Sony VGN- FS Series manual

N User Guide VG N - F S S e r i e s[...]

2 nN Contents Read this first .................... ............ ............. .................... ............. ................... ............. .. ........... ............. ............. ............. ........... 5 Notice ................... ............. ................... ............. .................... ............. ................... ..[...]

3 nN Connecti ng peri pheral devi ces............. ................... ............. ............. ................... ............. ........ ............ ............. ............. ......... 62 Connecti ng a port re plicator .... .................... ............. ................... ............. ................... ........... .. ..............[...]

4 nN Precauti ons ................ ............. ................... ............. ............. .................... ............ .......... ... .................... ............. ................... . 130 On hand ling the h ard disk . ................... ............. ............. .................... ............ .................... .... .....[...]

5 nN Read this fir st Read this first Notice © 2005 Son y Cor poration . All right s reser ved. This ma nual and t he soft ware descr ibed her ein, in wh ole or i n part, ma y not be r eproduc ed, transla ted, or reduce d to any machine-r eadable fo rm without pr ior writte n approv al. Sony Cor poration provides no warra nty with reg ard to thi s[...]

6 nN Read this fir st E NERGY S TAR As an E NERGY S TA R Partne r, Sony has deter mined tha t this pr oduct mee ts the E NERGY S TA R guid elines fo r energ y effici ency. The Inter national E NERGY S TAR Offic e Equipme nt Program i s an interna tional program tha t promo tes energ y saving thr ough the us e of compute rs and th eir office equipm [...]

7 nN We l c o m e We l c o m e Congratul ations o n purch asing a Sony V AIO comp uter. So ny ha s comb ined lea ding-edg e tec hnology in au dio, video , com puting an d commu nication s to provid e you with state -of-the-ar t personal computin g. Here are the main fe atures y ou can en joy: ❑ Exceptional perf ormance . ❑ P ortabi lity – The[...]

8 nN We l c o m e Documentation pack Your doc umentatio n pack contain s printe d informati on and u ser guides to read on your V AIO co mputer. Guides are provi ded in PDF format, which yo u can eas ily br owse thro ugh and pr int out. The My Info Centre portal is a perfect s tarting poi nt to using your VAIO comp uter - a com prehens ive collec t[...]

9 nN We l c o m e Printed documentation ❑ A Specifications sheet, cont aining a ta ble of specifi catio ns, a list of bundled software, an overv iew of all connec tors an d, on the rev e rse side, a gui de to sett ing up your V AIO comput er . ❑ T roubleshoot ing Guide , where you will find soluti ons to co mmon p roblems. ❑ Recovery Guide , [...]

10 nN We l c o m e In My Inf o Centre you c an also find: Fur the r s ourc es 1 Go to Start > Help and Support for V AIO s uppor t inf or mation as well as tips and tricks. 2 Consult the Online He lp files of the software you are u sing for detailed i nf or matio n on features and t roubleshooting. 3 Go to www .club-vaio.c om to fin d onli ne tu[...]

11 nN We l c o m e Ergonomic considerations You will be using your co mputer as a por table dev ice in a varie ty of en vironm ents. Whe never po ssible , you s hould attempt to t ak e account o f the fol lowing er gonomic consid erations to both s tationary a nd por table env ironmen ts: ❑ P os ition of y our computer – Place the comput er dir[...]

12 nN We l c o m e ❑ Lighting – Choose a loca tion wher e windows and ligh ts do not cr eate glare and reflec tion on the disp lay . Use in direct li ghting to av o id br ight spots on the di splay . Y ou can a lso pu rchase ac cesso ries for y our di splay that he lp redu ce glar e. Proper l ighting a dds to your comfor t an d work eff ectiven[...]

13 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Usin g y our V AI O comput er Once y ou have r ead and follow ed the inf ormation in th e printe d Specifications sheet, you c an sta rt usin g your co mputer safely and confid ently . Read on to ge t the mo st out of using you r VAIO co mputer . ❑ Connecting a pow er source (page 14) ❑ Setting the pass word (p[...]

14 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Connecting a power source You can u se eit her an AC adapter o r a rechar geable b attery pa ck as a power so urce. Using the A C adapter To use the A C adapte r, proceed as follow s: 1 Plug on e end o f the power cord (1) into th e AC adapter . 2 Plug th e other en d of the pow er cor d into an AC outlet (2). 3 Pl[...]

15 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using the batter y pac k The batter y pack suppli ed with yo ur compu ter is n ot fully char ged at the ti me of p urchase. Insta lling t he bat ter y pac k To insta ll the bat tery pack , proceed as follo ws: 1 T ur n off your computer a nd clos e the LCD . 2 Slide the lock le ver (1) to the UNLOCK positio n. 3 Sl[...]

16 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Chargi ng the b attery pack To charge the batt ery pack, proceed as follows: 1 Install the batter y pack. 2 Connect the AC adapter to th e computer. The c omputer a utomatica lly ch arges the batter y (the batt er y in dicator flashes in a double b lin k patter n as the batter y charges) . Battery indicator status [...]

17 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter ✍ When the batte r y is runn ing ou t of powe r , both t he bat ter y and p ower indi cato rs blin k. Keep the ba tter y pack in stalled in the compu ter while i t is directl y connect ed to AC power . Th e batter y pac k continues t o charg e whi le you are usin g the comput er . If the battery level falls below[...]

18 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Remo ving the bat ter y pac k To remove the batt ery pac k, proceed as follo ws: 1 T ur n off your computer a nd clos e the LCD . 2 Slide the lock le ver (1) to the UNLOCK positio n. 3 Slide and hold th e release l ev er (2 ) and sl ide the batter y pa ck a wa y from t he compute r . ✍ Y ou may lose data if you r[...]

19 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Setting the pass word Use one of t he BIO S functions to set the pass word. Once you have set the pa ssword, y ou will have to en ter the pass word after the VAIO lo go appears. In thi s way, you can protec t y our comput er from una uthorize d acces s. ! Y ou cannot start you r computer with out entering the passw[...]

20 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Changing/remo ving the pass word To change o r remov e the pass word, proc eed as fo llows: 1 T ur n on your computer . 2 Press F2 when the V AIO logo appears. The BI OS setu p screen ap pears. If not, press F2 several times. 3 Enter t he current passw ord for Enter Passw ord : 4 Use < or , to sele ct Security t[...]

21 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Setting up your computer with V AIO Control Center The VAIO Control Center util ity allo ws yo u to cons ult sys tem inf ormation and sp ecify pre ferenc es for sy stem beha viour. To use VAI O Control Ce nter, proce ed as follows : 1 Click the Start b utton on the Windows taskbar . 2 In All Programs , c lic k V AI[...]

22 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Shutting down y our compu ter saf ely It is impo rtant that you shut down your computer properl y so you do not los e unsaved data. To shut d own your computer , proce ed as foll ows: 1 T ur n off any peri pherals c onnected to your compu ter . 2 Click the Start b u tton. 3 Click T urn Off Compute r . The T urn off[...]

23 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using the k eyboard Your ke yboard i s very simil ar to a de sktop co mputer 's, but has addi tional ke ys that p erform m odel- specifi c tasks. For more infor mation on the standar d keys, see Windo ws Help and Support Center . The VA IO-Lin k websit e ( www.va io-link.com ) also cont ains glos sary infor ma[...]

24 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter ✍ Some fu nctions are n ot avail able unt il Windows is launched . <Fn> + (F 10) : zoom Changes the screen resolution to magnify/restore the screen view . ✍ The defa ult reso lutions of the stan dard vie w and the m agnifie d view de pend on th e model as listed be low. For the type of L CD scree n equipp[...]

25 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Indicat ors Indicator F unctions Po w e r 1 Po w e r o n : lights gr een. Standb y mode : flashes umber . Batt ery e Indicates the status of t he batter y . Wireless LAN T urns on when the Wire less LAN is activated. T ur ns off when the W ireless LAN is not activated. Memor y Stick Pro/Duo T urns on when the Me mo[...]

26 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter T roub leshooting t he k eyboard A ke y top h as fallen off ❑ If the Enter ke y , the Caps Lock key , the Ctrl key , the T ab key , the space bar ke y , or the left Shif t ke y f alls of f , replac e the key to p as sho wn bel ow . If any other ke y top falls off, place it back into p osition a nd push i t in fro[...]

27 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter ❑ Space b ar ke y , left Shift key ❑ If any key top other th an the above ke ys falls off, see the figur e below to p lace it back int o positio n. To rep lace a key top Hook the catches (1) on the key top onto the scree n side corners of the key top sup port (2), p lace the key t op back into po siti on, and t[...]

28 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using the touchpad The keyboa rd conta ins a cu rsor-poi nting dev ice, yo ur tou chpad (1 ). You can point to , select , drag, and scrol l object s on th e sc reen using the built-i n touchpad . Action Des cription P oint Slide one finger o n the touchpad to plac e the pointer (2) on an item or object. Click Press[...]

29 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using special b uttons Yo ur com pute r is pr ovid ed wi th spe cial but tons t o hel p you use th e com pute r. S1/S2 buttons : By defaul t, the S1 bu tton turns o n and of f the speak er volume and the S2 button toggles th e displa y output b etween th e LCD and external device . You can also link ano ther action[...]

30 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using the optical disc dr iv e Your co mputer is equippe d with a n optical disc dri ve. See th e Specifications sheet for detai ls on your model. To inse rt a dis c, proceed as follo ws: 1 T ur n on the com puter . 2 Press th e eject butt on (1) to op en the d rive. The tray slides out. 3 Place a disc in t he midd[...]

31 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Reading and writing CDs and D VDs* To achiev e optim um performa nce wh en writin g data o n to disc (also ca lled "bu rning") , follow t hese rec ommendat ions: ❑ T o make the data on a disc rea dable on an opti cal disc drive, you need to clo se the se ssion wh en you eject i t. T o com plete thi s pr[...]

32 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Pla ying D VDs To achiev e optimum performa nce when p laying D VDs, you sh ould fo llow thes e recommen dations. ❑ Y ou can p la y D VDs using the optical disc dr ive and the V AIO Zone software. See the help file on the V AIO Zone software f or deta ils . ❑ Close a ll open ap plications before pla ying a D V [...]

33 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter T roub leshootin g the optical d isc driv e My opti cal dis c dr ive tra y does n ot open ❑ Make sure the c omput er is tur ned o n and p ress the di sc ejec t button*. ❑ Go to Start > My Computer . Rig ht-click the o ptical di sc dr ive and selec t Eject . ❑ Make sure the c omput er is not i n Stan dby or[...]

34 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter I cann ot p la y a D VD ❑ If a reg ion code warnin g appea rs when you are using your D VD player , it coul d be that th e D VD you are tr y ing to play is incomp atible with the o ptical d isc dr ive on your compu ter . T he regio n code is listed on the packaging of the di sc. ❑ Change th e resol ution under [...]

35 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter I canno t pla y a D VD whe n using two scr eens ❑ Y ou will not hav e a problem i n the following situa tions: ❑ When you use a CRT or an LCD disp lay on its own. ❑ When you play MPEG file s whi ch are rec orded on the hard d isk dr ive with Windows M edia P layer 10 or V AIO Zone . The re ading speed o f CD/[...]

36 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using PC Cards Your VA IO compu ter is equi pped with a PC Card s lot. PC Ca rds all ow you to c onnect p ortable e xternal dev ices. You do not need to shut do wn your com puter bef ore ins erting or removing a PC Ca rd. Inser ting a PC C ard To inse rt a PC Car d, proc eed as fol lows: 1 Inser t the PC Card i nto[...]

37 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter ✍ Some dev ices may not fu nction pro perly if you repe at returni ng to Normal mod e from Sta ndby mode or Hibernate mode. The comp uter will retu rn to its orig inal st ate if you restart it. Make sure you use the most rece nt softw are driver provided by the PC Card man ufacturer . If an "!" ma rk ap[...]

38 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Removing a PC Card Follow th e steps b elow to r emove the PC Car d while y our comp uter is on. If it is n ot remov ed properly , your system may not work properly. If you want to remov e a PC C ard when y our comput er is of f, skip step s 1 to 7. To remove a PC Car d, proceed as follo ws: 1 Double-click the Safe[...]

39 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter ✍ If you re move the PC C ard from the computer when it is still turned on, you r system mig ht crash and you might lo se data that yo u did no t save be fore . Before you remove the PC Ca rd, clic k the PC C ard icon on the tas kbar and close t he card. Cl ose any ap plic ations that use the PC Card before remov[...]

40 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using the Memor y Stic k Your VA IO compu ter is d esigned to suppor t the Memor y Stic k. The M emory S tick is a compa ct, porta ble, an d versatil e devic e especia lly design ed for ex changing and shar ing digi tal data wi th compat ible pro ducts, suc h as digi tal came ras and mobile ph ones . Because it is [...]

41 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Inser ting a Memor y Stic k There are two ways you can i nsert a Mem ory Stick in your c omputer: ❑ Using th e Memo r y Stick slot; ❑ Using a PC Card slo t. T o do this, you need an optional PC Card a dapter . You can o nly ins ert on e Memory S tick at a time. To i nsert a Memor y Sti ck usin g the M emory S t[...]

42 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter ! Hold t he Memor y S tick wit h the arrow poin ting in the c orrect direct ion wh en you i nsert it into the slot. T o avoi d damagi ng the com puter or the Mem or y Stick , do not force the Mem ory Stick into t he slot if it does not insert smoothly . ✍ Y ou r computer su pports Mem ory Stick Duo. For mo re inf[...]

43 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using the modem Your VA IO compu ter is equi pped with a n inte rnal mod em. You need to conne ct to a pho ne line to take adv antage of online services and the In ternet , as well as to register your com puter and software o nline, an d to co ntact VAI O-Link. To conne ct a phone line, proceed as follows : 1 Plug [...]

44 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter T roub leshootin g the modem My mo dem does not wo rk or cannot es tab lish a con nection ❑ Check that the phone lin e is plu gged i nto your computer. ❑ Make sure that the mod em is the only device c onnect ed to your phon e line. ❑ Check that the phone line is workin g. Y ou can che ck the line by pluggi ng[...]

45 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter My modem connectio n is slo w Many fact ors infl uence modem connecti on sp eed, incl uding telephone line no ise or c ompatib ility with t elepho ne equi pment (s uch a s fax machin es or othe r modems ). If you think y our modem is not c onnectin g properly to othe r PC-base d modem s, fax ma chines, or your Inte[...]

46 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using Wireless LAN (WLAN) Thanks to S ony's Wir eless LAN (WLAN) , all your digital d evices with built- in WLAN functiona lity com munic ate freely with each ot her through a powe rful networ k. A WLAN is a network in whic h a mobile us er can co nnect to a l ocal area netwo rk (LAN) thr ough a wire less (rad[...]

47 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Communica ting without A ccess P oint (ad- hoc) An ad-ho c netwo rk is a net work in which a lo cal netwo rk is crea ted onl y by the w ireless d evices the mselves , with no o ther cen tr al controll er or Access Point. Each device com municate s direct ly with other devices in the ne twork. You can s et up an ad-[...]

48 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter 8 Select WEP from the Dat a Encrypt ion drop -down box. 9 Dese lect the Th e key is provided for me automat ically option button. Some in f or mati on becom es vis ible. 10 Fill in the Network key *. The ne twork key shoul d be 5 or 13 alphanumer ic characters or 10 or 26 h exadecimal** char acters long. Y ou c an [...]

49 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Communica ting with an A ccess P oint (inf rastructure) An inf rastructu re network is a net work that extends an ex isting wi red local network to wirel ess devic es by p roviding an Acce ss P oin t, for exam ple the Sony Acce ss Point . The Acce ss Poi nt bridge s the wir eless a nd wired L AN and ac ts as a c en[...]

50 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter 5 T ype the Network K ey . If you are usin g the S ony Access P oint , by default, you don't need to enter any enc r yption ke y (WEP/WP A). T o be able to comm unica te , yo u must sel ect th e bo x A llow me to connect to the s elected wireless netw ork, e ven though it is not secure . 6 Click Connect . Afte[...]

51 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using the WiFi protected access (WP A) WPA is a wirele ss secur ity enhan cemen t that allo ws yo u to trans fer data i n a highl y secur e way*. * For more inf or mation on the ac cess point, refer to the documentat ion that came wit h your access point. To use WPA on your compute r, proceed as follo ws: 1 T ur n [...]

52 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Wireless LAN channel selection In a 802.11b /g con figuratio n, channe l 1 to 1 3 can be u sed. (a) With an access p oint ("Infra structure") ❑ The c hannel us ed will b e the chan nel sele cted by the access poi nt. ! For detai ls on how to select the channel that will be used by th e access poin t, re[...]

53 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter T roub leshootin g Wireless LAN I canno t use th e Wireless LAN funct ionalit y Check if the Wir eless LAN switc h is turned on. The Wir eless LAN A ccess P oint an d yo ur compute r cannot commun icate ❑ Check if the Wireles s LAN switch is tur ned on. ❑ Check if the pow er of the Acces s P oint i s tur ned on[...]

54 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter The data tra nsf er speed is slo w ❑ The m aximum co mmunica tion spee d can vary d ependi ng on the obstacl es or t he distan ce be tween the communica tion d e vices, the radio wa ves, the ope rating system o r the soft ware you use. Remov e the ob stacle or m ake the distance between the Access P o int and you[...]

55 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter I canno t use a Wirele ss LAN netw or k Check if the Wireles s Zero Configuration service i s act ive. To check the status of the Wireless Zero Configuration service , proc eed as foll ows: 1 Click St art and then Contr ol P anel . The Contr ol P anel window appea rs. 2 Click the P erforman ce and Maintenance icon [...]

56 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Using pow er sa ving modes When yo u use a battery as the sour ce of powe r for your comp uter, you c an take adv antage of p ower manage ment se ttings to co nserv e battery life . In add ition to th e normal operatin g mode, whi ch allow s you to t urn off sp ecific devices, y our com puter has two di stinct powe[...]

57 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter ✍ If you press the power butt on for more tha n four secon ds, the comp uter will swit ch off aut omaticall y . Y ou will lose any uns aved data. When the com puter is i n Stan dby mode, you canno t ins ert a disc . The comp uter comes ou t of Stan dby mode qu icker t han out of Hibernate mode. Stan dby mode use [...]

58 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter To return to Normal mod e, proceed a s follows: Turn on the compu ter by pres sing the power but ton. The com puter retur ns to its previo us state. ✍ If you pr ess the p ower butto n for more than four seconds, the comput er will swi tch off au tomatically . If y ou do not us e th e AC ad apter for a long peri o[...]

59 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Managing pow er with V AIO P ower Management Power man agemen t helps y ou to set u p power s chemes of your com puter that is runn ing on AC powe r or batter ies to s uit your requiremen ts for po wer consum ption. VAIO Po wer Manag ement i s a softwa re appli cation de velo ped excl usivel y for VA IO comp uters.[...]

60 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter Activ ating V AIO P ow er M anagement po wer schemes VAIO Po wer Manag ement pro vides sev eral prede fined power schemes . Each powe r schem e consi sts of a g roup of po wer management setti ngs that ar e desig ned to meet spec ific powe r managem ent goals , rangin g from max imum pow er manage ment to no power [...]

61 nN Using y our V AIO compu ter ✍ If you h ave a co mputer with a mobile CPU (see the prin ted Specificatio ns sheet), a CP U control icon may a ppear on t he taskbar . The CPU c ontrol ico n indicat es the CPU c ontrol status (Pe rform ance, Adap tive, Batt ery L ife, Deg rade). T o m ake the ico n appear , c lick the Advanc ed button on th e [...]

62 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting per i pheral de vices You can a dd functio nality to your c omputer b y using the vari ous ports on you r unit. ❑ Connecting a port replicator (page 63) ❑ Connecting an external disp lay (page 67) ❑ Selecting display mode s (pag e 71) ❑ Using the Multiple Monitors function (pa ge 73) ❑ Con[...]

63 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a por t replicator Your comp uter suppo rts the use of an option al port repli cator. Atta chin g a port replic ator enabl es you to con nect additi onal pe r iphera ls to your com puter, such as a printe r and an e xternal display . ✍ The port repl icator can be powered only with the AC adapter s[...]

64 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Attaching y our computer to the por t replicat or To attach your comp uter to the port re plicator, p roceed a s follows: 1 Disconnec t all per ipherals f rom the c omputer . 2 Plug th e power cord (1) in to the AC adapter a nd an AC outlet. 3 Plug th e cable attached to the AC adapter (2 ) into th e DC In por[...]

65 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices 5 Align the bottom c onnector of the co mputer wi th the conn ector on the por t replic ator and push down until it clicks in to place. ✍ Use the AC adap ter that com es with your computer or the optional Son y adapter . ! Do no t move your co mputer whil e attached to the po rt replicat or , as it may detac[...]

66 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Disconnecting y our computer from the por t replicator ! Make sure to turn off your com puter bef ore discon necting it from the port repl icator to p revent los s of unsaved data. To discon nect your compute r from t he port repl icator, proceed as follows : 1 Lift the comput er a wa y from the por t repli ca[...]

67 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting an e xter nal displa y You can co nnect an external dis play to y our VAIO co mputer. F or exampl e, you can use your com puter with a computer display or a projecto r. ✍ T urn off you r computer an d the perip herals , unplug th e AC adap ter an d the power cord be fore connect ing the external d[...]

68 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a mult imedia computer displa y You ca n connec t a multim edia comp uter d isplay that inclu des buil t-in spe akers and a microp hone ei ther direc tly to y our comp uter or via the op tional port repli cator. To conne ct a mult imedi a computer displ ay, proc eed as fol lows: 1 Plug th e power co[...]

69 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a project or You can c onnect a project or (such as the Son y LCD pro jector) ei ther direc tly to y our compute r or v ia the opti onal por t replicat or. To conne ct a pro jector, p roceed as follows: 1 Connect the power cord (1) of the pr ojector i nto an AC outlet. 2 Plug th e RGB si gnal cable [...]

70 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices T roub leshootin g e xter nal displa ys I canno t use th e Plug and Displ a y function Depending o n the exte rnal dis play or the way i t is con nected, th e Plug and Display function may n ot be availa ble. Use the sh ortcut key wi th the Fn key to sele ct the outp ut destina tion. I cannot disp la y content[...]

71 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Selecting displa y modes Your VA IO compu ter uses e ither the Intel 91 5GM video control ler or t he NVIDIA G eForce G o 6200 v ideo con troller, de pendin g on your mod el. Yo u can sel ect whic h displ ay to be us ed as the primar y monito r when an exter nal disp lay (de sktop mon itor, etc.) is connecte d[...]

72 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Models with t he NVIDIA GeF orce Go 62 00 video cont roller To sele ct a dis play, proceed as follow s: 1 Click the Start , t hen Contr ol Pane l . The Contr ol P anel appears. 2 Click Appearance and The mes , and then s elect Disp la y . The Disp lay P r operti es dialog box appears. 3 Click the Settin gs tab[...]

73 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Using the Multiple Monitors function The Mult iple Moni tors fun ction all ows you to distribu te portio ns of you r deskt op acros s separat e disp lays. F or exampl e, if you have an extern al display attached to the m onitor/VGA connec tor, your c omputer 's LCD and th e externa l display can func tion[...]

74 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Selecting the Mult iple Monitors mode To sele ct the Mul tiple Monitors mo de, pr oceed as follows: 1 Click the Start b utton on the Windows taskbar . 2 Click Contr ol P anel . 3 Click Appearance and The mes . 4 Click the Display icon . 5 Select the Settings tab . 6 Click the mo nitor icon mar ked 2 . 7 Select[...]

75 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Setting the col ours and r esolution f or each displ a y You can s et the d isplay co lour s and re solution for each disp lay that i s part o f multip le monit ors. To set th e display c olours and resol ution for each displ ay, proc eed as fo llows: 1 Click the Start b utton on the Windows taskbar . 2 Click [...]

76 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Customising the m ultiple monitors You can c ustomis e the Mult iple M onitors mo de by cha nging the p osition of the tw o monit ors compr ising the m ultipl e monitor s. To cust omize Mu ltiple Mo nitors mod e, procee d as foll ows: 1 Click the Start b utton on the Windows taskbar . 2 Click Contr ol P anel .[...]

77 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Deactiv ating the Multiple Monitors functi on To deact ivate the Multiple Monito rs functio n, procee d as fo llows: 1 Click the Start b utton on the Windows taskbar . 2 Click Contr ol P anel . 3 Click Appearance and The mes . 4 Click the Display icon . 5 Click the Settin gs tab . 6 Click the mo nitor icon 2 .[...]

78 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting e xter nal speak ers You can e nhance the sound quality of your comput er by conn ecting ex ternal s peaker s. To conne ct external speake rs, pro ceed as follows: 1 Plug on e end o f a speaker cable (1) into the he adphone connect or (2) i on the comp uter . 2 Plug th e other en d of the speaker ca[...]

79 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices T roub leshooting soun d My speakers ar e not pr oducin g sou nd ❑ The b ui lt-in s peak ers ma y be turned off . Pre ss < Fn >+< F2 > or th e S1 button (default assignm ent) to tu r n on the speakers. ❑ The speak er v olu me ma y be tu rned to t he mi nim um. Pres s < Fn >+< F4 > a[...]

80 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting an e xter nal microphone If you need to use a s ound inpu t device , for exa mple to c hat on the In ternet, y ou need to plug i n an externa l micropho ne. To conne ct an ext ernal mi crophon e, proce ed as foll ows: Plug the m icropho ne cable (1) in to the mic rophone c onnector ( 2) m on the com[...]

81 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices T roub leshooting soun d My micr ophone does not w ork If you are using an externa l microph one, ch eck that the micr ophone is plugged into the microp hone conn ector c orrectly . My mi crophone v olume is too h igh or to o lo w Proceed as follo ws to adju st the volum e. 1 Click St art and then Contr ol P a[...]

82 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Only left- channel audio is recor ded with a mo naur al micro phone Proceed as follow s to change the audi o channe l setting . 1 Click St art and then Contr ol P anel . The Contr ol P anel window appea rs. 2 Click Sou nds, Speech, and Au dio Devices and then Sounds and Audio De v ices . 3 Click Vo l u m e und[...]

83 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a Univ ersal Se rial Bus (USB) de vice You can c onnect a USB devi ce (for example , a mous e, floppy disk d rive, key board, pri nter) to your co mputer. USB devi ces a re hot pl ug and pla y devic es. You d o not ne ed to shut down your compute r prior to conne cting the se devic es unle ss the ma[...]

84 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a USB mouse To conne ct a USB mouse, pr oceed as follows : 1 Choose t he USB connecto r (1) you prefer to use. 2 Plug th e USB m ouse cable (2) into the U SB co nnector . Y ou can now use your US B mouse ( 3). ✍ The VAIO USB mouse software d river is pre instal led on your c omput er , therefore ,[...]

85 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a USB fl opp y disk dr iv e As an opti onal e xtra, you c an purc hase a US B floppy disk dri ve and co nnect it to your compute r. To conne ct a USB floppy di sk dri ve, procee d as fo llows: 1 Choose t he USB connecto r y ou p ref er to us e. 2 Plug th e USB f lopp y dis k dr ive cabl e in to the [...]

86 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Inser ting a flopp y disk To inse rt a flopp y disk , procee d as foll ows: 1 Hold the disk ( 1) with the label s ide facing up. 2 Gently push the disk i nto the d rive (2) un til it clicks in to plac e.[...]

87 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Removing a floppy disk To remo ve a flopp y disk , procee d as foll ows: When you hav e finishe d using the flo ppy disk , wait until the LED indic ator (1) tur ns off and then pr ess the eject button (2) to remove the disk. ✍ Before pr essing the ej ect button, make sure tha t the LED indi cator is turn ed [...]

88 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices T roub leshooting f lopp y disks My USB fl oppy disk dr ive cannot wr ite t o a flop p y disk ❑ The fl opp y disk is wri te-prot ected. Disable the writ e-protect feature o r use a f loppy disk that is no t writ e-protec ted. ❑ Check that the disk is p roperl y inser ted into the floppy disk dr ive . ❑ Y[...]

89 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a pr inter You can c onnect a Windows- compati ble pri nter to yo ur comp uter to prin t docu ments. Connecting a printer using t he USB con nector You can c onnect a USB printer compati ble with you r versio n of Windo ws to you r comput er. To conne ct a printer using the USB c onnect or, procee d[...]

90 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a printer using t he printer connector To conne ct a pri nter using the print er co nnector, proceed as follow s: 1 Plug th e pri nter power cord (1 ) into an AC outlet. 2 Plug th e pr inter cable (2) su pplied wi th your pr inter into the pr inte r conne ctor (3 ) on the computer o r the optional p[...]

91 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices T roub leshooting printers ❑ Make sure that the prin ter driver suppor ts Windows XP . Ask th e manufacturer of your pr inter for the dr iver that su ppor ts Windows XP . ❑ The pr inter c onnector on the por t replicat or is inter na lly co nnected to the USB. If your pr inter is conn ected to th e pri nte[...]

92 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices ❑ If the bidirecti onal com munication functions are pr ovided with your pr inter, disabling the fu nctions on your computer may enabl e pr inting . Procee d as follows: 1 Click Star t and then Control P anel . 2 Click the Printer s and Other Hard ware icon. 3 Click the Printers an d Faxes icon. 4 Right-cli [...]

93 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting an i.LINK device Your co mputer in clude s an i.LIN K (IEEE 1394) c onnector, whi ch you c an use to connect to an i .LINK devi ce suc h as a dig ital vid eo camera rec order or to connec t two V AIO compute rs in ord er to cop y, delete or edit file s. The i.LINK connec tor of yo ur compu ter does [...]

94 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting a digital video camer a recorder To conne ct a digi tal video c amera rec order, p roceed as follows: 1 Plug one end of the i.L INK cable (1) into the i.LINK co nnecto r (2) of the computer and the othe r end into the D V In/Out con nect or (3) o n the digi tal video camera recorder. 2 Laun ch D Vga[...]

95 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices ✍ On Sony di gital video camer as, conn ectors labelled DV Out , DV In/Out or i.LINK are i.LINK -compat ible. The Sony digital video camera reco rder is an ex ample; your di gital vid eo camera rec order may ne ed to be connec ted diffe rently . If your digital vi deo camera reco rder includ es a Memor y Sti[...]

96 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices T roub leshooting i. LINK de vices I canno t estab lish an i .LINK con nection betw een tw o V AIO co mputer s ❑ Y ou must have adminis trator ri ghts o n your comput er to be a b le to link the two . ❑ Disconnec t then reconne ct the i.LI NK cable. ❑ If you still have no conne ction afte r waiting for a[...]

97 nN Connec ting periph eral dev ices Connecting to a networ k (LAN) You can c onnect y our com puter to 1 0BASE- T/100BA SE-TX/1 000BA SE-T-type networ ks* vi a an Ether net net work cable . For th e detailed s ettings and devic es neede d to conne ct to th e network , consult y our Network Adminis trator. ✍ The defaul t settin gs make your com[...]

98 nN Customising y our computer Customising your computer The follow ing sectio ns briefly de scrib e how to change the ma in settings of your com puter. Amo ng other thing s, you will lear n ho w to prepare your mo dem for use, how to us e and cu stomi se the loo k of your S ony soft ware and u tilities , etc. ❑ Settin g up your languag e with [...]

99 nN Customising y our computer Setting up your language with Windows XP Prof essional Windows XP Prof essiona l com puters are equipp ed with the Multilingual User Interface (MUI) f eature. It allows you to change t he English operatin g system, s ome softwa re appli cations and the k eyboard layout i nto the lan guage o f your c hoice: Fren ch ,[...]

100 nN Customising y our computer 4 In the Advanced tab of the Regional and Language Options window , sele ct your language from the Language for non-Unicode programs drop-down menu. 5 T o change the langu age of th e Windows me nus, dialog box es and on line hel p files p rovided by Micro soft Wind ows , se lect the Languages tab of the Regional a[...]

101 nN Customising y our computer To chang e the key board la yout, p roceed as follow s: 1 Click St art and then Contr ol P anel . 2 In the Control P anel window , do uble-click the Regional and Language Options icon. If you do not s ee this ico n, click Switch to Classic V iew on the lef t side. 3 In the Languages tab of the Regional and Language[...]

102 nN Customising y our computer Configuring your modem Before you can start using your inte rnal modem (not all modem are built-in), or each time you use your modem while travelling, ma ke s ure that the country of the active location defined in the Phone an d Modem Option s dialog box matches the country you are dialling from. Yo u may no tic e [...]

103 nN Customising y our computer Updating the modem driv er If you need to upda te the mode m driver f or any rea son, pro ceed as foll ows: 1 Click the Start b utton and open Control P anel . The Contr ol P anel window appea rs. 2 Click the Printer s and Other Har dware ic on. The Printer s and Other Har dware window appears. 3 Click the Phone an[...]

104 nN Customising y our computer Setting a Sony wallpaper Your Son y VAIO computer offers you, among many othe r feat ures, a cho ice of wal lpapers. You can c hange the wallpa per, the b ackground of your d esktop, a s many ti mes as y ou lik e. There ar e several VAIO-sp ecific wallpaper s to choos e from. To set an other VAIO wallpape r, procee[...]

105 nN Customising y our computer Installing and updating applications This sec tion expl ains how to instal l, run or un insta ll a soft ware. Furthermo re, you w ill learn how to downl oad the lat est upd ates from ou r websit e. ❑ Installing software (page 10 6) ❑ Changing or remov ing software (page 1 07) ❑ Caution (page 108 ) ❑ Downloa[...]

106 nN Customising y our computer Installing softw are To insta ll bundl ed softwar e from th e suppli ed Reco very D isc or yo ur hard di sk driv e, see th e printed Recover y Guide fo r details. For softwar e bund led with a ccessor ies, che ck first th e installat ion proc edure tha t come s with the access ory. To insta ll other software, use t[...]

107 nN Customising y our computer Changing or remo ving softw are You can r emove or change a softw are applic ation any time y ou like . Before p roceedi ng, clos e the a pplication you wan t to ch ange/ remo ve. To change o r remov e software, p roceed a s follows: 1 F rom the St ar t menu, cli ck Contr ol Panel . The Contr ol P anel window appea[...]

108 nN Customising y our computer Caution Windo ws File protecti on Installi ng a program might overwrite shared s ystem file s such a s dy namic-link libra ries (DLL f iles)* and exec utable files ( EXE file s). When sy stem file s are ov erwritt en, syst em perfor mance be comes unpredic table, programs b ehave erratical ly, and t he oper ating s[...]

109 nN Customising y our computer Downloa ding software Please n ote it is possible to downlo ad the late st upg rades of so ftware for your comp uter fro m our webs ite. To downlo ad the late st upg rades, p roceed a s follows: 1 Go to www .vaio-link.com and choose your la nguage. 2 Select Driver s and Updates and follow the procedur e. ✍ T o in[...]

110 nN Customising y our computer Managing driv ers A driver i s a softwa re enabling you to u se hardw are devi ces. Fo r example, i n order for you to be able to u se a printer , you mus t first install its drive r. Many d rivers, such as the mouse driver, c ome with th e operati ng sys tem. This sec tion ex plains how to instal l, che ck, upda t[...]

111 nN Customising y our computer Installing a driv er For more informati on on (r e)install ing dri vers, see the print ed R ecovery Guid e for details. To insta ll a driv er that is stored on the C : drive, proceed as follows: 1 Go to th e folder C:Drivers . 2 Select the c orrec t f older . If you need to u pdate a modem dr iver , for e xample, [...]

112 nN Customising y our computer 8 Click Finish . Y ou may be asked to res tar t your ma chine. 9 Click Ye s . The d river is instal led. ✍ T o install your device driver , you must log on to yo ur computer as a use r with admin istrator right s.[...]

113 nN Customising y our computer Chec king the dr iv er's installatio n When the c ompute r restart s, check th at the devi ce is wor king proper ly. To check the driv er's ins tallatio n, pro ceed as f ollows: 1 F rom the St ar t menu, cli ck Contr ol Panel . The Contr ol P anel window appea rs. 2 Click P erformance and Maintenan ce . 3[...]

114 nN Customising y our computer ❑ If the This device is wor king properl y m essage is not displ ay ed, t he device is no t worki ng proper ly . Click OK to close the Properties dialog box, then reinstal l the dr iver as follows: ❑ Right-cli ck Uninstall . ❑ When the Confirm Device Removal dialog box appear s, click OK . ❑ Click Ye s and [...]

115 nN Customising y our computer Upda ti ng a dr iver To update the driv er, proce ed as foll ows: 1 Click St art on the tas kbar . 2 Click Contr ol P anel . 3 Click the Printer s and Other Har dware ic on. And then click the device you want to revert. 4 On the Har dwa re tab , click Pr operties . 5 On the Dri ver tab, clic k Update Driver . 6 Fol[...]

116 nN Customising y our computer Uninstalli ng a drive r Leave the d evice con nected to your co mputer whi le unins talling the driver . To unins tall the d river, pr oceed as follows : 1 Click St art on the tas kbar . 2 Click Contr ol P anel . 3 Click the Printer s and Other Har dware ic on. And then click the device you want to revert. 4 On the[...]

117 nN Customising y our computer 8 When t he Confirm Device Remova l dialog bo x ap pears, click OK . The dr iver is uninstal led. ✍ T o uni nstall your d evice d river , you must be l ogged on to your c omputer with administrat or right s.[...]

118 nN Customising y our computer Restoring a drive r System R estor e is a fea ture of Mi crosof t Windows XP that r estores y our com puter to a previo us state, if a pr oblem oc curs, w itho ut losing y our perso nal data fi les. System R estor e monitor s chang es to th e syste m, and it au tomati cally c reates easily identifie d rest ore poi [...]

119 nN Customising y our computer Or: 1 Click St art on the tas kbar . 2 Click My Computer from the menu. 3 Click View system information on the left of the window . 4 Click the Hardware tab , then click Device Manag er . 5 Double-click the option co rrespondi ng to th e device y ou i nstalled , then d ouble-click your de vice. The Pr opertie s dia[...]

120 nN Customising y our computer Downloa ding drivers Note that it i s poss ible to do wnload the latest ve rsions of driver s for your compute r on our web site. To downlo ad the late st driv ers, pr oceed as fo llows : 1 Go to www .vaio-link.com and choose your la nguage. 2 Select Driver s and Updates and follow the procedur e. For more informat[...]

121 nN Upgrading y our V AIO compu ter Upgr ading your V AIO computer Your comp uter and memory modules use hi gh precisio n components and electr onic conne ctors techno logy. To avoid the inval idation of your g uarantee by misha ndling, i t is recom mended that: ❑ Y ou conta ct your dealer to i nstall a new memor y mod ule. ❑ Y ou do not ins[...]

122 nN Upgrading y our V AIO compu ter ❑ Electros tatic Dis charge (E SD) can dama ge memor y modules and othe r compone nts. Install th e memor y mo dule only at an ESD work station. If such a station is not available, do not wor k in a ca r peted area, and do not h andle mate rial s that pr oduce or ho ld static electr icity ( cellophan e wrapp[...]

123 nN Upgrading y our V AIO compu ter Removing and inst alling a memor y module To change o r add a memory mo dule, pro ceed as follows: 1 Shut down your com puter and disconn ect all p erip heral devices. 2 Unplug th e compute r and re mov e the batter y pack. 3 W ait unti l the com puter cools d own. 4 Unscr e w the screw (indic ated by the arro[...]

124 nN Upgrading y our V AIO compu ter 6 Remove the memor y module: ❑ Pul l the t abs in the direct ion of the a rro ws (1). The m emory mod ule is rele ased . ❑ Make sure that t he memo r y modul e tilts up and then pu ll it out in the directi on of the ar row (2). 7 Remove the new memor y modul e from its p ackaging.[...]

125 nN Upgrading y our V AIO compu ter 8 Slide the memor y module i nto the memor y mo dule slot and push it in until it cli cks into place. ! Do not touch any other co mpone nts on th e mother board . Do not dam age th e inner fil m cover eq uipped for module p rotecti on. 9 Replace the me mor y modu le com par tmen t cov er . 10 Tighten th e scre[...]

126 nN Upgrading y our V AIO compu ter Vie wing the amount of memor y To view the amount o f memory, pr oceed a s follows : 1 T ur n on the com puter . 2 Go to V AIO Cont rol Center via the Star t menu. 3 Double-click the Sy stem Inf ormat ion f o lder in the V AIO Control Center window . 4 Double-click the Sy stem Inf ormat ion icon in t he Syst e[...]

127 nN Getting hel p Getting hel p This sec tion de scribes how to ge t help and suppo rt if som ething goes wrong with your c omputer. Sony offer s you many suppor t options for your c omputer. Sony suppor t options See Documentation pack (page 8) for de tails on the printed a nd onl ine docum entation d eliver ed with yo ur compu ter, as we ll as[...]

128 nN Getting hel p e-Suppor t What is e-Suppo r t? You have s earched our user guides and web site ( www.vai o-link.com ) but have not foun d an ans wer to your qu estion/i ssue? e-Su pport is the id eal solu tion for you! Our e-Sup port Web P ortal is an interac tive websi te on whic h you can submi t any techn ical que ry you ma y have re gardi[...]

129 nN Getting hel p Can I submit my questions at an y time? Yes, you c an submi t your qu estions 24/7, but please k eep in mind that our e- Suppor t Team ca n only tr eat your q ueries f rom Monda y till Frid ay between 8am an d 6pm. Is there a cost in volv ed f or using e-Suppor t? No, this i s a complete free of c harge s ervice offe red to all[...]

130 nN Pr ecaut ion s Precautio ns This sec tion de scribes safety guideli nes and pre cautio ns to hel p you pr otect you r comput er from pote ntial d amage. ❑ On handling the har d disk (pag e 131) ❑ On handling the LCD screen (page 132 ) ❑ On using the powe r source (page 133) ❑ On handling yo ur computer (page 134) ❑ On handling flop[...]

131 nN Pr ecaut ion s On handling the h ard disk The hard disk h as a high s torage d ensity and rea ds or writes data in a sh ort time . However , it c an be easily d amaged by mec hani cal vibrati on, shock or dust. Although th e hard disk has the inter nal safety device to preve nt losi ng data due t o mech anica l vibrat ion, shoc k or dust, y [...]

132 nN Pr ecaut ion s On handling the LCD screen ❑ Do not le av e the LCD facing the sun as i t can dama ge the LCD . Be ca reful when using th e computer n ear a window . ❑ Do not sc ratch the L CD or ex e r t press ure on it . This cou ld caus e a malfunc tion. ❑ Using t he compute r in low temp erature c onditions ma y p roduce a r esidual[...]

133 nN Pr ecaut ion s On using the pow er so urce ❑ See the pr inted Specificat ions s heet to c heck the power operation of your V AIO. ❑ Do not sh are th e A C outlet w ith othe r power-consumin g equip ment, suc h as a pho tocopier or shredder. ❑ Y ou can purchase a power strip with a su rge p rotector . This device pre vents dam age to yo[...]

134 nN Pr ecaut ion s On handling your computer ❑ Clean the cabinet wi th a soft c loth, which i s either dr y or ligh tly moisten ed with a mi ld dete rgent soluti on. Do not us e any ty pe of abrasive pad, sc ouri ng powder , or solvent su ch as al cohol or benzin e, as these may damage the fi nish of your computer. ❑ Should you drop a solid [...]

135 nN Pr ecaut ion s ❑ If the co mputer is brought dire ctly from a cold lo cation to a war m on e, moisture may condense i nside your comput er . In this cas e, allow at lea st one hou r before tur ning on your computer . If any p roblems occur , unplug your co mputer and cont act V AIO-Link. ❑ Make sure you disco nnect the power cord before [...]

136 nN Pr ecaut ion s On handling discs ❑ Do not touch the surface of the disc . ❑ Do not dr op or ben d the dis c. ❑ Finge r pri nts and dust on the surface of a disc may cause read errors. Alwa ys hold the disc by its edges and ce ntral hole, as sh own : ❑ Proper ca re of the dis c is essen tial to its con tinuous reli ability . Do not us[...]

137 nN Pr ecaut ion s On using the batter y pac k ❑ Nev er leav e the b atter y pack in tem peratures abov e 60° C (140°F) , such as in a car p ar ked in the sun or under d irect s unlight. ❑ Batter y life is shor ter in a cold e nvironment. Thi s is du e to decr eased batt er y eff iciency a t low temperat ures. ❑ Charge the batter ies a t[...]

138 nN Pr ecaut ion s On using headphones ❑ Road safety – Do not use headp hones whi le dr iving, c ycling, o r operatin g any motor ized vehicle. It may create a traffic hazard and is illega l in so me areas. It c an also be poten tiall y danger ous to pl a y loud music while walkin g, especi ally at pedes tria n cros sings. ❑ Preventing hea[...]

139 nN T rademarks T rademar ks Sony, Ba ttery Check er, Clic k to DVD, D Vgate Plus, HotKey Uti lity, Ke yboard Util ity, Memo ry Stic k Formatter , PictureG ear Stu dio, Prepare your VAIO, SonicSta ge, S onicStage Maste ring S tudio, V AIO Co ntrol C enter, VAIO E dit C omponen ts, VA IO Laun cher, VAIO Media, VA IO Powe r Managem ent, VAIO Syst [...]

140 nN T rademarks All other name s of system s, pr oducts a nd serv ices are t rademar ks of the ir respec tive owne rs. In the manua l, the ™ or ® mark s ar e not specifi ed. Specific ations are subjec t to ch ange withou t notice. All o ther tradema rks are t radem arks of the ir res pective owne rs. Please see the print ed Specif ications sh[...]