC Hardware

Using the Keyboard

Details on using the keyboard, including special keys and functions.

Using the Mouse

How to use the optical or wireless mouse, including button functions.

Remote Control

Overview of using the Media Center remote control.

CD and DVD Drives

Information about the CD and DVD drives included with the PC.

7-In-1 Memory Card Reader

Details on using the 7-in-1 memory card reader.

Formatting a memory card

Step-by-step guide to format a memory card before use.

Troubleshooting the memory card reader

Solutions for common problems with the memory card reader.

Using Media Center

Getting Started with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition

Introduction to Media Center features and remote control usage.

Media Center Overview

Explains how to navigate and control Media Center using various input devices.

Getting the Most out of Media Center

Ensures prerequisites are met for optimal Media Center experience.

Opening Media Center

Methods to launch and open the Media Center application.

Navigating Media Center

How to select and navigate items within the Media Center interface.

Media Center Start Menu

Overview of the main menu options and navigation controls in Media Center.

Remote Control

What Can I Do with the Media Center Remote Control?

Explains the capabilities and limitations of the Media Center remote control.

Remote Control Buttons Overview

Provides an overview of remote control buttons and their locations.

Remote Control Buttons

Details the direct access buttons on the remote control for Media Center windows.

Media playback buttons

Describes buttons used for playing back media like videos and music.

Navigation and other direct access buttons

Buttons for navigating Media Center windows and selecting options.

My TV

What Can I Do in My TV?

Explains the Media Center PC's capabilities as a digital video recorder.

Watching TV

Steps for watching TV programs using Media Center.

Using Remote Control in My TV

How to use the remote control for TV viewing and program management.

Watching Live TV Using the Digital Video Recorder

Using the DVR functionality for live TV, including time shifting.

Using the Television Program Guide

How to navigate and use the TV program guide.

Downloading the Television Program Guide

Options for downloading and updating the TV program guide.

Searching for Programs in My TV

How to search for TV programs by title, keyword, or category.

Searching for TV programs using categories

Finding TV programs by selecting specific categories.

Recording TV Programs

Explains how to record TV programs and manage recordings.

Recording TV from the Guide

Steps to record current or future TV programs using the program guide.

Recording TV from Search

How to record programs by searching via title, keyword, or category.

Recording manually

Detailed steps for manually setting up TV program recordings.

My TV Settings

Adjusting recording settings and managing recording conflicts.

Playing Recorded TV Programs

Steps to play back recorded TV programs using Windows Media Player.

About Recording Errors

Explains common recording errors and their causes.

Resolving Recording Conflicts

Strategies for resolving conflicts when scheduling multiple recordings.

Blocking Unwanted TV Programs and Movies

How to block specific TV programs and movies using parental controls.

Safeguarding Your Recorded TV Programs

Protecting recorded TV programs, especially encrypted ones.

Managing Hard Disk Space

Adjusting TV recording and storage settings

Recording quality and hard disk storage space

Freeing up space on your hard disk drive

My Music

What Can I Do in My Music?

Overview of Media Center's music playback capabilities.

What Can I Do in Windows Media Player?

Using Supported File Types for My Music

Using Remote Control in My Music

Creating Your Music Library

Searching Computer for Music Files

Adding CD Tracks to the Music Library

Playing Digital Music Files

Finding Music Files in My Music

Finding and Playing an Album

Creating a Playlist

My Pictures

What Can I Do in My Pictures?

Overview of Media Center's features for viewing, editing, and printing pictures.

Using Supported File Types for My Pictures

Using Remote Control in My Pictures

Organizing Your Pictures

Viewing Your Pictures in Media Center

Viewing Pictures as a Slide Show

Editing pictures

Printing Your Pictures

Using HP Image Zone

My Videos

What Can I Do in My Videos?

Overview of Media Center's capabilities for playing and managing video files.

Using Remote Control When Playing a Video

Organizing Your Videos

Playing Digital Videos

Playing a Video Stored on Removable Media

Playing a Video in Full Screen Mode

Working with Home Videos

Play DVD

Playing DVDs in Media Center

How to play DVD movies using Media Center and its remote control.

Using Remote Control When Playing a DVD

FM Radio

What Can I Do in Radio?

Overview of Media Center's FM and Internet radio capabilities.

Playing FM Radio Stations

Using Remote Control When Playing a Radio Station

Media Center Settings

Changing Media Center Settings

Summary of settings categories for customizing Media Center.

Changing General Settings

Changing TV Settings

How to configure TV recording priorities, storage, and signal setup.

Recording CDs and DVDs

About Copying Recorded TV Programs to DVD

Copying Recorded TV Programs to DVD or CD

Copy a TV program to a DVD with RecordNow!

Recording Music, Data, and Video files to CDs and DVDs

Recording with RecordNow!

Recording with ArcSoft ShowBiz

Capturing Analog Home Video

Upgrading and Servicing

Preparing the Computer

Essential items to read and precautions before opening or servicing the computer.

Removing the Side Panels

Replacing the Side Panels

Locating Components in the PC Chassis

Removing the Front Panel

Replacing the Front Panel

Accessing the Optical Drives

Removing the Optical Drive

Installing a New Optical Drive

Replacing and Adding Drives

Removing and replacing the preinstalled hard drive

How to remove and replace the computer's main hard disk drive.

Removing and replacing the diskette drive or the 7-In-1 memory card reader

Installing a second hard drive

Adding Memory

How to add or replace memory modules (DIMMs/DDR DIMMs) in the PC.

Removing a memory module

Installing a memory module

Removing Add-In Cards

Replacing Add-In Cards

Application and System Recovery

Using Application Recovery and System Recovery

Overview of methods to repair PC issues via recovery programs.

Creating Recovery CDs/DVDs

How to create recovery discs for backing up system and programs.

Using HP PC Recovery CD-DVD Creator

Using HP Recovery Tools CD

System Restore

Application Recovery

System Recovery

How to perform system recovery using the PC's recovery partition or discs.

To start System Recovery if the PC is not responding

Steps to initiate System Recovery when the PC is unresponsive.

System Recovery Using Recovery Discs

To run the System Recovery program using recovery discs

Detailed steps to run System Recovery using created recovery discs.

Troubleshooting

Problems and Solutions

General troubleshooting guide for common PC problems and their solutions.