Couple of Dumb Newbie Questions

Hey all, just got my Toshiba p15-s479 and lovin it, had a few silly questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to in that annoying (I hate pdf's) users guide...

If I leave the power supply plugged in, even when unit is fully charged or off, will it hurt the unit or the battery pack?

This is widescreen and I like that (coming from a hidef 16x9 65 inch tv owner), but is there anyway to adjust the screen for times I may want to only see it in 4:3? For instance a certain website I was at the other day looked really weird in widescreen format, yet on my main pc regular 21 inch monitor it was fine... Just wondered if there was somewhere or some setting I can adjust to make it go 4:3 for moments like that.

Beyond that great machine and I am liking it allot...
Just getting used to windows xp and the laptop itself (keyboard layout vs my ergo, touchpad vs mouse) etc etc slow but sure I am really enjoying the experience!

Thanks for answering my silly questions.

Bill

 

Questions are only silly if never asked.

-Leaving plugged in will not hurt in the least.
-No adjusting to 4:3 that I'm aware of. I'm guessing the site was fluid, meaning not locked at a certain resolution, usually 800 x 600.

Good luck with it.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

Regarding the 4:3 question, on my old Toshiba Sat Pro 4320, it had a screen stretch option in the Bios, & in Win98 in the Display Properties. This option would stretch the screen to make it full screen at any resolution. After switching to XP, this option is no longer available in the Display Properties (using XP drivers not Toshiba). But you have to change the resolution to a non-widescreen res for it to work. So, you may want to check the BIOS & display properties/advanced options to see if they have this or not on your unit.
I had an HP NX7000 15.4" Widescreen model notebook (which has been returned) that had a screen stretching option in the display properties as well.

Regarding the battery, I guess it depends on who you ask. I've heard that having the battery always plugged in and charging could kill the battery faster because it's always topping up the charge to 100%. This is probably just one of those urban legends and there's probably no merit for these new batteries. This is just my 2 cents worth.

Regarding the mouse/touchpad/keyboard issue, you may want to consider connecting a external wireless mouse & keyboard to the unit so you don't have to have these issues. You get an RF adapter that plugs into a USB port and that send the signal to your keyboard & mouse.

I plan to use this type of a setup when I get a new notebook (don't know what it will be yet). I'm gonna prop up the notebook on a 45 degree angled rack/tray so the screen stands straight up at eye-level, have a wireless keyboard & mouse so no wires on the desk and this will be my desktop replacement.