Owner's manual

<h2 id="installation-manual">Installation manual</h2>
<p>An installation manual or installation guide is a <a href="/facts/Technical_communication/sz8G7rYk">technical communication</a> document intended to instruct people how to install a particular product. An installation manual is usually written by a <a href="/facts/Technical_writer/TW2BpTkk">technical writer</a> or other technical staff. 
</p><p>Installation is the act of putting something in place so that it is ready for use.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> An installation manual most commonly describes the safe and correct installation of a product. The term product here relates to any consumer, non-consumer, hardware, software, electrical, electronic or mechanical product that requires installation. The installation of a computer program is also known as the <a href="/facts/Installation_(computer_programs)/EQzPeYv2">setup</a>.
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<p>In case of an installation manual, the installation instruction is a separate document that focuses solely on the person(s) that will perform the installation. However, the installation instruction can also be an integrated part of the overall owner's manual.
</p><p>The size, structure and content of an installation manual depend heavily on the nature of the product and the needs and capabilities of the intended target group. Furthermore, various standards and directives are available that provide guidance and requirements for the design of instructions.
</p><p>The international standard IEC 82079<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> prescribes the required installation topics for an installation instruction. Among these topics, are procedures, diagrams and conditions for installation activities, such as unpacking, mounting and connecting.
</p><p>For machines the European <a href="/facts/Machinery_Directive/6aWlxRk0">Machinery Directive</a> prescribes that an instruction manual must contain assembly, installation and connecting instructions, including drawings, diagrams and the means of attachment and the designation of the chassis or installation on which the machinery is to be mounted.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a>  
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<h2 id="car-owners-manuals">Car owner's manuals</h2>
<p>All new cars come with an owner's manual from the manufacturer. Most owners leave them in the <a href="/facts/Glove_compartment/sJGApaLg">glove compartment</a> for easy reference. This can make their frequent absence in <a href="/facts/Rental_car/MN9UIGzR">rental cars</a> frustrating because it violates the driver's user expectations, as well as makes it difficult to use controls that are not understood, which is not good because understanding control operation of an unfamiliar car is one of the first steps recommended in <a href="/facts/Defensive_driving/SQbKAzLL">defensive driving</a>. Owner's manuals usually cover three main areas: a description of the location and operation of all controls; a schedule and descriptions of maintenance required, both by the owner and by a mechanic; and specifications such as oil and fuel capacity and part numbers of light bulbs used. Current car owner's manuals have become much bigger in part due to many safety warnings most likely designed to avoid <a href="/facts/Product_liability/q4bgKPBU">product liability</a> lawsuits, as well as from ever more complicated audio and navigational systems, which often have their own manual.
</p><p>If owners lose their car manual, they can either order a replacement from a dealer, pick up a used one secondhand, or download a PDF version of the manual online.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a>
</p><p>In 2017, IBM released <a href="/facts/Watson_(computer)/xub4UvVx">IBM Watson</a> Artificial Intelligence to understand and answer questions in natural driver language.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> "Ask Mercedes" was the first in a wave of these vehicle assistants which can support both speech and text-based input.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a>
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<h2 id="popular-culture">Popular culture</h2>
<p>The <a href="/facts/Noun_phrase/mmz3tJt9">noun phrase</a> <i>owner's manual</i> has been used by <a href="/facts/Analogy/LYcGaTdm">analogy</a> in the title of numerous instructional books about entities that are not manufactured products, such as <a href="/facts/Pet/vE9Qj8dR">pets</a>, body parts and <a href="/facts/Business/For1e8Nh">businesses</a>.
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<h2 id="user-guides">User guides</h2>
<p>The equivalent document for <a href="/facts/Computer_software/RP79lVSW">computer software</a> is called a <a href="/facts/User_guide/sb0Crduq">user guide</a> since <a href="/facts/User_(computing)/zQRzG0KG">users</a> are typically <a href="/facts/License/xaP3U6ga">licensees</a> rather than <a href="/facts/Owner/dI4oAYoD">owners</a> of the software.
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<h2 id="unicode">Unicode</h2>
<p>The U+1F4D6 📖 OPEN BOOK Unicode symbol (in the <a href="/facts/Miscellaneous_Symbols_and_Pictographs/Tk2BJsnn">Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs</a> block) is intended to signal 'read operator's manual'.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a>
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<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li> Media related to Owner's manuals at Wikimedia Commons</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Definition of "installation" from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>IEC 82079-1:2012, p. 31, 5 Content of instructions for use <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006 on machinery, and amending Directive 95/16/EC , p. 25-26, 1.7.4.2 Contents of the instructions. <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>"How to Find Your Car Owner's Manual Online". <a href="https://repairsadvisor.com/cars.html" target="_blank">https://repairsadvisor.com/cars.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>"'Ask Mercedes' – the End of the Car Manual as We Know It". IBM. 29 November 2017. <a href="https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/2017/11/end-of-the-car-manual/" target="_blank">https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/2017/11/end-of-the-car-manual/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:6"><p>"Mercedes-Benz Diplomatic Sales". <a href="https://www.diplomaticsales.mercedes-benz.com/passengercars/being-an-owner/ask-mercedes-campaign/stage.module.html" target="_blank">https://www.diplomaticsales.mercedes-benz.com/passengercars/being-an-owner/ask-mercedes-campaign/stage.module.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:7"><p>"Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs" (PDF). Unicode, Inc. p. 12. Retrieved 4 June 2020. <a href="https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1F300.pdf#page=12" target="_blank">https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1F300.pdf#page=12</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
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Owner's manual open-in-new

Owner's manual