Sony VGC-RA700 manual

Desktop Computer V GC-RA700 Ser ies GC-RA700 Ser ies C-RA700 Ser ies -RA700 Ser ies RA700 Ser ies A700 Ser ies 700 Ser ies 00 Ser ies 0 Ser ies Ser ies Ser ies er ies ri e s ies es s Quic k Star t uic k Star t ic k Star t ck S t a r t k Star t Star t Star t tar t ar t rt t[...]

2 Notice © 2004 Sony Electr onics Inc. Reproduction in whol e or in part without written permi ssion is prohibited. All rights reserved. This manual and the so ftware described herein, in whole or in part, may n ot be reproduced, translated, 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 Program is an international program that p romotes ener g y saving through the use o f computers and other office equipment. The program backs the developmen t and dissemination of products w ith functions that effectively reduce ener gy consumption. It is an open system in which business propri[...]

4 Safety Inf ormation and Caution Y our computer ’ s installe d optical drives may vary , depending on th e system configuration you have purchased. See the online specifications sheet for detail s on your installed optical drives. For questi ons regarding your product or for the Sony Service Center n earest you, visit the Sony Onl ine Support W [...]

5 ❑ Pour prévenir tout risque d’incen die ou d’électrocution, garder cet appareil à l’abri de l a pluie et de l’humidité. ❑ Pour prévenir tout risque d’électrocution, ne pas ou vrir le châssis de cet appareil et ne confier son entretien qu’à une personne qualifiée. ❑ Ne jamais effectuer l’installation de fil modem ou t?[...]

6 Regulatory Inf ormation If you have questions about this p roduct, write to Sony Customer Information Service Ce nter at 12451 Gateway Blvd., Ft. Myers, FL 33913, USA, or vi sit Sony Customer Service on the Sony Online Support W eb sit e at http://www .sony.com/pcsupport. Model No.: PCV A-IMB5A (For models equipped with Giga Pocket features) This[...]

7 FCC Pa r t 68 This equipment compli es with Part 68 of the FCC rules an d the requirements adopted by the ACT A. On the m odem 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 provided to the telephone compan y . This modem uses the USOC RJ -1 1 telepho[...]

8 Disposal of Lithium Battery Y ou can return your unwant ed lithium batteries to your nearest Sony Service Center or Factory Service Cen ter . For the Sony Service Center nearest you, call 1-888-476-6972 in the United States or 1-800-961-7669 in Canada. Industry Canada Notice This equipment meets the a pplicable Industry Canada technica l specific[...]

9 Macr ovision Lic ense This product inco rporates copyright protection technology that is protected by U.S. patents an d other intellectual property rights. Use of thi s copyright protection technology must be authorized b y Macrovision, and is intended for home and other limit ed viewing uses only unless otherwise aut horized by Macrovision. Reve[...]

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11 Contents Getting Started ..........................................13 Unpacking your Computer ........................................14 Locating Controls And Ports ...................17 7 About the Front Panel ...............................................18 About the Back Panel ................................................22 About the Sub-[...]

12 Setting Up Microsoft Windows XP Media soft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003 003 ................................... 45 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition ......... 46 Before You Begin Using Media Center .................... 47 Setting Up TV Connections ...................................... 48 Connec t ing the Remote Sensor and Remote[...]

13 Getting Star ted d Congratulations on you r pur ch ase of the Sony V AIO® computer! Y our new , high-performance, multimedia computer combines state-of- t he-art computer functionality with the latest audio, video and information technology featur es.[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 14 Unpac king your 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 online Specifications sheet. *The accessory is available with certai n computer models. [...]

Unpacking your Computer 15 Manuals ❑ V AIO® Computer Quick St art — Provi des basic information on setting up and registering your computer . The Quick Start also provides resources for technical support, safety guidelines and ow ner information. Online Documentation ❑ V AIO® Computer User Guide — Contains features and specifications of y[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 16 Hard Dis k Drive Recovery Y our compu ter is equipped with the V AIO Recovery Wizard utility program that recovers your computer ’ s operating syst em and preinstalled software. For more information about hard disk drive recovery: 1 Click S tart in the W indows® taskbar, then click Help and Support[...]

17 Locating Controls And P or ts And P or ts This section is intended to familiarize you with the contr ols, ports and jacks on your computer and supplied accessories. Y our computer may not be equipped with all of these har dware fe atur es or acce ssories. The location of the contr ols, ports, and jacks may vary fr om the illustrations shown in t[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 18 About the Fr ont P anel The front panel of your V AIO® Computer enables access to drives, media slots, ports and jacks that enable you to connect compatible peripheral 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 1 Optical drive 1 See the online Specifications sheet for optical drive information. 2 Optical drive 2 See the online Specifications sheet for optical drive information. 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-Pictu[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 20 1 1 Floppy disk eject button Ejects a floppy disk from th e floppy disk drive. 12 Memory S tick® media slot Reads and writes data from and to Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Pro™, and Memo ry Stick Duo™ med ia. 13 Secure Digital (SD)/MultiMediaCard™ (MMC) slot Reads and writes data from and to a S[...]

About the F ron t P anel 21 Handling the optical disc drive door s Y our computer 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 push the drive[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter 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 and jacks may vary from the illustration, based on the comp uter model purchased.[...]

About the Back P anel 23 1M o u s e p o r t Connection for a PS/2® mouse. 2 Keyboard port Connection for a PS/2 keyboard. 3 Printer port Connection for a parallel device, such as a printer or scanner . 4 i.LINK 6-pin S400 port (IEEE 1394) Connection and power for a compatible digital device, such as a Sony Digital Handycam® camcorder . 5 Universa[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter 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 oofer 25 About the Sub-w oofer wo ofe r Certain V AIO® computer models are supplied with a sub-woofer unit to enhance your system’ s sound capability . The sub-woofer is compatible with the speakers supplied with your V AIO computer . See the section, “Connecting the Speakers and Sub-woofer Unit” on page 35, for connecting in[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 26 About the Ke yboard This section describes the special and standard fu nctions available for your keyboard. The V AIO® keyboard supplied with your comput er has a standard key arrangement with additional keys and controls that support Microsoft® W indows® XP Media Center Edit ion features. V AIO ke[...]

About the K eyboard 27 MAIL Starts the e-mail software program. HELP Starts the M edia Center Help , if Media Center softw are 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 beginning of the DVD chapter , video track, or audio track. Press twic[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter 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® Wi n dows® XP Media Center Edition features. The remote control can start and stop vi deo recording and playback, select channels, and set viewing preferences. This section desc[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 30 3 CLEAR button Use to backspace and delete entered text. 4 REW button Press to move media backward at two speeds. FF button Press to fast-forward media at three speeds. REPLA Y button Press to move media backward, for example, one audio track, one DVD chapter , and seven seconds of TV or video. SKIP b[...]

About the Remote Control 31 Setting up the remote control Insert two AA b atteries (supplied) into the remote contro l as shown. 10 ST ANDBY button Press to place the computer in S tand by mode to redu ce power consumption. Press any button briefly to resume normal operatio n. 1 1 ENTER button Press to activate a feature or action, such as channel [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 32[...]

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

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 34 Connecting a Displa y (Monitor) pla 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 di splay . T o connect a display ✍ Install your eq uipment so that you can e asily reach the power outlet in the event of an emergen[...]

Connecting the Speakers and Sub-woof er Unit 35 Connecting the Speakers and Sub-w oofer Unit Unit 1 Plug the cable attached to the back of the left speaker into the Speaker(L) jack on the back of the right speaker . 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 [...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 36 Connecting a Sub-w oofer unit Certain V AIO ® computer models are supplied with a sub-woofer unit which require a slightly different setup. Se e your computer ’ s specifications sheet for information about supplied accessories. 1 Insert the mini stereo plug of the cable that is attached to the righ[...]

Connecting the Speakers and Sub-woof er Unit 37 2 Insert the mini stereo plug of the 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 w all outlet or power strip. T o connect the sub-woofer to the computer USB AC Pow e r (wall outlet) S[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 38 Connecting the Ke yboard and Mouse 1 Plug the keyboard cable into the keyboard port on th e back of the computer . 2 Plug the mouse cable into the mous e port on the back of the computer . Using an optical mouse An optical mouse requires an ideal surface texture in order to provide precision pointing [...]

Connecting the T elephone and Modem Cab les 39 Connecting the T e lephone and Modem Cab les Y our computer is equipped with a single modem line jack to connect the supplied modem cable to your telephone wall jack. T o u se your wall jack for your telephone and modem lines, purchase a “1-to-2” jack adapter device (sp litter). Connecting the mode[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 40 4 Insert the plug end of the splitter device into the wall jack. 5 Plug the modem cable into the modem line jack located on the back panel of the computer . T o connect the telephone and modem cables Y our computer has a protective sticker covering the Ethernet port located on the rear panel. Connect [...]

Connecting the Po wer Cords 41 Connecting the P ower Cor ds wer Cor ds 1 Plug the power cord into the back of the computer . 2 Plug both the display and com puter power cords into a grounded AC wall outlet or a power strip. T o connect the power cords[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 42 T urning On Y our Computer When you start your system for the first ti me, your computer may detect new equipment and d isplay a dialog box that prompts you to restart your computer . Respond to this prompt immediat ely . 1 Press the power button on the computer to turn on the power . 2 Press the powe[...]

Registering Y o ur Computer 43 Registering Y our Computer Register your computer and take advantage of Sony’ s commitment to quality customer support and other benefits. ❑ Sony Customer Support — Communicate with a Support Representative to troubleshoot problems you may be having wi th your computer . ❑ Limited warranty — Protect your inv[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 44 About the power b utton If your system stops responding, press and hold the Power button for mo re than six seconds to force your syst em to shut down. Y ou may need to repeat th is procedure if your system does not shut down on the first attempt.[...]

45 Setting Up Microsoft Windo ws XP osoft Windo ws XP Media Center Edition 2003 2003 W elcome to a new and exciting experience in home ente rtainment, with your V AIO Di gital Stud io® computer and the Micr osoft® W indows® XP Media Center Edition * (Media Center). Y our new co mputer and the Media Center bring toge ther all of your entertainmen[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 46 Micr osoft Windows XP Media Center Edition P Media Center Edition The Microsoft® W indows® XP Media Center Editi on operating 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 b[...]

Bef o re Y ou Begin Usi ng Media Center 47 Bef ore Y ou Begin Using Media Center There are several tasks to complete before 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 A IO® Media Center computer , accessories, an[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 48 Setting Up TV Connections ctions The best method of connecting your compu ter , TV mo nitor or display , and TV programming access, is determined by the type of cable service connection available in your home. Y our computer ’ s hardware configuration ma y vary from the illustrations shown in this s[...]

Setting Up TV Conne ctions 49 Option 2 1 Connect one end of a TV coaxial cable (optional) to your cable service access. Connect the other end to the single-connection side of a splitter adapter . 2 Connect the TV coaxial cable (supplied) to the double-connection side of the splitter adapter . Connect the other end to the VHF/UHF port on the back pa[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 50 Connecting to a standar d antenna (air) system Y ou can connect your computer to an indo or/outdoor antenna system, using Option 1 or 2 from the previous section, “Connecting to standard cable access (CA TV)” on page 48. The antenna system in your home may require a VHF/UHF RF combiner/transformer[...]

Setting Up TV Conne ctions 51 T o connect in standard antenna mode (air) ✍ Y our V AIO Digital Studio ® computer is supplied with certain video cables. Depending on your in-home cable access, you may require extra cables, adapters or connection equipment not supplied with your comp uter . Option 1 Antenna system TV coaxial cable (optional) VHF/U[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 52 Connecting a Cable or Satellite Set-top Bo x Y ou can connect your computer to cable or satellite service that requires a set-top box. Option 1 1 Connect one end of a TV coaxial cable (optional) to your cable service access. Connect the other end to the In jack on the back panel of your set-top box. 2[...]

Setting Up TV Conne ctions 53 T o connect in set-top box mo de (Option 1) VHF/UHF IN VHF/UHF OUT TV coaxial cable (optional) Cable service access (wall outlet) Splitter (optional) TV coaxial cable (optional) VHF/UHF port Set-top box TV coaxial cable (supplied) VHF/UHF port TV coaxial cable (opti onal)[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 54 Option 2 1 Connect one end of the TV coaxial cable (supplied) to your cable service access. Connect the other end to the In jack on the back panel of your set-top box. 2 Connect a second TV coaxial cable (optional) to the Out jack on your set-top box. Connect the other end to the VHF/UHF port on the r[...]

Connecting the Remo te Sensor and Remote Sensor Control 55 Connecting the Remote Sensor and Remote Sensor Contr ol The remote sensor communicates with the Media Center remote control, enabling you to change channels and to perfo rm other functions. T o connect the remote sensor 1 Connect the remote sensor unit to a USB port located on either the fr[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 56 T o connect the remote sensor contro l If you are using a cable or satellite set-top box, you can connect the remote sensor control to the remote sensor , which enables yo u to co ntrol the set-top box with the remote co ntrol. 1 Plug the remote sensor control’ s cable into either jack (1 or 2) loca[...]

Connecting the Remo te Sensor and Remote Sensor Control 57 2 Place the remote sensor control above the set-top box’ s infrared port. 3 Attach the double-sided adhesive tape to th e top of the set-top box. 4 Press the remote sen sor control onto the tape, ensurin g that the front edge extends over the front of the box, as shown in the follo wing i[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 58 Setting Up Additi onal Equipment This section illustrates how to conn ect additional equipment with your V AIO Digital Studio® computer . Connecting device s with an audio cable Y our computer has bo th audio and video connection capability . Y ou can locate the appropriate connections on the back pa[...]

Setting Up Additional Equi pment 59 Connecting devi ces with a stereo A/V dubbing cable 1 Connect a stereo A/V dubbing cable with triple RCA plugs at each end (optional) directly into the composi te video port, composite audio L and R jacks, located on either the front or b ack p anel of your computer . Match jack and plug colors. 2 Connect the oth[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 60 Connecting a TV monitor (displa y) 1 Connect the video connector end of the video cable adapter * (supplied) to the TV Out (S-video/video ) jack on the back panel of your computer . 2 Connect the jack end of the video cable adapter to either end of a video cable (optional). Connect the other end of th[...]

Using Media Center 61 Using Media Center Y ou can start Media Center and switch between the dif ferent functions by pressing a button on the remote control * , using you r computer ’ s keyboard, or clicking the mouse. Y ou can also record TV , watch videos, play music, and use other software programs. Starting Media Center with the remote control[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 62 About the Media Center Start menu bout the Media Center Star t men u 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 [...]

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 inform ation services. My V ideos Plays and sorts home vid eos. My Pictures Displays and s orts digital images and slide shows. My TV P[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 64 Exploring Media Center Selected items, such as folders, files, or menu options, are outlined with a green border . ❑ Use the arrow buttons on the remote control to select an item, and then press OK to activate your selection. ❑ T o switch between inset window and full screen modes, use the arrow k[...]

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 Compu ter Quic k Star t 66 Starting the Media Center Setup Wizard 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 He[...]

Star ting the Media Center Setup Wizard 67 Using the setup wizar d The first time you start the Media Center, a setup wizard appears. Follow the steps in Media Center setup wizard to properly activate and configure Media Center . The setup wizard tests your remote con trol, configures your Internet connection and TV broadcast signal, and sets up th[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter 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 remot e control has two A[...]

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 elevision Program Guide. If you have already established an Int ernet connection, you are asked to choose a download method. Select the appropriate downlo ad option, and fol[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 70 ❑ Set up T elevisi on Signal — The Media Center setup wizard verifies that your computer is receiving the correct TV signal and local TV Program Guide. If you are using a cable or satellite set-top box, this step programs your remote to the box, enabling you to view premium channels. Media Center [...]

Star ting the Media Center Setup Wizard 71 ❑ Set up T elevision Pr ogram Guide — The Media Center setup wizard enables your computer to automatically connect to the Internet to update your T elevision Program Guide. The Guide 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 ting 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 source and that it is turned on. Check that the power indicator i[...]

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter 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 st opped responding. 1 Press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys. T he W indows T ask Manager window appears. 2 From the Applications tab, locate the s oftware program that has the status me[...]

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

V AIO Digital Studio Compu ter Quic k Star t 76 ❑ Preinst alled software Hel p fi les — Each preinstalled soft ware program provides online Help within the software, that describes the soft ware’ s features. In these Help files, you can find tutorials that teach you to use the software and locate troubleshoo ting support, should problems occu[...]

Resources for Additional Help and Suppor t 77 ❑ An automated tutorial library that contains interactive, easy-to-understand lessons on using your computer ’ s hardware and software features. ❑ Links that enable you to: ❑ quickly find the nearest Sony service center locations. ❑ arrange for repairs or check repair status. ❑ review warran[...]

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V AIO Homepage http://www .vaio .net © 2004 Sony Electronics Inc. Printed in USA 2-055-276-01 F or customer support information, go to: http://www .sony .com/pcsuppor t[...]