Sony VGC-RA910G manual

V AIO Digital Studio® Computer V GC-RA810G Ser ies V GC-RA910G Ser ies Quic k Star t[...]

2 Notice © 2004 Sony Electroni cs Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part with out written permission is prohi bited. All rights reserved. This manual and the so ftware described herein, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, translat ed, or reduced to any machine-readable form without prior wri tten approval. SONY ELECTRONICS INC. PROVIDES NO [...]

3 The International E NERGY S T AR® Office Equipment Prog ram is an international program t hat promotes energy saving through the use o f computers and other office equipment. The program backs the development and dissemination of products w ith functions that effectively reduce energy consumption. It is an open system in whic h business propr ie[...]

4 Safety Inf ormation and Caution Y our computer ’ s installe d optical drives may vary , depend ing o n the system configura tion you have purchased. See the online specifications sheet for detail s on your installe d optical drives. For questions regarding your product or for the Sony Service Cent er nearest you, visit the Sony On line Support [...]

5 ❑ Pour prévenir tout risque d’incendie ou d’électrocu tion, garder cet ap pareil à l’ abri de la pluie et de l’humidité. ❑ Pour prévenir tout risque d’électrocuti on, ne pas ouvrir le châss is de cet appareil et ne c onfier son entretien qu’à une personne qualifiée. ❑ Ne jamais effectuer l’in stallation de fil mo dem [...]

6 Regulatory Inf ormation If you have questions about this p ro duct, write to Sony Customer Informatio n Service Center at 12451 Gateway Blvd., Ft. Myers, FL 33913, USA, or vi sit Sony Customer Service on the Sony Online Support W eb site at http://www .sony .com /pcsupport. Model No.: PCV A-IMB5A (For model s equipped with Giga Pocket fe atures) [...]

7 FCC Pa r t 68 This equipment compli es with Part 68 of the FCC rules and the requirement s adopted by the ACT A. On the modem card is a label that contains, among other inform ation, a product identifier in the format US:AAAEQ##TXXXX. If requested, this num ber must be pr ovided to the teleph one company . This modem uses the US OC RJ-11 telephon[...]

8 Disposal of Lithium Battery Y ou can return your unwant ed lithium batteries to your nearest Sony Service Center or Factory Service Center . For the Sony Service Center nearest you, call 1-888-476-6972 in the Unit ed States or 1-800-961-7669 in Canada. ✍ In some areas the dispos al o f lithium batteries in household or bu siness trash may be pr[...]

9 Industry Canada Notice This equipment meets the applicable Industry C anada techni cal specific ations. The Ringer Equivalence Number (REN) is an indicati on of the maximum number of devices allowed to be connected to a telephone interface. Th e terminat ion on an interface may consist o f any combination of devices subject only to the requirem e[...]

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11 Contents Getting Started ..........................................13 Unpacking Your Computer . ....................... ............... 14 Locating Controls And Ports ...................17 About the Front Panel ......... ....................... ............... 18 About the Back Panel .......... ....................... ............... 22 About th[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 12 Setting Up Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition ................................ 47 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition ......... 48 Before You Begin Using Me dia Center .................... 49 Setting Up TV Connections .... ................... ............... 50 Connecting the Remote Sens [...]

13 Getting Star ted Congratulations on you r pur chase of the Sony V AIO® computer! Y o ur new , high-performance, multimedia co mputer combines state-of-the-art computer functionality with the late st audio, video and information technology featur es.[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 14 Unpac king Y our Computer Y our computer may not be supplied with all of the accessories shown, depending on the computer configuration purchased. For details on the accessories supplied with your computer, see the o nline specifications sheet. *This accessory is available with ce rtain computer model[...]

Unpacking Y our Computer 15 Manuals ❑ V AIO® Digital S tudio Computer Quic k S tart — Provides b asic information on setting up and registering your computer . The Quick St art also provides resources for technical support, safety gui delines and owner information. Online Documentation ❑ V AIO® Computer User Guide — Contains features and [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 16 Hard Dis k Drive Recovery Y our computer is equi pped with the V AIO Recovery W izard utility program that recovers your computer ’ s operating syst em and preinstalled software. For more information ab out hard disk drive recovery: 1 Click S t art in the W indows® taskbar , then cli ck Help and Su[...]

17 Locating Controls And P or ts This section is intended to familiarize you with the controls, ports and jacks on your computer and supplied accessories. Y our computer may not be equipped with all of these har d war e features or accessories. The location of the contr ols, ports, and jacks may vary fr om the illustrations shown in this section. T[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 18 About the Fr ont P anel The front panel of your V A IO® Computer enables access to drives, media slots, ports and jacks that enable you to connect compatible peri pheral devices. Y our computer may not be equipped with all of these hardware features or accessories. The location of the controls, ports[...]

About the F ron t P anel 19 3 Floppy disk drive Reads and writes data from and to a 3.5-inch floppy disk. 4 xD-Picture Card™ media slot Reads and writes data from and to xD-Picture Card media. 5 CompactFlash ® and Microdrive™ media slot Reads and writes data from and to CompactFlash and Microdrive media. 6 Optical drive access indicator Light [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 20 12 Memory S tick® media slot Reads and writes data from and to Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Pro™, and Memo ry Stick Duo™ m edia. 13 Secure Digital (SD)/MultiMediaCard™ (MMC) slot Reads and writes data from and to a Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMediaCard™ (MMC). 14 Media access indicator * Ligh[...]

About the F ron t P anel 21 T o open and clos e the optical disc drive doors Y o ur comp uter is equipped with one or more optical disc drives that have a drive eject button located on the drive door . ❑ After pressing the eject button, wait for the drive to stop reading the CD. It may take a few moments for the drive tray to eject. ❑ Gently pu[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 22 About the Bac k P anel The back panel of your computer contains the ports for suppli ed and optional accessories. The icons on the back panel locate and identify the ports on your computer . The location of certain ports a nd jacks may vary from the illustration, based on the comp uter model purchased[...]

About the Back P anel 23 3 Printer port Connection for a parallel device, such as a printer or scanner . 4 i.LINK 6-pin S400 port (IEEE 1394) Connection an d power for a compatible digital device, such as a Sony Digital Handycam® camcorder . 5 Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0) ports (4) Connections for compatible hi gh/full/low-speed USB devices. 6 M[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 24 13 Composite audio R In jack Connection for an au dio cable (optional). Composite audio L In jack Connection for an au dio cable (optional). Composite vid eo In jack Connection for a video cable (optional). S-video In jack Connection for an S-v ideo cable (optional) 14 VHF/UHF port Connection for a TV[...]

About the Sub-w oofe r 25 About the Sub-w oofer Certain V AIO® comput ers are supplied with a sub-woofer unit to enhance your system’ s sound capabi lity . See your computer ’ s onl ine specifications sheet for information about supplied accessories. Go to the Sony Online Supp ort W eb site at http://www .so ny . com/pcsupport. The sub-woofer [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 26 About the K eyboar d This section describes the special and standard fu nctions available for your keyboard. The V AIO® keyboard suppli ed with your computer has a standard key arrangement with ad ditional keys and controls that support Micros oft® W indows® XP Media Center Edit ion features. V AIO[...]

About the K eyboard 27 MAIL Starts the e-mail software program. HELP Starts the M edia Center Help , if M edia Center software is running. (If Media Center software is not running, the Help and Support Center is started.) REC Records TV programs. PREV Press once to return to the be ginnin g of the DVD chapter , video track, or audio track. Press tw[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 28 KEY DESCRIP TION Function The 12 function keys along the top of th e keyboard are used to perform certain tasks. The task associated with each function key may vary between software programs. Numeric keypad Use the numeric keypad area to type numbers or to perform basic math calculations. Press the Nu[...]

About the Remote Control 29 About the Remote Contr ol The Media Center remote control is supplied with V AIO Digital Studio® computers that are equ ipped with Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition features. Go to http://www .so ny .com/pcsupport to view the specificatio ns for your computer's hardw are configurat ion. The remote contr[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 30 1M U T E b u t t o n Press to turn off the sound. Press again to restore the sound. 2 Channel number but tons (0-9) Press to select specific channels or enter text. (Press Enter or OK to activate the channel selection.) 3 CLEAR button Use to backspace and delete entered text. 4 REW button Press to mov[...]

About the Remote Control 31 7 Directional arr ow buttons Press the Up, Down, Left, and Right arrow butto ns to move the pointer on the screen. OK button Press OK to select the desired action or window option. If watching full- screen TV press OK to return to the previous channel. Press OK again to switch between channels. 8 LIVE TV button Press to [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 32 Setting up the remote contr ol Insert two AA batteries (supplied) in to the remote control as shown. Inserting bat teries into the remote control ✍ If your remote control does no t operate properly , you may need to replace the batteries. When your remote control is not being used for extended perio[...]

33 Setting Up Y our Computer Y our computer may not be equipped with all of the har d war e features described in the section. The location of the contr ols, ports, and jacks may vary fr om the illustrations shown. See the online specific ations sheet for your system's specific har dwar e configuration.[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 34 Connecting a Displa y (Monitor) 1 Plug the display’ s cable into the monitor po rt. 2 If necessary , plug the display’ s cable into the rear of the display . T o connect a display ✍ Install your eq uipment so that you can easily reach the power outle t in the event of an emergency . T o connect [...]

Connecting the Speakers 35 Connecting the Speaker s Y our V AIO® computer is supplied with 2-ch annel speakers. Certain models are supplied with a sub-woofer unit or 5.1 speaker systems * . For information abou t supplied accessories, go to the Sony Online Support W eb site at http://www .so ny .com/pcsupport to view your computer ’ s specificat[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 36 2 Insert the yellow plug of the speaker power cable into the DC In jack on the back of the right speaker . 3 Insert the black plug of the speaker pow er cable into the DC Out jack located on the back panel of your computer . 4 Insert the mini stereo plug of the cable that is attached to the right spea[...]

Connecting the Speakers 37 2 Insert the mini stereo plug from th e sub-woofer unit’ s cable into the Headphones jack, located on the back panel of your com puter . 3 Plug the sub-wo ofer unit’ s power co rd into a grounded AC wall outlet or power strip. ✍ Y ou can also plug the sub-woofer’ s mini stereo plug into the headphones jack located[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 38 Connecting 5.1 (6-Cha nnel) Speaker Systems Certain V AIO ® computers that are co nfigured-to-order (CTO), are supplied with a 5.1 speaker system, or you may wish to use your 5.1 (6-chann el) speaker system. Speaker configura tion can vary , dep ending on the speaker components used. T o set up the s[...]

Configurin g Software f or Y our Speaker System 39 Configuring Software f o r Y our Speaker System When using 5.1 (digital or analog) speaker systems, certain softw are programs require setting changes to enable proper audio performance. Configuring RealT ek® Sound Effect Mana g er software For 6 channel-analog speakers 1 Click St a r t in the W i[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 40 Configuring Media Center software Y our computer ’ s factory default audio settings can be changed using the Media Center Settings feature. Y ou can switch between 2-channel, 6-channel, or S/PDIF output modes. 1 Use the Media Center remote control, your keyboard, or mouse, to start the Media Center [...]

Connecting the Ke yboard and Mo use 41 Connecting the Ke yboard and Mouse 1 Plug the keyboard cable into the keyboard port on the back of the computer . 2 Plug the mouse cable into the mouse port on the back of the computer . T o use an optical mouse An optical mouse requires an ideal surf ace texture in order to provide precision pointing and trac[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 42 Connecting the T elephone and Modem Cables Y our computer is equ ipped with a single modem line jack to co nnect the supplied modem cable to your telephon e wall jack. T o use your wall jack for your telephone and modem lines, pu rchase a “1-to-2” jack adapter device (splitter). T o connect the mo[...]

Connecting the T elephone and Modem Cables 43 T o connect the telephone and modem cables Y our computer has a protective stic ker covering the Ethernet port located on the rear panel. Connect 10BASE-T , 100B ASE-TX, or 1000BASE-T cables to the Ethernet port, depending on your computer’ s Ethernet port specification. Using incorrect cables or a te[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 44 Connecting the P ower Cor ds 1 Plug the power cord in to the back of the computer . 2 Plug both the display and computer power cords into a grounded AC wall outlet or a power st rip. T o connect the power cords[...]

T ur ning On Y our Computer 45 T urning On Y our Computer When you start your system for the first time, your computer may detect new equipment and disp lay a dialog box that prompts you to restart your com puter . Respond to this prompt immediately . 1 Press the power button on the comp uter to turn on the power . 2 Press the power button on the d[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 46 T urning Off Y our Computer Follow these steps when you are ready to turn of f you r computer for an extended period of ti me. T o turn off your computer 1 Click S t art in the W indows® taskbar , then select T urn Off Computer . The T urn Off Computer dialog b ox appears. 2 Select the Tu r n O f f o[...]

47 Setting Up Microsoft Windo ws XP Media Center Edition W e lcome to a new and exci ting experi ence in home entertainment, with your V AIO Digital S tudio® computer and the Micr osoft® W indows® XP Media Center Edition * (Media Center). Y our new computer and the Media Center bring toge ther all of your entertainment so ur ces — TV , VCR, mu[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 48 Micr osoft Windows XP Media Center Edition The Microsoft® W indows® XP Media Center Edition op erating system combines the multimedia features of a personal computer with the convenience of a home entertainment center . Media Center enables you to view , organize, store, and browse your p hotos, vid[...]

Bef o re Y ou Begin Using Media Center 49 Bef ore Y ou Begin Using Media Center There are several tasks to complete befo re you are ready to use Media Center features. Read this checklist before you begin using the Media Center software program, to enable full use of all the features. ❑ Set up your V AIO® Media Center computer , accessories, and[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 50 Setting Up TV Connections The best method of connecting your compu ter , TV mo nitor or display , and TV programming access, is dete rmined by the type of cable service connection available in your home. Y our computer ’ s hardware configuration m ay vary from the illustrations shown in this section[...]

Setting Up TV Conne ctions 51 2 Connect the TV coaxial cable (supplied) to the do uble-connection side of the splitter adapter . Connect the other end to th e VHF/UHF port on the back panel of your computer . 3 Connect a third TV coaxial cable (optional) to the double-connection side of the splitter adapter . Connect the other end to the VHF/UHF po[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 52 Connecting to a standar d antenna (air) system Y ou can connect your computer to an indoor/outdoo r antenna system, using Option 1 or 2 from the prev ious section, “Connecting to standard cable access (CA TV)” on page 50. The antenna system in your home may require a VHF/UHF RF combiner/transforme[...]

Setting Up TV Conne ctions 53 Option 2 1 Connect both ends of the antenna’ s twin lead cable to the screw-type grips on the combiner/transformer . 2 Connect the TV coaxial cable (supplied) from the combiner/tra nsformer to the VHF/UHF port on the back panel of your com puter . Connecting a Cable or Satellite Set-top Bo x Y ou can connect your com[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 54 2 Connect a second TV coaxial cable (op tional) to the Out jack on you r set-top box. Connect the other en d to the single -connect ion end of a splitter adapter (optional). 3 Connect a third TV coaxia l cable (supplied) to the double-connection end of the splitter adapter . Connect the other end to t[...]

Setting Up TV Conne ctions 55 2 Connect a second TV coaxial cable (opti onal) to the Out jack on your set-top box. Connect the other end to the VHF/UHF po rt on the rear of your TV monitor or display . 3 Connect one end of a stereo A/V dubbing cable with triple RCA plugs (optional) to the V ideo Out and Audio-OUT (L/R) jacks on the back p anel of y[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 56 Connecting the Remote Sensor and Remote Sensor Contr ol The remote sensor communi cates with the Media Ce nter remo te control, enabling you to change channels and to perform other functions. If you are using a cable or satellite set-top box, you can connect the remote sensor control to th e remote se[...]

Connecting the Remo te Sensor and Remote Sen sor Control 57 T o connect the remote sensor contr ol 1 Plug the remote sensor contro l’ s cable into either jack (1 or 2) located on the back of the remote sensor . ✍ When you attach t he remote control sensor to a cable or satellit e set-top box, you can control the set-top box functions with your [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 58 2 Place the remote sensor control abov e the set-top box’ s infrared port. 3 Attach the double-sided adhesive tape to the top of the set -top box. 4 Press the remote sensor control onto the tape, ensuring that the front edge extends over the front of the box, as shown in the following illustration .[...]

Setting Up Additional Equi pment 59 Setting Up Additional Equipme nt This section illustrates how to connect add itional equipment with your V AIO Digital Studio® computer . Y our computer has both audio and video connection capability . Y ou can locate the appropriate connections on the back panel or behind the lower bottom panel on the front of [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 60 Connecting a stereo A/V d ubbing cable 1 Connect a stereo A/V dubbing cable with triple RCA plugs at each end (optional) directly into the composite video port, compos ite audio L and R jacks, located on either the front or back panel of your computer . 2 Connect the other ends of the stereo A /V dubb[...]

Using Media Center 61 Using Media Cent er Y ou can start Media Center and switch between the dif ferent functi ons by pressing a button on the remote control * , using you r computer ’ s keyb oard, or clicking the mouse. Y ou can also record TV , watch videos, pl ay music, and use other software programs. Starting Media Center using the remote co[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 62 About the Media Center Start menu Y ou can use Start menu to explore Media Center , switch screens, locate controls, and start functions. Media Center S tart 1 Media Center S tart Returns Media Center to the S tart menu. 2B a c k Returns Media Center to the previous win dow . 3 Media Center Help Start[...]

About the Media Center Star t menu 63 5 Maximize Enlarges the view to full-screen mode. 6C l o s e W i n d o w Closes Media Center . 7 Play DVD Plays a DVD movie. Online Spotlight Displays links to online media and i nformation services. My V ideos Plays and sorts home vid eos. My Pictures Displays and s orts digital images an d slide shows. My TV [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 64 Exploring Media Center Selected items, such as fo lders, fi les, or menu options, are outlined with a green border . ❑ Use the arrow buttons on the remote contro l to select an item, and then press OK to activate your selection. ❑ T o switch between inset window and fu ll screen modes, use the arr[...]

Explori ng Media Center 65 Media Center — Media Playback Cont rols 1 Channel Up and Down Changes the TV channel up (+) or down (-). 2 Play/Pause Plays the selected media. Press Pause to pause playback. (Press Pause again to resume playback.) 3S t o p Stops playback of selected media. 4 Record Records TV programs, storing them on the hard disk. 5 [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 66 Star ting the Media Center Setup Wizar d The setup wizard requires you to provide certain information abou t your equipment and home environment. T o make the setup process easier , be prepared to: ❑ Log on to W indows® operatin g system as the administrator . For more information, go to the V AIO [...]

Star ting the Media Center Setup Wizard 67 Using the setup wizar d The first time you start th e Media Cent er , a setup wizard ap pears. Follow the steps in Media Center setup wizard to properly activate an d configure Media Center . The set up wizard tests your remote control, configures yo ur Internet connection and TV broadcast signal, an d set[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 68 ❑ Check Remote Control — The Media Center uses this interactive step to verify that the remote control is communicating with the rem ote sensor . The LED on the remote control blinks when a button is pressed. Media Center - Check Y our Remote Control ✍ Verify that you r remote control has two AA[...]

Star ting the Media Center Setup Wizard 69 ❑ Set up Internet Connection — The Media Center setup wizard uses an active Internet connection to set up and update your local T el evision Program Guide. If you have already es tablish ed an Internet connection, you are asked to choose a download method. Select the appropriate downlo ad option, and f[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 70 ❑ Set up T elevision Signal — The Media Center setu p wizard verifies that your computer is receiving the corr ect TV signal and local TV Program Guide. If you are using a cable or sa tellite set-top box, this step programs your remote to the box, enabling you to view premium channels. Media Cente[...]

Star ting the Media Center Setup Wizard 71 ❑ Set up T elevision Program Guide — The Media Center setup wizard enables your computer to automatically connect to the Internet to update your T elevision Program Guide. The Gu ide displays available channels, network, and prog ram information. The message, No data available is displayed in the T ele[...]

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73 T roub leshooting This section describes how to tr oubleshoot common pr oblems. Y ou can also find helpful information on other tr oubleshooting topics in the online V AIO® Computer User Guide . My computer does not start. ❑ V erify that the computer is plugged into a power sour ce and that it is turned on. Check that the power indicator is l[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 74 What can I do if m y computer or software stop respo nding? Y ou can try to locate and close the software program that has stopped responding. 1 Press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys. T he Windows T ask Manager window appears. 2 From the Applications tab, locat e the software program that has the status mess[...]

75 Suppor t Options Sony pr ovides several options to help solve common problems or to locate support for your V AIO® computer . This section describes all available r esour ces and offers suggestions on how to access this information for maximum r esults. Immediate Help and Suppor t Y ou can locate helpful informati on immediately by consulting y[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compute r Quic k Star t 76 ❑ Preinst alled softwar e Help files — Each preinstalled software program provides online Help within the software, that describes the soft ware’ s features. In these Help files, you can find tutorials that t each you to use the software and locate troubleshoo ting support, should problem s occu[...]

Resources for Additional Help and Suppor t 77 ❑ An automated tuto rial library that c ontains interactive, easy-to-understand lessons on using your computer ’ s ha rdware and software features. ❑ Links that enable you to: ❑ quickly find the nearest So ny service center locations. ❑ arrange for repairs or check repair status. ❑ review wa[...]

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V AIO Homepage http://www .vaio .net © 2004 Sony Electronics Inc. Printed in USA 2-159-779-01 F or customer support info r mation, go to: http://www .sony .com/pcsuppor t[...]