Sony VGX-XL manual

N User Guide P ers onal Computer V GX-XL series[...]

2 nN Cont ents Before Use ................. ................... ................... .................... ................... ................... .... ......... .................... ................... ....5 Notice ................... ................... ................... .................... ................... ................... ...............[...]

3 nN Using P eripheral Devic es . ................... .................... ................... ................... .................... ..... .............. .................... ........6 6 Connectin g a Universal Serial Bus (U SB) Device ... .................... ................... ................... .................... ................... ..67 [...]

4 nN Troublesho oting ......... ................... ................... .................... ................... ................... .......................... .................... ......10 9 Computer ...... ................... .................... ................... .................... ................... ................... ............. ......[...]

5 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. ! Externa l views illus trated in this manual may l ook sli[...]

6 nN Befo re Use Noti ce © 2007 S ony Corpor ation. All r ights res erved. This manual and th e softwar e described h erein, i n whole or in part, may no t be reprod uced, trans lated, or re duced to a ny machin e-readabl e form wit hout prior written approv al. Sony Co rporation provides no wa rranty wit h regard to this manu al, the so ftware, o[...]

7 nN Befo re Use Docume ntation Your d ocumentat ion incl udes print ed inform ation and user guides to read on y our VAIO computer . Guide s are provid ed in PDF fo rmat, whic h you can e asily bro wse through and prin t out. The My Club V AIO portal is a perfec t starting p oint to use y our comput er — a co mprehensiv e collect ion of eve ryth[...]

8 nN Befo re Use Printed Documentation ❑ A Setting Up P oster — Des cribes th e process from unpacking to s tar ting up your V AIO . ❑ T r oubleshooting Guide — Contains solut ions to comm on problems. ❑ Recovery Guid e — Contains an e xplan ation of how to m ake a bac kup c op y of your data and recov er your comp uter system , and sol[...]

9 nN Befo re Use My Club V AIO In M y Club VAIO you can fi nd: Documentation , which give s you: ❑ Access t o the User Guide . This manual e xplains the f eatures o f your computer in detail, how to u se these f eatures confide ntly and s af ely , connect p eripheral d e vices a nd more. ❑ Access t o Help & T raining . This is the por tal o[...]

10 nN Befo re Use Windows Help and Supp or t Windows Help and Support is a comprehen sive res ource for practical adv ice, tutori als, and dem onstration s to help you learn to use your computer. Use the Search featu re, Index, or table of contents to view all Windows Help resourc es, includi ng those that are on the Inte rnet . To ac cess Windows [...]

11 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 12) ❑ About the Indicator Lights (page 14) ❑ Connecting a Display (TV) (page 15 ) ❑ Connecting the P o wer Cord (page 17) ❑ Shutting Down Y our Computer Safel y (page 19)[...]

12 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. F ront A Pow e r b u t t o n B Pow e r i n d i c a t o r (page 14) C Hard disk drive/Opti cal disc dr ive indicator (page 14 ) D WLAN (Wi rel ess LAN ) indic ato r (page 14) E Optical disc driv e (page 2 9) F Dri ve [...]

13 nN Getting Started Bac k A HDMI OUT port (pag e 15) B Compos ite A udi o In ( L / R) jac ks Conn ect an AV de vice, suc h as a VCR. C Compos ite Video In jacks Conne ct an A V d e vice, such as a VCR. D S Video In por ts Conne ct an A V d e vice, such as a VCR. E VHF/UH F por ts (page 38) F FM antenn a por ts Conn ect an FM r adi o . G Ne twor k[...]

14 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 The indication behavior varies depending on the state of your computer: Green lit: the comput er is on. Orange lit: the computer is i n Sleep mode. Off: the comput er is off . Media Acces s Illuminates [...]

15 nN Getting Started Connecting a Displa y (TV) You ca n connect an HDMI-com patible TV di rectly to you r comput er. ✍ If your TV i s equipped with a DVI-D port, you ca n use the HDMI cab le and the HDMI to D VI-D adapter (bo th supplied) for co nnecti on. If your TV is equ ipped with component jacks , you can use an RCA cable (not sup plied) f[...]

16 nN Getting Started ! If your TV is equi pped wi th an HD MI po rt and a DVI-D port, we re commen d that y ou us e the HDMI por t. The HDMI cable carries both vi deo and aud io signals . Y ou cannot use HDMI and Compo nent connec tions at the sa me time. If a devic e driver ot her than the one s provided by Sony is us ed, the ima ge will not be d[...]

17 nN Getting Started Connecting the P ower Cord Your com puter's p ower cord m ust be plugg ed into an AC power sou rce, such as an AC w all outle t, surge protec tor, or Uninter ruptible P ower Supply (UPS), be fore you can establi sh comm unication wi th your wireless key board. ! Use your compu ter only with the su pplied power co rd. To c[...]

18 nN Getting Started ✍ T o dis connec t your compu ter compl etely fro m AC pow er , unpl ug the powe r cord. Make sure that the AC outlet i s easily acce ssible.[...]

19 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 urn off any per ipherals conn ected to th e computer. 2 Click St art , the ar ro w next to the Lock button, and Shut Do wn . 3 Respo nd to any prompts war [...]

20 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 VAI O computer. ❑ Using the K eyboar d (page 21) ❑ Using the T ouch P a d ( page 27) ❑ Using the Optical Di sc Drive (page 29 ) ❑ Using the TV Function (page 38) ❑ Using the Memor y Stick Media (pag e 46) ❑ Usi[...]

21 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the K eyboard A wire less key board is s upplied wi th your co mputer. The wi reless key board uses a standard k ey arran gement with additiona l keys tha t perform s pecific fun ctions. The VAIO- Link Web site ( http://www.vaio-link.com ) als o contai ns glossar y informa tion to hel p you use the keyboard .[...]

22 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r G Indicators (Ba tter y ): tur ns o n whi le th e AA b atte ri es for th e wireles s ke yboar d are sufficie nt and s witch es to when the batte ries wea r out . (Num lo c k): T urns on w hile i n the Num Lo c k stat e. (Caps lock): T urn s on w hile in t he Caps Lock state. (Scroll lock): T u rn s on while in the [...]

23 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r A Key b o a r d fe e t Flip open t o adjust the keyboard an gle. B Batt ery compartment Sto rage comp artment f or th e AA ba tte ries . C POINTING DEVICE switch See T o di sabl e/en abl e t he t ouc h pad (pag e 28) f or more inf orma tion. D CONNECT button Pre ss to en ab le t he wir eles s k ey board to co mmun [...]

24 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Bef ore you use th e ke yboard Four AA alkali ne batteries are suppl ied with your computer for use in t he wireless keyboar d. Before atte mpting to u se the wireless keyboar d, you must i nstall the b atteries and establi sh communi cation be tween the co mputer and th e keyboa rd. ! T o main tain good co mmunica[...]

25 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To connect t he wireless keyboa rd ! T o conn ect your wireles s keyboard, it must be located withi n a range of 30 cm to 1 m fr om the computer . 1 Inser t the su pplied four AA batt eries (1) into the batt er y compar tment (2 ) on the bo ttom of the w ireless keyboard. 2 T urn on the com puter . 3 Slide t he PO [...]

26 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ✍ Y ou can check the battery indicator ( or ) in the indi cator window on the wireless keyb oard for its bat tery power le vel. If the wireles s keyboard do es not operate properly , the batterie s may need to be replac ed. If the wirel ess keyboard is no t bein g used for an extended period of time, remov e the [...]

27 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the T ouch P ad You ca n poin t to, select, d rag, and scroll ob jects on the screen using th e touch pad . Action Description P oint Slide one finger on the touch pad (1) to place the pointer (2) on an it em or object. Click Press the left b utton (3) once . Double-clic k Press the left butt on twice. Right-[...]

28 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r If you w ant to u se a mouse, instead o f the touc h pad, as yo ur pointing device, you can di sable the touch pa d on the wi reless keyboa rd. To disable /enable the touch pad To disa ble the touch pa d, slid e the POINTING DEVICE switc h on the bottom of your key board to the OFF posi tion. To enabl e the touc h [...]

29 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Optical Disc Dr iv e Your c omputer is equipped with an opt ical disc drive. To insert a disc ! Be sure to attac h the suppli ed 8cm disc adap ter to an 8cm disc be fore inserti ng the disc into t he optical di sc drive slot. Fo r th e suppo rte d 8cm disc types, see Reading and W riting Op tical Dis cs ([...]

30 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To remove a d isc ! When you r computer is in Sleep mod e, pressing t he drive ejec t button auto matically bri ngs the comput er back into No rmal mode an d e jects an optical disc, if any , fr om the drive. When yo ur computer i s off, press ing th e drive eject button t urns on th e computer , launches Windows, [...]

31 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Reading and Writing Optical Discs 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 . PR: play able[...]

32 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ! This p roduct is d esigned t o playback discs that c onform to the Compact Disc Digi tal Audio standard sp ecificatio ns (CD Stand ard) . A Dual Disc is a t wo sided di sc product whi ch mates DVD reco rded materi al on one side wi th digital au dio material on the othe r side. Please be aware that the audi o si [...]

33 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ✍ 8cm d isc writ ing i s not su pported . Except the Blu-ray Disc drive , all other optica l disc driv es are capable of reading 8cm discs wit h the supplie d 8cm disc adapt e r. With the supplied 8cm disc adapter , the Blu-ray Dis c drive is capabl e of reading 8c m DVD-R, DVD- RW , DVD+R W , and DVD+R D L discs[...]

34 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Notes on writing data to a disc ❑ Use only Sony V alue-add ed software wh en writi ng to CD/D VD media. (e.g. Click to D VD ) Other software pro gr ams m a y not b e fully c ompatible and errors m a y resul t. ❑ T o make data on a disc read able on the optical disc dr ive , you need to close the s ession before[...]

35 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Notes on pla y ing discs To achie ve optim um performa nce when p laying DVDs, y ou should fol low these r ecommend ations. ❑ Close al l open ap plications bef ore playing a D VD movie. ❑ Some CD pla yers and computer's optical dis c dri v es may not be able to play audio CDs created wi th the CD -R or CD-[...]

36 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Pla ying CDs To pl ay an aud io CD 1 Inser t a disc into the op tical disc dr ive . 2 If nothing appears on the desk top , then cli c k Start , All Programs , and the desired CD software to play the CD . If the Audi o CD wi ndow appear s, click to select an option. Cop ying Files to CD s To copy files to a disc ! D[...]

37 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Pla y ing D VDs To play a DVD 1 Close al l runn ing software a pplication s. 2 Inser t a D VD into the opt ical disc drive. 3 If nothing appears on the desk top , then cli c k Start , All Programs , and the desired D VD software to play the D VD . For ins tructions on how to use the software, see the hel p file on [...]

38 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the TV Function Your co mputer may have two hybrid T V tuner boar ds install ed along with the Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium operati ng system which incl udes Windows Media Center that enables you to view, record, an d playback TV and FM radio but als o to record s imultaneo usly a pro gram on anot her[...]

39 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Remote Commander A remo te commander is suppl ied with your compute r for using M edia Center features, i ncluding TV channel se lection.[...]

40 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r A P ause X bu tton Press to pau se media pl a yback. Press ag ain to resume playback. Stop x butt on Press to st op media playback or TV record ing session. F orw ard M butto n Press to fast-forward media at three speeds. Skip B? butt on Press to move media forward, for e xample, one audio track, one D VD chapter, [...]

41 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r E Guide button Pres s to vie w th e TV prog r am guid e f or y our ar ea. F Alph anum eric b uttons Press to select specific channels or enter te xt. (Press ENTER or OK to activ ate the channel s election.) G CLE AR b utton Press to backspace and del ete entered t e xt. H T ele text TV pr ogram mode buttons Red but[...]

42 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Controlling y our TV v olume with the supplie d remote commander You ca n change t he volum e on your T V with the supplie d remote com mander b y changing t he remote commande r's signal setting to match w ith the one used by yo ur TV manu facturer. Pres s and h old the OK button and press alphanumeric but to[...]

43 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Bef ore y ou use the re mote commander Before using th e remote com mander, you need to in sert the supplied AA manga nese batte ries to ena ble communi cation between t he compute r and the re mote command er. To insert batte ries 1 T urn the re mote commander o v er . 2 Slightly push down the d ented area ( 1), s[...]

44 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r 3 Inser t the suppl ied two AA batte ries i nto the remote command er . 4 Put the b atter y cover back on th e remote com mander and s lide it in t he rev erse dire ction of th e arrow illustrated ab ov e until the cov er clicks into place. ✍ If the remote commander does no t operate prop erly , yo u may need to [...]

45 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Setting up Windows Media Center The fi rst time yo u launch Windows Me dia Center , the setup wizar d will pop u p. To configur e the TV tuner , click Custom setup and follo w the on-screen instructio ns. In the Optional Setup window, click Configure tuners , TV signa l , and Guide , and foll ow the on-scr een inst[...]

46 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Memor y Stic k Media Your c omputer su pports th e Memory S tick med ia. Memory Stick m edia is a co mpact, por table, and versatile IC recording media e specially design ed for exchan ging a nd sharing digital data with com patible products, s uch as di gital ca meras, m obile phones and other devices. B[...]

47 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Inser ting a Memor y Stic k Media To insert a Memory Stick media 1 Flip the f ront panel down, using your finger tip. 2 Loca te the Memor y Stick PRO/Duo media slot (page 1 2) . 3 Hold t he Memor y St ick media with the arrow facing upward and po inting toward the M emor y Stick PRO/Duo media slot. 4 Careful ly sli[...]

48 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ! Be sure to hold th e Memor y Stick me dia with the arrow poi nting in the correct d irection a s you in sert it int o the slot . T o avoi d dam aging your comput er or the Memo ry Sti ck media, do not force the Memor y Stick med ia into th e slot if you can not insert i t smoothly. Do not insert more t han one Me[...]

49 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To format a Memo ry Stick media The Me mory Stic k media has been f ormatted in th e factor y default setting an d is ready for use. If you wa nt to reform at the media wi th your comput er, follow the se steps. ! Be sure to use t he device that is des igned to format the media and supports the Mem ory Stic k media[...]

50 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r 6 At the c onfir mation promp t, click OK . The for matting proc ess sta r ts. ! It may ta ke time to format the Memory St ick media d ependin g on th e media. 7 Once co mplete d, cli ck OK . 8 Click Close .[...]

51 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Removing a Memor y Stic k Media To remove a Me mory Stick media 1 Flip the f ront panel down, using your finger tip. 2 Check that the Media Ac cess indi cator l ight is off. 3 Push th e Memor y Stick media i n tow ard the computer. The Mem ory Stick media ej ects. 4 Pull th e Memor y Sti c k media o ut of the s lot[...]

52 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using Other Memor y Cards In ad dition to the M emory St ick PRO/ Duo media sl ot, your com puter is eq uipped wi th three other memory c ard slots to accom modate man y popular ty pes of m emory cards . You can use these s lots to tran sfer data among dig ital camer as, camco rders, musi c players , and other au d[...]

53 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ! Always insert the correct memor y card into the appropriate memor y card slot. SD memor y cards with ca pacity of over 2 G B, such as SD High Capacity (SDHC) mem ory cards , are not suppor ted. Do not at tempt to insert a di fferent memor y card o r memory card adapter into a different mem ory card slot. An incom[...]

54 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Inser ting a Memor y Card To insert a memory card 1 Flip the f ront panel down, using your finger tip. Do not us e f orce to o pen the cover . 2 Locate th e approp riate s lot f or the m emor y card you want to u se (page 12) . 3 Careful ly slide th e memor y ca rd into the s lot until it clicks into pl ace. Do not[...]

55 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Removing a Memory Card ! Do not remov e a memory ca rd while the Medi a Acce ss indi cator ligh t is on. The card or it s data may beco me damaged. To remove a me mory card 1 Flip the f ront panel down, using your finger tip. 2 Check that the Media Ac cess indi cator l ight is off. 3 Fir mly grasp the e xtended pa [...]

56 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Using the Inter net To use the Internet, y ou need to con nect an exter nal modem device, for ex ample a US B telephon e modem, an xDS L modem, and a c able mo dem, to y our compute r. For the detailed instructions on con nection set ups and modem co nfiguration , see the manu al that ca me with yo ur modem.[...]

57 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 ne twork. A WLA N is a network in which a us er can conn ect to a loc al area netwo rk (LAN) thr ough a wirele ss (radio) connectio n. So there[...]

58 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Wireless LAN devi ces using the IEE E 802.11a standa rd and the ones us ing the IEEE 802. 11b or g standard cannot co mmunicate becau se the frequenci es are di fferent. IEEE 802. 11b: The st andard spee d is 11 Mbps, or ab out 30 to 100 t imes faster than a standard dial up . IEEE 802. 11a/g: Th e standard spee d [...]

59 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Connecting the WLAN Antenna To us e the wirele ss LAN func tionality on your c omputer, you must con nect the sup plied WL AN antenna to your com puter. To connect t he WLAN antenn a Plug th e WLAN antenn a cable (1) to the WIRELESS LAN AN TENNA port (2) on the back of your co mputer. ! Be sure to keep the WLAN ant[...]

60 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r ✍ For better recep tion, if ne eded, you may mount the wireless LAN ant enna to a wall using the suppli ed screw.[...]

61 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 controll er or acce ss point. Each devic e commun icates direc tly with other devices in the ne twork. You c an set up an ad-ho[...]

62 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r To commu nicate witho ut an acce ss point (a d-hoc) 1 Double-click on the task bar to disp la y the Wi reless Device Sw itch window . 2 Sele ct your desir ed wirele ss option a nd click OK . The Wi reless LA N indicator lights up. 3 Click St art and Cont rol P anel . 4 Click Vie w networ k status and tasks under Ne[...]

63 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Communicati ng with an Access P oint (Infrastructure) An infr astructure n etwork is a n etwork that ex tends an e xisting wir ed local ne twork to wire less devi ces by provi ding an ac cess poin t (not supplied ), for example the Sony Acces s Point. The ac cess point br idges the wirel ess and wired LAN and acts [...]

64 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 m anual that c ame with your acces s point for more informa tion. 2 Double-click on the task bar to disp la y the Wi reless Device Sw itch window . 3 Sele ct your desir ed wirele ss option a nd click OK . The Wi reless LA N indicat[...]

65 nN Using Y our V AIO Compute r Stopping Wireless LAN Commun ications To st op wireless LAN com munications , double- click on the taskbar to display th e Wireless Device Swit ch window, desele ct all th e wireless op tions, and then click OK .[...]

66 nN Using P eripheral De vices Using P eripher al De vices You ca n add fu nctionality to your VA IO comp uter by usi ng the va rious por ts on the c omputer. ❑ Connecting a Universal Serial Bus (USB) De vice (page 67) ❑ Connecting a Printer (page 70) ❑ Connecting an i.LINK Device (page 71) ❑ Connecting to a Networ k (LAN) (page 73)[...]

67 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Universal Se rial Bus (U SB) De vice ✍ Y ou need to flip the front panel down, using your fingert ip, to access th e USB ports on the f ront of your co mputer . Connecting a USB Mouse To connect a USB mouse 1 Choose th e USB por t (1) you prefer to use. 2 Plug the USB mouse c able (2) into th e USB po[...]

68 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 (1) you prefer to use. 2 Plug the USB floppy disk dr ive cable (2) into th e USB por t. Y our USB floppy disk dri v e (3) is now ready for[...]

69 nN Using P eripheral De vices Disconnect ing a USB flopp y disk driv e You c an disconn ect a US B floppy disk dri ve when your comp uter is o n or off . Discon necting the drive whe n the co mputer i s in Slee p mod e may ca use th e com puter to malf unct ion. If the computer is o ff, you can un plug the US B cable di rectly from the comput er[...]

70 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. ✍ Y ou need to flip the front panel down, using your fingert ip, to [...]

71 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting an i.LIN K De vice Notes on connecting i.LI NK de vices ❑ Y our co mputer is equipped with an i. LINK por t, wh ich you can use to con nect to an i.LINK device su ch as a digital vi deo camcorde r or to con nect two V AIO compu ters in or der to copy , delete o r edit files. ❑ Y our co mputer is equip[...]

72 nN Using P eripheral De vices Connecting a Digital Video Camcorder ✍ Y ou need to flip the front p anel down, usi ng your fing ertip, to acces s the i.LIN K port on the f ront of your com puter . To connect a digital vi deo cam corder 1 Plug on e end of an i.LINK ca b le (1) (not supp lied) into the i.LINK por t (2) on the compu ter and th e o[...]

73 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 with an E thernet ne twork cable . Connect one end of a network cab le (not supp lied) to the n etwork (Eth ernet) por t on the back of the comp uter and the ot her end to y our network . For detaile [...]

74 nN Using P eripheral De vices ! T elep hone lines canno t be connect ed to the network (L AN) connector on your computer . If the netwo rk (LAN) connect or is connected t o the telephone l ines mentione d below, high electric current to the connector may cause d amage, overhe ating, or fire. - Home (in tercom speakerphon e) or business -use tele[...]

75 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Customizing Y our V AIO Computer This section briefly de scribes how to cha nge the main s ettings o f your VAIO computer . Among oth er things, y ou will learn how to us e and custom ize the l ook of your S ony software and utiliti es, etc. ❑ Setting the Passw ord (pa ge 76) ❑ Setting Up Y our Computer w[...]

76 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Setting the P ass w ord Use one of the BIOS f unctions to set the pas sword. Once you have set the pa ssword, yo u will have to enter th e password after the V AIO logo ap pears to s tart your c omputer. The po wer-on passwo rd will all ow you to protect the c omputer fro m unauthori zed access. Adding the P [...]

77 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer To add the power- on pas sword 1 T ur n on t he 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, restar t the c omputer and p ress the F2 key se ver al times when the V AIO logo appears. 3 Pres s the < or , k ey to select Boot to display the Boot tab, [...]

78 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 t he 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, restar t the c omputer and p ress the F2 key se ver al times when the V AIO logo appears. 3 Enter th[...]

79 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Setting Up Y our Computer with V AIO Control Center The VAIO Control Center utility al lows you to c onsult system info rmation and specify preferenc es for syste m behavi or. To use V AIO Cont rol C enter 1 Click St art , All Pro grams , and V AIO Control Center . The V AIO Contr ol Center w indow appears. 2[...]

80 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Using the P ow er Sa ving Modes In ad dition to t he normal op erating m ode, which al lows yo u to turn o ff specific device s, your co mputer ha s a dist inct power savin g modes cal led Slee p mode. Using Nor mal Mode This is the n ormal state of the co mputer wh en it is in use. T o save p ower while n ot[...]

81 nN Customizi ng Y our V AIO Computer Using Sleep Mode Sleep m ode tempor arily su spends t he entire sy stem opera tions for lower po wer consump tion. The orange power light is o n in this mode. To activate Sle ep mode Click Start , the arrow n ext to the Lock button, and Sl eep . ✍ Alternat ively , you can slid e the POWER switch on the wire[...]

82 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Upgrading Y our V A IO Computer Your V AIO compu ter, memory modules, ad d-on car ds, and hard disk dr ives use h igh precisi on compon ents and e lectronic connec tors techn ology. To a void invalid ation of the warranty d uring your pr oduct warr anty perio d, we recomm end that: ❑ Y ou contac t your dealer [...]

83 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Bef ore Upgrading Y ou r Computer The u pgrading procedur es descr ibed in thi s sectio n assum e that yo u are fa miliar wi th the gen eral term inology associate d with perso nal computer s, safety p ractices, r equired re gulatory comp liances, a nd the modi fication of electron ic equipmen t. Disco nnect the[...]

84 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Opening and Closing the Computer When y ou access memory mod ules, add-o n cards, a nd hard dis ks inside yo ur comp uter, you nee d to remove and repl ace the top p anel befor ehand and afterward. Opening the Computer ! If you remove th e top panel immed iately after you shu t down your compute r , the internal[...]

85 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer[...]

86 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Closing t he Computer To repla ce the top panel 1 Place the top pane l on the comp uter and sl ide it toward the fron t. 2 Tighten the two screws on the ba ck of th e compute r to secure th e panel.[...]

87 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 upgrad e your com puter's memory , read the no tes and proc edures in this secti on. The numb er of avail able slots depends on your co[...]

88 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 liquids, f oreign s ubstances, or ob jects into the me mor y module s lots or other inte rn al components of your compute r will resul t in damag [...]

89 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Removing and Installing a Memor y Module To change or add a memory m odule 1 Remove the side panel . See Openin g the Computer (page 84) f or the detailed instr uctions. 2 T ou ch a metal ob ject (suc h as the chas sis frame) to discharge static ele ctricit y . 3 Discon nect the cable and remov e the sc rew from[...]

90 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 6 Push down on the latch es (3), lo cated on both sides of the module, to gent ly ejec t it from the s lot. 7 Grasp the m emor y module by the sides and pull it o ut of the c omputer . Store the m odule in a static-fr ee bag. 8 Remove a ne w mem or y module f rom its anti-static package, handling i t by the edge[...]

91 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 9 Locate t he center notch (4) o n the bo ttom edge of the memo ry module and a lign it to the cen ter bump in the op en module slot. 10 Fir mly ins er t the lower edge of the module (5) in to the slot by press ing down e venly against the mo dule's uppe r cor ners. The si de latch es (6) sn ap into posi ti[...]

92 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 t he compute r . 2 Click St art , All Pro grams , and V AIO Control Center . 3 Double-click the System I nf orm atio n f older i n the V AIO Control Center window . 4 Double-click the System I nf orm atio n icon in th e System Information f[...]

93 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Installing the Hard D isk Drive Your com puter is equipped with open i nternal bay s to hold ad ditional 3.5-inch ha rd disk dri ves. Review th e manufactu rer's informati on provided with your new har d disk driv e before attempt ing to insta ll it in the co mputer. ✍ Certain mo dels may already h ave ad[...]

94 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Make sure you disconnect your computer and peripheral dev ices from the power so urces before install ing or removing a hard d isk. Instal ling or removing a hard disk whi le your co mputer is co nnected to it s pow e r source may cause d amage to the co mputer and t he peripheral d evi ces as well as the har d [...]

95 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Installing an Add itional Hard Disk Driv e You ca n install a total of three (one p reinsta lled and tw o addition al) SA T A ha rd disk dr ives to the internal hard disk drive ba y. To install an additio nal hard disk drive 1 Remove the top panel. See Openin g the Computer (page 84) f or the detailed instr ucti[...]

96 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 5 Remove the screws, pull the dr iv e ho lder han dle (2) st r aig ht up from the chassi s, and slide out the dr ive holder (3). ! Be careful no t to touch othe r internal compon ents when removi ng and replaci ng the drive hold er as it may cause a f ailure. Make su re you k eep the removed screws ou t of your [...]

97 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 7 Secur e the dri v e to t he drive hold er with scr ews , throug h the hole s on each side of t he dr iv e hold er . ! New hard disk dri ves may come with necessar y screws. Do not over t ighten thes e screws when securi ng the drive to the drive hold e r. 8 Connect t he power cables to the prei nstalled an d n[...]

98 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer 10 Replace the dri v e holder. 11 Replace the insi de suppor t panel and tighten the screws. 12 Replace the top pan el. See Closing the Computer (page 86) f or the de tailed in struc tions.[...]

99 nN Upgrading Y our V AIO Computer Identify ing the Additional Hard Di sk Space When y ou initiali ze the new hard disk , it must b e configu red as an ex tended parti tion in Win dows NT fil e system (N TFS) form at. To identif y the addi tional hard disk space 1 Log on to Windows as a user with a dministrator r ights. 2 Click St art and righ t-[...]

100 nN Precau tions Precautions This section describe s safety gui delines an d precautio ns to help you pro tect your VAI O comput er from pote ntial dam age. ❑ On Using the P ower Sour ce (page 1 01) ❑ On Handling Y our Computer (page 102) ❑ On Handling Floppy Disks (page 104) ❑ On Handling Discs (page 10 5) ❑ On Using Headphones (page [...]

101 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 p urchase a power stri p with a sur ge protecto r . Th is device pre vents dam age to your comp [...]

102 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 courin g powder , or solvent such as a lcohol o r benzine, as these may damage t he finish of your compu ter . ❑ If you drop a solid object or any [...]

103 nN Precau tions ❑ Provide adeq uate air ci rculation to pre vent inter nal he at from building u p . The inter nal h eat will cau se your computer to malfu nction. ❑ Do not plac e your computer o n porous surf aces s uch as r ugs or blankets, or near ma teri al such as cur tai ns or draper ies that may b lock its air vents. ❑ Be sur e to [...]

104 nN Precau tions On Handling Flopp y Disks ❑ Do not ope n the shutt er manually o r touch t he surface of the flo pp y disk. ❑ K eep flop p y disks awa y from magne ts. ❑ K eep flop p y disks awa y from di rect sunl ight and ot her sourc es of heat. ❑ K eep flop p y disks awa y from any li quid. Do not le t them get we t. When you are no[...]

105 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 [...]

106 nN Precau tions ❑ An 8cm disc adapte r e xclusively designed for your model i s provided for use of 8cm di scs on your com puter . ❑ Be sur e to attac h the ada pter to an 8cm disc before using it on your co mputer . Not usi ng the su pplied a dapter or using a simil ar kind o f the adapt er with the d isc may cause a di sc recog nition err[...]

107 nN Precau tions On Using Headphones Preventing hearing damag e – Av oid usin g headphon es at high volume. Hearing exp erts advis e against c ontinuous , loud and ext ended play . If you e xperience a ringing in y our ears, reduce the v olume or d iscontinue use. On Handling Memor y Stic k Media ❑ Do not us e the media in a loc ation subje [...]

108 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 dus t. 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[...]

109 nN T r oublesho oting T rou b leshoo ting This section d escribes how to sol ve comm on problem s you m ight enc ounter when using y our VAIO computer. Many prob lems have s imple s olutions . Try these s uggestio ns before c ontacting VAIO-Lin k. ❑ Computer (page 110) ❑ System Sec urity (page 115) ❑ Networki ng (page 1 16) ❑ Optical Di[...]

110 nN T r oublesho oting Computer What should I do if m y computer does not st ar t? ❑ Make sure your comput er is securel y plugged into a power sourc e and tur ned on. Ma k e sure the pow er indi cator shows the power is on . ❑ Make sure t he optica l disc dr ive is empty . ❑ If your compute r is plug ged into a power strip or an unint err[...]

111 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if a BIOS error appear s when I turn on my computer? If the message "P ress <F1> to resume, <F2> to s etup" appe ars at the bo ttom of t he screen, fol low these steps: 1 Pres s the F2 key . The BIOS setup scree n appears. If not, restar t the c omputer and p ress the F2 key se ver al[...]

112 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if p ow er indicato r lights but my displa y sta ys b lank? ❑ Make sure the p roper inpu t f or your display (TV , D VI-D monitor) is selected. ❑ Make sure your disp la y (TV , D VI-D mo nitor) is tur ne d on. ❑ If your disp la y is s till blank, follow these ste ps: 1 Press the pow er b utton for mo[...]

113 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y doesn't my computer enter Sle ep mode? Your computer may becom e unstabl e if the op erating mod e is ch anged befor e the co mputer com pletely enters Sleep m ode. To restore you r computer to normal op erating stability 1 Close al l open programs. 2 Click St art , the ar ro w next to the Lock button, and Restar[...]

114 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if m y g ame software does not w ork or it k eeps cr ashing? ❑ Check the Web site of the game if the re are any patche s or updates to download. ❑ Make sure you have installed the latest vide o driver . ❑ On some V AIO models, the graphics memor y is shar ed with the s ystem. The o ptimal graphic pe [...]

115 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 vir uses? The Mi crosoft Wind ows operati ng system is preinstall ed on your [...]

116 nN T r oublesho oting Networking What should I do if m y computer cannot connect to a wireless LAN access point? ❑ Connecti on av ailability is affected by distanc e and obst ructio ns. Y ou m a y need to m ov e your compute r a wa y from obst ruct ions or cl oser to any ac cess po int you may be using. ❑ Make sure your des ired wireles s o[...]

117 nN T r oublesho oting Wh y is the data tr ansf er speed slo w? ❑ The wi reless LAN data transfer speed i s affected by distan ce a nd obstr uctions between devices and acces s poin ts. Other factors incl ude device configu rations, radio con ditions, and so ftware comp atibility . T o maximize the da ta transfer speed, mov e your comp uter aw[...]

118 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 usin g a wirel ess LAN ac cess point , see con nectivity inf or matio n contain ed in the[...]

119 nN T r oublesho oting Optical Discs Wh y does my computer freez e when I tr y to read a disc? The di sc that your co mputer is t rying to read may be di rty or dam aged. Follo w these steps : 1 Restar t the comp uter by clicking Start , the arrow next to the Lock b utton, and Rest art . 2 Eject t he disc from th e optical di sc dr iv e. 3 Exami[...]

120 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I cannot pla y a CD o r D VD properly on m y computer? ❑ Make sure t he disc is in ser ted into the op tical di sc drive with th e label facing upward. ❑ Make sure t he necessar y program(s) is instal led accor ding to the manufacturer's inst ruc tions. ❑ If a CD or D VD is dir ty or da maged[...]

121 nN T r oublesho oting 6 Double-click the de sired dr ive . Y ou can c onfir m the dr iver software by sele cting the Driv er tab, and clicking Driv er Details . 7 Click OK to close the window . ❑ Make sure a n adhesive label is not affixed to a CD o r D VD . A dhesive labels c an come off while th e disc is in the opti cal disc d rive and dam[...]

122 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I cannot write data to CD media? ❑ Make sure you neith er launc h any software a pplication nor allow any to lau nch autom atically , not ev en a sc reen saver . ❑ Stop using t he k e yboa rd. ❑ If you are using a CD-R/R W disc with an adhesive label affixed, replace it with one with no affixed ad[...]

123 nN T r oublesho oting Displ a y What should I do if m y TV sta ys bla nk? ❑ Make sure that b oth power cord s of your comput er and TV a re secur ely plugged into power sourc es. ❑ Make sure that your computer a nd TV are p roperly connecte d. ❑ Make sure that b oth your compute r and TV are turne d on. ❑ If your TV is connected w ith a[...]

124 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if I ha v e undesira b le symptoms when pla ying movie s on my TV that is connected wit h a component video cab le? The fol lowing sym ptoms may o ccur beca use an out put signa l format sel ection o f 1125i (1080 i) or 750p (720p) on y our TV prohi bits playba ck of DVD -Videos l abeled "Co py Prohib[...]

125 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if m y TV shows distor ted images? ❑ Make sure that your computer a nd TV are p roperly connecte d. ❑ If your TV is connected w ith a comp onent video cable: ❑ Be sur e to use an output si gnal format tha t matches the comp onent ter minal on the TV . ❑ Be sur e to use a re solution tha t matches t[...]

126 nN T r oublesho oting What should I do if m y TV does not sho w a clear view of the Windows desktop? Dependi ng on yo ur TV, i t may no t be capabl e of dis playing th e Windows desktop as clear ly as com puter dis plays. You may solve thi s problem by chang ing your TV or computer settings a s follows, but it als o depends on your TV i f such [...]

127 nN T r oublesho oting Pr inting What should I do if I cannot print a document? ❑ Make sure your pr inter is on, and the printer cable is secu rely connec ted to the po r ts on the p rin ter and comp uter . ❑ Make sure your pr inter is compatible wit h the Wind ows operating syste m installed on your compute r . ❑ Y ou may need to inst all[...]

128 nN T r oublesho oting Microphone What should I do if m y microp hone does not work? ❑ If you are usin g an external microphon e, make sure the mic rophone is turne d on and is proper ly plugge d into the micropho ne jack on your compute r . ❑ The mutin g button on the wir eless keyboard may hav e been press ed. Pre ss the button once again.[...]

129 nN T r oublesho oting Speak ers What should I do if I cannot hear sound f rom my speak ers? ❑ If you are usin g a program th at has its own v olume c ontrol, m ake sure the volume c ontrol is proper ly set. See the program's h elp file for more i nf or mation. ❑ Make sure the s peaker volume is tur ned u p loud eno ugh and the audio op[...]

130 nN T r oublesho oting K e yboard What should I do if t he k e yboard configur ation is wrong? The la nguage lay out of your c omputer's ke yboard is l abeled on t he packag ing box. If you choose a d ifferent reg ional keybo ard when yo u complet e the Wind ows setup, the key co nfiguration will be mis matched. To ch ange the k eyboard co [...]

131 nN T r oublesho oting T ouch P ad What should I do if t he touch p ad does not work? ❑ Y ou may hav e disabled the to uch pad witho ut connectin g a mouse to your computer . See Using the T ouch Pad (page 27) . ❑ Make sure that a mouse i s not connected to your compu ter . ❑ Check the POINTING DEVICE s witch on th e bottom of your wir ele[...]

132 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 ? Your com puter doe s not recog nize the floppy disk drive. Fir st, make s ure the USB c able is pr operly c onnected to th e USB port. If y ou need to se cure the con nection, wait a few momen ts for the[...]

133 nN T r oublesho oting A udio/Video What should I do if I cannot use my D V camcorder? If the message app ears to ind icate DV equipment seems to be d isconnect ed or tur ned off, the i.LINK ca ble may n ot be securel y plugge d into the p orts on you r compu ter or cam corder. Unp lug the co nnectors, and plug th em in agai n. See Connecting an[...]

134 nN T r oublesho oting Memor y Stick Media What should I do if I cannot use Memor y Stick media , which were fo r matted on a V AIO computer , on other de vices? You may need to refo rmat your Memory Sti ck media. Form atting Mem ory Stick m edia erases all data , includ ing musi c data pr eviously saved on it. Befor e you refor mat Memor y Stic[...]

135 nN T r oublesho oting P eripherals What should I do if I cannot connect a USB de vice? ❑ If applic able, chec k the USB device is tur ned o n and usi ng its own power supply . F or e xample, if you are us ing a di gital 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[...]

136 nN Support Options Suppor t Options The sec tion conta ins informati on on wher e to go for an swers to que stions a bout your V AIO comput er. Sony Suppor t Inf or mation See the following source s for answe rs in the s equence l isted below. See Docum ent ation (p age 7) for detail s on the printe d and non-printed documentat ion supplied wit[...]

137 nN Support Options e-Suppor t What is e-Suppor t? You hav e search ed our user gu ides and W eb site ( http:// www.vaio-link.com ) but have not found an ans wer to your qu estion/ issue? e -Support i s the ideal s olution for you! Our e -Support W eb Portal i s an intera ctive W eb site o n which you can subm it any techn ical que ry you may ha[...]

138 nN Support Options Can I submit m y questions at an y time? Yes, y ou can su bmit you r quest ions 24/ 7, but ple ase keep i n mind that our e- Support T eam can onl y treat y our queri es from Monday till Friday between 8a m and 6pm. Is there a cost inv olv ed f or using e-Suppor t? No, this is a compl ete free o f charge serv ice offere d to [...]

139 nN Support Options T rademarks Sony, B attery Chec ker, Click t o DVD, DVga te Plus, Son icStage CP, SonicStage Mastering S tudio, VAIO Control Cent er, VAIO Edi t Components, VA IO Media, VA IO Power Mana gement, My Club VAIO , VAIO Update , Memory Stick , the Memory Stick lo go, VAIO and the V AIO logo are tr ademarks of Sony Corporation . Mi[...]

140 nN Support Options HDMI, t he HDMI logo and High-Defi nition M ultimedia Interface ar e trademar ks or regis tered trade marks of HDM I Licens ing LLC. All ot her names of systems, p roducts an d services are tradema rks of their respective o wners. In the manual , the ™ or ® marks are not sp ecified. Speci fications a re subjec t to change [...]

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