Sony VGN-BX500 manual

N User Guide P ers onal Computer V GN-BX500 Series[...]

2 nN Cont ents Before Use ................. ................... ................... .................... ................... ................... .... ......... .................... ................... ....6 Documenta tion ................. .................... ................... ............. ................... .................... ...... .......[...]

3 nN Using P eripheral Devic es . ................... .................... ................... ................... .................... ..... .............. .................... ........7 1 Using the Optical Disc Dr ive ......... .................... ................... ................... .................... ................... ..................[...]

4 nN Precauti ons ................ ................... ................... .................... ................... ................... .......................... .................... ......13 9 On Handling the LCD Sc reen .............. ................... .................... ................... ................... .......... ... ................[...]

5 nN Pointing Device .... ................... ................... .................... ................... ................... ............ ........ ................... ............. 188 Keyboard ....... ................... .................... ................... .................... ................... ............... ................. ..........[...]

6 nN Befo re Use Bef ore Use Congrat ulations on your purchase o f this Sony VAIO ® comp uter, and wel come to th e on-screen U ser Guide . Sony ha s combin ed leadin g-edge te chnology i n audio, v ideo, compu ting, an d commun ications to provide s tate-of-the- art perso nal computi ng. Docume ntation Your d ocumentat ion incl udes print ed info[...]

7 nN Befo re Use Non-printed Documentation ❑ User Guide (this manual) — Contains f eatures of your compute r . It al so incl udes inform ation a bout the so ftware programs inc luded with your computer , as well as inf or mation o n solving c ommon problems. ❑ Specificati ons — The online Speci fications des cribe the hardware and software [...]

8 nN Befo re Use Ergonomic Considerations You wil l be using y our co mputer as a p ortable device in a variety o f enviro nments. When ever poss ible, you s hould atte mpt to take account o f the follo wing ergonom ic consid erations to both stati onary and p ortable env ironmen ts: ❑ P osition of y our computer – Place the co mputer di rectly[...]

9 nN Befo re Use ❑ Viewing angle of the computer's displa y – Use the display's tilti ng f eature to find the best posi tion. Y ou can reduce ey e strain and mus cle fatigue by adjusting the tilt of the display to the proper position. A djust the br ight ness settin g of the displ ay a s well. ❑ Lighting – Choose a lo cation whe r[...]

10 nN Getting Started Getting Star ted This section describe s how to ge t started with using your VAIO com puter. ❑ Locating Controls and P or ts (page 11) ❑ About the Indicator Lights (page 18) ❑ Connecting a P ow er Sour ce (page 19) ❑ Using the Battery P ack (page 21) ❑ Shutting Down Y our Computer Safel y (page 27)[...]

11 nN Getting Started Locating Cont rols and P or ts Take a moment to identify the control s and ports shown on t he following pages. ! The follo wing illus trations may app ear differen t from your mode l, depend ing on the LCD size as well as the cou ntry o r area of y ou r residency.[...]

12 nN Getting Started F ront A Built-in MO TION EYE ca mera *1 (page 37) B LCD s creen (pag e 140) C P ointing s tick (page 34) D Key b o a r d (page 2 9) E P ow er bu tton F T ouch pa d (page 33) G Speaker H WIREL ESS s witch (page 54) I Bluetoot h indicator *1 (pag e 18) J WLAN (Wireless LA N) indicator (page 18) K SD card slot (pag e 50) L Media[...]

13 nN Getting Started A CAMERA OFF indica tor * (page 18 ) B CAMERA OFF button * (pag e 37) C Mute indi cator ( page 18 ) D Mute b utton (page 36) E S1 / S2 b uttons (page 36) F Num lock indicator (p age 18) G Caps loc k indicator (page 1 8) H Scroll loc k indicator (page 1 8) I Finger pr int sensor See the printed S ecurit y Features G uide for mo[...]

14 nN Getting Started Bac k A Ne twor k (Eth er net ) por t (page 114) B Modem port (pag e 52) C Batter y conn ector ( page 21) D DC In port (pa ge 19)[...]

15 nN Getting Started Right A PC Car d ej ect b utton (page 43) B PC Card slot (page 43) C i.LINK ® (IEEE1394) S400 p ort (page 112 ) D Hi-Spee d USB (USB 2.0) po rt * (p age 107 ) E Mon ito r (V GA ) por t (page 96 ) * Suppor ts high-/fu ll-/low- spe eds.[...]

16 nN Getting Started Left A Secur ity slot B Microp hone jack (page 106 ) C Headp hones jack (page 94 ) D Air vent E Multi f unction bay (page 38) F Multi fun ction bay unit eject button (pag e 38)[...]

17 nN Getting Started Bottom A Air vent B RELEASE latch (page 26 ) C LOCK / UNLO CK s witch (pa ge 21) D Multi fun ction bay docking station con nector (pag e 84)[...]

18 nN Getting Started About the Indicator Lights Your c omputer is equipped with the fol lowing i ndicator l ights. Indicat or Functions Po w e r 1 Illuminates when the power of the computer is on, b links in Standby mode, and turns off when the computer is in Hibernate mode or off. Batt ery e Illuminates when the c omputer is using batter y power [...]

19 nN Getting Started Connecting a P ower Source You ca n use eith er an AC ada pter or a r echargeabl e battery pa ck as a powe r source for your comp uter. Using the A C Adapter ✍ Use the comp uter only with the suppl ied AC adapter . To use t he AC adap ter 1 Plug on e end of the pow er cord (1) int o the AC adapter . 2 Plug the other end of t[...]

20 nN Getting Started ✍ T o disc onne ct the compu ter comp letely from AC power , unplug th e AC a dapter . Make sure that the AC outlet i s easily acce ssible. If you do no t use the AC adapter for a lo ng period of time , put the comput er into Hibern ate mode. See Using Hibern ate Mode (p age 128) . This p ower saving mo de saves you t he tim[...]

21 nN Getting Started Using the Batter y P ac k The ba ttery pack supplied wi th your co mputer is n ot fully c harged a t the time o f purchase . Installing the Battery P ac k To install th e batter y pack 1 T ur n off the compute r and clos e the LCD s creen lid. 2 Slide t he LOCK/UNLOCK s witch ( 1) on the botto m of the co mputer to the UNLOCK [...]

22 nN Getting Started 3 Slide the batter y diagonally into the batter y comp ar tment until the p rojection (2) at eithe r side o f the batte r y compar tm ent fits int o the U-shape d cut (3) on th e respecti v e side of the batter y . 4 Rotate the batter y in the direction of the arrow , a nd push th e batter y down into the compar tme nt until i[...]

23 nN Getting Started 5 Slide t he LOCK/UNLOCK s witch to the LOCK positi on to secure t he batter y on t he compute r . ✍ When the com puter is di rectly connect ed to AC power and ha s a battery pack installed , it uses power from t he AC outlet. ! This com puter i s designe d to operat e only wit h genuin e Sony bat teries.[...]

24 nN Getting Started Charging the Batter y P ack The ba ttery pack supplied wi th your co mputer is n ot fully c harged a t the time o f purchase . To charge th e battery pack 1 Install the batter y pack. 2 Connect t he A C ada pter to the co mputer . The co mputer au tomatica lly charg es the batter y (the batter y indicator light flas hes in a d[...]

25 nN Getting Started ✍ When th e batter y is run ning out o f power , both the b atter y and powe r indicat or lights blink. Keep the b atter y pack in the com puter whi le it is direct ly connect ed to AC power . The batte ry pack c ontinues t o charge whil e yo u are usi ng the compu ter . If the batter y level falls bel ow 10%, yo u should ei[...]

26 nN Getting Started Removing t he Battery P ac k ! Y ou may lose data if yo u remove the batter y pack whil e the computer is on and not connect ed to the AC adapter or if yo u remove the batter y while t he comput er is in Stand by mode. To remove the b attery pack 1 T ur n off the compute r and clos e the LCD s creen lid. 2 Slide t he LOCK/UNLO[...]

27 nN Getting Started Shutting Down Y our Computer Saf ely To av oid losi ng unsaved data, be su re to sh ut down you r computer properly , as descr ibed belo w. To shut dow n your com puter 1 T ur n off any peri pherals conn ected to th e computer . 2 Click St art and then T urn Off Compute r . The T urn off computer window appears. 3 Click Tu r n[...]

28 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using Y our V AIO C omput er This se ction desc ribes how to get the mo st out of usin g your com puter. ❑ Using the K eyboar d (page 29) ❑ Using the P ointing Device (page 33) ❑ Using Special-function But tons (page 36) ❑ Using the Built-in MOT ION EYE Camera (page 37) ❑ Using the Multi Function Bay (pag[...]

29 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the K eyboard Your k eyboard i s very simi lar to a des ktop co mputer keyb oard, but has addi tional keys that per form model- specific tasks. For mor e informati on on the stan dard keys, s ee Help and Support Center and click on the Customizing your computer link .[...]

30 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Combinations and Fun ctions with the Fn K e y ✍ Some fu nctions are no t availabl e until Windo ws is launch ed. Combinat ions/Feature Functio ns Fn + F1 : wireless swit ching * T oggles between B luetooth and Wireless LAN functionalities. Fn + 2 (F3/F4) : spe aker v olume Adjusts the built-in speaker volume. T o[...]

31 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Fn + (F 10) : zoom Changes the screen resolution to magnify/restore the screen view . ✍ The defa ult resoluti ons of the st andard view and the magnified view are as follows: XGA LCD mod els Standard vi ew: 1024 x 768 pix els Magni fied view: 800 x 600 pixels WXGA LC D models Standard vi ew: 1280 x 800 pix els Ma[...]

32 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Fn + (F 12) : Hibernate Provides f or the lowest l ev el of pow er cons umption. When you e x ecute this command, the states of the system and the peripheral de vices are written to the hard disk and the system power is turned off. T o retur n the system to its original state, use the power switch to turn on the po[...]

33 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the P ointing De vice Your com puter is equipped with two types of the poi nting device: t he touch p ad and the p ointing s tick. By defa ult, both p ointing de vices are enabled b ut you ca n disabl e one of the devices to suite y our preferenc e. To ch ange the pointin g devic e settings, see Disabling a P[...]

34 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the P ointing Stic k The k eyboard co ntains a cu rsor-pointi ng device, the pointi ng stick (1). Y ou can poi nt to, selec t, drag, and s croll objec ts on the sc reen using the pointing s tick in comb ination wi th the butto ns loca ted below th e space bar. The po inter (2) moves in th e directio n that yo[...]

35 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Disab ling a P ointing De vice You ca n change t he poin ting devi ce settings to disable the pointi ng devic es. To disable a poin ting dev ice 1 Click St art and then Contr ol Pane l . 2 Click Printe rs and Ot her Hard ware . 3 Click Mous e . The Mouse Pr operties win dow appears. 4 Click the Device Select tab. 5[...]

36 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using Special-function Buttons Your c omputer is equipped with spec ial butto ns to help y ou use sp ecific functi ons of the computer . Special-func tion butt on Functions S1/S2 buttons By default, the S1 butt on toggles the display output between the LCD and external device and the S2 b utton places the comput er[...]

37 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Built-in MO TION EYE Camera Your c omputer is equipped with an bui lt-in M OTION EYE c amera to add video fu nctional ity to in teractive c ommunicati on software, f or example Windows Mes senger and Wi ndows Mo vieMaker . Turn ing on the com puter activa tes the built-i n MOTION EY E camera, so the compu[...]

38 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Multi Function Ba y Your co mputer is equi pped with a comp onent bay, call ed multi functio n bay, for hardwar e enhancem ent. You can purchas e a bay u nit and in stall it in the com puter. Avail able bay uni ts are: ❑ HDD ada pter ba y un it (f or ins talling your P A T A hard disk dr ive) ❑ 80GB H[...]

39 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To change a bay unit 1 Double-click the Safely Remove Hard ware icon on the taskbar. The Safely Remo ve Hardware window appea rs. 2 Select the hardware you w ant to unplug. 3 Click St op . The Stop a Ha rd ware De vic e window appears. 4 Confir m tha t the device can be safely removed from the s ystem. 5 Click OK .[...]

40 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r 8 Push th e multi func tion bay unit eject button ( 1) to pop i t out. 9 Gently pull the button to pop out th e installed ba y unit. 10 Gently tak e hol d of the un it and pul l it out of the ba y .[...]

41 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r 11 Inse r t another b a y uni t with the la bel facing up in to the bay until it clicks into plac e.[...]

42 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r About ba y unit prote ction against theft To pr otect the H DD bay uni t against theft, secu re the ba y unit on the comput er using a s ecurity screw * and L -shaped scre wdriver * . * Supplie d with optio nal or supplie d HDD bay unit acce ssorie s. See the Specif ications fo r details abou t accessori es.[...]

43 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using PC Cards PC Card s allow you to connect p ortable exte rnal devices to your comp uter. Inser ting a PC Card ! Some PC Card s or their functio ns may not be comp atible with the computer . Y ou do not need to shut down th e com puter b efore in sertin g or re moving a PC Ca rd. To insert a PC Card 1 Inser t th[...]

44 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ✍ Some d evices m ay not fu nction p roperly i f you c ontinual ly switch to Norm al mode from St andby mod e or Hibe rnate mo de. For so me P C C ards , if you alterna te between Norm al mode and Standby or Hi bernate mode while the card is inserted, yo u may find t hat a device connected to your s ystem is not [...]

45 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Removing a PC Card Foll ow the steps below to remov e the PC Card while y our computer is on. If it is not removed properly, yo ur system may not work prope rly. To remove a P C Card ✍ T o rem ove a PC Card when the comp uter is off, skip steps 1 to 7 . ! If you remov e the PC Card f rom the comput er when it is [...]

46 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r 10 Gently take hold of the Car d and pul l it out o f the slot. 11 If the PC Ca rd releas e button is still ou t, push it back in.[...]

47 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Memor y Stic k Media Your computer supports the Mem ory Stic k media. Memory S tick m edia is a compact , portabl e, and ver satile device es pecially design ed for exchang ing and shari ng digital data wi th compatib le produc ts, such as digita l camera s, mobile ph ones and othe r devices . Because i t[...]

48 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Inser ting a Memor y Stic k Media There ar e two ways you can i nsert a Me mory Stick media in to your com puter: ❑ Using th e Memor y Sti ck media slot; ❑ Using a PC Card slo t. T o d o this, you need an opt ional PC C ard adapte r . You ca n only i nsert one Memory Stick m edia at a time. To insert a Memory S[...]

49 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ✍ The compu ter supports Mem ory St ick Duo media and is equipped wi th the Memor y Stick combo slo t that is compati ble with both st an dard- an d duo- size medi a. For more informatio n on Memor y Stic k Duo media, visi t the Memor y Stick web sit e at http:/ /www . memor ystick.com/ en/ . To view the con tent[...]

50 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using Other Memor y Cards In ad dition to th e Memory S tick media slot, your computer is equipped with an SD card sl ot to acco mmodate ot her memory cards. Y ou can us e this slo t to transfer data betwe en digital c ameras, camcorder s, music players, a nd other audi o/video device s. Bef ore Y ou Use Memor y Ca[...]

51 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Inser ting a Memor y Card To insert a memory card 1 Locate th e SD card slo t on the front o f the comp uter . 2 Inser t the memor y car d into the sl ot, in the direction of th e arrow on the me dia. Do not force the car d into the s lot. ✍ If the mem ory card do es not go into the slot easily , remove i t gentl[...]

52 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Inter net Setting Up a Dial-up In ter net Connect ion Before you can co nnect to th e Internet , you need to c onnect your computer to a teleph one line vi a a telepho ne cable (n ot suppli ed). Once you set u p your t elephone cab le, you'r e ready to c onnect to the Internet. To connect a telephon [...]

53 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To set up a dial-up connection to the Intern et 1 Click St art , point t o All Programs , Acc essories , Communic ations , and click New Connection Wizard . The New Connec tion Wizard appears. 2 Click Ne xt . If the Location Inf ormation window appe ars, f ollow the on-s creen inst ruct ions. 3 If it is not alre ad[...]

54 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using Wireless LAN (WLAN ) Using the Sony Wireless LAN (WLAN), all yo ur digital devi ces with built -in WLAN function ality com municate freel y with each other th rough a p owerful netwo rk. A WLAN is a network in which a user can c onnect to a l ocal area n etwork (LA N) through a wirel ess (radio ) connec tion.[...]

55 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ✍ WLAN use s the IE EE802. 11b/g stand ard, which specifies the us ed techno logy . The stan dard inc ludes the encry ption meth od: Wire d Equiv alent Priva cy (WEP), which is a security prot ocol and WiFi Protecte d Acces s (WPA - Proposed join tly by the IEEE and Wi-Fi All iance, WiF i Protected Acc ess is a s[...]

56 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Communicati ng without an Access P oint (Ad-hoc) An ad- hoc network is a netw ork in whic h a loca l network is created o nly by th e wireless devic es themse lves, with n o other centr al contr oller or Acc ess Point . Each device com municate s direct ly with othe r devices in the net work. Yo u can set up a n ad[...]

57 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To commu nicate witho ut an Acce ss Point ( ad-hoc) 1 T ur n on the WIRELESS or WIRELESS LAN swi t c h . The W IRELE SS LAN indica tor light s up . On mode ls with the B luetooth fu nctionality *1 , double-click ( / ) on the ta skbar to disp la y the Wireless D evice Swit ch window . Select th e Enable 2.4 GHz Wire[...]

58 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r 13 Enter exactly th e same Net work key again, for confir matio n. 14 Sele ct the check box This is a co mputer-to-computer (ad hoc) net w ork; wireless acc ess poin ts are not u sed at t he bottom of t he screen. 15 Click OK . Y our Networ k name ap pears in the Preferred net works . 16 Click Adv a nced . The Adv [...]

59 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To disconn ect from a computer -to-comp uter (a d-hoc) ne twork 1 Click St art and then Contr ol Pane l . 2 Click Netw ork and Internet Connections . 3 Click Netw ork Connections . The Network Connec tions wind ow appears. 4 In the r ight pa nel under LAN or High-Speed Internet , doub le-cli c k Wirel ess Network C[...]

60 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Communicati ng with an Access P oint (Infrastructure) An infra structure netwo rk is a network that ex tends an exi sting wired local network to wireles s devices by providing an A ccess Point, f or example the Sony Access P oint. The A ccess Point bridges the wireless and wire d LAN and a cts as a ce ntral contr o[...]

61 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To conne ct to a wir eless ne twork 1 Make sure an ac cess poi nt is set up. See the i nstruc tions that ac companied the access point for more informa tion. 2 T ur n on the WIRELESS LAN swi t c h . The W IRELE SS LAN indica tor light s up . 3 Click St art and then Contr ol Pane l . 4 Click Netw ork and Internet Co[...]

62 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To conne ct to a wir eless net work (Mode ls with the V AIO Wireles s Utility sof tware only ) Use the VAIO Wireles s Utility so ftware to gu ide you t hrough the s et up proces s and provid e you with more deta iled inform ation abou t wireless c onnection s. 1 Make sure an ac cess poi nt is set up. See the i nstr[...]

63 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Wireless LAN Channel S election In an 802.11b/g con figurati on, channe l 1 to 11 can be used. (a) With an Access P oint ("Infr astructure") ❑ The ch annel us ed will be the chann el selec ted by the Acces s P oint. ! For details on how to select the ch annel that wil l be used by the Access Point, see [...]

64 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Bluetooth Functionality The B luetooth fu nctionality is avail able on sele cted mode ls only. Se e the on line Specificat ions t o see whether your model suppor ts the Blue tooth function ality. You ca n establi sh wireless communi cation be tween your c omputer and other Bl uetooth dev ices such a s ano[...]

65 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Notes on using the Blue tooth funct ionality ❑ The dat a transfer rate varies, depending o n the following condi tions: ❑ Obsta cles , such as walls , located b etween de vice s ❑ Distanc e between devices ❑ Mate rial us ed in w all s ❑ Proximity to mic rowa ves and cordles s telepho nes ❑ Radio fre que[...]

66 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ❑ The 2 .4 GHz band wi th whi ch Bl ueto oth de vices or wirele ss LA N de vic es wo rk, is us ed b y v ario us de vices. Bluet ooth devices use the t echnology to minim iz e the interference from oth er devices that use the same wav e length . Comm unic atio n spee d and dista nces ca n be in f erior to the stan[...]

67 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Communicati ng with Another Bluetooth De vice You ca n connec t your compute r to a Bl uetooth devic e such as another com puter, a m obile phone, a PDA, a headset, a mouse, or a digital camera wit hout the use o f any cab les. To commu nicate wit h another Blueto oth device To com municate with another B luetooth [...]

68 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To see the help fil e 1 Right-cli ck the Bluetooth icon on the taskbar and select Bluetooth Settings from the me nu. 2 Selec t Help from th e Help menu. ✍ The passke y can be diff erent each tim e, but must be the sam e at both end s. For certain dev ices, suc h as a mouse, no passkey can be entered. Stopping t h[...]

69 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Bluetooth Headset Your com puter may be suppli ed with the Bluetooth headset fo r a video conf erence ove r the Interne t using i nteractive commun ication so ftware, for examp le Windows Messenger . For detail s on using the Blu etooth head set, see the manua l that came wi th the Bluetoo th headse t. Se[...]

70 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To disconn ect the he adset fro m the comp uter 1 Right-cli ck the Bluetooth icon on the taskbar and select Bluetooth Settings from the me nu. The Bluetooth S ettings window appear s. 2 Selec t Disconnect from the Blue too th me nu. 3 Click Ye s .[...]

71 nN Using P eripheral De vices Using P eripher al De vices You ca n add func tionality to your c omputer by u sing the var ious port s on the co mputer. ❑ Using the Optical Di sc Drive (page 72 ) ❑ Connecting a Multi Function Bay Docking Station (page 81) ❑ Connecting External Speakers (page 94) ❑ Connecting an External Display (page 95) [...]

72 nN Using P eripheral De vices Using the Optical Disc Dr iv e If yo u purchas e an option al disc drive bay unit, it will be suppl ied with yo ur comput er. When pl aying or r ecording on CDs or DVDs, replace the insta lled weight s aver with th e disc driv e bay uni t. See Using the Multi Function Bay (page 38) for the detailed ins tructions . T[...]

73 nN Using P eripheral De vices 4 Close th e tra y by pushin g it in gen tly . ! Do not re move the op tical disc wh en the comp uter is in a po wer saving mode (Standby or Hibernat e). Doing so may cause th e compu ter to malfuncti on. ✍ If you pla n to use an extern al optical di sc drive, conn ect the drive bef ore you launch an y preinstal l[...]

74 nN Using P eripheral De vices Reading and Writing CDs and D VDs Your co mputer play s and record s CDs and DVD s, dependi ng on the mode l you purch ased. Check y our speci fications fo r the type of optical dis c drive ins talled on your model . Use the ta ble below to see which types of med ia your optical dis c drive supports . ! This p roduc[...]

75 nN Using P eripheral De vices ✍ Suppor ts writing to DVD-RW d iscs compl iant with DV D-RW versi on 1.1/1. 2. Supports writing to DVD-R discs compliant with DVD-R for Gen eral version 2.0/2. 1. Suppor ts 8c m disc read ing, bu t does n ot s upport 8 cm di sc wri ting. Writing t o DVD+R DL (Doubl e Layer) discs is ava ilable o nly on discs supp[...]

76 nN Using P eripheral De vices Notes on pla ying D VDs To achie ve optim um performa nce when p laying DVDs, y ou should fol low these r ecommend ations. ❑ Y ou can play D V Ds using the optical disc dr ive and the D VD playback software, such as V AIO Zone or WinDVD . See the help fil e on suc h software f or deta ils. ❑ Close al l open ap p[...]

77 nN Using P eripheral De vices ❑ When you are pl a ying a D VD (vide o or audio) an d you want to remove a USB device, such as U SB-compat ible speakers, make sure you stop the D VD fir st. Removing a USB-compa tible device durin g D VD (v ideo or audi o) playback ma y cause a malfuncti on.[...]

78 nN Using P eripheral De vices Pla ying CDs To pl ay an aud io CD 1 Inser t the disc into the o ptical disc drive. 2 If nothing app ears on the desk top once you inser t an audio CD disc, then click Star t , point to All Programs , and click to open a CD p rogram, such as th e SonicSta ge software. If the Audi o CD wi ndow appear s, click to sele[...]

79 nN Using P eripheral De vices Cop ying Files to CD s To dete rmine whic h type of C D your comp uter suppor ts, see Reading and Writing CDs and DVDs (page 74) . To copy files to a CD-RW or CD-R ! Do not st rike or shake the co mputer while writ ing data ont o a disc. 1 Inser t a bl ank CD-R or CD-RW disc into the optical d isc dr iv e. If the CD[...]

80 nN Using P eripheral De vices Pla y ing D VDs To play a DVD 1 Close al l open programs. 2 Inser t the D V D into the o ptical dis c drive. 3 Click St art and point to All Programs . 4 Select a D VD soft w ar e program to play the D VD . For ins tructions on how to us e a progra m, see the hel p guide i ncluded with the DVD so ftware progr am. Co[...]

81 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Multi Fun ction Ba y Docking Station Attachi ng a mult i functio n bay doc king sta tion enabl es you to c onnect ad ditional per ipherals to your co mputer, s uch as a printe r and an external display . A multi function bay doc king statio n is not s upplied with your c omputer and i s availab le as an[...]

82 nN Using P eripheral De vices Locating P or ts on t he Multi Functio n Ba y Docking St ation Right A DC IN indicato r Illumin ates when the power of the multi function bay dock ing stat ion i s on. B Batter y CHARGE indica tor F ast blinks: The batt ery i s improper ly inser te d or incompat ib le with the co mputer . Doub le bl inks : Th e bat [...]

83 nN Using P eripheral De vices Left/Bac k ! The mult i functi on bay dockin g station ca n be powered on ly through the AC adapter supp lied with the multi func tion bay docki ng stati on. Do no t unplug the AC adap ter from the mu lti functi on bay dock ing stati on and the AC out let while u sing the mul ti functio n bay docking station ; this [...]

84 nN Using P eripheral De vices Attaching Y our Computer to the Multi Function Ba y Docking St ation ✍ When th e computer has no batter y inserted, do not attach the compu ter to the multi f unction bay docking st ation. To attach yo ur computer to t he multi function b ay docking station 1 Discon nect all periphe rals from the computer. 2 Plug [...]

85 nN Using P eripheral De vices 4 Slide o pen the multi function bay docking stati on conne ctor cover on the bot tom of the c omputer . 5 Slide t he LOCK/UNLOCK s witch on the multi function bay docking s tation to UNLOCK .[...]

86 nN Using P eripheral De vices 6 Place the computer on the multi function bay docking stati on. Bri ng the arrows on the back of the LCD and the multi function ba y docking station togeth er so that the connec tor on the bottom of the com puter comes in c ontact with that on the do c king sta tion.[...]

87 nN Using P eripheral De vices 7 Gently push down the compu ter until it clicks into pl ace. 8 Slide t he LOCK/UNLOCK s witch to LO CK . 9 T ur n on the compute r . ! Use the AC adapter suppl ied with the mul ti functi on bay docki ng statio n. Do not mo ve the comp uter while at tached t o the multi functio n bay dockin g station ; this may deta[...]

88 nN Using P eripheral De vices Disconnect ing Y o ur Computer from the Multi Fun ction Ba y Doc king Station ! T o preven t loss of un saved data , be sure to turn off t he computer b efore disconn ecting it fro m the multi function bay docking s tation. Be sure th at no devices co nnected to th e multi functi on bay docking station are i n use b[...]

89 nN Using P eripheral De vices To disconn ect your c omputer from the mu lti function bay docking station 1 T ur n off the compute r and the connecte d periph erals; and the n discon nect all co nnected p eriphera ls . 2 Slide t he LOCK/UNLOCK s witch on the multi function bay docking stati on to the UNLOCK p osition.[...]

90 nN Using P eripheral De vices 3 Pres s the UNDOCK b utton. ✍ If the IN USE indicato r is unlit, you do not have t o press the UNDOCK butto n. Pressin g the UNDOCK butt on while the compu ter is in a power savin g mode returns t he computer to Normal mode first, an d then initiates t he discon nection proc ess. If you press the UNDOCK button wh[...]

91 nN Using P eripheral De vices 4 W ait unti l the IN USE indicator (1) tur ns o ff and then press the PUSH RELEASE b utton (2).[...]

92 nN Using P eripheral De vices 5 Lift the c omputer a wa y from t he multi functi on bay docking stati on. 6 Close th e multi func tion bay docking station c onnector c ov er on the bo ttom of the c omputer .[...]

93 nN Using P eripheral De vices Alter natively, y ou can di sconnect t he compute r from the m ulti fu nction bay docking station a s follows : 1 T ur n off the compute r and the connecte d periph erals; and the n discon nect all co nnected p eriphera ls . 2 Slide t he LOCK/UNLOCK s witch on the multi function bay docking s tation to UNLOCK . 3 Cl[...]

94 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting Exter nal Speakers You ca n enhan ce the so und quali ty of your c omputer by connecti ng exter nal speake rs. To connect e xternal speakers 1 Plug the speaker cable (1) i nto the head phones j ac k (2) i . 2 Plug the other end of the speaker cable to the exter nal speaker (3). 3 T ur n down the v olum e [...]

95 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting an Exter nal Displa y You can connect a n extern al display to your computer . For exa mple, you can use the co mputer with a c omputer d isplay or a proj ect or. ❑ Connecting a Computer Display (pa ge 96) ❑ Connecting a Multimedia Computer Display (pa ge 98) ❑ Connecting a Proje ctor (page 99) ✍ [...]

96 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Computer Disp la y You c an connec t a com puter disp lay (m onitor) eithe r direct ly to y our compute r or vi a the opti onal mul ti function bay doc king stati on. To connect a compute r display ! The moni tor (VGA) port on the com puter is disab led when att ached to the multi function ba y docking [...]

97 nN Using P eripheral De vices ✍ DVI-D stands for Digit al Visual Inter face - Dig ital. It is a type of DVI conne ctor that suppo rts only digi tal video sig nals (no anal og video si gnals). I t has 24 pins. A DVI-I connector (Digita l Visual Inter face - In tegrated) suppo rts digital vi deo and ana log video sig nals. It has 29 pi ns. ! Y o[...]

98 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Multimedia Computer Displa y You ca n connec t a multim edia compute r displ ay that incl udes bui lt-in spea kers and a microphon e to yo ur computer or via the optiona l mult i functio n bay doc king sta tion. To connect a multim edia comp uter di splay 1 Plug the power cord of the mul timedia c omput[...]

99 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Projector You can con nect a projector (fo r example, the Sony LCD projector) direc tly to your compu ter or via the optional mul ti function bay doc king station. To connect a projecto r 1 Connect t he power cord (1) of the projector into an AC outlet. 2 Plug the RGB signa l cable (2) into th e monitor[...]

100 nN Using P eripheral De vices Selecting Displa y Modes You can se lect which display to be used as the primary mon itor when an ext ernal displa y (desktop mon itor, etc.) is connected to your computer. The pr ocedure for se lecting a d isplay d epends on th e video co ntroller used i n the compu ter. See the online Speci fications for deta ile[...]

101 nN Using P eripheral De vices To select a display ! The moni tor (VGA) port on the com puter is disab led when att ached to the multi function ba y docking sta tion. Models with the A TI video controller Use the Fn+F7 keys t o sel ect a di splay. See Combinations and Functions with the Fn Key (page 30 ) for more in formation . When th e compute[...]

102 nN Using P eripheral De vices Models with the Intel Gra phics Media Accelerator 1 Click St art and then Contr ol Pane l . 2 Click Appearanc e and Themes . 3 Click Displa y . 4 Click the Settings tab . 5 Click Adv a nced . 6 Click the tab with its nam e begin ning with Intel(R) . 7 Click Graphic Pr operties . 8 Select a display from the Display [...]

103 nN Using P eripheral De vices Using the Multiple Monitors Function The M ultiple Monitors f unction allows you to dis tribute por tions of your des ktop ac ross sep arate disp lays. F or examp le, if y ou have an external d isplay attach ed to the mo nitor (VGA) p ort, your com puter's LCD and the externa l display can function as a sing l[...]

104 nN Using P eripheral De vices To sele ct the Mul tiple Mo nitors mode ! T o find which video controller your mo del incl udes, see the onl ine Spec ifica tions . Models with the A TI video controller 1 Click St art and then Contr ol Pane l . 2 Click Appearanc e and Themes . 3 Click Displa y . 4 Sele ct the Settings tab . 5 Click the mo nitor ic[...]

105 nN Using P eripheral De vices Models with the Intel Gra phics Media Accelerator 1 Right-cli ck on the deskto p to disp la y the co ntex t menu. 2 P o int to Graphics Options and click Graphi cs Properti es . 3 Selec t Ext end ed Desk to p from the Display Devices menu. T o c hange the pri mar y and secon dar y device settings, use the Primary D[...]

106 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting an Exter nal Microphone If yo u need to u se a sound i nput devi ce (for exam ple, to ch at on the Internet) you need to plu g in an ex ternal micr ophone. To con nect an ex ternal micropho ne Plug th e micropho ne cable (1 ) into the mi crophon e jack (2) m . ✍ Make sure your microphone is d esigned f[...]

107 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Universal Se rial Bus (U SB) De vice To prev ent your computer an d/or USB devices fro m damage, o bserve the following : ❑ When movin g the compute r with USB de vices c onnected, a void any shock or force to the US B por ts. ❑ Do not put the comput er into a bag or car ry ing case when it ha s US[...]

108 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a USB Flopp y Disk Dr iv e You ca n purcha se a USB flo ppy disk d rive and c onnect it to y our comput er. To connect a USB floppy d isk drive 1 Choose th e USB por t you prefer to use. 2 Plug the USB flop p y disk dr ive cable into the US B por t. T he V A IO logo o n the disk d rive should be f acing [...]

109 nN Using P eripheral De vices Disconnect ing a USB flopp y disk driv e You can di sconnect a US B floppy di sk drive when the c omputer is on or off. Discon necting the driv e when the compu ter is in a pow er saving mode (St andby or Hib ernate) may cause the compu ter to malfunc tion. If the computer is o ff, you can un plug the US B cable di[...]

110 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Prin ter You ca n connec t a Window s-compati ble prin ter to yo ur computer to prin t document s. Connecting a Printer Using the USB P or t You ca n connec t a USB prin ter compati ble with your version of Windo ws to the comp uter. To connect a printer using t he USB p ort 1 Plug the printer power co[...]

111 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Printer Using the Printer P or t To connect a printer using t he printe r port 1 Plug the printer power cord (1) into an AC outlet. 2 Plug the pr inter cable (2) su pplied with y our pri nter into the pr inter po r t (3) on the optiona l multi function bay docking station. ✍ Before conn ecting the pr[...]

112 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting an i.LIN K De vice Notes on connecting i.LI NK de vices ❑ The co mputer inc ludes an i.LI NK (IEEE 1394) por t, which you can use to co nnect to an i.LINK device suc h as a digit al video cam era recorder or to connec t two V A IO computer s in order to copy , d elete or edi t files. ❑ The i.L INK po[...]

113 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Digital Video Camer a Recorder To connect a digital video cam era recor der 1 Plug on e end of the i.LINK ca b le (1) i nto the i.LI NK por t (2) on the comp uter and t he other end i nto the D V In/Out por t s (3) on the digita l video ca mera reco rder . 2 Launch t he D Vgate Plus software . ✍ On S[...]

114 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting to a Networ k (LAN) You ca n connec t your compute r to 1000B ASE-T/1 00BASE-TX /10BASE-T- type netwo rks via an E thernet netwo rk cable. Connect one e nd of an optional network cabl e to the Network (Ethernet) p ort on t he compu ter or the optional mu lti func tion bay doc king station and t he other [...]

115 nN Using P eripheral De vices ! Network and telephon e lines cannot b e connected to t he Network (Ethern et) port on the com puter . If the fol lowing conn ectors are co nnected to the telep hone lin es mentioned below, high electr ic curren t to the con nectors may cause dama ge, overhea ting or fire. - Home (in tercom speakerphon e) or busin[...]

116 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Customizing Y our V AIO Computer This section briefly de scrib es how to cha nge the mai n setting s of your c omputer. ❑ Setting the Passw ord (page 117) ❑ Setting Up Y our Computer with V AIO Central (pag e 124) ❑ Us ing th e Power Savi ng M ode s (page 1 25) ❑ Managing P ower with V AIO Po wer Man[...]

117 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Setting the P ass word You ca n use BIOS functions to set two ty pes of pass words to pr otect your com puter: po wer-on passwo rd and hard disk passw ord. Once you have set the po wer-on pass word, you w ill have to ente r the passwo rd after the VAIO lo go appears to start you r compute r. In this wa y, yo[...]

118 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Adding the P ow er-on P ass word ! Y ou cannot start the computer witho ut entering the po wer -on password . Make sure not to forg et the password. Writ e down your pas sword and k eep it safe and private fr om o ther pe ople. If you fo rget the power-on password an d need assist ance to reset, a password r[...]

119 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Changing/Remo ving the P ow er-on P ass word To change or remove th e power- on password 1 T ur n on the compute r . 2 Pres s the F2 k ey when the V AI O logo appea rs. The B IOS set up scre en app ears . 3 Enter th e current pas s word f or En ter Pass word : 4 Use the < or , ke y to select Security to d[...]

120 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Adding the Hard Disk P ass w ord The ha rd disk pa ssword pr ovides addi tional sec urity for the data st ored in you r hard disk. If you ena ble the hard disk passwo rd, this add s an extr a level of securi ty. When ad ding the h ard disk p assword, whi ch is avail able on sele cted mode ls only, y ou must [...]

121 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer To add t he hard di sk passw ord 1 T ur n on the compute r . 2 Pres s the F2 k ey when the V AI O logo appea rs. The BIOS setup scree n appears. If not, press the F2 key sever al ti me s. ✍ If you have s et the powe r -on pass word, ente r your power-on passwo rd. 3 Use the < or , ke y to se lect S ecur[...]

122 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Changing the Hard Disk P ass wo rd To change the hard disk pass word 1 T ur n on the compute r . 2 Pres s the F2 k ey when the V AI O logo appea rs. The BIOS setup scree n appears. If not, press the F2 key sever al ti me s. ✍ If you have s et the powe r -on pass word, ente r your power-on passwo rd. 3 Use [...]

123 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Removing the Hard D isk P a ss word To remove the hard disk password 1 T ur n on the compute r . 2 Pres s the F2 k ey when the V AI O logo appea rs. The BIOS setup scree n appears. If not, press the F2 key sever al ti me s. ✍ If you have s et the powe r -on pass word, ente r your power-on passwo rd. 3 Use [...]

124 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Setting Up Y our Computer with V AIO Central The VAIO Centra l utility allow s you to con sult syste m informati on and spe cify prefere nces for sys tem behavio r. To use V AIO Cent ral 1 Click St art , point t o All Programs , and cli ck VA I O C e n t r a l . The V AIO Central window app ears. 2 Select th[...]

125 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Using the P ow er Sa ving Modes When y ou use a ba ttery as the powe r source for your c omputer, you can take advantage of power manag ement sett ings to conse rve battery li fe. In addition to th e normal o perating mode , which allows you to turn off s pecific dev ices, your c omputer has two distinct po [...]

126 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Using Standb y Mode Standby mode turns off the LCD scree n and sets the hard disk and the CPU t o a low power c onsumption mode. The um ber power l ight flashes i n this mode. To activate Standby mode 1 Click St art and then T urn Off Compute r . 2 Click St and By . To retu rn to Normal mod e Pres s any key.[...]

127 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer To change the Stand by mode settings 1 Click St art and then Contr ol Pane l . 2 Click P erformance and Maintenance . 3 Click P ower Options . The P ow er Options Pr operties wi ndow appears. 4 Sele ct the Po w e r S c h e m e s tab. 5 Change the System St andby set tings .[...]

128 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Using Hibernate Mode In Hiber nate mode , the state o f the system is saved on t he hard di sk and powe r is turned off . Even whe n the battery runs down, no data will be lost. The power in dicator li ght is off in this mode . To activate Hibe rnate mode Pres s the Fn + F12 keys. The Hibernating scree n app[...]

129 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer ✍ If you d o not use th e AC adapter f or a long pe riod of tim e, put the c omputer into Hibernate mode. This p ower saving mo de saves you the time of shut ting down in the no rmal way . When th e computer is in Hibernate mo de, you canno t insert a dis c. Hibernat e mode re quires mo re time th an Stand[...]

130 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Managing P ow er with V AIO P ower Management Power management helps you t o set up power schemes f or running on AC power o r batteries to suit you r requir ements for powe r cons umptio n. VAIO Power Management is a software ap plication d eveloped exclusivel y for VAIO c omputers. W ith this s oftware app[...]

131 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Activ ating V AIO P ow er Management P o wer Schemes VAIO Power Management provides sever al predefine d power schemes . Each power sche me consists of a g roup of power managem ent settin gs that ar e designed to meet spe cific power m anagement g oals, rang ing from maximum powe r managem ent to no po wer [...]

132 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Upgrading Y our V A IO Computer Your co mputer and memory mod ules us e high prec ision comp onents an d electroni c connecto rs techn ology. To avoid the inval idation of your guar antee due to mishand ling, we rec ommend tha t: ❑ Y ou co ntact your deale r to install a new memor y modu le. ❑ Y ou do not i[...]

133 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Adding and Removing Memor y If you want to expan d the functional ity of you r computer, y ou can incr ease the memor y by instal ling optio nal memory m odules. Before you upgrade y our computer 's memory, rea d the notes an d procedures in the following pages. Th e number of ava ilable slots depends o n [...]

134 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer ❑ Use the special b ag delivered wi th the mem or y module or wrap t he module in aluminum f oil to protect i t from elec trostatic dischar ge. ❑ Introduc ing any liqui ds or any foreign substa nces or ob jects into t he memor y slots, or other inter nal co mponents o f the compute r , w ill result in damag[...]

135 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Removing and Installing a Memor y Module To change or add a memory m odule 1 Shut down the c omputer and discon nect all periphe ral devices. 2 Unplug th e computer a nd remov e the batter y . 3 W ait unti l the com puter co ols down. 4 Unscrew the sc re w at the bottom of th e compute r . 5 T ou ch a metal obj[...]

136 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 6 Remove the memor y modu le: ❑ Pull the tabs in th e directio n of the arrows (1 ). The mem ory module i s released. ❑ Make sure that th e memor y mod ule tilts up and the n pull it out i n the direc tion of the arrow (2). 7 Remove the new memor y module from its pa ckaging.[...]

137 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 8 Slide t he memor y mod ule into t he memor y mod ule slot and push it i n until it clicks into pla ce. ! Do not to uch any other compone nts on the moth erboard. Make su re to i nsert th e memor y modu le edge with a notch i nto the memor y module slot. 9 Close th e module cover and then ti ghten the sc rews [...]

138 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Viewin g the Amount of Memor y To view the amount of me mory 1 T ur n on the compute r . 2 Click St art , point t o All Programs , and cli ck VA I O C e n t r a l . 3 Click the System Informat ion tab in the V AIO Central wi ndow . 4 Double-click the System I nf orm atio n f older . 5 Double-click the System I [...]

139 nN Precau tions Precautions This section describe s safety gui delines an d precau tions to h elp you p rotect your c omputer from potent ial dama ge. ❑ On Handling the LCD Screen (pag e 140) ❑ On Using the P ower Sour ce (page 1 41) ❑ On Handling Y our Computer (page 142) ❑ On Using the Built- in MO TION EYE Camera (pag e 144) ❑ On H[...]

140 nN Precau tions On Handling the LCD Screen ❑ Do not leave the LCD facing the sun. This could dam age the LCD . Be careful when using the comput er near a wi ndow . ❑ Do not sc ratch the LCD or e x er t pr essure on it. This cou ld cause a malfuncti on. ❑ Using the computer i n low temperature condition s ma y produ ce a resi dual image on[...]

141 nN Precau tions On Using the P ower Source ❑ See the o nline Sp ecification s to check the power operati on of your model. ❑ Do not sh are the AC outlet with o ther power-consum ing equip ment, suc h as a photoc opier or shr edder . ❑ Y ou can purchas e a pow er str ip with a surge pr otector . This device pre vents damage to the computer[...]

142 nN Precau tions On Handling Y our Comput er ❑ Clean the cabinet w ith a soft cloth, which is dr y or lightly moi stened with a mild dete rgent so lution. Do not use any type of abrasi v e pad, s couri ng powder , or solvent such as alcoho l or benzi ne, as these may damag e the fini sh of the computer. ❑ If you drop a solid objec t or any l[...]

143 nN Precau tions ❑ Do not us e cut or dam aged conne ction c ab les. ❑ If the comput er is brought directly from a c old location to a w ar m one, moistur e ma y condense i nside the co mputer . In this case, allow at least one hour before tur ning on the co mputer . If any prob lem s occur , unplug the co mputer and contact an author ized S[...]

144 nN Precau tions On Using the Built-in MO TION EYE Camera ❑ Do not touc h the fro nt mirror pl ate ov er the l ens of the b uilt- in MO TION EYE camera, as it may make scratches o n the plate and such scrat ches will appe ar on the captured im ages. ❑ Do not let th e direct su nlight get into the sc ope of the built-i n MO TION EYE c amera r[...]

145 nN Precau tions On Handling Discs ❑ Do not touc h the surface of the disc. ❑ Do not dr op or bend th e disc. ❑ Finger pr ints and dust on t he surface of a disc may cause read erro rs. Alwa ys hold the di sc by its edges and central hole, as shown below: ❑ Proper c are of the disc is e ssentia l to its c ontinuous rel iability . Do not [...]

146 nN Precau tions On Using the Batter y P ack ❑ Do not leave the batter y p ack in temperatures abov e 140° F (60°C), such as in a c ar par k ed in th e sun or und er direct sunlig ht. ❑ Batter y li f e is shor ter in a cold environm ent. This is due to dec reased batte r y efficien cy at low temp eratures. ❑ Charge the batter ies at temp[...]

147 nN Precau tions On Using Headphones ❑ Road safety – Do not use headph ones while d riv ing, cycling , or operat ing any motor ized v ehi cle. It may create a traffic hazard and is ill egal in som e areas. It c an also be po tentially dangerous to play loud music whil e walking, espec ially at pedestr ian cr ossings. ❑ Prev enting hearing [...]

148 nN Precau tions On Handling the Hard Disk The ha rd disk ha s a high storage dens ity and reads or wri tes data in a short tim e. However, i t can be e asily dama ged by mechan ical vi bration, sh ock or dust. Althoug h the har d disk has the inter nal safety d evice to prev ent losi ng data due to mechanic al vibrati on, shoc k or dust, yo u s[...]

149 nN T r oublesho oting T rou b leshoo ting This section d escribes h ow to sol ve common proble ms you mi ght encou nter when us ing yo ur compute r. Many pr oblems ha ve simpl e solutions. T ry these s uggestions before visi ting the So ny onli ne support W eb site at http://www.s ony.com/pcsup port for customers in USA, at http://www . sony .c[...]

150 nN T r oublesho oting ❑ A udio/Video (page 19 3) ❑ Memory S tick Media (page 1 94) ❑ P erip heral s (page 195) ❑ Multi Function Bay Doc k ing Sta tion (page 196)[...]

151 nN T r oublesho oting Computer What should I do if m y computer won't star t? ❑ Make sure the c omputer is securely plugged int o a power source and tur ned on . Make sure the power indi cator shows the power is on . ❑ Make sure the b atter y is in stalled proper ly and char ged. ❑ Make sure t he floppy disk dr ive (if applica b le) [...]

152 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if a BIOS err or appear s when m y comp uter star ts? If the me ssage "Press <F1 > to resume, <F2> to setup " appears at t he bottom o f the screen 1 Pres s the F2 key . The B IOS set up scre en app ears . 2 Set the d ate (month/day/year). Press Enter . 3 Pres s the m ke y to select S[...]

153 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if the pow er indicat or (Green) lights b ut m y screen does not displa y anyt hing when I turn on m y computer? If nothing stil l appears on your scre en after a whil e 1 Press th e power button f or m ore than four seco nds to ch eck that the power indi cator goes out. Then turn on the co mputer again. 2[...]

154 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if the message "Oper ating system not f ound" appears when m y computer star ts, a nd wh y w on't Windo ws start? ❑ Make sure t he compute r does not h av e a "non- bootable" flop p y disk in the flop p y disk dr ive (if appli cable). ❑ If a non- bootable floppy disk is i n the[...]

155 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if m y comput er or soft ware stops resp onding? ❑ It is best to t urn o ff the co mputer usi ng the T urn Off Computer option on the Micr osoft Windows Star t menu, lo cated on the task bar . Us ing other m ethods, incl uding those l isted be low , may result in l oss of uns a ved data. ❑ Click St art[...]

156 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y won't m y computer enter Standb y or Hiber nate mode? The c omputer may become uns table if th e operating m ode is chan ged befor e the computer completel y enters S tandby or Hibernate. To restor e the com puter t o normal operatin g stab ility 1 Close al l open programs. 2 Restar t the c omputer . F ollow thes[...]

157 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y doesn't the computer star t or th e pow er b utton does not wo r k when t he battery indicator is flashing? ❑ This sy mptom co uld be due to the batter y pack not being install ed proper ly . T o reso lve this sympto m, s witch o ff the compute r and remove the batter y p ack . Then install the batter y pa ck t[...]

158 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y is the sound of my computer's f an so loud? The comp uter's fan may be running a t a high sp eed to cool the CPU. By loweri ng the CPU spee d, you also l ower the spee d and n oise level of the co mputer's f an. You can u se the powe r schemes to lower the CPU sp eed. To lower the CPU spee d using th e [...]

159 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I star t my computer and the message "System Disab led" appears and Windows doe s not star t? If you e nter a wron g power-on passwor d three tim es cons ecutively, th e Onetime Pa ssword w indow appe ars and Wi ndows does no t start. Press the power bu tton for more than four sec onds to che [...]

160 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I cannot use my comp ut er as a V AIO Media or Windo ws Media Connect ser v er? To use yo ur compute r as a VA IO Media o r Windo ws Media Connect server 1 Click St art , point t o All Programs and Norton Internet Security , and cli ck Norton Inter net Securit y . The Nort on Internet S ecurity 20 05 so[...]

161 nN T r oublesho oting System Security This section provides informat ion about kee ping you r computer operatin g smoothly and protecti ng against p otentia l threats to the c omputer's secu rity. How ca n I protect my computer against se curity threats , such as viruses? The Mi crosoft Wind ows operati ng system is preinstall ed on the c [...]

162 nN T r oublesho oting To use t he Automati c Updates f eature 1 Connect t o the Inter net. 2 Click the A utomatic Updates ic on on the ta skbar . The A utomatic Updates Setup Wizar d a ppears. 3 Click Ne xt , and f ollow the on- screen ins tructi ons to se t up automat ic or schedu led update s. To visit the Windows U pdates we b site 1 Connect[...]

163 nN T r oublesho oting How do I k eep m y preinstalled antivirus softw are updated? You ca n keep the preinstalled Norton Int ernet Securi ty software p rogram cu rrent with th e latest upda tes from Sy mantec Corporati on. To downloa d and install the latest security up date 1 Double-click the N orton In ternet Se curity ic on on the ta skbar .[...]

164 nN T r oublesho oting Batter y How do I kno w when the battery is charged? To dete rmine th e remain ing battery charge, see Chargin g the Battery Pack (pag e 24) . When is the computer using A C pow er? When th e computer i s directl y connecte d to the AC a dapter, it uses AC pow er, even if a battery is install ed. When should I recharge the[...]

165 nN T r oublesho oting Can my computer ent er Hiber nate mode while using battery power ? The comp uter can enter Hiber nate mode w hile using battery power, but some s oftware prog rams and pe ripheral d evices prevent th e system fr om enterin g Hibernate m ode. If you ar e using a prog ram that p revents the sys tem from enter ing Hibern ate [...]

166 nN T r oublesho oting Built-in MO TION EYE Camera Wh y does the vie wer windo w sho w no images or poor-quality images? ❑ Make sure that t he CAMERA OFF indic ator is un lit. ❑ The built-in MO TION EY E camera can not be sha red by more than one software appl ication . If another s oftware applic ation is us ing the ca mera, e xit th e appl[...]

167 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y do captured images contain dropp ed frames and audio interruptions? ❑ The effect setting s on your so ftware applicati on may ha ve caused d ropped frames. Se e the help file on your sof tware applic ation for more infor mation. ❑ There ma y be more software applications running than your computer can handle. Exit[...]

168 nN T r oublesho oting Why can't I use the built-in MO TI ON E YE came ra? ❑ The built-in MO TION EY E camera can not be sha red by more than one software appl ication . If another s oftware applic ation is us ing the ca mera, e xit th e applicati on before using the built-i n MO TION EYE camera. ❑ If the pr ob lem persists, you must re[...]

169 nN T r oublesho oting Inter net Wh y doesn't my modem work? ❑ Make sure the te lephone c able is securel y plugged into the M odem por t on the compu ter and th e wall jack. ❑ Make sure t he telepho ne cable is wor king. Plug the cable into an ordinar y tel ephone and listen for a dial t one. ❑ Make sure the te lephone numb er the pr[...]

170 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y is m y modem connection slow? The c omputer is equipped w ith a V.92/ V.90 compati ble modem . Many fact ors may influence mo dem conne ction sp eed, inclu ding telep hone line n oise or com patibility w ith telepho ne equipme nt, such as fax machin es or other modems. If you think your modem is not connecting properl[...]

171 nN T r oublesho oting Networking Wh y can't my comput er connect to a wireless LAN a ccess point? ❑ Connecti on av ailabil ity is affected by distanc e and obst ructio ns. Y ou m a y need to mov e the co mputer awa y from obst ruct ions or cl oser to any ac cess po int you may be using. ❑ Make sure the WIRELESS or WIRELESS LAN s witch [...]

172 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y can't I access the Internet? ❑ Check the ac cess point settings. Se e the inst ruc tions su pplied with th e acces s point. ❑ Make sure the c omputer and the acce ss point are connec ted to one a nother . ❑ Mov e the c omputer awa y from obs tructi ons or close r to any access point you may be using. ❑ Ma[...]

173 nN T r oublesho oting What are channels? ❑ Wireles s LAN co mmunicatio n occurs o n divided freq uency ba nds known as channels. Thir d-par ty w ireless LAN access poin t channels m ay be preset to d iff erent c hannels f rom Sony devices. ❑ If you are us ing a wirel ess LAN ac cess po int, see c onnectivi ty informa tion cont ained in your[...]

174 nN T r oublesho oting Bluetooth T echnolog y Wh y can't other Bl uetooth de vices discov er my comput er? ❑ Make sure both devices hav e the Bluetooth feature enabled. ❑ If the Bl uetooth ind icator is off, turn on the WIREL ESS sw i t c h . ❑ Y ou ca nnot use the B luetooth f unctionality when the c omputer is in a power saving mod [...]

175 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y can 't other Bl uetooth de vices connect to my computer? ❑ Make sure the o ther device is au thenticate d. ❑ The com puter may not allow connection s from other devices. T o en able Bluetooth device connec tions, f ollow thes e steps: 1 Right-c lick the Bluetoo th icon on t he taskba r . 2 Select Device Prope[...]

176 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y is m y Bluetooth connectio n slow? ❑ The dat a transfer speed depen ds on the obs tacles and/ or the dista nce between th e two de vices, but also o n the radio wav e quality , on the op erating system or the so ftware used. T r y to move the compute r or tr y to p lace the two devices clos er . ❑ The 2.4 GHz radi[...]

177 nN T r oublesho oting Can I use a de vice with Bluetooth technolog y on air planes? With B luetooth tec hnology , the compu ter transm its a radio f requenc y of 2.4 GH z. Sensitiv e locations , such a s hospitals and airplane s, may ha ve rest rictions on t he use of B luetooth d evices, du e to radio i nterference. Ch eck with facility staff [...]

178 nN T r oublesho oting CDs a nd D V Ds Wh y does my computer freez e when I tr y to read a disc? The di sc the com puter is tr ying to rea d may be dirty or da maged. Fo llow these s teps: 1 Restar t the comp uter by clicking Start , T urn Off Computer , and Restar t . 2 Eject t he disc from th e optical di sc dr iv e. 3 Examin e the disc for di[...]

179 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if t he optical disc driv e isn't pla y ing m y CD or D VD proper ly? ❑ Make sure t he disc was ins er ted into the optic al disc dr ive with the la bel f aci ng up . ❑ Make sure t he necessar y program(s) is instal led accor ding to the manufacturer's inst ruc tions. ❑ If the C D or D VD i[...]

180 nN T r oublesho oting 5 Double-click the optic al disc d rive device to open t he submenu. 6 Double-click the listed drive, and select th e Pr oper ties tab . 7 Clic k to se lect the En able digital CD a udio for this CD-ROM device chec k box , if it is not selecte d. Y ou can confir m the dr iver software by sele cting the Driv er tab, and cli[...]

181 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I cannot wr i te to CD? ❑ Do not lau nch any soft w are ap plicatio n or allow any to launc h automati cally , n ot e ven a screen s a ver . ❑ Do not us e the keyboard. ❑ Do not us e a CD-R/RW disc that has a label affix ed to i t. This co uld cause a write error or ot her damage. What should I do[...]

182 nN T r oublesho oting Displ a y Wh y did the computer screen (LCD) go b lank? ❑ The co mputer scr een may go blank if th e computer has lost pow er or has entered a power saving mode (Standby or Hiber nate). I f the comp uter is in LCD (Video) Standby mode, pr ess any ke y to activate the comp uter sc reen. Se e Using the P ower Saving Mode s[...]

183 nN T r oublesho oting How do I change the video reso lution on the TV screen? ❑ The vi deo may not appear o n the entire TV scree n if the comp uter resol ution is se t larger th an 1024 x 768. Adjust the video r esolution to 1024 x 7 68 or sm aller . ❑ If you are usin g the A V O ut jack, plug th e audio- video (A V ) cable into the comput[...]

184 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if t he bright ness of the scree n changes? The br ightness o f your sc reen when adjusted wit h the Fn+F5/F6 keys is tempor ary and this adjustm ent is over ridden by th e setting on the VAIO Power Management tab when anothe r power schem e is selected . To save thi s preferen ce for the b rightness ✍ T[...]

185 nN T r oublesho oting Pr inting Wh y can't I print a document? ❑ Make sure the p rint er is on, an d the pr inter cable is sec urely con nected to the por ts o n the pri nter and com puter . ❑ Make sure the p rint er is comp atib le with the Windows op erating system installed o n the comp uter . ❑ Y ou may need to install the pri nt[...]

186 nN T r oublesho oting Microphone Wh y doesn't my microphone work? If yo u are using an external microphon e, make sur e the micro phone is tur ned on and is proper ly plugged i nto the Mi crophone jack on t he compute r.[...]

187 nN T r oublesho oting Speak ers Wh y won't m y speak ers wo r k? ❑ Make sure the s peakers are pro perly con nected an d the volume is tur ned up loud enou gh to he ar sound. ❑ Y our spe akers ma y not be designed f or compu ter use. ❑ If the spe akers hav e a mute button, set the button to off . ❑ If the spe akers hav e a volume c[...]

188 nN T r oublesho oting P ointing Device What should I do if t he pointing de vice does not work? ❑ T r y r estar ting the compu ter . F ollow these steps: 1 Press t he Window s key . 2 Press t he U key . Th e T ur n off compute r window open s. 3 Press t he R k ey to rest ar t the co mputer . ❑ If the com puter doe s not resta r t, follow th[...]

189 nN T r oublesho oting How do I change the l eft and right butto n assignments? If the computer is interpr eting a si ngle-cli ck as a do uble-clic k, you may want to c hange the button ass ignments. Follow the se steps: 1 Click St art and then Control P anel . 2 Click Printe rs and Ot her Hard ware . 3 Click Mouse . 4 Click the Buttons tab . 5 [...]

190 nN T r oublesho oting K e yboard What should I do if t he k e yboard configur ation is wrong? ❑ The l anguage layout of the c omputer 's ke yboard is spe cified on the sticker on th e box. If you choo se a different r egional ke yboard w hen you compl ete the Windows s etup , the key configurat ion will be m ismatch ed. ❑ T o c hange t[...]

191 nN T r oublesho oting Flopp y Di sks Wh y doesn't the Saf ely Remov e Hardwar e icon appear on the t askbar when the drive is connected ? The co mputer doe s not reco gnize the flop py disk dri ve. First, mak e sure the USB cable is properly c onnected t o the USB port. If yo u need to sec ure the co nnection, w ait a fe w moments for the [...]

192 nN T r oublesho oting PC Cards Wh y doesn't my PC Card work? ❑ Make sure the P C Card is inser ted proper ly . See Ins erting a PC Ca r d (page 43) f or more inf or mation. ❑ Make sure the P C Card is c ompatible with the M icrosoft Wi ndows operating sys tem install ed on the comp uter . ❑ See the instr uction s that acco mpanied yo[...]

193 nN T r oublesho oting A udio/Video Wh y can 't I use the D V camera recorder? You may not be ab le to use t he DV camer a recorder, and the mess age DV equi pment seems to be disco nnected o r turned off may appear be cause th e i.LINK cabl e is not secur ely plugge d into the p orts on the c omputer or camera. Unp lug the connec tors, and[...]

194 nN T r oublesho oting Memor y Stick Media Wh y can't I open m y image files? You may need to refo rmat your Memory Sti ck media. Form atting Memor y Stick m edia erases all data , including music d ata, prev iously s aved to it . Before you reformat Memory Stick media, ba ck up im portant data and confir m that the media doe s not con tain[...]

195 nN T r oublesho oting P eripherals What should I do if I cannot connect a USB de vice? ❑ If appli cable, check the US B device is switched on and us ing its ow n power supply . For e xample, if you are usin g a digi tal camera, che ck the batter y is charged . If you are usin g a prin ter , check the power cable is co nnected prop erly to the[...]

196 nN T r oublesho oting Multi Function Ba y Doc king Station Wh y can't I use the de vices connected to the multi functi on ba y doc king station? Make s ure to use the AC adapter supplied wi th the mult i function bay docki ng station to c onnect the docking st ation to a po wer source. The mult i functio n bay doc king st ation does no t w[...]

197 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y can't I print a document? ❑ Make sure that t he pr inter dr iv er sup por ts Win dows XP . Ask the ma nuf acturer of your printer f or the dr iver that suppor t s Windows XP . ❑ The pr inter p or t on the mult i functio n ba y do ck ing sta tion is i ntern ally co nnected to the USB. Procee d as follows to ch[...]

198 nN T r oublesho oting ❑ If the bid irectional communicati on functio ns are provided with your pr inter , disabling the function s on the c omputer may enable prin ting. Proceed as f o llows: 1 Click Start a nd then Control P anel . 2 Click the Pri nt ers an d O th er Ha rdwa re icon. 3 Click the Printers and Faxes icon. 4 Righ t-clic k th e [...]

199 nN Support Options Suppor t Options The se ction contain s inform ation on where to go for answer s to questions about your computer and the preinstall ed software. Sony Suppor t Inf or mation See the following source s for answe rs in the s equence l isted below. 1 V AIO Computer Docume ntation This on- screen User Guide (thi s manual) an d th[...]

200 nN Support Options For users in Latin Amer ican countri es or areas Cust omer I nform ation Center If you do not fi nd the in formatio n you are looking for at our site, you may call Son y directly. In orde r to rece ive the fastest and most eff icient ser vices, pleas e have th e followin g informati on readily av ailable: 1 Y our V AIO comp u[...]

201 nN Support Options In orde r to contac t a Sony te chnical s upport repres entative , please ca ll the fol lowing num bers: ❑ In Arge ntina: (011) 67 70-SONY ( 7669) ❑ In Me xico : In Me xico City: 5002-981 9 In the Mexica n Republic: 0 1-800-7 59-7669 ❑ In Colomb ia: 01-800 -550-7000 ❑ In P eru: 0-801-1- 7000 or 595-0200 ❑ In Chile: [...]

202 nN Support Options Program Suppor t Inf or mation Dependi ng on the c omputer m odel and p articular c onfigurat ion you pur chased, yo ur compu ter may not include all of the software p rograms lis ted below. Adobe ® Photoshop ® E lements, Photoshop ® Album, Prem iere ® , Reader ® Adobe S ystems Inc. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b[...]

203 nN Support Options Click to DVD ™ softw are Sony E lectronic s Inc. At the tou ch of a but ton, Click to DVD software al lows you to a utomaticall y burn DVDs fr om a digital video (DV ) device. Create DV Ds by captur ing video con tent strai ght from a DV d evice or b y importing video from s tored files — and you ca n also e dit the v ide[...]

204 nN Support Options DVgate Plus ™ software Sony E lectronic s Inc. Connect a c ompatible digital vid eo camera to y our compu ter's i.LINK® p ort and cap ture video c lips and stil l images. Edi t clips f rom yo ur vi deo, ad d new cl ips, a nd comb ine cl ips int o new movie segment s. Sa ve your movie s back t o your digit al video cam[...]

205 nN Support Options Intel ® PROSet Intel Cor poration ❑ F or Use rs in USA a nd Canada We b Si t e http://www .intel.com /network/c onnectivity/p roducts/wirel ess/proset/p roset_software.htm Micros oft ® Office Basic Edition, Office Professional E dition, Office S mall Business E dition, 60-Day T rial Version of Microsoft ® Office 2003 ! T[...]

206 nN Support Options MoodLogic MoodL ogic, Inc. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b Si t e http://www .moodlog ic.com/su ppor t E-mail help@mo odlogic. com Netscape ® Internet Service Ameri ca Online, Inc. ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b Si t e http://is p .netscape.com/hel p T el ephone 866-541- 8233 Norto n Interne t Securi ty ™ Sy[...]

207 nN Support Options PictureG ear Stu dio ™ sof tware Sony E lectronic s Inc. PictureG ear Stu dio stil l image m anagement software d isplays sti ll image s from y our hard dri ve or a Son y digita l still camera . The st ill images appear in a conveni ent light-ta ble forma t so that y ou can ea sily vie w the conten ts of an en tire folde r,[...]

208 nN Support Options ROXIO DigitalMedia ® Sonic Sol utions ❑ F or use rs in USA and Canada We b Si t e http://su ppor t.sonic. com/ SonicSta ge ® softw are Sony E lectronic s Inc. The So nicStage jukebox software pr ogram giv es you al l the tools you need t o manag e music on your co mputer. SonicS tage softwar e sports hig h-quality digital[...]

209 nN Support Options SonicSta ge ® Mastering Studio softwar e Sony E lectronic s Inc. Use Son icStage ® Master ing Studio software to record s ongs from a nalog re cords or cassett e tapes in to your com puter and outpu t them to CD- R or CD-RW d iscs or audi o files in W AV format. ❑ F or us ers in USA We b Si t e http://www .sony .com/pcs u[...]

210 nN Support Options VAIO ® Acti on Setup Sony E lectronic s Inc. VAIO Ac tion Setup manages t he setting s for your c omputer's s hortcut keys . ❑ F or us ers in USA We b Si t e http://www .sony .com/pcs uppor t T el ephone 888-4-SO NY -PC (88 8-476-6972) ❑ F or us ers in Canada We b Si t e http://www .sony .ca/supp or t ❑ F or use r[...]

211 nN Support Options VAIO ® Central Sony E lectronic s Inc. VAIO Ce ntral provid es a cen tral locati on that gath ers reso urces t o configure your VAIO compute r and view y our compute r's configura tion and s pecificati ons. ❑ F or us ers in USA We b Si t e http://www .sony .com/pcs uppor t T el ephone 888-4-SO NY -PC (88 8-476-6972) ?[...]

212 nN Support Options VAIO Me dia ™ software Sony E lectronic s Inc. VAIO Medi a ™ software br ings mult imedia to y our netwo rk, enablin g you to sha re musi c, video, an d still i mage file s between y our VAIO ® computers. You can s et up one or more VAIO comp uters as " media serv ers," w hich sto re your multime dia files and [...]

213 nN Support Options VAIO ® Su pport Central Sony E lectronic s Inc. VAIO Supp ort Central provides an easy to na vigate s olution to c ommon sup port needs, such as VA IO Documenta tion, produc t specific ations, seria l number, mo del name, service tag informati on, survey , registr ation, etc. ❑ F or us ers in USA We b Si t e http://www .so[...]

214 nN Support Options VAIO ® Update Sony E lectronic s Inc. The VA IO Update uti lity helps you kee p your VAIO ® comput er up to date by regular ly che cking the S ony Online S upport Web si te for impor tant software updates a nd informati on for your s pecific VA IO compute r model. ❑ F or us ers in USA We b Si t e http://www .sony .com/pcs[...]

215 nN Support Options VAIO ® Wireless Utilit y Sony E lectronic s Inc. The VA IO Wirel ess Utility walks you through setting up your wi reless ne twork co nnection and offers us eful dia gnostic tests to help kee p your wirele ss networ k running smoothly . ❑ F or us ers in USA We b Si t e http://www .sony .com/pcs uppor t T el ephone 888-4-SO [...]

216 nN Support Options VAIO Zone ™ software Sony E lectronic s Inc. VAIO Zo ne software p rovides an effortle ss way to brows e and enj oy picture s, music, a nd video fil es on yo ur computer, all thr ough an elega nt, next- generation i nterface. Y ou can even e njoy med ia conten t stored on o ther VAIO ® co mputers on your network. On V AIO [...]

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