Sony VPCM121AXL manual

N User Guide P erson al Computer VPCM 1 Ser ies[...]

2 nN Cont ents Before Use ................ ............. ............. ............. ............. ...... 4 Finding M ore about Your VAIO Co mputer ....... ............. 6 Ergono mic Cons ideratio ns ......................... ............. .... 10 Getting Started ................. ............ ............. ............. ........... 12 Locatin g Co[...]

3 nN Trouble shooting .. ................... ............. ............. ............. .... 9 1 Computer Operat ions .................... ................... ........... 93 System Upd ate / Se curity . ............. ............. ............. .. 100 Recovery ....... ............. ................... ............. ............. .. 102 Battery P ack[...]

4 nN Before Use > Bef ore Use Congrat ulatio ns on your pur chase o f this Sony VA IO ® comp uter and welcom e to the on- scre en User Guide . Sony ha s combin ed lea ding-edg e tech nology in audi o, video, compu ting, an d com municati ons to provide you with a state -of-the-ar t computi ng exper ience. ! Externa l views ill ustrate d in this[...]

5 nN Before Use > About Models with Windo ws 7 Star ter On mo dels with t he Windo ws 7 Start er oper ating s ystem, y ou c annot use som e of th e featu res av aila ble on mode ls with other edit ions of th e Win dows 7 oper ating system . Amon g those de scr ibed in th is User Guide , for exam ple, y ou cannot use the followi ng: ❑ Ad-hoc c [...]

6 nN Before Use > Finding More about Y our V AIO Computer Finding More about Y our V AIO Computer This sect ion prov ides suppo rt in formation about y our VAIO co mputer . 1. Printed Documentation ❑ Quick Star t Guide — An overvi ew of compone nts conn ection, s et-up infor mation, etc. ❑ Safety Information — Safety guid eline s and own[...]

7 nN Before Use > Finding More about Y our V AIO Computer ❑ Pr ogr am help files — May be included with th e preinstal led software programs on your com puter . Y ou ma y be able to access t he help files fr om the help menu on a spe cific pro gram. ❑ SmartWi ™ Connection Utility Help — Inf or mation ab out settin g up Blu etooth ® , [...]

8 nN Before Use > Finding More about Y our V AIO Computer 3. Suppor t W eb Sites ❑ Sony online support web site The So ny onlin e supp ort web s ite prov ides instant ac cess to inform ation o n commonl y enc ountered problem s. T ype a descr iption of the pr oblem and the Kno wle dge Data base sea rches f or the co rrespo nding solut ions o n[...]

9 nN Before Use > Finding More about Y our V AIO Computer 4. Customer Inf or mation Center If you do not find th e info rmation you are look ing for at our site, y ou may c all Son y dire ctly. Y ou can find the conta ct num ber s on th e Sony on line sup port we b site. In order to receiv e the fa stest and most e ffici ent servic es, ha ve the[...]

10 nN Before Use > Ergon omi c Considerations Ergonomic Considerations You wil l be u sing you r compu ter as a p ortab le dev ice in a variet y of en vironme nts. When ever possib le, you s hould attempt to take accou nt of the follow ing ergo nomic consid erations for both stati onary an d portabl e envi ronments : ❑ P osition of y our compu[...]

11 nN Before Use > Ergon omi c Considerations ❑ Viewing angle of the comp uter display – Use the di splay tilting feature to fi nd the b est posi tion. Y o u can red uce eye strain and muscle fatigue by adjusting the tilt of the displ ay to the proper position . Adjust the br igh tness lev el of the displ ay as well. ❑ Lighting – Choose [...]

12 nN Getting Started > Getting Star ted This sect ion desc ribes h ow to ge t started using your V AIO com puter. ! Before starti ng your compute r for the first time, do not connect any other hardware that did not ori ginally come with your comp uter . Upon completi on, connect one device (for example , a printe r , an ext ernal hard disk driv[...]

13 nN Getting Started > Locating Controls a nd P or ts Locating Cont rols and P or ts Take a mome nt and see the fol lowing re ference lists to identi fy the control s and por ts on yo ur comp uter. ! The appea rance of your comp uter may be di fferent fr om those i llustrat ed in this man ual due to variations in specif ications . It may also v[...]

14 nN Getting Started > Locating Controls a nd P or ts Location L ist of Controls a nd P or ts without Mar ks Contr ol/por t name Location Built-in microphone (m onaural) Located on the lef t side of the built - in MO TION EYE camera. Media Acces s indicator (page 15) Located next t o the "Memor y Stick Duo" slot and the SD memory card[...]

15 nN Getting Started > About the Indicator Lights About the Indicator Lights Your c omput er is eq uipped with th e followin g indi cator l ights: Indicat or Functions Po w e r 1 Illu minates in green while the computer is on, b links sl owly in orange while the computer is in Sleep mode, and tur ns off when t he computer is t urned of f or ent[...]

16 nN Getting Started > Connecting a P ower Sour ce Connecting a P ower Source You ca n use either an AC ada pter or a recharge able ba ttery pa ck for s upplyi ng power to your c omputer. Using the A C Adapter While your c omputer i s directl y connec ted to an AC po wer sourc e and h as a batter y pack install ed, it uses powe r from t he AC o[...]

17 nN Getting Started > Connecting a P ower Sour ce ✍ T o dis connec t your compu ter complet ely from an A C power source, unpl ug the AC adapter from t he AC outle t. Make sure that the AC ou tlet is easi ly accessi ble. If you do n ot intend to use your co mputer f or an extend ed period of time, pl ace the co mputer in to Hibernate m ode. [...]

18 nN Getting Started > Using the Battery P ack Using the Batter y P ack The ba ttery pac k suppl ied with y our comput er is n ot fully c harg ed at th e time of de live ry. Installing/Remo ving the Batter y P ack To install th e battery pack 1 T ur n off the c ompute r and cl ose the LC D scree n lid. 2 Slide t he batter y LOCK switch out ward[...]

19 nN Getting Started > Using the Battery P ack 4 Push th e batter y pack down into th e compar tment u ntil it c licks into pla ce. 5 Slide t he batter y LOCK switch inward to secur e the batt er y pa ck on the co mputer .[...]

20 nN Getting Started > Using the Battery P ack To remove the b attery pack ! Y ou may lo se data if you remove t he batte ry pa ck while you r comput er is on and no t connec ted to the A C adapte r or if you remove the bat ter y pac k while the co mputer is i n Sleep mo de. 1 T ur n off the c ompute r and cl ose the LC D scree n lid. 2 Slide t[...]

21 nN Getting Started > Using the Battery P ack Charging the Batter y P ack The ba ttery pac k suppl ied with y our comput er is n ot fully c harg ed at th e time of de live ry. To charge th e battery pack 1 Install the batter y pack. 2 Connect t he com puter to a power source with the AC adapter . The charge i ndicator light i s on wh ile the b[...]

22 nN Getting Started > Using the Battery P ack ✍ Keep the b atter y pack in yo ur comput er while it i s dire ctly con nected to a n AC powe r source. The batter y pa ck conti nues to c har ge while y o u are u sing the co mpute r . When the bat ter y pack is running out of power and both the ch arge and po wer indicat or ligh ts blink, yo u [...]

23 nN Getting Started > Using the Battery P ack Chec king the Batter y Charge Capacity The ba ttery ch arge ca pacity gradua lly d ecreas es as the number of bat tery ch arging i ncreas es or the dura tion of us e of the battery pack e xtends. T o get t he most ou t of the batter y pack, che ck th e battery charge capacit y and c hange the batte[...]

24 nN Getting Started > Using the Battery P ack Extending the Battery Life When y our com puter is running on batte ry power , you ca n exte nd the b attery l ife usin g the follo wing me thods. ! On models wi th the Wind ows 7 Starter op erating sy stem, you cannot us e some of the featu res describ ed in this User Guide . S ee Ab out Mo dels w[...]

25 nN Getting Started > Shutting Down Y our Computer Saf e ly Shutting Down Y our Computer Saf ely To av oid lo sing uns aved data , be sure to shut do wn you r comput er prop erly, as desc ribed b elow. To shut dow n your computer 1 T ur n off any per iphe rals conn ected to the comp uter . 2 Click St ar t and the S hut down button. 3 Respo nd [...]

26 nN Getting Started > Us ing the Power Savin g M ode s Using the P ow er Saving Modes You can take adv antage of the power manage ment set tings to c onserve batte ry life. In add ition to the normal operati ng mode, your comput er has tw o dist inct power savin g modes to suit your pr eferenc e: Sleep a nd Hibe rnate. ! If you do no t intend [...]

27 nN Getting Started > Us ing the Power Savin g M ode s Using Sleep M ode To activate Sle ep mode Click Start , the arrow next to the Shut down butto n, and Sleep . To retu rn to Norma l mode ❑ Press any key . ❑ Slide t he power switch (in the direct ion of G on the switch). ! If y ou slid e ( in the dire ctio n of G on the swi tch) and hol[...]

28 nN Getting Started > Us ing the Power Savin g M ode s Using Hibernate Mode To activate Hibe r nate mode Pres s the Fn + F12 keys. Alterna tively, yo u can click St art , the arrow next to the Shut down button, and Hib ernat e . ! Do not move you r comp uter be fore its pow er indi cato r ligh t turn s off. To retu rn to Norma l mode Slide the[...]

29 nN Getting Started > Updating Y our Computer Updating Y our Computer Be sur e to updat e your VAIO co mputer with the follow ing softwa re ap plicatio ns for e nhanci ng yo ur compu ter’s effici ency, securit y, and functiona lity. The VAIO Update a utomatica lly n otifies y ou of n ew upda tes for e nhancing your comp uter's perfo rma[...]

30 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using Y our V AIO C omputer This se ction des cribe s how to ge t the mo st out of using y our VAI O compu ter. ❑ Using the K eyboard ( page 31) ❑ Using the T ouch P ad (page 33 ) ❑ Using the Built-in Camera ( page 34) ❑ Using "Memor y Stick" ( page 35) ❑ Using Other Modules / Memory Cards ([...]

31 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the K eyboard Using the K eyboard Your k eyboar d has additiona l key s that per form mod el-spe cific ta sks . Combinations and Fun ctions with th e Fn K ey ✍ Some keyb oard funct ions can be used on ly after th e operatin g system is finish ed launch ing. Combinat ion/Feature Function Fn + % (F2) : mu[...]

32 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the K eyboard Fn + (F 12) : hibernation Provides the lowest lev el of power consum pti on. When you ex ecute t his command, t he states of the system and the connected peripheral de vices are sav ed to the built - in storage de vice and the system power is t urned off. T o ret ur n the system to its origi[...]

33 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the T ouch P ad Using the T ouch P ad You ca n poin t to, se lect, d rag, and scro ll objec ts on the scr een usin g the tou ch pad . ✍ Y ou can di sabl e/enabl e the touc h pad whil e a mouse is connect ed to your com puter . T o change the touc h pad sett ings , use the VAIO C ontro l Cen ter . ! Be s[...]

34 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Built-in Camera Using the Built-in Camera Your co mputer is eq uipped wit h a bui lt-in MOT ION EYE camera. Some fe atures and o ptions in thi s sectio n may not be av ailab le on your co mputer . See the speci ficat ions to find out about the confi guratio n of your co mput er . With th e appropr iat[...]

35 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using "Memory Stick" Using "Memor y Stic k" "Memor y St ick" i s a compa ct, por tabl e, and ver satile I C rec ording m edia es peci ally de signe d for exc hanging and sh aring digital data with compa tible p roducts, s uch a s digital c ameras, mobil e phone s, and othe r devic [...]

36 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using "Memory Stick" Inser t ing and Remo ving "Memor y Stic k" To insert "Memory Stick" 1 Loca te the "Mem or y S tick Duo" sl ot. 2 Hold "Me mor y Sti ck" with the arrow facing upward and p ointin g toward the slot. 3 Careful ly slid e "Mem or y S tick&qu[...]

37 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using "Memory Stick" To remove "Memory Stick" ! Do no t remove "Memor y S tick" whi le the Media Access indica tor light is l it. If you d o, you may l ose dat a. Larg e volume s of d ata may take time to load, so make sure t he indicat or light is unlit befo re removin g "Mem[...]

38 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using "Memory Stick" F or matting "Memor y Stic k" To format "Memory Stick" "Memor y St ick" i s formatt ed by d efault and is ready f or use. If you wa nt to refor mat the me dia wi th your com puter, fol low these steps. ! Be sure to use t he device tha t is desig ned t[...]

39 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using "Memory Stick" 6 Click St ar t . 7 F o llow the on -scre en instr uc tions. ! It may take time to forma t "Memor y St ick" dep ending o n the medi a type.[...]

40 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using "Memory Stick" Notes on Using "Memor y Stick" ❑ Y our com puter has been tested and found compa tible with Sony branded "Mem or y St ick" with ca pacit y of up to 32 GB that are av ailable as of Januar y 2 010. Howe ver , not all "Mem or y S tick" are guaran teed [...]

41 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using Other Modules / Memory Cards Using Other Modules / Memor y Cards Using the SD Memor y Card Your co mputer is eq uipped wit h an SD memory card sl ot. Yo u can u se this slot t o transfe r data among digital c amer as, camco rders, mus ic p layers, an d other audio/v ideo d evices. Before you use the S D m[...]

42 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using Other Modules / Memory Cards To insert an SD memory card 1 Locate th e SD memor y card sl ot. 2 Hold t he SD memo r y ca rd wit h the arr ow f acin g upward an d poin ting toward the sl ot. 3 Careful ly slide th e SD me mor y c ard int o the slot until it clicks into pl ace. Do not force the car d into th[...]

43 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using Other Modules / Memory Cards To remove an SD memory ca rd 1 Locate th e SD memor y card sl ot. 2 Check that the Media Acce ss indi cator l ight is u nlit. 3 Push in the SD mem or y car d toward the comp uter and r elease. The SD memor y card ejec ts. 4 Pull th e SD me mor y car d out of the slot .[...]

44 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using Other Modules / Memory Cards Notes on Using Memor y Cards Gene ral not es on us ing th e memo ry car d ❑ Be sur e to use m emor y card s that ar e comp liant with the s tandards suppo r ted by your computer. ❑ Be sure to hold t he memo r y car d with the ar row pointin g in th e correct direction as y[...]

45 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Internet Using the Inter ne t Before using th e Inter net, yo u need to sign up with an Internet Servic e Prov ider (I SP) and set up devices requir ed for connec ting you r comput er to the In ternet. The fol lowin g types o f Inter net co nnection servic es m ay be a vailabl e from y our ISP: ❑ Fi[...]

46 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Network (LAN) Using the Network (LAN) You can connect y our compu ter to 100B ASE-T X/10BAS E-T type ne tworks wi th a LAN cabl e. Conne ct one en d of a LAN cabl e (not sup plied) to the net work (LAN) por t on the compute r and the othe r end to your network. F or detailed settings and devices requi[...]

47 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Wir eless LAN Using the Wireless LAN The W ireless L AN (WLAN) allow s your com puter to connec t to a n etwork th rough a wi reless connec tion. The WLAN uses the f ollow ing IE EE 802 .11a/b /g/n stan dard, whic h specifi es th e type of t echnolo gy used . See the speci ficat ions to find out about[...]

48 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Wir eless LAN Notes on Using the Wireless LAN Function Gene ral not es on us ing th e wirel ess L AN func tion ❑ In so me countr i es, using W LAN pr oduct s may be restr icte d by the loca l regul ations (e.g. li mited number of channel s). Before activating the WLAN fun ction, read the Safety Info[...]

49 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Wir eless LAN Note on the data encryption The W LAN st andard i nclud es the encrypt ion method s: Wired E quivale nt Priv acy (WEP), wh ich i s a sec urity prot ocol, Wi-Fi Protec ted Acce ss 2 (WPA 2), and W i-Fi Prote cted Ac cess (WP A). Propo sed joi ntly by the IEEE and Wi -Fi Allia nce, bot h W[...]

50 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Wir eless LAN Using the Wireless LA N Function ! Be sure to turn on the WIRELES S switch be fore starti ng the wireless LAN funct ion. To use th e wirele ss LAN fu nction, y ou firs t need to s et up the wireles s LAN fun ction. Use the SmartWi Connection Utility to s et up the wireless LAN funct ion.[...]

51 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Bluetooth Function Using the Bluetooth Function You c an est ablish wireles s commu nicat ions between your c ompute r and other B luetoo th devic es suc h as ano ther co mput er or a mobi le phone. You can transfe r data between these dev ices wit hout cables at a r ange of up to 33 feet / 10 meters [...]

52 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Bluetooth Function Bluetooth Security The B luetooth wi reless technolo gy has an authent ication f unctio n, whic h allows yo u to dete rmine wi th whom y ou choos e to commun icate . With the authenti cation fu nctio n, you ca n preven t any a nonym ous Blu etooth d evic es from a ccessing your comp[...]

53 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Bluetooth Function Communicati ng with Another Bluetoo t h De vice You ca n conn ect your c ompute r to a Bl uetooth device s uch as another c ompute r, a mobi le phon e, a PD A, a he adset, a mouse, or a digi tal came ra withou t the us e of any c ables. To commu nicate with ano ther Bluetooth device[...]

54 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Bluetooth Function Notes on Using the Bluetooth Funct ion ❑ The dat a transfer rate varies, dependi ng on th e following conditio ns: ❑ Obsta cles , such as w alls, located bet ween de vices ❑ Distanc e between devices ❑ Mate r ial used in w alls ❑ Proximity to mic rowa ves and c ordles s te[...]

55 nN Using Y our V AIO Computer > Using the Bluetooth Function ❑ The Bl uetooth function may not work wi th other d e v ices, depen ding o n the ma nuf ac turer or the so ftware version em ploy ed by the m anufacturer . ❑ Connecti ng multiple Bluet ooth devices to your co mputer m a y cause chann el conges tion, resulti ng in p oor perform [...]

56 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Using P eripher al De vices You ca n add fu nctio nality to your VAIO c ompute r by usi ng the various ports on the c ompute r. ❑ Connecting an Optical Disc Drive (pag e 57) ❑ Connecting External Spe ak ers or Headphones (page 59) ❑ Connecting an External Display (page 60) ❑ Selecti ng Display Modes (page[...]

57 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Connecting an Optical Disc Drive Connecting an Opt ical Disc Drive To us e optical disc m edia with y our co mputer , connec t an ex ternal op tical di sc dri ve (not supplied ) to your compute r. Connecting a n Optical Disc Drive ! Be sure to connect an external op tical d isc drive t o your com puter bef ore la[...]

58 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Connecting an Optical Disc Drive To connect an o p tical disc drive 1 Connect your exter nal op tical di sc dr ive to an AC outlet (1). 2 Choose th e USB por t (2) you prefer to use. 3 Plug on e end of a USB cable (3) into t he USB por t , and th e other en d to the optical d isc dr ive. ✍ See the manu al that [...]

59 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Connecting External Spe ak ers or Headphones Connecting Exter nal Speak ers or H eadphones You ca n conn ect exter nal sou nd outpu t devi ces (n ot sup plied), such as speak ers or he adphone s, to y our com puter . To connect e xternal speake rs ✍ Make sure you r speakers are d esigned for co mputer use . ! T[...]

60 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Connecting an External Display Connecting an Exter nal Displa y You can conne ct an ex ternal d isplay to your c omputer. F or exa mple, you c an use the compu ter wit h a compute r displ ay or a proj ector . Some fe atures and o ptions in thi s sectio n may not be av ailab le on your co mputer .[...]

61 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Connecting an External Display Connecting a Computer Displ ay or a Projecto r You ca n conn ect an external displa y, su ch as a c ompute r displ ay or a proje ctor, to your compu ter. To connect a computer displ ay or a proje ctor 1 Plug the power cord (1) of your external disp lay or the projec tor into t he AC[...]

62 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Selecting Display Modes Selecting Displa y Modes When an externa l displ ay is connect ed, you can sel ect ei ther you r compu ter s creen or th e con nected di splay to use as the prim ary monito r. ✍ Y ou may no t be able to di spla y the same con tent on your comput er screen an d the external display or pro[...]

63 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Using the Multiple Monito rs Function Using the Multiple Monitors Function The M ultipl e Mon itors f unction allows you to dis tribute p ortio ns of y our desktop across sep arate di spla ys. Fo r examp le, i f you have an externa l displ ay co nnecte d to the monitor p ort, you r comput er scr een and the exter[...]

64 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Using the Multiple Monito rs Function To use t he Multiple M onitors fun ction ✍ Y our e x ternal d isplay may not s uppo rt the Multiple Monitors function. Certain so ftware appli cation s may not be compa tible wit h Multipl e Monito rs settings. Make sure that your c omputer does n ot enter Sle ep or Hibern [...]

65 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Connecting an External Micr ophone Connecting an Exter nal Microphone You ca n conn ect an ex ternal m icropho ne (not s uppli ed) to yo ur comp uter. To con nect an exter nal mic ropho ne Plug th e micro phone cab le (1) into the microp hone jac k (2) m . ✍ Make sure your microphon e is design ed for compu ter[...]

66 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Connecting a USB Device Connecting a USB De vice You ca n conn ect a U nivers al Se rial Bu s (USB) devic e to yo ur comp uter, suc h as a mouse, fl oppy disk dr ive, speaker , and prin ter. To connect a USB device 1 Choose th e USB por t (1) you prefer to use. 2 Plug the USB d e vi ce ca ble (2) into the USB por[...]

67 nN Using Peripheral Devices > Connecting a USB Device Notes on connecting a USB de vice ❑ Y ou may need to in stall the d river soft ware supplie d with your USB device before use. See the manua l that ca me with th e USB device for more inform ation. ❑ Be sur e to use a USB pr inte r co mpatible wit h your version of Wi ndows to pr int d[...]

68 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Customizing Y our V AIO Co mputer This sect ion brie fly de scrib es how to c hange the main s etting s of your VAIO c ompute r. Among other things, y ou will learn how to us e and cus tomiz e the look of your Sony s oftware an d utiliti es. ❑ Setting the Passw ord (page 69) ❑ Using the V AIO Control[...]

69 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Setting the Passw ord Setting the P ass word Setting the pas sword a llows yo u to pr otect yo ur compu ter from unautho rized a ccess by maki ng the u ser ente r the pas sword when the comput er is tu rned o n or retur ns to Nor mal mode fr om Slee p mode or Hiber nate mo de. ! Do not to fo rget your pa[...]

70 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Setting the Passw ord Setting the P ower-on P ass word To add t he powe r-on pa ssword (mach ine pas sword) 1 T ur n on the c ompute r . 2 Pres s the F2 ke y when th e V AIO log o appea rs. The BIO S setup scr een appear s. If the sc reen doe s not ap pear , r estar t the co mputer and pres s the F2 ke y[...]

71 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Setting the Passw ord To add the power-on password (use r password) ! Make sure you set the mach ine passwo rd before set ting the user pa ssword. 1 T ur n on the c ompute r . 2 Pres s the F2 ke y when th e V AIO log o appea rs. The pas s wor d entr y screen appears. If t he scre en does no t appea r , r[...]

72 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Setting the Passw ord To change or remove the p ower-on password ( machine pass w ord) 1 T ur n on the c ompute r . 2 Pres s the F2 ke y when th e V AIO log o appea rs. The pas s wor d entr y screen appears. If t he scre en does no t appea r , resta r t the comp uter and p ress th e F2 k ey se ver al tim[...]

73 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Setting the Passw ord To change or remove the p ower-on password ( user password) 1 T ur n on the c ompute r . 2 Pres s the F2 ke y when th e V AIO log o appea rs. The pas s wor d entr y screen appears. If t he scre en does no t appea r , resta r t the comp uter and p ress th e F2 k ey se ver al times wh[...]

74 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Setting the Passw ord Setting the Windows P assw ord To add t he Wi ndows p asswo rd 1 Click St ar t and Cont rol P a nel . 2 Click User Accounts and F amily Safe ty or User Accounts . 3 Click User Accounts . 4 Click Create a password f or your account und er Ma ke chang es to your user accou nt . 5 In t[...]

75 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Setting the Passw ord To remove th e Windows passwor d 1 Click St ar t and Cont rol P a nel . 2 Click User Accounts and F amily Safe ty or User Accounts . 3 Click User Accounts . 4 Click Remove y our pas sw o r d . 5 In the Curre nt passwor d field, en ter the c urrent p assw or d that you want to re mov[...]

76 nN Customizing Y our V A IO Computer > Using the V AIO Control Center Using the V AIO Control Center The VAIO Control Center utility allows y ou to a ccess sy stem informat ion an d to sp ecify pr eferenc es for s ystem be havior . To use t he VAIO Contr ol Center 1 Click St ar t , All Pr ograms , and V AIO Control Center . 2 Select your desi[...]

77 nN Precaut ions > Precautions This sect ion desc ribes s afety gui deli nes and pr ecautio ns to h elp y ou protec t your V AIO com puter fr om pote ntial dam age. ❑ Safety I nf ormation (page 78) ❑ Care and Maintenance Information (page 81 ) ❑ Handling Y our Computer (page 82) ❑ Handling the LCD S creen (page 84) ❑ Usin g th e P ow[...]

78 nN Precaut ions > Safety Information S a fe t y I n fo r m a t i o n Comp ute r ❑ Use your compu ter on a solid , stable su rface . ❑ Provide adequa te air circulatio n to prev ent in ter na l ov er heating . Do not place your comp uter on porous su rfaces such as rug s, blank et s, couches, beds, or n ear d raperies that may bloc k its a[...]

79 nN Precaut ions > Safety Information Batter y P ack ❑ Do not leave batter y packs i n temperatur es above 140°F / 60°C, such as in a c ar par ked in the sun or unde r direct sunligh t. ❑ F o r your safety , Sony reco mmends us ing th e genuine So ny batter y pack and AC adapter p rovided with this produ ct. If these i tems need to be re[...]

80 nN Precaut ions > Safety Information Headphones ❑ Road safety – Do not use headph ones while d riv ing, c ycling, or operating any motor ized vehicle. It may creat e a traffic hazard and is illega l in som e areas. It c an also b e potent ially da ngero us to play loud mus ic whil e walking, es peciall y at pedestr ian c rossi ngs. ❑ Pr[...]

81 nN Precaut ions > Care and Maintenance Information Care and Maintenance Inf or mation Comp ute r ❑ Clean the cabinet w ith a s oft, dr y or lightly moiste ned cloth with a m ild deter gent sol ution. Do not use an abrasive pad, scour ing p owder , or sol v e nt such a s alc ohol or benzi ne, as these may damage the finish of your compute r [...]

82 nN Precaut ions > Handling Y our Computer Handling Y our Computer ❑ If you drop a solid ob ject o r any liquid o nto your comp uter , shu t down the co mputer, unplug it, and r emov e the bat ter y pack. Y ou may want to hav e the co mputer checked by qualified per sonnel before operatin g it aga in. ❑ Do not dr op your computer or pla ce[...]

83 nN Precaut ions > Handling Y our Computer ❑ T o avoid losi ng data when your co mputer is dama ged, back up your d ata regul arl y . ❑ Do not ex er t press ure on the LCD screen o r its ed ges whe n opening t he LCD s creen lid o r liftin g your computer . The LCD screen m ay be sensit ive to pressure or added stre ss, and ex er ting pr e[...]

84 nN Precaut ions > Handling the LCD Screen Handling the LCD Screen ❑ Do not leave the LCD sc reen facing the sun. T his co uld da mage th e LCD sc reen. B e sure to bloc k direct sunl ight whe n using your co mputer near a w indow . ❑ Do not sc ratch the s urface of the LCD sc reen or e xer t p ressure o n it. Thi s could cause a damage. ?[...]

85 nN Precaut ions > Usin g th e P ower Sour ce Using the P ower Source See the speci ficat ions to find out about the confi guratio n of your co mput er . ❑ Do not sh are th e AC outlet with othe r power-consum ing equ ipmen t, such as a photoc opier or a shre dder . ❑ Y ou ca n purcha se a p ower stri p with a su rge pro tector. This devic[...]

86 nN Precaut ions > Handling the Built-in Camera Handling the Bu ilt-in Camera ❑ Do not t ouch the l ens prote ction cover of the built-in c amera, as it may cause scratches on the c ov e r and such s cratches will app ear on th e captu red imag es. ❑ Do not let the direc t sunlight get into the lens of the built-in c amera regardl ess of y[...]

87 nN Precaut ions > Handling Discs Handling Discs ❑ Finger prin ts and dust on th e surface of a di sc may cause re ad error s. Be sure to hold th e disc by it s edge s and cen tral hole, as sh own below: ❑ Nev er affi x an adhe sive label to a disc . This will affect the use o f the di sc a nd may result in i rreparable dam age.[...]

88 nN Precaut ions > Using the Battery P ack Using the Batter y P ack ❑ Batter y life is shor te r in a cold environm ent. Thi s is due to dec reased b atter y efficien cy at low temp eratures. ❑ Charge bat ter y packs at temperat ures between 50° F / 10°C to 86°F / 30°C. Low e r temperatur es require lo nger char ging time. ❑ Do not c[...]

89 nN Precaut ions > Handling "Memory Stic k" Handling "Memor y Stick" ❑ Do not touc h the " Memor y Stick" conn ector wit h your finger or metal lic objec ts. ❑ Use only the ad hesive label suppl ied with " Memor y Stick". ❑ Do not ben d, dro p , o r expose "Memo r y Stick". ❑ Do not dis[...]

90 nN Precaut ions > Handlin g the Built-in Storage Device Handling the Bu ilt-in Storage De vice The b uilt-in stora ge dev ice ( hard di sk driv e or solid stat e driv e) has a hi gh stor age density and reads o r writ es d ata in a sho rt time. How ever , it ca n be ea sily da maged i f improp erly us ed. If t he buil t-in st orage device is [...]

91 nN T roubleshooting > T roubleshooting This sectio n des cribes h ow to s olve c ommon problem s yo u might encoun ter when usin g you r VAIO c ompute r. Many prob lems have s imple solutio ns. Try these s ugges tions bef ore vis iting the Sony onlin e suppor t web si te at the following URLs: ❑ F o r cu sto mers in US A http://esu ppor t.s[...]

92 nN T roubleshooting > ❑ Disp lay (pag e 116) ❑ Printing (page 119) ❑ Microp hone (page 12 0) ❑ Speake rs (page 121 ) ❑ T ouch P ad (page 1 23) ❑ Ke yboard (page 124) ❑ Floppy Disks (page 125 ) ❑ A udio/Video (page 126) ❑ "Memory Stick" (p age 128) ❑ P eriphe rals (page 129)[...]

93 nN T roubleshooting > Computer Operations Computer Operations What should I do if m y computer does not st ar t? ❑ Make sure your comp uter is sec urely plugged i nto a power sourc e and tu rn ed on a nd the p ower indicator l ight is l it. ❑ Make sure the b atter y pack is inst alled pr oper ly a nd charg ed. ❑ Discon nect a ll conne c[...]

94 nN T roubleshooting > Computer Operations What should I do if the g reen power indicator light turns on b ut my screen remains b lank? ❑ Pres s the Alt + F4 keys se veral time s to c lose the appli cation window . An app lica tion err or may hav e oc curre d. ❑ If the Alt + F4 k eys do not work, cli ck St ar t , th e arrow next to the Shu[...]

95 nN T roubleshooting > Computer Operations What should I do if m y computer or soft ware stops r esponding? ❑ If your comput er sto ps resp onding while a so ftware app licatio n is r unn ing, pres s the Alt + F4 ke ys to c lose the ap plica tion window . ❑ If the Al t + F4 ke y s do not wor k, cl ick Start and the Shut down button to tur [...]

96 nN T roubleshooting > Computer Operations Wh y doesn't my comp uter enter Sleep or Hiber nate mode? Your co mputer may b ecome uns table if the o perating mode i s change d befor e the com puter compl etely en ters Sl eep or Hibernate mod e. To restore yo ur computer to Normal mode 1 Close al l open pr ograms. 2 Click St ar t , the arrow[...]

97 nN T roubleshooting > Computer Operations Wh y does the System Proper ties window displa y a slow er CPU speed than the maximum? This is norm al. Beca use your compu ter's CPU utilizes a type o f CPU speed control ling tec hnolog y for po wer cons ervatio n purpos es, Syste m Proper ties may displ ay the curren t CPU speed inst ead of th[...]

98 nN T roubleshooting > Computer Operations How ca n I change the boot de vice order? You ca n use one of th e BIOS f unctio ns to cha nge the boot de vice or der. Fo llow t hese step s: 1 T ur n on your compu ter . 2 Pres s the F2 ke y when th e V AIO log o appea rs. The BIO S setup scr een appear s. If the sc reen doe s not ap pear , r estar [...]

99 nN T roubleshooting > Computer Operations Wh y doesn't my comp uter respond f ast enough while Windo ws Aero is running? Perform ance o f your c omputer i s not gua rantee d while W indows A ero is run ning. I t is rec ommen ded yo u disabl e Windows Aero t o ensu re optimu m per formanc e. To dis able Win dows Aer o, foll ow these st ep[...]

100 nN T roubleshooting > System U pdate / Secu rity System Update / Secur ity How ca n I find impor tant updates f or my co m puter? You ca n find and ins tall the latest update s on y our com puter with the so ftware applica tions: the Windows Update and the VAIO Update . See Updating You r Computer (page 29) for more informati on. How ca n I [...]

101 nN T roubleshooting > System U pdate / Secu rity How do I k eep my antivirus softw are updated? You ca n keep the Nort on Int ernet Sec urity s oftware pro gram cur rent wit h the la test up dates fr om Syman tec Corpo ration. To down load a nd instal l the l atest securi ty updates , foll ow these s teps: ! Y our comp uter must be connect e[...]

102 nN T roubleshooting > Recovery Rec ov er y How can I creat e recov er y discs? You can create re covery discs u sing the VAIO Care . The d iscs are u sed to restore your comp uter sys tem to its factory defaul t setting s. For detailed infor mation, refer to a u ser gui de unde r Use my VAIO in Help and Support (pag e 6) or enter VAI O Care [...]

103 nN T roubleshooting > Recovery How do I chec k the vol ume of the reco v er y par tition? Your b uilt-in storage device contains the rec overy p artition where the data for the s ystem rec overy is stor ed. To c heck the volume of the recovery partition, fol low these steps : 1 Click St ar t , rig ht-cl ick Computer , and se lect Mana ge . 2[...]

104 nN T roubleshooting > Batter y Pac k Batter y P ack How do I fi nd the battery charging status? You c a n che ck the cha rge indi cator fo r th e bat tery char ging sta tus. Se e Char ging the Battery Pack ( page 21) for mor e informati on. When is m y computer using A C pow er? When yo ur co mputer is conne cted to a n AC outl et with the A[...]

105 nN T roubleshooting > Batter y Pac k Can my computer ent er H iber nate mode while running on batter y pow er? Your com puter can enter Hiberna te mode while ru nning on b attery po wer, but s ome softwa re prog rams and periphe ral devic es prevent the system fr om enterin g Hibernat e mode. If yo u are usin g a program that preven ts the s[...]

106 nN T roubleshooting > Built-in Camera Built-in Camera Wh y does the vie wfinder sho w no images or poor-quality images? ❑ The built-in ca mera cann ot be share d by more than one sof tware appli cation . Exit the curren t appli cation before launching another . ❑ The viewfinder m a y show some noi se, f or example hor izontal strea ks, w[...]

107 nN T roubleshooting > Built-in Camera What should I do if movie pla yback sho ws dropped fr ames while my compute r is running on battery pow er? The ba ttery pack is run ning ou t of powe r. Connec t your c omputer to an AC outlet . What should I do if captured imag es flick er? This problem occu rs when you use t he cam era under fluo resc[...]

108 nN T roubleshooting > Networking (LAN/Wireless LAN) Networking (LAN/Wireless LAN) What should I do if m y computer cannot con nect to a wireless LAN access point? ❑ Connecti on cap ability is affected by distan ce an d obstr uct ions. Y ou may need t o move y o ur comp uter awa y fro m obst ruct ions or clos er to any ac cess poin t you ma[...]

109 nN T roubleshooting > Networking (LAN/Wireless LAN) What should I do if I ca nnot access the I nter net? ❑ Check the ac cess po int se ttings. See th e manual t hat cam e with your access poi nt for more inform ation. ❑ Make sure your comp uter and th e acc ess point a re co nnecte d to one an other . ❑ Mov e your computer awa y from o[...]

110 nN T roubleshooting > Networking (LAN/Wireless LAN) How do I a v oid data transf er interr uptions? ❑ While your compu ter is connec ted to an acces s point, data transfer interr uptio ns ma y occur if a lar ge file is exchanged or the comp uter is place d in clo se proximity t o microwav es and co rdle ss telep hones. ❑ Mov e your compu[...]

111 nN T roubleshooting > Bluetooth T echnolog y Bluetooth T echnolo g y What should I do if other B luetooth de vices cannot find my comput er? ❑ Make sure both devices hav e the Blueto oth function enabled. ❑ Make sure the WIRELESS s witc h is on and the WIRELESS indica tor li ght is lit on your c omput er . ❑ Y ou ca nnot use the Bluet [...]

112 nN T roubleshooting > Bluetooth T echnolog y What should I do if other B luetooth de vices cannot connect to my computer? ❑ Check the sugge stion s in What should I do if I cannot find t he Bluetooth de vice I want to comm unic ate with? (pa g e 111) . ❑ Make sure t he other d e v ice s are aut hentic ated. ❑ The dat a transfer distanc[...]

113 nN T roubleshooting > Bluetooth T echnolog y Can I use a de vice with Bluetooth t echnolog y on air planes? With Blueto oth tec hnology , your com puter transm its a radio freq uency of 2.4 GHz . Sensi tive loca tions, such as h ospita ls and airpl anes, may ha ve res trictions on use of Blue tooth dev ices to av oid radio interfer ence. Che[...]

114 nN T roubleshooting > Bluetooth T echnolog y What should I do if I do not hear sound f rom my headph ones or audio/vid eo controller? Check th e SCMS -T setting s. If you r headpho nes or aud io/vi deo con troller do es not s upport SCM S-T c ontent prot ection , you need to c onnec t the de vice us ing the A dvanced Audio Distr ibution Prof[...]

115 nN T roubleshooting > Optical Discs Optical Discs What should I do if m y e xter nal optical d isc drive does not work properly? Make su re that your externa l optical disc drive is connec ted to an A C power sourc e and the US B port on yo ur com puter. If it is not connecte d, the ex ternal optical d isc dr ive may not work properly .[...]

116 nN T roubleshooting > Display Displ a y Wh y did my screen go blank? ❑ Y our com puter sc reen may go blank if the comp uter lose s power or enter s a power saving mo de (Slee p or Hibe r nate). If the comput er is in LCD (Vi deo) Sl eep mod e, press any k ey to br ing the c omputer back int o Nor mal mod e. See Using the P ower S aving Mo[...]

117 nN T roubleshooting > Display What should I do if I do not see proper images or videos? ❑ Be sure to sele ct T rue Color (32 bit) for the dis play colors be f o re usin g vi deo/im age software or sta r ting D VD playback. Select ing any other opti on may prev ent such software from displaying ima ges s uccess fully . T o change th e dis p[...]

118 nN T roubleshooting > Display Wh y doesn't my screen displ ay a video? ❑ If the dis play output i s dire cted t o the exter nal d isplay and the exter nal d isplay is di sconnec ted, you ca nnot di splay a video on your compute r scre en. Stop vi deo pl a yba ck, change the displ ay output to the c omputer s creen, a nd then re star t[...]

119 nN T roubleshooting > Printing Pr inting What should I do if I ca nnot print a document? ❑ Make sure your pr inter i s on, and the pr in ter cable is s ecurely conn ected to th e por ts on the pr inter an d your comput er . ❑ Make sure your pr inter i s compa tible wit h the Wind ows operating s ystem i nstalled on your comp uter . ❑ Y[...]

120 nN T roubleshooting > Microp hone Microphone What should I do if m y microphone does not w ork ? ❑ If you are usin g an exter nal mi crophon e, make sure the m icropho ne is tur ne d on an d is p roperl y plu gged into t he micropho ne jack on your com puter . ❑ Y our sou nd inp ut device may hav e been in corre ctly co nfigur ed. T o co[...]

121 nN T roubleshooting > Speake rs Speak e rs What should I do if I do not hear sound f rom the b uilt-in speak ers? ❑ If you are usin g a pr ogram that has its own volume c ontrol, m ake sure the volume cont rol is proper ly s et. See the program's h elp file for mor e informat ion. ❑ The volume may hav e b een tur ne d off by the Fn [...]

122 nN T roubleshooting > Speake rs What should I do if m y e xter nal speak ers do not work? ❑ Check the suggesti ons in What should I do if I do not hear sound fr om the built-in speakers ? (page 1 21) . ❑ If you are usin g a pr ogram that has its own volume c ontrol, m ake sure the volume cont rol is proper ly s et. See the program's[...]

123 nN T roubleshooting > T ouch P ad T ouch P ad What should I do if the t ouch pad does not wor k? ❑ Y ou may hav e d isabled the t ouch p ad before conne cting a mou se to your com puter . See Using the T ouch P ad (page 33) . ❑ Make sure that a mous e is not c onnected to your compu ter . ❑ If the pointer does no t mov e whi le a softw[...]

124 nN T roubleshooting > Ke yboard K eyboard What should I do if the k e yboard config uration is wrong? The la nguage l ayout of y our comp uter's ke yboar d is labe led on t he packag ing box . If you choose a d iffere nt region al keybo ard when yo u comp lete th e Windows setup , the key confi guration will be m ismat ched. To ch ange [...]

125 nN T roubleshooting > Floppy Disks Flopp y Di sks Wh y doesn't th e Saf ely Remov e Hardwar e and Eject Media icon appear on the taskbar when the drive is connected? Your com puter does n ot recog nize the floppy disk dri ve. Fir st, mak e sure th e USB cab le is pr operly conn ected to th e USB port. If y ou need to secu re the con nec[...]

126 nN T roubleshooting > A u dio/Video A udio/Video How do I tu r n off the Windo ws star tup sound? To turn o ff the Win dows startup sound , follow th ese steps: 1 Click St ar t and Cont rol P a nel . 2 Click Har dware and So und . 3 Click Mana g e audio devices under Sound . 4 On the Sounds tab , cl ick to cancel the Play Windo ws Startup so[...]

127 nN T roubleshooting > A u dio/Video What should I do if I do not hear the sound fr om the sound output de vice connected to t he HDMI output por t, optical output por t, or headphones jac k? You need to chan ge the so und outp ut device if you wa nt to hear s ound from th e devi ce co nnected to a p ort, s uch as the HD MI output po rt, op t[...]

128 nN T roubleshooting > "Memory Stick" "Memor y Stic k" What should I do if I canno t use "Memor y Stic k" that was f or matted on a V AIO computer on other de vices? You may need to reform at your "Memo ry Stick ". Form atting "M emory Stick " erase s all dat a, inc ludin g music data pr eviou[...]

129 nN T roubleshooting > P eripherals P er ipherals What should I do if I cannot connect a USB de vice? ❑ If applic able, check the USB device is tur ned o n and us ing its own power supply . F o r example, if you are usi ng a di gital camera, che ck if the ba tter y is char ged. If you are using a p r inter , ch eck if the p ower cable is co[...]

130 nN T r ademarks > T r a demar ks © 2010 S ony Ele ctronic s Inc. A ll rights rese rved. Repro duction i n whol e or in p art withou t written p ermissio n is pro hibited. Sony, t he Son y log o, "Memor y Sti ck", "Mem ory S tick Du o", "M agicGa te", "O penM G", "Me mory Sti ck PR O Duo", &q[...]

131 nN T r ademarks > Compact Flash ® is a tr adema rk of Sa nDisk Co rporati on. , "XMB, " and "x ross me dia bar" ar e tradem arks o f Sony Cor poratio n and S ony Co mputer E ntertainm ent Inc. "Trans ferJet" and the "Tran sferJet" l ogo ar e tradem arks of Sony Corpora tion. AVCHD" is a t rademar[...]

132 nN Notice > Notice © 2010 S ony Co rporation. All ri ghts res erved. This manual an d the s oftware de scribe d herein , in who le or in part, may not be reprod uced, tra nslated, or reduced to any machin e-read able fo rm withou t prior written ap proval. Sony Co rporation prov ides no wa rranty with rega rd to this manu al, the software, [...]

© 2010 S ony Corp oration n[...]