Sony VGN-FS manual

N User Guide P ers onal Computer V GN-A se ries/V GN-FS series[...]

2 nN Cont ents Before Us e .................... ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ................... ............ ........ ............. ............. ............ . 6 Notice ............... ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ................... .....[...]

3 nN Using P eripheral Devices .... ............. ............. ............. ............. ................... ............. ............. .. ........... ............. ............. ........... 6 3 Connecti ng a Port Replicator ........... ............. .................... ............. ............ ............. ............. .... ......... ....[...]

4 nN Upgrading Your VAIO Com puter ............ .................... ............. ............. ............ ............. ............. ... .......... ................... ....... ... 154 Adding a nd Remo ving Mem ory ............... ............. ............. ................... ............. ............. ............. .. ........... ..........[...]

5 nN Trouble shooting ..... ............. ................... ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ................... ............. ............. ............. ... 17 9 Troublesho oting th e optical di sc drive ........... .................... ............. ............ ............. ............. .................[...]

6 nN Before Use Bef ore Use Cong ratulati ons on you r purch ase of this Sony VAIO ® compu ter, an d welcome to the on- screen User Gu ide. So ny has co mbine d leadin g-edg e tech nology i n audio , video, c omput ing, an d communi cati ons to pr ovide st ate-of -the-ar t perso nal compu tin g. Noti ce © 20 05 Sony C orporati on. Al l right s re[...]

7 nN Before Use E NERGY S TAR As an E NERGY S TAR Partner, So ny has determi ned tha t this pr oduct meets the E NERGY S TAR guid elines for ene rgy e fficienc y. The I nterna tional E NERGY S TAR Office Equipme nt Pr ogram i s an int ernati onal program that p romotes energy savi ng thr ough the use of co mputer s and the ir office equipmen t. The[...]

8 nN Before Use Documentation Your Documentat ion co ntains printed informa tion an d user g uides to rea d on your compute r. Guide s are pr ovided in PDF fo rmat, which yo u can easily browse th rough and prin t out. The My Club V AIO portal is a perfect s tarting point t o using y our VAI O co mputer — a co mprehens ive co llec tion of everyth[...]

9 nN Before Use Non-printed Documentation My Club V AIO In My Club VAIO you can f ind: Documen tation , whi ch gi ves you: ❑ Access t o the User Guide . This manual explains the f eatu res of your V AIO i n detai l, how to use th ese features co nfident ly and safely , con nect per ip heral devices and mor e. ❑ Access t o Help and T raining . T[...]

10 nN Before Use Fur ther Sources ❑ Consult the Onli ne H elp files of the sof tware you are using f or d etailed i nformatio n on features a nd troublesho oting. ❑ Go to www .club-vaio .com to fin d online tutori als abo ut your fa v or ite V AIO sof tware.[...]

11 nN Before Use Ergonomic Considerations You wil l be u sing yo ur co mputer as a por table dev ice in a var iety o f envir onments . Whe never po ssible, you s hould attempt to take ac coun t of the f ollowing ergonomi c co nside rations to both statio nary and portable envi ronme nts: ❑ P osition of y our computer – Place the comput er dire [...]

12 nN Before Use ❑ Viewing angle of the computer's disp lay – Use the displ a y's til ting feature to fi nd the b est posi tion. Y ou can red uce eye strain a nd muscle f atigu e by adjusting th e tilt of the d isplay to the pr oper po sitio n. Adj ust the br i ghtness settin g of the dis play as w ell. ❑ Lighting – Choose a loc a[...]

13 nN Getting Started Getting Star ted This sectio n desc ribes how to ge t star ted wit h using y our V AIO co mputer . ❑ About the Indicator Lights (pa ge 14) ❑ Connecting a P ower Sour ce (page 15) ❑ Using the Battery P ack (page 16) ❑ Shutting Down Y our Computer Safely (page 23)[...]

14 nN Getting Started About the Indicator Lights Indicator F unctions Po w e r 1 Illuminates when the power of t he computer is on, blinks in Standby mode, and t urns off when the computer is in Hibernate mode or off. Batt ery e I lluminates w hen the computer is using batter y power , b links when the batter y is running out of power , and double-[...]

15 nN Getting Started Connecting a P ower Source You ca n use either an AC adapter o r a rec hargeabl e batter y pack as a powe r so urce. Using the A C Adapter To us e the AC adapter 1 Plug on e end o f the power co rd (1) in to the AC adapter. 2 Plug th e other en d of the power cord int o an AC outlet (2) . 3 Plug th e cable attached to the AC a[...]

16 nN Getting Started Using the Batter y P ac k The ba ttery pa ck supp lied wi th yo ur compu ter is n ot full y cha rged at th e time of purch ase. Installing t he Batter y P ack To install the b attery pack V GN-A series models 1 T urn off your comp uter and c lose the LCD screen lid. 2 Slide the LOCK/UNLOCK s witch ( 1) on the bottom o f the co[...]

17 nN Getting Started 4 Remove the batter y com par tment cover . 5 Slide the batter y in the batter y comp ar tme nt cover . 6 T urn ov er the b atter y attached t o the ba tter y com par tm ent cover . 7 Inser t the ta b on the batte r y compar tmen t cover into the notch, and push the b atter y down int o the compar tm ent until it c licks into [...]

18 nN Getting Started V G N-FS ser ies mo dels 1 T urn off your comp uter and c lose the LCD screen lid. 2 Slide the lock s witch ( 1) to the UNLOCK po sition. 3 Slide the batte r y in to the ba tter y com par tment unt il it clicks int o place. 4 Slide the lock s witch ( 1) to the LO CK posit ion to s ecure the batte r y on the com puter . ✍ Whe[...]

19 nN Getting Started Charging the Battery P ack The ba ttery pa ck supp lied wi th yo ur compu ter is n ot full y cha rged at th e time of purch ase. To char ge the ba ttery pa ck 1 Install the batter y pack. 2 Connect the AC adapter t o the comp uter . The c omputer a utomati call y cha rges the batter y (the batter y indicat or li ght fla shes i[...]

20 nN Getting Started ✍ When the batte ry is runni ng out of pow er , both the ba ttery and po wer i ndicat or light s bl ink. Keep the ba tter y pac k in the com puter whil e it is di rectly con nected t o AC power . The batter y pac k contin ues to charg e while yo u ar e using the comp uter . If the batte ry level falls be low 10%, you should [...]

21 nN Getting Started Removing t he Battery P ac k To remove the b attery pack V GN-A series models 1 T urn off your comp uter and c lose the LCD screen lid. 2 Slide the LOCK/UNLOCK s witch ( 1) on the bottom o f the comp uter to the UNLOCK positi on. 3 Slide the RELE ASE s witch (2) on the bott om of th e comp uter to the RELEA SE pos ition. The r[...]

22 nN Getting Started V G N-FS ser ies mo dels 1 T urn off your comp uter and c lose the LCD screen lid. 2 Slide the lock s witch ( 1) to the UNLOCK po sition. 3 Slide and hold th e releas e latch (2 ) and sl ide the batter y awa y fr om the computer. ✍ Y ou may lose data if you remove t he batter y pa ck while the co mputer is o n and not co nne[...]

23 nN Getting Started Shutting Down Y our Computer Saf ely To av oid los ing unsaved data, be sure to shut d own you r co mputer pr operly , as des cribed b elow. To shut down you r computer 1 T urn off any per iphe rals conn ected to your compu ter . 2 Click Start and then T urn Off Computer . The T urn off computer window appears. 3 Click Tu r n [...]

24 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using Y our V AIO Computer Once you ha ve re ad and f ollowe d the in format ion in the print ed Specifications shee t, you can start us ing y our comp uter safe ly and co nfident ly. Read on to ge t the mo st out of us ing you r VA IO compu ter. ❑ Using the Key board (page 25) ❑ Using the T ouch P ad (pag e 27[...]

25 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using the K eyboard Your keybo ard is very s imilar to a des ktop co mputer 's, but has ad dition al keys that pe rform m odel- specifi c tasks . For mor e info rmation on the stan dard keys, s ee Windo ws Help and Support Centre and clic k on the Customizing your compu ter lin k. The VAIO-Li nk web site ( www[...]

26 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter ✍ Some fu nction s are not avai lable un til Wi ndows is launched . Fn + (F10) : zoom (VGN-FS series only) Changes the screen resolution to magnify/restore the screen view . ✍ The defa ult reso lution s of the st andar d view an d the m agnified view are as foll ow: Standard vi ew : 1280 x 800 pixels Magnifie d[...]

27 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using the T ouch P ad The k eyboard contains a cu rsor-pointi ng dev ice, yo ur tou ch pad ( 1). You c an poi nt to, sel ect, drag , and s croll obj ects on th e screen using the tou ch pad. Action Description P oint Slide one finger on the touch pad t o place the pointer (2) on an it em or object. Click Press the [...]

28 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using Special-function Button s Your VAIO co mputer is provi ded with s pecial buttons to help y ou use specifi c functi ons of the compu ter. V GN-A series models Special-fu nction b utton Functions Mute button T ur ns on and off the vol ume. The LED turns on when the v olume is turned off. Vo l u m e buttons (V o[...]

29 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter ✍ When an exte rnal di splay is con nected t o your compu ter , t he Magnify scree n butto n is di sabled . The magn ified vi ew is not as cl ear as the st andard view. Press ing the Magni fy scr een button changes the resoluti on, thus may cause a def ect to any run ning sof tware that do es not sup port chang e[...]

30 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using the Optical Disc D rive Your compu ter is eq uippe d with an op tical disc dr ive. To inse rt a di sc 1 T urn on the c omput er . 2 Press th e dr ive eject button (1) to open th e dri ve . The tr a y s lid es ou t. 3 Place a disc in t he midd le of t he tray with the labe l side facing up until the disc click[...]

31 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter ✍ If you pl an to use an ex ternal op tical di sc drive , connect the drive before you l aunch any pre instal led CD/D VD program. ✍ See the printed T r oubl esho oting Gu ide if you h ave problems using di scs. The lo cation o f the d rive eject button depends on the m odel your pu r chased . See th e prin ted[...]

32 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Reading and Writing CDs and D V Ds Your compu ter play s and re cords CD s a nd DVDs, d ependi ng on th e model y ou pur chased. Check yo ur spec ificati ons for th e type of opt ical dis c driv e inst alled on y our co mputer. Us e the tab le belo w to see whic h type s of med ia your op tical di sc driv e sup po [...]

33 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Notes on writing data onto a disc ❑ T o make the data on a dis c readable on an opti cal d isc dr ive, y ou ne ed to clo se the sessio n when you ej ect it. T o com plete this pr ocess, follow the in stru ction s inclu ded wit h your sof tware. ❑ Only use cir cular dis cs. Do not us e disc s in any other shape [...]

34 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter No tes on pl a yin g D V Ds To achi eve op timum performanc e when p laying D VDs, you should fo llow th ese rec ommend ations. ❑ Y ou c an play D VDs using the op tical d isc dr ive and the V AIO Zone s oftware. See the help file on the V AIO Zone software f or deta ils. ❑ Close a ll open ap plicati ons before[...]

35 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Pla ying CDs To pla y an au dio CD 1 Inser t the di sc into the optica l disc drive. 2 If nothing appear s on the d eskto p once you inser t an aud io CD disc, then click Start , point to A ll Programs , and cl ick to ope n a CD program , such as the SonicStage software. If the Audio CD windo w appea rs, clic k to [...]

36 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Cop ying Files to C Ds To det ermine wh ich type of CD your compute r suppor ts, see Reading and Writing CDs and DVDs (page 32) . To copy files to a CD-RW or CD-R 1 Inser t a blank CD-R o r CD-RW disc into the opti cal disc drive. If the CD Drive wind ow appears, click T ake no act ion . 2 Open W indows Expl orer b[...]

37 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Pla ying D VDs To pl ay a DVD 1 Close a ll open program s. 2 Inser t the D V D into the optica l disc drive. 3 Click Start and point t o All Programs . 4 Select a D VD software program to p lay the D VD . For ins tructi ons on how to use a progr am, see the help g uide inc luded with the DV D softwa re program . Co[...]

38 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using the TV Function (on Se lected Models Only) If an A/V por t replic ator is delivered with th e model you pur chased, your compu ter is equi pped wi th a TV t uner. In combin ation with So ny's VAIO Zone softwar e, the TV tun er boa rd allows y ou to: ❑ W atch, rec ord and play back analog br oadcaste d [...]

39 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Usin g PC Ca rds PC Ca rds all ow you to co nnect p ortable e xter nal de vices. Inser ting a PC Card To insert a PC Card 1 Inser t the P C Card into the PC Card slo t with the fr ont label facing up . 2 Gently push the PC Card i nto the slot. The PC Card is automat ically detec ted by your system. The Safel y Remo[...]

40 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter ✍ Some d evic es may not func tion p roperl y if yo u rep eat r eturnin g to Norm al mode from S tandb y mode or Hi bernat e mode. For some PC Cards , if you alternat e between Norma l m ode and Stan dby or Hibernat e m ode whi le the ca rd is in serted, you may find that a d evice conn ecte d to your syst em is [...]

41 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Removing a PC Card Foll ow the steps be low to remov e the PC Card while your com puter is on. I f it i s not removed proper ly, you r sys tem ma y not work properl y. To remove a PC Card ✍ T o re move a PC C ard when your comput er is o ff, skip st eps 1 to 7 . 1 Double-click the Safely Remove Hard ware icon on [...]

42 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter ✍ If you remov e the PC C ard from the computer whe n it is stil l turned on, your syst em might crash and you might lose an y unsave d data . Before you remove the PC Ca rd, clic k the PC C ard icon o n the task bar and close the card. C lose any a pplicati ons tha t use the P C Card before removing the card. Ot[...]

43 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using the Memor y Stick Media Your VAIO co mputer suppor ts the Mem ory Stick m edia. Memo ry Stic k me dia is a compac t, portab le, and versa tile de vice espec ially d esign ed for ex chang ing an d sharin g digital data with c ompat ible p roducts, s uch as d igital camera s, mob ile phone s and othe r devic es[...]

44 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Inser t ing a Memor y Stick Media There a re two w ays you can i nsert a M emor y Stick me dia in to you r compu ter: ❑ Using the Memo r y Stick media sl ot; ❑ Using a PC Card s lot. T o do th is, you need an opt ional PC Card a dapter . You ca n on ly ins ert one Me mory Stick media at a tim e. To inse rt a Me[...]

45 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter ✍ The loca tion of t he Memor y Sti ck media slo t depend s on the mod el your p urchased. See th e printed Specificat ions sheet for de tail s on your model. ! Be sure to hold the Memo ry Sti ck media wit h the arrow poin ting in t he correct direct ion as you insert it in to the slot. T o avoi d d amagi ng t he[...]

46 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter F or matting a Memor y Stic k Media Mem ory St ick me dia i s form atted fo r imme diate use when you purcha se i t. If yo u need to r eformat Memor y Stic k medi a, us e the Memory Stick Formatter softwa re that i s provided with th e medi a. For mor e inform ation abou t usin g Memory Stick Formatt er, see the he[...]

47 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using the Inter n et Setting Up a Dial-up Internet Connection Befor e you can conne ct to th e Interne t, you need to con nect you r comput er to a telephone line via a tel ephone cable (not suppl ied). Once you set up your telepho ne cable , you're rea dy to con nect to the Inte rnet. To conne ct a tele phone[...]

48 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using Wireless LAN (WLAN) Using th e Sony Wi rele ss LAN ( WLAN), all y our digi tal devi ces with bu ilt-in W LAN fun ctionali ty co mmunica te freel y with eac h othe r throug h a powerf ul network . A WLAN is a ne twork in whi ch a user can c onnect to a local area net work (LA N) through a wireless (rad io) con[...]

49 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Communicating wit hout an Access P oint (Ad-hoc) An ad- hoc n etwork i s a networ k in whi ch a local ne twork is create d only by the wi reless devic es thems elves, w ith no other centr al contr oller or Acces s Po int. Eac h devi ce comm unica tes di rectly with ot her devi ces in the netwo rk. Yo u can s et up [...]

50 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter To comm unicate without an Access Poi nt (ad-h oc) 1 T urn on the WIRELESS (o n mode ls wi th t he Bl uetoo th f unct iona lit y *1 ) or WIRELESS LAN (on mode ls wit hout the Blue tooth functio nality ) switch. On mode ls with the Bluetoo th functi onalit y , double-c lick ( / ) on the ta skbar to display the Wirel[...]

51 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter 13 Enter exactly the s ame Network key again , for confir mation . 14 Select the che ck b o x This is a computer -to-computer ( ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not used at the bottom of the screen. 15 Click OK . Yo u r Netw ork name appear s in the Preferred netw orks . 16 Click Advanced . The Adv a nce[...]

52 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter To disconn ect from a computer -to-comp uter (ad-ho c) network 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click Network and Internet Conne ctions . 3 Click Network Connect ions . The Netw ork Connections window appears. 4 In the r ight pa nel un der LAN or High-Speed Internet , double-click Wireless Network Connecti[...]

53 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Communicating wit h an Access P oint (Infr astructure) An infr astruc ture netw ork is a network that ex tends an exis ting wir ed local networ k to wire less de vice s by providi ng an Ac cess Point, for exam ple the Sony Access Point . The Ac cess Poi nt br idges the wireles s and wired LA N and act s as a c entr[...]

54 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter To connect to a wireless network 1 T urn on the WIRELESS (on model s with the Blue tooth fun ctionali ty * ) or WIRELESS LAN (on mo dels with out th e Blue toot h functio nality ) switch. On mode ls with the Bluetoo th functi onalit y , double-c lick ( / ) on the ta skbar to display the Wireless Device S witch wind[...]

55 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Wireless LAN Channel Se lection In an 802.11b/g config urati on, ch annel 1 to 13 can be us ed. (a) With an Access P oint ("Infr astructure") ❑ The c hannel us ed wil l be the channel sele cted by the A ccess P oint. ! For detai ls on how to sel ect the chan nel that will be use d by the Acc ess Point, [...]

56 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter ✍ The 2. 4 GHz band width u sed by wireless LAN compati ble devi ces i s also used by oth er vario us de vices. A lthou gh tec hnol ogies to m inimi ze inte rf erence from other dev ices that use s the same ban dwidth are employed on wireless LAN com patible de vices, such int erf erence may caus e lower c ommuni[...]

57 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Using the Bluetooth Functio nal ity (on Selected Models Only) You can es tablish wireless com municati on between your compu ter and other Bl uetoot h devices suc h as another c omputer or a mobile phone. You c an trans fer data b etween th ese de vices without cable s and up t o 10 me ters ra nge in open spac e. S[...]

58 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Notes on using the Bluetooth funct ionality ❑ The da ta transfer rate varies, dependi ng on t he following conditio ns: ❑ Obsta cles , such as walls , located bet ween de vices ❑ Distanc e between d e vices ❑ Mater ial used in walls ❑ Proximity to mi crowa ves and cor dless t elepho nes ❑ Radio fr equen[...]

59 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter ❑ The 2. 4 GHz b and wit h whic h Bl uetooth devices or wirel ess LA N devices wor k, is used by various devices. Blu etooth devices use the techno logy to minimize th e interference f rom other devices that use the sa me wav e length. Co mmunica tion spee d and dis tance s ca n be i nferior to the s tandar d val[...]

60 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter Communicating with Another Bluet ooth De vice You can connect y our compu ter to a B luetooth dev ice suc h as another computer or a mobil e phone without the us e of any c ables.[...]

61 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter To comm unicate with another Bl uetooth device 1 T urn on the WIRELESS swi t c h . 2 Click Start and then Control P anel . 3 Click Network and Internet Conne ctions . 4 Click Bluetooth Devices . The Bluetooth De vice window appears. 5 Click Add . The Ad d Bluetooth Device Wizar d window appears. 6 Select My device [...]

62 nN Using Y our V AIO Compu ter To transfer dat a from or to anoth er Bluetooth de vice 1 Choose Start , poin t to A ll Programs , Acces sorie s , Communications , and then cl ick Bluetooth File T ransf er Wizard . The Bluetooth File T ransfer Wizar d window appe ars. 2 Click Next to continue. 3 Follow the on-li ne instr uctio ns. To conne ct to [...]

63 nN Using P erip heral De vices Using P eri pheral De vices You ca n add fu nctio nality to your c omputer b y using the va rious p orts on your u nit. ❑ Connecting a P ort Replicator (page 64) ❑ Using the Mouse (on Selected Models Onl y) (page 77) ❑ Connecting Exte rnal Speaker s (page 81 ) ❑ Using the Remote Commander (page 86) ❑ Conn[...]

64 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a P or t Replicator Attach ing a p ort repl icato r enable s you to connec t additio nal pe ripher als to yo ur comp uter, s uch as a printer and an ex tern al displa y. A por t replic ator may be del ivered with your com puter, dep ending on the model yo u purc hased . If not, you can a dditi onally pur[...]

65 nN Using P erip heral De vices Locating P or ts on th e P or t Replicator A/V por t replicator fo r V G N-A series models A Comp osite Audio In jacks (page 66 ) B Compos ite Video In ja ck (page 66) C S Video In por t (page 66) D VHF/UHF por t *1 (pag e 38) E Hi-Spee d USB (USB 2.0) por ts *2 (page 10 5) F Monitor ( V GA) por t (page 90) G V olu[...]

66 nN Using P erip heral De vices ✍ T o the A/ V port replica tor , you can conn ect an externa l video/au dio source suc h as a video camera , VCR or DVD pla yer . Conn ect y ou r video /audio device' s video cab le to th e S Video In or Composi te Vide I n jack and the audio cable to t he Compos ite Aud io In Jacks . Business por t replica[...]

67 nN Using P erip heral De vices A/V port replicato r for V GN-FS series models ✍ T o the A/ V port replica tor , you can conn ect an externa l video/au dio source suc h as a video camera , VCR or DVD pla yer . Conn ect y ou r video /audio device' s video cab le to the S V ideo In or Composi te Vide In j ack and the audio cabl e to the Comp[...]

68 nN Using P erip heral De vices Business por t replicator for V GN-FS series models ! The port rep licator can be powe red only t hrough the AC adap ter supplie d with your co mputer . Do not unp lug the AC ad apter fro m t he po rt repl icat or and th e AC outl et whil e usin g the por t repli cator; this may ca use dat a damage or hard ware mal[...]

69 nN Using P erip heral De vices Attaching Y our Computer to the P or t Replicator To attach you r computer t o the port replicator V GN-A series models 1 Discon nect all peri pherals fro m the comp uter . 2 Plug th e power cord (1) into t he AC adapter and a n AC outlet. 3 Plug th e cable attached to the AC adapter (2) into the DC In po r t ( 3) [...]

70 nN Using P erip heral De vices 4 Open th e por t repl icato r conne ctor cover . 5 Align the botto m connec tor of the comput er wit h the conn ector on the por t rep licator and pu sh down unt il it cl icks into plac e.[...]

71 nN Using P erip heral De vices 6 Slide the lock s witch to LOCK . 7 T urn on the c omput er .[...]

72 nN Using P erip heral De vices V G N-FS ser ies mo dels 1 Discon nect all peri pherals fro m the comp uter . 2 Plug th e power cord (1) into t he AC adapter and a n AC outlet. 3 Plug th e cable attached to the AC adapter (2) into the DC In po r t ( 3) on the por t replic ator (4). 4 Open th e por t repl icato r conne ctor cover .[...]

73 nN Using P erip heral De vices 5 Align the botto m connec tor of the comput er wit h the conn ector on the por t rep licator and pu sh down unt il it cl icks into plac e. ! When the A/V po rt replicator is attached to your comp uter , yo u cannot acce ss the DC In port, the monito r (VGA) port, the third USB port from the fr ont , an d the netw [...]

74 nN Using P erip heral De vices Disconnecting Y our Computer from t he P or t Replicator ! T o preven t loss of un saved da ta, be sure to t urn off your co mputer bef ore disco nnecti ng it from th e port replica tor . To disco nnect your co mputer from t he port re plicato r V GN-A series models 1 T urn off the c omput er and the conne cted p e[...]

75 nN Using P erip heral De vices 3 Lift the c omput er aw ay from the por t re plicator. 4 Close th e por t rep licator co nnect or cover on the bo ttom of your co mputer.[...]

76 nN Using P erip heral De vices V G N-FS ser ies mo dels 1 Lift the c omput er aw ay from the por t re plicator. 2 Close th e por t rep licator co nnect or cover on the bo ttom of your co mputer. ✍ It is ext remely impo rtant to cl ose the port rep licator conn ector cover af ter disc onnecting your comput er from the port replicat or . If the [...]

77 nN Using P erip heral De vices Using the Mouse (on Selected Models Only) Your compu ter incl udes a wireles s op tical mou se, whic h has no cab les to pl ug in and u ses a ligh t-emittin g diod e (LED) instead of a ball. You c an use the m ouse anywhere you feel co mfort able w ithin a range of a pproxim ately 80 cm * of the main unit. A void u[...]

78 nN Using P erip heral De vices Bef ore Y ou Use the Mouse Befor e usin g the wir eless mo use, you must e nable commu nicat ion between the co mputer and th e mouse. To conne ct the wi reless m ouse 1 Inser t the two s pecific AA ba tteri es into th e wirele ss mous e as shown. 2 T urn on the c omput er . 3 Press th e CONNECT button (1) on the c[...]

79 nN Using P erip heral De vices 4 T urn ov er the w ireles s mouse, sl ide the power s witch to the ON position, and pr ess the CONNE CT button. Communica tion be tween the wi reless mouse a nd the c ompute r is now act ive . ✍ Step 3 and 4 must be comple ted with in 10 se conds o f each o ther . T wo A A bat teries, specif ic for use i n the w[...]

80 nN Using P erip heral De vices Adjusting the Mouse Functi ons 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click P ri nt e rs an d O th e r H a rdwa r e . 3 Click the Mouse . The Mouse Pr operties window appe ars. 4 Change th e setti ngs. To set up your m ouse for left-hand ed users 1 Click the Buttons tab on the M ouse P ropert ies win do w . 2 Se[...]

81 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting Exter nal Speakers A pair of exter nal spe aker s is deliv ered with your c omputer f or extend ed us e of the VAIO Zone software. See the prin ted Specifi cations she et to see wh ether your mo del co mes with external spea kers. External s peaker s f or V GN-A se ries models A V olu me co ntrol The rig[...]

82 nN Using P erip heral De vices Exte rnal speak ers for V GN-FS se ries models A Headp hones jack B V olu me co ntrol T urn c lock wise or countercloc kwise to adjust the speaker vol um e. C P ow er bu tton T ur ns on and off th e speakers.[...]

83 nN Using P erip heral De vices To conne ct the exte rnal sp eakers External s peaker s f or V GN-A se ries models 1 Attach your computer to an A/V por t replic ator . 2 Plug th e volume cable (1) of the spe aker to the V olume jack on th e por t replic ator . 3 Plug th e spea ker cables (2) to the S peaker jacks. 4 Plug th e USB cable (3) to one[...]

84 nN Using P erip heral De vices ! T o use a remo te comman der for volume co ntrol, make su re to conne ct the speaker' s USB cable to the USB port. Make sure to place the external sp eakers in a st able posi tion. Do not gras p the de pression on the fron t of the spea ker to take h old of it. Exte rnal speak ers for V GN-FS se ries models [...]

85 nN Using P erip heral De vices You ca n als o enhan ce the sound quali ty of you r com puter by conne cting other externa l speake rs d irectly to your comp uter. To connect e xternal speakers 1 Plug th e spea ker cable (1) into the headpho nes jack (2) i . 2 Plug th e other en d of the speaker cable to the externa l speaker (3). 3 T urn down th[...]

86 nN Using P erip heral De vices Using the Remote Commander A rem ote co mmande r is deliv ered wit h your c ompute r for exten ded us e of the VAIO Zone so ftware. The i nfrared receiv er for com munic ations wi th the r emote comma nder del ivered with VGN- A se ries m odels is located on the suppl ied le ft extern al spe aker. Ma ke s ure to at[...]

87 nN Using P erip heral De vices * With the rem ote comm ande r , y ou can incre ase the v olum e onl y up to th e level set by the vo lum e control on the e xtern al spea ker . A MUTING butto n T ur ns off the external speakers. Press the M UTING button t o tur n on the sp eakers. B Chan nel b ut tons Select t he re specti v e c hanne ls. C Direc[...]

88 nN Using P erip heral De vices To conne ct the exte rnal i nfrared receive r to VGN -FS series models 1 Choose t he USB por t (1 ) you prefer to use. 2 Plug th e external infrared receiver cable (2 ) into the USB po r t. Y ou c an now use your in frared re ceiver (3).[...]

89 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting an Exter nal Disp la y You ca n con nect an ex terna l display to you r comput er. For example , you c an use y our com puter wit h a com puter display or a proj ect or. ❑ Connecting a Computer Display (page 90) ❑ Connecting a Multimedia Computer Display (page 92) ❑ Connecting a TV (page 93) ❑ Co[...]

90 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a Computer Displa y You ca n con nect a comput er disp lay (mo nitor ) eith er direct ly to your compu ter or via the (o ptiona l) port replic ator. To connect a computer display V GN-A series models 1 If neces sar y , plug one e nd of th e disp lay's power cord (1 ) into the disp lay , and the o th[...]

91 nN Using P erip heral De vices ✍ VGN-A series mo dels are eq uipped with the DVI-D po rt. DVI-D stands for Digital Vi sual Inte rface - D igital . It is a typ e of DV I co nnecto r that sup ports only digi tal vi deo s ignal s (no analo g vid eo si gnals ). It has 24 pins. A DVI-I conn ecto r ( Digital Vi sual Interf ace - In tegrated ) suppor[...]

92 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a Multimedia Computer Displ a y You ca n con nect th e computer to a m ultim edia com puter d isplay that in cludes built- in spea kers an d a mi crophone . To conne ct a mul timedia compute r displa y 1 Plug th e power cord of the multi media comput er disp lay (1) into an AC outlet. 2 Plug t he dis pla[...]

93 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a TV You ca n con nect a TV to VGN- A se ries model s or to the p ort replic ator. To conne ct a TV to th e compu ter 1 Plug th e power cord of the TV (1) into an AC outlet. 2 Plug on e end o f an aud io/video cable (2) into the A V Out jack (3) T on the compu ter and th e other to the TV . 3 Swit ch the[...]

94 nN Using P erip heral De vices ✍ See the manu al suppl ied with your periphera l for more in formation on install ation and us e. If you insert a DVD i n you r DVD-R OM drive to wa tch a vi deo o n your TV , the Fn + F7 key combinat ion might not act ivate th e funct ion to togg le bet ween y our LCD an d TV . Solut ion : 1 Eject your D VD fr [...]

95 nN Using P erip heral De vices To conne ct a TV to th e port replic ator 1 Attach the por t replica tor to your com puter . 2 Plug on e end o f an aud io/video cable (1) into the Comp osite Audio Out jacks and th e Composi te Vid eo Out Jack (2) on the por t repli cator and the other into th e Compo site Audio and Vide o jacks on your T V . If y[...]

96 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a Pro jector You ca n con nect a pr ojector (such a s the Son y LCD p rojector) di rectly to yo ur comp uter or vi a the po rt repli cator. To conne ct a proj ector 1 Connect the power cord (1) of th e projector into an AC outlet. 2 Plug th e RGB si gnal cable ( 2) into th e moni tor (VGA) por t (3) a on[...]

97 nN Using P erip heral De vices Selecting Displa y Modes You ca n sele ct whic h disp lay to be used as the pri mary mon itor when a n exter nal disp lay ( desktop monitor , etc. ) is conn ected to the comput er. The proced ure for sele cting a d isplay , howev er, depen ds on the v ideo con troller used in your VAIO compu ter. See the pri nted S[...]

98 nN Using P erip heral De vices Models with the Intel 915GM video controller 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click Appearance and Themes . 3 Click Display . 4 Click the Sett ings tab . 5 Click Advanced . 6 Click the tab wi th its nam e begi nning w ith Intel(R) . 7 Click Graphic Pr operties . 8 Click the Devices tab to sel ect a dis pla[...]

99 nN Using P erip heral De vices Models with the NVIDIA GeFor ce Go 6200 video contr oller 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click Appearance and Themes . 3 Click Display . 4 Click the Sett ings tab . 5 Click Advanced . 6 Click the tab wi th its nam e begi nning w ith GeFor ce . 7 Select nView Display Settings from the lef t menu. T o chan[...]

100 nN Using P erip heral De vices Using the Multiple Monitors Functio n The M ultiple M onitors function allows you to di stribu te portio ns of y our des ktop a cross se parate di splay s. For e xampl e, if you have a n externa l display attach ed to th e monit or (VGA) p ort, your compute r's LCD an d the exter nal d isplay ca n functio n a[...]

101 nN Using P erip heral De vices To select the Multiple Monitors mo de ! T o find which vi deo cont roller your co mputer in clude s, see the pr inted Sp ecif ica tio ns sheet . Models with the A TI video controller 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click Appearance and Themes . 3 Click Display . 4 Select the Settings tab . 5 Click the mo[...]

102 nN Using P erip heral De vices Models with the NVIDIA video contr oller 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click Appearance and Themes . 3 Click Display . 4 Select the Settings tab . 5 Click Advanced . 6 Click the tab wi th its nam e begi nning w ith GeFor ce . 7 Select nView Display Settings from the lef t menu. 8 Select Dualview from t[...]

103 nN Using P erip heral De vices Models with the Intel video controller 1 Right-c lick on the d esktop to disp lay the context menu. 2 P oint to Graphics Options and click Grap hics Proper ties . 3 Select the Devices tab . 4 Click Extended Desktop . T o change the pr im ar y and se conda r y device settin gs, use the P rima ry De vice and Sec ond[...]

104 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting an Exter nal Microphone If you n eed to u se a sou nd inpu t devi ce (for example , to ch at on the Internet) you nee d to pl ug in a n externa l microph one. To conne ct an ex ternal mi crophone Plug th e micro phone cable (1 ) into th e micro phone j ack (2) m . ✍ Make sure you r micr ophone is desi[...]

105 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a Universal Se ri al Bus (USB) De vice To pr event yo ur comp uter a nd/or USB devi ces f rom da mage, o bserve the follo wing: ❑ When movi ng your compu ter with US B devices conne cted, avoid any shock or force to the USB por ts. ❑ Do not put your com puter into a bag o r carr ying cas e when it h[...]

106 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a USB Flopp y Disk Dr ive You ca n pur chase a U SB flo ppy d isk driv e and c onnect i t to you r compu ter. To conne ct a USB floppy disk dr ive 1 Choose t he USB por t you pref er to us e. 2 Plug th e USB f loppy disk dr ive cable into the US B por t. The V A IO logo on the d isk dr ive should be fac[...]

107 nN Using P erip heral De vices Disconnecting a USB flopp y disk driv e You ca n dis connect a USB f loppy di sk dri ve when the compu ter is o n or off. Di sconnec ting the driv e when th e compute r is in a power sav ing mode ( Standby or Hiber nat e ) may cause th e com puter to m alfunc tion. If your compute r is off, you can u nplug the USB[...]

108 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a Pr inter You ca n con nect a Windows- compati ble pri nter to your c omputer to prin t docu ments. Connecting a Printer Using the USB P or t You ca n con nect a USB prin ter comp atible wi th your ve rsio n of Windo ws to y our com puter. To conne ct a print er usin g the USB p ort 1 Plug th e pri nte[...]

109 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a Printer Using the Pr inter P or t To conne ct a pri nter usin g the p rinter p ort 1 Plug th e pri nter power cord (1 ) into an AC outlet. 2 Plug th e pri nter cable (2) s upplie d with your pr inter i nto the pr inter por t (3) on the c omputer o r on th e (optio nal) por t repl icato r * . * Dependi[...]

110 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting an i.L INK De vice Notes on connect ing i.LINK de vices ❑ Y our co mputer includes an i.LINK (IEEE139 4) por t, which you can use to conne ct to an i.LINK device such as a digital video camera rec order o r to con nect two V AIO co mputers in order to copy , dele te or edit files. ❑ The i. LINK por [...]

111 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting a Digit al Video Camer a Recorder To connect a dig ital video camera recorde r 1 Plug on e end o f the i.LINK cable (1) int o the i .LINK por t (2) on the c omputer a nd the other end into th e D V In /Out por ts (3) on the digi tal vide o camera rec order . 2 Launch the D Vgate Plus softw are. ✍ On S[...]

112 nN Using P erip heral De vices Connecting to a Networ k (LAN) You ca n con nect your c ompute r to 1000B ASE-T/1 00BAS E-TX/10 BASE-T- type netw orks * via an E thernet n etwork c able. Conn ect one end of an opti onal net work cable to the Ne twork (Et hernet) po rt on the bott om panel of your co mputer and the othe r end to y our netwo rk. F[...]

113 nN Using P erip heral De vices ! Network and teleph one li nes cann ot be co nnected to the Network (Ethernet ) port on your comp uter . If the follo wing co nnectors are connec ted to the telepho ne lines men tioned below, high electric curren t to the con nectors may cause dam age, overhe ating or f ire. - Home (int ercom speakerph one) or bu[...]

114 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Customizing Y our V AIO Computer This sectio n briefly describ es how to change the mai n sett ings of y our com puter. Am ong oth er things , you will lea rn how to prepar e your modem for use, how to use and cu stomi ze the look of y our Sony softwar e and u tilities , etc. ❑ Setting the P asswor d (page[...]

115 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Setting the P ass word Use one of the B IOS func tions to set the pass word. Once you hav e se t the p asswor d, you wi ll h ave to en ter t he pass word after the VAIO l ogo appea rs. In this way, you can pr otect your compu ter from unauthori zed acc ess. ! Y ou cannot start you r computer wi thout enteri [...]

116 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Adding the P ass w ord To add the passw ord V GN-A series models 1 T urn on your comp uter . 2 Press th e F2 ke y whe n the VA I O logo appear s. The BI OS setu p scree n appears. If not, pres s the F2 ke y se v eral times . 3 Use the < or , key t o select Secur ity and pres s the En ter key . The pa sswo[...]

117 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer V G N-FS ser ies mo dels 1 T urn on your comp uter . 2 Press th e F2 ke y whe n the VA I O logo app ears. The BI OS setu p scree n appears. 3 Use the < or , key to sele ct S ecurit y to display another sc reen, select Set M achine P assword , and then press the Enter key . 4 On the p assw ord entr y scre [...]

118 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Changing/Remo ving the P ass word To change o r remove the password V GN-A series models 1 T urn on your comp uter . 2 Press th e F2 ke y whe n the VA I O logo app ears. The BI OS setu p scree n appears. If not, pres s the F2 ke y se v eral times . 3 Enter t he current password f or Enter CURRENT Passw ord :[...]

119 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer V G N-FS ser ies mo dels 1 T urn on your comp uter . 2 Press th e F2 ke y whe n the VA I O logo app ears. The BI OS setu p scree n appears. If not, pres s the F2 ke y se v eral times . 3 Enter t he current password f or Enter Passw ord : 4 Use the < or , key to sele ct S ecurit y to display another sc ree[...]

120 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Setting Up Y our Computer wit h V AIO Control Cen ter The VAIO Control Center util ity allo ws yo u to co nsult system infor mation and sp ecify pref erenc es for s ystem b ehavi or. To u se VAIO Contro l Cent er 1 Click Start , point to All Programs , and click V A IO Contr ol Center . The V AIO Control Cen[...]

121 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer 2 Selec t the desi red contr ol item and ch ange th e setti ngs. 3 Once f inished, click OK . The s etting of th e desi red item has be en cha nged. ✍ For more info rmation ab out each option, clic k Help on the VA IO Control C enter window to di spla y the he lp fi le. Some of the control item s will not [...]

122 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Using the P ow er Sa ving Modes When y ou use a battery a s the p ower sou rce for your c omputer, y ou ca n take advantage of powe r managem ent se ttings to conse rve batte ry life. In additi on to the no rmal operatin g mode, which all ows you to turn off specifi c devic es, your c ompute r h as two dis t[...]

123 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Using Standb y Mode Standby mode turns off the LCD scre en and sets the hard disk and the CPU to a low power consump tion mode . The umber power light f lashe s in th is mode. To activate Sta ndby mode 1 Click Start and then T urn Off Computer . 2 Click Stand By . To return to No rmal mode Pres s any key. ?[...]

124 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer To c han ge th e Stan dby mode sett ing s 1 Right-cli ck the power status icon o n the task bar . 2 Select Adjust P ower Properties . The P ower Options Pro perties wind ow appears. 3 Select the Po w e r S c h e m e s tab . 4 Change th e settings in Settings f or V AIO optimized power scheme .[...]

125 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Using Hiber nate Mode In Hibernate mod e, the sta te of the sys tem is sav ed on the har d disk and power is turne d off. Ev en when the battery runs down, no data will b e lost. T he powe r indic ator light i s off in t his m ode. To activate Hibernate mo de Pres s the Fn + F12 keys. The Hibernating screen [...]

126 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer ✍ If you press the p ower bu tton for mo re than four second s, the com puter will switch off automatical ly . If yo u do not u se th e AC adapt er fo r a long peri od of t ime, pu t you r comput er int o Hiber nate mode. Thi s power sav ing mode saves yo u the ti me of shu tting down in the normal way . W[...]

127 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Managin g P o wer with V AIO P o wer Management Power managem ent help s you to set up power schemes for running on AC power or batter ies to sui t your req uiremen ts for power cons umpti on. VAIO Power Management is a so ftware a pplicati on dev eloped exclus ively f or VA IO compu ters. With th is softwa [...]

128 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Activ ating V AIO P o wer Management When yo u st art th e com pute r, a power status ic on appear s on th e task bar. T his ico n indica tes wha t kind of p ower sou rce you are us ing at that time, for exam ple, A C power . If you dou ble- click thi s icon, the Power Mete r window app ears sh owing y ou th[...]

129 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Activ ating V AIO P o wer Management P ow er Schemes VAIO Power Management provides several pred efined pow er schemes . Each po wer sch eme co nsists of a grou p of powe r managem ent se ttings that ar e design ed to me et speci fic po wer manage ment go als, ran ging fr om maxi mum pow er man agemen t to n[...]

130 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer ✍ If you h ave a mo bile co mputer , a CPU co ntrol i con may ap pear on the ta skbar . T he CPU control icon i ndicate s the CPU control sta tus (Per formance, Adaptive, Batter y Life, Deg rade). T o display the icon , click the Advanc ed button on th e V AIO Power Manage ment ta b. Select the Show CPU s [...]

131 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Setting Up Y our Language with Windows XP Prof essional Windo ws XP Pr ofessio nal compu ters ar e equip ped with the Multilingual User Interface (MUI) featur e. It allows you to ch ange the Eng lish operatin g system , som e softwa re appli catio ns and the keyb oard layout in to the l anguag e of yo ur cho[...]

132 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer To chang e the cou ntry and langua ge settin gs 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 In the Control P anel window , double-c lick the Regional and Language Options icon. If you do not s ee this i con, cl ick Switch to Classic V iew on the lef t side. 3 In the Regional Options tab o f the Regional and La[...]

133 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer To chang e the keyb oard l ayout 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 In the Control P anel window , double-c lick the Regional and Language Options icon. If you do not s ee this i con, cl ick Switch to Classic V iew on the lef t side. 3 In the Languages tab of the Reg ional and Language Options windo w[...]

134 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Configur ing Y our Modem Befor e you can start us ing your inte rnal mod em (not al l mod em are bu ilt-in) , or eac h time yo u use your mod em whi le trave ling, make s ure that the c ountry o f the acti ve locat ion defined in the Phone and Modem Options dialog box matc hes th e countr y you are di aling [...]

135 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer To chang e your mod em coun try settin gs 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Double-c lick Phone and Modem Options . The Phone and Modem O ptions wind ow appears. If you do not s ee the Phone and Modem Options window , cl ick Switch to Clas sic View on the left s ide. 3 Select your loc ation on th e D[...]

136 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Updating the Modem Driv er To upda te the modem driver 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click P ri nt e rs an d O th e r H a rdwa r e . 3 Click Phone and Modem Options . The Phone and Modem O ptions wind ow appears. 4 Click the Modems tab and then c lick Prope r ties to vi ew the proper t ies o f yo[...]

137 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Setting a So ny W allpaper Your Sony VA IO co mputer of fers you , among many other feat ures, a c hoice o f wallpape rs. You ca n cha nge the wallpa per, the ba ckgrou nd of y our des ktop, a s many ti mes a s you li ke. The re are s everal VAIO- specific wallpa pers to c hoos e from. To set another V AIO w[...]

138 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Installing and Upgrading Applications This sectio n explai ns how to instal l, run or unin stall so ftware . Further more, y ou will l earn how t o downl oad the lat est upd ates from our web site. ❑ Installing Software (page 139) ❑ Changing or Removi ng Software (page 140) ❑ Caution (page 141 ) ❑ Do[...]

139 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Installing Softw are To in stall bun dled s oftwar e from the s upplied Re cover y Di sc or your ha rd disk drive, see the prin ted Recove ry Guide for detai ls. For so ftware b undle d with acc essories , che ck first th e instal lation procedu re that c omes with the access ory. To in stall oth er softwa r[...]

140 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Changing or Remo ving Softw are You can remove or chan ge a softwar e appl ication any tim e you lik e. Before proceedi ng, close the applicati on you want to change/ remove. To change o r remove software 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click Add or Remove Pr ograms . 3 Selec t the so ftware you wa[...]

141 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Cau tio n Windows File Prot ection Instal ling a program migh t overwrite shar ed sys tem fil es su ch as dynamic- link libraries (DL L file s) * and executa ble fi les (E XE files ). When s ystem fi les are over written, syst em perfor mance b ecome s unpred ictabl e, progr ams behave erratica lly, a nd the[...]

142 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Downloading Softw are Pleas e note it i s poss ible to dow nload the late st upg rades of softwar e for y our comp uter fro m our web site. To down load the lat est upg rade s 1 Go to www .vaio-link.com and choos e your langu age. 2 Select Driver s and Updates and f oll ow the proced ure. ✍ T o ins tall yo[...]

143 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Managing Dr iv ers A dri ver is s oftwar e enab ling you to us e hardwa re de vice s. For example , in o rder for you to be abl e to u se a p rinter , you mus t first instal l its dr iver. Man y driv ers, suc h as the mouse driver , come wi th the o perating system. This sectio n explai ns how to instal l, c[...]

144 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Installing a Driver For mor e info rmation on (re)in stallin g drive rs, see the print ed Recove ry Guid e for details . To inst all a dr iver that i s stored on the C : drive 1 Go to th e folder C:Drivers . 2 Select the c orrec t f older . If you need to u pdate a modem driver , f or example, select th e M[...]

145 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer If the driver c omes on a CD-RO M or dis c acco mpanyin g an ac cessor y and the driv er does not come with a s pecific instal lation proce dure, pr oceed as follow s to ins tall it: 1 Inse r t the inst allati on CD-ROM or disc ac compa nying the device into the o ptica l disc d r ive. 2 Connect the device t[...]

146 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Chec king the Dr iv er's I nstallation When th e comp uter resta rts, check that th e devic e is worki ng properl y. To check the driver's installation 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click P erforman ce and Maintenance . 3 Click System . 4 Click the Hard ware tab, then click Device Manag[...]

147 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer ❑ If the This device is wor king properl y mess age is not disp la yed, the d e vice is no t worki ng proper ly . Click OK to clos e the Pro perties window , then r einstal l the d river . T o reinsta ll the driver , right-cli ck Uninstall and click OK when the Confirm Device Remov al window appears. When [...]

148 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Updating a Dr iv er To upda te the driver 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click P ri nt e rs an d O th e r H a rdwa r e . 3 Clic k the d e vice y ou w ant t o re v er t. 4 On the Hard ware tab , c lick Prop erties . 5 On the Driver ta b , click Upda te Driver . 6 Follow the on-screen instr u ctions[...]

149 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Uninstalli ng a Driv er Leave the dev ice con nected to y our co mputer while uni nstalling the dr iver. To unin stall the driv er 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . 2 Click P ri nt e rs an d O th e r H a rdwa r e . 3 Clic k the d e vice y ou w ant t o re v er t. 4 On the Hard ware tab , c lick Prop ert[...]

150 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Or: 1 Click Start and then My Computer . 2 Click View system information on the left of the wi ndow . 3 Click the Hard ware tab, then click Device Manager . 4 Double-click the o ption cor respo nding t o the device you install ed, the n double-cli ck your de vice. The Pr operties wi ndow appears. 5 Click the[...]

151 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Restor ing a Driver Syste m Rest ore is a featur e of Mi crosoft W indows X P tha t restor es you r compu ter to a prev ious s tate, if a pr oblem oc curs, witho ut losin g your p ersonal data file s. Syste m Res tore mo nitor s ch anges to the sys tem, an d it automa tically creat es ea sily identi fied re [...]

152 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Or: 1 Click Start and then My Computer . 2 Click View system information on the left of the wi ndow . 3 Click the Hard ware tab, then click Device Manager . 4 Double-click the o ption cor respo nding t o the device you install ed, the n double-cli ck your de vice. The Pr operties wi ndow appears. 5 Click the[...]

153 nN Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer Downloading Driv ers Note that it is possibl e to do wnload the latest versi ons of drivers for your compute r on o ur web si te. To down load the lat est dr ivers 1 Go to www .vaio-link.com and choos e your langu age. 2 Select Driver s and Updates and f oll ow the proced ure. For mor e info rmation, follow [...]

154 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter Upgr ading Y our V A IO Computer Your compu ter and me mory mo dules use high precis ion com ponents and el ectroni c conne ctors te chnol ogy. To avoid the inval idation o f your gu arante e due to mishand ling, we recom mend th at: ❑ Y ou c ontact your dealer to i nstall a new memor y m odule. ❑ Y ou do [...]

155 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter Adding and Removing Memor y If you w ant to ex pand t he functio nality of your computer , you can inc rease th e memory by inst alling o ptional m emory m odules . Befor e you upgr ade your compute r's memo ry, rea d the no tes and pr ocedures in the following pages . The num ber of availab le slots depe[...]

156 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter ❑ Introdu cing a ny liquids or any foreign subst ances or ob jects into the mem or y slots, or other i nter nal compo nents of the compute r , will res ult in da mage to the co mputer an d any repair costs will not be covered by the warranty . ❑ Do not pl ace the memor y module in pla ces sub ject to: ❑ [...]

157 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter Removing and Installi ng a Memor y Module V GN-A series models To change or add a memo ry module to the memory modu le slot on the b ottom of the compute r 1 Shut down your com puter a nd disc onnect al l per iphera l de vices. 2 Unplug th e com puter and remove the batter y . 3 W ait unti l the com puter cool[...]

158 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter 5 T ouch a m etal obje ct (suc h as t he connec tor panel on the back of the co mputer ) to dis charge static e lectr icity . 6 Remove the memor y m odule : ❑ Pull the tabs in t he direc tion o f the ar rows (1). The mem or y mo dule is release d. ❑ Make sure that th e memo r y mod ule ti lts up and then p[...]

159 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter 8 Install the me mor y m odule. ❑ Slide th e memo r y mod ule in to the s lot. ❑ Push in the me mor y m odule until it cli cks into place. ! Do not touch any other compone nts on the moth erbo ard. 9 Close th e memo r y module comp ar tme nt cover and then tight en the s crews on the bottom o f the comp ut[...]

160 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter To chang e or ad d a memor y module to the memory m odule un derneat h the keybo ard 1 Shut down your com puter a nd disc onnect al l per iphera l de vices. 2 Unplug th e com puter and remove the batter y p ack. 3 W ait unti l the com puter cool s down. 4 Unscrew the two scr ews ne xt to the mem or y s lot.[...]

161 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter 5 T urn ov er the c omput er upside d own and open the LCD s creen li d. 6 Introdu ce a sha r p obje ct (suc h as a fine s crewdriver) betwee n the keys indicated on the pictur e (1) an d push gentl y upwards. 7 Lift the keyboard from the touch pad side, tur n it over the indic ators, and gently pr op it up ag[...]

162 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter 8 T ouch a m etal obje ct (suc h as t he connec tor panel on the back of the co mputer ) to dis charge static e lectr icity . 9 Remove the memor y m odule : ❑ Pull the tabs in t he direc tion o f the ar rows (1). The mem or y mo dule is release d. ❑ Make sure that th e memo r y mod ule ti lts up and then p[...]

163 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter 11 Install the me mor y m odule. ❑ Slide th e memo r y mod ule in to the s lot. ❑ Push in the me mor y m odule until it cli cks into place. ! Do not touch any other compone nts on the moth erbo ard.[...]

164 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter 12 Gently replac e the keyboard and the n press it int o the co mputer . 13 Close th e LCD scree n lid and tur n over the computer u pside down. 14 Close th e memo r y module comp ar tme nt cover and then tight en the s crews on the bottom o f the comp uter . 15 Reinsta ll the batt er y an d tur n on the com p[...]

165 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter V G N-FS ser ies mo dels To chang e or ad d a mem ory mod ule 1 Shut down your com puter a nd disc onnect al l per iphera l de vices. 2 Unplug th e com puter and remove the batter y p ack. 3 W ait unti l the com puter cool s down. 4 Unscr ew the screw (indicated by the arrow below) on th e bottom of the com pu[...]

166 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter 6 Remove the memor y m odule : ❑ Pull the tabs in t he direc tion o f the ar rows (1). The mem or y mo dule is release d. ❑ Make sure that th e memo r y mod ule ti lts up and then pu ll it out in the direct ion of th e arrow (2). 7 Remove the new memor y mod ule from its packaging.[...]

167 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter 8 Slide the mem or y mo dule into the mem or y mo dule slo t and pu sh it in until i t clicks into place. ! Do not touch any other compone nts on the moth erbo ard. Do not dam age the inner f ilm cover equipp ed for mo dule pr otecti on. 9 Replace the me mor y m odule compar tmen t cov er . 10 Tighten th e scr[...]

168 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Compu ter Viewing the Amount of Memory To view the am ount of m emory 1 T urn on the c omput er . 2 Click Start , point to All Programs , and click V A IO Contr ol Center . 3 Double-click the Syst em In f ormat ion f older in the V AI O C ont rol C ent er wi ndow . 4 Double-click the Syst em In f ormat ion ic on in the [...]

169 nN Pr ecaut io ns Precautions This sectio n desc ribes safety gu ideli nes an d precau tions to h elp y ou protec t your c ompute r from p otentia l dama ge. ❑ On Handling the LCD Screen (page 170) ❑ On Usi ng t he P ower Sour ce (page 1 71) ❑ On Handling Y our Computer (page 172) ❑ On Ha ndli ng Fl oppy Di sks (page 17 4) ❑ On Ha ndl[...]

170 nN Pr ecaut io ns On Handling the LCD Screen ❑ Do not le av e the LC D facing the sun. T his co uld da mage the LCD . Be carefu l when u sing the compu ter nea r a window . ❑ Do not sc ratch the L CD or ex er t pr essure o n it. T his cou ld caus e a malfunc tion. ❑ Using th e com puter in l ow temperature condi tions may produce a res id[...]

171 nN Pr ecaut io ns On Using the P ow er Source ❑ See the pr inted Specifi cations she et to check the power ope ration of your comput er . ❑ Do not sh are th e AC outlet with othe r power-consum ing eq uipmen t, such as a photoc opier or shred der . ❑ Y ou c an purch ase a power strip wi th a su rge pro tector . This device prev e nts da m[...]

172 nN Pr ecaut io ns On Handling Y our Compu ter ❑ Clean the cabinet with a s oft cl oth, which is d r y or li ghtly moistene d with a mild detergent solu tion. Do not us e any type of abrasive pad, sc ouri ng powder , or so lvent such as alco hol or be nzine, as the se may damag e the finis h of your co mputer. ❑ If you drop a solid obje ct o[...]

173 nN Pr ecaut io ns ❑ If the com puter is brought d irectl y from a col d locati on to a war m one, moi sture m a y cond ense ins ide your compute r . In this case, allow at l east one ho ur before tur ning o n your compute r . I f any problems oc cur , unplug your computer an d cont act V AIO- Lin k. ❑ Make sure you dis connect the power cor[...]

174 nN Pr ecaut io ns On Handling Floppy Disks ❑ Do not ope n the s hutter ma nually or touch the s urface of the flo ppy dis k. ❑ K eep flop py disks aw ay from magnets. ❑ K eep flop py disks awa y f rom dir ect sunl ight an d other s ources of heat. ❑ K eep the fl oppy disk awa y from any li quid. Do not l et the fl oppy disk get wet. Wh [...]

175 nN Pr ecaut io ns On Handling Discs ❑ Do not touch the surface of the di sc. ❑ Do not dr op or ben d the di sc. ❑ Finge r pr ints an d dus t on th e surface of a disc m ay cause read error s. Alwa ys ho ld the disc by i ts edg es and c entral hole, as sh own b el ow : ❑ Proper c are o f the disc is es sentia l to i ts con tinuous reliab[...]

176 nN Pr ecaut io ns On Using the Batter y P ack ❑ Do not leav e the ba tter y p ack in temperat ures above 60°C, such as in a car par ked in the s un or und er di rect su nlight . ❑ Batter y life is shor ter in a cold environ ment. T his is due to dec reased batter y efficien cy at low temperatur es. ❑ Charge t he batte ries a t tempera tu[...]

177 nN Pr ecaut io ns On Using Headphones ❑ Road saf ety – Do not u se head phones whi le dr ivin g, cycling , or operatin g any motor ized vehicle. It may create a traffic h azard and is illeg al in some a reas. It can also be poten tiall y dang erous to play loud music while walk ing, e special ly at pedestr ian cros sings. ❑ Prev en tin g [...]

178 nN Pr ecaut io ns On Handling the Hard D isk The ha rd disk has a high sto rage density and re ads or w rites da ta in a short ti me. Howe ver, it can be easily damaged by mechan ical vibrati on, shoc k or dus t. Althou gh the hard disk has the i nternal sa fety devic e to prevent lo sing data due to mech anical v ibration , shock o r dust, you[...]

179 nN T roublesh ooting T rou b les hooti ng This sectio n desc ribes how to s olve co mmon pr oble ms you m ight en counte r when us ing y our VAIO c ompute r. Ma ny probl ems have s imple s olutio ns. Tr y these s ugges tions be fore cont acting VAIO- Link. ❑ T r oubleshooting the optical disc drive (page 180) ❑ T r oubleshooting PC Car ds ([...]

180 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting th e optical disc drive I cannot s witch from LCD displa y to TV and vice v ersa If a D VD disc is inse rted i n the o ptical di sc driv e, rem ove the di sc. My optical di sc dr iv e tra y does not open ❑ Make sure the c omput er is tu rn ed on an d pre ss the di sc eject butt on*. ✍ T r y first th e [...]

181 nN T roublesh ooting I cannot pla y a disc ❑ After ins er ti ng the d isc, wait f or a fe w secon ds for the system to detect i t before you try to access it. ❑ Make sure the l abel of the di sc is f acing u p . ❑ If the disc requ ires s oftware, make sure the software i s insta lled a ccording t o th e instr uct ions of th e pro gram. ?[...]

182 nN T roublesh ooting I ca nnot pla y a D VD ❑ If a reg ion co de war ning ap pears wh en you are us ing your D VD play er , i t could b e that th e D VD you are tr ying to play is incomp atible with the o ptica l disc drive on your co mputer. The region c ode is l isted on the packaging of the di sc. ❑ Change th e resolu tion u nder Control[...]

183 nN T roublesh ooting I cannot pla y a D VD when using two scre ens ❑ Y ou wi ll not hav e a problem in th e following situa tions: ❑ When you use a CRT or an LCD di splay on its own. ❑ When you play MPEG fi les which ar e recorded on the hard d isk dr ive with Wi ndows Med ia Player 10 or V AIO Zone . The reading speed of CD/D VD-R Ws is [...]

184 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting PC Cards My PC Card is not wor king Make s ure the P C Card is comp atible wi th your ver sion of Windo ws. T roub leshooting th e modem My modem does not work or cannot esta blish 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[...]

185 nN T roublesh ooting ❑ Only DTMF (Dua l T one M ulti Frequency) si gnall ing (ton e dial ling) i s suppor t ed. ❑ The in ter nal m odem is i ntended to be use d for data and fax communications using DT MF (D ual T one Mu lti F requenc y) signal ling (to ne dia ling) on the PS TN (Public S witched T el ephone Network ) networ ks in t he foll[...]

186 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting th e Bluetooth functiona lity I cannot use the B luetooth functionalit y ❑ If the Bl uetooth indicato r is off, tur n on the WIREL ESS sw i t c h . ❑ Y ou ca nnot us e the Blu etooth fu nctio nality wh en the comp uter is in a power saving mo de. Retur n to no rm al mod e, then tur n on th e WIR ELESS [...]

187 nN T roublesh ooting I cannot communicat e with the othe r de vice al though the distance betw een both de vices is with in 10 m etres ❑ The d ata transfer dis tance can b e sho r ter than 10 m eters d ependi ng on existin g obstac les be tween the two d e vice s, on radio wav e quali ty , on th e operati ng sys tem or the software u sed. T r[...]

188 nN T roublesh ooting Cannot connect to se r vice suppor ted by tar get Bluetoo th de vice . Conn ection is only possi ble for s ervic es also suppo rted by th e com puter equi pped wi th the Bl uetooth functiona lity. For mor e detail s, refer to the Bluetooth Devi ce Help in Wind ows XP and/o r the operati ng instr uction s or electro nic man [...]

189 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting Wireless LAN I cannot use the Wireless LAN fun ctionality Check if the WIRELESS (on models with the Blue tooth funct ionali ty * ) or WIRELESS LAN (on m odels with out th e Bl ueto oth functi onalit y) switch is tur ned on and the WIR ELES S LAN ind icator is lit. * See the prin ted Sp ecif ica tion s shee[...]

190 nN T roublesh ooting The data tr ansf er speed is slo w ❑ The ma ximum commun ication s peed can var y dep endin g on the obs tacles or the distan ce between th e com munication devices, the radio wa ves , the operating system or the software you use. Remov e the obs tacle or ma ke the distance betwe en the Acc ess P oint and your mach ine s [...]

191 nN T roublesh ooting I cannot use a Wireless LAN network Check if the Wireless Zero Configuration ser vice is ac tive. To check the status of the Wire less Zero Configuration service 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . The Contr ol P anel wind ow appears. 2 Click the P erf ormance and Maintenance ic on. 3 Click the Administrative T ools ico[...]

192 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting P ower Management The po wer mana gement setting is not respo nding Your c omput er's oper ating sy stem m ay becom e unsta ble if a lower po wer st ate, su ch as Hibernate is in itiate d, and th en changed before the co mputer c omplet ely enter s the lo wer po wer state. To resto re the computer to [...]

193 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting Exter nal Displa ys I cannot use the Plug and Di spla y function Depe nding on th e exte rnal dis play or the way i t is con nected, the Plug and Dis play fun ction ma y not b e availa ble. Use t he Fn +F7 keys to select the output desti nation. I cannot displa y content s on tw o or more di spla ys at the[...]

194 nN T roublesh ooting The e xternal display with t he D VI-D por t does not displa y properly (V GN-A series) See the prin ted Troubleshooting Gu ide first to solve you r probl ems. I f the probl em pers ists, proc eed as fo llows : 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . The Contr ol P anel wind ow appears. 2 Click the Appearance and Themes ic [...]

195 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting Soun d (Speak er) My speak ers are not producing so und ❑ V GN-A series ❑ The built-in spe akers may be tur ned off (the Mute % indicato r is on). Pres s the Mute button to tur n on the s peakers. ❑ The sp eaker volume ma y be tur ned to the min imum. Pres s the V olume up button to in crease the vol[...]

196 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting Soun d (Microphone) My microphone does not work If you a re us ing an ex terna l micropho ne, ch eck t hat the m icroph one is pl ugged into the microp hone j ack cor rectly. My microphone v olume is too high or too low Proc eed as fol lows to adju st the volum e. 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . Th[...]

197 nN T roublesh ooting Only left-channel audio is recorded with a monaur al microphone (V GN-A series) Proceed as fol lows to change the audi o channe l sett ing. 1 Click Start and then Control P anel . The Contr ol P anel wind ow appears. 2 Click Sounds, Speech, and A udio Devic es and th en Sounds and Audio De vices . 3 Click Vo l u m e under S[...]

198 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting F lopp y Disks My USB flopp y disk driv e cannot write to a flopp y disk ❑ The fl oppy disk is wri te-prot ected. Disable the wr ite- protect feature o r use a f loppy disk that is not wr ite- protecte d. ❑ Check that the disk is p roper ly ins er t ed into the floppy disk dr ive. ❑ Y ou r disk may b[...]

199 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting Pr inters ❑ Make sure that the prin ter driver suppor ts Windows XP . Ask th e manufacturer of your pr inter for the driver that suppo r ts Windows XP . ❑ The pr inter por t on the por t r eplica tor is int er nally connect ed to the US B. If your printe r is connec ted to the prin ter por t o n the po[...]

200 nN T roublesh ooting ❑ If the bidirecti onal c ommunicati on functi ons are p rovided wit h your pr inter , disa bling the func tions on your compu ter m a y enable pr intin g. Proc eed as follows: 1 Click Star t and then Control P a nel . 2 Click the Printers and Other Hard ware icon. 3 Click the Printers an d Faxes icon. 4 Right-cli ck the [...]

201 nN T roublesh ooting T roub leshooting i.LINK D e vices I cannot estab li sh an i.LINK connection betw een two V AIO computers ❑ Y ou mu st hav e adm inistrator r i ghts o n your compu ter to be a ble to link the two . ❑ Discon nect then reco nnect t he i.LI NK cable. ❑ If you still have no conne ction afte r waiting f or a whi le, restar[...]

202 nN Support Options Suppor t Options The s ection c ontain s info rmation on where t o go for answe rs to qu estion s abo ut your V AIO com puter . Sony Suppor t Information See the follo wing sour ces for answers in the s equence l isted be low . See Documentation ( page 8) fo r details on the pri nted and on line do cumen tation d elivered wi [...]

203 nN Support Options e-Suppor t What is e-Suppor t? You hav e se arched o ur user guide s and web site ( www.vaio-link.com ) b ut have not found a n ans wer to you r que stion/ issue? e - Suppor t is the ideal solut ion for you! Our e-Suppo rt We b Port al is an in teracti ve web site on whic h you can su bmit a ny te chnic al quer y yo u may h a[...]

204 nN Support Options Can I submit my q uestions at an y time? Yes, y ou ca n submit your question s 24/7, but pl ease kee p in mi nd that our e-Supp ort Tea m can only t reat you r queries from Monday till F riday betwee n 8am a nd 6pm. Is there a cost inv olv ed f or using e-Suppor t? No, th is is a complete free o f charge service offered to al[...]

205 nN Support Options T rademarks Sony, Batt ery Ch ecker, Click to DV D, DV gate Pl us, H otKey Util ity, K eyboa rd Util ity, M emory Sti ck Forma tter , Pict ureGea r St udio, Prepa re your V AIO, Son icStage, SonicS tage Mas tering Studio , VAIO Co ntrol Cen ter, VAIO E dit Com ponent s, VAIO Launcher , VAIO Media, VA IO Power Managem ent, Ima[...]

206 nN Support Options The B luetooth wo rd ma rk and logo s are owned b y the Bl uetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of s uch mar ks by Son y Cor poration is unde r lice nse. Othe r tradem arks a nd tra de name s are tho se of t heir re spec tive ow ners. All oth er name s of syste ms, produ cts and se rvices are trade marks o f their res pective owners[...]